April 23, 2014

We hope you had a Happy Easter and a fun time hunting for the Easter Eggs.  We missed the hunt! Papa hasn't even been saving his change.  He has been spending it... I think.  He will have to change his ways real soon.  It felt different this Easter.  Last Easter we were having our farewell and had an Easter egg hunt in Aimee and Scott's back yard.  This year part of the family Easter egg was in Becky and Mark's yard.  Based on the picture below I think they had fun with out us.  Mike and Tammy had their own hunt in St George.  Next Easter we hope the hunt will be in St George with the entire family again.  We sure do miss the fun family gatherings.

2014 Easter at the Mangelson's 

Our Bishop was released the week before Easter, so Sunday was "Come What May".  Students had left to go home after graduation and we had skeleton crew.  The new Bishop and new councilors spoke in Sacrament and Priesthood and Relief Society were few in number.  This week has been busy week for Bishop to make new calls and find students to fill positions.  Papa will be busy Sunday again.

Most of the students left for the summer.  Our ward was reduced from 125 to 60 members.  Our entire Elders Quorum presidency disappeared.  The only one remaining was Freddie and he is the President, thank goodness he did not leave.  On Sunday I had the opportunity to Call, Sustain and Set Apart 3 Elders to serve in the Bishopric.  Two of the young men were from Korea and one was from Hong Kong.  It was a pleasure talking to them and seeing their humility.  They all willingly accepted their calls, which I was especially grateful for.  It makes the Bishop's life much easier if they accept the calls and then magnify those callings.

On Saturday our Stake had a Mormon Helping hands service project.  Our project was to clean up the Haaula Elementary school which is about 3 miles away.  The Stake provided a school bus to transport the students from BYU-H.  We had around a 100 people show up.  We started at 8:00 am and finished around 10:30 am.  We cleaned the bushes around the school.  In Hawaii the plants grow really well, not like in St George.  Many ferns and green plants, trees and bushes were overgrown.  We carried out around 50 garbage bags full of dead brush and junk.

While some were working on the bushes others were working on the painting of the curbs and striping in the parking lot.  We started painting and about 30 minutes after we started we got a rain shower.  Paint started to spread out side of the lines, fortunately the rain ended and we continued.  We painted the curbs red and the lines white.  After we were finished it looked much better even if some of the lines were smeared.

On the left is a picture of our new Bishop.  His name is Bill Liva, he is in the black shirt, he is Samoan and is a very happy guy.  He is always smiling.  The guy in the yellow helping hands shirt is Brother Pauni, he serves on the High Council with me.  The Polynesian people are very kind, caring and giving.  They love their families and stay very close to their children.  Many of the children live with the parents even after they are older because it is hard finding good jobs.  Many do not go to school and rely on low paying jobs to support themselves.  Some times it takes more than one income to keep the household running.

Of course after every event in Hawaii food is involved.  I think the Polynesians believe that if they serve food the people will come. They serve food after FHE, Break the Fast, Socials and whatever else comes up.  At this gathering we had rice with chili poured over the top, cookies and mandarin oranges. Hawaiians love rice, they eat it for every meal, breakfast, lunch and dinner.  I think this might have something to do with their large sizes.






We went for a walk on a different stretch of beach.  The shoreline wasn't as good, it had sand and sea shells and then dropped off four or five feet.  It was a nice walk and a beautiful sunset.

Walking back to the car we came across a baby mongoose.  I think it thought Papa was it's mommy because it tried to follow him to the car.  We finally had to leave him and hope his real mom found him.  He was crying loud enough, I'm sure she found him.

We worked at the PCC twice last week.  The crowd is starting to enlarge.  We had two luau's every night.  I had seen workers cleaning the flowers and bushes earlier that morning and the large red ginger, bird of paradise, and red/yellow flowers were cut and made into arrangements for the Luau. I'm wondering what department does the flower arranging???

Costume Department has been busy.  We are making new skirts for the 2:30 pm lagoon show and replacing zippers in skirts and blouses.  This burlap we put two rows of feathers on the bottom and lined the inside so it can be disconnected and washed.  After the show the material smells so bad…
We will be starting to make another Sail next week.  The white silk arrived.  Each panel is 18 yards long and we connect four panels.  Fatue is checking the size on me.

On the way back from Kaneohe we noticed the locals are moving to the beach for their weekends again.  It will be crowded every weekend when the weather is good and children are out of school.

Papa and I stopped and played tourist at a roadside cafe, the Crouching Lion Inn on the way home. We decided it was expensive for a hamburger at $14.95 and $15.95 for fish sandwich.  The view was great.  We had a little sun, a little rain and a beautiful guinea hen beside our car when we left.

Have a great week.
Love and miss you.
Nona and Papa

PS

Congratulations to Emily and Derek on their duel graduation from the University of Utah this week. We love and appreciate your good example.
(Check the Easter Picture at the top of the Blog….they are the two lovebirds under one basket!)


When did they grow to such beautiful young women?  It seems like yesterday when we took this picture…….

  

April 13, 2014

Another two weeks has passed us by on our Hawaii Mission.  Over the past two weeks we have been busy getting ready for BYUH graduations, PCC celebrations and a big birthday party for Sister Tremea (Cathy, Nona) we celebrated her 70th birthday.

First the birthdays.  On April 9th we celebrated Sister Tremea's 70th birthday.  The kids sent her gifts and lots of cards and letters to look at. As you can see here she is very proud of her collections.  She certainly does not look like she is 70 years old. The kids decided to send gifts that they remembered that Nona liked and things that they remembered most.  Some of her gifts included black licorice, Cavanaughs rum balls, clean wipes, jelly beans and stuff.  

The girls also sent us a birthday celebration kit, with candles, balloons, ribbon, sparklers, etc.



Seamstress had a birthday celebration for 4 of us that had birthdays in April.
Tamera our Mongolian student,  Sister Cherrington, Sister Miesasaki and Sister Tremea.

Sister Fuller did all the decorations.  Papa gave box sent from Aimee and Tammy to Brother and Sister Fuller and they hosted the party and picked up 2 cakes from Ted's Bakery.












We were the walk a-abouts at PCC.    The missionaries that worked with us sang to me at dinner. Never in all my dreams did I think at 70…. I would have a birthday while serving a mission at the Polynesian Cultural Center.

Two cute students sang for us.

Thank you, thank you, for all the cards. the pretty dress (Tammy), the poem from Emily that made me cry, and all the wonderful thoughts of your love.   What a thoughtful fun way to spend a Birthday when I was able to give away all my favorite things.   The candy, whips, hand lotion, jelly beans and treats was fun to give away and everyone was excited to receive something.

Below is our friends at the Birthday Party at Elder and Sister Fullers home on the Point.

Our Missionary Friends from Left to right…Elder and Sister Tremea,  Elder and Sister Nielson, Elder and Sister Cooper, Elder and Sister Sessionsn, Elder and Sister Cardnal and Elder and Sister Fuller

Phtue in Wardrobe/Costumes also had a birthday on the 10th of April.  Sister Cooper made a cake and we had cake and ice cream together.  She has worked at the PCC for 35 years.  She turned 60 years old.  Oh, to be 60!!!  (Sister Cooper took this fuzzy picture!)  

                                                    Sister Tremea and Phtue

Kathy Helo and Phtue

Last week was a busy one in Costumes.  We made feather skirts and Lapa Lapa's and had to have 18 made in two days.  We were busy.  I did a good burn job on my arm while pressing them.  

We have been catching rats too……this is number 18 and 19!

We called these two Romeo and Juliet because we caught them in one trap together………

Needless to say, I have been using the disinfectant and cleaning up the place again.

On Friday a group of us from the office (11 to be exact) went to a funeral service for the mother of our boss Larry Yuen. We took a 12 passenger van and I was the designated driver.   The service was in Waipahu about 30 miles away in an LDS Chapel. Mrs Yuen was 89 years old, had 10 children, 36 grandchildren and 45 great grandchildren.  That would be quite a party when they all got together. One of her sons George Yuen lives in Eden Utah.  She came from a family of 14 children, she was Japanese and her husband was Chinese.  Wow what a legacy.

The viewing was held in the culture hall.  While we waiting in line waiting to see the family all kinds of sweets and small sandwiches were provided to us.  After the funeral service was held in the Chapel we were invited back into the culture hall and invited to eat lunch.  Again lots and lots of food, and really good food. Apparently this is the tradition in Hawaii, to provide food for all of the guests that attend a funeral.  Another tradition in Hawaiian funerals is that donations are made to the family in the form of cash and not flowers.  I guess this donation helps the family pay for all of the food.  

Today at church we brought a couple from St George, Bro and Sister Randle   They contacted us at the PCC Friday night and we asked them to join us today.  Their children were friends of Aimee and Scott's and their granddaughter Olivia is a friend of Maddie's.  We had many visitors because of graduation this week, unfortunately many of the students have already left so our meeting attendance for the summer will be small.    It was a bitter sweet Sacrament meeting.  Bishop Wasden was released and our new Bishop Liva sustained.  Bishop Liva is Samoan and seems to be a very humble man.  He works at the Temple and his wife works in the PCC Business office.  It will all be good, the Samoan students were excited and we have lots of them in the ward.  We will miss Bishop Wasden and his wife and family.  They have been a great example to the students and us as well.

It is wonderful to know that our Church is organized in such a manner that a new Bishop is selected to take over from an old Bishop and is given the Priesthood keys to manage the needs of each ward. He has been given the gift of discernment and he knows how to manage the needs of each member of his ward (Ohana, family).   The Lord is in charge of the operation of his kingdom on earth and will not let it go astray or fail.  

April 1, 2014

Last week was a busy one for us.   Five of our favorite missionaries are leaving and we had good-by luncheons and dinners.  That's right eating again.  Monday at Family Home Evening they talked and we sang good-bye songs to them.   We always sing the Aloha song with hugs and lei's.

Elder and Sister Walker

Elder and Sister Walker will be moving home
to St George


Sister Sherlene Cooper from Logan
Sister Helena Radzik from Switzerland
Sister Cathleen Tremea
Sister Janet Johnson from Ogden

Sister Radzik is returning to Switzerland

 Elder and Sister Robinson

They are returning to Provo and to St George. They have two homes.

Elder and Sister Cooper, Elder and Sister Robinson, Elder and Sister Cardnol, Elder and Sister Tremea and Elder and Sister Nielson

Papa's golfing buddy Phil…..along with Nielson and Cooper
They have a lot of fun together.

Kahuku Golf Course

We worked Monday and Tuesday and Wednesday was a State Holiday.  Both of us had it off but our Young Adult Singles Ward had planned a temple day.  We had endowments in the morning, baptisms at noon, and a big luncheon at 2:00 pm.   We had decided since we were going to be busy all day we drove to Millani Costco on Tuesday night.  We accidentally met the RS sisters who were buying the food for the Temple Day.  They bought $450 worth of groceries and didn't have room to take it home in their little car.  We stacked 14 chickens, 7 cakes and 200 rolls in our car to help.  I think we were part of a minor miracle.  They could have never fit all the food in their car.

Wednesday Ward Temple Day turned out to be a memorable day.  We went to the 9:00 am session. Then we went to help with luncheon.  We had almost 100 kids in the temple that day doing endowments and baptisms.  We had plenty of food.  Leftovers the kids took home for dinner.  That seems to be the Polynesian way,  have plenty of food so everyone eats and carries home.  We were home almost one hour and had to be back to the PCC to work that night.  Because it was a holiday, the PCC was busy with a lot of people for dinner and the show.  We were very tired at the end of the day..

Friday the Queen of Tonga came to the Polynesian Cultural Center.  She came in a large white limo and we rolled out the red carpet for her.  It turned out to be a cultural experience for me.  Papa wasn't able to see it.  Sherlene and I decided since our boss was out of town, that surely she wouldn't want us to miss greeting the Queen of Tonga.  We found out later that day one needed to have special invitation to go, oh well.  We will have to ask forgiveness now, permission next time.

The Tonga Queen was new because her husband just became King after his brother passed away.  It's passed down through blood line.  I took pictures and hope you can picture what greeting the Queen was like.

Dancing, drums, singing and loud music greeted her at the front entrance of the PCC.

This man on the right is the Tongan representative here at the PCC in the PCC Village.  He is dressed in native costume.  He is also a counselor in the Stake Presidency.  Nice man.  He is missing a front tooth. Maybe Dr. Mangelson could help him.















President Grace is in the red shirt and the Queen is walking beside him in her native costume.  She was led to a decorated golf cart to the Lagoon where she stepped on a canoe that took her to the village of Tonga.

In the picture the lady with the fan sleeves had on a beautiful dress.

The sleeves were beaded fan sleeve.  The women wore different waist skirts each hanging in long note like strips, but all made differently.

The decorated Golf cart

Riding down the Lagoon

This is a pig dressed and ready for cooking.  The pig was presented to the Queen as a gift.  Check him out, he has the longest nose I have ever seen.

This little boy was so cute all dressed up in his Tongan clothes.  He's wearing shirt, skirt and lava lava or sulu.




This is his sister wearing her native dress too.






















The Queen was sitting at the door to the Tongan Hut.  The carpet was rolled out for her to walk up to the Hut, and at the bottom of the steps two people were sitting guard.  No one could enter the hut, all gifts were brought up and laid on the steps.  The pig was pulled up toward her as a gift too.

The PIG

The singing and dancing began.  Money was thrown out to the dancer in yellow and black, the older ladies in blue would dance and roll on the ground into the money.  After the dance the money was gathered up and given to the Queen.   We asked what she did with it….no one knew.  We hope she would distribute it to the people.

Below is President Grace bringing the Queen back to the Golf Cart to escort her to lunch.

Two Tongan Girls in their native dress.

Three sisters who came to see the Queen in their Tongan dress.

                                          Notice the difference in their waisted skirts.

What you see on the right is the YSA 5th Ward Elders Quorum Presidency.  They are from left to right Landon Southwick 1st counselor from Kaysville, Me, Kevin Miller, Secretary from California, Freddi Ika, President from Oakland, but he is Tongan and Jesse Grimshaw, 2nd councilor from California.  I should mention that Jessee is getting married in 2 weeks to Aubry who is a beautiful girl from Texas.  They are all returned missionaries and love the Gospel. These are great guys, they are all leaving except for Freddi, to go home in April so our Quorum will be in need of more leadership. During the summer our ward will shrink by over 60 percent, so we will be combining our ward with another ward.  This is my first selfie picture and was fun to be with my boys.  All of them could be my grandsons and I would be happy about it.

After work we took a hike up to the Point.  The point is a beautiful place where you can enjoy the ocean and whales.  On our way back we saw some guys getting ready to jump from the cliff.  The distance from the top to the ocean is about 30-40 feet.  They jumped feet first and way out to avoid hitting the rocks.  Crazy.  Nobody got hurt .  I will be waiting to see if any of our kids will try to do the jump.  Hopefully not.

After the jump they swam to shore and climbed up a steep crevice to get back up to the top to do it again. The waves pound you as you come in and you have to walk on sharp lava rocks with your bare feet.  It was fun to watch them.

On a more depressing note,  in January a young women drove her car over the cliff  near the spot these guys were jumping and committed suicide.  She was a young mother, a member of the Church but apparently could not cope with life any more.  I can't image life being that stressful and depressing with out any hope to commit suicide.


Saturday morning was our Stake Relief Society Birthday Social.  I helped with the lunch.  It started at 8:30 am and the first 100 girls received a cute T-shirt.  We had a good turnout and the girls enjoyed a speaker, hands on projects of hygiene kits, missionary letters, baby blankets, and genealogy on line.
We served them taco salad and birthday cake.  It was a fum morning.   We had a large group picture taken but I haven't seen it yet.  I will put in Blog when I get it.

                               Sister Essley, Sister Pollock and Sister Greer who also helped.

Sunday was a mixed day.  It was our fast and testimony meeting at Sacrament Meeting.  Many of the students will be graduating and returning home.  Our two Relief Societies will blend into one and it will be a small group for the summer.  We made lots of new friends from Hawaii to China and all the islands in-between.

The gospel is true, we love and miss each of you.  My dear grandchildren, remember to stay in the boat…the safe boat, don't let anyone pull you over into drowning with the wicked!!!

Be good….
Love,  Nona and Papa