Elder Peter M. Johnson, a BYU–Hawaii alumnus and former basketball student-athlete from Queens, New York, rose from a difficult upbringing to a life defined by faith, purpose, and service. At BYU–Hawaii, he first came to know Jesus Christ and, after converting from Islam, developed a deep love for the Savior. As the first African American General Authority Seventy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, he continues to lead and uplift others.
Against the Odds
Elder Peter Matthew Johnson was born and raised in Queens, New York City, in an inner-city neighborhood. His parents divorced when he was 11 years old. His mother, Geneva Mahelona, eventually made her way to Hawaii, drawn there by her oldest son, who served in the U.S. Army, stationed at Schofield Barracks, and expecting the family's first grandchild. Elder Johnson’s mother came to help with the expected grandchild and decided to stay.
For two years, Elder Johnson remained in New York City with his father, navigating adolescence in an environment where gang violence and drug use were the gravitational pull on nearly everyone around him. His Muslim faith, which he had practiced since the age of 12, is what kept him upright. "The Muslims have a strict code of health," he explains. "That helped me stay away from drugs and alcohol. I was grateful for my Muslim upbringing to help me stay away from some of the craziness that some of my friends were getting involved in my early days."
When he was almost 15, his mother called and invited him to come live with her in Hawaii. It was a decision that would redirect the entire course of his life, though he had no way of knowing it then. His mother worked two, sometimes three, jobs so there would be food on the table. "She came with nothing," he says simply.
What Turned Possibility Into Reality
Elder Johnson played basketball at Mililani High School. BYU–Hawaii was the only scholarship offer he received. His teammate Brian Clark, whose family were members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, spoke to him about the university, and Brian's parents, Richard and Jan Clark, strongly encouraged him to attend. The choice wasn't difficult.
"My financial circumstances at the time, with a single mom, college was not possible. So, to have a scholarship where I can get an education and a chance to play basketball? I was going to take that deal anytime."
"I was the first in my family to attend university and to graduate from college," he says. "I don't think I would've gone to college if it hadn't been for BYU–Hawaii."
He arrived knowing almost nothing about the Church and having spent very little of his life opening a textbook. He was placed on academic probation before his first semester even began. "I had to learn how to study," he says. "I never even cracked open a book." What turned the tide was the campus itself; small classrooms, one-on-one faculty attention, and coaches who were equally relentless. "When we had a study hall, all eyes were on me. My coaches wanted me to succeed academically."
Hustle On and Off the Court
As part of his scholarship, Elder Johnson worked roughly 20 hours a week at the Cannon Activity Center. "I was a janitor, sweeping floors, mopping, cleaning bathrooms," he says. On the court, basketball gave him something harder to work for. "The competitiveness, the team concept, having us look after one another; it was fantastic. But I couldn't have had a better team."
He names his teammates the way people name those who shaped them: Danny Frazier, a returned missionary and fellow Black American who inspired him and remains a close friend to this day. Rick Barker. Will Bellow. Sam Johnson. Dave Stewart. Ron Durant and Rob Nelson. "I played with some very good athletes, beyond my capability for sure. But what a lot of fun memories."
From Requirement to Revelation
He was showing up to class, learning how to study, and working his shifts. Then something happened in a required New Testament class his first semester that he had not been prepared for.
"I fell in love with Jesus Christ," he says. There is no hesitation. "I got to know Jesus Christ. And so, from that love of Jesus Christ, that led me to His church."
The transition from Islam was not without difficulty. "I tell people the Muslim faith prepared me to be a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The importance of studying. The importance of prayer. Entering covenant relationships. That helped me." At 19, he was baptized. A year later, he left for the Alabama Birmingham Mission. "I've been so blessed with the gospel of Jesus Christ. I just felt a spiritual prompting that this was something the Lord needed me to do."
His mission president, M. Dalton Cannon, became one of the defining relationships of his life, a mentorship that has stretched nearly four decades. What the mission gave him most of all was the ability to hear and to recognize the Holy Ghost. "The biggest thing that came from my mission is the recognition of the Holy Ghost, how it feels for me, how I can hear His voice. That has been very instrumental in my life."
Love at First Loss
After his mission, Elder Johnson still had basketball eligibility; Southern Utah University gave him his chance to play NCAA Division I basketball, and introduced him to Stephanie Lyn Chadwick, who also played Division I basketball. "We met as college athletes," he says. "And it's still an ongoing courtship, even today."
Their first date started as a bet. His team lost. They ended up at a 7-Eleven. "We were too poor, so we shared the nachos and a slurpee, and we just spent that whole evening just talking and getting to know each other. That was our first date. And that first date led to our engagement and marriage."
Their first date was December 5, 1989, and Stephanie and Elder Johnson were married six months later on June 4, 1990. Stephanie supported him through a master's degree in accounting and a PhD at Arizona State University, working as a nurse while he studied. "She has been a blessing to my family and to my children's lives." They have four children and four grandchildren.
Switching Sides of the Desk
Elder Johnson began his career in 1992 as a staff accountant for Grant Thornton CPA in Salt Lake City. He expected to stay in public accounting. Then BYU–Hawaii called.
"I thought I owed so much to BYU–Hawaii. That was the foundation of my faith's beginning, of my academic career." He went back thinking he'd be there a year. A year turned into four. He was 26, just a little older than the students sitting in front of him. "A lot of them were just like me. First time in their family attending a university. Humble, devoted, and hardworking. They taught me as we taught each other."
He later served as an Associate professor at the University of Alabama. "My time teaching at BYU–Hawaii was the most meaningful and probably the most impactful."
When the Weight Feels Too Heavy
On April 6, 2019, Elder Peter M. Johnson was sustained as a General Authority Seventy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He had been serving as an Area Seventy for just one year when President Russell M. Nelson extended the call. "It was definitely unanticipated," he says.
What followed were three of the hardest days of his life.
"My soul was wracked with guilt and remembrance of all my past transgressions," he says. "I felt feelings of darkness and loneliness to the point where I told Stephanie: I cannot accept this assignment. I am not worthy to be a witness of the name of Christ in this capacity."
Then, slowly, something quiet and powerful broke through.
"I heard: Peter, you can do all things with me. Christ is my Healer, my Redeemer, my Saviour, my Advocate with the Father. Through Him, everything is possible. And I felt that reconfirmed. I felt I can move forward by exercising faith in Jesus Christ."
He has since served as Executive Director in the Missionary Department, as president of the England Manchester Mission from 2020 to 2022, and currently serves in the United States West Area Presidency. When asked how he pushes through lingering feelings of unworthiness, his answer is immediate.
"Reminding myself that it's not about me. It's about Him, my Savior, and doing His will and submitting my will to His. Faith is a principle of action and power. I just can't stand still. And that is confirmed every weekend when I finish an assignment and know: the only reason I made it through that weekend is because of my Redeemer and Savior."
A Mother's Sacrifice, a Son's Chance
Elder Johnson says he owes his success to his mother. Despite not being of the same religion, she was happy her son had found his faith and well pleased of the family he has established with Stephanie. His mother lived with Elder Johnson’s family in Alabama for nearly two years, close to children and grandchildren who loved her. She passed away in February 2020.
"Her life of love and devotion and sacrifice. She has been the single most influential person in my life."
"A mother's devotion and commitment is celestial in every way. Geneva Mahelona. I will love you forever."
In the Shadow of Something Sacred
There is something about BYU–Hawaii, he says, that he has never found anywhere else. "The aloha spirit is real. It's the Spirit of Christ. It's the Spirit of God. The Holy Ghost permeates this campus because it's in the shadow of the house of the Lord, the temple."
The university, the temple, and the Polynesian Cultural Center sit together on the North Shore of Oʻahu in a sacred proximity — not coincidence, Elder Johnson says, but divinely design.
"You have sacred places right there to pursue both your spiritual development and your academic career. Where you work, where you study, and where you worship are all right there to help you become and help others, one-by-one, become lifelong, joyful, disciples of Jesus Christ. There is no better academic institution on this planet than BYU–Hawaii."
Home Is the Real Victory
"I am most grateful for my wife Stephanie, and for my children. There is nothing more important than that. The gospel of Jesus Christ, my commitment in honoring covenants made in the house of the Lord has blessed me with a devoted loving wife and family that I love so very much."
"The best part of my day is going home. There is nothing better than that for me."
His message to Seasiders is the same message he has lived for nearly four decades. "Stay committed to your faith. Stay committed to the gospel of Jesus Christ. And recognize the blessings it is to be a part of BYU–Hawaii's campus. The beauty. The ability to be transformed through the Atonement of Christ, having the university and the temple within walking distance. How can it not be the greatest place on earth?"
