8/18/14
Aloha Ohana,
WHOOOO!!!!!!! BEN!!!!
YEAH!!!!!! :D :D THAT'S SO EXCITING!!!!! Man, I was just e-mailing Brian about
that and thinking, it's so crazy that just a little over a year ago the three
of us were all in a hotel room in Texas just messing around when we found out
that he was a member and now here he is getting ready to leave on his
mission!!!! Holy 6x10^^23(ly) that's awesome!! I'm not going to lie I started
tearing up pretty bad when I read that I was so incredibly happy (but then I
figured it would look rather strange to start bawling in the library so I held
it in a bit :P haha) But honestly I am so incredibly excited for him! You
should tell him to e-mail me so I can talk to
him directly! Man, he's going to be a GREAT missionary! :) (oh also speaking of
people to e-mail can you please tell Haley and Jessie and Tessa to e-mail me? thanks! :))
Anyway, as for news here
in Hawaii.... nothing too great unfortunately. Of course I will try and focus
on the positive... but first I'm going to get the sad stuff out of the way real
fast. So after another amazing lesson with S. last Monday we tried to set up
another visit with him and even went over a few times and he either cancelled
on us or turned us away four different times and he still isn't coming to
church and last we talked he said he "wants a few days to work some things
out before we come back or even contact him" so.. yeah that's been
incredibly depressing... it's looking a lot like a repeat of what kind of
happened with C. back in Yuma. BUT we're not dropping him yet and we will still
be doing our best and praying for him so hopefully things work out in the end!!
:D
Anyway, other not so fun
stuff.... I also got tricked into eating a Hawaiian pepper whole.... that was
not fun.... AT ALL! ......actually it was pretty darn hilarious for everyone
else so I suppose that's a good enough transition into the positive!! :) haha!
So while we are losing a
lot of our progress in some area (I blame Satan) we have also picked it up in
some others! We found a name of a former investigator in our area book from
years ago and while he has since moved out his little brother was actually home
and we came in and talked with him and taught him the first lesson and he was
super excited about everything and it went great! He's already committed to
read the Book of Mormon and to be baptized (although he doesn't have a date
yet) but he's still pretty solid! He also really wanted to come to church but
his mom wouldn't let him because "she needed help doing the laundry since
she hurt her foot" so... hopefully the mom isn't too much of an issue
(although she did seem significantly less excited about seeing us than he was)
BUT I'm also excited because he plays football and is pretty good friends with
one of the sons of this other less active family that we have been working with
so hopefully they can kind of help each other in coming to church and young
mens and everything and then just maybe that will be the push the parents on
both sides need to start coming to church and taking lessons as well! :)
anyway, a missionary can dream can't he? :) haha! (speaking of which it's ridiculous
how many dreams I have about doing missionary work or sometimes I'll have
dreams about just walking... all day... and then I wake up and walk... all
day!! haha! yeah dreams are weird things..)
ANYWAY, off of that
strange tangent! We also had a really cool devotional the other day at the Laie
visitors center (oh but another side note before I get to that... the Laie
Temple is BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!! WOW!!! Seriously probably the most amazing thing I
have ever seen!! Sorry but we might all have to buy plane tickets back out here
for my wedding because I want to get sealed there!! It is just SO BEAUTIFUL!!!
:)) ANYWAY, so the devo at the VC. It was by Vai Sikahema, a name which I
assume you'd recognize? But yeah, miracle bowl, BYU football, NFL, NBC
broadcaster, covers the Olympics for them and best of all, and Return
Missionary and current Stake president out in Philadelphia! :) haha! but yeah
it was awesome! (Although he did talk quite a bit about getting married when
we're back home which I feel is still a bit of a ways out for me.. haha!) but
still it was great over all! :) It was also really cool to get to see a lot of
my friends from my MTC district that I haven't seen since transfers! :) Speaking
of which Saturday was my official one month mark!! whoo!! Also the members are
still awesome! :) anyway, yeah so still a lot of exciting things going on! :)
Well I've probably
rambled on for long enough! Thank you so much for your continued prayers in my
behalf and in behalf of all the missionaries. They are felt and frankly I would
not still be out here if it weren't for them! It's HARD WORK!!! I mean REALLY
HARD!!! But the only days so far that I've ever gone to bed regretting things
are when I knew I could have done more or worked harder or talked to more
people. I just wish I could say I was the best missionary or the one with the
most faith or power or testimony or anything, but frankly as much as I like to
think I am, I'm pretty darn worthless on my own... but of course Heavenly
Father watching out for me like he does, knew I was feeling particularly
worthless this last week and so I when I was feeling almost at my worst for the
week I was reading in Alma and came to Alma 26:12 and well needless to
say it hit me pretty hard. And while the week sure didn't get any easier, some
how I still got through it and some how I am still here and I don't know how
but no matter what, somehow I will stay out here until my work is done!! If
Ammon and his brothers could baptize thousands of the Lamanites I can get at
least one! And even if I don't, well Mormon has something to say about that in
Moroni 9:6! :) haha!
anyway, I need to head
out soon, we've got work to do! :) So until next week, thank you so much for
all your continued prayers and support! know that I am praying for all of you
and think about you every day (but not too much don't worry ;) haha) anyway,
keep on working hard, Joe, listen to Mom and Dad they know what they're talking
about, and as always, don't forget to be awesome!! :)
Aloha O'e!
-Elder Powell
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