Weeks 40-44

Aloha Family and Friends:

Big news in the mission is that our mission will be split!  Two of our zones will become a part of the Laie mission.  When the Laie mission was created back in Jan 2022 (all of Hawaii was one mission back then) it consisted of the North Shore, the Polynesian Culture Center, BYU-Hawaii and the Temple Visitor Center.  The rationale for this new split is to provide the young missionaries in Laie with more opportunities to proselyte.  The change will happen on transfer day this week.  The preparations for the transition have been tedious and complicated.  For us in the car world, there has been much to do.  We were asked to bring older cars into our new mission boundaries so that they can be traded for brand new cars in the next month or two.  Tomorrow 22 companionships will meet in a central location to swap cars.  The communication text threads have been on overdrive.  On top of this, most of the cars that are moving over need safety and oil changes.  It’s been a lot for the young missionaries to get all of this done.  And then we had two accidents today and a car break down yesterday.  The timing couldn’t be worse.

Good news is that we continue to love our service here.  We participate with the young missionaries in once-a-transfer zone conferences and weekly district councils.  See if you can spy Michael and me in this picture of our two zones taken in front of the Jesus Christ mosaic at the Honolulu Tabernacle.  We love hearing from our leaders and the young missionary leaders who are so capable and motivating.  The mission continues to thrive at a very high level.  President and Sister Anderson, our mission leaders, are loving and positive, and set such a great expectation for excellence in all that we do.  It shows–missionaries are working hard, baptisms are increasing, more and more people are drawn to the message of the gospel.

For Mother’s Day, I learned how to make a lei po’o.  It was such a fun experience watching and learning from these Hawaiian women who create such beautiful art.  Mine was like a tropical forest on top of my head, but I loved it and wore it to church on Mother’s Day.  Many of the women wore leis and lei po’0 that day.  What a fun tradition!

Another favorite activity is attending the Laie temple regularly.  Michael and I often go on our preparation days and also with our district once-a-transfer.  It’s such a treat to feel the peace of our Savior within these walls as we learn about and commit to certain covenants that bind us to God.

We love our fellow senior couples who serve so faithfully in their own areas and also help us with vehicles whenever needed.  Many went home last week and we’ll miss them and unfortunately most of them are not being replaced.  Ouch!! It must be that senior couples are needed in more places in the world other than Hawaii which is a shame because who wouldn’t want to serve here?  It has been so wonderful!

Working in the office affords us the opportunity to draw close with the other office senior couples.  We said good-bye to the Lelegrens, who served as the office secretary and technology and travel specialist.  Her replacement is already here (cute Sister LeFrandt, far right) but we will sorely miss the Lelegrens.  They set such a loving, welcoming tone for the office that we’ll work to perpetuate.

I continue to play some tennis with women and men who are welcoming and who challenge my game!  It’s been a great way to exercise and do something I love to do.  This picture is my friend Doris with whom I play most Monday mornings except when she’s traveling around the world with her friends and family.  She’s passionate and fun!  Michael works out EVERY morning at the nearby Planet Fitness and does spin classes at a 24-hour fitness.  Our schedule allows for regular fitness which has been so helpful both physically and mentally.  Our preparation days are often filled with visits to beaches or amazing hikes.  We feel so grateful to be serving here in paradise.   Except for the busy, bustling city of Honolulu, Hawaii is low-key, slower-paced and full of such welcoming, charming people we’ve come to love.  We send our love and much Aloha to you!  We hope all is well with you.  Send us a little note . . . we’d love to hear from you.