Week 3 Drinking From the Fire Hose
Hello Friends and Family: Week 3 has been both terrific and terrifying. Terrific because we’re meeting such wonderful, dedicated people who help make the Hawaii Honolulu mission flow so smoothly, and terrifying because learning our responsibilities as vehicle coordinators has been daunting (our heads are spinning). We spent our first full week in the mission training with Elder and Sister Clawson who have been doing a great job of organizing the fleet, taking care of accidents (we just went 50 days without an accident which is a miracle in and of itself), shipping/receiving vehicles from all over the islands and helping missionaries take care of their cars. Because the mission is spread out over so many islands we rely heavily on the MLS (Member Leader Support) missionaries who serve on the various islands to do vehicle inspections, help with mechanical problems and receive/send cars to where they need to go. We’re the master controllers in the office but they are the “boots on the ground” helpers. We have much to learn so this next week without the Clawsons will be baptism by fire! The hard work is frequently rewarded with a rainbow that appears after a quick rain fall (this pic was taken from our 4th floor mission office.)
Yesterday we attended our Auwaiolimu Ward lunch and celebration which recognized the 66th anniversary of the building’s construction (all completed by ward members in 1959), an event they honor in remembrance of their roots and to thank their “pupuna” (ancestors/forebears). Green jello-Hawaiian style made an appearance along with the Relief society president, Sister Simeone, doing a hula dance to the music provided by Brothers Tonga and Wong. The 50 foot quilt on the wall was made by a ward member for the 50th year anniversary (the words mean “look back and move into the future”). The flower arrangements are fresh and beautiful each week. Another fun observation from today was that our Relief Society teacher taught her lesson in her bare feet!
Last week was transfer week where the incoming missionaries are welcomed, trained and paired up with a companion and then just a few days later, the outgoing missionaries say good-bye. It’s a lot of moving parts, especially for the housing coordinators, travel coordinator and for us as we assign vehicles to each companionship. The mission leaders spend a great deal of time with both groups. To relax a bit the office missionaries met at the mission home, a lovely home located in a nice neighborhood about 15 minutes away where we enjoyed a BBQ and a little dip in the pool!
Our apartment is located in an older part of downtown Honolulu that is more run down and is a place where many homeless folks often gather. The Honolulu Tabernacle, right next to our apartment, with it’s iconic 30 foot mural of Jesus Christ’s outstretched arms, is a lovely reminder that Jesus Christ receives all His children, whether we have a home or not.
Yesterday morning we also went to the Honolulu Farmer’s Market where we enjoyed Hawaiian smoothies, bought local honey, a monstera plant and Hawaiian bead bracelets. We’ll soon travel the hour to the Laie Temple with other missionaries, something we’ve been eager to do since we arrived. We’re looking forward to exploring more of the island over time.