Shopping and Visiting Members.

Today I went shopping with Maxine in the morning. We are looking for a traditional mu'u mu'u for me to wear home. We also are shopping for wedding "stuff" for Lois' wedding on Saturday. Bonni and I are the "wedding planners" as Vince calls us. This is one of my favorite streets on the island. It is at Makaweli. It is private property and owned by the Robinson's. It is posted so Wally won't take me down it. I didn't know that Maxine grew up on this street and when I asked her to stop so I could take a picture she was thrilled that I was interested. The foremen at the sugar mill lived down this street. It has some great example of plantation cottages here. The home Maxine grew up in is gone though and I was sad I couldn't have see it.

Here at the end of the street is the old G&R Mill. I wish I had a wide lens so I could have taken a picture of the whole thing as well as the stacks. It was fascinating to look at and to hear a little of Maxine's family history as she lived here. Her camp was the Korean workers camp.
After a morning with no success for me but some good luck with wedding purchases we headed home so Wally and I could do our afternoon visits. It rained the whole time we were driving in from Kalaheo to Lihue. Did the rain ever sound crazy on the roof at Costco. We saw Sister Mona Naakahiki but not Sister Kali (she forgot we were coming and went to therapy) this afternoon. They live over in Senior Housing. Such sweet sisters. We love to visit with them. They like to have us come and are very kind to us.

Another 6 Weeks and October 6th.

We set up this great photo shoot at District Meeting today and the elders had to be goofy! They are so funny. We told them "No empty chairs" no pun intended, and they did what they wanted to anyway. Another 6 weeks has rolled around and Sister Parkin goes home to Salt Lake City. We think elders Hudson (pink tie) and Turina ( back) will leave. That will make a big change unless it will be 4 going and that will be half our district. Time really seems to be flying right now. Change, change. We sure have loved this group they are lots of fun and good missionaries. Do I say that every time? Mm hmm, probably do. Tonight we also taught Palani, Dayla and Shelbri. It was a wonderful lesson on the Word of Wisdom. We had prepared well with a primary lesson for Shelbri and then the grown up lesson for Dayla and Palani. When we asked them if they would commit to living the WoW they said "We have no problem with that we don't do any of those things anyway." We were so happy and just couldn't contain ourselves. Wally said to Palani "let's just fill the font now." We all laughed and he asked if he could be baptized with Shelbri. She will probably be baptized before we leave but we had to give Palani the news that he would have to wait until he and Dayla are married. They are going to be married Sept.29th and so he set his baptism date for October 6th. Horray for him! He is so excited and we love teaching him and spending Tuesday evening with their sweet family.

Sweet Jasmine, Rain and Ugly Beach!

That's quite a title for today's post isn't it? We are still having a lot of rain and I guess more is to come. In fact the rain has been so bad that they have kept all the ditches leading to the ocean open and you should see the line between chocolate ocean and the blue ocean. It is getting wider and wider. Amazing to look at from the road. The debris that has washed up on the beach and down from the mountains makes it hard to walk. It's ugly too. Our poor beach. We were going to have a marshmallow roast on the beach after our sunset walk but have had to put it off again. I hope this weather will be finished by the time Jeffrey and Jarrica get here so they can really see the beauty of this island. The only good thing is all the sweet Jasmine that is blooming. Kawehe gave me big handful from her bush to put in the house. The fragrance if wonderful. What a sweet gift from a dear neighbor.

6:05 Crack and Wake Up Call!

At 6:05 this morning there was such a crack of thunder and lightning over our house I jumped right out of bed and screamed! It rained all day yesterday and all night last night and now all day today. We have never heard such thunder here. Yesterday Lois had her baptism interview in Kalaheo and the ZL's had to come down from Lihue. She called and asked if we needed to change the interview because of the storm. We said no it would be alright. It is interesting how a big rain shuts things down here. There weren't very many people at church today. We kind of expected that because we know how people react to the weather. Kind of reminds us of snowy days in Utah. We just heard we had a grand total of 7 inches of rain. Wow! We knew there was a lot. You should see the post office parking lot and the drive ways. Lots of standing water but it will be gone by tomorrow. We have had flood watch for all of Kauai and some road closures up in Hanalei where a bridge was closed and some streams are flowing high but that is about it. We are very grateful down here on this end because now our grass and mountains and plants will be green again. The only down side will be the ocean looking like "chocolate milk" because they had to open all the ditches that lead down into the ocean so that when the rain washed down from the mountains through the old cane fields it wouldn't flood the town.

Waimea Town Celebration.

We decided to try the Waimea Town Celebration this year. We didn't go last year because the crowds were crazy and it was hot. It is held in a small area in the town center that used to be the ground of the Waimea Sugar Mill. There are food booths, carnival rides and blow up toys for the kids, some arts and craft booths. These tables are set up in front of a stage area where music is always playing and hula demonstrations go on. Can you see the sign that says Poi Balls? I don't like poi but was told we should try these treats. They were deep fried sweet poi on a stick. Guess what? It was good. Can't believe I said that. We also tried the famous flying saucers. Hmmm.

This young lady won 4th place in the hula competition. She was absolutely beautiful and a wonderful dancer. The hula is so beautiful and graceful. We love to watch it. Wish I could dance like that but guess what. I have watched native dancers and hauli's (I've tried-don't laugh) and there is no comparison. I am not being picky it's just true. We just can't move our hips and hands the same way as they do.

At the city center and museum there was a lei competition and displays of native villages, palm frond weaving and other memorabilia. It was a fun evening even though it was cloudy and starting to rain.

Love * Faith * Acceptance....

We taught another baptism lesson to a beautiful, sweet little girl today. Ula loves it when we come to teach and she is so excited to be baptized. Her mother was so sweet and told us how much she has appreciated having some "mature" missionaries here. She said our experience in life and how we teach has made a difference and she hopes that another senior couple will be sent here. That was a very kind message for us. It made our day. It is interesting how much we affect peoples lives and we don't even know it. It puts a lot of responsibility on us but sure humbles us to think of it. Later in the evening I went over to Max's for "chick chat". She asked me what I have learned and will take with me when I leave. I told her three things; love, faith and acceptance. We love the Hawaiian people so much. They have so much faith in the Savior it is amazing. I have faith but I need to even have stronger faith like theirs. Acceptance is interesting. I have always thought I was accepting and tolerant but I have learned so much about myself. My life's experience was so different before I came here. They have accepted us. It has taken some time but we really feel a part of the ward and community now. Patience, patience, patience and true, honest love toward others wins in the end.

Palani's Good News!

As we discussed transfers at District Meeting today none of us could believe that 5 weeks of this transfer have already gone by. Sister Parkin leaves to go home next week. She is getting a little trunky. She told us that her Dad wrote that she will get home Friday and she is on the work schedule for his dentist office on Monday. Can you believe that she said "No rest for me!" We will sure miss her. She has been here for 7 months. The longest hold out except for us. That's a long time but she has loved Kalaheo very much. We did a little shopping and then came home to prepare for our lesson with Dayla , Palani and Shelbri. We gave the second baptism lesson to Shelbri and she really loved it. She is such a sweet little girl. So cute. Then we went on to teach The Gospel of Jesus Christ lesson. We felt impressed to invite Palani to be baptized and he accepted. He said he wanted to be baptized the same day as Shelbri and they hoped it would be before we went home. 'Oh what joy filled our hearts!!!' What a blessing for everyone. We smiled and hugged and just felt so good. We can see the hand of the Lord in so many things.

Lunch With the Sisters.

We take care of the missionaries. We just can't seem to help ourselves. Today we had the sisters over for lunch. We let them go over to the Family History Center (we have church keys) to use the computers to e-mail their families and then they came over and washed their car. Then Wally just had to be chivalrous and help them vacuum out the mess. It was amazing the things he found. Oranges as hard as a rock. An old car freshener a previous sister hid from Sister Parkin because she didn't like it. All kinds of fun stuff! You know Dad he loves a CLEAN car! He even made them clean out the trunk. That was a good idea because we found a baptismal dress in there and we are going to see if it will fit Lois. Maybe she will use it for her baptism on the 3rd. After the sisters left we had a short break then it was off to pick up Tad and Teresa for our Monday sunset beach walk. This week we walked all the way down to the base. We even crossed the don't cross line (just a little step) to see if anyone was watching. Wally drew a line in the sand and we hopped over. LOL. It was a beautiful walk this week. The wind was calm and it only took us 45 min. up and 45 back. Pretty good timing. We had salad left over from lunch with the sisters. I forget they don't eat like the elders, so we took it over to Tad and Teresa's to eat after the walk. They furnished some soup that went lovely with the salad and we had a great time. Wally is also having some wonderful gospel discussions with Tad and we hope that someday the seed that is planted will grow. Let's cross our fingers!

10 Things We Love About Kauai.....

We drove down to Poipu today for lunch and we detoured around by Spouting Horn. We ate at Keoki's and had Cashew Chicken Stir Fry. Yummm. We ate out on the patio under an umbrella and it reminds us of going to eat at Fanny's Grill at the Homestead in Midway. The view is almost the same except for the palm trees. As we were driving over we were talking about the 10 things we love most about living on Kauai. I thought you might like to know what they are: 1. ocean 2. whales 3. climate 4. palm trees 5. mangos 6. flowers esp. bougainvilleas and hibiscus 7. beach walks 8. sun rise and sun sets 9. hula 10. Hawaiian music. We have truly been blessed to experience such a unique and beautiful place and call it home for 18 months.

Hana Ho...

Tonight was our ward Kanikapila or "Hawaiian Style Jam Session". Everyone was to come prepared with guitars, ukulele's, all kinds of instruments. We were going to eat first. What can I say another luau! I took potato salad. Everyone ate it right up. Then we will stay and sing until the "strings break." Part of the reason they have one of these is so that the "old" Hawaiian songs can be passed down to the young ones and don't get lost. The other reason is just for the fun of getting together to play and sing.

Everyone here plays the ukulele. Kids are given one to play with from the time they can hold and strum one. We have grown to love the ukulele and Hawaiian music. I can't tell you how much money Dad has spent trying to find the perfect Hawaiian music cd. I say "Why don't you just down load the songs you like?" "Can I do that?" We really need to get in the swing of things. We sang until about 8:30 when they asked Dad to play and sing because they know he is taking lessons with Bro. C. Dad was nervous but got up, played and sang "You'll Never Find Another Kanaka Like Me." Everyone sang along and clapped and yelled "hana ho" (again). Which tickled Dad.

Finally, Wall and Bro. C. played "Hawaii Aloha and "Aloha-oe" to close. Everyone stood up and got in a big circle and held hands while we sang. It was beautiful. Kind of touched the heart. I think we are really beginning to be loved and accepted here. They love it that we love everything Hawaiian. Especially ukuleles and pidgeon!

Fat Thursday and Ribbon Cutting for the South Side..

Tad and Teresa do one major project a year on their house just like we do. This year they decided it was time to replace their rickety old wood patio with a new cement one. They also got a new French door and screen installed. They invited a few friends over for a ribbon cutting and to see the finished project. The Young's, old and young, who were the contractors, us, Bonnie and June, a friend Teresa quilts with were glad to be invited. All of us are from the Kekaha Ward but T & T and June. T & T have been coming to church and all activities for this last 2 months though. We are so happy. Anyway, on to the story.

In Poland today is Fat Thursday, a day of celebration. You also eat all fat things. Hmmm. Anyway, we toasted the door and patio for good luck. If you don't Teresa says the cement will crumble and the door fall off. The champagne and sparkling cider flowed freely. Tad cut the ribbon. We all cheered and said oooo and ahhh. Then we had a feast of all sorts of Polish food. It was so good.

Teresa told us the history of Fat Thursday and explained the food. She told us how she and Tad decided to come here and how they found their little house (they spend 5mos. in Hawaii and 7mos. in Canada). It was a very different mix of people, young and old, from all over the country. What a great evening we all had. Everyone shifted back and forth between the house and outside and talked story and visited with everyone. It was a great time and nobody wanted to go home. You know how it is when things just seem so good? We are so happy to be included in this group of friends.

Card Making, Service and Sisterhood.

Tonight we had lots of fun at Relief Society. About a month ago the Relief Society Presidency said that they wanted some sisters to help teach the monthly work meetings. I said I would do a card making workshop if they were interested. The idea was that sisters could learn to make cards with a few supplies, save money and start writing hand written messages of love and comfort rather than send a text. Novel idea. Everyone loves to receive a letter they can keep. Especially one that is hand made. The sisters would also make a card for the Relief Society closet so that the presidency would have a supply to use when they needed them. I worked on the pre-made kits for about a month. I bought paper, adhesive, pens, ink, stamps, buttons. I also showed the sisters how to make paper flowers using newsprint from old paper backs. There ended up being about 20 of us there and we talked story, made plenty of cards, laughed and had a good time. When we gave the cards made for the R.S. closet to the president she was so surprised and happy.

We had pot luck pupu's for refreshments and believe me they were yummy. When these sisters are asked to bring food to share they always bring the most delicious things. My favorites tonight were crab dip and crackers and guacamole, oh, to die for. Bonni picked the avocados just before she came. I also liked the broccoli salad and fresh jumbo shrimp. Yum! Help,that's another 2 pounds.

The ipad...Happy Valentines Day.

Well, we finally broke down and got an ipad today. It is black and has a very business like black leather cover. I would have chosen white and purple but you know how that would go over in priesthood meeting don't you? Marc and Jeffrey gave us gift cards for Christmas and we wanted an ipad but didn't know if we should get one. We already had i touches and .... Well, we took the plunge. We brought it home and were so excited to use it. It is wifi and who would have thought I would have to remember the password to my router so we could use the silly thing. We were so upset and Wally (and other people) can't believe that I didn't write it down. I did but I sent it home with some other papers for when we get home. Oh well, after a long and hard day of nattering at each other and calling here and there we were able to retrieve the password and get it working. It is so fantastic! We are having a good time with it. Wall insisted it was mine at first(it is our Valentine to each other) and said he wouldn't use it - uh huh. I think we might end up getting another one some time in the future. Oh, technology!!!

Beach Walk.

We had a beautiful walk on the beach this evening. We try to walk with Tad and Teresa on Monday evenings because they will be going home the end of March and we just enjoy their company. We were going to walk all the way to the base but I had lasagna in the oven and we only had an hour and 1/2. The kona winds were blowing and it was a hard walk. The waves were whipping up and we got soaked but it was a fun. Actually, we almost made it back before we got it! We did get back in time to have a perfectly cooked lasagna with green salad, garlic toast and yummy peanut butter bars for dessert. I made the bars this afternoon because we always try to take a treat for the missionaries for our Tues. District Meetings. We had such a good time and will miss T & T when we come home. They are great friends and will leave footprints on our hearts. Oh by the way, we saw whales having a good time jumping and flapping their flukes which also makes walking worthwhile.

It's Great to be Eight!

We were so excited to get this picture (thanks Holly) of Emma and all the cousins that could be there for her baptism. What a handsome family we have. We were sorry we couldn't be there for the celebration (we were in spirit) but we got to talk to Emma and she said " Oh, Grandma & Grandpa I am so excited!" She even told us she was baptized in the dress her mother was baptized in. How neat is that? What a blessing for us that all our children and grandchildren love the gospel and are excited for things like being baptized and becoming deacons and teachers. We couldn't be happier or love everyone more. Thanks to for all your support while we have been here in Kekaha on our mission. We will be home soon and are feeling like we wish we could do more for those we love here. We love our Heavenly Father and His Son and know that if we keep working like we are now we can have that eternal family that is our greatest dream. It isn't easy but we know it is going to be worth everything. We love you all so much. Hugs to you all!

Yesterday and Today!

Yesterday and today we hoed and watered our squash, banana trees and papaya trees. I did visiting teaching here in Kekaha and then up in the Hanapepe Valley. It is beautiful up there. So glad we have chances to see parts of the island we might not otherwise see. I also got to go and visit one of the R houses. It is beautiful. I know the ladies who were cleaning and they let me slip in and have a peek. It is beautiful. I have always wanted to see it. Every time we pass it I say I wish I knew someone who could take me in there. Well, it turns out I do and I got a look. Fun. I also worked on my Relief Society Work Meeting Card Making Class. I got all the kits put together and all I have to do is get some Sharpies to "stitch" with, some buttons and quick drying glue to use with the news print flowers I am teaching them to make as accents. I hope it will be fun and they will enjoy it. We are making cards for us and cards for the R.S. to keep in the closet to be used by the presidency. It has been fun preparing for it. I am missing all my scrap stuff at home though. I had to buy what I could and hope that works. I think it will. It will just be simple ideas and sketches for things that they might have on hand. We also walked on the beach today hoping we would see some whale action like we did last week. We saw some spouting and a few fins but not much else. And when I tried to get on the blog to finish this today it said someone had changed my password a few days ago. That was a shock. I got it worked out so I could get in again. It made me sad. I thought I had lost everything. Whew!

Thursday Baptism Lesson.

I know this is a picture of the ocean but I don't have another picture that I want to use with this post so the ocean will have to do. Hope you like it. It was beautiful today. The wind was blowing and the sea mist was beautiful. The best part of the day though was teaching Shelbrie her baptism lesson. She is a sweet little girl and really enjoyed our games and lesson helping her to understand the principle of baptism. She wants to be baptized and has enjoyed starting to go to primary. We know her family is headed in the right direction by becoming active in the church. We had such a great evening together. We enjoyed dinner after the lesson and Palani told us he wants to work toward baptism himself. He enjoys our lessons especially that we review what we have taught during our previous lesson first. He is beginning to understand more and it makes sense to him. The times we spend just in casual friendship really helps who we teach have trust in us and makes us not so scary. First, being hauoli's and then missionaries is sometimes a touchy thing. We have found that being patient and not pushy and letting those we teach make all the choices on their own and in their own time frame really makes a difference. We can see peace, joy and happiness come into their lives.

Big Surprises!

We had a full day today and two wonderful surprises!! We went to Kalaheo to teach Elizabeth, Vince's mom. She has finished reading all the standard works and all the pamphlets we have given her. She is so happy to see us and loves the lessons. She also got her hands on the Beginning Reader version of the Book of Mormon and she just loves that. She is so cute. I wonder if we will be able to baptize her before we go home? I worry about her health. In the afternoon we went to sit by the ocean. The surf was high and the surfers were out in record numbers on our beach. It was so much fun to watch them. Wish I could get a really good picture of one of them riding the wave. In the evening we went over to Vince and Lois' for dinner. We gave a review using our Art Book again and read 2 Nephi 31 about the importance of baptism. When we finished and were talking Lois said "We are getting married March 3rd and I want to be baptized before that so that on our year anniversary we can go to the temple to be sealed." " Can we do that?" Wow, what a wonderful surprise. We were all shocked. Even Vince was surprised. You could just see how happy he was. He couldn't stop grinning. He has wanted this so for her but wanted her to decide when so it was her choice. They have decided they will be married on the morning of the 3rd and then she will be baptized in the afternoon. Won't that be a day to remember all their lives?

Dying Testimony and Brrr It's Chilly!

Today we had to be in Lihue at 8:30 a.m. It was Zone Conference and it started at 9:00 and our ZL's wanted everyone to be there on time. We were late! We left Kekaha at 7:30 and of course, there was a traffic jam and road side work of all days. It rained here in Kekaha all night and is quite cool this morning. Shock. It always rains other places on the island but not here. We knew it would be cool in Lihue but were surprised about it here. The Kona winds have been blowing too and they are the cool winds. We gave our "dying testimonies" today because there won't be another Zone Conf. before we leave. We didn't realize we would have that opportunity. Wally told the elders it wasn't nice at our age to say we were giving our dying testimonies. Pres. said think about me I am 2 years older than you are. Could we call it something else? The elders got a chuckle over that. It was a good meeting. We got to see Elder Menlove again because he is Assistant to the President. We sure do like him. Feel a bond with him because he is Jana's cousin I guess. We finished our meeting and by the time we got home it was 4:30. Wow, we were exhausted. All we did was sit all day and do a few role plays but meetings that are long like that seem to wear us out. After dinner we sat down to watch the news and we had to put a blanket over our legs because it was so cool. I can't believe that is the first time since we have been here that we have been that cool. It wasn't freezing or anything just cool for what we are used to. Are we acclimatizing to Kauai?

Love our Sunday School Class!

We had a great Sunday today. First of all, Fast and Testimony was so wonderful. The spirit was so strong it really started the day off right. Then we had a full Sunday School class again. We have a sweet young less active sister who has started coming back and wants her daughter to be baptized. She and her fiance have asked us over to give a baptism lesson on Thursday. The great thing about that is he will be there for the lesson and we hope it will touch his heart. They have already told us they are trying to live Sundays as a family. They come to church then have dinner together then do a family activity. It really makes us happy they are putting into practice the things we are sharing is class. We gave a review today using our Gospel Art picture book and it really did make a great review. I had forgotten we brought it. As I was going through some things and cleaning up this week I found it. Everyone in the class loved it. It seems as time gets closer for us to come home more people are wanting to become active again and have the gospel back in their lives. We love teaching together and we are being so blessed for being patient.

Finally We Have Seen Some Whales!

We have been at the Waiohi today for lunch. We were going to go to Keoki's for cashew chicken stir fry but decided last minute we wanted to sit by the ocean to eat. What better place than the Marriott Grill for a Marriott Burger and drink? It was quite breezy but still beautiful today and not many people were out so we had our choice of tables. We sat right under a tree as near as we could get to the ocean. The old Monk Seal was in his usual place taking up good beach front sand. As we sat there all of a sudden the whales decided to play. It was fantastic. I have mentioned before we haven't see any this year. Last year was so wonderful we knew we would have great luck this year. But nothing. Anyway, they were out in full force breeching, slapping their flukes and just having a good time. It was amazing! We asked Alicia our server if we could stay and just watch because it wasn't too busy and she said of course we could. We stayed for a while and really enjoyed the show. On the way home we saw several more from the road jumping way out of the water. When we got to Kekaha we just went straight past our street and over to Mc Carther Park to sit on the rocks to see if anything was going on there. We were pressing our luck but thought we would try. All of a sudden the whales started putting on a show down here. One whale went around in a circle again and again slapping his fluke on the water. We counted 35 times. WOW. This I will miss for sure.

Wally and Bro. C Give Blessings.

I snapped this picture as we were driving by this beautiful Tulip Tree. It is that time that all of them are coming into bloom. They are vibrant red orange and just beautiful. This one I love because it has taken over the the telephone and electrical wires right next to it. It has just kind of crept its way along covering them. I wish I could have gotten a better picture but there is no pull out and there were cars behind us. We were on our way home from Lihue doing our weekly shopping when I snapped it. Wall and Bro. C have become the men who give blessings at the hospital for those who are in need. They were called a short while ago by a man from Anahola on the other side of the island because a man who worked for him had his wife in the hospital. Wall and Bro. C. didn't know them but went and offered their services. I guess they did such a good job they were called upon again today. The fellow they blessed isn't a member of the church but needed a blessing and Wally explained to him what it was and told him it would do some good and couldn't hurt him anyway. I am continually amazed by the simple, sweet faith of these people.

Busy Day and Kona Crab Fest

We were so busy today! We prepared and taught 2 baptism lessons, I went visiting teaching, Wally did visits with the Bishop. Then we were invited with a group from the ward to the Bishop's house for a crab fest. Bishops son is a fisherman and he went out and caught 80 lbs of Kona crab and gave Bishop a 5 gallon bucket full and sold the rest to Food Land. Crab fishermen get $4.50 a pound for their crabs and we pay $6.50 a pound. Lucky for us we got all we could eat for just going to dinner.

Here we are shelling our crab and picking out the meat. Boy, it is a lot of work for just a little bit of meat. Lots of pulling off legs, gills, prying shells apart and then sucking out the meat on these particular type of crab. They have little clear pieces of shell all through the meat so you just kind of have to pick it apart and suck it out. It is so delicious though with garlic butter. Yummm Oh and you just leave all you mess in front of you on the table and when you're finished you just roll up the newspaper and throw it out.

All these crab have to be measured before the fishermen can keep them. They must be at least 4 inches up and down. Here is the Bishop showing us the measuring tool. It can cause serious trouble for anyone who takes any crab that are too small!