April 1 - 8

April 1st was a wonderful General Conference Sunday.  We got up at 5:50 Saturday and Sunday morning to watch General Conference.  Being a part of the Solemn Assembly was a high light of the day.  Even though there was only the two of us we felt a part of the 16,000,000 plus members throughout the world.  We are so very blessed to be a part of this great work.  How grateful we are to our ancestors who heard and accepted the gospel and passed along that great love and testimony to us.  Also having a convert, Paul, among us to see with our own eyes how the Book of Mormon can change someone in such a way as to turn their whole life over to serving the Lord.   Our great desire is for our grandchildren to also love this great book and Church and spend their lives sharing its message with others.

President Oaks, President Nelson, President Eyring

We also have a firm testimony that Heavenly Father guides this Church and He has put in place His Prophet.  We were fortune enough while serving in Slovenia/Croatia to be chauffeur for Elder Nelson when he and his wife, Wendy, came to our mission to dedicate each of the lands to the preaching of the gospel.  We were actually invited to attend the dedication of Croatia.

Sunday evening we went to the "Break the Fast" dinner with the senior missionaries.  It's always held the first Sunday no matter what.  There are probably about 135 people present and everyone is assigned to a group and we all bring food to share.  They have it at the PCC pavilion.  We met a few more people.  It was a lovely evening.

Cains

Farnsworth

Green

Stonehocker

Nye

Waterfall

Kittelson

Tregaskers

Deckers

Griffins

Dunhams

Couples going home 

Monday we stayed around and went to FHE that night.  Again two couples and a single sister were going home.  The single sister was so cute.  She took about 30 minutes and told about her mission.
She is Samoan.  She said when she got her call she said "NO NO NO not the PCC".  She had been here in her early years and had graduated from BYU Hawaii.  She spent her mission making headbands and fish and birds.  She had made over 22,000 of them and then she shared all the people who visited and would ask her about the gospel and her life.  One question:  "Did you learn to make these when you were young?"  "My mama, (one of the senior missionaries) taught me when I was 73".  She was so funny and cute. 

Monday we checked out Laie Point.  Really close to us by Foodland market. 

This week we started on what is going to be our regular schedule until another couple arrives.  We go in at 10:30 and officiate and follow the 11 o'clock session, fill in wherever they need us during the middle part of the day and then officiate and follow the 4 pm session, which is a mobility limited session.  That means we don't move from room to room.  We start in room 4 and stay there the whole session.  We decided this week we would go in at 7:30 and attend the 8 am session every day.  That has been really nice.  Friday we stayed and did some sealings with Brother Weber and Goo.  We have been fortunate in walking home.  It hasn't started to rain until we get in which is good because we haven't taken an umbrella. Saturday morning we did some sealings with Brother Aki, our temple president in Hong Kong.

Giant snails at the temple

Friday we ran into Brother Ngoyi from Manhattan.  He served in the Temple on Friday evenings.  Luckily Paul has a very recognizable face and he recognized us.  He was here for a wedding of a good friend.  Also Lewis Peterson looked us up.  They live across from Rob and Larna Meier.  So many visitors from the mainland.

Brother Ngoyi from Manhattan Tempole

Shiu Narayan, met him in the Temple and he comes every Wednesday from the other side of the Island 

The musical presentation at the McKay Auditorium 

The three hula dancers at the presentation in a tribute to Brother AhQuin who passed away last week

Saturday was a fun day.  We were able to help with two sisters receiving their endowment and two weddings.  One couple, the Fu and Zheng, they are both from China attending school here.  Her parents are members and came from Shanghi and the other couple were from here, the McMoore and Ihimaera.  They are going to have such a fun time.  He kept saying "I have a wife"  That sounds so weird and she would say the same thing "I am a wife".  So very cute.  Both looked beautiful in their wedding dresses.  It was raining a little however so don't know how well the pictures turned out.  The two sisters receiving their endowments were from here, Sister Tifanie Tapeni and Sister Tracie Tapeni.  A really lovely day. 

That evening we went to a master chorale and children's choir presentation at the McKay Auditorium.  A very nice performance.

Sunday at Church Paul accepted a calling to open the church for seminary on Thursday mornings at 5:30 and stay until they are done and lock up again.  Then we got asked to speak next Sunday on Elder Wilson's talk "Take the Holy Spirit as your Guide".  We also volunteered to help the senior missionaries with a project "Just Serve" by picking up food donated by the Kualou Ranch.  They donate food, we pick it up and then deliver it to Pastor Virgil who then delivers it to the homeless.  The Dees took us out to see where and what to do.  We will do this on the 2nd and 4th Sundays.

Tonight the Goos invited us to dinner.  Someone told us "If you get invited to the Goos be sure to go.  She is an excellent cook".  We had met them in HK and Manhattan.