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