WE ARE GOING TO A HUKILAU and other tidbits.

It is the middle of June already. The times keep moving as is normal but there are times you would like to slow it down or speed it up. Maybe sometimes I would like to do both at the same time. Yesterday (Saturday June 16) I had a fun new experience. It was early in the morning and I got up and walked over to Hukilau Beach to experience my first Hukilau. It was a fun experience. I can see why the visitors used to come from all over to watch this unique experience.  After experiencing a hukilau  this song was composed. I love the lyrics and the actual experience are just like the words of the song. Hukilau - by Jack Owens

Oh we're going to a hukilau A huki huki huki huki hukilau Everybody loves the hukilau Where the laulau is the kaukau at the luau We throw our nets out into the sea And all the amaama come a swimming to me Oh, we're going to a hukilau A huki huki huki hukilau   What a beautiful day for fishing That old Hawaiian way Where the hukilau nets are swishing  Down in old Laie bay    A huki huki huki huki hukilau Everybody loves the hukilau Where the laulau is the kaukau at the luau We throw our nets out into the sea And all the amaama come a swimming to me Oh, we're going to a hukilau A huki huki huki hukilau We arrive at the hukilau all excited at 7:00 am but seem to forget that we are on Hawaiian time. We stand around and visit until someone finally arrives at the scene. It takes awhile to get the boat out of the truck and all the nets ready to go. In the background some of the sisters are putting ti leaves into the ropes. The ropes are then tied on to the nets.                Next the nets are loaded into the boat. There are lots of little keike interested in the process, also. The ropes are ready to take out with the nets. Sister Mecham in the blue shirt and Sister Rhodes in the red shirt. With the nets out and the ropes being pulled back in everyone is excited to see what the catch will be like. Here they are dragging the nets back on to dry land. Sister Rhodes in the red helping to pull in the nets. There are snorkelers out by the nets to make sure they don't get caught on any rocks or limbs. I guess if the nets get holes in them there goes the catch. Here is part of the result of the catch of the day.  Some one will have a delicious lunch or dinner. There were a couple of bigger fish. This fish was by far the most interesting one. I have no idea what kind it is. Some actually want to eat theirs on the spot. Actually it is a tradition to put it in your mouth after the catch. I don't care too much for this tradition. Now comes the clean-up and when just about everyone disappears.                               and last of all the boat is loaded into the truck and the ocean erases any evidence of us being there. OTHER TIDBITS! Family is Good! Last week my sister-in-law Linda and all her family showed up at the PCC for a fun day. I was able to go over and spend a little time with them. It was so good to see someone from home. They did look really good to me and I enjoyed the hugs especially from Colby! We missed a few from the family but it was hard to find everyone at the same time. A nice looking bunch. Samoan High School Festival May brought the Samoan High School Festival to the PCC again this year. It is the second time I was privileged to go. I enjoyed it as much the second time around and they even got our tickets messed up so we ended up with front row seats. Sister Nield from Smithfield, my Hale Sister Polly and me.    One of my favorite costumes from this years festival. NEXT TO LAST BUT NOT LEAST:    Regina and I found a crystal ball as we were cleaning out some old drawers. We tried our hands at some fortune telling.  It did say was that Gina would have another week or two with us and that I would be home in December. I guess we didn't do such a bad job after all.  AND LASTLY: A pretty bird of paradise and a new flowering tree I saw at Walmart of all places.

Tender Mercies, Devotionals, Fun, Goodbyes, Disasters and Pure Cuteness!

It has been a week or so since I posted. Life is going along each day and the same with you back on the mainland, I suppose. As of this week I have 7 months left on my mission and when I received my call I had 7 months before I went on my mission. Time marches onward. I would say that this week was uneventful but I can see the Lord's hands in so many things that happen here. I think that this is a place he really loves.
Two Sunday's ago on the 22nd of April we had a visit from our dear 93 year old prophet President Russell M Nelson his wife Wendy and Jeffry R Holland and his wife. It was a great experience to see them here. They talked at the BYU Cannon Center. It was filled to capacity and we had to have tickets to attend. The tickets that we would have received we gave to the students at BYU who didn't get them. There were only 30 tickets per ward. We watched it at the YSA Stake center. It wasn't quite the same as being there but spiritual nonetheless. I really enjoyed and learned from Sister Wendy Nelson's talk. She stated that when they received news that President Monson died they had so much empathy for Jonah and just wanted to run. She said that she has been witness to many sacred experiences. What a job it would be to be the wife of the prophet.
President Nelson talked his purpose for the world wide trip. 1. To get closer to the Savior. 2. To take the Savior's love to the world. We did feel his love as each one of them spoke to us.

Last Saturday we attended the Aotearoa (New Zealand) devotional. "Least We Forget." They paid honor to the men who participated in the Anzac battle during WWII. It was a touching devotional as many of the students talked of their grandfather's who served. Some who didn't come home. They talked of those waiting at home for them to return and they never came back. It reminded me of each day I waited for news when Craig was in Vietnam. Being at the door each day waiting to see if the mailman had a letter for me and then if one didn't come that day that something had happened to him. Then doing the same thing the next day. That was pure anguish wondering and praying that everything would be fine and I would get to see him again. We were luckier than many of the young men who never returned.

After the devotional my friend Karen Rhodes and I went on a little ride and ended up in Kapolei. We did a little shopping and on the way home stopped at one of the beaches. I had never been to this one before. The ocean was really angry on this day and the waves were humongous.




We walked along the beach for a ways and came to this part of the beach that someone had taken the time to manicure so perfectly. It was very beautiful part of the beach.

I am certainly glad that I was not on this surfboard when it was tree bound either that or someone has 

 a great sense of humor.

It has been over a year and it is time for Raeola to make her way back to Canada. She is the only Canadian that I have ever had as a roomie it a hale.  She bids farewell on Thursday and a new sister arrives on Saturday. We decide on Halewia Joe's as a goodby lunch.

Hawaii has really been inundated since the first of 2018 with all sorts of different disasters. To say the least it has been exciting to watch. I am glad that I have been able to watch from a distance. I guess that is another tender merci for us on this part of the island. It all started with the ballistic missile threat during the first part of January. We really thought we would  be blown off the map by that one. Of course it was a fluke of which we will be eternally grateful. It hasn't quit raining here since last November and it has rained hard at times. The floods on Kuai have been horrible and we had floods south of us that wiped out a whole farm along with all its vegetation. Last Thursday and Friday topped it off with nothing I have ever seen before with a volcanic eruption and it is Sunday and it is still erupting. They also had a 6.9 earthquake. Some people in Honolulu said they felt it but I don't think that anyone on this side felt it. I really feel for the people who lost their homes to the lava flow.

"PURE CUTENESS"

Now for some happy news. My darling little AddieCakes turned 2 years old on the 28th of April and here are her pictures that her "not" grandma, Angie took. I've missed both her birthday's now. Be with you next year, AddieCakes.

 Better than flowers and a sunset.

Time on a mission is over for some!

 This is a left over from our family vacation. Three incredibly awesome woman. Mahalo for taking this Angie.




The hardest part of a mission is saying goodbye to the ones that you have spent the most time with and learned to love during your mission. This is the way it is with Sister and Elder Griffeth. I have spent every work day since I have been here with Elder Griffeth and Sister Griffeth would be with us at parties and many luncheons. I got to know them both very well so when the time to say goodbye came it was very emotional but all good things must come to an end and of course as Hawaiian tradition goes: What do we do but have a party to say goodbye.

The pizza party with 8 large pizzas was a big hit with everyone and the first pizzas to go were the thin crust veggie pizzas. Who would have guessed that one? 

Here is one final picture of the "P" team minus Misi who is still recuperating and with Regina who has been my lifesaver for the past few weeks. She is amazing.

Regina Valentine and what a heart she has. Elder Griffeth, Pua an me. Love these guys.

Saturday was "P" day again. It has rained and rained and rained since November but we decided to venture our and go to the Botanical Gardens in Wahiawa on the other side of the island. It poured rain the whole time we were there but I did manage a few pictures of flowers that I have never seen before.

This is called a Jade Vine.


























 and some other flowers of which were very beautiful but I have no name for them.

Bud and flower. Both the bud and flower were very large in size.













These two flowers looked like pine cones.










           

I found these at the PCC