Kona August 20 – 26
Ahoha I he ua nui!
Greetings on a very rainy afternoon from our island
paradise. At the elevation we live,
about 1500 feet above sea level, the climate is very different from where the
Temple is located just 7 miles away. Up here,
the temperature is about 10 degrees cooler and it rains almost every
night. These huge volcanos that form the
island act as giant weather engines.
Many mornings start out clear and sunny but during the day, the rising
moisture from the ocean is carried up the slopes of the mountain to the cooler
air then turning into heavy clouds surrounding the higher elevations. In the late afternoons and evenings, these clouds
heavy laden with moisture, are pulled back towards the sea by gravity. At some point, all is needed is the right
combination of elements and the rain cascades down in a torrent of water. Last night and this afternoon’s rain, I would
estimate, could measure up to a couple of inches of water.
Today was Stake Conference for the Kona Stake and we enjoyed
the talks and testimonies of those who spoke to us. One couple who spoke were Senior Missionaries
from a place called Idaho Falls, Idaho!
I met a couple in the Temple this week who were from Meridian, Idaho and
she had graduated from Meridian High School just a few years before the first
of our six MHS graduates! A member of
the Stake Presidency and another Brother we met today, all had served missions
in the Arcadia California Mission in the 1983-85 timeframe when our oldest son
Rod served there. Okay, so the world isn’t very big!
The prelude music for the Conference was played on the organ
by a young man in our stake that is blind.
I don’t think we’ve ever heard such beautiful and soaring renditions of
the hymns as this young man performed. You
could feel a power and majesty to the music as he gave feeling and emphasis to
every measure unlike we’ve ever heard before.
Even though he played without interruption for over half an hour, I
could have listened to his testimony through the music that flowed from his
spirit to our ears and hearts for another hour.
Today, we enjoyed the company of the other Senior Couple
serving with us in the Temple. They live
just a few miles south of us and picked us up this morning to go to Stake Conference
(their car is air conditioned). After
conference, they joined us for a dinner of fruit salad, tacos, and burritos
followed by Raspberry cheesecake and ice cream. We watched the NBC Rock Center report on the
church from the internet. Elder W.
announced it was time for a nap so they left and we cleaned up the kitchen. I want you to know this is no small feat to be
typing, listening to the falling rain, and needing a nap!!
Just a note about the generosity and love shown by the Saints
here in Hawaii. Perhaps it’s the Temple but I think it goes beyond that. The
love is genuine and is not restrained like we sometimes experience on the
mainland. We have seen this from the very
first day we arrived here. While
shopping in Wal-Mart, a sister who we had never met noticed our missionary
badges and immediately came up and welcomed us with a hug and kiss. Ordinance workers bring food to the break
room to share with others on every shift.
Fresh fruit is to be shared with everyone. This past week alone, we were given papaya,
limes, avocado, tangelos and bananas. I think the picture says it all. I hope we can bring a little of this love and
generosity home with us. In many
respects this truly is a paradise!
In closing, the Young Women’s program is inspired and has
and is playing a very important part in our family. The Temple Matron, my Hawaiian Kumu (Teacher)
gave me this translation from the YW values…
E ku ana au, me he
ho’ike o Akua (I will stand as a witness
of God)
I na manawa apau
(at all times)
I na mea apau (in all things)
A me na wahi apau.
(and in all places.)
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