Week 25 Report

It's been a good week.....busy, but then every week is busy. So busy, in fact, I don't have any photos of fun things we did to post because we didn't do anything but mission work. Monday was our monthly Missionary Leadership Conference. The office couples always provide lunch for this event. By provide I mean we buy lunch and get reimbursed by the mission. Still it's an event to have lunch for 45 to 50. In the evening we drove to Laie for Senior Mission Zone Conference. The senior missionaries have FHE together every Monday and we are invited, but we usually don't go - just too tired after a day in the office to even think about the hour drive each way. We made an exception as President and Sister Bekker were speaking. It was very good. We enjoyed dinner at Seven Brothers (yum) and stopped for coconut ice cream on the way home (double yum).

Tuesday we were up bright and early to pick up a young sister at the airport at 7:30 am. She is from New Zealand and has been serving in New Zealand for two or three months while she waited for visa approval. It finally came through and now she is here. President and Sister Bekker couldn't pick her up because they were in Maui, so we volunteered. She's going to be a wonderful missionary.

Wednesday we began pad checks for this transfer. We saw two pad in the morning and both were in pretty good shape. I spent the day working on the September mission newsletter and the A Hui Hou (photos of the departing missionaries and their favorite quote or scripture). I actually have the A Hui Hou completed for the group leaving next week, but decided to start on the one for the next transfer. Creating these documents takes a lot of time. Wednesday evening we drove to Kaneohe to check out a couple of potential apartments for the sisters that are assigned there (the ones who had mushrooms growing out of the carpet in their previous apartment). One agent didn't show and the other apartment was awful. So back to the drawing board. We did enjoy taking the sisters to dinner at Ruby Tuesday - they enjoyed it as well!

Sister Iino from Japan and Sister Christensen from Arizona

Devon spent all day Thursday moving two senior missionary couples to new apartments in Laie. Their current one bedroom pads are having the garage converted into a second bedroom so there is room for more Temple Visitor's Center missionaries. The number of visitors at the Visitor's Center has tripled. This means they are getting more missionaries which means we need more housing. I was finally given the go ahead to reserve travel home for our November departing missionaries. There has been a question about whether one missionary was going to extend, and I had to wait for a decision about that before I could submit the request. I was pretty nervous about getting flights as their scheduled day to fly is Thanksgiving Eve - the busiest travel day of the year. But it's all booked. I've only heard from one parent who is not too happy with her missionary coming home about noon on Thanksgiving. By the time we were finished talking I think she was okay with rearranging some of her holiday plans.

Friday, oh welcome Friday! We did three more pad checks which completed our pad checking for this transfer. Devon found out that he was going to need an additional four apartments when transfers take place next week. That means he will be really busy viewing and securing new housing. It's not a simple process and will take at least 10 to 14 days to get everything set up with the church. In the meantime the missionaries will have to double up in some apartments - not ideal, but they will make it work.

I do all my letters in the mission computer system. The previous secretary did all the letters using form letters she had entered in Microsoft Word. I've entered all the letters into the church's office system, which makes doing letters so much easier. You can set up your letters to automatically insert all the personal information specific to either sisters or elders. However, I hadn't figured out how to enter salutation or address information for parent letters. I was doing it the old fashioned way and that was bugging me, so I made a call to SLC and a sweet girl in tech support showed me how to do it. So simple...and so wonderful...but it meant I would have to spend most of the day entering the correct data in the correct place. I'm excited to try it out on the next batch of parent letters. Friday evening we went to dinner with the other senior couples.

Saturday we spent the day doing chores and errands, and went back to Kaneohe to check out a potential pad for the sisters. This time the agent showed up. We loved the apartment and submitted an application on the spot. Hopefully we can get it. Then we drove to Haleiwa to look for some art work by a Hawaiian artist, Al Furtado. I've seen his paintings and LOVE them. His paintings reflect the love and spirit of the beautiful Hawaiian people. They are robust with so much joy in their faces. He painted pictures mostly of his Hawaiian family doing family things together - dancing, singing, paying ukulele, quilting, etc. Al Furtado passed away in 2012, but there were several of his original painting for sale at the gallery. Needless to say, $20,000 was a bit out of my budget, so I settled for a couple of prints.

A little fuzzy, but one of my favorite Al Furtado paintings.

Sunday, was a lovely, restful day. Elder Eborn (Kaysville, Utah) and Elder Hardy (Spring City, Utah) came over for a dinner of sloppy Joe's, fried potatoes, fruit salad, 4 bean salad, and chocolate cake and ice cream. We had a lovely time visiting with them - both really sweet and obedient elders.

I close my post this week with a tribute to Devon's nephew, Joshua Lynn Jones. He was an amazing young man, He was diagnosed about 8 years ago with brain cancer. He endured surgery and many treatments. Since then he and his family have moved to Utah. He earned his Eagle Scout award and has been an inspiration to so many people. He faithfully did temple baptisms as often as he could at all but two Utah temples. Whenever he was asked how he was doing he would reply, "Great!" and great he was! His cancer returned a few months ago. This time there would be no reprieve. He and  his family valiantly prepared for his return to Heavenly Father and on Monday he stepped into eternity. He was barely 17 years old. Our hearts are broken and grateful. We love you, Joshua, and your wonderful family. I know you are happy - and I know we will see you again.

Joshua Lynn Jones

1999 - 2016

Week 24 Report

Thankfully it's been a little more normal week - not quite so hectic. I got a lot of work done on upcoming projects, letters, etc. I try to get letters done early and then mail them when they are due. Some of the projects are pretty labor intensive. I could send the job to Office Depot, but if I do it, it saves money for the mission. My time is valuable, but I'm free labor, so it's worth my time. I'm happy to do it. I wonder if my replacement will feel the same way. I am so grateful for the computer classes I've taken in the past. They sure are coming in handy now. Even with doing a lot of the copying, laminating, and cutting myself, I still spend a lot of time and money at Office Depot. We're getting to be good friends!

Housing issues are always popping up, and are usually the kind that makes you just scratch your head. A decision was made to pull out of the apartment with the mold. The landlord, an elderly single lady, was very sad to see the sisters move. But, the neighbors report that the house if full of mold and they never really fix the problem - just paint over it. So, that means Devon is busy trying to find a new apartment for the sisters - not an easy task here in Hawaii. We have one cute companionship of elders that keep locking themselves out of their pad. It was funny at first - now, not so much. They're so sweet and such good missionaries it really is hard to get upset with them.

Tuesday we took Sister Kaitau to the airport to fly home. She was on her way home to Kiribati last week and was stopped in New Zealand. She was sad to be leaving Hawaii and her two companions for the past 6 days. They really hit it off well. Her departure was smooth - no questions. In fact a friend of hers was also on the same flight. One strange thing was that after she had checked in a sweet woman approached her and asked her to check a rubbermaid box full of "medicine" for her. She wanted to get it to Kiribati. I said "no way." She seemed sweet, but who knows what was in the box. You hear warnings in the airport about such requests, but this is the first time I've had one.

Wednesday we had a sweet treat when Carnette and Robert Rischar joined us for dinner. They were in our wonderful Leona Valley Ward many years ago when we lived in the Antelope Valley. They are on vacation here in Oahu and were sweet enough to spend an evening with us. We had a great dinner at Aunty Pasta's and enjoyed catching up on old times. We were thrilled to learn they will be moving to Utah!

On Thursday evening we made a trip to Laie. We needed to deliver a new mattress to an elder, and two boxes of Books of Mormon to the Laie Temple Visitor's Center. They have almost 600 visitors every day!!! Amazing. They are second only to the Salt Lake Temple Visitor's Center. What is also awesome is that most of the visitors are non-members. They can't keep enough Books of Mormon on the shelf. It was also our Manoa Ward's temple night. A large tree branch broke and fell on the Kamehameha Highway. It is only a two lane, rural road, so the broken limb closed one lane. As a result of the break, a team was there trimming all the branches along a rather large stretch of road. Needless to say, we were late, so we missed the session, but we did enjoy a wonderful sealing session with other ward members.

After work on Friday we went to dinner with the other office couples. There is a huge mall in Waikiki called the Ala Moana Mall. It is beautiful and pretty high end. We don't shop there, except when we need to get advise from the Apple Store. They do have lots of fun places to eat, so we went there for dinner. At one end of the mall is a huge Japanese food court. You cannot imagine how many different vendors were there - it was mind boggling. So much food - so little we recognized! I ended up getting a summer roll with shrimp. Devon got a hamburger and fries! We pretty much lack bravery when it comes to food we have no idea about. They did have Japanese soft serve ice cream. It's lactose free - made with coconut milk. And...it was DELICIOUS!!!

Saturday we celebrated the 75th anniversary of the dedication of the Honolulu Tabernacle. Oh how I love this building! We attend church in it each week and walk through it's courtyard every day coming and going to the office. They have been working on it for weeks, getting it spruced up for this event, and it just sparkled. They had tours telling the history of the building - so interesting - and a program with wonderful music and short talks from previous stake presidents. One of those presidents was Donald Halstrom. If you ever come to Honolulu, be sure to include this building on your list of things to see. I suggest you check out it's history before you come - fascinating.

Sunday was sweet, as usual - wonderful talks, wonderful classes, wonderful spirit. It's been a restful day. I made my mother's roll recipe and it was as good as ever. I've had a little love/hate relationship with food since chemo. I think gluten is one culprit. But today I couldn't resist a roll - okay two! So far so good.

We are ready for a new week. It's going to be busy, but we can do it! I know we are doing the Lord's work. We make a difference in so many ways, and being here has made a difference in our lives. It is so sweet to be a missionary in Christ's Church.

Week 23 Report

Wow! What a week! The departing books were a hit with the departing missionaries. The last item added was a departing letter from President Bekker. He had such a crazy week, he didn't get it finished until the last minute. There was a bit of a panic, but...all's well that ends well.

This cover page for the departing binder was drawn by Elder Hampshire - one of our talented missionaries. There are a few minor changes he wants to make to it, but for now we are using it as it. The white area is an outline of the Laie Temple, and the clouds represent the Hawaiian Islands. I think it's beautiful!

We often overnight host missionaries on their way home from their mission. Their destination is usually a small island somewhere in the Pacific Ocean and it takes two days, and several flight changes for them to actually get home. Usually we have lots of notice - sometimes over a month. But, late Wednesday afternoon we got an emergency email asking us to host Sister Kaitau, who would be arriving at 7:30 pm that evening. She was traveling from the Singapore Mission to her home in Kiribati (one of the Christmas Islands) and was stopped in Auckland. I'm unsure why. The email said something about not having the right passport, but she said they wanted money and she didn't have any. Fortunately one of the airport employees was LDS and stepped up to make calls and get her to us. She will be here until the 16th. Again, I don't know why so long - they usually only stay overnight. She will be staying with two sweet missionary sisters. They brought her to the office on Thursday to get some money. We have a fund, "Blessings from Heaven", that is from cash donations people randomly give to the missionaries. We use the money for things like this. While she was at the office I asked her if she happened to remember a missionary named Sister Chan from England who also served in Singapore. Her face lit up and she said yes!!! Lizzie Chan was one of our sweet YSA we met and loved while we were serving in England. She has returned and was recently married. It was fun to show Sister Kaitau some photos of Sister Chan and her new husband.

Sister Kaitau on her way home to Kiribati

Sister Barber, Sister Kaitau, and Sister Ogawa

Wednesday evening we attended the baptism of a whole family - mother, father, and three children. It is a rare blessing to see a whole family join the church. They were taught and baptized by our wonderful AP's. One, Elder Cooley, has finished his mission and will go home on Saturday. He has been a wonderful missionary and AP (Assistant to the President). Being AP has not been his favorite thing, he would rather be doing missionary work, so this event was of particular significance to him. What a way to end his mission.  I am so grateful we got to attend and share in the joy. The family is so excited and grateful to have found the gospel. 

Elder Cooley and two members of the family. I missed the photo with everyone.

A member couple that lives in our apartment building is moving back to the mainland and they have an apartment full of furniture they are not taking with them. It's so expensive to ship it back, so they are giving it to the mission. We are thrilled! We will be getting a new flat screen TV to replace the old box one we have, desk, coffee table, dining table with 8 chairs, newer microwave, and a Vitamix blender. It's like Christmas! Our sweet elders helped move some things to our pad on Friday. The rest will come when the couple actually leaves. And... on Saturday we got our carpets cleaned. Sweet blessings!

On Friday Devon got a call from a couple of sister missionaries reporting that they had mushrooms growing in their bedroom carpet. Yep...mushrooms! The relief society president's husband came over, pulled up a corner of the carpet and found tons of mold. Apparently there has been a water leak for quite a while.

Saturday...oh Saturday! What a day! I got up early to get some things done. In the process of checking my email I opened an email that ended up inflicting a virus on our computer. It was awful! We quickly called the Apple Store and got an appointment that same day. The problem was removed, but not without losing a lot of data...boo. Hopefully we can get it back.

After our visit to the Apple Store we headed out to run errands for the mission. First on the list was to deliver some fans to a senior couple in Mililani. While there we also stopped to check on some bikes that the elders had. Then we headed up around the North Shore on our way to Kaneohe. We stopped in Kahuku to pick up a bike that needs repairs. There is no repair shop in Laie so we have to bring them back to Honolulu. We were hungry so we stopped in Laie at a great little burger place - Seven Brothers. Devon had a burger and fries. I had an amazing salad with greens, craisins, grilled fresh pineapple, coconut, shredded carrot, and the best white fish I've ever had. YUMMY! We'll be going back there again. Traffic was so bad on Kamehameha Highway and we were so far behind schedule that we ate in the truck.

We arrived in Kaneohe at dust to help the sisters with the mold/mushroom problem. They were glad to see us. We loaded up their beds and clothing, and took them to another sister missionary apartment. Then we headed back to Honolulu, stopping at the market before going home. We arrived at our apartment at 10:30, put the groceries away, put the furniture back in order (it was moved to clean the carpets), and went to bed - exhausted! What a way to spend PDay!

Sunday was a welcome relief. Karen Burningham and some of her family joined us at Sacrament Meeting. They are from our Highland 16th Ward and are on vacation in Honolulu. It was great seeing them.

We came home from church, had a meal, and then I had a wonderful nap. I'm feeling rested and ready for the new week. Challenges were plentiful this week, but with challenges also come blessings. There were as many sweet, tender mercies as there were problems. I am so acutely aware that Heavenly Father is not only in charge, but that he loves me and is helping me every step of the way. I am so grateful! Being here is a miracle and sweet gift from heaven.

Week 22 Report

I have two new assignments. Advancement letters for the parents’ of missionaries who have been given leadership assignments, and a departing book for the missionaries being released. These things are done in other missions. I don’t know why we haven’t been doing them. With new presidents come new ideas. Anyway, thanks to a lot of help and ideas from my cousin, Sister Hartzell, (office secretary in the Arkansas Little Rock Mission), and President Bekker, I think we are about ready to initiate these things. We have four of our finest missionaries departing on Saturday and the goal is to have departing books ready for them.

Housing, bicycle, and phone issues continue to challenge Devon. He is amazing! I would probably melt down. He just keeps going. It seems there is always some new predicament the missionaries get themselves into. I suppose it’s amazing more crazy things don’t happen when you consider they really are just kids. Devon spends a lot of time out of the office checking on apartments, moving furniture, buying new beds, taking bicycles in for repairs, etc. He sure has more patience than I do.

Our weather continues to be warm and humid. Thank goodness for the trade winds. I've noticed a slight swelling in my feet and ankles. Our wonderful doctor in Kahuku says it's because of the increased humidity, and is something senior missionaries notice a lot here. Thankfully it’s not a problem. I suppose I’ll wither up when we go back to Utah.

We had a new missionary arrive on Monday. He has been learning Marshallese at the MTC and flew in by himself. What a great missionary. And, as I mentioned, we have four going home on Saturday. These mid transfer “in’s and out’s” make companion assignments challenging. We seem to get a lot of mid transfer missionaries. I’ve got about 8 missionaries with unsure arrival dates due to visa issues. I don’t count them as coming until I see their flight itinerary. Sometimes that’s just a week before they arrive. Then president has to figure out where to assign them.

Saturday we decided to tour the ‘Iolani Palace, located in the middle of downtown Honolulu. It was the royal residence of the rulers of the Kingdom of Hawaii beginning with Kamehameha III (1845) and ending with Queen Lili’uokalani (1893). It is now a National Historic Landmark. After the monarchy was overthrown in 1893, the building was used as the capitol building for the Provisional Government, Republic, Territory, and State of Hawaii until 1969. The palace was restored and open to the public as a museum in 1978. It is now registered Historic Monument. It is beautiful inside.

This is an old photo of the Palace that I found online. It was taken about a year after it's completion.

Another online photo taken many years ago. Today its surrounded by busy streets and high-rise buildings.

Grand staircase in the entrance hall - made of beautiful, prized Hawaiian koi wood.
So beautiful! 

View of the grand staircase from the second floor.

The palace was equipped with electric lights and flush toilets a couple of years before they were installed in the White House. This is one of 6 bathrooms located on the first and second floor of the Palace. There are also four toilets in the basement. 

This is the music room. Queen Lili'ukolain was famous for the writing many songs,
including "Aloha Oe".

Dressing room next to the queen's bedroom.

Dining Room

Throne Room

Queen Lili"uokalani

Queen Lili’uokalani was the final monarch of the Hawaiian Kingdom. She became queen at the age of 52. She was only on the throne two years before she was compelled to sign her abdication. She was accused of treason and held as a prisoner in her own palace for 8 months while her country was annexed as a U.S. territory. Hawaii was officially annexed in 1893 and became a state in 1959.

Queen's Quilt

During her imprisonment, Queen Lili’uokalani and her companions sewed this beautiful quilt. Today it is called the Queen’s Quilt, and is on display in a climate and temperature controlled glass box in her imprisonment room in the ‘Iolani Palace. It is not at all like the treasured, typical Hawaiian quilts. This style is called a Crazy Quilt – very Victorian, like much of the furnishing and style of the palace itself.

Beautiful hand work on this amazing quilt. It is in perfect condition.

Our week ended with a wonderful Sabbath day. I played the organ again, but this time had trouble with the pedal. I don't know what the problem was, but my foot had a hard time hitting the right pedal. I think I'll blame it on the neuropathy. Testimony meeting was wonderful. I had a very nice nap and then we drove to Laie for Break the Fast with the senior missionaries there. I have connections with two new couples in Laie. One sister was on my temple shift a couple of years ago, and another couple are the parents of a sweet girl I worked with for 10 years when I worked for the midwives. It's a small world. 

We had a wonderful FaceTime chat with Stephen, Andrea, and Annily while we drove to Laie. I also enjoyed a short phone visit with Lori. I'm so grateful to be able to talk with our family and friends  frequently. It's good to hear all about what they are doing. I love being here, but I do miss all of them!

What a blessing and privilege it is to be here on the Lord's errand. We work hard - harder than we could have imagined. But there is such joy in the service and association we have with so many wonderful people - all bearing testimony of a loving Heavenly Father, a beloved Savior, and the blessings of the restored gospel. 

Week 22 Report

I have two new assignments. Advancement letters for the parents’ of missionaries who have been given leadership assignments, and a departing book for the missionaries being released. These things are done in other missions. I don’t know why we haven’t been doing them. With new presidents come new ideas. Anyway, thanks to a lot of help and ideas from my cousin, Sister Hartzell, (office secretary in the Arkansas Little Rock Mission), and President Bekker, I think we are about ready to initiate these things. We have four of our finest missionaries departing on Saturday and the goal is to have departing books ready for them.

Housing, bicycle, and phone issues continue to challenge Devon. He is amazing! I would probably melt down. He just keeps going. It seems there is always some new predicament the missionaries get themselves into. I suppose it’s amazing more crazy things don’t happen when you consider they really are just kids. Devon spends a lot of time out of the office checking on apartments, moving furniture, buying new beds, taking bicycles in for repairs, etc. He sure has more patience than I do.

Our weather continues to be warm and humid. Thank goodness for the trade winds. I've noticed a slight swelling in my feet and ankles. Our wonderful doctor in Kahuku says it is because of the increased humidity, and is something senior missionaries notice a lot here. Thankfully it’s not a problem. I suppose I’ll wither up when we go back to Utah.

We had a new missionary arrive on Monday. He has been learning Marshallese at the MTC and flew in by himself. What a great missionary. And, as I mentioned, we have four going home on Saturday. These mid transfer “in’s and out’s” make companion assignments challenging. We seem to get a lot of mid transfer missionaries. I’ve got about 8 missionaries with unsure arrival dates due to visa issues. I don’t count them as coming until I see their flight itinerary. Sometimes that’s just a week before they arrive. Then president has to figure out where to assign them.

Saturday we decided to tour the ‘Iolani Palace, located in the middle of downtown Honolulu. It was the royal residence of the rulers of the Kingdom of Hawaii beginning with Kamehameha III (1845) and ending with Queen Lili’uokalani (1893). It is now a National Historic Landmark. After the monarchy was overthrown in 1893, the building was used as the capitol building for the Provisional Government, Republic, Territory, and State of Hawaii until 1969. The palace was restored and open to the public as a museum in 1978. It is now registered Historic Monument. It is beautiful inside.

This is an old photo of the Palace that I found online. It was taken about a year after its completion.

Another online photo taken many years ago. Today its surrounded by busy streets and high-rise buildings.

Grand staircase in the entrance hall - made of beautiful, prized Hawaiian koi wood.
So beautiful! 

View of the grand staircase from the second floor.

The palace was equipped with electric lights and flush toilets a couple of years before they were installed in the White House. This is one of 6 bathrooms located on the first and second floor of the Palace. There are also four toilets in the basement. 

This is the music room. Queen Lili'ukolain was famous for the writing many songs, including
"Aloha Oe".

Dressing room next to the queen's bedroom.

Dining Room

Throne Room

Queen Lili"uokalani

Queen Lili’uokalani was the final monarch of the Hawaiian Kingdom. She became queen at the age of 52. She was only on the throne two years before she was compelled to sign her abdication. She was accused of treason and held as a prisoner in her own palace for 8 months while her country was annexed as a U.S. territory. Hawaii was officially annexed in 1893 and became a state in 1959.

Queen's Quilt

During her imprisonment, Queen Lili’uokalani and her companions sewed this beautiful quilt. Today it is called the Queen’s Quilt, and is on display in a climate and temperature controlled glass box in her imprisonment room in the ‘Iolani Palace. It is not at all like the treasured, typical Hawaiian quilts. This style is called a Crazy Quilt – very Victorian, like much of the furnishing and style of the palace itself.

Beautiful hand work on this amazing quilt. It is in perfect condition.

Our week ended with a wonderful Sabbath day. I played the organ again, but had trouble with the pedal this time. I don't know what the problem was, but my foot had a hard time hitting the right pedal. I think I'll blame it on the neuropathy. Testimony meeting was wonderful. I had a very nice nap and then we drove to Laie for Break the Fast with the senior missionaries there. I have connections with two new couples in Laie. One sister was on my temple shift a couple of years ago, and another couple are the parents of a sweet girl I worked with for 10 years when I worked for the midwives. It's a small world. 

We had a wonderful FaceTime chat with Stephen, Andrea, and Annily while we drove to Laie. I also enjoyed a short phone visit with Lori. I'm so grateful to be able to talk with our family and friends  frequently. It's good to hear all about what they are doing. I love being here, but I do miss all of them!

What a blessing and privilege it is to be here on the Lord's errand. We work hard - harder than we could have imagined. But there is such joy in the service and association we have with so many wonderful people - all bearing testimony of a loving Heavenly Father, a beloved Savior, and the blessings of the restored gospel.