Aley Kahaawi Auna, Jr., a 1979 BYU–Hawaii graduate who grew up in Hilo, Hawaii, dedicated his life to faith, family, and service. Professionally, he served as Deputy Attorney General and as a State of Hawaii District Family Court Judge. He also served as a bishop, high councilor, stake president, Area Seventy, and mission president. Today, he continues as a Sealer in the Laie Hawaii Temple and as a Patriarch in the Kona Hawaii Stake. Together with his wife, Danelle, they raised six children and have seventeen grandchildren. Guided by spiritual impressions, he built a life devoted to uplifting others on the foundation of his BYU–Hawaii experience.
Reading Between the Lines of Faith
Growing up in Hilo as the oldest of six children, Auna’s path to BYU–Hawaii was shaped by a powerful spiritual experience. While attending the University of Hawaii at Hilo, a mutual friend showed him a letter from his girlfriend, Danelle, who was studying at BYU–Hawaii (then the Church College of Hawaii). One paragraph stopped him in his tracks: "Someday I would like to marry a returned missionary who will take me to the House of the Lord."
"The Holy Ghost testified to me that what she was saying was true, and I realized that if I wanted to be with her throughout my life, I should put my perspective in line," Auna recalls. "So that Sunday, I went to see the bishop and talked to him about going on a mission. The rest is history."
After Auna completed his service in the Taiwan Taipei Mission in 1976, he returned home to find his father, who was serving as stake president, gravely ill. A few months later, his father passed away. As the oldest of six children, Auna planned to stay home to help his mother. However, she encouraged him to continue pursuing his goals.
"She asked me what my goals were, and I said I'd like to attend a church-sponsored school. She encouraged me, saying, 'I think you should go.'"
Making Friends by Design
From his first day in Hale 6, Auna’s BYU–Hawaii experience was marked by divine connections. When the dorm parent learned he spoke Mandarin, she asked him to room with a lonely student from Hong Kong. "Sure, I'll take it," Auna said immediately, moving into a semi-private room. "That was a great experience. I made many friends right away in the Chinese community on campus."
That same week, a Fijian student approached him. He said, "I'm the elders quorum president. I'm looking for a counsellor, and I don't know who you are, but you just look like a good person. So, I want you." The student did not realize Auna was not even in his ward until Auna moved rooms and ended up there anyway. "Can you see the connection of how Heavenly Father really connects things together?” Auna marvels.
His most impactful campus decision came during his first visit to the cafeteria. "I recognized something quite unusual. The students were sitting at tables by ethnicity. I remember thinking it didn't seem right to me."
So, he made a choice. "Every time I went into the cafeteria, I would sit at different tables. I'd just sit down, introduce myself, talk story, and make friends. You know that later proved to be a blessing. After a month or so, you get to know a lot of people."
When he was called to the bishopric at semester’s end, those relationships became invaluable. "It made serving in the Church much easier because I could count on many people to help."
His service expanded remarkably. "In my last two years of school, I was called to the high council and ordained a high priest. I was 23 years old." He adds humbly, "I was the first student to be called to the high council on campus, and by the time I graduated, there were four of us."
The McKay Building Miracle
While Danelle served her mission in the Oklahoma Tulsa Mission, Auna experienced three distinct spiritual impressions during his morning prayers.
First, he felt prompted to join the TVA housing waitlist six months before his engagement. "By that afternoon, people were coming up to me and saying, 'I hear you're getting married,'" he laughs. "I said, 'Well, I plan to get married, but I don't have any definite plans right now.'"
A week later, the second impression came. He felt he should create a financial plan. He calculated the costs for two single students versus a married couple attending school. "Let me tell you,” he says, "it's a lot cheaper for two students who are married to each other to go to school than for two single students."
Auna received a third impression of his future career. "I decided to pursue a law degree to support my business goals," he recalls. "Ironically, it ultimately worked the other way around."
When Danelle returned from her mission, Auna felt prompted to share these three plans. On the steps of the David O. McKay Building, he laid out his financial analysis, career plans, and housing arrangements. As he explained each, she began to cry.
"After I stopped, she shared with me that while she was flying home from her mission, she had three big worries: How am I going to pay for my education? What am I going to do after I graduate from college? Where am I going to stay while I'm in school?"
They were the exact same three impressions Auna had received six months earlier. "I think that day I hit a home run," he says, grinning. Then Danelle pulled out her missionary calendar and showed him August 12, her dream wedding date, already circled. "I looked at her and said, 'Let's do it.'"
That experience became fundamental. "That has really set the foundation for my life, emphasizing the importance of following impressions immediately and not delaying. In all the callings I've had since, that's been sort of the mantra. You have a spiritual thought, an impression, the Holy Ghost speaks to you, and you immediately act upon it."
Seeking the Kingdom First
They married in 1977. Auna graduated in 1979 with a degree in Business Management, with an emphasis in Accounting. Throughout his time on campus, he maintained a careful balance among academics, employment, and church service.
"One of the great things about attending a church-sponsored school is that you have the opportunity not only to receive a wonderful education but also to serve in leadership roles in wards that are often reserved for those who are a little older," he explains. "Where else can you find a 20-year-old member of a bishopric, a member of the high council, elders quorum president, or Relief Society president?"
He noticed that many students at that time struggled with balance, focusing on one area to the detriment of others. His approach was guided by Jacob 2:17-19. In part, it reads, "Before ye seek for riches, seek ye for the kingdom of God. And after ye have obtained a hope in Christ, ye shall obtain riches, if you seek them; and ye will seek them for the intent to do good."
"If you put forth your effort in serving the Savior, then everything you desire to sustain yourself, whether it is education, employment, or church service, will be blessed, provided that you use that blessing to help someone else," he explains.
From Private Practice to the Prophet's Call
After graduating from BYU–Hawaii, Auna earned his Juris Doctor in 1983 from the University of Hawaii’s William S. Richardson School of Law. He practiced law for five years in private practice and served 12 years as Deputy Attorney General for the State of Hawaii. Later, he was nominated as a judge. He served eighteen years as a State of Hawaii District Family Court Judge before retiring to serve as a mission president.
Throughout his professional career, he served continuously in Church leadership callings: bishop, stake presidency counselor, stake Young Men's president, high councilor, stake president, and Area Seventy. He and Danelle then served as mission leaders in the Washington Everett Mission.
After his service as mission president, he was called as a Sealer in the Kona Hawaii Temple and as a Patriarch in the Kona Hawaii Stake. When the Kona Hawaii Temple closed for renovations, he received permission to serve as a Sealer in the Laie Hawaii Temple. He reflects on one of the greatest blessings of these recent callings: "I think it is one of the greatest blessings I have had. Since I was in callings that required me to sit on the stand, I very rarely sat in the congregation with my wife and our children. Being called as a mission president was just a great opportunity because I now get to sit with her. It's been like that ever since. So, it has been really nice for the last six years."
Every Wednesday, the Auna’s fly from Kona to Laie on the first morning flight and return on the last evening flight so he can serve as a Sealer while Danelle serves as an ordinance worker. He also chairs the Kona Hawaii Temple History Committee and serves on the BYU–Hawaii Alumni Executive Board.
A Legacy of Faith
Auna and Danelle raised six children and now have seventeen grandchildren. Their family is close-knit, and their faith is woven into their daily lives. Two grandchildren are married, after they and/or their spouses served missions, and both were sealed in the temple by their grandfather. Two more are currently serving missions, and another recently received his mission call.
"All of our children are temple worthy and serving in significant church callings," he says. "We're so grateful for that. I believe much of this is due to how we recognized and followed the Savior in our home."
Beyond family, he is grateful for his career, which has opened avenues to share the gospel, and for a very solid education. He says, "Professors and staff at BYU–Hawaii are very loving, kind, respectful, and always interested in your success. That built a firm foundation for me throughout my life."
Search Diligently, Pray Always, Be Believing
Brother and Sister Auna have always lived by the principles outlined in Doctrine and Covenants 90:24: "Search diligently, pray always, and be believing, and all things shall work together for your good, if ye walk uprightly and remember the covenant wherewith ye have covenanted one with another."
For current students, Brother Auna invites you to reflect on D&C 90:24. He explains: "Searching the scriptures and the words of prophets, to a large extent, is how God speaks to you. Praying consistently is your way to speak to God. Believing in that pattern and covenant relationship, the promised blessing is that all things will work together for your good. I really believe in that."
Now serving as a Patriarch, Brother Auna draws on his education and experiences. "As I talk with members who are about to receive their patriarchal blessing, I can see the potential for what may unfold in their lives because of what I have witnessed and experienced. If they follow basic gospel principles and make and keep sacred covenants, the counsel, promises, and admonitions in their patriarchal blessing will be realized."
He concludes with gratitude for students' temple worship. "One of the great blessings we have in these church-sponsored schools is that there's a temple nearby. When we go to the temple every Wednesday, we see students who are ordinance workers or who come to participate in ordinances. I know what it's like to be a student and to have to work, and yet these wonderful students sacrifice their valuable time to come to the House of the Lord because they know of its importance."
From his first day at BYU–Hawaii to decades of service, Aley Kahaawi Auna, Jr.’s journey shows how simple acts of faith and kindness can change hearts and lives.