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| Here we are at the old gym building on campus at BYU-H volunteering at the red cross emergency shelter set up! We didn't get to help anyone... but we DID get to wear cool vests and eat yummy snacks and talk to other volunteers and stay updated on the news! |
Aloha ohana!!
Wow,
what a week! I'm sure you are all well-aware of Hurricane Lane that
decided to come visit Hawaii this week. Thankfully, by the time it
reached Oahu, it had weakened significantly. It technically was only a
"tropical storm" by the time it got to us. I hear the south side of Oahu
got a fair amount of rain, but up here in Laie on the North Shore, it
was sort of like a normal rain storm for us. It was a bit windier than
the average storm in Laie, but as far as the amount of rain goes, in my
opinion it was no more than some of the rainstorms we get during the
wintertime. It was overcast with dark clouds for several days, and
rained pretty hard a few times. We anticipated being sort of "locked
inside" our apartments for a few days, but most of the time we were fine
to go outside if we needed to do something. I'm so grateful for all the
prayers said to calm the hurricane. Heavenly Father is watching out for
us😊 Due to the hurricane, PCC, the temple, and the Visitors' Center
were closed on Thursday and Friday, with shortened hours on Saturday.
So, we were able to go out in the community and help prepare for the
storm! We volunteered at the BYUH campus at the red cross emergency
shelter set up there. It impressed me how seriously the people here were
taking their personal preparation. The principle of preparation is
something I really have learned quite a bit about on my mission. It's
critical. All of the sisters made sure to have 72 hour kits ready, and
know the emergency plans. As far as the tourists we interacted with
previous to the storm, it's interesting to see natural disasters humble
some of them, and make them more willing to ask God for help. There is a
positive outcome to be found from any difficult time. We were also able
to have some good bonding time with many of the Sisters during the days
the VC was closed. We made german pancakes for breakfast together one
morning, had ice cream and brownies, and we watched the "12 steps"
program videos from the Church, as well as when the "district 1" and
"district 2" (from training videos we watch as missionaries) met each
other. They were great! ...it's slightly cringe-worthy the things that
we find entertaining as missionaries 😂 I also really appreciated
having a little bit of time to write another song. This one is about the
hope we can find and feel through unchanging truths. Hopefully I can
wrap it up soon!
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| Weatherman Allen😉 ...dad, that'll be you someday! #meteorologistMaury |
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| Here we are volunteering in the "pet shelter" area for a few minutes. Sis Morse is braiding my hair😊 |
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| Hootenanny's for a pad breakfast!!! >>> They loved them!😍 |
Okay,
the next big highlight was definitely watching the movie "Coco" at the
VC with all the sisters!!! It was SO GOOD!!!! On Saturday, we had a
"family history focus day" at the VC. We topped off the day by
discussing experiences we've had with family history, and watched the
movie. If you haven't seen Coco, it deals a lot with life after death,
family members who have passed away, the importance of remembering our
ancestors, etc. Go watch it!! I was reminded that there really are
angels among us, helping us along each day. Our ancestors and future
posterity are lovingly concerned about us here on earth. They want us to
succeed. They want us to choose to follow Christ. They are rooting us
on. It was a tender reminder to me that Grandpa and Julie are happy, and
they are helping bring about much good on BOTH sides of the veil now.
I'm so grateful to know, through the Holy Ghost's confirming influence,
that there IS life after death. God's plan is so perfect.
Plus,
the main character in the movie is super passionate about music, and by
the end is also passionate about family, so I felt like I related😉
One
thing I forgot to share last week, but wanted to include this week, was
the story behind one of the songs we sang at the fireside at the VC.
The song "I'll Find You My Friend" refers to the people I promised
before this life that I'd share the gospel with here on Earth. The song
is about finding those friends that we promised we'd share the gospel of
Jesus Christ with. It's a tender message and reminder.
This
week I learned more about teaching the Savior's way. Mondays are a
training day for our "teaching center trainer" (TCT) calling. We have
the opportunity to train with sisters one on one, and learn with them.
Sister Morse and I were discussing ways we can improve, and I kept
feeling impressed that I just needed to go about the trainings more in
the Savior's way--by example. We changed our approach to better meet the
needs of individual sisters, and to include more role plays and
examples. It was night and day difference! The ESL sisters are so sweet
and grateful for our help. I really do get to stand in the Savior's
place while I'm serving as a missionary. I get to love and serve the
people around me as He would if He were in my place. What an incredible
opportunity this is!!
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| TCT training with Sister Hamano and Sister Elanzo! From Japan and Marshall Islands. We are in the "coleman pads." It's a studio apartment. |
Okay, now to some super cool people we met this week!
Amanda
from New York came with her daughter Kayla. Amanda told us that she has
been praying for help in raising her daughter to know God/religion, but
she hasn't found a specific church she feels good about. We were really
able to connect with her, and address several of her concerns. The Holy
Ghost was present in our interaction, edifying all of us! It's so cool
how that works. I told Amanda that the BOM brings back important truths,
and clarifies Christ's teachings, and I could tell through her response
that the clarity I mentioned is something she wants. We told her this
is the beginning of an answer to her prayers! She said that in her faith
journey, sometimes she'll have little experiences that reaffirm to her
that there IS a God. She said meeting us and having our conversation was
one of those moments--a moment to help her keep going and keep
believing. She referred to us as angels. 💕
Dominique
from Mililani, HI came to the VC with a BYU-H student on Sunday. He was
raised Christian, and he knew nothing previously about the Church. BUT
he is one of the most spiritually in-tune people I've met who is not a
member of the Church. He opened up to us and shared how God communicates
with him. He described thoughts in his mind and feelings in his heart,
and other little signs of sort around him that have answered prayers.
He seemed to be a bit overwhelmed processing this new information, so I
made it a special point to say "I know this is a lot of new info, so
what is most important for you to remember is how you feel inside your
heart here from the things we've shared." It meant a lot to him. He
actually took a moment to thank me by name for saying what I said. It
was an extremely sincere conversation. I know God has prepared Dominique
to be blessed by learning more about the restored gospel of Jesus
Christ at this time. It was a Spirit-filled moment.
We
met Maria and Soren from Denmark on Sunday as well. They are the
coolest European couple!! They have such good hearts, and I felt a lot
of love for them while they were here. The unique thing about them is
that they do NOT believe in God themselves, but they have a particular
fascination in learning about what a religious lifestyle is like. They
had so many questions! We were able to have a mutually meaningful
conversation about each of our differing lifestyles. It was fascinating
for me to have a respectful conversation with someone with a totally
different belief system than me, or lack of belief system I should say.
Aside from how neat the conversation was, it stood out to me that God is
preparing them too, even though they don't even believe in Him. During
their cross-US trip, they went to 3 other Temple Visitors' Centers
before coming to the Laie one! No coincidences.
It
was Sister Allen's birthday yesterday, so all of the VC sisters had
dessert at the Allens home to celebrate😀 Mom's birthday is coming up
super fast!!
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| Elder Allen's face 😁 It looks like an "oh no what have I done" face 😂 |
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| Happy Birthday Sister Allen🎂 |
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| Yummy bday celebration at the Allen's home... and yes we fit 40+ missionaries inside that place! |
The
coming week at a glance: We've got zone conference on Friday, and then
exchanges on Saturday. I'm excited that the VC is up and running again,
and I'm grateful for minimal impacts from Hurricane Lane. Can you
believe it's going to be SEPTEMBER by the time I email home again?!??
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| Meet... Chidinma!!!!! She is such a sweetie! |
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