LAIE, Hawaii — Upon driving around the Flag Circle into the entrance of Brigham Young University–Hawaii, the scene that captures the attention of most visitors is the grand mosaic depiction of President David O. McKay at the flag-raising ceremony of the local elementary school. The scene resonates in the hearts of all who understand the prophetic mission of the University. For Norman Burr, the sight brings back a humbling sense of accomplishment.
In 1958, the First Presidency called Burr as a labor missionary and asked him to leave his work as a tile setter on the mainland and move his family to Hawaii for a year. The eleven-hour flight across the Pacific only enhanced the family’s excitement. According to Burr’s daughter, Jan Ryan, “It was an adventure and a great chance to serve.” That adventurous spirit carried Burr through the challenges of his main task: the Mckay mosaic. Burr recalls that the mosaic was shipped to Hawaii one section at a time, in three separate boxes. The labor missionaries working on the project were forced to move forward in faith without a vision of the final project because, as Burr says with a smile, “The instructions were in the third box.”