Kona October 1 – 7
Aloha on the first good tropical rainy day in over a week!
Could it be that time has speeded up again now that I’m a
year older…that’s scary! Thanks to
everyone for all the birthday wishes and Skype technology!!
We welcomed the Saints from Moloka’i to the temple this past
week and we really enjoyed serving with them.
A few members had been here before, back in July, but the majority were
new faces and it was a delight to get acquainted with them. Moloka’i is a lightly populated, rural Island
noted for being the location of the Kalaupapa Leper Colony. Perhaps because of
the rural nature of the Island, we found these Saints to be among the friendliest,
loving and humble we have met during our mission. One thing for certain, if we ever get the
opportunity to travel to Moloka’i we will not need to worry about a place to
stay and food to eat! The spirit of
Aloha is deeply ingrained in the Saints from the Ho’olehua and the Kaunakakai Wards!
Just a quick repeat of a story about Moloka’i hospitality
that I related in an earlier post! While
serving at the Recommend Desk in the Boise Temple one evening, a couple came to
the temple to attend a session. When I
scanned their recommends, I commented that their last name meant “more than one
wife or one woman” in the Hawaiian language.
The sister asked “how did you know that?” I explained my efforts to learn the Hawaiian
language and of our love for Hawai’i.
She then asked if we had ever been to Moloka’i where she had been born
and raised. I replied that ‘we had not
been there but hoped to go someday.’ She
then told me enthusiastically, that if we ever planned a trip there to “let her
know and she would contact her parents and they would meet us at the airport,
have us stay at their home, and make sure we got to see everything on the
Island, including a mule ride down the cliffs (na Pali) to the old Leper Colony!” We met her parents during their visit in July
almost by accident and they were just as she promised. I just don’t know if they could get me on a
mule down that trail…maybe with a blindfold!
The Kona Hawai’i Temple is now closed for the semi-annual
maintenance and cleaning. In Boise, we
would just lock the doors after the last session and everything was handled by
the professional cleaning staff and contractors. In this Temple, the shift workers, Presidency,
and Missionary Couples begin the process Friday evening by following a long
checklist of items to prepare for the more intensive maintenance items and deep
cleaning. It was strange to begin the process
by removing and packing a number of items for storage and cleaning. We will be on-site over the next two weeks to
oversee and join in a number of the task to clean and refurbish the House of
the Lord.
We were saddened to get news, from one of the couples that
were part of our District in the MTC, that the Elder B. had developed a brain
tumor and had undergone surgery in Billings, Montana before returning to their
home for radiation and chemo therapy.
They were a wonderful couple to get to know and to share the MTC
experience with. They were disappointed
to have to be released after only four months of serving in Montana but were
encouraged by the prognosis for his recovery!
Our love and prayers go out to them for his complete recovery!
This week has been the Elwood Airport Shuttle week! I took the Temple President and Matron to the
airport on Tuesday to fly to the mainland for her Mother’s funeral. Saturday, we took the Second Counselor and
his wife to the airport to fly to their home in Oahu for a two-week vacation
while the Temple is closed. An hour or so later, we returned to pick up the
President and his wife and drive them back to their home. They had planned their departure and return
so there was always one member of the Presidency on the Island which is Temple
Department policy (by about 5 minutes)! The First Counselor and his wife are on
the mainland for two weeks.
This has been another wonderful
Conference weekend. The four-hour
difference in time between Salt Lake and Hawai’i offers some new challenges and
opportunities to watch the sessions. All
sessions are, of course, shown in the Stake Center at 6 am, 10 am and
priesthood at 2 pm HST. Technology to
the rescue…we set our alarm for 5:45 am and watched the morning sessions over the
internet on our Laptop while still in bed. No we didn’t
fall asleep! We missed the Saturday afternoon (morning) session due to taxi
service but Carolyn was able to join me for the Priesthood session (her first and she loved
the messages) which was available live on conference.lds.org at 2 pm. We will now go back and watch the Saturday afternoon
session that we missed.
Looking forward to a little break over
the next two weeks while the temple is closed but we will be excited to the
reopening on October 23rd.
Love and aloha from Paradise!
A purple Sweet Potato from one of the Temple Ordinance Workers
Cooked, mashed, and served with butter!
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