Well, we are entering our third month here on our mission in Hawaii. It is still ridiculously humid due to the storms and hurricanes out in the ocean. For some reason the trade winds are not blowing as usual. We have had a few hurricane warnings but by the time they got to the islands they have fizzled out. We are currently on watch for hurricane Ignacio which is supposed to hit here early this week. It has been a category 4 until today but has been downgraded to a cat 3 but the latest update tonight is that it will miss the island. That is great news for us. Now if we can just get the winds to blow a bit.
Now on to the events of the week. We always have a meeting on Tuesdays with the other temple missionaries and the mentors (two local couples who were called to do the same thing as the missionaries) and the temple president and the matron. We received our new schedules for the month of September and I was a little disappointed that we are going to be on the same schedule as August. That is Wednesday mornings, Thursday afternoon-evening and all day on Saturday. I love the people we work with on those shifts but the irregularity of the hours is a little hard on me. I tend to not sleep as well and loose sleep because of such early mornings. Oh well, I suppose if that is the worst of my problems on this mission then I am doing great. I just have to have a few days to adjust my thinking.
As I said last week, I am getting more and more comfortable with my role as a trainer for ordinance workers and I really like working with the new sisters, especially the students that come to work in the temple. Now that most of our re-certifying is done for most shifts, I have been able to visit with sisters a little bit and it is fascinating to learn of their lives. I have had a couple of compliments this week that have touched my heart. One of the coordinators told me this week that she just loved me. She loved the way I trained and how calm and patient I am with them. I also got somewhat the same message from another ordinance worker who told President Pierce and his wife how much they loved what I was doing and how I was training. That really means a great deal to me because I felt so intimidated when I first got here. Most of these sisters have had a great deal more experience in temple work than I have. I know my Heavenly Father helps me every time I step inside the temple to be able to do His work as He would if her were here in the flesh.
This week President Uchtdorf of the First Presidency was in Laie to dedicate an addition to the PCC called the Hukilau Market Place. He was scheduled to come to the temple Saturday at 2:30 so we waited around after our shift to hopefully meet him. He did come for a very brief visit and we were privileged to shake his hand and introduce ourselves. He had had a very long day in our extreme heat and humidity so I'm sure he just wanted to get to a cool place and relax for a while.
As I said last week, some of the most tender and important things I am learning while on this mission have nothing to do with the temple. Tonight we went to a missionary musical fireside put on by the sister missionaries serving in the Visitors center here. They are so talented and have such sweet testimonies. I was SO impressed. I am in awe how many of these girls are from countries across the world. I mentioned in another post about some of the sisters serving in the temple being from other countries. Tonight we heard testimonies from Hong Kong, Mainland China, Cambodia, Japan, Philippines, USA, Mexico, and some from other islands in the pacific. How the church is growing in all parts of the world. I am just amazed at the strength and testimonies they have coming from places that I assumed the gospel was just getting a good start. These young sisters are much better equipped and have much stronger testimonies than I ever did at that age, and maybe even at my age. At any rate, they can express themselves better than I could have. I learn so much from others. Tonights message from them was about Jesus Christ and how he knows us, loves us and died for us. But how he lives in each one of us today if we will just invite him. Their closing song was I Know That My Redeemer Lives.
And so I would like to close this post by telling you (whoever reads this blog) that I know my Redeemer Lives today and has brought His gospel to the earth through the Prophet Joseph Smith. I love my savior Jesus Christ and hope I can honor Him by serving Him all the days of my life.
PS,
I received some very sad news today that my good Friend Leah Fisher's son, Bart Cragun passed away. He has been battling a horrible form of cancer for about three + years now but it finally took him. I feel so bad for his mother and siblings and especially for his sweet wife and two little boys.
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