Laekin Vakalahi was more than grateful that his Philadelphia Eagles had a bye on Oct. 6, Week 5 on the NFL schedule.

It meant the rookie tackle on the Eagles’ practice squad could travel to Salt Lake City and for the first time attend a general conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in person with his family, which had journeyed to Utah from their home in Brisbane, Australia.

At 6-foot-5 and nearly 320 pounds, Vakalahi stood out among the large crowd making its way into the Conference Center before the Saturday morning session of October 2024 general conference on Oct. 5. The massive figure was accompanied by his parents and three younger brothers (a fourth brother was not able to come), who are almost as big as he is. The family had only ever watched general conference on television in their Australia home — usually days later, never live — but with an abundance of snacks.

“Being here is definitely a blessing,” he said. “I’m excited for the experience and to see the prophets and apostles in person.”

‘A miracle’

Vakalahi’s journey to the NFL was a short one. He had never played a down of American football before joining the Eagles.

While Vakalahi was serving a Latter-day Saint mission in Wellington, New Zealand, his parents were on vacation in Hawaii when they met a friend of Chris Naeole, an international scout for Philadelphia. The friend noted the size of Vakalahi’s father, Frank Vakalahi, and they began to talk.

“I’ve got some boys,” said Frank Vakalahi, who serves as first counselor in the Brisbane Australia Stake presidency.

After his mission, the 21-year-old Laekin Vakalahi, who had only ever attempted to play American football in video games, had a workout with Naeole and began to learn the game. The returned missionary was obviously raw, but he had played rugby and basketball and possessed the necessary physical traits to play the game at a high level.

With an international player roster exemption, the Eagles signed Vakalahi as an undrafted free agent in May to develop on the offensive line, according to ESPN.com.

“It was a massive blessing and, to be honest, a miracle,” he said. “I was just trusting that God was going to put something in place for me after my mission. I didn’t know what I was going to do, and I got the craziest opportunity I’ve ever heard of, being signed by a professional football team two months after I got home. Sometimes you may not know God’s plan, but He is going to make something work for us.”

Vakalahi’s NFL experience thus far has been positive. He said he loves the team and his teammates, including fellow Latter-day Saints Britain Covey and Tanner McKee, who each served missions.

“It’s great to have that fellowship in Philadelphia, so far from home,” he said. “I’m picking up the game slowly. Hopefully, within the next couple of years, I’ll be able to make my name out there.”

Lessons learned as a missionary, including diligence and perseverance, will help.

“Sometimes you don’t want to wake up in the morning, or you don’t want to do something, but that discipline you have, that desire for something better keeps pushing you forward even though you get knocked down so many times. I learned that in my mission,” he said. “That will help me, because it’s real hard right now. Trying to learn a completely new sport at a professional level, I need to be persistent and keep picking myself up every time I get knocked down so I can reach my goals.”

‘I had to put God first’

Laekin’s younger brother, 18-year-old Kobe Vakalahi, who is also 6-foot-5, appreciated his older brother’s example of serving a mission and hopes to follow in his brother’s footsteps. He recently declined an offer to play professional rugby and has submitted his paperwork to serve a mission. On Friday, Oct. 4, Kobe received his temple blessings in the Taylorsville Utah Temple. After his mission, he hopes for an opportunity to play American football.

“It was either go play rugby for two years or go serve the Lord for two years. I just had the feeling that I had to put God first,” he said while standing outside the Conference Center. “I’m happy with the decision I made.”

A father’s gratitude

Frank Vakalahi beamed as his family prepared to enter the Conference Center. He’s happy for his oldest son, Laekin, his bright future and how his opportunity has opened new doors for his younger brothers. He’s also grateful for their missionary service and righteous decisions.

“None of this would have happened without Heavenly Father and the Savior Jesus Christ watching over us. We know that this is all from them,” he said. “We are feeling very blessed today.”