May 16, 2016
Aloha ohana!!
Sounds like a pretty eventful week back
home! I guess it always gets that way right on the brink of summertime. It's
funny because it doesn't even feel like summer out here. I mean besides the
fact that the weather pretty much never changes all year (which is FANTASTIC!)
:) we just don't really get a summer break anyway. Haha! It's fun because life
has really come to be measured not by school years or even calendar years or
anything like that but more so by areas and companions and transfers and
occasionally significant month marks.
So, as I round the corner (today
actually) of 22 months on the mission I've come to find myself wondering if
there is anything else to life or any other way to truly live! I've come to the
conclusion that sure there probably are different ways to live life but I
can't, at least for now, imagine any better way to live life! It's funny, I'm
reminded of a time when we were doing a hike over in Pearl City palisades and
someone we were talking to was asking us about all the rules we keep and the
schedule and the work load and just everything and finally she stopped and
asked "and you actually enjoy doing this?!" and I was SO proud to be
able to look her in the eyes and say "Yes! Yes I do!" :) Anyway!
Enough random ramblings about just being a missionary. I'm sure you're all much
more interesting in what I have been DOING as a missionary over this past week!
So I'll let you know!! :)
This week started out kind of slow.
Whenever we go to the Temple it kind of throws everything off because p-day is
Tuesday and Monday is a full-pros day which is hard because normally we never
go see people on Mondays and so when we do we have practically no set
appointments and nothing to do and then Tuesday (when we usually do have at
least a few people to see) we are up in Laie or trying to cram in some shopping
and laundry and it just kinda throws everything off a little. But it's alright,
we managed well enough, got back on track by Wednesday and had quite a few
lessons this week (at least compared to our past weeks in this specific area,
definitely still not a ton of work over all compared to other areas I've served
in but hey, that's alright! It's just in a growing stage! haha!)
A few at least fairly significant
lessons included two this last week with one of our progressing investigators,
T! She is doing wonderful and the ward is being SUPER supportive and
fellowshipping her so well and I don't even think they realize it! haha!
They're just humble and awesome like that! :) Anyway, we haven't set her with a
baptism date yet like we wanted to, but it's ok because we haven't had any
lessons yet that weren't super spiritual where we all left having been edified
(which is always a sign of a good lesson; see D&C
50:17- 22) so I'm sure that soon enough we'll be able to extend that
commitment when she is ready and I'm hoping to be able to see her take that
step in her life before the end of July!! :) Anyway, if the Lord wills it so
than I am SURE it can be! :)
Other than her, we don't have any other
really progressing investigators. We have this one family we're still trying to
work with and they came to church this week which was super awesome! But they
will probably take a little longer to come around than I have left on my
mission so I'm a little sad about that, but I'm happy that they will someday
enter the waters of baptism when THEY are ready and not just when I am ready
for them. :P haha!
So other cool stuff this week! Just
like last week we had more than a few service opportunities which is always a blessing!
There are SO many service opportunities out here in this zone and a lot of them
are actual great community service, not just like mowing a members yard for
them and stuff like that :P haha! Speaking of mowing yards though! We did a
huge project basically just over-hauling and cutting down the rather tall grass
in this one auntie's yard. She is the one I mentioned before that is VERY into
musical theater. She is a sweet Catholic lady and is currently housing the
sister missionaries in a small room upstairs. Even though she is very adamant
about not ever joining the church, it is wonderful to see how members here have
come together to help her anyway, not because they just want to baptize her but
because they sincerely just want to help her and take care of her and that they
do!! :)
Anyway, we also had a HUGE service
project over at the post office this past week helping out with the annual
Hawaii Food Bank- Food Drive! Basically we just had donations from all over
this side of the island coming and we had to sort through, pack and move
literally HUNDREDS of boxes or canned goods and non-perishable dry foods and
jars or peanut butter or jellies and all sorts of other stuff! It was super fun
and we had a TON of good opportunities to talk with people about the church and
missionary life and all of that stuff!! It's funny how when we're not dressed
up in our regular shirt and tie that people actually treat us and talk to us
like real human beings :P haha! Anyway, I could probably go on but I gotta be
heading out here pretty soon so I will wrap up.
If you are going to send letters or
anything from now until the end of my mission the best way to do it would be
directly, at least until they finally switch our addresses back. haha!
So my new address here is:
Elder Luke Powell
47-600 Hui Kelu St
Kaneohe, Hawaii 96744
Aloha nui loa!!
-Elder Powell
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