Keeping on.....

This week I am posting a little late.  To be honest I thought about my blog on Sunday afternoon but got busy reading and then had a meeting to attend and forgot until now.
The best thing about this week is that we won't be working Saturday.  Of course the temple is closed for General Conference.  I mentioned a meeting that we went to on Sunday.  It was the Annual Ordinance Workers devotional held at the stake center right across the street from us.  The temple presidency and their wives spoke as well as our temple recorder.  I really  was amazed and felt the spirit so strongly during the talks.  Each one spoke of different topics all relating to our service in the temple.  One of the comments made by Sister Bell was that we serve best when we are truly committed to keeping the covenants we have made with our Heavenly Father.  We were admonished by President Konekoa to not take our callings lightly.  Be obedient to the things that are required of us in serving in the temple.  Sister Pierce talked about how we can gain knowledge and understanding in those sacred moments that we have in the temple each time we serve.  The music in the devotional was outstanding.  The choir was made up for ordinance workers with only one practice before the meeting.  They did a wonderful job.  There was a duet also by the Kammerer's who sang "How Great Thou Art."  So moving!    I was so privileged to have been in the meeting that day.  What an uplifting end to a wonderful Sunday.

Our car has been fixed!  It only took three days so we thought that was great!  And the cost was not outrageous.  We had the mechanic replace other belts that may wear out as long as we were paying for labor anyway.

The weather has really moderated this week.  We have had quite a bit of rain but accompanied by some nice trade winds.  We have even slept without the air conditioner on for the last couple of nights.

We will be making a quick trip to Ogden this weekend to attend the wedding of my Nephew, Eric.  We will also be able to spend conference weekend there and have dinner with my children and grandchildren on Sunday.  Monday we will be returning to Hawaii to start another week at the temple.  We are down to only three more weeks with the current temple presidency so our schedules are mixed up quite a bit this month.  We will serve with each member  of the presidency for at least one week.  Glad we get this last little bit of time with them before we begin with the new presidency.

P-DAY TRIALS: Our Car Is Not Working

This week marks one quarter of our mission completed.  We arrived here on June 18 and today is September 21.  I would never have thought I would feel this comfortable in what I am doing so soon.  That is not to say that I would want to live here forever or that I don't struggle from time to time.  I still get pretty bored when we are not in the temple.  The apartment isn't big enough to do anything in or have a sewing project going.  We still find we need to go out and about most days-especially on our days off.  Today is Monday, our official P-day since the temple is closed.  I went on a 2.5 mile walk this morning.  About one mile into it, it started raining a little so I headed back towards home.  The rain stopped so I continued around the neighborhood, up the temple stairs and down again and to the trail up behind the temple that goes through an old cemetery.  It never did rain again but the humidity took over so I was dripping from that.  I exercised some more when I got back to the apartment since Larry was helping his brother with a project at his house.  I showered, got cleaned up and went to the grocery store.  That in itself is a trial for me because food is so expensive here and I know what those items cost in Utah.  $41 later with only two reusable bags full to show for it, I started home.  I had pulled out onto Kam highway and travled about two blocks and the car quit.  I pulled over as far off the highway as I could and tried to start the car again.  It would NOT start. I called Larry and he got a ride from a missionary across from us to where I was stranded.  Turned out that we had to have Keith come and tow it to his house.  Larry thinks it is the timing belt that is the problem.  Not sure what the cost will be for repairs but I'm sure it won't be cheap.  So as of now, we are borrowing Keith's truck.  Now I am wishing we had not sold our car at home but had it shipped here for our use.  Hopefully we can get it fixed in the next few days.  So grateful that Larry's brother was here to bail us out and that he knows people that can help us.  I'll report more on this next week.

I have mentioned before that a big reason for my being here was so the Lord can teach me in a different environment and with a changed heart.  Yesterday in church, the high councilman talked on Christlike attributes which we should all be seeking.  He used a seed as an acronym to things we can do.  I thought I would share it here so, if nothing else, I can remember it.
S= See others as God sees them.  Each person is precious in the sight of God and      should be treated as such.
E= Exemplary life.  We should be living each day, each moment as an example to others of how the Savior would want us to live.
E= Edify.  Edify those we come in contact with and even edify ourselves in our actions.
D=Depend on Him.  We know we can't "do" this life alone and would be foolish to think that. After all we can do, we  then need to hand over our problems to the Lord and have the faith that he can and will help us.  Humility seems to stand out to me in this part.
I was very impressed with his talk and felt the spirit tell me that I have a long way to go in becoming as the Savior know I can become.  Working at it day by day will bring me closer.

Again this week, I have been training ordinance workers in the temple.  I really do love that part of my responsibilities.  Saturday I had three new workers to train.  Two had been ordinance workers before so it was pretty easy to catch them up on what they needed.  The other one is a sweet return missionary (Sister Beaver) who served in Jacksonville, FL.  She has been home four weeks and was just SO excited to be learning to be an ordinance worker.  The young girls are so quick to pick up on the things they need to memorize.   I have also been training Sister Qi from mainland China.  She has taken to be and was there as a substitute on Saturday.  She told me she has been doing family history and has four names to bring to the temple to have their work done.  They are her grandparents on both sides.  She is so excited to do the work.  I inquired whether her parents were members and she told me yes but her father was afraid to go to church much because he works for the government in China and doesn't want them to know he is LDS.
I can see the hand of the Lord in my patriarchal blessing when it says that I will have opportunity to work in the temple and learn of those sacred ordinances and know that they are from God.  This knowledge gives us hope that we can and will return to our Heavenly Father at the appointed time.

Wow!  That is a lot for one day so it is time to close.

Better Late Than Never...

 Well, I knew it would happen.  I made a commitment a few weeks ago to make an entry on my blog each week and have been trying to do them on Sunday evenings.  This week we had a High Priests and wives meeting to attend and it was late when we got home.  The meeting was very good with great speakers and great messages.  Bro and Sis. Maeta from our ward here recently returned from a mission in Croatia so they spoke on the things that they were involved in on their mission.  They also talked to the need for senior missionaries all over the world.  It made me feel good that I am doing just that right now, however when I look at the busy schedules and variety of things that other missionary couples do I feel a little guilty that our temple mission seems so easy. Yes, we do serve in the temple at least 27 hours each week with another two hours performing proxy endowments but I know we could be doing more.  Maybe we will have the opportunity to serve another mission later and experience some of the other responsibilities we heard about.

The last speaker in the meeting talked about family history and our responsibility to find ancestors names to take to the temple to do their work.  That is where I felt a new zest for this mission.  Being able to help in any way with the temple work that needs to be done for those who have passed beyond the veil is essential to the work of the Lord.  We were admonished to search for our ancestors and were given help on how to do that.  I have decided that maybe that is why I am here in Hawaii serving.  Our neighbor and fellow temple missionaries (Judie Fry) is really into genealogy and has offered more than once to help me learn and do.  I have put it off because it seems daunting to me.  I now have committed to really try to learn.  As of today I have found three names that need their temple work done for them.  I need to cross check them but I think that little bit of success will be a great boost for me.  I'll keep you posted on my progress and success.

The weather has been very interesting this past week.  We have had a great deal of rain again with some flooding.  Trade winds came back this week but it is still hot and humid to me.  Everyone keeps telling me it will get better so I'll look forward to that.

Yesterday I hit a little bit of a milestone while here.  My neighbor, Judie, has asked me a few times if I would like to get away for a while on our Monday's off.  Yesterday we went into Millilani for a little shopping.  I drove by myself in this place that I'm not really familiar with.  It wasn't bad.  I think our next outing may be into Alo Moana mall in a month or two.

As far as the temple goes, we are going through some changes as far as mentors.  I have had the opportunity to train sister Oshiro as an ordinance worker and now she will be training others as a mentor. The temple presidency has had two mentor couples and the two missionary couples to do the training for the ordinance workers.  Both mentor couples were released last week with two new couples called.  Next month we will say goodbye to the temple presidency and welcome another.  Change is always hard but at the same time it will be good to get to know these new people.

Well, enough for now.  I just want to reiterate from other weeks posts, how much spirituality there is in this community and how much I enjoy listening to talks at church and family home evenings.  They are boosting my testimony of the truthfulness of this gospel.

September 6, 2015

Here we are at the beginning of another week.  Our service in the temple this week was great as usual.  The work by patrons was pretty slow most of the week, unfortunately.  It is interesting to run a temple endowment session with only three or four patrons.  Many of the weekday sessions are like that.  With that comes the problem of coordinators having to find temple workers to fill in for the prayer circle.  As I have reported in other posts, sometimes the shifts run on a skeleton crew so it can be difficult.  I (we) try to fill in where we can when we are not training workers.
Yesterday (Saturday) Larry and I were able to help with a couple of special occasions. It is wonderful to watch the looks of excitement and nervousness on these people who are coming to the temple for the first time.

This week, I want to do something a little different than other weeks.  Today as I sat in Sacrament meeting, during the sacrament, I decided to ponder all the blessings in my life and things I am grateful for.  I want to share those in this blog.  I plan to look back on these often just to remind myself how blessed I am.

• I was born to wonderful parents who loved me and were interested in the things that took place in my life.
• I grew up in a free country never really wanting for anything.  We were poor at times but I didn't know it.
• I had good friends throughout my childhood even though they were not all of my faith.
• I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
• I am blessed to have a testimony of my Savior and that He knows me loves me. 
• I was privileged to find a wonderful man and marry him for time and Eternity in Logan temple (Carl Bruce).
• We were blessed with five beautiful and healthy children whom we love so much.
• I have been blessed with great health throughout my life.  I have the normal aches and pains but that is part of the aging process
• I had the privilege of education.  I have a bachelors and a masters degree that helped me both in the home and in my career.
• I spent over 15 years in the school system teaching junior high students.  I loved that I could make a difference in the lives of those teens.  Some days were harder than others but I loved the things I taught and loved the interaction with other teachers and students.
• I have had trails and deep sorrow in my life and am even grateful for those because they helped me figure out who I really am and what I am capable of.  Heavenly Father is always trying to let us know what our potential is if we will just rise to the occasion.  
• I have 14 beautiful grandchildren that are the light of my life.
• I have been blessed in the last seven years to marry again after the tragic loss of my eternal companion.  Larry is so good to me and for me.  
• I am blessed to have good neighbors and friends who have been by my side through tough times.
• I am blessed at the present time to be serving a mission for my Heavenly Father in the Laie, Hawaii Temple.  It is interesting that I said "serving" my Heavenly Father because I am gaining way more from serving than Heavenly Father is getting in return, I'm afraid.
• I've had the blessing of being able to travel to a great many places across the world and have the means to do more of that in the future.

I know I could go on for a long time listing blessings but these were the ones that stood out as I pondered today.

Closing this blog for this week.