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Building a Pathway as a Family
In June 2017, Brother Glendale Fonokalafi and his wife, Lasini, attended a self-reliance fireside where they first learned about the BYU PathwayConnect program. Glendale had recently withdrawn from a course at a local polytechnic and thought that this Church-run programme might help restart his academic journey. After the fireside, however, the couple had a strong impression that PathwayConnect was a better fit—at least for now—for Lasini. She immediately enrolled and started the course in September 2017.
Over the next 10 months, her weekdays involved sending her husband off to work every morning, managing their household and caring for their one-year-old son. In the evenings, she focussed on her PathwayConnect course work, and often staying up late to study; she loved what she was learning. She shared every detail of it with her husband, who was so inspired by her dedication and spiritual growth that he decided to enroll in the programme’s next intake.
Lasini graduated from PathwayConnect in July 2018, three months before the couple welcomed their second child—a daughter—into the world. By then, Glendale had just begun his own year of PathwayConnect, which he successfully completed in July 2019.
Lasini recalls that managing the course’s workload that year was especially challenging for her husband. “He sacrificed mornings, late nights, and weekends,” she says. A typical weekday for Glendale included getting up at 4:30 every morning for his full-time job, then family home evening on Monday nights, high council meetings for the Auckland New Zealand Papatoetoe Stake on Wednesday evenings, PathwayConnect gatherings on Thursdays, and filling every other moment with study.
“Almost every night he helped me put the kids to sleep [then] stayed up until 12 a.m. doing his work . . . he made sure to put in lots of time and effort into his homework.”
While graduating from PathwayConnect has been a great achievement for the Fonokalafis, the rewards they have gained reach far beyond academics.
“Together we have learned that sacrifice and effort really matter to the Lord,” Lasini explained. “Success doesn’t come overnight. As hard as it has been trying to juggle our growing family, Church callings, work and school on top of that, we have always felt joyful, even in our struggles.”
The experience also reminded them that God is always near His children to help us through difficult times. “When we’re overwhelmed with tasks, we have no choice but to turn to the Lord because He is the only one that can help change our hearts, desires and determination. He has literally taken off burden[s] from our shoulders each time and cheered us up to keep us going.”
The next step for Sister Fonokalafi is to continue with a BYU-Idaho certificate course, which she recently started. She eventually wants to earn a bachelor’s degree in tourism and hospitality, and to put her talent for speaking different languages to good use. Her husband is watching her progress closely, and she is confident he will pick up a class or two of his own, soon.
Their next graduation will take a few more years of hard work and sacrifice, but the Fonokalafis are ready for it. “Life is hard,” says Lasini, “but with the gospel, life is simple. That’s what we have learned in our Pathway journey so far!”