It was an enjoyable event for all. Many events were the same as a mainland party and many were different. I love the different cultural events that I have attended here.
As with all happy events sometimes adversity comes. Unfortunately a week after this happy event Misi was operated on for an aneurism of the aorta valve. Here he is after his open heart surgery. He is doing good but this morning had a slight set back with a slight stroke and air in his lungs. They are working on the problems and with God's will he will heal and be back at work in a few months. I am looking forward to him being back at work. He is really missed.
There is another tender mercy that happened at this time. When he told us that he was going in for surgery the only option was for me to take over all the food ordering and buyer responsibilities. I did not feel very confident to do that for several months. I knew I could do it for a week or so because I have done it several times but not for months and keep it running smoothly. Elder G stepped in and found a replacement for Misi. It was a great relief off my mind. Regina has been with us this past week and she really is a Godsend. She really knows the vendors, food and beverage, and what is needed for all the luau's. Things that I wouldn't even consider. It was a miracle for me and the PCC.
More Tender Mercies
The following story happened the day of the wedding and is written by my "hale sister," Polly. It was amazing how there events took place and if they hadn't happened as was written I would not have gotten my keys back.
This might be an odd picture to share, but it is a reminder to me that my Heavenly Father knows us. He is watching over each one of us no matter where we are or what our needs may be.....
A week or so ago, one of my Senior Sister Missionary roommates lost her keys.
She had walked over and back to the Aloha Ballroom at BYU-Hawaii (not very far from home) for a wedding reception.
When she got home she could not find her keys. She had to ask one of the other Sisters in the house to unlock the door for her.
She looked everywhere in her bedroom, she looked all over the house, thinking maybe she had sat them down somewhere. At this point , she didn’t remember if she even locked the house door when she left..... she was sooo worried about her keys because the key ring had her car key, house key, bedroom key and her key to the Office where she was serving.. She was almost in tears..... she had to find them.
She had been looking for them for awhile and had decided to retrace her steps back to the Aloha Ballroom to see if she had dropped them along the way.
I came home about this time, so I walked with her to help her look along the way. She told me that as she was walking earlier, she had a phone call so she got her phone out of her purse, but her keys were not in the same pocket as her phone, she couldn’t see how she would have dropped her keys, she didn’t hear the keys fall to the ground.
As we walked along the sidewalk, I asked her if she had said a prayer, She said, “Not yet”. So we both said a prayer... she was pleading with the Lord to help her find her keys, they were very important to her..
When we reached the corner at the end of the sidewalk, there were about 7 or 8 boys playing in the yard of the house on the corner. She asked the boys if they had found any keys.. they all answered her “No”, but they would look out for them.
We continued toward the Aloha Ballroom, no keys in sight.
When we arrived at the Aloha Ballroom, we asked everyone if they had found any keys.... Everyone’s answer was “No”.
Now she was really getting more than worried..... I told her, “We said a prayer, we will find them.”
We walked back home, looking again along the way for her keys. When we arrived back to the corner where the boys were playing, they asked us if we had found the keys, we told the “No”. They said, “We will help you look”. So all the boys stopped playing and proceeded to help us along the way to look for the keys. So there we were, 2 Missionaries and 7 or 8 boys looking around for the keys.
As we were strolling along with our heads down, a Moped with a young man and a young women came down the street toward us, as they passed, the young man said, “What are you looking for?” The Sister Missionary called back to them, “Keys”. The young man asked, “How many keys?” The Sister Missionary called back to them, “5”, The young women (she was driving) turned the Moped around and they came back toward us. The young man said, “My brother found some keys a while ago, we will go back home and ask him”.
The Sister Missionary thought out loud, “Oh! could they be mind.”
Several minutes latter here they come down the street, waving her keys in the air. The young man and women stopped and handed the Sister Missionary her keys, she started to cry, she gave the young man a hug and said, “You are an answer to my prayer, will you please tell your brother thank you...
There were “Tender Mercies” along the way.
1. If those boys had not stopped to help us, we would not have looked odd enough for the young man and young women to notice something was going on enough to ask the question, “What are you looking for”.
2. An honest young man found the keys.
3. When the young man and young women stopped to give us the keys they said, “We had been cleaning house all afternoon and then we decided we needed to go for a little ride”, ‘When we found you, we wondered if we were an answer to someone’s prayer.”
Yes, they were an answer to someone’s prayer. Heavenly Father knew that those boys needed to help us find the keys. So we would look “odd”.
Heavenly Father knew when to have those young people go for a ride on the Moped.
Heavenly Father knew where we were at.... the timIng was perfect!
I am grateful that the boys and the young man and young women listened to the promptings of the Holy Ghost...
I am thankful for a loving Heavenly Father that loves us, and that I can be a part of his Miracles.
Thank you Polly, I loved the way you wrote this story and shared the events as they happened that day. Yes! Our Heavenly Father watches over us and helps us in our needs. I am glad that you were there to share this event with me.
Elder and Sister Bednar visits Oahu
Elder and Sister Bednar came to Oahu and BYU-H to talk at stake conference. It was a wonderful conference. Then on the following Tuesday they spoke at a devotional at BYU-H.
At stake conference he told us to
Trust
Depend
and Follow HIM.
He encouraged us to develop spiritual instincts. If we face adversity to then let the spiritual instincts kick in. Our instincts are examples of what the Savior has taught us.
Sister Bednar said, "At the end of the day look back to see how the Lord has blessed our lives that day."
At BYU-H Elder Bednar taught us line upon line precept upon precept. Here a little, there a little and it would all come together. It is a step by step progression to the celestial kingdom.
Life and my Mission Marches On!
The end of February brought my brother and sister-in-law from Utah and their friends from Montana for a visit. We toured parts of the island. They enjoyed the PCC, the ocean and the rain and other Hawaiian adventures including Elder Bednar's visit. The Sunday before they left was the rainiest day that I have ever seen. Soooo much rain and flooding everywhere. I was drenched just walking to my car after enjoying a great dinner at their place.
Our front yard after the rains. The keiki put down plastic and made a slip and slide. They had a muddy blast and the laughter was really catching. As a mother I just cringed at them playing in all that muddy water.
Goodbyes were in order for two couples that left the PCC in February.
The Stotts & the Himles
The Stotts & the Himles
The end of February also brought PCC employee recognition day. Here is a picture of my bishop, Bishop William Mahoney. He was honored for 30 years of service to the PCC. He is a great man and has many good stories to tell. Among my favorite is when the FBI monitored a text that his wife was "delivering the weapons" to the warehouse and to meet her there and they would distribute them out. The FBI was waiting for her at their home and she had lots of explaining to do. Bishop Mahoney makes ancient weapons that natives used in olden times to sell in some of the stores in the PCC. They are called pontou's (spelling?). Many people were involved trying to get her off the hook. They can laugh about it now but at the time it was probably pretty scary. After a lot of trouble and excitement and explaining the weapons were delivered to their proper place. OUR TAX DOLLARS AT WORK!
The best week of the my stay at the PCC!
Last Saturday an event happened that I have been hoping would happen for months. It is another tender mercy for me and my family. I doubted that it would ever happen but thanks to lots of planning and preparation it all came together for a wonderful week with all my family except for one granddaughter. Zoe wasn't able to make it but she was here in November and I got to visit with her then. We missed her but we also had a wonderful week. Like always it went too fast. Sunday morning arrived with a beautiful sunrise. I think this is the first sunrise that I have seen since I arrived.
They played and enjoyed the island and I worked part of the time and was able to take a couple of days off to enjoy their company.
This was our home away from home. It was on the beach at Hauula. David took this picture with his drone.
The family did lots of things together and went their own ways on some days but it was fun to meet in the evening, eat, laugh, talk and play games. Beanie and I entertained them one night with a fancy hula dance with coconut bra's and grass skirts. They were very unimpressed and even laughed at us. I was truly humiliated. There was even homework for the boys involved in the stay. Hey where are the boys?????? I guess they tricked us into doing their homework for them. I didn't understand it at all!
There was beach time, snorkeling, night spotting, (looking for crabs and huge toads), hiking, tide pools and many other fun activities.
Kristen's boyfriend, Ryan and David helped me to get up to the gorgeous Moana Falls.
I was told it was a very easy walk so I just wore my flip flops. NOT! It would have been easier if I would have had my hiking shoes. It was worth it nevertheless.
The family did lots of things together and went their own ways on some days but it was fun to meet in the evening, eat, laugh, talk and play games. Beanie and I entertained them one night with a fancy hula dance with coconut bra's and grass skirts. They were very unimpressed and even laughed at us. I was truly humiliated. There was even homework for the boys involved in the stay. Hey where are the boys?????? I guess they tricked us into doing their homework for them. I didn't understand it at all!
There was beach time, snorkeling, night spotting, (looking for crabs and huge toads), hiking, tide pools and many other fun activities.
Kristen's boyfriend, Ryan and David helped me to get up to the gorgeous Moana Falls.
I was told it was a very easy walk so I just wore my flip flops. NOT! It would have been easier if I would have had my hiking shoes. It was worth it nevertheless.
Some were just plain tuckered out at night.
Others got up early one morning and caught the evening meal.
There was even time after fishing for a little sightseeing.
'and a day at the Polynesian Cultural Center was in order.
We even all gave in and let Angie take a few family photo's.
We missed Zoe!!
Then after a near perfect vacation it was time to say goodbye to them. Tracy and the boys left on Friday and the rest left on Saturday. I really hated to say goodbye. It was really hard on me. Only God knows when we will al be together as a big family again.
and finally, spring is arriving slowly but surely in Oahu, Hawaii.
This was amazing. A huge pink puff ball tree.
I love this tree in the PCC where all the myna birds gather at dusk and are abuzz about the days activities. They are so loud it is hard to hear when they arrive. This has been going on for many years. It would be interesting to know what they are telling each other.
