July 27, 2014

This week has been hot and humid.  Probably the worst week we have had all summer.  Last Saturday night we had a big thunder and rain storm.  I have never heard thunder and lightening so close.  It shook the house and kept us awake most of the night.  Puddles and ponds were everywhere.  The rugby playing field at BYU was flooded.

Rugby Field

Some people had water in their homes.  It was warm and beautiful after, but has stayed humid and muggy all week.  The ocean was very dirty all week.  Would not be good week for vacation.  We had dead fish come ashore, and were asked to not go into the water because of the run off water that had mixed with the ocean.

Saturday we had shopping and needed to go to Honolulu to get new key replacement for the car.  On the way home we drove to Ko-Oliena to have lunch.  It was so busy we just stopped and ate by the golf course.  All the public parking was filled.  We had a good Mexican lunch by the train track and the golf course.

Home Evening was good this week.  Elder Bott talked to us about trials, troubles, temptations, a victory for the faithful.

Chinese Fable taken from the Journal of Discourses, Vol.5,p363, George Albert Smith, November 1, 1857.

This makes me think of an old Chinese fable.  A man travelling through the country came to a large city, very rich and splendid, he looked at it and said to his guide, "This must be a very righteous people, for I can only see but one little devil in this great city."

The guide replied, "You do not understand, sir.  This city is so perfectly given up to wickedness, corruption, degradation, and abomination of every kind, that it requires but one devil to keep them all in subjection."

Travelling on a little further, he came to a rugged path and saw an old man trying to get up the hill side, surrounded by seven great, big, coarse-looking devils.

"Why," says the traveller, "This must be a tremendously wicked old man!  Only see how many devils there are around him!"

"This,"  replied the guide, "is the only righteous man in the country; and there are seven of the biggest devils trying to turn him out of his path, and they all cannot do it."


A group of people from China came to Honolulu for a skin care conference.  Twenty of the group came to the Polynesian Cultural Center this week.  They participated in the PCC events and dinner. The China Club from BYU-H sang to them in Chinese at dinner.  Missionaries were arranged to give them the lessons.  They were taught the gospel in two days and all 20 were baptized here in Laie. Another group had stayed in Honolulu were also taught the lessons and they were all baptized.  In China we can not proselyte but when they leave China, as this group had done, they had been told about the gospel and wanted to be baptized before going back into China.  Some were exposed to the gospel by a family member, a friend or acquaintance but could not attend church there.  Now they are members, they can go back and be involved in the LDS Church in China.  Isn't it blessing how the Lord provides a way for the gospel to be given to the pure in heart.

We were able to spend an evening at the temple this week.  It was a beautiful night.   We went Thursday evening with the Coopers.  I dropped lots of names in the prayer box this time.  I can't  be there with you to give love and support any other way.

Grounds by the front of the temple

Elder and Sister Tremea

Elder and Sister Cooper

Hawaii Temple

We were asked again by the PCC to be mystery shoppers again.  Ron drove a van of six to Honolulu on Friday morning and divided up to go to the big Hotels and find out how they rated the PCC.  It was a beautiful day, but Ron had to drive and it would have been less stressful to just ride with someone else. We met in the parking lot at 8:00 am and it took us until 10:00 to get to Honolulu and find parking.  We only had three Hotels and were able to finish by noon.  We are getting pretty good at this now.  One hotel concierge  however, compared the Polynesian Cultural Center to Las Vegas, it is just a dinner and big extravaganza Vegas show.  We got to eat a Dukes Restaurant and came home by 4:00 pm.

A missionary Farewell was for Sister Cherrington this week.  She has been working in the Seamstress Room.  We had of course lots of food again and local ladies came and danced the hula.

Cathy and Sister Cherrington

Laie Days were this weekend.  Last night a tent and party was going on until midnight at the Foodland parking lot.  We could hear the band loud and clear until after midnight.  Today was the Laie Parade.  We went to the home town parade that lasted about 45 minutes and came home.

President Grace, daughter and granddaughter

Kahuku High School Football Team

Kakuku High School Football Team and Coach

Horses from Gunstock Ranch

Sister Cooper and I finally were able to get our pulatasi's remade in the Wardrobe Department.  Fitue brought them from Samoa and gave to us.  We had to remake, looked like children had sewn them. Maybe they had???

This is Grace and her little boy.  She is the mother to the girl I made the fire knife dress for.  We work with her in the Wardrobe Department

As a continuation of our FHE discussion with Elder Bott (former Mission President and Institute instructor) about a lesson on the Trials, Troubles, Temptations, and Victory for the Faithful.  He taught us some very interesting concepts. 

 A quote for Elder Packer hit the mark:  "the crucial test of life, I repeat, does not center in the choice between fame and obscurity, nor between wealth and poverty.  The greatest decision of life is between good and evil.  

We may foolishly bring unhappiness and trouble, even suffering upon ourselves.  These are not always to be regarded as penalties imposed by a displeased Creator.  They are part of the lessons of life, part of the test. All of the things we enjoy and even suffer through are part of the test, and there is more equality in this testing than sometimes we suspect. 

He also read a quote from George Q. Cannon, April 1899, "It is not for His (God) own knowledge for He knows all things beforehand.  He knows all your lives and everything you will do.  But he tries us for our own good, that we may know ourselves, for it is most important that a man should know himself. " 

Richard G. Scott, Nov. 1995, "Your Father in Heaven and His Beloved Son love you perfectly.  They would not require you to experience a moment more of difficulty than is absolutely needed for your personal benefit or for that of those you love."

We were taught much at this FHE and hopefully it will provide us some meaning as to why "Bad things happen to good people".  

Our Mission has nearly passed the 15 month mark and we will be coming home in November.  I hope we don't get "trunky" as the young Missionaries say.  We have lots of work still left to do and if we keep busy we won't need to get our bags packed until we come home.