Aloha!
Monday: we played shaving cream
capture the flag for pday! it was super fun!
Tuesday: We met with choke people ( apparently an island word meaning a LOT or a
bunch , she uses it a lot ) but I think the most fun was the lesson with L and
A. the last time that we met, we taught them the word of wisdom. They took it
well. They understood all the benefits and blessings that come from living this
commandment. That being said, they still would have to face their addictions to
smoking. So this night, some elders and our ward mission leader came to give
them priesthood blessings. It is so wonderful that that extra help from heaven
is available. Also, I think it was today that I discovered the importance of
kneeling during prayers. I was super tired and about to just lie down in my bed
and say my prayer like that, but I decided that it was important to kneel. As I
was praying, I opened my eyes to see a bug crawling across my bed towards me!!
I killed it and finished my prayer.....so always kneel to pray so that you
don't lie on a bug.
Wednesday: our sweet little 10 year
old, C, passed her baptismal interview!! yay! Also, we met with RB who is now a
recent convert!! woohoo! We mentioned that we would be getting ipads soon, and
then afterwards, he said the prayer and said "please bless that the ipads
will get delivered to the sisters as soon as possible, because I know they are
very excited about them". We learn a lot from RB about how to be sincere
in our prayers and not just repeat phrases.
Also, we went to check the mail this
night. Interestingly enough, we were going to check it last night but we
decided that it would be better to get home on time. Then there was a part of
Wednesday that was kinda tough. that's when we went to the post office, and I
got 7 letters!!!!!!!!!!!! it was exactly what I needed. it's fun here that all of the mail goes to the
mission office first and missionaries in Honolulu can check and see if they
have mail when they go to the office. well, apparently, my best friend in the
mission is serving in Honolulu now because he went to the office and must have
been looking to see if he had any letters. He saw that I had a ton of letters
and he wrote on the outside of one of the envelopes "congrats! you got
choke letters!" and signed his name it was super funny!
Thursday: we started teaching a new
guy named S
Friday: There was a young single
adult dance at the chapel tonight. It was weird to be sitting in our pad
hearing worldly music. we turned on our efy songs and hymns, but in between our
songs we caught snip-its of what was playing at the dance......Justin beiber
still exists....I would have been fine without the reminder. ( one of the
drawbacks of living so close to the church J )
Saturday: we went service tracting.
That is where you go door to door, in regular work clothes and ask people if
there is anything that you can help them with (yard work, dishes, washing
windows, etc.) and before you leave you offer to leave them with a prayer! It
is super fun!
Sunday: We got to watch the
"hastening the work of salvation" broadcast again. it is so good!!!!
Everyone help out your local missionaries!
We have seen so many people helping
us, especially this last week. As a missionary, we are not expected to pay
tithing (because we're not earning any money) but we are expected to pay fast
offerings. I was behind on paying mine, because I had "been busy", or
was like "i'll pay that as soon as we get more money on our cards"
but I really felt like I needed to stop making excuses and just make the
donation. I grabbed some cash and filled out the form and mailed it to bishop.
And wow, talk about a tried and true formula: you pay your tithing/fast
offerings and you get BLESSINGS! In Malachi 3:10 it says "Bring ye all the
tithes into the storehouse...and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of
hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven and pour you out a blessing
that there shall not be room enough to receive it." Well, I can testify to
you that this is a true promise of the Lord. We have been given so much food
this week, we can't even eat it all before it goes bad: salmon, rice, quinoa,
sausage, pasta, salad, another salad, pumpkin, granola bars, pumpkin pie, and
ice cream, the list goes on! We are truly seeing the blessings that the Lord
promised to us in Malachi.
So never ever ever
forget/postpone/neglect to pay tithing and fast offerings. the Lord keeps His
promises and He will send blessings for trusting Him enough to pay it even when
it looks like we won't have enough.
Love you all!!! Happy Monday!
-Sister Hodgson
