Trick or Treat What's to Eat?

Can you believe it? It's 80 degrees and Kawehi and I are passing out candy to the trick or treaters. Here you sit outside in the yard and pass out the candy. You don't need to sit inside with the door closed because it's cold.

Dad wanted you to know he was helping too. Actually, he was stealing the snickers. It is about 5:30 and will be dark at 6:00. Shorts and t-shirts, I seem to have lost all track of what time of year it is. We will be saying goodbye to 3 elders on Wednesday so Dad and I went in to Lihue earlier today to take lunch and treats to everyone. We laughed, talked story, signed journals and had a good time. These elders and sisters of some of the finest. We sure have been blessed working with them.

Joy...

Today we met Evan. He works with Sister C. and asked her about our church. She asked him if he wanted to meet the missionaries and he said yes. He came to church in a white shirt and tie and asked right away what he had to do to be baptized. During Sunday School he asked to have a lesson so we gave him an overview of the things we would be teaching and asked him some questions to see what he knew and what he expected to learn. Our class started out with the Bro. and Sis. C, Auntie K and us. As the lesson went on Bro. L came in. We were surprised to learn that his is Evan's uncle. The Hawaiian family tree is alive and well in our ward. Everyone is related to someone in the family. What a great experience teaching him. He is golden and so ready for the church. We will be teaching another lesson next Thurs. at Bro. C's. This is what we have been waiting for. Oh, he is Ni'ihauan. I just know he will have a great influence on our neighbors right here.

Kukuiolono Pavallion

Today Petra and Roy came over and brought us a surprise. They are both in our ward and have been dating for a while. Petra has been offered a job in Sedona and will be leaving soon. Well, the surprise is an invitation to their wedding. They have decided to get married and go together and have a great adventure and start a new life. We are so happy for them. We are thrilled because we can stop by to see them when we drive down to see Jeffrey and Jarrica.

Thurs. With Andrew...The Forbidden Island

We had quite a busy day today. We visited Bro. C., Andrew, Inouyes and some friends in low income housing. I love it when it is busy and we visit, talk story and most of all share the gospel. We are so lucky to have such a beautiful place to do all these things. Today Andrew told us all about growing up in the village on Ni'ihau. I long to go there and see it but of course, you can't go without permission and then you can go to the beach area and not into the village. Andrew said it was the best place to grow up. Ni'ihau is just 18 miles of the coast of Kauai and it can be seen quite well from our beach on a clear day. Of course, you only see the shore line and the mountains. The village is on the other side. They still live without modern conveniences. No TV, cell phones, electricity or running water and they have outhouses. To have water they have water catchment systems using screens, charcoal, and sand to purify water that comes in the form of rain. There have been a few times when the people had to leave Ni'ihau because of draught. Everything is shipped to the village from Kauai on barges. It is sent from family members living here. Children go to school up to the eighth grade and then come to Kauai for higher grades. There used to be a cattle ranch and a sheep ranch on the island but they were closed down a few years ago. The people of Ni'ihau speak the old Hawaiian language as their first language. The island is owned by the Robinson family and has been passed down father to son. The Ni'ihauan's are makers of the beautiful Ni'ihau shell jewelry: leis, earrings, bracelets etc. Some of the leis can cost thousands of dollars. I know I have talked about them in earlier posts.

Trunk or Treat!

It's Trunk or Treat at the church and the YM/YW are in charge. Captain America and Bat Girl are the grandchildren of some of our friends in the ward. We would sure like to teach their mom the lessons. She is such a sweet lady. We love their whole family.

We had a fun time. Dad just loves these little Hawaiian kids! We met lots of people we didn't know and people we might have a chance to visit. If you will notice in the background you can see the table set up for the chili and cornbread dinner. We ate after everyone got their bags filled with candy. I must say that was the best cornbread I have ever eaten. I need that recipe really! By the way it is 5:30 and it will be dark by 6:00.

It's Transfer Time Again!

Look at this fine, upstanding group. I can't believe it has been six weeks since the last transfer and here it is again. Elder Austin, in the lei, is dying. That's going home. I think Elder Coffin back row left will go, he's been a great ZL and maybe one other elder. You never know. It is always fun to guess. We will find out Sunday night. We always get a call ahead of time and know who will go and where. This has been such a good Zone. We love the elders and sisters like they were our own. Do I always say that? We just got the word that Wally is now the "Car Czar" in charge of car inspections here on Kauai. Poor elders, you know how Wally is about his cars. He will do that at the same time I do apartment inspections. Next Monday we will have our last p-day together and we are taking lunch and dessert into Lihue for everyone. The elders will play some game, we will fix them lunch and then say goodbye. We would have them out here but it is just too far for everyone to come. We sang Aloha'oe for our closing song today and it is always such a tear jerker!

It's Good Ya?

Today was a wonderful Sunday! I gave the Missionary Minute, Our Ward Rocks and Brother Karratti, the mission leader and Sister Akita, the Bishop's wife were the speakers. What a spiritual feast. Sister Akita talked about making good choices and trusting ourselves that we have been good parents and have tried to teach our children well. They have to choose now what to do with it. Her theme "It's Good." went along with her message and she told some wonderful stories (about kings and cannibals) to illustrate. I know sometimes we all wonder if we have done enough. Brother Karratti talked about "Turning". He used it to talk about turning toward the Lord and being obedient and striving to do our best. He even talked about when we had hiked the Sleeping Giant with his family and how we could look down and see where we'd been and where we were going and how worth it it would be when we got to the top. Let's hope our views looking down will be just as amazing!

Get Used To It!

If we have time on Saturdays in between service and appointments we go out to lunch. Today Wally surprised me and took us to the Grand Hyatt. It is soooo beautiful here. The view from everywhere is breath taking! Lunch was yummy (chicken quesadilla, roast beef sandwich, onion rings and soft serve yogurt) and the service impeccable and that was at the grill. It cost an arm and a leg but it was worth it and we probably won't do it again. Do I sound like I am rationalizing? I could sit here forever and have someone tend me, watch the ocean and feel the trade winds blow. Oh my, this is the life.

Kau Kau Tins and Lilik'oi Pie

We didn't get to have Chick Chat this week or last. It seems like ages since we have had a good visit. So Maxine and Petra (they both have Fridays off) decided we should go out to lunch today. Our week has been bleak and there are not appointments today so I said it sounded good. To tell the truth Wall probably wanted some time alone too. LOL. We finally decided on Wranglers. We have eaten there before and it is good food and a fun old place. Maxine ordered a Kau Kau Tin. It is a lunch box that the sugar cane workers used to carry to work.

When you take the handle off, the tin separates into three parts. Each part has something different in it. For example Maxine had rice, meat and vegetables. It would have had shrimp but she has developed an allergy to them and so they had to change it up for her. In the gift shop they have these tins to buy. I might get one and use it to hold some of my office supplies. Such an interesting piece of history here.

Here Petra and I are sharing a piece of Lilik'oi Pie. A house specialty. At home we have some Lilik'oi mustard that Wally loves. Lilik'oi is passion fruit and it is really popular here and is used in all kinds of things. Petra told us today that she is moving to the mainland. What a shock! She is excited to have a new adventure. We will miss her so much. She just became active again when we moved into the ward. Wally and I taught her the lessons and read the Book of Mormon with her when we first got here. This year has been such a year of growth and joy for her. Although I hate to see her go, she is so excited. I know we will be able to see her when we come home because she is going to AZ and we will stop by when we go to visit Jeffrey, Jarrica and family.

Thursdays With Bro.C

Happy, happy Wally and Brother C. as they strum and sing all kinds of songs. Let's see today it was Aloha'oe, Hawaii Aloha, Tiny Bubbles (in Hawaiian), You'll Never Find Another Kanaka Like Me. Bro. C is so thrilled that Wall is learning to play and embracing the culture. We learn so much as we talk story, talk missionary work and enjoy each others company.

How creative these Hawaiians are. This is a picture of a Papaya tree being trained to stay short so the fruit will be in reach and can be picked without a huge ladder. We've seen these buckets on lots of trees but thought people had just hung their buckets without thinking. Who knows why?

You can see all this beautiful fruit that will be ready to be picked just when it starts to turn yellow. Mmmm, love Papaya when it is still firm but sweet, not too ripe. It is good sprinkled with lime juice.

The reason I wanted to tell you about Papayas is because after our discussion today Bro. C gave us this one from his tree that will be ready to eat in about 2 days. Can't wait! We will surely miss all this wonderful fruit when we come home.

Our Family Rocks!

We gave an FHE to the Simola's today. It was a beautiful day and we enjoyed sitting out on the lanai. We talked about the Wise Man and the Foolish Man and how we should build our "house" or "family" on the rock which is our Savior Jesus Christ. It was such a good lesson, just the kind we love to give and the Simola's always make us feel useful and appreciated. They like my little handouts too. We sang "The Wise Man Built His House Upon The Rock" and did the actions with it. You should have seen Dad. LOL. Then for closing we sang or talked "I'm trying to be like Jesus." I couldn't remember the tune. We also went over to see some folks in low income housing to let them know we missed them Sunday. We were in casual clothes. It was a friendlier atmosphere. Sometimes we need to go just as people who are friends. It doesn't seem so threatening to them. Not that we are it is just .... I don't know how to explain it. We feel that this is when we are at our best.

Ka'ai Crater Hot Fudge Sundae...

It was great fun watching this lonely paddle boarder while I was eating my free Lappert's Hot Fudge Sundae. No wonder we are putting on the pounds. After 10 stamps on our card we can get a free anything we want. It was loaded with Macadamia nuts and whipped cream. Oh, and I love those cherries on top. Dad says we need to start dieting now so we can at least lose 7 pounds by the time we get home. Maybe next month. We have 4 stamps left over on our card and that means we only need six more then Dad can have his pick of the menu. Did I mention we have given up rice?

It's Painting Time!

Here's Dad doing his favorite thing. Yup! Painting! The renovation of Sister Kua's cottage is coming right along. They had better hurry because she is coming home in December and is she going to be surprised! Everything will be so different especially the color of the house and all her beloved plants have had to come out. That is all she asks about. They will grow back in no time though the way things grow here. I hope she will be ok when she sees what has been done. Ui and family have worked so hard. The cottage is at least 60 years old. I love these cottages. They are such a part of the history here. Nothing fancy. Just a living room, a small bathroom, with a small claw foot tub, small old fashioned kitchen with a tiny sink and 3 small bedrooms. I'll be sure to put a picture up of the finished project. Oh, and I had a little deja vu today. When we were looking at the windows Ui asked me if I knew about replacing glass panes. As I began looking up close I saw how the windows were held in place. I remember when I was young and we had broken windows we would go and buy new glass and bring it home and putty it back in place. I can remember rubbing that putty between my hands and making a thin "snake" out of it and putting it around the window and pushing it in place with my fingers and smoothing it out. Wall says that is called glazing and now you put it in with a putty knife so you get a nice smooth edge.

Ginger and Black Bean Manjou.

I was baking cookies just in case I needed to have some on hand for someone or something. I have found a new recipe for cookies using jello instant pudding. It makes them so soft and yummy. I saw Willy come home from work so I took some over to him. Pretty soon I hear "whooie, Fran" over he came and gave me a big bunch of ginger. They are beautiful. He is particularly proud of his pink ones. You have to cut all the foliage off and then put them in water.

Aren't they beautiful? I threw the leaves away. I should have kept a few and put them in with the flowers. If I was a real flower arranger of Hawaiian flowers I would have known that. Anyway they are beautiful on the table. I hope they last. What a lovely gift.

I forgot to mention that on Thursday when we came home in the evening Kaveyhi came over with some Black Bean Manjou. They are from the Lawai Bakery. We have heard we should go there for the pastries. Veyhi say no it will just cost you lots of money because they have so many yummy treats. Anyway, these little treats have the lightest, flakiest pastry with black bean filling. Mmmm so good. We never would have guessed. We love our neighbors.

We Love You Here!

Brother C. was so sweet today. We had a talk story meeting along with a little singing and strumming. He told us how much he enjoyed having us as full time senior missionaries here. He said he is going to talk to the powers that be and suggest they keep seniors here because they are long term and such an important part of the ward. We have made such a connection with him and Sis. C. they are a blessing in our lives. You know how it feels when you feel like you have known someone forever? The last few weeks Andrew's family has been working on shell lei's at our meeting table in his yard. We can hear the music, talking and laughter clear over here at our place. Guess what? We worried that we would have to discontinue our meetings but Andrew comes to get us and asks if we can go to the church to read. He loves reading with us. It is wonderful for us that he wants to have meetings with us. We really enjoy his friendship to. "Thank you, thank you", he says. "I like to be with you." His family speaks only Hawaiian at home so we wonder how much he really understands. He reads to us and we translate for him. He says he really likes our appointments every week at 14:30. That's 2:30 for you non military personnel. This week he said the Lord's Prayer in Hawaiian for the closing prayer. Beautiful.

A New Referral and Lois.

We sometimes get referrals on our phone. These referrals come from visitor center's and different places missionaries are. Today we were lucky and got 2. We found out that one was from the family of a man's fiance and the other is from a member of our ward. He didn't give us the referral but gave it to the missionaries at Temple Square when he was in SLC for conference. Go figure. We have contacted both and have made appointments. Cross your fingers. Ours are. Today was a great meeting with Lois. Things are going along so well. We are thrilled. Today we talked about the Holy Ghost (my part) and the Word of Wisdom (Dad). We usually have dinner first but today it wasn't quite done so I suggested lesson first and then dinner so we wouldn't keep them to long this evening. When I mentioned what we were going to talk about Lois said, "Oh no, I'm going to have to give up my coffee!" We all had a laugh over her expression. We talked about it and challenged her to give it up. That is her only problem and she wonders if she can do without it. We gave her some suggestions and told her we would check back on Sunday. I know she will do well. By the way, dinner was outstanding. Chicken enchiladas, salad and orange cheese cake. Yum! ... Happy 93rd Birthday Mom.

Oh What a Beautiful Sunrise!

I couldn't resist taking this beautiful picture this morning. We were headed out for our walk at about 6:15, I was a little slow today, and this is what we saw as we walked out our door. It was absolutely breath taking! Doesn't it remind you of the creation? Well, we watched it as the colors changed and turned lighter and the sun came up. How fantastic is that? We had District Meeting and it was about planning, using our planners and our time wisely. These elders are outstanding! Kind of like Our Boys !! They sure do a good job. I brought my absolutely delectable chocolate chip banana bread and we had a feast during and after our meeting. I love to take care of these "boys." We went to lunch a BK. The moa (chickens) didn't drive us inside this time like they did when the President was here. He couldn't get over it. We had to laugh at the expression on his face. On our way home our phone rang. It was the President and he asked me to put the phone on speaker so Wally could hear. I was so nervous I couldn't figure out how to do it. I asked him if I could call him back. I tried really hard to make it work and it still wouldn't. Anyway, he wanted to ask how we were doing and to make sure we knew how much he appreciated and loved us. He was concerned about how we were feeling and wanted to reassure us. What a great man. We are certainly lucky to have him as our leader and friend. We love Sister Dalton and feel the same way about her. Have I mentioned how blessed we are?

P-Day, Elizabeth and the Town Meeting.

We had a great p-day today. We were going to go to the beach and have some ice cream but other things came our way. At about 5:30 a.m. Bro. K called and asked Dad if he would come and give a blessing to a lady who was going in for cataract surgery this morning. We were already awake so it was a good start to the day. He loves to do things like that to help people of our ward. While he was with him, Bro. K asked if we would attend a town meeting tonight. It is about the Sugar Mill. It's going to be torn down but the towns people are worried about the asbestos, lead and other toxins being released into the air and settling ponds, where farmers are growing veggies and selling them at Farmer's Markets and mill canals that flow directly into the ocean when in rains. It is good for us to go in casual clothes and be a part of community and show interest in it he says. It was funny that while we were there people came up and said "hi" and recognized us as the people who walk all around the town at 6:00 in the morning. No secrets in Kekaha. Ya. Vince also called and asked if we could give another lesson to his mother, Elizabeth. She was so glad to have us come. She loves what we are teaching her and already has a testimony of a lot of things. We sure hope she will be well enough to be baptized. Oh, happy day!

Hilton's Baptism.

We had wonderful meetings today. We always love Fast Sunday. The spirit in our ward is unbelievable. We had some visitors from Highland, UT and also from Corona, CA. Most of them are working on the Base for a short period of time. We always visit with them and talk about home. It is fun to meet new people. Of course, the first question is " How did you get to come to Hawaii for your mission?" After meetings we went up to Kalaheo for a baptism. Hilton has been taking lessons for quite a while (2 years) and finally decided to take the plunge. Our Zone Leader taught him when he first came on his mission to Kauai. Hilton asked him to baptize him. It was great! An investigator gave the closing prayer and that really touched our hearts. Way to go Sisters! You Rock! You'll never guess~ We had a wonderful Hawaiian luncheon afterwards. Yumm. We sat with a nice couple, about our age, and their grandchildren. She is still teaching school. They know education so we had a great visit. We also had something else in common. They grew up in Kekaha. Small island.

Shopping!

This Friday we had to go into Lihue to do some shopping. We don't usually have a lot to do on Fridays because if people have a day off they need to do their errands and they also help their children by tending grandchildren. We haven't been shopping for a while and have no food so we decided to head out. We always wear out "pros clothes" and tags because we love to meet all kinds of people in Costco and Walmart. We always meet someone new to the island or members from other wards and it is great fun. It was Fall Break here and we met some young kids that we read with and that are in our ward. "Auntie, Uncle how are you? Guess what is happening today?" We just love it when they recognize us and talk to us. Little Hawaiian children steal our hearts and remind us of our own. At lunch we met another young couple who just moved to the island. It is amazing to us. We never would have thought of doing that when our boys were little. We are too predictable! We should have stretched just a little and maybe one of the boys would have turned out to be a world famous surfer. Who knows. LOL.

Thursdays With Bro. C.

I was telling Bro. C that I got a beautiful picture of Tapa (Kapa in Hawaii) cloth and wanted to write about its history. He was happy about that because we have been talking about it every so often for awhile now. Hawaiian tapa cloth is the best of the Polynesian tapa cloths because it is very soft and can be washed and used again. Making tapa is an ancient and painstaking art. The best bark for tapa cloth comes from the Wauke tree (paper mulberry). It is grown and harvested just for cloth making. I have used mulberry cloth in scrap booking and it is beautiful paper. The Wauke tree is grown, cultivated and watered for 2 years. It is then cut down and the outer dark bark, limbs and leaves are carefully scraped off. It will be about 2" in size. The inside layer of bark is cream colored and is called the 'ili. This layer of "skin" is carefully removed and beaten with a special mallet called a hohoa'. It might might with patience spread out to be about 6" wide. It will then be wrapped in Ti leaves lau lau style and kept in a bag to rest for 2 weeks. The second beating will take longer and requires more patience because to get the cloth to be as wide as wanted other strips of tapa need to be laid on top of each other and beat together until they blend so well there are no seams or sign where they have been joined together. The final beating is made with a l'ekuku mallet. It has a pattern or watermark carved into it and the tapa cloth will take up the design as it is pounded. After the design is embedded in the cloth it is painted. Hawaiians love bright colors and so they make dyes with leaves, flowers, barks, nuts and all manner of things from nature to make them. These wonderful cloths were used for clothing, bedding, and as wall hangings. The process , designs and tools used are very important to the people. It is a very reverent and humble process.

Working on Ward Lists.

Today we worked on updating our Area Book and ward lists. President has said we don't need to tract. But he wants us to visit every L.A. family on our ward list and make sure who they are and if they want to be visited and taught lessons etc. He told us we have 7 months and it needs to be completed. First, though, I need to make sure all the records are correct so we can get going on that project. I guess we will find out when we visit. It will be a lot of work but we can get it done. It would be so nice to have another couple out here with us so we could do it together. It would be fun to go on splits with them. Are there any takers out there? We have an extra bedroom.

Interviews!

We had interviews with President and Sister Dalton today. Guess what? We passed! LOL. We got a call early this morning and President asked us to pick him up from the airport. His flight was coming in at 8:40 so that meant we had to leave Kekaha at 7:40 to make sure we got there on time. Boy, it has been a lot of early mornings lately. When we picked them up they asked us to go with them to breakfast. "We'll have our interview while we eat. Ok?" Sounded good to us. Our district meeting didn't start until 10:30 so we had plenty of time. We had a great visit with plenty of time to just talk. Last time we saw them we were all rushing and were so busy we didn't really have time for anything. We all enjoyed our time together. When we got home our neighbor Kaveyhi called us over to say hi. She offered us a Jabong. It looks just like a great, huge grapefruit. The taste is sweet though. It was yummy and juicy. We are having all kinds of taste sensations over here. Love it.

Monday, Monday.

This is the cutest picture ever! We are at Salt Pond Beach. Where else would we be on a Monday afternoon. There are always parents with tiny, little children here because of the little sheltered beach area. It is still deep enough for a little one to drown though. I had to get this picture because this little boy could hardly walk and yet he wouldn't stay out of the water. His dad had to keep his head above water because he kept trying to get down in it. It was so funny to watch. He was the happiest little thing. These babies are like little fish.

Conference.

We got up at 5:00 a.m. so we could be at the church for the live sessions of conference this morning. We were there with 6 other people. We like going over to the church to be with other ward members. There might have been more but about 5 families, including the bishop's, are over in Utah seeing the conference live. We were invited to go to The Barber's house in Kalaheo for omelets between sessions but we didn't make it because we are having a mission wide fast.

As it turned out it was a good thing. The Agemotu's came not realizing about conference. They didn't understanding what we were saying about the meeting schedule. It was between sessions and so they asked us to teach them a lesson. We did the Plan of Salvation again because 3 extra family members were there. I think they are beginning to understand. It was a great lesson if I do say so myself. Dad and I work well together. By the time all meetings were over we had spent 6 hours straight at the church.

Nice Flight Home.

We had an easy flight home. It helped that the hotel was right next to the car rental and the car rental shuttled us right to the airport. We made it in plenty of time. No problems with our baggage either. I must say though that the Honolulu airport is ugly. You'd think coming to Hawaii it would be beautiful, wouldn't you? We were tired but had a wonderful afternoon streaming both sessions of conference and the priesthood session this evening. What wonderful messages and the announcement of 5 new temples. WoW!