More beautiful floral Arrangements at Church today
Kona December 10 – 16
Aloha from Sunny Kona!
It’s a beautiful, sunny day here in Kona! I don’t mean to be “laying it on” all of you
that have cold weather and snow but in this weather, it sure doesn’t feel like
it’s only 9 days until Christmas. Last
evening, we attended our Ward Christmas Party which was a wonderful experience
complete with too much food, music, hula, a Nativity program and of course,
Santa Claus for the kids. Attending was a crowd estimated to be between 350 and
400 people. We overheard some Ward
members comment “Who is that? I’ve never
seen them before!” so maybe there were a few locals that heard about the
Kealakekua Ward Christmas party and decided to come enjoy the food!
Like all Polynesian parties, there was no lack of food and
warm greetings for everyone. The main
course featured two whole pigs and six turkeys cooked Hawaiian style in an Imu
(underground oven). Salads of every kind,
rolls, hot dishes, and of course, desserts completed the menu. Someone said “If you don’t recognize it, don’t
try it!” but there were a few things we have never seen before but we tried
them and they were delicious. The last
thing we tried was a Tahitian ‘Banana Poi’ dish that consisted of bananas
mashed, cooked slowly with tapioca starch then baked and served in a sweetened
coconut milk…it kinda had a kick so we may not have gotten the whole recipe but
it was tasty!
Kids awaiting the program...note the little "Hula Dancer" in the lower left corner
The program was vintage LDS with the added touch of some
Hula dancers (two of which were about 10 years old and very good) and some
Hawaiian Style Christmas Carols. The
Nativity program was great and provided a spiritual reminder of the birth of
our Savior and His love and sacrifice for all of us.
A young 10-year olf Hula Dancer! She was very good!
The Nativity Play
Residents of Hawaii love to have parades and the Annual Christmas
Parade was held on Ali’i Drive along the ocean front just before the Ward Christmas
Party. We didn’t attend but we heard it
was hard to tell who was in the parade and who was a spectator. We are certain everyone had a great time.
Our week in the Temple was busy and filled with the
increased love of the Christmas Season.
We were greeted by Ordinance Workers and Patrons alike with hugs and
kisses on the cheek along with Christmas greetings. Several of us are still suffering the
lingering effects of the sore throats we contracted last week so we were a
little detached in our traditional greetings.
It is becoming common for us to participate in the Hawaiian greeting
style so please don’t be offended if we bring that habit home with us!
The "Tree of Life"
The Temple grounds are undergoing a landscaping renovation
along some of the perimeter walls and we are excited to see the beautiful trees,
shrubs and flowers that are being planted.
I asked Ed, our non-member gardener, what variety several of the new
trees was called. He told me they were
call “The Tree of Life” which is most appropriate for the Temple grounds. They are part of the Lignum Vitae family,
Liggy for short, and are a variety of ironwood trees, meaning the wood is so
dense it won’t float in water. Right
now, they are bearing olive-sized, gold colored seeds resulting from pink
flowers in the spring.. We look forward
to seeing them in full bloom.
The sun is now sinking towards the horizon and the air may
be clear enough to witness the “green flash” this evening as the sun sets. The “green flash” occurs in a split second
when the sun disappears below the horizon and the sunlight reflects through the
ocean and produces the flash. With all
the volcanic “fog” or VOG we have here, this event is fairly rare to see. We created the legend that if you see a green
flash; you get to come back to Hawaii again.
We have a few of those in the bank!
Christmas is not far off and our hearts and thoughts return
to family and friends at home. This year
will be a much different Christmas celebration than we are used to having in
Boise. We look forward to our oldest son
and his family arriving on Christmas Eve for a week-long visit which will help
fill our day. Our thoughts and prayers
are with you all and we pray we will all remember the birth and atoning
sacrifice Jesus Christ made for every one of us and that we will honor him
through our service and love towards others.
An early Mele Kalikimaka to you all!
Love and Aloha from Paradise!
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