Tuesday, Nov. 15- Transfers

 Every transfer Sr. Bushman and I and sometime a couple of others meet the new incoming missionaries on Monday night and measure them for the 2 muumuus they will receive to work in the Visitor’s Center, they try them on, determine what size, see if we. Ed to make any changes in fit, and then pin up the hem.  Tuesday morning we meet to begin the hemming process. 

This time we had 9 sisters come, so we did 18 muumuus. It is a labor of love!

Monday, Nov. 14- Clark Schaffer

 Today we had a rare treat!  The cut-away model of the temple that we have in the center has been in need of some repair, today they came to replace the glass with thicker, non-shatter glass. The man who had originally built the model - Clark Schaffer also came to spruce up the temple model inside.

He is an amazing artist!  He hand carved all the friezes along the top of the model, hand painted all the wall murals to be exactly like the ones in the temple, and even hand-painted all the framed pictures in the model to be exactly like the ones inside the temple!  He built it in 2018 and it was installed in 2019.

He ALSO has done many other art projects…like- he did the bat mobile, and the Ironman 2 suit. He has worked on many sets for both the Bible and Book of Mormon videos, and the backdrop sets for the Friend to Friend Primary broadcasts, and the First Presidency backdrops during their COVID broadcasts, and many others!  I told him that we. Had a special  Christmas tree that all the missionaries had made ornaments for, and told him he should make an ornament for us too!  So he did!

Gorgeous! It was too pretty to be put on the tree where it would get lost…so we put it on display at the front desk!

Monday, Nov. 14- The Harmons came!

 How fun to see some very long-time friends today!!! Ken and Leslie Harmon who lived in Antioch once upon a time were here!  Now they live in Rawlins , Wyoming! So fun to see them again! All of their 6 kids are grown except for one 16 year old at home. Ken is still doing hospital administration over a small hospital there, but they love it there. Such great friends !!!!

Saturday Nov. 12, 2022- EARLY morning and Late night !

 Yikes! We had to be up early and look good today! The mission picture was  to be taken at 6:30 AM !!! So the whole mission got up and got out to the area in front of the temple to take the picture! Elder Handley who was taking the picture said it HAD to be then because he would get the temple all lit up while it was still a little dark and dark behind the temple!

 

The finished picture turned out wonderfully! We had Elder Handley up on a huge ladder and also a drone. Not sure which one this pic came from!

Funny that he wanted it at that time to make sure the temple looked perfect…and yet…15 minutes later, it looked like this: which would have pretty good too!

Then, since it was only 7:30 by the time we were finished and cleaned up, Papa took me out to breakfast at Papa Ole’s ! Love that place!  Short stack ( 2 pancakes ) of their Supreme order - Banana, chocolate chip, & macadamia nut pancakes with THE BEST macadamia nut sauce on top!!!! It is all Roger and I can eat…and that is splitting an order! Plus, you aren’t hungry the rest of the day!

Later that night, we had Transfer news. Always on the Sat. Night before transfers, it is a power point presentation showing all the transfers! Including those going out-bound to the Honolulu mission for 3 transfers, and those coming back. We had 5 sisters going home this transfer.

And a sister we had gotten especially close to….Sister Thompson

Then at the end we sing Aloha Oe while we put leis on them!

Sr. Thompson

Sr. Fernsten

Sr. Node

We were lucky to be able to get in the front and not have to wait for all 70 sisters!  Still I missed 2 pics!

What a day!!!

Sat. Nov. 5- Tongan Devotional

 Every other month a village in the PCC does a devotional for the seniors. This month it was Tonga. (To say it right you have to put your tongue against the back part of your upper teeth and say the T that way ) then you say it like..TOE- ngah.

We met inside their beautiful Tongan hut- not in the amphitheater where they have the shows. They have an amazing way of decorating- they wrap the inside poles with palm fronds. Sometimes they are left plain and sometimes they put flowers in them.

The singing is magnificent! The person leading the congregation, or leading small groups just start singing the first few notes of the song, then everyone joins in. I guess it is to give everyone the right pitch. Then, oh man, the volume goes WAY up and the singing is so strong and a lot of harmony!

We also had a darling family sing, accompanied by their father on the guitar.

There were several speakers ending with President Grace, who is the President of the PCC. He is not Tongan though.  He is From New Zealand.

The music was all in Tongan, even the opening and closing hymns, which had the words on the program. Again, the music was so strong and powerful.

The top song - #10 is We Thank Thee O God for a Prophet.  The second one- #27- is a Tongan hymn called Thus Saith  the Lord. The Tongans and Samoans have many songs in their hymnals that we don’t.

The speakers spoke on the theme that Tonga’s greatest treasure is her Gratitude. They mentioned that they may not have a lot of wealth, or industry, but that their greatest export is their people, who have been taught to be humble and grateful.  It was a wonderful devotional. Afterward, they fed us refreshments of Tongan style banana bread.  (Didn’t get a picture…we ate it too fast! It was good! )

We love these devotionals!

Friday Nov.. 4, 2022- Pday during a big storm

 Pdays are usually when we go “to town” which is what the locals call Honolulu. But today was a huge rainstorm.  Normally when it rains it is only for 10-15 minutes long, and then stops. Today, however, it had rained most of the night and was still raining this morning…but decided to brave it and go to a closer grocery store. The Highway on the North Shore - by Sunset Beach - was flooded, so we went south to Kaneohe.

The wind was blowing so fiercely we couldn’t even see the ocean…or the sun for that matter!

On the way home it had let up a little,  ut the wind and waves were still very strong!  We stopped by Pounders beach and took a few shots of the surf!  I love the first one…see how small that man looks next to that huge wave? 

They tell us that we are going into the rainy season now and so temperatures will lessen a little, and humidity will not be quite as much…but the rains will be longer and harder.

Oct. 31, 2022- Nov. 3, 2022 - Misc. pics

 Loved getting all the pictures of the last few of our grand kids to actually dress up and go out trick or treating!      ( top- Lese and Arie…..bottom- Ashlyn and Cambria )

And, of course….our scariest …..Misty

Here are some of our grandson missionaries….

Elder Mahaffey and his new haircut

Elder Monroe in Italy

Elder Monroe…running on the beach…which is not allowed for our missionaries here. They cannot go into the water, or even onto the sand.

Elder Krey in a new Area - Safford, Az - with his new comp!

A picture of Elder Mahaffey teaching a group in the Visitor’s Center.

Fun to see friends who visit…This is Allison Wiser Grifiths and her hubby Brock. She was good friends with Brooke.

And finally …a neat night time picture of the temple!