Transferred again

2/23/15

Ohana!!

Happy Chineese New Year

I apologize, this week is going to really be short and probably not to interesting. It has been a VERY long and VERY rough week and honestly I'm still pushing my way through it. Anyway, I would rather not get into the details mostly because they are not mine to share. BUT! I definitely do want to let you know that I am being transferred again!!!! Crazy huh?! I was definitely not here long enough but I have enjoyed what time I’ve had. 

Anyway, as for my new area, I am packing my bags to fly over to the Big Island where I will serve in the Hilo zone with Elder Sellers in the Ka'u ward! It is the southernmost tip of the island and believe it or not the southernmost tip of all of America! So I'm half excited for that and half excited just to get off of Oahu! (although I'm not too excited about the rumored "rain collection" jars that they use for water over there.... definitely a third world country in some areas out here! haha! Anyway, I have to run but am so glad to hear that everyone is alive and kickin and hopefully keeps on kickin' it like cows (not really sure what that phrase is supposed to mean but it just came out... sorry I am REALLY tired!) I will definitely give you more of an update on everything in the coming weeks! Thank you again for all that you do! You mean more to me than I could ever begin to explain! I love you!

-Elder Powell

Headless chickens

2/17/15

Talofa family!

Sorry for being a day late and sorry in advance if this whole e-mail is kind of short, not full of it's normal wit and doesn't make and sense, but after this last week I've had, my attention span is short, my stomach is full of Samoan food and I don't have a single cent left to put into this e-mail... so here we go!

 As for our week out here, honestly there is not too much to update you on. Elder Rentmeister and I have just been running around like Chickens with their heads cut off that some how manage to still have massive headaches despite being headless! :P haha! We are in the car a lot getting lost A LOT and unfortunately not teaching many lessons since our only solid investigator is now baptized and our other one had his parents tell him that he has to wait two more years so he can get baptized with his cousin... so that kind of stunk :P but it's ok! We have a lot of prospective investigators and still a lot of work to be done in general! We're also looking forward to the possibility or either of us getting transferred next week! So hopefully that doesn't happen since we're both pretty fresh in this area and since we both get along so well but no matter what happens it will be for the best and I will definitely let you folks know back home!!! Anyway, I've gotta run but thank you again for all that you do and know that I am praying for you always! Have a great week!

Aloha nui loa and Ofa atu!

 -Elder Powell

 p.s. This is one of our investigator's houses... definitely a foreign mission out here! haha

A sleep deprived juggling clown and "light refreshments"

2/10/15

Taloha e lei mon amigos

(all the languages I have to learn are going great obviously.. I'm not mixing them up at all! I've also stopped using sarcasm almost entirely!)

It's SO great to hear from you all!! Man, I was reading your e-mail and Jim and Christie's and a few from some friends and after all of that over load of new information I couldn't help but turn to my companion and tell him that "apparently the world has blown up in the matter of a week back home!" haha! It sure feels that way at least! I know that happens all the time out here in the mission field! One week you're wandering the same two mile radius of Kane'ohe and the next your rushing to get from one end of the island to the other for a lesson and a meeting and a dinner and the 80 other things we have to try and juggle while covering three wards and three languages! Anyway, that being said while I may look like a sleep deprived clown juggling all of this, the results events of the juggling have never been quite so beautiful! One of those results being R's baptism!!!!

WHOOOHOO!! That's right! After 7 months of sweating and trying everything to even just get people committed to baptism for more than a week we finally had one pull through and I got to participate in my first real baptism since I came out!! :D :D Although even then it's sort of a shallow victory with how golden she already was and how incredibly little we did for her! I mean she literally had her entire baptismal program already planned out down to who would conduct the music and even who would be her witnesses! (although one of those fell through so I got to be one of the witnesses which was awesome!) :)

Anyway, regardless of how little we actually did it was overall just an amazing experience to get to be a part of and one of three highly significant and spiritual moments in this last week. The other two being zone conference and some personal experiences there that I would prefer to keep to myself and being able to give a blessing to a 90 year old lady in a care home who has been recently faced with many trials and hard times and depression and so forth and just feeling an incredibly overwhelming spirit of love for her that came from her Heavenly Father and other loved ones on the other side of the veil! It really is amazing the power love has to transcend all other seeming limitations and reach those that most need it when they need it! Anyway, So those were sort of the main highlights of my week!

Hopefully you all have had and will continue to have an amazing time back home!! I love each and everyone of you and pray for you always!!  Have an amazing week, stay strong, carry on, and don't forget to be awesome!! :)

Ofa atu!

-Elder Powell

This is what Samoan's mean when they say that there will be "light refreshments! haha!

Talofa

2/2/15

Aloha Ohana and Talofa!! (this month the Samoan ward is feeding us so I felt they deserved the greeting to all of you! haha)

Howzit?? Sounds like you're all having a great time back in good old AZ!  We are teaching in Kahana Valley in our area! :) haha! That place is interesting, it's this whole inlet off the highway with basically a culture of its own! Very local, very laid back and there are literally no addresses! The addresses in our area book for that place are literally about as specific as "the unfinished log cabin on the right" (I kid you not, that is what it says on lds.org! haha)

R is doing great! We honestly aren't really doing anything for her. She is already super solid and was prepared so long ago that literally all we are doing is being "the missionaries she has to talk to one last time before she gets baptized" haha! Anyway, it's still fun and Elder Rentmeister and I are still very excited! :) As for the rest of this week, it was a pretty good week considering how sick I was for the majority of it. After moving this around in the house we found multiple places just overrun with mold so we're both pretty positive that I've be breathing in mold spores for the last three weeks which is probably what has been causing me so much trouble, but after much scrubbing, sleeping and coughing I'm pretty much over it and we're looking forward to really getting back into the swing of things this week! It's also just been quite the trial in general to adjust to such a new culture up here with a huge area, three wards, two new languages, and 92% (not an exaggeration) member communities! But overall it really is an amazing area and INCREDIBLY beautiful!!

Well anyway, honestly I'm about out of stuff to update you folks on, I spent the majority of this week curled up in a pathetic heap either in the passenger seat of the car or on my bed in Hauula... but anyway I still had a great week none the less and I still love and pray for all of you and hope that you also have a great week this week just as you did last week!! Stay strong, carry on and don't forget to be awesome!!

Ofa atu!!

-Elder Powell

Random surprise photos

This post is not from Luke but from those who have been taking such good care of him.  We occasionally get random texts or emails with photos from members in Hawaii. It is always a fun surprise.  We are so grateful for the spirit of Aloha and the spirit of the Gospel that he is experiencing in beautiful Hawaii and for the thoughtful people who know what seeing his smiling face means to us.

1/23/15

Aloha Brother & Sister Powell~

I just wanted to let you know that we've enjoyed having Elder Powell in our ward these past few months. Our family have been blessed by his vibrant spirit to teach the gospel of Christ. Thank you for raising an intelligent, fun-loving young man who has a solid testimony of the Savior and Missionary work. We miss seeing his smiley face in sacrament and wish him the best in all his missionary endeavors.

Elder Powell is doing great! Although he's no longer on our ward, he's close enough (20 minutes away) where we can visit him when possible. Here's a picture of Elder Powell, his companion, Myself and my oldest son Noah. Please let us know if there's anything we can do for you.

Mahalo!
Bro. Don Faumuina

Malo e lelei, Lots of Rain, Serendipity

1/26/15

Family,

Malo e lelei!!

Sounds like everyone back home is having a great time which is awesome! I'm so glad to hear that!! :D I sure to miss the Faumuina's and every one back in Kane'ohe just as I miss all of you back home... however I have been trying my best to get to know and love everyone up here in Hauula, however that has presented a little bit of an issues as we are over three wards, my companion has hardly been here any longer than I have and two of our wards and in languages neither of us know so learning and remembering names and stories of people is much harder than my last area. It also doesn't help that our ward boundaries are huge and actually rather undefined. It's so crazy I'm already so sick of this area!!! .......nah just kidding I could never be sick of Hawaii or an area as beautiful as this!! :) ....but I am sick :P haha!

It's been raining a LOT recently and while thankfully we're not walking around we still have plenty exposure to the rain and with the "seasons" changing back already there has just been something in the air which unfortunately I already picked up. So anyway, honestly I don't have too much to update you folks on since my companion and I are just overwhelmed and just trying to stay afloat in all this stuff that the wards are flooding us with and at the same time my companion is just getting over being sick and I'm in the brute force of that same sickness (sometimes there are disadvantages to being around someone 24/7 :P haha) but just know that we are doing all that we can to try and get things in order and organize ourselves and the area book and our efforts with the wards so that things hopefully will soon become simpler and a little less overwhelming.

But in so more exciting news and little bit of Other Side of Heaven serendipity. We were woken up on Friday morning with a tap on our window (we were sleeping in because both of us had been up for the vast majority of the night with a terrible cough) and after groggily putting on my slippers (or flip flops for you haole's back home) I went around the corner of our house to find Brother Pouha standing by our gate. Joseph Pouha, Feki's son and father of the other Feki whom I met a while back in Kane'ohe! Turns out the Pouha's all live right there in Hauula and while they're not in any of the wards we cover Bro. Pouha is on the high council for the stake and was looking for some speaking partners in our Tongan ward that Sunday and so we quickly threw together some talks which we didn't end up giving because our Bishop was worried about going over time so he just had my companion bear his testimony and I just sat down in the congregation which I was fine with since I kind of looked like one of those Zombies in the royal grave in Kakariko Village in Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. (ask Joe for a translation of that last sentence from Nerd to English.) Anyway, I get the strong feeling that that definitely will not be the last encounter of the Powell's and Pouha's while I am up in this area! :)

Well that's basically my entire update for this week. Just know that I love you all and I'm praying for you constantly and doing everything I can to carry on the examples you have set for me in serving others with love and service! I love you all! Until next week stay strong, carry on and don't forget to be awesome!! :D

Ofa atu!!

-Elder Powell

New Area, New Companion and a Camero

1/22/15

Ohaha,

Malo e lelei, Talofa and Aloha!!

So.... fun fact. Remember how I told you we would be covering two wards.... well I lied.... we're covering THREE!! The English, Tongan, AND Samoan!! haha soo... yeah, it's been interesting.. anyway, we do have a car so no more walking! It would be super funny for us to try and walk considering we literally cover practically the ENTIRE zone! so everything from the border or my last zone, Kaawa, to Kahuku! It's also been a major change going from somewhere VERY city to somewhere that is EXTREMELY country! The houses and lots out here are HUGE compared to Kaneohe!

 Anyway, so... Hauula! Man, it's been a CRAZY week! It so weird because every single day in this area feels super long and like the stuff that happened one day happened over the matter of multiple days and that every day is actually weeks apart! I already feel like I've been here for MONTHS!

So a few quick things, my new companion is Elder Rentmeister! We actually came out together so we're both at six months about and he was only in the area for one transfer before I got here and was junior companion so over all he didn't get to know the area too well so now we're both pretty much just lost and wandering around the roads of North Shore... haha! Our many adventures have ranged from teaching children and having them get sick and throw up on each other during class to going on a "spiritual journey" hosted by BYU-H students to having a young girl come up to us and tell us that she wants to get baptized has taken the lessons multiple times, goes to church, and even is in her second year of seminary but only had to wait because her parents told her she couldn't until she was 18 so we are going to get her ready to do that exactly two days after her 18th birthday!!!!!

 Anyway, aside from the random day to day craziness that happens honestly it's been very interesting because if I thought Kane'ohe was laid back and slow paced I was GREATLY mistaken! It is EXTREMELY local out here, not a lot of palangi's like us, and everyone is just extremely laid back, relaxed for the most part and just kind of takes the attitude of "if it happens it happens and if not no big deal." and "things will happen in their own time, no need to rush it or anything" and so while there are still VERY many strong and great active members who are anxiously engaged in the work of salvation as well as many anxiously seeking out the word of God, it is over all a very simple and slow life style which has it's ups and downs.

Also I forgot to mention but my new companion is just AMAZING!!! Everything from our back stories to our sense of humor to our general interests and everything else just makes us pretty much exactly the same person!  We find ourselves with tired voices and guts from laughing so much and having to force ourselves to go to bed because we could both easily stay up all night just talking and playing games and such! Anyway, it's not just him either! there are only three other sets of Elders in our zone not including the ZL's because most of this zone is covered by all of the VC (visitor's center) sisters and all of them are awesome and we get along great and it's just so much fun to be surrounded by people who not only help you to have fun but to work hard and be successful! :) Also it's really cool to be here in Laie zone with all of the resources it has like the Temple (monthly now for us in zone instead of every three months!!) and BYU-H (where we e-mail) and the PCC and the VC and members GALORE!!! (They’re seriously more concentrated here than Utah!!!) and so on and so forth! Anyway, very long e-mail made short. I love Hau'la, I love my companion, I love our wards, and I just love Hawaii!! :) I also love each and every one of you and am praying for you constantly! If there is anyone reading this from Kane'ohe 4th ward know that I still think about and pray for all of you daily as well! I am just right up the road if you need anything!! And to all of you, have a great week! Stay strong, carry on, and don't forget to be awesome!! :D

Ofa atu!

-Elder Powell

p.s. as for the convertible story we were just eating at North Shore Tacos (definitely somewhere you guys HAVE to go if you come back here! It is SUPER good! haha!) and there were some members (as there always are in this area) who were just on vacation and saw us and they were like "oh let us take a picture and send it home to your mothers!!" and so we took the picture in their rented Camero! hahaha!

Leaving Kane'ohe

1/12/15

Aloha Ohana!!

and Malo e lelei!

And that's just about all the Tongan I know... BUT it sure won't be all the Tongan I know once I'm done in my next area!!! (hopefully!) That's right! I'm getting transferred!! I'm going from Kane'ohe ALL THE WAY TO..... Hauula... which well.. actually isn't that far at all... in fact it's the closest area to my last area as you can be without still being in the same stake. It's like a 10-15min drive from our house right now. haha! BUT still, as I've come to learn here in Hawaii not very far still makes a BIG difference! The islands are small and yet there is SO much here at the same time!! So anyway, other cool perks, Hauula is in the Laie Zone and as such we will have all the benefits of being... well... basically in the Hawaii equivalent of Utah... Hauula, Laie, and Kahuku are seriously more heavily concentrated Mormon towns than Mesa, Gilbert and Queen Creek! It will also be interesting though because it's also apparently very country up there as opposed to Kane'ohe which is VERY city!

Anyway, so yeah, anyway, instead of continuing to ramble on about an area that I still no nothing about because I haven't gotten there yet I'll just sum it all up in saying. I am leaving Kane'ohe 4th ward and Elder Manning and am being transferred up to Hauula 2nd (English) and Hauula 6th (Tongan) wards with Elder Reintmister. Anyway, I actually came out with him and while I didn't know him in the MTC the little bit I did get to know him at the mission home and from what I've heard about him from other missionaries who served with him on Big Island he is REALLY awesome and a really hard worker which is GREAT! And speaking of hard work, I was not about to leave Kane'ohe without having one of the greatest weeks here in a LONG time!! :) haha!

Elder Manning and I both committed to just give it everything we had (not that we don't do that every week) and it totally paid off!

And of course the week has been filled with many sad and yet happy, farewells to many of the Members, LA's and even non-members whom I have come to know and love here in the Faithful Fighting Kane'ohe 4th ward where I have now spent the first 1/4th of my mission!! (Crazy huh?! I've been out for 6 months already!!!) Before you know it I'll be back and drowning in technology and school and all those other problems that we have the privileges of not having to worry about out here! :) (Although I am VERY concerned about how much I'll have to eat in my next area and how much weight I'll gain because of that which I assume is not something that too many of you folks have to worry about back home... :P haha).

Anyway, love you all and I'm glad to hear that you are all doing Sai Pe! :) If I forgot to respond to anything or if I just am overlooking anyone or anything be sure to let me know cause I tend to be a bit of an air head especially out here! :P haha! It's so much harder to cram all of my communication home into a short e-mail than daily conversations but it all works out in the end! :) Anyway, stay strong, carry on and don't forget to be awesome!!

Ofa atu!!

-Elder Powell

Fireworks, Movies and a Crazy Storm

1/5/15

Dear Family!!

It's hard to believe that is has only been a week since I last talked to you! SO much has happened and yet at the same time it feels like none of it has happened! (because that makes sense :P haha) Anyway, we started off our week with a great visit with our pretty much only investigator…he's still great and making progress and still has a very strong desire. :P Anyway, New Years out here was pretty amazing!! We got together with some other missionaries and watched fireworks from there house and holy cow was there a show!! There was a cul de sac close by these other missionaries home and all the houses there had blocked off the circle and filled it with all kinds of fireworks and fire crackers and bottle rockets and fountains and everything!!! It was CRAZY! haha! And what made it even more crazy is we found out after the fact from one of our members that apparently Fireworks are pretty much entirely illegal in Hawaii as of a few years ago but it's just nobody listens and nobody really enforces it because of all the other crazy stuff they have to deal with on that night so all the neighborhoods still manage to put on some awesome firework shows! :) haha! Anyway, we also got to spend New Years Eve as a Zone together and watched Despicable Me 2 and then on New Years Day we got to get together again and watch The Saratov Approach (SUPER good and also super intense!!) It made me almost apprehensive to contact referrals but... well... it's Hawaii. Even the homeless people are full of Aloha as we found out again last night when one tried to buy us some Musubi's! haha

Anyway, so in other news, another month and a half have come and gone and all too fast transfers are coming up! This week will be our last full week and we should know by Saturday if I am staying or leaving, although I feel that I will almost definitely be leaving as I've been here for 1/4th of my mission already (isn't that crazy!?!?! It's been almost 6 months already!!!! Holy Moly!!) Anyway, I will be sure to let you all know when and where I will be! :)

Well I hope things start to warm up for you folks back in AZ soon (although I suppose you're probably enjoying the break from the heat) We have also been freezing at night out here! (but again I suppose I have softened up even more to extreme temperatures because low 90's is VERY HOT and high 60's is VERY COLD... so really I don't have a major reason to complain! :P haha! Anyway, thank you again for all you guys do and all that you are!! I love each and every one of you SO much and pray for you continually! :) Happy New Year! I hope that it is filled with many service projects, spiritual experiences, and of course a LOT of Star Wars and Doctor Who!! :) haha!

Stay strong, Carry on and Don't forget to be awesome!!! :)

Aloha Nui Loa!

-Elder Powell

p.s. I can't believe I almost forgot to tell you about the CRAZY storm we had the other day!!! While it didn't last too incredibly long it was seriously bigger than any of the so called "hurricanes" we had in the past months! In fact I heard from some members that there were hurricane force winds as one point or at least close to it! Tons of trees were knocked over and while thankfully our house was not damaged at all in any way, water did seep in through the windows cause of how strong the wind was so we had to move our beds and everything to the middle of the room! haha!

Holidays and Fishing

12/29/14

Family!!

Glad to hear everyone is doing well!! I’m learning why they say the Holidays on a mission are so hard! It's not because you're homesick and crying and stressed all the time, it's because getting back into the "normal" flow of things is worse than coming off of winter break and getting back into school! The last two weeks have just been filled with all sorts of fun and odd activities and ward parties and family visits to the point where it's been a challenge for not just us but the members and non-members alike to get used to us walkin' around and knocking on doors again :P haha! anyway, we're doin it though and hopefully after the new year is officially ushered in we can really buckle down and finish what might be my last week in Kane'ohe out strong!! :)

We had President Interviews! That was good! It's always nice to be able to see in person and council with our mission president.  

After skyping with you guys we spent the rest of our Christmas visiting with the Threet's and then fishing off the side of the road with them and one of our other members. Anyway, all three of us caught something which was INCREDIBLE especially since Oahu has pretty much been fished out especially with the small kine fishing we were doing :P haha! anyway, then we had a great dinner with the Kapeles where we enjoyed some home made Haupia (one of the only ways I will eat coconut!) and went to the stake center to watch Frozen! :) haha! That movie is a lot more enjoyable when it's not being sung and reenacted by multiple 5 year old girls. :P haha! anyway, and since then we've just been slowly working our way back into the groove of things only to be interrupted again by New Years this week :P haha! Anyway, I love you all and wish you the best! Thank you again for all that you are and all that you do! :) I pray for you always! stay strong, carry on, and don't forget to be awesome!! :)

Anyway, I love you all and wish you the best! TTFN!!Elder Powell

p.s. When you watched Into the Woods were the Giants in the sky? Cause last I checked they were in San Francisco.

-Elder Powell

 

Guess what the most popular Christmas gift is here in Hawaii? 

(hint: it's chocolate covered macadamia nuts...)

We don't kid around when it comes to eating "raw fish" over here! hahaha! :)