April 30 - May 6

These last two weeks have been busy in the temple.  BYU Hawaii is out and between semesters so we have had lots of weddings.  We have been blessed to be escorts for several of them.  Yesterday we had a lovely couple from the Philippines being sealed.  She served in Vancouver Canada Chinese and he served in the Philippines.  He is now here in school, she has already graduated.  Really a great privilege to serve them.

We also met a few old friends this week.  We were both in the baptistery serving when a young man came in to baptize.    It turned out he is the son of Jade and Debbie Morris from Camarillo.  He with his wife and two boys, works here on the island.  Yesterday at Costco someone else recognized Paul.  He served in the SLC South Mission with us and was an assistant to the President.  Elder Eastman.  He was just sealed two weeks ago in the Laie Temple.

Paul has one of those recognizable faces and we are always meeting someone who remembers him.  Great blessing for us.

The island of Hawaii has been erupting this week.  Many people have had to evacuate and several (9) homes have been lost.  It is a very active volcano and they have also had a 6.5 earthquake and now at least three fissures have opened up spewing lava.  They are also very worried about the dangerous gases being released.  Sulfur dioxide.

Today is Sr. Couples Break the Fast dinner.  today we take a main course, Lasagna for us.  It has been rather raining this week but we are inside so hardly notice it.  

News from home.  Katie and Tyler went to  LA to visit the Goldens, Staci graduated from ISU with a doctorate in Pharmacy.  Mallorie is doing pole vvolt.  Sounds like all is doing well.  

Sunday we attended the Laie 4th Ward, Samoan Ward.  What a treat and a wonderful spirit.  Some of the testimonies were in English and most in Samoan but the spirit was strong and we got the jist of it.  Paul bore his testimony, which is always very powerful, and lets people know a little about us.  There are many members from this ward who serve in the temple so it was good to see them with their families.  One of the Sisters from the Temple had on a beautiful lei she had  made and gave it to me.  

 We also met Jerome Pollard's daughter, Martha and some of her family, at Church.  She has 9 children.

Martha and daughter 

We met Elder Eastwood at Costco on Saturday.  His new bride of two weeks.  We were sad we did not get to escort them on their wedding day.  He is from here and they are attending BYU Hawaii

That evening we attended the Senior Missionary first Sunday pot luck dinner.  Always delicious.  They have six rows of tables and before they begin the person sitting at the front of that table draws an UNO card and that determines which tables are served first.  Last month, our first attendance, we got six, this month we got five.  I guess we are working our way up the line.  A great variety and quantity of food.  

On our way in we saw Sister Rhodes, a senior sister missionary, who  attends our 4 pm ordinance session every week.  I asked her last week to do some of my names.  Last week she did one of my names, Anna Sahmkow.  She told me during that session she could feel and see several people in the back of the room and felt certain she and several others were there.  What a special experience for her.