November 26, 2013

Sights of Thanksgiving are all around us.  Everyday we are warmed by the sun, shaded by the green trees, smell the flowers and watch waves on the beach that definitely denounces fall, winter and holidays in our mind.  The trend here is to have Thanksgiving dinner and then go to the beach.  Or, many families are just meeting at the beach for the big dinner and festivities.  The beach is a given for parties and family gatherings.

I feel like I should be cooking something…like pies, yams or something.   The smells would be nice in the house, but oh well….We have decided to join the other missionaries at Tita's.  Tita's is a roadside cafe, right across from the Kahuku High School.  I guess it's a high school hangout.  Small kitchen with picnic tables outside.  Tita is going to feed the missionaries and the homeless.  Sounds good to me.  He is imu cooking 200 turkeys.  (This is putting the turkeys in a pit with hot coals and covering the birds with banana leaves).  This is the way they cook the pigs at the luau's.  It will be a new experience.  We were asked to bring a dessert.   After dinner we have all decided to go to the Beach like the locals!

We are getting ready for the Christmas Lagoon.  It will be at the Polynesian Cultural Center for 10 days before Christmas.  The villages all turn into Christmas settings from the Joseph, Mary and baby Jesus to the Shepherd's, and Wise Men.  Crews are putting up lights already.  The boats on the Lagoon will be taking guests down the river and each village will perform for them.  Also we are spotlighting three countries, Spain, Russia and Africa.  In seamstress we are making costumes and props in costumes.  Previous missionaries have told us how well this has been attended.  We will be working nights to help at the villages and delivering food etc.  This will make the holidays busy with little time to be homesick!
Today Tamera came in with her baby.  I got to hold and cuddle my Mongolian boy.  He is 13 lbs now.  Same baby you saw last week in Ron's office.   The parents are students here from Mongolia.

Check out those cheeks!

Last Friday was the last home game for the Seasiders.  They won and will be going to the playoffs in San Bernadino, California.  If they win they fly on to Iowa.  It's pretty hard of these girls to keep up with their classes, grades and traveling.  These are pictures after the game.  Keke will be getting married on the 17th of December.  Areil, the tall skinny gal is cute, spastic and silly and Stella is the third gal.  All three are from Taiwan.   Her boyfriend who is from Tonga is really pushing marriage, he's waited a year.  She didn't realize if they win and go to Iowa she will get home the night before her wedding.

Solfie, Keke, and Elder Tremea

Keke, Ariel, Sister Tremea and Stella

Elder Tremea, Sister Smith, Keke, Ariel, Sister Tremea and Stella

Family Home Evening Guest this week was Dr. Hughes, Internal Medicine here in Kahuku.   He's relatively new in town, and he has a growing practice.   His Father is a proctologist in SLC, and wants him to come back to practice in SL.  He has 5 kids, and always wanted to practice in Hawaii. He had informative basic medical advice for missionaries.   It was good to hear it from a doctor. Although Ron said he looked like a man of maybe 25.  His wife looked older than him, go figure….5 kids.   I was struggling all day Monday with vision problems and couldn't wear contacts so I wasn't seeing anything, just listening.   Heard good medical advice, but couldn't see him.

Ron and I came home from work tonight and decided to practice what Dr Hughes told us all to do. We went for a walk.  Hiked to the point.  It was a beautiful walk and the water was beautiful.  We talked to a fisherman who had 4 octopus's in his cooler for bait.  We looked at the octopus and wondered what he would catch with that.  He said bigger fish!  He had caught a 85 lb fish here at the point.  Fed his family he said.

  
 
Today is Anna's Birthday.  We have been thinking of you all day Anna.  Sorry you have to be l7 with your leg up.  This Birthday you will always remember.  All for the love of soccer.  We hope the surgery does the trick and you are up and running real soon.  We love you lots.

We will miss you this Thanksgiving.  We count each of you a blessing in our life.  We are grateful you are loving and exceptional good parents to our grandchildren.  We know it takes work, love and sacrifice to raise good children in today's world.  It's not easy.  Satan is hidden everywhere trying to destroy families.  We are so thankful for the special grandchildren you have given us.  They are tenfold blessings to us.  We see how hard they are working to be good, and strong in the gospel.  That indicates the parents are hard at work.   We see young people here making bad choices and it breaks our hearts.  We are grateful for your support and love it here on our mission.  We couldn't do it without you and we want to be here to let our children and grandchildren know we have a testimony of the gospel.  We see evidence of God's love and answers to our prayers every day.  We are grateful for health and being able to serve together.  The people here are kind and loving, they have taught us we don't need material things to be happy.  They are happy carefree people.  Tomorrow in seamstress we are having a a turkey dinner and turkey trot.  Not sure what that will be…tell you next time.

Remember we love you and have a Happy Thanksgiving this week and remember to keep us in your prayers as you are always in ours.