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Laie residents displayed their modern culture with their parents’ traditions in the 2nd annual hip hop fireknife Street Battle on New Year’s Eve. The creators of the event said they are the first to display the fusion of the two styles.“It all started with our parents, who passed down the tradition of Samoan fireknife dancing,” said David Galeai, the “Puppet Master” of the event.“We started to think about how life is right now. Hip hop is a big culture,” said Galeai. “One day we were just talking about it: ‘Hey, we should mix hip hop with fireknife--we’ll put it together.’ And that’s exactly what we did.”Jason Ava, or “MC PeekABoo,” was a big supporter of Galeai’s event, and Ava said the event gave families an opportunity to come together to be entertained and feel good about what they were watching.“A lot of us grew up with the traditional fireknife dancing,” said Ava, “and a lot of our children, and this generation, do a lot contemporary style dancing, or hip hop dancing. They like to mesh both worlds. We’re just giving them a platform to come and do it here in Laie.”Jackson Tilo, “Mr. Slidez,” who choreographed some of the performance, said the fusion of the two styles was to “collaborate to give people the next level of fireknife.”Ava said they have a huge cast of dancers, from hip hop to fireknife. He explained the dancers allow “these two different styles to be fused together into a more contemporary style.”Out of 13 competitors, last year’s reigning champion, “The Prophecy,” put up a strong fight and won this year’s competition.Christian Tekurio, a BYU-Hawaii student in business management from California, had a front row seat, as he helped the competitors with the fires after their performances. Tekurio was impressed with the competitors, saying, “They’re all so good--when you start juggling more than two of [the fireknives], it gets pretty crazy. It’s so hard.”Coming in at 3rd place, competitor, Jeralee Galeai, or “Poison Ivy,” gave some advice about competing.“Always try your best--you never know when you can get successful,” said Jeralee.Uploaded January 12, 2015

The community came together at the LDS Honolulu tabernacle to commemorate their shared faith in Christ, using music as an instrument to bring the joy of Christmas spirit. As part of a missionary effort, Craig Young, the musical director of the event, had prepared the Christmas concert held on the 20th and 21st of December.Young said “It’s really a big stake effort, and at the same time, it’s to bring people from the community,” and that “it’s a really neat experience to have everybody come in here, especially those that are not members--that’s more than half the people here.”Elder Bogner, a full-time missionary from California said, “The concert is for the entire community with an emphasis on missionary work and trying to get anybody who is interested or may be interested to come.”Many missionaries were in attendance, eager at the possible missionary opportunities. Bogner said the program is to show the community “all we offer and that we worship and praise Jesus Christ.” Bryan Crump from Kahuku, who had a mother in the choir, said that he felt joyful feelings during the concert. “It’s the best time of year and it helped bring that out,” he said.Members of the choirs spent many hours a week preparing for the program for months beforehand.Norine Francis, an alto in the adult choir from Honolulu, enjoyed preparing for the program. “There is such a beautiful spirit and there is never any stress,” said Francis, “They want us to have joy in sharing the music.” Janell Yim, from Honolulu Manoa, is a member of the adult choir. Yim joined because of the missionary opportunity she saw the program presented. “I'm not a great singer, so I joined as a missionary tool. I try to bring my nonmember friends. If I invited them and I wasn't in it, then they wouldn't come,” said Yim. Yim said in preparation for the performance she prayed that she could dedicate her and everyone else’s singing to the Lord so “that those present could feel of the spirit.”Alicia Pacheco, a member of the adult choir from Manoa, said, “I love the spirit that comes into my life as I practice the music and the joy of the season that I can feel with my co-singers,” said Pacheco. “It's good to know that no matter our denomination we worship the same Christ.” Some performers said the Christmas spirit wasn’t the only presence felt that night. Sarah Kennedy-Smith, the accompanist and coordinator of the adult choir, said the choir received “divine” help throughout the night. “The hardest part is not tearing up and trying to blink back the tears while you're trying to sing because you can feel these heavenly hosts among us. It's really quite an experience and it happens just about every year,” said Kennedy-Smith.Young said they had a few hiccups along the way. “We’re working with non-professionals, so that’s the biggest challenge. We didn’t rehearse all the time together--we only did it twice.“I think every concert is successful if you have a full house and we always do.”

Around this time of year, many people turn their thoughts to the birth of Christ, but this time is also the anniversary of the birth of Joseph Smith. Over 200 years ago, on December 23, 1805, Joseph Smith was born. In Joseph's youth, he searched for the true church to join, as said in Joseph Smith—History. When he was at loss for an answer, the bible gave him guidance that would eventually lead to his answer. Smith trusted in God and put this scripture to the test. The scripture, James chapter 1 verse 5 says, "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally." Joseph Smith followed this verse of scripture when he kneeled down and asked God which church to join. After Smith was visited by Heavenly Father and His son, Jesus Christ, they told him to not join any of the churches. Following his faith in Christ, Smith spent the rest of his life restoring the true Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints to the earth. Smith was physically close to Christ when he received the First Vision, but more so spiritually close to Christ, then and throughout the rest of his life. We can use Smith's example of coming close to Christ in our own lives, according to Sister Merkel, a missionary from Germany in the Hawaii Honolulu Mission. Merkel said that Joseph Smith learned about Christ through reading the scriptures, praying, and from actually meeting Jesus Christ."We all can do what he did,” Merkel continued, “When we have questions, we can pray in the name of Jesus Christ and ask God for answers. We can make sure we know how we can follow Jesus Christ and His example, even if we have to sacrifice something like popularity, we know what is important in life and that we follow the teachings of Jesus Christ.”Sister Qiu from China, also serving in the Honolulu Hawaii mission, has applied Joseph Smith's example in her own life. "I read the scriptures, ponder the messages and pray about them. I can receive answers through Heavenly Father because, just like Joseph Smith, if I have faith and pray about them, then I can receive answers." According to Lds.org, through Joseph Smith "the Lord accomplished a great and marvelous work that included bringing forth the Book of Mormon, restoring the priesthood, revealing precious gospel truths, organizing the true Church of Jesus Christ, and establishing temple work."This Christmas season we can grow closer to Christ by following Joseph Smith's example of faith and trusting in God.

A BYU-Hawaii alumnus Dr. John K. Tsukayama, who is now a history of political philosophy teacher, spoke on the subject “Bystanders to Evil: What Would You Do?” at this semester’s Honors Colloquium. Honors Colloquium is an open class every Wednesday from 3:40 to 4:40 p.m. where teachers and invited guests are asked to share who they are and what experiences they have had.Tsukayama is a 2008 graduate, finishing his bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary studies after nearly 25 years as an investigator and corporate exudative. In 2011 and 2012, he located and interviewed 14 American military and intelligence veterans of the Global War on Terror. In those interviews, the study participants described in detail what it was like to be confronted by the “need” to abuse detainees in order to wage the military and intelligence war against America’s enemies. While. Tsukayama has lectured previously on what motivated some of the study participants to take part in abusive violence, including torture and murder while in Iraq, in the lecture he related the experiences of Americans who saw abusive violence and tried to intervene. He also shared the participant’s stories and the cost they had to pay by those who let the abuse go unchallenged. One of the participant’s stories he shares is about a woman veteran with the alias name Sam. Sam was at the time a 25-year-old intelligent specialist at the initial invasion of Iraq in 2003. “She tells me a story about a kiss, a knife, a stone quarry, and a pair of Humvees,” began Tsukayama. Sam was leaving the army with a captain of her battalion to go to lunch at a local restaurant when they picked up a teenage boy from the side of the rode. Tsukayama goes ones to tell her story quoting Sam’s actual words. When Sam asked the captain what they were doing with the boy, the captain responded that they were taking him to jail. Instead of jail, they took the boy to a rock quarry where the captain and other soldiers began harassing the boy. Tsukayama said Sam continued to voice her concern about this situation. The captain said to Sam, “When we first got here, the boy came up and kissed me on booth cheeks, so he is a homo and we are taking him to jail.” Sam responded, “He is not gay by doing that. That is just what they do when they are happy, the Iraqi people.” Against Sam’s objections, the soldiers when on with their business. No matter what she said, she was ignored, said Tsukayama. Finally the boy ran off and Sam noticed a car that was parked full of people just watching. After the incident was reported, it was never investigated or punished. Sam’s experience was an example of someone who stood up in the face of evil, Tsukayama said, and she continued to do so every time even when she was ignored. Tsukayama’s comments provoked a lot of thoughtful questions during his lecture: Will you be a bystander or stand up? Do you have a duty to do more? He concluded, “Nobody is untouched in the presence of torture.”BYUH student Gabriela Gomez, a senior in ICS from Guatemala and Honors president, said she thought the lecture left her thinking about being a bystander or standing up. “I want to be like the soldier, Sam, and take the chance to face evil, even when I have reservations and fears,” she said.BYUH student Daniel Malinconico, a senior in ICS from New Jersey, said after the lecture, “I know that I have to make up my mind today if I will do something more to stand up for what I know is right.”

Besides gaining an education, senior Christina Roberts, who will be speaking at the Dec. 13 graduation, said she has also gained a personal testimony of Jesus Christ while studying at BYU-Hawaii. “I was raised in the church, and coming to BYU-Hawaii allowed me to find my own testimony, separate from that of my parents. Here I was able to develop a strong testimony of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, his friendship, and his love for each of us,” said Roberts.Along with Roberts more than 250 students will receive their diplomas at commencement. She will be speaking alongside Elder L. Whitney Clayton of the Presidency of the Seventy as she was nominated by one of the deans at the university and selected by the administration to represent the graduates at commencement. Roberts, a biology major minoring in studio art, left her small town of Mount Airy, North Carolina with her twin sister, Mallory, with hopes to become the first ones in their family to finish college. Both will be graduating having a wealth of experiences to take with them into the future, she said. While Hawaii has become her home away from home, she said, graduation means Roberts has to say goodbye to the unique environment she has grown to love in Laie. “I will miss the comforts of living in an LDS environment and I will miss living so close to a temple.”When asked what were some of the highlights during her time at BYUH, Roberts said, “All of my fondest memories include the people I’ve had the privilege to meet. I have met so many students, friends, professors, and mentors who have helped make BYUH my home. And of course I have to say meeting my husband.” Roberts met her husband, Jerald, at the opening social her first year on campus and the two dated for a year and a half before getting married on June 13, 2014. Roberts added, “I love the temple. Attending the temple regularly has been such a blessing in my life and has helped me further develop my relationship with my Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. I may not ever get a chance to live this close to a temple, and I am eternally grateful for the time I have been given here.”Roberts, who will graduate magna cum laude, said she plans on moving to Virginia with her husband where she will continue schooling and prepare to apply for a master’s program at John Hopkins University. Her ultimate career goal is to find a job that allows her to help people while integrating her passion for science and art. “I don’t want to work a day in my life. I want to enjoy my future career so much that it doesn’t seem like work. As for her family, she said, “I want to raise a righteous family with my husband, centered on the gospel of Jesus Christ.”During her time at BYUH, Roberts stayed involved on campus and at different times during school, she was in the Dance Club, the Korean Club, and the art club. Roberts also helped with costumes for the school’s fall production of “One Tattered Angel,” and worked on campus as a supervisor in the science stockroom and as a tutor for biology 100 students. Roberts has advice for students on their journey. “Choose wisely what to do with the time that you have been given on this wonderful campus because it will go quicker than you think. Learn all you can and take the opportunity you’ve been given to not only get a secular education, but also to grow spiritually. Go to the temple.”

The Lady Seasiders advanced to the second round of the NCAA West Regional tournament falling to conference rival Dixie State (25-19, 25-16, 15-25, 25-19). The Lady Seasiders won the previous day against Central Washington University but were unable to rally against Dixie State. In the first round, Stella Chen, Noel Wolman, and Ariel Hsu provided an offensive spark with 27, 18 and 13 kills respectively. With 27 kills ,Chen becomes the school’s all-time leader with 1,789 kills during her collegiate career. After losing the first set 19-25, BYUH came back with renewed fire starting with a 5-2 lead and building from there. Freshman Sinamoni Tonga had three consecutive kills and a kill from Wolman gave the Lady Seasiders a 13-6 lead. BYUH was able to extend its 20-13 with strong defense from junior Kalistina Takau and kills from Chen and Wolman. The Lady Seasiders won the set 25-17.Wolman attributed the turnaround in the second game to a positive attitude and having fun. “We knew we had to play like it was our last and we needed to have fun. That was the difference,” said Wolman. The Lady Seasiders carried their momentum the momentum the rest of the way winning the match (19-25, 25-17, 25-17, 25-19).In the second round, the Lady Seasiders faced conference rival Dixie State. The two teams had played each other twice during the season with BYUH winning both matches. Dixie State came out strong and BYUH was unable to keep up. After dropping the first two sets, BYUH bounced back to take the third set 25-15.Dixie State responded in the fourth set grabbing an early 4-0 lead and killed several small runs by the Lady Seasiders. At 20-12 Kathleen Collette helped the Lady Seasiders climbed within three points, but BYUH was unable to stage the comeback losing the set and the match 25-19. On the BYUH athletics website, BYUH Head Coach Mona Ah-Hoy said, “It was a tough loss. We hoped to send the seniors off on a better note. Dixie State came ready to play tonight and disrupted what we wanted to do on our attack.”

L ongtime Laie resident and one of the original staff members of the Polynesian Cultural Center, “Aunty Tino,” Fuatino Su’apaia Koahou was remembered at her funeral services on Nov. 21 by family and friends as a talented and gracious woman who spread aloha in all she did. “Of all my aunties,” said her nephew Al Harrington while giving her eulogy at her services at the Laie North Stake Center, “I loved her the most. Why? Because I came with her to Hawaii on the old Mariposa boat.” They arrived in Hawaii the Wednesday before Pearl Harbor was bombed during World War II, says her obituary in the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Harrington, who is best known for being in the cast of the original “Hawaii 5-0” television show, said he was 3 years old when he made the voyage from Samoa to Hawaii with his then 18-year-old Aunty Tino. His mother had come to Hawaii and worked to earn the money to bring him from Samoa to the islands and Aunty Tino was his escort. “I have loved her with a great passion ever since,” he said. “My Aunty Tino had class. She was regal, and on top of that, she had the capacity to love.”Born on April 4, 1923 in Western Samoa, Aunty Tino was the eighth out of 12 children. She was 91 when she passed on Nov. 2, 2014. She received her schooling in Samoa at the LDS Church and Catholic schools before coming to Hawaii, says her obituary. When she got to Hawaii, she attended McKinley High School for a time and then “pursued trade courses at the Galusha School of Business from 1941-1943 and the Honolulu Business College from 1943-1945 where she met her first husband Antone Perreira,” it says. She married her second husband, Jacob Keliipule’ole Koahou of Hilo in 1952. Her husband was a truck driver for the government, says her obituary. They raised their family in Honolulu before moving to Laie. He passed away on Jan. 28, 1970.“I’m very happy with my life,” said Aunty Tino in a 2007 story in Kaleo Koolauloa News. “I loved the old Hawaiian people in Laie back then. They were very kind and helpful. They had great respect and love, and would do anything for you.” Her sister, Pala Palmer, jokingly said at her services even though her sister is Samoan, Palmer thinks she became more Hawaiian than Samoan over the years Tino lived in Hawaii.Harrington added Aunty Tino knew how to love and include even people who were considered outsiders. He said that in Aunty Tino’s memory, everyone should be sure to take care of each other and especially their families.Aunty Tino was a well-known performer and the first female fire-knife dancer of her generation from Western Samoa, says her obituary. “She was one of the most fantastic entertainers Hawaii has produced,” said Harrington. “She was the leading entertainer at the World’s Fair in New York. That is big time.”“Aunty Tino enjoyed dancing and was well-known throughout the entertainment world. She began her career in 1947 with The Royal Samoan Entertaining Group, dancing professionally at the International Market Place and at the Beachcomber throughout the 1950s. She was a vividly imaginative choreographer, dancer, mentor, teacher, and solo performer,” says her obituary.When PCC opened in 1963, said David Hannemann, who worked with her at the center and who also spoke at her services, she was in charge of all the tour guides and oversaw the theater productions. She told the tour guides they were “one stage at the PCC and that they were hosts and hostesses – not just employees,” Hannemann said. She trained the tour guides to treat all the guests as VIPs, he said. Later she worked at BYU-Hawaii’s Print Services.“Well into her 80s, Aunty Tino sang with the Nani La’ie Serenaders, a volunteer musical group who sang at funerals, weddings, parties, and community events,” says her obituary. Quoting Aunty Tino in her obituary, is say, “We don’t get paid. We just donate our time.” Members of the group sang at her services.“Mindful of a promise made to her parents, Aunty Tino completed several missions with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as a trainer and supervisor of Temple Protocol in both American and Western Samoa,” her obituary says. She worked in the Laie Hawaii Temple for many years as well.One of her former bishops, Lance Pagador, recalled at her services he made an appointment to come by her house to see her and her hanai sister, Noa Au. “When we got there, there was a full dinner,” Pagador said. “That’s an example of what their home was like…She exemplified God’s teachings in her life.”A member of the Laie North Stake Presidency and a longtime friend of Aunty Tino, Max Purcell, said at her services, “It can truly be said of her, her life was her message. Christ was the center of it and it showed by what she did and said.”

Q&A with videographer of BYUH's SIFE team, Akin Clothing, and Project SoleQ: Where are you from? How long have you been in Hawaii?A: I’m was born in Utah, moved to Nevada for a few years, and then back to Utah where I finished high school. I have lived in Hawaii for almost 11 years.Q: Tell me about your family. You’re expecting another kid soon, right?A: I have been married for almost 8 years to my LOVELY wife, who is also named Erin. We met shortly after I moved to Hawaii. She was a student at BYUH and I was just cruising. We have one crazy little knuckle head named Ross, who is 18 months old, and will soon be big brother to knuckle head No. 2, who is due Dec. 3. We love our little Ross-man and can’t wait to meet our new addition to the Nelson clan.Q: How long have you been doing photography/videography?A: Almost 4 years ago, during my senior year at BYUH, my wife bought me a GoPro for my birthday, and, after spending several hours editing a short surf video, I felt strongly that I had found something that was going to be much more than a hobby for me.Q: Where has photography and videography taken you in the world?A: Shortly after graduation, the SIFE team approached me on campus (now known as Enactus) to put together a 24-minute video to complement their presentation for an upcoming national competition. I have to say that this was the most difficult project that I have ever taken on, but I felt strongly I needed to go above and beyond what was asked of me and after many sleepless nights we delivered our presentation. For the first time, BYUH advanced to the final round of competition and placed 3rd in the nation. I feel strongly that the decision to do more than I had been asked was one of the most influential decisions I have ever made. Since that time, I have been able to travel with Akin Clothing to deliver school uniforms to underprivileged children in Tuvalu, Samoa, The Dominican Republic, Haiti, Costa Rica, and Guatemala. More recently I was able to go to the Philippines with Project Sole to give away over 11,000 pairs of shoes to the people of Tacloban. These opportunities have changed me as a person and have given me a clearer understanding of God’s love for his children and our responsibility to care for our brothers and sisters.Q: What camera do you use for most of your work?A: I started with the Canon 7D and moved on to the Canon 5D Mark III, which is my weapon of choice. The latest GoPro has also become a major player in the type of work I do.Q: You have done some work for Akin and started something of your own. Tell me about those.A: I recently launched my website www.uprightvision.com, which features work I have done, as well as my personal passion projects, which usually take place in the ocean. Shorter clips and updates can also be found on Instagram @uprightvision, Twitter, Facebook and Youtube.Q: Where do you see yourself in the next 10 years?A: I’m not sure really, which makes life exciting! In the past, I have tried to figure out and plan my future, but I always end up being surprised. I’ve learned that if I can constantly try my best in everything I do, and keep myself open to possibilities, things always work out and I end up exceeding what I had ever thought possible.Q: What do you hope people get out of your work?A: Two things, really: I would say my first goal is to leave people feeling uplifted. Genuine happiness can be found all around us, so I hope, first, that people get that from my work. Second, my goal is to show people a fresh perspective of our surroundings. This earth is far too beautiful to be ignored. It’s easy to get tunnel vision and forget what is in your periphery. The big picture is inspiring, and so much satisfaction can be gained from simply observing.Q: Any last words or advice?A: I would have to say that the best bit of advice I could give is to always challenge yourself. Never take the easy path. Success taste so much sweeter when it’s been preceded by soul-stretching, mind-bending, emotionally-draining HARD work.