Mio Tuala’s parents both passed away within a year of each other. She said she can see she was prepared for this trial because being at BYU–Hawaii allowed her to be closer to Samoa to take care of her father in his last living months. In addition, her mission to Samoa prepared her to take care of him in Samoa by teaching her to speak the language, understand the culture and do simple things like getting groceries and riding the bus. “I have been blessed in too many ways to count,” Tuala said.
Tuafafine (sister) Tuala
Tuala, a senior from California studying Pacific Islands Studies, said she originally didn’t know if serving a mission was for her. One Sunday, she said she was walking home while contemplating the blessings of serving when the thought, “Go and serve. You will be blessed,” came into her mind.
Additionally, a week before her mission call came, she said she had a dream she received a package with a mission tag that said, “Sister Tuala, Samoa Apia Mission.” She said she was overjoyed at the prospect of serving in Samoa because it is the country of her heritage. “I remember I woke up and just started crying.”
Opening her mission call only a few weeks later in the Aloha Center with dozens of friends is her favorite memory of BYUH, she explained. She was assigned to serve in her father’s native land of Samoa. “When I read it, I knew for sure that was where I was supposed to serve.” She said she didn’t know what a blessing her service would be to prepare her for the trials ahead.
When Tuala was about to start high school, she said her dad was sent to his home country, Samoa, because he didn’t have papers to stay in the United States. After high school, she said she decided to attend BYUH because it was the perfect half-way point between her dad in Samoa and her mom in California.
Tuala said although she visited Samoa a few times during her first year at BYUH, her Samoan connections became powerful when she served her mission because she had a unique opportunity to learn about the language, culture and people of her heritage, including family she had never met. In her last transfer, she said she even served in her father’s stake.
Invaluable preparation
After studying a few more semesters in Hawaii, she said, “I got word my dad got sick. I took a semester off and went to Samoa,” she shared. “I was there for nine months, and then my dad passed away.”
She said she believes she came to BYUH for a reason. “I don’t think it was a coincidence I came to school here.” Because BYUH was so close, she said she could fly to Samoa and take care of her dad.
Tuala said the skill set she gained from her mission became essential when her dad got sick. She explained doing things like getting groceries and taking the bus, which would be daunting for a foreigner unfamiliar with the place, were easy for Tuala because she’d done it on her mission. “I’m the only one of my siblings who knew the language because I served in Samoa,” she added.
Another grief
Julia Sio, an information technology junior from Samoa and the BYUH Samoa Club President, said she got Tuala involved with the Samoa Club as the technology specialist in 2019. As they served together, Sio said their friendship grew.
When the pandemic hit, she said they parted ways, staying with family in different states. However, they made plans to celebrate Independence Day together. As the holiday approached, Sio said she felt like something was wrong.
She said she checked up on Tuala and learned her mother was in the hospital. Tuala told her she wouldn’t be able to celebrate Independence Day with her. “Right when she said she couldn’t come, I understood,” Sio said. “She couldn’t leave her mom.”
Tuala’s mother worked as a middle school lunch lady and was on dialysis several times a week, Tuala explained. Despite the health threat, Tuala said her mother kept working because she wanted to keep busy.
After being misdiagnosed and going in and out of the hospital for a month, Tuala said her mother passed away in July 2020, not yet a year after her father passed.
When she found out about her mother’s passing, she said, “It was probably the hardest day of my life, knowing they weren’t there anymore. It was hard to take that all in.”
Tuala lived with her brothers in California at the time, and she said they were “busy planning funerals and trying to figure out where [they’d] all live.”
She said she struggled doing online school while facing a life with neither of her parents.
Enduring faithfully
Relying on her faith and friends, Tuala said she continued her education and returned to Hawaii in the spring. Now, Sio said she can be found quietly sitting at activities, telling jokes or making late night McDonald’s trips with friends. Sio said with a smile, “She’s a keeper.”
Sister Dawn Uyehara, a senior missionary from New Zealand, is also Tuala’s supervisor at work. She said Tuala’s biggest strength is her faith. “I think her faith probably helps her a lot. She’s very faithful and has a full understanding of the whole plan of salvation. She knows she’s going to see her parents again.”
Uyehara said she believes Tuala’s experiences will continue to bless her in her service. “I feel what she’s been through gives her a measure of understanding of people who go through similar things, which is really helpful. She can understand what they need and be there for them.”
Tuala said she was able to face her parents’ death because she knew they were sealed in the temple and understood Heavenly Father’s plan for his children.
After she graduates, Tuala said she wants to return to Samoa to work at a Church school. She shared she’s always had a deep interest and love for Polynesian culture.
She advised BYUH students, “Continue living as Heavenly Father would want you to. Magnify your callings and strive to be your best self. After school, as we go on our different paths, we will be able to take all the knowledge we’ve learned here and apply it to our lives.” •