Be Prepared

Today the Hau'ula 3rd ward recognized the 100th birthday of Boy scouts, also recognizing what had to be an inspiration for Baden Powell to originate the program.  This ward is "gung ho" scouting.  Since scouting came to Hau'ula 27 years ago, there have been 129 Eagle Scouts.  Tonight there will be another.  We feel priviledged to be a part of this program here.  How tied to the Priesthood is scouting.  Being prepared, has been the clarion call by the brethren for many years, physically, spiritually, financially, for our families.  The driving forces here in this ward is due to a sister, who helped her son go all the way through to Eagle, and she has helped many young men here, including our g'sons.  Her brother Paul, helps the 11 year olds who sometimes can fall through the cracks, going from cubs to full BSA. 

Jean McQuivey Larson

Mahalo Jean for Lunch

Photos of Roosters

Chickens, chickens, chickens/tortoises

They're everywhere.  The roosters start crowing way too early in the morning.  But then, we are usually up and gone so early that we aren't bothered by them.....unless it's Furlough Friday.  Like today!  If this island is ever held hostage by the local unions, who won't allow the ships to dock, they can always find chickens for dinner.  Taran has 4 Rhode Island Reds who are plump and beautiful.  "Don't even think it"  says Kea.  Kea domesticated a wild hen, and named her Shiver.  Shiver comes around to get any left overs from the Reds food source.  One day she jumped into the Reds coop, and just about lost her life, except that Jay saved her when he noticed the commotion in the corner of the yard.  I thought of that song from Music Man, where the women sing, "pick, pick, pick, talk a lot, pick a little"  Anyway, Jay saved her.  She is part of this menagerie.  Did I tell you about the two little baby tortoises that Kea happened upon in the turtle cage one day?  Taran took them to the vet, and he pronounced them well and healthy.  We would never have known they were there.  With this being the rainy season(only it's been dry) they might have drowned.  It's a day off for us today, we are going into town to meet Jay's cousin Jean Larson for lunch later.
Institute last night was oh so inspiring, we learned a lot.  Our students teach us so much. 

Hawaii Standard Time

I've noticed that if I write late at night here in Hawaii, the date will be posted as the next day, on this blog.  No wonder I am so confused all the time.  Actually, I enter my blog postings when I feel especially touched by the Holy Spirit.  So time, measured by earthly periods, does not matter.   Which brings to the fore, that we in our finite minds, are so earth bound, we have a difficult time stretching our spirits beyond this sphere. 
I just like being a missionary here in Hawaii.  Soon it will be time to leave here and return home to Utah.

Mid-year Seminary Convention

This day was awesome...starting with the most awesome sight.  We boarded a bus hired for all our Sem. Teachers from this side of the Island.  On the way into town, riding along the coast, on Kamehameha Highway we were blessed with a view of the rising sun.....in full orb, of red, through palm trees.  I did not have my camera, but several teachers took pics, I hope to get a copy.  We had an awesome breakfast of Chuk, yogurt, pastry and fruit.  Then we heard from our keynote speaker, president Steven Wheelwright, and afterwards broke out into three workshops.  Every workshop with it's uplifting handouts, and technology hints, gave us a lot of resources to help in this awesome program for these awesome young people of the church today.  Yahoo!  Awesome!

"chilly"

The temperatures do not tell the story.  There is a wind that has cooled our weather around here.  Well, it's not really that chilly, but we have been drinking hot chocolate and closing all the windows while we read.  Curled up on the couch with a "blanky" is way different than what we've been used to here.  We're not complaining, the coolness is good for cuddling.

MLK.Jr. Day

We spent today with family.  Jay went hiking with Jace and Taran and family, while the two g'mas stayed home.  I did some cleaning and laundry, while Sherrill did her paperwork for the Rental Units she manages.  After the hike, the family had a BBQ while I called Janessa on Skype for her 16th Birthday.  Then we went to the Laie Park(outside) to watch Jarrod's basketball team play in the North Shore Youth Basketball League.  It's so fun to be there and meet everyone and anyone.  It's the place to be.  It's back to Seminary, early morning tomorrow.  We love this calling.  It's the very best place to be, doing the very best we can. Me Kealoha Pumehana. 

Invictus

I went with Sherrill tonight, to see this movie...I love this movie.  Morgan Freeman was well cast..and I did enjoy Matt Damon's portrayal too.  I don't know much about Rugby, but I can see why the people around the world,  think that our American Football is for sissies.  Rugby is brutal.  I always loved the poem, Invictus.  "I am the master of my fate, I am the Captain of my soul."

Institute Laie

We are studying Mosiah 18-24 tonight.  I love these chapters.  Elder M and I are really a team.  He leads the class through the scriptures and I jump in from time to time.  I asked him if that was a bother for him when I do that, but he says, "No, I like it when you add a different perspective."  Isn't he cute!  I just love to talk, but I do sit in among the students and smile at him while he's trying to lead the class in discussion,.

Trade Winds

I thought I knew what trade winds were, I do now.  It is the wind that blows from the Northeast.  When it blows, all gunky air goes away, and we feel a great deal of relief.  The winds bringing in the Vog, has been Southeast.  But I do have to admit that it is "chilly"  For those of you mainlanders.  It is chilly.  Yes, our high today was 75 degrees, but the trades blow in and we actually have a wind chill factor.  The humidity along with the wind makes for the chill in the air.  I am wearing a sweater. No kidding! 

1/13/2010

We are loving being in Paradise.  We drove over to the North Shore yesterday to view the 20 ft. waves and surfers.  We talked to one surfer who had just "come in" from surfing.  He said "it's brutal out there".  We asked him if he surfed Monday, in the 40 ft. waves.  He said yes, and that he was scared at the huge waves.  He is from Australia, and they don't have waves like that.  This year for some reason, the waves are higher, and more abundant. 
It was our "P-Day" but we have no such thing.  With Seminary at 6AM and then helping out at PCC, we had one window of the day to wash clothes, and to vacuum the apartment, and drive over to the North Shore to see the Surf and the surfers.   
We met our neighbors from American Fork yesterday, for the first time.  They are delightful people.  Ralph had a music competition to attend here at the UofH.  He and Rebecca had never eaten at Ted's Bakery before, so we had to introduce them to our famous North Shore(hole in the wall)eatery.  It's always crowded, and they serve the best food. It's not just a bakery. They are most famous for their Haupia-Chocolate Cream Pie.  And any other pies, for that matter.  Elder M likes the plain Chocolate Cream Pie, I like all the pies.  They have the best crusts and cream topping.  I especially like the Macadamia Cream Pie, but you can't beat that Haupia Chocolate Cream Pie. 

LDS Employment Resource Center

We volunteer here at the church ERC two days a week, but all day long.  And since the people are not pounding the door down to get in to look for jobs, we have lots of time on our hands to do Seminary and Institute work, and checking on our emails and blogs.  We also do reports for our Seminary teachers and prepare reports for the bishops too.  It's great.  Someone has to do the office work.  We got to our first chapel this morning, and then Elder M left me there, while he drove over to the Stake Center building.  6:00AM and one teacher was missing, 6:05AM still no teacher, so I jumped in and started the class of 6 students waiting there, and had them lead us in singing Love One Another.  Then I asked a young man to offer our prayer for the day.  And then I had another young man take the roll for two days.  You see, we left that building last Friday, thinking all the teachers were there, and this same one was missing.  So a visiting Bishop from another ward asked a connecting teacher to unfold the divider between the two classes, and teach the class without a teacher along with his.  This is just some of the kind of things that go on, and we as coordinators for the Stake on Seminaries, "fill in" when assigned people don't show up.  I was ready to teach the class, based on our continued study of the Book of Mormon.  I just needed to know where they were in the scriptures.  There is an assigned list of what chapters to teach on a specific date.  Not all teachers are on schedule that way, so I have to find out where they are, when I jump in like that to teach.  Thank goodness for a lifetime of studying the scriptures.  No panic.  Just call on the Holy Ghost to help you, and you're off and running.     Jay found that the gates to the front of the Stake Center was not unlocked this morning and students were jumping over the fence to get in.  Oh my!

Sabbath Day in Hawaii

The thought occurred to me this morning, after visiting several wards in this church here in Laie, Zion is growing.  Lots and lots of children here.  Oh my, I love it.  Beautiful children.  I'm not going to look at children back home again, the way I look at them here, and I want to eat them up.  I have been able to hold a few here and there.  Yesterday at the basketball courts (outside), lots of children....sooooo cute.  Jarrod and Noah's teams did well.  We have three months of Saturdays to go sit outside at the basketball courts to watch games being played.  Everyone can be found there on Saturay mornings.  Just go there at 8:30AM, and sit through every game until you get tired of watching and get hungry, go home, and then go to the PCC to "work".  Love it, love it, love it!
But today, is voggy again, and I think the gunk in the air that I'm breathing is starting to get into my upper respiratory system...I'm coughing more!
We went to a ward to visit this morning, and we couldn't find a parking space, so we came to our office, and we couldn't find a parking space here too.  This hallway where we have our offices, is the children's hallway for the Nursery.  The cutest kids here.  I will have to take some photos of these beautiful children. 

1/7/2010 Vog

Another beautiful day in Hawaii.  The vog is messing up the scenery but at least we can enjoy some tropical breezes. 
To any and all of you who read this blog.  Please, please write to your congressmen/women, senators and opine about all that is wrong about this out of control government.  Anything that is right?  I don't know, but if you can find something, then opine about that too. 
The gospel is true, there is a God, and he is a loving Father, who sent His son Jesus Christ to Save us All.  The Holy Ghost is there to confirm this to you.  Pray to have your very own testimony of your divine nature, to KNOW that you are a son/daughter of this One True God.   

1/6/2010

Random stuff.  I just looked at my entry on the other blog, and I realized that I had been bragging about my Christmas gift of a new laptop.  As luck, or whatever we call it, we had to return it to HP.  Yes, yesterday Fedex picked it up at Jace's workplace, and took it back to HP.  Darn.  I was so looking forward to using it every single moment of every day.  I wanted to learn some more stuff to do too.  Like, this blog of my favorite friends and family blogs to add to this blog from the other one, and I don't see the same promptings that I had when I listed them before. 
Seminary went well this morning even though I had to leave Elder M at the Makai chapel, while I dashed over to the other building.  I almost forgot that I had left him back there, I got "talking story" with a couple brethren.  He was almost the last one at the Makai chapel when I got there.
We helped at the PCC last night.  The crowds are cutting back down, I'm sure it's the January thing.  People recoup after the holidays.  If not for the Asian visitors, the tourist industry here in the Islands would really be at a huge loss.
Elder M and I are continuing our "study and preparations" for Institute this week.  We took the last two weeks off for the holidays, and the students are anxious to get back at the Book of Mormon.  It is the most perfect book.  I am reading, for special interest, a book called An American Gospel, by Erik Reece.  He is the son of a Baptist Minister who committed suicide at age 33, and g'son of a Baptist minister...  I keep thinking that people just don't "get it".....we have it.  As a missionary of the only true gospel on the face of the earth..... many others are good, but we have all truth, I can't help but think how sad it is, that many people looking for the real thing, keep missing the mark. 

Seminary started up again

5:30AM here we come.  We were surprised to learn that we have some new teachers.  We literally dashed through all the classes to meet with the teachers before they started classes for the day.  Then drove over to another building and got caught up with those 6 teachers with class rolls and recap lists and welcome wishes.  Then we drove here to our office to enter information for the CES Secretary in Honolulu.  And it's only 7:00AM right now.  Our day is half over.  But we do have an assignment at the Polynesian Cultural Center tonight at 4:30PM.  So we keep busy.  And it's the good kind of busy. 

Jan. 4, 2010

It's beautiful in Paradise.  More like perfect.  We are serving at the Employment Resource Center at this writing, but we have a lot of time on our hands as we are commited to being here, just in case, someone needs our help.  We can help a little, but they need to make some effort, as well.  We had a great Sabbath yesterday, attending Fast Meetings in three wards.  The first ward we attended in Laie, had three baby blessings, so it was full.  And they had time for 7 testimonies.  The next ward in Hau'ula was also fully packed, and 11 inspiring testimonies were born, including a shout out for a 16 year old girl who had read the Book of Mormon straight through since Thanksgiving.  The last ward we attended was the Singles ward, Laie North 10th Ward.  Very few were in the congregation, like maybe 50, and there were 16 testimonies shared.  What a delightful day filled with the Spirit.  We are so blessed.  We feel the "aloha" here in everyone we see. 

1/1/2010 Kulia i ka nu'u

Yes, I am going to start this one up again.  So the first two pics here tell about us back in 2007.  But the sunrise here is a perfect way to start out the day and the new year.  We are in Hawaii still, as missionaries, with only 5 months left.  We just celebrated Jace's 47th today.  He also leads us in the Aha'aina, where we prepare to board our canoe for a long journey through the new year.  With the following values: Salt for Purity(ma'ema'e) symbol of cleansing;  Awa for Responsibility(kuleana); Ulua for Industry(pa'ahana) the fish ulua is a strong swimmer against the currents.  Uala for Humility(ha'aha'a) sweet potato which is harvested from the earth representing deep humility.  If we are humble, we may be sweet.  Kalo for Intelligence(na'auao) which represents lasting and sustaining.  Pipikaula symbolizing Strength(Koa).  The cord and tradition binds us together.  Shrimp for Service(lawelawe), Ouick to act.  Ko'oloa, duck or chicken(to fulfill everything completely, to be complete(Pono)  That was the menu, now we just have to live these values daily in our lives.  There should be 12, so Jace's family lives by one a month, by embracing the light in their lives.   This family with a Hawaiian heritage, and several caucasion ethnicities....where we bring it all together to draw on our Heavenly father's care, our greatest heritage of all, as His sons and daughters.