Aloha, and happy Father's Day
Yes, happy Father's Day. Hopefully all the fathers had a wonderful day, and will get back to work and let the wife be the boss today ;-) My companion and I found a fun card at walmart last week. It had a big pin-on button that said "I'm the Boss." On the front it said, "Dad, wear this and be proud." Then inside: "Just make sure to give it back to mom tomorrow." Anyway, I hope all the fathers had a great day. We had a member of our ward wish Elder Thomson and I a happy future father's day. That was interesting...
Secondly, can I say that it is amazing how young some missionaries look? There is a new greenie in our zone that looks like he is about 15. He is from Arizona, and just made it out to Hawaii. He got stuck in the MTC for an additional week and a half because of the swine flu. Well, he is super green, super young looking, and super making me want to laugh. I feel kinda bad, but it is amazing to see this new
kid.
On a physical note, I have started running, jumping rope, lifting weights, etc. a bit more, and this morning I was down to about 195, or the weight I was when I got to Hawaii! My shoes are doing well, I am just having fun getting my body used to running again (or period...), so I have been having fun with a lot of sore muscles.
But, it has been a fun week. My companion's frustrations came to a point last Tuesday, but nobody pushed him over the edge, and he finally calmed down back to normal, so it was a better week. We have some things going really well, and having struggles with others, as usual.
Carey O'oka is continueing to do well. We moved his baptisimal date back until the 17th of July to make sure he is over his smoking problem, but he is doing really well. He played for a stake activity (a pop's concert) Saturday night, and was the best performer there. I went in with low expectations, and Carey's songs, and two numbers by two girls (one flutist and cellist) were the only surprising ones. The stake's institue choir less than pleasant, and one lady that could play the piano well shouldn't have been singing. But Carey stole the night with his fine piano ability. It was amazing.
We still haven't been able to meet with Ahia, but she did send us a text message last week, and she should have a day off soon. Hopefully we should be able to get ahold of her this week.
Right now we are trying to do a lot of work with less active and part member families in our ward. We have had a few good successes. We helped one family decide that they want to be active again, and go to the temple. It has been amazing to see some people in church. Like yesterday, a lady named Timbelyn came to church. She hasn't been in about 8 years, so that was amazing.
Apparently a couple of weeks ago we offended a less active lady. Actually, the one that we took the vodka and cigarretts from a little while ago. We weren't entirely certain how, but it seems she has gone back to her old ways. We are a little scared that she might have been doing something prior to the night we talked to her and offended her. Anyway, she is ignoring us now, even though we made brownies and keep going by... yeah...
I hope all is going well for everyone. Remember, no one has ever fallen off the path if they had atleast one hand on the iron rod. I love you all!
Elder Kidd
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Monday, June 15, 2009
06/15/09
Aloha!
Ahh, what an interesting week it has been. It seems when life is interesting, Heavenly Father throws in an extra ingredient to change things up just a little more. Hopefully this soup tastes alright in the end.
After our lesson with Mason on Monday, we had a fun P-day. Towards the evening, my companion and I had a funny experience. He wanted some Jamba Juice, but they were closed, so we ran by Starbucks instead. Yes, I got hot chocolate in Hawaii, but it was still good. The funny part was that right after that, we ran to the Post Office to send out a package. Well, while I am waiting (and drinking my hot chocolate), one of our bishops walks in to get his mail. Well, Elder Thomson reaches over and turns my cup so that our bishop can't see the Starbucks logo on it. I just started laughing and told him he caught me drinking my hot chocolate. What are the odds of having the bishop walk in on you while you are drinking what looks like coffee? Just like mom's fear of buying a beer to marinate meat, that the bishop would show up in line right behind her at the store. Well, knowing Bishop Coach Steve, he would have asked why she only had one...
Anyway, Tuesday we had a good appointment with Carey O'oka. We were able to teach him the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and set a date for his baptism. We are going to have to move it back though, because he has to quit smoking, but he is progressing towards that goal.
Tuesday night we went to a member family for dinner, and had.... Thanksgiving Dinner! Or atleast it seemed like it. Turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, and crannberry. It was amazing (well, the potatoes weren't as good, but it is Hawaii. We were happy about potatoes). So, it felt like November for about 45 minutes.
Wednesday night we went and watched the Testiments with a less-active family in the ward. We have been working with them for a while, and they still have their testimonies, it just seems hard to get them to church. Well, at the end of the movie, I saw Brother Mahi drying his eyes, and they were at church yesterday. They are trying to get their 8-year-old grandaughter baptized, so hopefully they will stay active afterward.
Thursday, we had potatoes again for dinner (these weren't very good either), so we were amazed that we were at 2 meals with potatoes in a week (we usually have A LOT of rice). That night my companion and I had a good talk trying to motivate each other, and I realize I may have a lot to do to help my companion. I'm trying to think of how I can help him to want to be out here for the right reason.
Friday night we had potatoes again for dinner (we were amazed!) and even more amazing was to find out that the husband just turned 80. We thought he was just over 50. He looks amazing, and has such a wonderful spirit.
So, this week had some trouble getting ahold of a lot of our investigators, because so many are extremely busy. We called Mason last night, and he is booked, but really wants to meet with us again. After our last lesson, we are super excited to meet with him too. We ran into Ahia last Monday at Safeway, and it seems like there is a filmcrew at her workplace. Hopefully we can get ahold of her soon too. Add that to a guy we found tracting on Friday, who was actually home for the appointment on Saturday (first time I went back and someone was there. It was amazing), and we have a lot of potential. We have some hard work to do, but hopefully the Lord will bless us.
As always, thank you for your continued support. Have a great week, and a great Father's Day all of you fathers! I love you all.
Elder Kidd
Ahh, what an interesting week it has been. It seems when life is interesting, Heavenly Father throws in an extra ingredient to change things up just a little more. Hopefully this soup tastes alright in the end.
After our lesson with Mason on Monday, we had a fun P-day. Towards the evening, my companion and I had a funny experience. He wanted some Jamba Juice, but they were closed, so we ran by Starbucks instead. Yes, I got hot chocolate in Hawaii, but it was still good. The funny part was that right after that, we ran to the Post Office to send out a package. Well, while I am waiting (and drinking my hot chocolate), one of our bishops walks in to get his mail. Well, Elder Thomson reaches over and turns my cup so that our bishop can't see the Starbucks logo on it. I just started laughing and told him he caught me drinking my hot chocolate. What are the odds of having the bishop walk in on you while you are drinking what looks like coffee? Just like mom's fear of buying a beer to marinate meat, that the bishop would show up in line right behind her at the store. Well, knowing Bishop Coach Steve, he would have asked why she only had one...
Anyway, Tuesday we had a good appointment with Carey O'oka. We were able to teach him the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and set a date for his baptism. We are going to have to move it back though, because he has to quit smoking, but he is progressing towards that goal.
Tuesday night we went to a member family for dinner, and had.... Thanksgiving Dinner! Or atleast it seemed like it. Turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, and crannberry. It was amazing (well, the potatoes weren't as good, but it is Hawaii. We were happy about potatoes). So, it felt like November for about 45 minutes.
Wednesday night we went and watched the Testiments with a less-active family in the ward. We have been working with them for a while, and they still have their testimonies, it just seems hard to get them to church. Well, at the end of the movie, I saw Brother Mahi drying his eyes, and they were at church yesterday. They are trying to get their 8-year-old grandaughter baptized, so hopefully they will stay active afterward.
Thursday, we had potatoes again for dinner (these weren't very good either), so we were amazed that we were at 2 meals with potatoes in a week (we usually have A LOT of rice). That night my companion and I had a good talk trying to motivate each other, and I realize I may have a lot to do to help my companion. I'm trying to think of how I can help him to want to be out here for the right reason.
Friday night we had potatoes again for dinner (we were amazed!) and even more amazing was to find out that the husband just turned 80. We thought he was just over 50. He looks amazing, and has such a wonderful spirit.
So, this week had some trouble getting ahold of a lot of our investigators, because so many are extremely busy. We called Mason last night, and he is booked, but really wants to meet with us again. After our last lesson, we are super excited to meet with him too. We ran into Ahia last Monday at Safeway, and it seems like there is a filmcrew at her workplace. Hopefully we can get ahold of her soon too. Add that to a guy we found tracting on Friday, who was actually home for the appointment on Saturday (first time I went back and someone was there. It was amazing), and we have a lot of potential. We have some hard work to do, but hopefully the Lord will bless us.
As always, thank you for your continued support. Have a great week, and a great Father's Day all of you fathers! I love you all.
Elder Kidd
MTC / Oahu
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Unfortunately I don't have dates for these but here are some of my pictures.
This is when I was first at the MTC and first got to Hawaii.
Me and My first companion with a member at their baptism (top left)
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
06/08/09
Aloha
There are definately some benefits to a new transfer. One of those is the new missionary in the pad. He seems to be distracting me from his companion (The DL), so he hasn't been getting on my nerves as much this week.
The bad thing seems to be that my companion has gotten in a bad mood. I'm not entirely sure why, but I have some suspicions. His sister got married on Saturday, he broke some of the work out equiptment, and he is stuck in Hilo (he hates Hilo). Basically, I feel like the line from Hitch: "And if that sign on your forehead that says"Go Away" doesn't say it..." (Edited on purpose). Its been a rough couple of days. Hopefully by tonight it will be better. It doesn't seem to be as of yet, but thats what P-days are for!
Anyway, this last week was a bit of a rough one. We had a few cancelations, a few no shows, and we are having a really hard time getting in touch with Ahia. She has been really busy at work lately thought. A group of supervisors or something like that came in from Missiouri and her boss is out of town, meaning... PANIC! She is in charge, so she has been extremely busy. She said she was going to be in church yesterday, but didn't make it, and we couldn't get in touch with her. I still have high hopes though, and I think this week will go better.
As for Carey O'oka (the 25+ year investigator), we have an appointment with him tomorrow right after our district meeting, and he seems extremely excited. He came to church yesterday, and made quite a few good comments in Gospel Essentials. He says he wants to get baptized soon, and now has made it clear that HE wants home lessons, so foreward we go!
We had a really good lesson with a media referal we got this morning. His name is Mason. We have been struggling with him a bit in the recent past. He wants a sign, and keeps arguing with a lot that we say. We finally found a good analogy this morning, and commited him to read and pray about that Book of Mormon. Well, when we left, he was reading. It was as if his whole countinence changed while we were there. It was amazing. He is super busy right now, but I wouldn't be surprised if he called us today or tomorrow and asked us to come over really quickly because he knows it's true. We're super excited!
It's going to be amazing to see the house all different when I get home. I half want to claim the downstairs bedroom already, but then I realize I won't be home long before school starts.
So, there are definatley ups right now. There are a few downs, but that is how it goes on a mission. It is all good though, and life is going well. Thank you all for your continued support, and I hope all is going well. I love you all!
Elder Kidd
There are definately some benefits to a new transfer. One of those is the new missionary in the pad. He seems to be distracting me from his companion (The DL), so he hasn't been getting on my nerves as much this week.
The bad thing seems to be that my companion has gotten in a bad mood. I'm not entirely sure why, but I have some suspicions. His sister got married on Saturday, he broke some of the work out equiptment, and he is stuck in Hilo (he hates Hilo). Basically, I feel like the line from Hitch: "And if that sign on your forehead that says"Go Away" doesn't say it..." (Edited on purpose). Its been a rough couple of days. Hopefully by tonight it will be better. It doesn't seem to be as of yet, but thats what P-days are for!
Anyway, this last week was a bit of a rough one. We had a few cancelations, a few no shows, and we are having a really hard time getting in touch with Ahia. She has been really busy at work lately thought. A group of supervisors or something like that came in from Missiouri and her boss is out of town, meaning... PANIC! She is in charge, so she has been extremely busy. She said she was going to be in church yesterday, but didn't make it, and we couldn't get in touch with her. I still have high hopes though, and I think this week will go better.
As for Carey O'oka (the 25+ year investigator), we have an appointment with him tomorrow right after our district meeting, and he seems extremely excited. He came to church yesterday, and made quite a few good comments in Gospel Essentials. He says he wants to get baptized soon, and now has made it clear that HE wants home lessons, so foreward we go!
We had a really good lesson with a media referal we got this morning. His name is Mason. We have been struggling with him a bit in the recent past. He wants a sign, and keeps arguing with a lot that we say. We finally found a good analogy this morning, and commited him to read and pray about that Book of Mormon. Well, when we left, he was reading. It was as if his whole countinence changed while we were there. It was amazing. He is super busy right now, but I wouldn't be surprised if he called us today or tomorrow and asked us to come over really quickly because he knows it's true. We're super excited!
It's going to be amazing to see the house all different when I get home. I half want to claim the downstairs bedroom already, but then I realize I won't be home long before school starts.
So, there are definatley ups right now. There are a few downs, but that is how it goes on a mission. It is all good though, and life is going well. Thank you all for your continued support, and I hope all is going well. I love you all!
Elder Kidd
Monday, June 8, 2009
06/01/09
Aloha!
Well, that time has come for transfers again, and I have found out that.... my companion and I are staying together (much astonished sounds and gasping). Yes, for the first time on my mission, I will have a companion longer that a transfer. Unfortunately, my district leader is staying, so it may be an intersting 6 weeks.
It has been a fantasitc, crazy, unnerving, and miraculous week. We started out on Tuesday by finally being able to meet up with Ahia, who I had mentioned before in my emails. It turns out she hasn't read most of the Book of Mormon, but she has read a bit, and felt the spirit as well. She is dating a member, and works with afore mentioned member's brother. The brother gave her a Book of Mormon a while ago, but she forgot about it and lost it. Well, the boyfriend gave her a quad, which she began reading. Imagine our surprise when we meet her, and she says, "Oh, let me get my stuff," and then grabs a quad. It began a long conversation that proved to us that she is golden. She has the desire to know and learn. She came to church yesterday, but had to leave early for work. She liked it though, and told us she really wants to meet with us again. We will be happy to comply.
We also had a good lesson with Cathy, but are having struggles with her. She likes most everything about the church, but has some interesting beliefs that she holds to very dearly. We simply asked her to read and pray and promised she would receive answers she is looking for. We aren't sure if she is crazy or not, but she sure seems crazy sometimes. We hope for the best and will continue to help her though.
On Friday we went to dinner with Carey O'oka, who is the man that has been investigating the church for 25 years and recently told us that he doesn't want home lessons. He did want to have us come for dinner though. While at dinner, we met a friend of his who has talked to missionaries before. She said that the only reason she didn't get baptized before was because she didn't like the idea of worshipping dead people. Well, we finally figured out that she meant baptisms for the dead, so we explained what they really are. We are meeting with her on Wednesday at 7.
Speaking of Carey O'oka though, he wants us to teach her at his house (but he still doesn't want home lessons) and he told us and a few members yesterday at church that he wants to be baptized soon (but still doesn't seem to want us to be teaching him) but really likes us... yeah....
The crazy thing was that night. We went and watched Joseph Smith: The Prophet of the Restoration with a recent convert in our ward. Well, she lives right across from Barbara and Robert (two investigators we are pretty sure are crazy). Well, it turns out Barbara had overdosed on something, so our ward mission leader had to call the ambulance for her. It was an intersting experience. Anyway, we left and apparently she came walking out later by herself. She comes home from the pych ward today.
Saturday we were able to meet with Tara, an investigator we have had for a while that has a problem getting work off on Sunday. We had a good lesson with her, so hopefully she will be able to make more of an effort to get work off now.
This morning we had a fun lesson with Mason, the golfer who has issues with religion. We taught the plan of salvation, but spent most of the time answering questions. He has a lot of valid concerns, but it seems as though he may have dabbled in some anti-lititure at one point (something he said seemed like a line from "The godmakers"). He wants a sign, and I felt like a broken record player telling him to pray and ask if things were true. So, we took a step back and asked him to pray if God was real. We are meeting with him at the church on Friday, and hopefully he will feel the spirit there.
So, that has been our week. Things are going really well over here, and we are excited. I want to say thank you for the many birthday wishes I received, and say that I love the newsletters I get from the family. I hope all is going well for everyone, thank you for your continued success, and I love you all!
Elder Kidd
P.S. These are some pictures of a sunset a couple of weeks ago. The vog was crazy that morning.
Well, that time has come for transfers again, and I have found out that.... my companion and I are staying together (much astonished sounds and gasping). Yes, for the first time on my mission, I will have a companion longer that a transfer. Unfortunately, my district leader is staying, so it may be an intersting 6 weeks.
It has been a fantasitc, crazy, unnerving, and miraculous week. We started out on Tuesday by finally being able to meet up with Ahia, who I had mentioned before in my emails. It turns out she hasn't read most of the Book of Mormon, but she has read a bit, and felt the spirit as well. She is dating a member, and works with afore mentioned member's brother. The brother gave her a Book of Mormon a while ago, but she forgot about it and lost it. Well, the boyfriend gave her a quad, which she began reading. Imagine our surprise when we meet her, and she says, "Oh, let me get my stuff," and then grabs a quad. It began a long conversation that proved to us that she is golden. She has the desire to know and learn. She came to church yesterday, but had to leave early for work. She liked it though, and told us she really wants to meet with us again. We will be happy to comply.
We also had a good lesson with Cathy, but are having struggles with her. She likes most everything about the church, but has some interesting beliefs that she holds to very dearly. We simply asked her to read and pray and promised she would receive answers she is looking for. We aren't sure if she is crazy or not, but she sure seems crazy sometimes. We hope for the best and will continue to help her though.
On Friday we went to dinner with Carey O'oka, who is the man that has been investigating the church for 25 years and recently told us that he doesn't want home lessons. He did want to have us come for dinner though. While at dinner, we met a friend of his who has talked to missionaries before. She said that the only reason she didn't get baptized before was because she didn't like the idea of worshipping dead people. Well, we finally figured out that she meant baptisms for the dead, so we explained what they really are. We are meeting with her on Wednesday at 7.
Speaking of Carey O'oka though, he wants us to teach her at his house (but he still doesn't want home lessons) and he told us and a few members yesterday at church that he wants to be baptized soon (but still doesn't seem to want us to be teaching him) but really likes us... yeah....
The crazy thing was that night. We went and watched Joseph Smith: The Prophet of the Restoration with a recent convert in our ward. Well, she lives right across from Barbara and Robert (two investigators we are pretty sure are crazy). Well, it turns out Barbara had overdosed on something, so our ward mission leader had to call the ambulance for her. It was an intersting experience. Anyway, we left and apparently she came walking out later by herself. She comes home from the pych ward today.
Saturday we were able to meet with Tara, an investigator we have had for a while that has a problem getting work off on Sunday. We had a good lesson with her, so hopefully she will be able to make more of an effort to get work off now.
This morning we had a fun lesson with Mason, the golfer who has issues with religion. We taught the plan of salvation, but spent most of the time answering questions. He has a lot of valid concerns, but it seems as though he may have dabbled in some anti-lititure at one point (something he said seemed like a line from "The godmakers"). He wants a sign, and I felt like a broken record player telling him to pray and ask if things were true. So, we took a step back and asked him to pray if God was real. We are meeting with him at the church on Friday, and hopefully he will feel the spirit there.
So, that has been our week. Things are going really well over here, and we are excited. I want to say thank you for the many birthday wishes I received, and say that I love the newsletters I get from the family. I hope all is going well for everyone, thank you for your continued success, and I love you all!
Elder Kidd
P.S. These are some pictures of a sunset a couple of weeks ago. The vog was crazy that morning.
05/25/09
Malo e lele
We'll try a little tongan this week...
Well, it seems the thing I learned most this week is that there are a a lot of crazy people in Hilo. And when I say crazy, I mean completley off their rockers. The problem is, as missionaries we listen to them because we want to help them, and then they love us because no one else in the world listenes to them. By the time we realize they are not accountable and that teaching them may not be the best course of action in the world, we are their best friends, and can't get away from them.
The greatest part was when my district leader told my companion and I that one ladies salvation was on our shoulders if we didn't teach her. Well, my comanion works out for 90 minutes every day, and his only complaint is that we don't have enough weight for him, and I weigh over 200 lbs (but barely! I'm going down). Lets just say we both just stared at him and pondered over whether it would be worth it to get transfered out of this area for hitting him. We decided against that action though.
But, we are working with some sane people as well, and we got a referal this morning of a girl that told her friend she is ready for the missionaries to come over (oh yeah, she has already read the Book of Mormon up to 4 Nephi), so super excited are we!
Last night we had an interesting night. Our zone decided to have a movie night at the chapel. We watched the Testiments. The funny thing was, my companion and I forgot to invite anyone, so we had it announced in our wards on sunday (only once). Well, we had two members from each of our wards, and two new investigators that were there (I think two other people that weren't missionaries showed up). So, we really enjoyed the movie.
Right after that, we got a message from a less active in our ward that we have been working with. She has a smoking and heart problem. Well, she was panicing (sp? nothing looks right on spelling that word), so we went over and gave her a blessing. It was amazing the change that happened during the blessing. It is a true testimony of the power of the priesthood.
I gave a talk yesterday in one of our wards, and decided to speak on Joseph Smith. On these thoughts, I tried to help our ward see the true need to have a testimony in Joseph Smith and what he was able to do for us. We need to follow his example and ask of God. Remember his words after the First Vision? "I had seen a vision. I knew it, and I knew God knew it, and I could not deny it." May we all strive to apply those words to our own testimony: I know it, and I know God knows it, and I cannot deny it.
Ofa'atu, and mahalos, and much aloha!
Elder Kidd
We'll try a little tongan this week...
Well, it seems the thing I learned most this week is that there are a a lot of crazy people in Hilo. And when I say crazy, I mean completley off their rockers. The problem is, as missionaries we listen to them because we want to help them, and then they love us because no one else in the world listenes to them. By the time we realize they are not accountable and that teaching them may not be the best course of action in the world, we are their best friends, and can't get away from them.
The greatest part was when my district leader told my companion and I that one ladies salvation was on our shoulders if we didn't teach her. Well, my comanion works out for 90 minutes every day, and his only complaint is that we don't have enough weight for him, and I weigh over 200 lbs (but barely! I'm going down). Lets just say we both just stared at him and pondered over whether it would be worth it to get transfered out of this area for hitting him. We decided against that action though.
But, we are working with some sane people as well, and we got a referal this morning of a girl that told her friend she is ready for the missionaries to come over (oh yeah, she has already read the Book of Mormon up to 4 Nephi), so super excited are we!
Last night we had an interesting night. Our zone decided to have a movie night at the chapel. We watched the Testiments. The funny thing was, my companion and I forgot to invite anyone, so we had it announced in our wards on sunday (only once). Well, we had two members from each of our wards, and two new investigators that were there (I think two other people that weren't missionaries showed up). So, we really enjoyed the movie.
Right after that, we got a message from a less active in our ward that we have been working with. She has a smoking and heart problem. Well, she was panicing (sp? nothing looks right on spelling that word), so we went over and gave her a blessing. It was amazing the change that happened during the blessing. It is a true testimony of the power of the priesthood.
I gave a talk yesterday in one of our wards, and decided to speak on Joseph Smith. On these thoughts, I tried to help our ward see the true need to have a testimony in Joseph Smith and what he was able to do for us. We need to follow his example and ask of God. Remember his words after the First Vision? "I had seen a vision. I knew it, and I knew God knew it, and I could not deny it." May we all strive to apply those words to our own testimony: I know it, and I know God knows it, and I cannot deny it.
Ofa'atu, and mahalos, and much aloha!
Elder Kidd
05/18/09
Aloha
Right now I can't tell if I am a little sick, or just suffering from the vog (volcanic fog, nice poisonus, sulferus gasses). Either way, coughing has been a common thing this last week, but oh well. Proves that Hawaii isn't always the greatest place in the world.
This last week has been an intersting one. We had some ups, some downs, some "What the"s and some "Hmmm"s.
One of our biggest ups is that we got a referal from Provo (which they got from a member who just moved from our ward) for a guy in our area. He is a little skeptical of religions, but is willing to put it to the test. He seems like a great guy, and could definiatley use the gospel.
One down was that two of our investigators dropped us on Monday. Well, one is moving to O'ahu for the summer, but he does want missionaries coming there. One of our zone leaders thinks he may be headed to the ward he lives in, so that would be awesome. The other is Carey O'oka (yes, it can sound a little like Kareokee (sp?)). We called on Monday to try to set up an appointment with him, and he told us that he doesn't feel ready for the gospel yet. But, we found out yesterday that he is Bi-Polor, so that might be why. We asked the bishop to send someone a little more familiar over first though.
We have also realized this week that there seem to be a lot of interesting (and by intersting I mean absolutely crazy) people in Hilo, and we are teaching a couple. We are going to have our bishop meet them before we get too far along in teaching. Our mission president told me that "for lack of a better word, they become his problem after they are baptized". So yeah... our bishop is happy that we are doing that though.
We had zone conference on Friday, and that was a "hmmm" moment for my companion and I. It was a very good zone conference, but everything seemed to be focused on baptism. My companion and I came to the conclusion afterwards (and we pretty much had before Friday as well) that we are going to do everything we can to help people get to baptism, but we aren't going to force them. We both want solid converts who aren't going to fall away. Of course baptism is a goal, and what we would like, but we don't want to get baptism hungry, like a lot of missionaries seem to be. Call me rebelious, but I can't bring myself to force people.
We are looking forward to this week though. There is a lot of potential. If all goes as hoped, we should be able to help 7-8 people come to sacrament this sunday. Add others we hope to find this week, and our areas are starting to see some better activity. So, onward, forward we go.
We had a very interesting converstation with a member last night. He was talking about the research our most active non-member in our ward (thats a funny story) did. Basically, he talked about how stereotypes destroy everything in our life. Not just about races and cultures, but towards adults and children as well. We assume how people are going to react, and they assume how we are going to react. Let us rise above and follow how the gospel tells us we should respond. Our Savior asked us to live in the world, but not be a part of the world.
I love you all, and thank you for all of your support!
Elder Kidd
Right now I can't tell if I am a little sick, or just suffering from the vog (volcanic fog, nice poisonus, sulferus gasses). Either way, coughing has been a common thing this last week, but oh well. Proves that Hawaii isn't always the greatest place in the world.
This last week has been an intersting one. We had some ups, some downs, some "What the"s and some "Hmmm"s.
One of our biggest ups is that we got a referal from Provo (which they got from a member who just moved from our ward) for a guy in our area. He is a little skeptical of religions, but is willing to put it to the test. He seems like a great guy, and could definiatley use the gospel.
One down was that two of our investigators dropped us on Monday. Well, one is moving to O'ahu for the summer, but he does want missionaries coming there. One of our zone leaders thinks he may be headed to the ward he lives in, so that would be awesome. The other is Carey O'oka (yes, it can sound a little like Kareokee (sp?)). We called on Monday to try to set up an appointment with him, and he told us that he doesn't feel ready for the gospel yet. But, we found out yesterday that he is Bi-Polor, so that might be why. We asked the bishop to send someone a little more familiar over first though.
We have also realized this week that there seem to be a lot of interesting (and by intersting I mean absolutely crazy) people in Hilo, and we are teaching a couple. We are going to have our bishop meet them before we get too far along in teaching. Our mission president told me that "for lack of a better word, they become his problem after they are baptized". So yeah... our bishop is happy that we are doing that though.
We had zone conference on Friday, and that was a "hmmm" moment for my companion and I. It was a very good zone conference, but everything seemed to be focused on baptism. My companion and I came to the conclusion afterwards (and we pretty much had before Friday as well) that we are going to do everything we can to help people get to baptism, but we aren't going to force them. We both want solid converts who aren't going to fall away. Of course baptism is a goal, and what we would like, but we don't want to get baptism hungry, like a lot of missionaries seem to be. Call me rebelious, but I can't bring myself to force people.
We are looking forward to this week though. There is a lot of potential. If all goes as hoped, we should be able to help 7-8 people come to sacrament this sunday. Add others we hope to find this week, and our areas are starting to see some better activity. So, onward, forward we go.
We had a very interesting converstation with a member last night. He was talking about the research our most active non-member in our ward (thats a funny story) did. Basically, he talked about how stereotypes destroy everything in our life. Not just about races and cultures, but towards adults and children as well. We assume how people are going to react, and they assume how we are going to react. Let us rise above and follow how the gospel tells us we should respond. Our Savior asked us to live in the world, but not be a part of the world.
I love you all, and thank you for all of your support!
Elder Kidd
05/11/09
Aloha a day later
And about 10 hours of sleep later as well. Since I wasn't feeling well yesterday, and it was Mother's Day, my companion and I came home a bit early, planned quickly for today, and then I went to bed. Well, I think that was the first time in a long time that I have actually gone to bed before 9, and then I woke up this morning at 6:30. It was extremely nice. I still have a bit of a cough, but am doing a lot better.
Ahh, for this week. Monday we had an interesting day. We took our P-day a day later so that our Zone Leaders wouldn't be alone, so Monday we went to work. We were able to teach a lesson to this couple that came to church a couple of times with a member that lives in the apartment across the way from them. Well, we aren't entirely sure how accountable they are, but it is not our place to judge. Either way, they had a friend there that lives in another ward who enjoyed the lesson, so we gave his information to those elders. We'll update you next week on Robert and his girlfriend Barbara.
We were able to provide a little bit of service for Kathy and Pearleen this week. They have had car trouble, and the last little bit was a flat tire that we were able to change... and then change later. The spare hadn't been used in so long that it was very flat, so they ended up just taking a taxi to get a new tire. We put that on for them as well. We were able to have a lesson with Pearleen about family history, and are going to see her and Kathy on Wednesday.
Unfortunantly, Carry O'oka canceled his appointment this week, didn't make it to church, and we never could catch him home. We have to call him today and set up an appointment for tomorrow.
Thursday we had a bit of fun with a lady in one of our wards who is trying to quit smoking. She is a member, but is trying to come back. Anyway, we typed up a contract for her to follow. She is going to quit smoking before May 30. I told her it is her birthday present to me. We had a little too much fun with the contract making is sound as corny as possible.
Saturday morning we had another Free Car Wash to try to find new investigators. The problem was, we didn't have enough signs to advertise it (we've got plans to make it a big and regular activity). Well, we had one lady amongst all that came who seemed solid (she had a head cover to go into the chapel). She thought we were so nice, but is catholic and very happy there. Ever wish you could carry around spiritual 2X4s to smack people with?
And of course yesterday, the wonderful phone call home. It was great to be able to talk to those who came, and sorry to those that couldn't make it, guess church got in the way (dang mormons). I spent most of church trying to cough and sneeze up my lungs. It was a lot of fun. But, it was a wonderful day to remember mothers. So, happy late mother's day to all of the mothers out there, especially to my own. Thank you all for your continued support, your prayers, your love, and everything else. I love you all!
Elder Kidd
And about 10 hours of sleep later as well. Since I wasn't feeling well yesterday, and it was Mother's Day, my companion and I came home a bit early, planned quickly for today, and then I went to bed. Well, I think that was the first time in a long time that I have actually gone to bed before 9, and then I woke up this morning at 6:30. It was extremely nice. I still have a bit of a cough, but am doing a lot better.
Ahh, for this week. Monday we had an interesting day. We took our P-day a day later so that our Zone Leaders wouldn't be alone, so Monday we went to work. We were able to teach a lesson to this couple that came to church a couple of times with a member that lives in the apartment across the way from them. Well, we aren't entirely sure how accountable they are, but it is not our place to judge. Either way, they had a friend there that lives in another ward who enjoyed the lesson, so we gave his information to those elders. We'll update you next week on Robert and his girlfriend Barbara.
We were able to provide a little bit of service for Kathy and Pearleen this week. They have had car trouble, and the last little bit was a flat tire that we were able to change... and then change later. The spare hadn't been used in so long that it was very flat, so they ended up just taking a taxi to get a new tire. We put that on for them as well. We were able to have a lesson with Pearleen about family history, and are going to see her and Kathy on Wednesday.
Unfortunantly, Carry O'oka canceled his appointment this week, didn't make it to church, and we never could catch him home. We have to call him today and set up an appointment for tomorrow.
Thursday we had a bit of fun with a lady in one of our wards who is trying to quit smoking. She is a member, but is trying to come back. Anyway, we typed up a contract for her to follow. She is going to quit smoking before May 30. I told her it is her birthday present to me. We had a little too much fun with the contract making is sound as corny as possible.
Saturday morning we had another Free Car Wash to try to find new investigators. The problem was, we didn't have enough signs to advertise it (we've got plans to make it a big and regular activity). Well, we had one lady amongst all that came who seemed solid (she had a head cover to go into the chapel). She thought we were so nice, but is catholic and very happy there. Ever wish you could carry around spiritual 2X4s to smack people with?
And of course yesterday, the wonderful phone call home. It was great to be able to talk to those who came, and sorry to those that couldn't make it, guess church got in the way (dang mormons). I spent most of church trying to cough and sneeze up my lungs. It was a lot of fun. But, it was a wonderful day to remember mothers. So, happy late mother's day to all of the mothers out there, especially to my own. Thank you all for your continued support, your prayers, your love, and everything else. I love you all!
Elder Kidd
05/04/09
Aloha!
Kiah huh? I hope she enjoys the movie Willow. It scared me to death when I was a kid... But it is a very pretty name. I couldn't open the pictures that Stacie sent though. I did get the ones mom sent.
Anyway, Aloha! It has been a fun week in Hilo, and a very warm one as well. We are starting to get out of the rain a little bit, and get some sunshine. I am starting to remember last year when I first got out here though. It was hot, and I think I prefer the rain.
Hmmm... so what happened this last week... On Tuesday we were able to go and see Carey O'oka again and have a lesson with him. He is doing well, just struggling to get his heart in the right place. He wants to be baptized, and he wants to know it is true, he's just looking for that confirmation right now. So, always a fun time. He can't meet tomorrow, but we should see him on Sunday.
We also had fun doing service on Tuesday as well. And when I say fun, I mean we spent the whole time wondering what in the heck we were doing it for. The lady is a little crazy, and simply likes free labor to try to get the land cleared she is trying to sell... Yeah, so we have been told by numberous people to cease going over there, and we are following that advice. I feel really sorry for her and her husband, but I think she is crazy too, and we don't have time to help her earn a profit off of a bad financial decision.
Oh, by the way, dakine is a word used in Hawaii to mean just about anything, so "small kine" would be small things. "Choke" means a lot. Thought I would try and throw some pigeon in for everyone. Try looking up "Da Jesus Book" to get a copy of the pigeon bible.
Also, I said my district leader is interesting because he is driving me crazy. He is the type of person who doesn't ask, he just does. Throw in that he enjoys pinning things on everyone else, slipping out of doing things, and acts like roalty, he's getting on my nerves. So, a perfect opportunity to learn patience has arrived.
Tuesday night we were able to see Tara, and take a recent convert with us (Helen). We had a good lesson about tithing and fast offerings, and Tara told us that she is working on getting Sundays off (still) and is sincerely searching for answers about what is true. She likes what we teach, but knows she needs that witness. So, add her to Carey O'oka, and Ikaika (Ikaika wants to get baptized, knows it's true, but can't afford to move out of his girlfriends apartment) and we have a lot of solid investigators who are just having those tests of faith at the moment. Slightly frustrating as a missionary, but you do your best, pray for them, and pray for inspiration as to how to help them.
Wednesday we were able to see Kathy and Pearleen and had a good discussion with them. My companion and myself are both wondering if they are crazy or not, but we are still trying to help them. They are very in touch with the "Energy" side of things, so we are trying to help them see that even "energy" comes from Heavenly Father. They weren't at church yesterday though, and we haven't been able to get ahold of them. We'll let you know what happens.
Thursday we had an interesting evening. We taught a good lesson to a less active young man in our ward (who really wants to come to church, but work makes it difficult) and his girlfriend (who is a recent convert and less active with him... two birds, one stone?). The lesson was great, but they live across the street from a couple that is very active, very kind, and a little senile. Well, as we were leaving to go to our dinner appointment, the husband waved us over. When we got there, he handed us each a sandwhich and some veggie chips (they were actually really good), a glass of milk, and some garlic bagle bites. Well, missionaries never turn down food, so we ate it. Well, the conversation starts, "Do you have a dinner tonight?", "Yep", "At what time? 6?", "Yep, at six.", "Oh, you're late. Eat up.". I love brother Auld. So, my companion and I weren't very hungry for our dinner at the New Star Chineese resturant.
The food wasn't terrific though, so I don't know if we minded. I prefered the tomatoe and bacon sandwhich the Aulds gave us. The sad part was that while we were eating, the song "I'm Going Home" by Dautry (spelling even close?) came on. Well, yeah, thats too funny and would make anyone atleast a little homesick. But we laughed about it too (as we sang it to ourselves).
Thursday morning we went to Sister Hess (a less active we are working with) just in time. We came in and she burst into tears because it seemed everything was mounting up on her. Well, that's really not good for someone who has had atleast one heart attack, and possibly two. So, we watched the Restoration with her, calmed her down, swept her floors, and cheered her up. She felt a lot better when we left, and made it to church.
That afternoon we went to see Gail (the buddist lady). While we were there, three of her buddist friends showed up. Well, this wasn't a good finding activity, and most missionaries will agree that friends showing up seems to distract from the lesson. It doesn't help that when they come in they each had to chant and bow to a little shrine thing in the room. Hopefully they were listening while I was bearing testimony of Christ, but it didn't seem that way. They didn't seem to hear anything we said at all, but no effort is wasted, right?
Anyway, Saturday night we went to a reception held at the stake center. If you think you have seen big receptions, you haven't seen anything. There were well over 1,000 people that attended. They had great food though, and a samoan slap dance at the end. That was fun. (You should look up on youtube and see if you can find one. They are really cool.)
Well, as we walked back to our pad, I had to back our Zone Leaders out (stand behind the car and make sure no one was coming). Well, as they were driving away, I thought I would be funny, so I was going to jump and push off their trunk a little to get higher... Yeah, stupid. Well, I either misjudged how fast they were going, or they hit the gas as I did it, and it pulled me off balance. So, I hit the ground on my feet, but couldn't hold myself up and took a fall into the asphault. They didn't even notice though, and went home without stopping. They came over later to see the damage, and still feel really bad about it. My palms are a little torn up, and my left knee, and a little scrap above my elbow are all I got. I'll send pictures next week of my bloody mess. The good news is that my shirt and pants are fine!
I'm healing up really well (and yes, I am using triple antibiotic ointment) but a little sore. We went to see our ward missionary (who is the RM who just got back) off at the airport this morning. He is headed to California for the rest of the summer, and then to Snow College. His name is Michael Straight (maybe Aaron or Collin Jensen will run into him). It has been a lot of fun working with him, so we wished him luck.
Now for the words of wisdom: Don't play leapfrog with a unicorn. Oh wait...
Maybe I can tag along with I think it was Elder Oaks, who gave a talk about testimony. A testimony is not a travelogue, a thankimony, or a stand up comic routeen. It is a statement of truth that bears witness of Christ and His restored gospel. Stories can teach us things, but a testimony is a witness of Christ. May we all strive to bear a true testimony so that it can allow the spirit to touch the hearts of all those who hear us.
I love you all, and I will be calling home probably about 5 AM here, so 9 AM there next Sunday morning for mother's day. I can't wait to talk to everyone. Thank you all for all the support and love you give and have given me. I love you all.
Elder Kidd
Kiah huh? I hope she enjoys the movie Willow. It scared me to death when I was a kid... But it is a very pretty name. I couldn't open the pictures that Stacie sent though. I did get the ones mom sent.
Anyway, Aloha! It has been a fun week in Hilo, and a very warm one as well. We are starting to get out of the rain a little bit, and get some sunshine. I am starting to remember last year when I first got out here though. It was hot, and I think I prefer the rain.
Hmmm... so what happened this last week... On Tuesday we were able to go and see Carey O'oka again and have a lesson with him. He is doing well, just struggling to get his heart in the right place. He wants to be baptized, and he wants to know it is true, he's just looking for that confirmation right now. So, always a fun time. He can't meet tomorrow, but we should see him on Sunday.
We also had fun doing service on Tuesday as well. And when I say fun, I mean we spent the whole time wondering what in the heck we were doing it for. The lady is a little crazy, and simply likes free labor to try to get the land cleared she is trying to sell... Yeah, so we have been told by numberous people to cease going over there, and we are following that advice. I feel really sorry for her and her husband, but I think she is crazy too, and we don't have time to help her earn a profit off of a bad financial decision.
Oh, by the way, dakine is a word used in Hawaii to mean just about anything, so "small kine" would be small things. "Choke" means a lot. Thought I would try and throw some pigeon in for everyone. Try looking up "Da Jesus Book" to get a copy of the pigeon bible.
Also, I said my district leader is interesting because he is driving me crazy. He is the type of person who doesn't ask, he just does. Throw in that he enjoys pinning things on everyone else, slipping out of doing things, and acts like roalty, he's getting on my nerves. So, a perfect opportunity to learn patience has arrived.
Tuesday night we were able to see Tara, and take a recent convert with us (Helen). We had a good lesson about tithing and fast offerings, and Tara told us that she is working on getting Sundays off (still) and is sincerely searching for answers about what is true. She likes what we teach, but knows she needs that witness. So, add her to Carey O'oka, and Ikaika (Ikaika wants to get baptized, knows it's true, but can't afford to move out of his girlfriends apartment) and we have a lot of solid investigators who are just having those tests of faith at the moment. Slightly frustrating as a missionary, but you do your best, pray for them, and pray for inspiration as to how to help them.
Wednesday we were able to see Kathy and Pearleen and had a good discussion with them. My companion and myself are both wondering if they are crazy or not, but we are still trying to help them. They are very in touch with the "Energy" side of things, so we are trying to help them see that even "energy" comes from Heavenly Father. They weren't at church yesterday though, and we haven't been able to get ahold of them. We'll let you know what happens.
Thursday we had an interesting evening. We taught a good lesson to a less active young man in our ward (who really wants to come to church, but work makes it difficult) and his girlfriend (who is a recent convert and less active with him... two birds, one stone?). The lesson was great, but they live across the street from a couple that is very active, very kind, and a little senile. Well, as we were leaving to go to our dinner appointment, the husband waved us over. When we got there, he handed us each a sandwhich and some veggie chips (they were actually really good), a glass of milk, and some garlic bagle bites. Well, missionaries never turn down food, so we ate it. Well, the conversation starts, "Do you have a dinner tonight?", "Yep", "At what time? 6?", "Yep, at six.", "Oh, you're late. Eat up.". I love brother Auld. So, my companion and I weren't very hungry for our dinner at the New Star Chineese resturant.
The food wasn't terrific though, so I don't know if we minded. I prefered the tomatoe and bacon sandwhich the Aulds gave us. The sad part was that while we were eating, the song "I'm Going Home" by Dautry (spelling even close?) came on. Well, yeah, thats too funny and would make anyone atleast a little homesick. But we laughed about it too (as we sang it to ourselves).
Thursday morning we went to Sister Hess (a less active we are working with) just in time. We came in and she burst into tears because it seemed everything was mounting up on her. Well, that's really not good for someone who has had atleast one heart attack, and possibly two. So, we watched the Restoration with her, calmed her down, swept her floors, and cheered her up. She felt a lot better when we left, and made it to church.
That afternoon we went to see Gail (the buddist lady). While we were there, three of her buddist friends showed up. Well, this wasn't a good finding activity, and most missionaries will agree that friends showing up seems to distract from the lesson. It doesn't help that when they come in they each had to chant and bow to a little shrine thing in the room. Hopefully they were listening while I was bearing testimony of Christ, but it didn't seem that way. They didn't seem to hear anything we said at all, but no effort is wasted, right?
Anyway, Saturday night we went to a reception held at the stake center. If you think you have seen big receptions, you haven't seen anything. There were well over 1,000 people that attended. They had great food though, and a samoan slap dance at the end. That was fun. (You should look up on youtube and see if you can find one. They are really cool.)
Well, as we walked back to our pad, I had to back our Zone Leaders out (stand behind the car and make sure no one was coming). Well, as they were driving away, I thought I would be funny, so I was going to jump and push off their trunk a little to get higher... Yeah, stupid. Well, I either misjudged how fast they were going, or they hit the gas as I did it, and it pulled me off balance. So, I hit the ground on my feet, but couldn't hold myself up and took a fall into the asphault. They didn't even notice though, and went home without stopping. They came over later to see the damage, and still feel really bad about it. My palms are a little torn up, and my left knee, and a little scrap above my elbow are all I got. I'll send pictures next week of my bloody mess. The good news is that my shirt and pants are fine!
I'm healing up really well (and yes, I am using triple antibiotic ointment) but a little sore. We went to see our ward missionary (who is the RM who just got back) off at the airport this morning. He is headed to California for the rest of the summer, and then to Snow College. His name is Michael Straight (maybe Aaron or Collin Jensen will run into him). It has been a lot of fun working with him, so we wished him luck.
Now for the words of wisdom: Don't play leapfrog with a unicorn. Oh wait...
Maybe I can tag along with I think it was Elder Oaks, who gave a talk about testimony. A testimony is not a travelogue, a thankimony, or a stand up comic routeen. It is a statement of truth that bears witness of Christ and His restored gospel. Stories can teach us things, but a testimony is a witness of Christ. May we all strive to bear a true testimony so that it can allow the spirit to touch the hearts of all those who hear us.
I love you all, and I will be calling home probably about 5 AM here, so 9 AM there next Sunday morning for mother's day. I can't wait to talk to everyone. Thank you all for all the support and love you give and have given me. I love you all.
Elder Kidd
04/27/09
Aloha Actually
Thought I would try something a little bit different.
So, it has been an interesting week here in Hilo. I have a new companion, my old companion is up the road about an hour and a half in Waimea, and my new district leader is.... interesting. I'll let you know how that one turns out.
My new companion is Elder Thomson, from Twin Falls. He has been out the same amount of time as Elder Aldridge has (and Elder Bagley and Elder Higley). I'm wondering if I am going to be companions with everyone in their generation (or group from the MTC) through the rest of my mission. I know everyone's name at this point. I hope not though. Elder Thomson and I are getting along and I am looking forward to this transfer.
We had some struggles this week getting in contact with our investigators, so not a whole lot new has happened. We were able to teach the gentleman who wants to be baptized, and he is progressing. He wants his son to baptise him, but knows that he needs to do some things prior. Apparently he has been investigating the church for the last 20 years.... So yeah, we've got to figure out how to help him get a secure testimony and quit smoking first, all small kine.
We are starting to meet with choke people from our wards though. I realized that I didn't know the members out here very well, so I am going to fall back on what I did over on Kaua'i a little bit: visit the members, get to know them, let them know you, show them you care, and then remind them about missionary work. Seemed to work out there, and I think we need a bit of that here. The members seem to have forgotten who the missionaries are. But, our slow ward (one with not a lot going on) is starting to see a little bit of movement.
One interesting note: the bishop of the slower ward (Kaumana) has a son that is serving in the Tempe Arizona mission, where Felipe is.
So, I just realized that mother's day is coming up rapidly. Weird, I'm gonig to be able to call home again. It seems like just yesterday that I was calling on Christmas. I don't remember when church is, so we may have to work around that. I am thinking I can call early (about 8:30 there) or maybe later in the evening (around 6:30-7:30). Just let me know what would work best so we can coordinate our calling. We have cell phones, so we will just be calling from those since it has free minutes on weekends.
So, to clarify, S-lyn is really the girls name. It is pronounced 'S' (as in the letter S) and then lynn (as in uncle lynn). They are chuukese, so it was interesting. I was so scared I was going to mess up the name. One other bit of good news, the three girls that I helped teach in Kaua'i got baptized the Saturday after S-Lyn. Hopefully Elder Bagley will send me pictures like he said he would.
Weather here has been fun. It actually rained almost non-stop all of Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. We got a bit of a break on Saturday, and a little today. Hopefully it will stay because we are going to play ultimate frisbee this afternoon.
I hope everyone is doing well. Keep up the faith, remember to smile, and remember that Christ was completely alone so that we never have to be if we will do what is right (I think Elder Holland has become my new favorite Apostle. He's awesome).
As we say in Hawaii: We are grateful to be in the Hawaii, Honolulu mission, the Aloha mission.
The (A)tonement of Jesus Christ is our message
(L)ove of God and others is our motivation, and
(O)bedience to the commandments and mission rules is our strength. By sharing the gospel with others, we can give them the
(HA), the breath of life, even eternal life. ALOHA!
I love you all!
Elder Kidd
Thought I would try something a little bit different.
So, it has been an interesting week here in Hilo. I have a new companion, my old companion is up the road about an hour and a half in Waimea, and my new district leader is.... interesting. I'll let you know how that one turns out.
My new companion is Elder Thomson, from Twin Falls. He has been out the same amount of time as Elder Aldridge has (and Elder Bagley and Elder Higley). I'm wondering if I am going to be companions with everyone in their generation (or group from the MTC) through the rest of my mission. I know everyone's name at this point. I hope not though. Elder Thomson and I are getting along and I am looking forward to this transfer.
We had some struggles this week getting in contact with our investigators, so not a whole lot new has happened. We were able to teach the gentleman who wants to be baptized, and he is progressing. He wants his son to baptise him, but knows that he needs to do some things prior. Apparently he has been investigating the church for the last 20 years.... So yeah, we've got to figure out how to help him get a secure testimony and quit smoking first, all small kine.
We are starting to meet with choke people from our wards though. I realized that I didn't know the members out here very well, so I am going to fall back on what I did over on Kaua'i a little bit: visit the members, get to know them, let them know you, show them you care, and then remind them about missionary work. Seemed to work out there, and I think we need a bit of that here. The members seem to have forgotten who the missionaries are. But, our slow ward (one with not a lot going on) is starting to see a little bit of movement.
One interesting note: the bishop of the slower ward (Kaumana) has a son that is serving in the Tempe Arizona mission, where Felipe is.
So, I just realized that mother's day is coming up rapidly. Weird, I'm gonig to be able to call home again. It seems like just yesterday that I was calling on Christmas. I don't remember when church is, so we may have to work around that. I am thinking I can call early (about 8:30 there) or maybe later in the evening (around 6:30-7:30). Just let me know what would work best so we can coordinate our calling. We have cell phones, so we will just be calling from those since it has free minutes on weekends.
So, to clarify, S-lyn is really the girls name. It is pronounced 'S' (as in the letter S) and then lynn (as in uncle lynn). They are chuukese, so it was interesting. I was so scared I was going to mess up the name. One other bit of good news, the three girls that I helped teach in Kaua'i got baptized the Saturday after S-Lyn. Hopefully Elder Bagley will send me pictures like he said he would.
Weather here has been fun. It actually rained almost non-stop all of Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. We got a bit of a break on Saturday, and a little today. Hopefully it will stay because we are going to play ultimate frisbee this afternoon.
I hope everyone is doing well. Keep up the faith, remember to smile, and remember that Christ was completely alone so that we never have to be if we will do what is right (I think Elder Holland has become my new favorite Apostle. He's awesome).
As we say in Hawaii: We are grateful to be in the Hawaii, Honolulu mission, the Aloha mission.
The (A)tonement of Jesus Christ is our message
(L)ove of God and others is our motivation, and
(O)bedience to the commandments and mission rules is our strength. By sharing the gospel with others, we can give them the
(HA), the breath of life, even eternal life. ALOHA!
I love you all!
Elder Kidd
04/20/09
Aloha
Well, transfer calls were last night, and I am staying in Hilo for atleast 6 more weeks... but my companion is not. Elder Aldridge is headed for the other side of the island (Kona) on Wednesday, and my companion is coming over from Kona. So, this makes 7 companions in 7 transfers. I think I am going to ask my mission president if he is trying to set a record with me for most companions in a mission. There are 17 transfers, maybe I can hit 17 companions... anyways...
This last week was good, but in its own way, hard. S-lyn got baptised on Tuesday, and everything went very well. We spent a bit of time preparing her, and making sure everything was good for Sunday as well for the confirmation (which went great as well). She is doing fantasitc, and is still excited.
We had a bit of trouble being able to get in touch with people and teach them this last week though. Richard was busy on Tuesday, so that fell through, and he might be moving this week. We will have to see. Cathy and Pearleen we were able to teach, and we had an interesting lesson. Pearleen is excited to be back in the church, and feels she needs to do geneology as soon as she can. Cathy, I've decided, has taken a little of everything from every religion and combined it into one big belief. She believes in Christ, but reincarnation, but exaltation as well. Go figure. She is reading the Book of Mormon, and I know that will help her to take the steps she needs to. She read our palms while we were there last time as well. Apparently I have a lot of guides... whatever that means.
We are still working with a cool kid named Ikaika. His family lives on O'ahu, out on the west coast (the rough side). He knows the Book of Mormon is true, and knows he needs to get baptized. The only problem is that he is living with his girlfriend, and can't afford to live anywhere else. He did mention that he is probably moving to O'ahu for the summer to work, so hopefully that is a good sign. He is a great kid, and has an amazing spirit.
We had a really cool experience yesterday in our slower ward. In the PEC meeting, the bishop told us of a gentleman who used to come to church somewhat regularily while he was still married to his member wife. He has a son who is an RM, and is very active in the church. well, this fine gentleman called our bishop on saturday night to ask when church was, and to tell him he wants to be baptized. So, we are going to beging teaching this fine man tomorrow.
In our other ward, we have a lesson with another 9-year-old tonight, who wants to be baptized on his birthday, which is early June, so that is going well, as well.
So, the next 6 weeks should be interesting. Mother's Day in a few weeks (I don't know when I will be calling yet. Sorry), and then my birthday a few weeks after that. I will no longer be a teenageer! (i probably spelt that wrong. Oh well.) I am excited, but sad to see my companion go. There is a lot of work to be done in our two wards, and they are starting to get moving. The Lord is blessing us, and I pray He will continue to do so. The sun is starting to come out more in Hilo as well. It is time to push forward with much vigor! Keep smiling, thank you all for your continued support (sounds like a bad PBS comercial) and I love you all!
Elder Kidd
Well, transfer calls were last night, and I am staying in Hilo for atleast 6 more weeks... but my companion is not. Elder Aldridge is headed for the other side of the island (Kona) on Wednesday, and my companion is coming over from Kona. So, this makes 7 companions in 7 transfers. I think I am going to ask my mission president if he is trying to set a record with me for most companions in a mission. There are 17 transfers, maybe I can hit 17 companions... anyways...
This last week was good, but in its own way, hard. S-lyn got baptised on Tuesday, and everything went very well. We spent a bit of time preparing her, and making sure everything was good for Sunday as well for the confirmation (which went great as well). She is doing fantasitc, and is still excited.
We had a bit of trouble being able to get in touch with people and teach them this last week though. Richard was busy on Tuesday, so that fell through, and he might be moving this week. We will have to see. Cathy and Pearleen we were able to teach, and we had an interesting lesson. Pearleen is excited to be back in the church, and feels she needs to do geneology as soon as she can. Cathy, I've decided, has taken a little of everything from every religion and combined it into one big belief. She believes in Christ, but reincarnation, but exaltation as well. Go figure. She is reading the Book of Mormon, and I know that will help her to take the steps she needs to. She read our palms while we were there last time as well. Apparently I have a lot of guides... whatever that means.
We are still working with a cool kid named Ikaika. His family lives on O'ahu, out on the west coast (the rough side). He knows the Book of Mormon is true, and knows he needs to get baptized. The only problem is that he is living with his girlfriend, and can't afford to live anywhere else. He did mention that he is probably moving to O'ahu for the summer to work, so hopefully that is a good sign. He is a great kid, and has an amazing spirit.
We had a really cool experience yesterday in our slower ward. In the PEC meeting, the bishop told us of a gentleman who used to come to church somewhat regularily while he was still married to his member wife. He has a son who is an RM, and is very active in the church. well, this fine gentleman called our bishop on saturday night to ask when church was, and to tell him he wants to be baptized. So, we are going to beging teaching this fine man tomorrow.
In our other ward, we have a lesson with another 9-year-old tonight, who wants to be baptized on his birthday, which is early June, so that is going well, as well.
So, the next 6 weeks should be interesting. Mother's Day in a few weeks (I don't know when I will be calling yet. Sorry), and then my birthday a few weeks after that. I will no longer be a teenageer! (i probably spelt that wrong. Oh well.) I am excited, but sad to see my companion go. There is a lot of work to be done in our two wards, and they are starting to get moving. The Lord is blessing us, and I pray He will continue to do so. The sun is starting to come out more in Hilo as well. It is time to push forward with much vigor! Keep smiling, thank you all for your continued support (sounds like a bad PBS comercial) and I love you all!
Elder Kidd
04/13/09
Try three
You have those times when you hit send and you lose everything... yeah... so, maybe you got my other message. If so, hurray! If not, here is the second try (third this time. Thank you copy and paste).
So, it was interesting this last week when my companion got a package from home and we found a little Noah action figure inside. We were trying to figure out if his mom sent it to him because we are in Hilo. I'm pretty sure that it has rained every day except the first day I was here. But, I like the rain, so it is ok. Luckily it doesn't flood. I've heard that the soil in Hawaii is super absorbant. That, along with being right by the ocean probably help.
So, the big news of the week is... that we have a baptism tomorrow! A 9-year old girl in our ward is getting baptized tomorrow night. She is super excited. Her family is from Chuuk, so it has been a fun experience getting her ready. We ended up having to have her family teach her a few things, which I hope was a good reminder for them.
The other fun story happened Saturday night. We got a call from a member in one of our wards that we are helping come back to activity. She has trouble with smoking, but is trying to change her life. well, we got a call, and she was saying that she had messed up, that she had been drinking, and she was driving home. we convinced her to pull over until we could get there and follow her home. When we got to her house, we were able to have a good discussion with her, and used the anology of easter to convince her to make it a new start. We got her to pour out the rest of the bottle of vodka, give up her cigarretts, and then we stole her car keys as well (which we dropped off early the next morning). We are going over again tonight to see how she is doing. She looked like she was doing well in church yesterday, but we will see. We got picutures with our trophies as well (before we destroyed them).
Our biggest struggle continues to be getting members involved. We are going to try to start implimenting some new ideas and see how they work. Hopefully it can start to inspire the members, or atleast drag them out of their comfort zones.
I hope everyone had a good easter, and mostly that they remembered the true meaning. Remember Christ. But also think of part of the story. Mary was by the tomb that morning, her heart broken, and the world crashing down. The Master had been unjustly killed and now His body robbed and possbibly desecrated. At this moment of darkness in her life, the Savior was able to call her name and lift her from that darkness. In our own lives we may have times that it seems as if the world is crashing down upon us. At those times, if we endure and never lose the faith, Christ can call us as well, and lift us up. He is there, and He knows all of our pains, afflictions, and temptations so that He can succor us.
I hope everyone is doing well. Thank you all for your support, and I love you all!
Elder Kidd
You have those times when you hit send and you lose everything... yeah... so, maybe you got my other message. If so, hurray! If not, here is the second try (third this time. Thank you copy and paste).
So, it was interesting this last week when my companion got a package from home and we found a little Noah action figure inside. We were trying to figure out if his mom sent it to him because we are in Hilo. I'm pretty sure that it has rained every day except the first day I was here. But, I like the rain, so it is ok. Luckily it doesn't flood. I've heard that the soil in Hawaii is super absorbant. That, along with being right by the ocean probably help.
So, the big news of the week is... that we have a baptism tomorrow! A 9-year old girl in our ward is getting baptized tomorrow night. She is super excited. Her family is from Chuuk, so it has been a fun experience getting her ready. We ended up having to have her family teach her a few things, which I hope was a good reminder for them.
The other fun story happened Saturday night. We got a call from a member in one of our wards that we are helping come back to activity. She has trouble with smoking, but is trying to change her life. well, we got a call, and she was saying that she had messed up, that she had been drinking, and she was driving home. we convinced her to pull over until we could get there and follow her home. When we got to her house, we were able to have a good discussion with her, and used the anology of easter to convince her to make it a new start. We got her to pour out the rest of the bottle of vodka, give up her cigarretts, and then we stole her car keys as well (which we dropped off early the next morning). We are going over again tonight to see how she is doing. She looked like she was doing well in church yesterday, but we will see. We got picutures with our trophies as well (before we destroyed them).
Our biggest struggle continues to be getting members involved. We are going to try to start implimenting some new ideas and see how they work. Hopefully it can start to inspire the members, or atleast drag them out of their comfort zones.
I hope everyone had a good easter, and mostly that they remembered the true meaning. Remember Christ. But also think of part of the story. Mary was by the tomb that morning, her heart broken, and the world crashing down. The Master had been unjustly killed and now His body robbed and possbibly desecrated. At this moment of darkness in her life, the Savior was able to call her name and lift her from that darkness. In our own lives we may have times that it seems as if the world is crashing down upon us. At those times, if we endure and never lose the faith, Christ can call us as well, and lift us up. He is there, and He knows all of our pains, afflictions, and temptations so that He can succor us.
I hope everyone is doing well. Thank you all for your support, and I love you all!
Elder Kidd
04/06/09
Aloha
Ahh, what a wonderful week. Yet it is nice to have a P-day again.
So, our week was full of conferences and temple, and yeah. There didn't seem to be a lot of time for just missionary work. Figure, Tuesday we went to the temple, Wednesday and Thursday were normal, but then Friday we had zone conference, and then General Conference on Saturday and Sunday. Our zone leaders have zone leader conference on O'ahu today, so they get to sit and listen to talks even more. What fun for them!
The biggest thing right now I guess is that I am getting over a cold. It attacked on Thursday, so most of the time I have had it, I have been able to sit through conferences and not have to push myself too hard. I did unnerve a few elders during general conference though, and had quite a few people in the chapel asking if I was ok. But, I am feeling better, just in time for this week!
Cathy and Pearleen seemed to really enjoy conference. The problem is that they seem to be on a different wave length then most other people on the planet. Cathy has some very interesting concerns, which we are feeling will only be resolved by reading the Book of Mormon (which she is doing). So, we keep praying for her.
We went by a new investigator this last week, who's name is Richard. He is a buddist guy who was raised Christian, but only really went for social reasons. He actually burnt a hole in the gym floor of our church at one time on accident (they have since rebuilt the church). But, we were able to share the message of the restoration with him. When we went back, he admited to us that he read from the Book of Mormon mostly for the informational value in it, but it struck him more than he thought it would. He wanted to take some time to think over it, so we are going to go by and see him this week.
Last night I had an interesting experience. My companion and I tracted into a lady that was house-sitting and we gave her our number since she didn't seem interested. Well, she called us back and we set up an appointment to meet with her. Problem is that she lives in another area, so we did a temporary exchange so that one elder from each area would be there to meet with her. But, it turned out she wasn't interested. It was frustrating as a lot of her beliefs fit in with the church, but she refuses to read the Book of Mormon. At the end of our discussion we asked her to pray to ask if what we shared was true, in hopes the spirit would direct her to read the Book of Mormon. Well, she prayed, she was eager to pray, but she never asked... Hopefully something we said will strike her heart down the road and she will try again, but for right now she is fairly set in her ways. It is just so sad to see people completely closed to the happiness the gospel can bring. In the words of my district leader "she doesn't believe in revelation, prophets, all she believes in is Christ? Well, her religion is pretty much gone." Why can't people accept that our Lord loves more than just the jews? Oh well.
Well, I hope all is doing well. I love you all, and thank you for your continued support! Aloha
Elder Kidd
Ahh, what a wonderful week. Yet it is nice to have a P-day again.
So, our week was full of conferences and temple, and yeah. There didn't seem to be a lot of time for just missionary work. Figure, Tuesday we went to the temple, Wednesday and Thursday were normal, but then Friday we had zone conference, and then General Conference on Saturday and Sunday. Our zone leaders have zone leader conference on O'ahu today, so they get to sit and listen to talks even more. What fun for them!
The biggest thing right now I guess is that I am getting over a cold. It attacked on Thursday, so most of the time I have had it, I have been able to sit through conferences and not have to push myself too hard. I did unnerve a few elders during general conference though, and had quite a few people in the chapel asking if I was ok. But, I am feeling better, just in time for this week!
Cathy and Pearleen seemed to really enjoy conference. The problem is that they seem to be on a different wave length then most other people on the planet. Cathy has some very interesting concerns, which we are feeling will only be resolved by reading the Book of Mormon (which she is doing). So, we keep praying for her.
We went by a new investigator this last week, who's name is Richard. He is a buddist guy who was raised Christian, but only really went for social reasons. He actually burnt a hole in the gym floor of our church at one time on accident (they have since rebuilt the church). But, we were able to share the message of the restoration with him. When we went back, he admited to us that he read from the Book of Mormon mostly for the informational value in it, but it struck him more than he thought it would. He wanted to take some time to think over it, so we are going to go by and see him this week.
Last night I had an interesting experience. My companion and I tracted into a lady that was house-sitting and we gave her our number since she didn't seem interested. Well, she called us back and we set up an appointment to meet with her. Problem is that she lives in another area, so we did a temporary exchange so that one elder from each area would be there to meet with her. But, it turned out she wasn't interested. It was frustrating as a lot of her beliefs fit in with the church, but she refuses to read the Book of Mormon. At the end of our discussion we asked her to pray to ask if what we shared was true, in hopes the spirit would direct her to read the Book of Mormon. Well, she prayed, she was eager to pray, but she never asked... Hopefully something we said will strike her heart down the road and she will try again, but for right now she is fairly set in her ways. It is just so sad to see people completely closed to the happiness the gospel can bring. In the words of my district leader "she doesn't believe in revelation, prophets, all she believes in is Christ? Well, her religion is pretty much gone." Why can't people accept that our Lord loves more than just the jews? Oh well.
Well, I hope all is doing well. I love you all, and thank you for your continued support! Aloha
Elder Kidd
03/31/09
Yeah, its a day late. We took our P-day (Tuesday) so that we could go to the temple this morning! It was a wonderful experience there, and it was beautiful as well. The temple is in Kona, which is on the other side of the island. So, we got up at about 3:30 this morning, and then drove between all the volcanoes (not active, but that is all this island is is volcanoes) over to Kona side. Then we drove back (after a quick stop at Costco) and were afraid our weight was destroying the car.
Well, we're all alive, the car is still running, and the recent RM is happy he got to go to the temple again.Work continues here as well. We have had a couple really cool people we have taught, but one couple decided they weren't interested, and another is out of town for about 3 weeks, so we get to postpone some of that. We do have a lesson tonight with a lady that has some potential though.Ikaika (one of our progressing) is still having great spiritual experiences, but had a family emergency this last week, so he was unable to make it to church. He knows he needs to, and hopefully he will soon.We weren't able to meet with Cathy and Pearlina this last week, but they came to church, and are still loving things.
It sounds like Jeremy and Heather had fun in Seattle, except for the Ticket to Ride game. Heather, you have the new record now! I loved Pikes market when I got to go my senior year, and the space needle was fun as well.
Right now we are starting to work with two 9 year-old girls who haven't been baptized. They both want to be, so hopefully we can set dates for them this week, and their families will bring them to church. That seems to be my best success recently.
We are really looking forward to general conference as well. I'm really excited to see who is going to be the next apostle. Everyone in Utah can think of us poor Hawaiians who will be getting up early so that we can see the session start at 6 am (yeah, I know we have no sympathy, but I can try, right?).
Our biggest problem we have right now in one of our wards is that the members do not seem to want to get involved. Any suggestions from those at home? also, may I take this opportunity to encourage all of you to make a little more effort in your own missionary efforts. I don't know the statistics for other places, but about 80% of baptisms in Hawaii are from member referrals... So, figure over 300,000 baptisms last year, cut by 80% is only 60,000. Well, enough preaching from me.
I love you all so much. Continue to put your trust in the Lord. As the rain falls, we see that all things are for our good. The rain here makes it so beautiful, and quite cool actually, so we prefer it. Can we change our lives to enjoy our trials a little? I love you all.
Elder Kidd
03/23/09
Aloha!Well, it is interesting that Dad said that me mentioning that I was about 30 miles from a volcanoe made him nervous... since this morning we were only about 1-2 miles from it. We went and saw Kilauea, the active volcanoe in Hawaii. Unfortunately we couldn't see any lava (the only lava is running into the ocean right now, but you can only see it after 5 P.M.) but there is a big ol' hole in the ground.
Things in Hilo are continueing to go well. Elder Aldridge and I are really working hard and are starting to see some of the fruits of our labors. We were able to find some new people to teach this last week. We have a couple progressing investigators that are just struggling to make it over one or two troubles, which mostly includes making it to church. As soon as they can do that, then I believe they will both get baptized.
We had a missionary from one of the wards I am serving in return home last Saturday, and he has become one of our best friends. He wants to go with us whenever he can, and is still super excited about missionary work.
Yesterday I was able to speak in one of our wards along with afore mentioned missionary. I spoke a lot on how members can help in the work by telling others of the joys the gospel brings. At the end, our investigator that is the friend of the less active lady we ran into (The LA lady's name is Pearline, and her friend is Cathy) came up to us and told us that what we had said had moved something inside of her. Well, my companion told me the day before she had said to him and the Elder he was with (exchanges!) that she never thought she would be baptized. Hopefully after yesterday something has changed.
It was good to get pictures of all of my nieces and nephews, but I'll admit it took me a bit to figure out who the kid with all the brown hair was (in the picture with the four strollers at the zoo). I kept wondering if he was another family's kid, until I realized he is Briton. He has changed a lot since I left 8 months ago, but who's counting? : )
I hope you all enjoy the pictures I took, and I once again say thank you to everyone for your support, and I love you all!
Elder Kidd
03/16/09
Aloha from Hilo
Yep, I've managed to avoid O'ahu for the time being. I am now on Big Island, otherwise known as Hawai'i. So, I've finally gotten to the true Hawaii. I actually live about 30 miles or so from a volcanoe as well. Sweet, huh? I think we are going to go by Big Island Candies today, so we'll see how good they are. Maybe everyone can send me money and I can get presents for everyone!
My area is in Hilo town. Half of the island is called Kona, and the other is Hilo, so I am in Hilo and in Hilo. It has been great so far. The area is a bit bigger than Kapa'a was, and more city like, but I still love it. It is a little more chill here, and the people are wonderful. We actually cover two wards. One is in an area that is a little less fortunate (meaning poorer). There are a lot of apartment buildings, which actually translates to a lot of opportunities to invite people to learn, which has turned into a lot of potential recently. The other area is a bit up the hill, and is a little wealthier. We have some good plans to get the members involved up there.
So, Tuesday was a sad day in Kapa'a. Elder Bagley and I spent the day running around and saying goodbye to all of the people we could. We went to Jack's that evening for a final farewell. It was an emotional parting. Jack, Tylor, Micah (the JW friend), and Dillon (one of Tylor's friends that we actually reactivated) were there. We had a good dinner, and then talked for a few minutes, and sang a song. Then, we had a final prayer which Jack asked me to offer. At the end, Jack, Tylor, Dillon, and myself were all in tears.
Before we left, Jack handed me a small glass ball, which is a buyoue(sp?) for a fish hook and bait that fisherman will leave out in the ocean, anchored to the floor. The ball floats, holding the bait up until something bites the hook. Well, Jack gave me a really small one, smaller than any I had ever seen. He told me that when I met him, that was the size of his spirituality, that it was now like the ones upstairs on the shelf (which are 2-3 times bigger),and that it will be like the ones he has hanging from his back porch (which are 3-4 times bigger than the middle ones). He thanked me, and told me to keep in touch. We said goodbye, and then drove down to Lihue to spend the night at the ZL's pad, sleeping on the floor. Or atleast trying.
I got about 3 hours of sleep, and then we got ready and went to the airport. Three elders flew out early, and I waited by myself for my flight to O'ahu for about 2 hours. I landed in O'ahu, and managed to find the two elders headed out for Kaua'i. So, I filled my replacement in on some current standings, and got on my plane (alone again) to head for Hilo, and that is where I am now.
My new companion's name is Elder Aldridge (he is my sixth companion in six transfers), who lives just east of Hunter. He graduated in 08, and is actually cousins to the Smiths in our ward. He has been out the same amount of time as Elder Bagley and Elder Higley. He was actually Elder Higley's MTC companion. So, things have been a lot of fun out here. We are working hard, being effective, and having fun. We also are remembering times from back in West Valley. We live with two other elders: Elder Aranda (who has been out for almost 18 months, and is really awesome), and Elder Burner (who is a greenie). We live behind the Stake Center out here, in a nice, but old pad. It works great for missionaries though.
We had a really cool experience this last week. One of our wards (Kaumana) hasn't seen a baptisms in over a year. So, we decided we were going to spend time every day trying to find people in that ward. Well, Fridy, we tracted into a lady who used to be active, and was actually sealed to her parents in the Salt Lake temple. Her dad was a bishop at one time, but she went another way, and felt that nature was her new religion. We talked to her for a few minutes, gave her our number, and then continued on our way. Well, we were headed back to our car, slightly downhearted after running into a mean 7th day adventist, when we ran into a cool guy walking up the road. He lives in Seattle, so we gave him a pamphlet and got his information to send to missionaries in Seattle. Well, while we were talking to him, we got a call. When we listened to the message, it was from the lady we ran into. She was thinking, and realized that maybe we were sent from her dad (who has passed). She needed some help with the house, and decided it was time to look at the church again. We helped her on Saturday and talked to her friend (who is a non-member) and they both came to church yesterday. We are going to go see them later this week as well.
So, that is what has been going on in Hilo. It is very rainy out here most of the time. Hilo is actually the wettest city in the US (more than Seattle apparently), so it's going to be fun. Elder Aldridge and I are looking forward to a great transfer. I hope everyone is doing well, and that you are finally getting over your illness dad. Tell Savannah to get better. I love you all!
Elder Kidd
Yep, I've managed to avoid O'ahu for the time being. I am now on Big Island, otherwise known as Hawai'i. So, I've finally gotten to the true Hawaii. I actually live about 30 miles or so from a volcanoe as well. Sweet, huh? I think we are going to go by Big Island Candies today, so we'll see how good they are. Maybe everyone can send me money and I can get presents for everyone!
My area is in Hilo town. Half of the island is called Kona, and the other is Hilo, so I am in Hilo and in Hilo. It has been great so far. The area is a bit bigger than Kapa'a was, and more city like, but I still love it. It is a little more chill here, and the people are wonderful. We actually cover two wards. One is in an area that is a little less fortunate (meaning poorer). There are a lot of apartment buildings, which actually translates to a lot of opportunities to invite people to learn, which has turned into a lot of potential recently. The other area is a bit up the hill, and is a little wealthier. We have some good plans to get the members involved up there.
So, Tuesday was a sad day in Kapa'a. Elder Bagley and I spent the day running around and saying goodbye to all of the people we could. We went to Jack's that evening for a final farewell. It was an emotional parting. Jack, Tylor, Micah (the JW friend), and Dillon (one of Tylor's friends that we actually reactivated) were there. We had a good dinner, and then talked for a few minutes, and sang a song. Then, we had a final prayer which Jack asked me to offer. At the end, Jack, Tylor, Dillon, and myself were all in tears.
Before we left, Jack handed me a small glass ball, which is a buyoue(sp?) for a fish hook and bait that fisherman will leave out in the ocean, anchored to the floor. The ball floats, holding the bait up until something bites the hook. Well, Jack gave me a really small one, smaller than any I had ever seen. He told me that when I met him, that was the size of his spirituality, that it was now like the ones upstairs on the shelf (which are 2-3 times bigger),and that it will be like the ones he has hanging from his back porch (which are 3-4 times bigger than the middle ones). He thanked me, and told me to keep in touch. We said goodbye, and then drove down to Lihue to spend the night at the ZL's pad, sleeping on the floor. Or atleast trying.
I got about 3 hours of sleep, and then we got ready and went to the airport. Three elders flew out early, and I waited by myself for my flight to O'ahu for about 2 hours. I landed in O'ahu, and managed to find the two elders headed out for Kaua'i. So, I filled my replacement in on some current standings, and got on my plane (alone again) to head for Hilo, and that is where I am now.
My new companion's name is Elder Aldridge (he is my sixth companion in six transfers), who lives just east of Hunter. He graduated in 08, and is actually cousins to the Smiths in our ward. He has been out the same amount of time as Elder Bagley and Elder Higley. He was actually Elder Higley's MTC companion. So, things have been a lot of fun out here. We are working hard, being effective, and having fun. We also are remembering times from back in West Valley. We live with two other elders: Elder Aranda (who has been out for almost 18 months, and is really awesome), and Elder Burner (who is a greenie). We live behind the Stake Center out here, in a nice, but old pad. It works great for missionaries though.
We had a really cool experience this last week. One of our wards (Kaumana) hasn't seen a baptisms in over a year. So, we decided we were going to spend time every day trying to find people in that ward. Well, Fridy, we tracted into a lady who used to be active, and was actually sealed to her parents in the Salt Lake temple. Her dad was a bishop at one time, but she went another way, and felt that nature was her new religion. We talked to her for a few minutes, gave her our number, and then continued on our way. Well, we were headed back to our car, slightly downhearted after running into a mean 7th day adventist, when we ran into a cool guy walking up the road. He lives in Seattle, so we gave him a pamphlet and got his information to send to missionaries in Seattle. Well, while we were talking to him, we got a call. When we listened to the message, it was from the lady we ran into. She was thinking, and realized that maybe we were sent from her dad (who has passed). She needed some help with the house, and decided it was time to look at the church again. We helped her on Saturday and talked to her friend (who is a non-member) and they both came to church yesterday. We are going to go see them later this week as well.
So, that is what has been going on in Hilo. It is very rainy out here most of the time. Hilo is actually the wettest city in the US (more than Seattle apparently), so it's going to be fun. Elder Aldridge and I are looking forward to a great transfer. I hope everyone is doing well, and that you are finally getting over your illness dad. Tell Savannah to get better. I love you all!
Elder Kidd
03/09/09
Aloha, and aloha
As you may have guessed from the subject line (or maybe not) I am being transfered off of Kaua'i. I'll let you know next week where I land. I hope that dad's idea is right, and that I will end up out here in this ward again. I would really enjoy that. I love this ward out here, the people, and the area. I'm starting to feel like dad too, that I go to a ward, get things really moving, and then get transfered. But, whatever help I was able to offer, I am glad I was able to offer that.
Also, I will be getting a new companion. Yep, 6 for 6. I'm batting a perfect 1.000. I'm going to ask the mission president at my next interview if my companions are saying something to him. Do you think I am that hard on them?
This last week has been interesting though. First of all, Sandy got baptized yesterday. Yep, Tuesday night she met with our bishop and decided to get baptized into our ward... the following Sunday... which was yesterday. So, that was a wonderful experience (and I'm really being truthful). It was a bit stressful, and it took a little bit to get her happy with my companion and I so we could go, but it was a wonderful baptism, and I think she is making the right choices.
The thing that really made the baptism interesting happened last Wednesday while I was on exchanges in the other ward. My companion and our district leader went to Jack's house. While they were there, Sandy came, and there ended up being a huge fight. Elder Bagley wrote 8 pages in his journal about it. Crazy, eh? But, Sandy decided to keep on with her baptism, and I think that fight might have been the wake-up call she needed to really get things moving in the right direction.
Jack continues to progress, if a little slower than would be optimal. Hopefully whoever replaces me can really help him. I don't care when it happens, I just hope that Jack sees the need for baptism and can start his life in the right direction. We'll see tonight how he reacts to me being transfered.
Tylor is having a hard time right now. He knows the gospel is true, but is going through that wonderful teenage years of hormones and uncertainty, and all those other wonderful emotional things of the teenage years. I think he will pull through, and hopefully he can help his dad as well.
One other funny story that hopefully will have a happy ending, but I probably will never know... On my exchange with Elder Ioelu, (who happens to live about 3 miles from home in West Valley, and graduated with me from Hunter, but he was a jock so I never knew him...) who is a greenie, we knocked on one door, and the guy that answered seemed really nice. He said he was Christian and the like. We could hear kids in the background, so we introduced eternal families. He kept saying he was Christian, so in attempts to get him thinking, and to see if anyone else around would listen to us, I said "Well, if you don't want to be with your family forever, do you think anyone around here does?" Well, he didn't even register that I had said that, but he pointed out a couple of houses (no one was interested). I just hope he heard what I said and thinks about it and will learn one day. It sounded so harsh as I said it, but it felt right. I want to see this guy in heaven and see what he says.
I hope all is going well with everyone. I'm going to have to find a dentist and immunization place wherever I land. I love you all so much, and avoid crisco ; ) .
Elder Kidd
As you may have guessed from the subject line (or maybe not) I am being transfered off of Kaua'i. I'll let you know next week where I land. I hope that dad's idea is right, and that I will end up out here in this ward again. I would really enjoy that. I love this ward out here, the people, and the area. I'm starting to feel like dad too, that I go to a ward, get things really moving, and then get transfered. But, whatever help I was able to offer, I am glad I was able to offer that.
Also, I will be getting a new companion. Yep, 6 for 6. I'm batting a perfect 1.000. I'm going to ask the mission president at my next interview if my companions are saying something to him. Do you think I am that hard on them?
This last week has been interesting though. First of all, Sandy got baptized yesterday. Yep, Tuesday night she met with our bishop and decided to get baptized into our ward... the following Sunday... which was yesterday. So, that was a wonderful experience (and I'm really being truthful). It was a bit stressful, and it took a little bit to get her happy with my companion and I so we could go, but it was a wonderful baptism, and I think she is making the right choices.
The thing that really made the baptism interesting happened last Wednesday while I was on exchanges in the other ward. My companion and our district leader went to Jack's house. While they were there, Sandy came, and there ended up being a huge fight. Elder Bagley wrote 8 pages in his journal about it. Crazy, eh? But, Sandy decided to keep on with her baptism, and I think that fight might have been the wake-up call she needed to really get things moving in the right direction.
Jack continues to progress, if a little slower than would be optimal. Hopefully whoever replaces me can really help him. I don't care when it happens, I just hope that Jack sees the need for baptism and can start his life in the right direction. We'll see tonight how he reacts to me being transfered.
Tylor is having a hard time right now. He knows the gospel is true, but is going through that wonderful teenage years of hormones and uncertainty, and all those other wonderful emotional things of the teenage years. I think he will pull through, and hopefully he can help his dad as well.
One other funny story that hopefully will have a happy ending, but I probably will never know... On my exchange with Elder Ioelu, (who happens to live about 3 miles from home in West Valley, and graduated with me from Hunter, but he was a jock so I never knew him...) who is a greenie, we knocked on one door, and the guy that answered seemed really nice. He said he was Christian and the like. We could hear kids in the background, so we introduced eternal families. He kept saying he was Christian, so in attempts to get him thinking, and to see if anyone else around would listen to us, I said "Well, if you don't want to be with your family forever, do you think anyone around here does?" Well, he didn't even register that I had said that, but he pointed out a couple of houses (no one was interested). I just hope he heard what I said and thinks about it and will learn one day. It sounded so harsh as I said it, but it felt right. I want to see this guy in heaven and see what he says.
I hope all is going well with everyone. I'm going to have to find a dentist and immunization place wherever I land. I love you all so much, and avoid crisco ; ) .
Elder Kidd
02/23/09
Aloha
It sounds like it has been an interesting week for everyone that I have received emails from (meaning mom, dad, and heather). I hope everyone else is doing ok. Sure would be nice to know... ; )
So, the work on Kauai continues with some very interesting turns. Tylor had a baptism date, but with sickness and his mom flying to Colombia for a month, he was unable to make it to all the sacrament meetings he needed to. We are waiting to reset his date now until we know when his mom is going to be home because he wants her to be there. Since it was a family matter, and the church seems to be so big into families (I still don't understand why ;-) ) we figured that would be alright.
Jack continues to change his life a lot, and seems much more calm and focused things he needs to do in this life. He was unable to make it to church yesterday because once again he was working with Koa wood (for those that don't know, and just incase I didn't mention it last week, Koa wood is the most expensive wood in the world. His small little trailer load he estimated at about $10-15K) He did convince two of Tylor's friends to go to church with Tylor though. I think more and more he is starting to realize the church is true. He made the comment a couple nights ago about becoming a missionary himself around here.
Our biggest issue right now continues to be Sandy. We had a lesson this last week, and she snapped at us. Apparently she won't come to our ward if Jack is going to be there, and doesn't want us (meaning my comp and I) to teach her since we have spent so much time with Jack. So, she didn't come to church on Sunday, she still appears to be living in Jack's house (some nights, not all), and she is rude to everyone there (including us). So, we have given her to the other elders from the other ward that meets in our building, and wished them good luck. All this thrown in with the fact that she had been telling us that she was living the law of chastity, but we found out she hadn't, and we are not too terribly disappointed to see her being helped by other elders. It probably shouldn't be like this, but my companion and I are at our wits end, and are tired of trying to deal with her drama. Hopefully a clean slate with new elders will help her.
Brenda we are working delacatlely with right now. She doesn't seem too interested in having the lessons right now, but she continues to come to FHE and church (occasionally), so we are just going to give her scriptures to read in FHE. Hopefully she will come to the knowledge the church is true on her own since she doesn't seem to want us to help her. But we have high hopes!
As for the grandchildren we are teaching, we weren't able to teach them last week because two switch off weeks with their parents (parents are divorced), so we are going to meet with them this Tuesday and Thursday, and set a date that they can be baptized. I actually came up with an interesting way to teach the Plan of Salvation to them. I bought a Candyland game, and am changing the names of the characters to events in the Plan of Salvation. Lord Licorice has is Satan, and his licorice sticks are sin. I thought it was clever.
My companion and I continue to get along, but I am learning a little bit of patience. He is a wonderful son of God, but has some really interesting quirks about him. It is also really interesting to have to explain different things to him. He lived a very sheltered life at home, and it has kept him a little immature, but he is a wonderful elder all the same, and I love him. We are able to do good work, and I hope I am teaching him well. He does seem to be improving, so I will take that as a good sign.
One last cool thing that happened this week. We were over at Jack's house. He and I were sitting next to each other on the love seat. He told me, "You know, bra, if I don't make it to your ultimate goal of being baptized before you leave, don't feel bad. You have changed me so much, and I thank you for that." I think he is moving towards baptism though, and I really hope that i will be staying here for a while longer.
The last two sacrament meetings have had talks about strengthening marriages. Though I am not to that point yet, it was nice to learn things about love, and especially God's love. When we truely understand His love for us, it doesn't matter what happens to us in this life. We learn the true purpose, and we take everything in stride, trusting in Him. When we trust in Him, He will never let us fail. I love you all, thank you for your support, and remember that your Lord loves you.
Elder Kidd
It sounds like it has been an interesting week for everyone that I have received emails from (meaning mom, dad, and heather). I hope everyone else is doing ok. Sure would be nice to know... ; )
So, the work on Kauai continues with some very interesting turns. Tylor had a baptism date, but with sickness and his mom flying to Colombia for a month, he was unable to make it to all the sacrament meetings he needed to. We are waiting to reset his date now until we know when his mom is going to be home because he wants her to be there. Since it was a family matter, and the church seems to be so big into families (I still don't understand why ;-) ) we figured that would be alright.
Jack continues to change his life a lot, and seems much more calm and focused things he needs to do in this life. He was unable to make it to church yesterday because once again he was working with Koa wood (for those that don't know, and just incase I didn't mention it last week, Koa wood is the most expensive wood in the world. His small little trailer load he estimated at about $10-15K) He did convince two of Tylor's friends to go to church with Tylor though. I think more and more he is starting to realize the church is true. He made the comment a couple nights ago about becoming a missionary himself around here.
Our biggest issue right now continues to be Sandy. We had a lesson this last week, and she snapped at us. Apparently she won't come to our ward if Jack is going to be there, and doesn't want us (meaning my comp and I) to teach her since we have spent so much time with Jack. So, she didn't come to church on Sunday, she still appears to be living in Jack's house (some nights, not all), and she is rude to everyone there (including us). So, we have given her to the other elders from the other ward that meets in our building, and wished them good luck. All this thrown in with the fact that she had been telling us that she was living the law of chastity, but we found out she hadn't, and we are not too terribly disappointed to see her being helped by other elders. It probably shouldn't be like this, but my companion and I are at our wits end, and are tired of trying to deal with her drama. Hopefully a clean slate with new elders will help her.
Brenda we are working delacatlely with right now. She doesn't seem too interested in having the lessons right now, but she continues to come to FHE and church (occasionally), so we are just going to give her scriptures to read in FHE. Hopefully she will come to the knowledge the church is true on her own since she doesn't seem to want us to help her. But we have high hopes!
As for the grandchildren we are teaching, we weren't able to teach them last week because two switch off weeks with their parents (parents are divorced), so we are going to meet with them this Tuesday and Thursday, and set a date that they can be baptized. I actually came up with an interesting way to teach the Plan of Salvation to them. I bought a Candyland game, and am changing the names of the characters to events in the Plan of Salvation. Lord Licorice has is Satan, and his licorice sticks are sin. I thought it was clever.
My companion and I continue to get along, but I am learning a little bit of patience. He is a wonderful son of God, but has some really interesting quirks about him. It is also really interesting to have to explain different things to him. He lived a very sheltered life at home, and it has kept him a little immature, but he is a wonderful elder all the same, and I love him. We are able to do good work, and I hope I am teaching him well. He does seem to be improving, so I will take that as a good sign.
One last cool thing that happened this week. We were over at Jack's house. He and I were sitting next to each other on the love seat. He told me, "You know, bra, if I don't make it to your ultimate goal of being baptized before you leave, don't feel bad. You have changed me so much, and I thank you for that." I think he is moving towards baptism though, and I really hope that i will be staying here for a while longer.
The last two sacrament meetings have had talks about strengthening marriages. Though I am not to that point yet, it was nice to learn things about love, and especially God's love. When we truely understand His love for us, it doesn't matter what happens to us in this life. We learn the true purpose, and we take everything in stride, trusting in Him. When we trust in Him, He will never let us fail. I love you all, thank you for your support, and remember that your Lord loves you.
Elder Kidd
02/17/09
Aloha a day late
Yeah, sorry. It's a day late. Since yesterday was President's day, all the libraries were closed, and we weren't able to do our email. So, you get a wonderful Tuesday night (or Wednesday morning) surprise.
I'm afraid I have a bit of a headache at the current moment, so hopefully that won't come across as me being down in this email.
The last week has been an interesting one to say the very least. Lots of events happening, and not all completely good... or maybe will turn out to be good, we will have to see.
To start with our favorite three, Jack, Sandy, and Tylor. It seems that things finally boiled over in the house, and as far as we know, Sandy has moved out, or is in the process. Jack is tired of the drama, and is looking forward to who she can become becoming a member, and knows she needs to move out for that to happen. Sandy, on the other hand, seems to have been lying to us for a few weeks, so apparently we still have quite a bit of work. Tylor stays fantastic and strong. He is a great kid, but a little difficult to get him to focus at times. Were going to try to get him to play basketball with us tonight.
The interesting thing that happened occured on Friday night. We were at a valentines party at the church (guess we are a couple?) and we called to invite Jack. He came, but didn't want to come in. He said he was just going to stop by quickly, and asked me to make him a plate. Well, an hour and a half later, we had taught a little, learned a lot about Sandy, and laughed at some stories he has. He also made me promise him this last week that if he gets baptized after I go home, that I will fly back out to Hawaii to baptize him. That was a really special moment for me, to have him ask me that. He and I have also decided that we are going to write a book about his life. So, when he gets baptized, we can turn it into a religious book. "Jack Caneda, The Fisherman's Greatest Catch". He has some amazing stories, and through conversion on the end and it will be motivational as well.
The most exciting thing this last week was something completely different though. An older couple in our ward have two daughters who are starting to get active in the church again. And those two daughters have three daughters between them who are not baptised. So, we started teaching them this last week. They are really excited, and the moms want them to be baptized. In fact, I don't think there is a question in anyone's head if they will or not. They really liked the lesson, and they are looking forward to more lessons. We are teaching them twice every other week (two live with their dad every other week... bad divorce from the sounds of it), so we won't see them this week, but next week should go really well.
Like dad says, missionary work and teaching school are a lot alike. We see so often how people can reject something that will only help them in their lives, and we can't force it on them. We simply love them and try to do all we can for them. Then, when they do what they need to, it is all the more sweet for you.
Other than that, we continue being missionaries. We have our zone conference tomorrow, so that will be a lot of fun. Plus I am excited to see the new assistant to the president, since he was one of the zone leaders when I got to Kauai. Hehe, I'm going to have way too much fun with him tomorrow. As always, I hope everyone is doing well, I love you all, and thank you for the continued support!
Aloha
Elder Kidd
Yeah, sorry. It's a day late. Since yesterday was President's day, all the libraries were closed, and we weren't able to do our email. So, you get a wonderful Tuesday night (or Wednesday morning) surprise.
I'm afraid I have a bit of a headache at the current moment, so hopefully that won't come across as me being down in this email.
The last week has been an interesting one to say the very least. Lots of events happening, and not all completely good... or maybe will turn out to be good, we will have to see.
To start with our favorite three, Jack, Sandy, and Tylor. It seems that things finally boiled over in the house, and as far as we know, Sandy has moved out, or is in the process. Jack is tired of the drama, and is looking forward to who she can become becoming a member, and knows she needs to move out for that to happen. Sandy, on the other hand, seems to have been lying to us for a few weeks, so apparently we still have quite a bit of work. Tylor stays fantastic and strong. He is a great kid, but a little difficult to get him to focus at times. Were going to try to get him to play basketball with us tonight.
The interesting thing that happened occured on Friday night. We were at a valentines party at the church (guess we are a couple?) and we called to invite Jack. He came, but didn't want to come in. He said he was just going to stop by quickly, and asked me to make him a plate. Well, an hour and a half later, we had taught a little, learned a lot about Sandy, and laughed at some stories he has. He also made me promise him this last week that if he gets baptized after I go home, that I will fly back out to Hawaii to baptize him. That was a really special moment for me, to have him ask me that. He and I have also decided that we are going to write a book about his life. So, when he gets baptized, we can turn it into a religious book. "Jack Caneda, The Fisherman's Greatest Catch". He has some amazing stories, and through conversion on the end and it will be motivational as well.
The most exciting thing this last week was something completely different though. An older couple in our ward have two daughters who are starting to get active in the church again. And those two daughters have three daughters between them who are not baptised. So, we started teaching them this last week. They are really excited, and the moms want them to be baptized. In fact, I don't think there is a question in anyone's head if they will or not. They really liked the lesson, and they are looking forward to more lessons. We are teaching them twice every other week (two live with their dad every other week... bad divorce from the sounds of it), so we won't see them this week, but next week should go really well.
Like dad says, missionary work and teaching school are a lot alike. We see so often how people can reject something that will only help them in their lives, and we can't force it on them. We simply love them and try to do all we can for them. Then, when they do what they need to, it is all the more sweet for you.
Other than that, we continue being missionaries. We have our zone conference tomorrow, so that will be a lot of fun. Plus I am excited to see the new assistant to the president, since he was one of the zone leaders when I got to Kauai. Hehe, I'm going to have way too much fun with him tomorrow. As always, I hope everyone is doing well, I love you all, and thank you for the continued support!
Aloha
Elder Kidd
02/09/09
Aloha and Happy Valentines
Yes, what a wonderful week to think about those we love. I got an early dose on Saturday when a package arrived for me (thank you Aubree!). I have cookies now, so I guess I will continue working on getting fat out here... Actually, I have been pretty happy that I have been able to maintain my weight pretty well the last few weeks since I got to Kauai.
Anyways, life continues in Kapaa with some interesting experiences. I decided this last week that if Adrian Monk and Jar Jar Binks were to have a child, and that child loved to do yoga, it would be my companion, Elder Bagley. We are getting along well, but we are an interesting pair to say the least. He is from Centerville and doesn't think that he has any family from Koosherum (I've never been able to spell that right), so I doubt he is part of that clan.
Things continue to go with Jack, Sandy, and Tylor. Tylor was sick yesterday and wasn't able to come to church. Unfortunatley Jack took that excuse and went fishing all day. Like it has been said many times before, we can't force him (but how I wish we could). I just wish I could make him see the importance, and how what he is doing is going to do nothing but harm. Guess that is the joy of missionary work.
Sandy seems to progress, but I still get the feeling that she doesn't quite understand some of the teachings of the church. We continue to work with her, and hopefully she will be moving out of the house soon. I think her getting out will be the best for her, for Jack, and for Tylor. There is so much drama in that house so often that you can feel it push the spirit away.
As for Brenda, we actually hadn't seen much of her recently, and found out from her fellowshipper that she was kinda avoiding us. She loves family home evening, but felt church was too.... churchy (umm.... yeah). She did come yesterday, and seemed to enjoy it. It looks like it is going to take some time and work with her. But, thats what we do!
We were actually able to find quite a few people this last week. We ran into a part member/less active family that we started teaching the sons this last week, but the mom (non-member) is actually interested and starting to read the Book of Mormon. We are also starting to work with a couple people from a Thai family. There is a bit of a language barrier, but they seem to accept what we say.
We ran into an interesting lady this last week. I think she is either a less-active member, or excommunicated. She seems like she likes the church, but considers herself an escapee... oh well. She cut open a coconut and let us drink the coconut water inside, which is pretty good. By the end of our conversation with her, we concluded she was a hippy and really strange. We'll see what we can do to help her and maybe bring her back.
So, our big event for the week was a musical fireside we held last night. We had five different musical numbers, and four speakers. It was a really good evening, and we pushed hard for members to come and bring their non-member friends... Lets just say that we need to get our ward used to missionary firesides. We didn't have the greatest turn out, but it went well and those who were there liked it!
I hope you are all doing well and staying warm! I love you all and am so thankful for all your support and love! Stay strong, and remember that the Lord has put us where we need to be and when. We may not know why, but He does. Love you!
Elder Kidd
Mom, could you possibly find me the name of a dentist out here that is covered by the insurance so I can go get my 6 month cleaning? Thank you!
Yes, what a wonderful week to think about those we love. I got an early dose on Saturday when a package arrived for me (thank you Aubree!). I have cookies now, so I guess I will continue working on getting fat out here... Actually, I have been pretty happy that I have been able to maintain my weight pretty well the last few weeks since I got to Kauai.
Anyways, life continues in Kapaa with some interesting experiences. I decided this last week that if Adrian Monk and Jar Jar Binks were to have a child, and that child loved to do yoga, it would be my companion, Elder Bagley. We are getting along well, but we are an interesting pair to say the least. He is from Centerville and doesn't think that he has any family from Koosherum (I've never been able to spell that right), so I doubt he is part of that clan.
Things continue to go with Jack, Sandy, and Tylor. Tylor was sick yesterday and wasn't able to come to church. Unfortunatley Jack took that excuse and went fishing all day. Like it has been said many times before, we can't force him (but how I wish we could). I just wish I could make him see the importance, and how what he is doing is going to do nothing but harm. Guess that is the joy of missionary work.
Sandy seems to progress, but I still get the feeling that she doesn't quite understand some of the teachings of the church. We continue to work with her, and hopefully she will be moving out of the house soon. I think her getting out will be the best for her, for Jack, and for Tylor. There is so much drama in that house so often that you can feel it push the spirit away.
As for Brenda, we actually hadn't seen much of her recently, and found out from her fellowshipper that she was kinda avoiding us. She loves family home evening, but felt church was too.... churchy (umm.... yeah). She did come yesterday, and seemed to enjoy it. It looks like it is going to take some time and work with her. But, thats what we do!
We were actually able to find quite a few people this last week. We ran into a part member/less active family that we started teaching the sons this last week, but the mom (non-member) is actually interested and starting to read the Book of Mormon. We are also starting to work with a couple people from a Thai family. There is a bit of a language barrier, but they seem to accept what we say.
We ran into an interesting lady this last week. I think she is either a less-active member, or excommunicated. She seems like she likes the church, but considers herself an escapee... oh well. She cut open a coconut and let us drink the coconut water inside, which is pretty good. By the end of our conversation with her, we concluded she was a hippy and really strange. We'll see what we can do to help her and maybe bring her back.
So, our big event for the week was a musical fireside we held last night. We had five different musical numbers, and four speakers. It was a really good evening, and we pushed hard for members to come and bring their non-member friends... Lets just say that we need to get our ward used to missionary firesides. We didn't have the greatest turn out, but it went well and those who were there liked it!
I hope you are all doing well and staying warm! I love you all and am so thankful for all your support and love! Stay strong, and remember that the Lord has put us where we need to be and when. We may not know why, but He does. Love you!
Elder Kidd
Mom, could you possibly find me the name of a dentist out here that is covered by the insurance so I can go get my 6 month cleaning? Thank you!
02/09/09
Aloha Leavitts!
How is my favorite Leavitt family doing? It was wonderful to get all of your letters. I hope you don't mind getting an email as a response. This way you get it sooner!
Hawaii is great, and very warm. I do eat a lot of fish out here, but the thing I eat the most of is.... rice. We eat a lot of rice out here. With almost every meal. It is a staple food (meaning on of the main in the diet). Most people don't eat potatoes at all though. Also spam. The funniest part is that I am actually starting to like spam a bit.
So, I am actually not learning a language out here. I am speaking english. I do have to learn how to pronounce some names though. Like Kuamo'o does not sound like a cow sound. It sounds like coo (like a pigeon cooing) a (like a normal a in a sentance) mo (like, I want some mo'), and then one more o (like the letter name). Crazy huh?
It sounds like you are all having fun, but it is weird to think that you are going to take seminary Sydni. If you go to the high school seminary building for any reason, look for my picture on the big world map. And Kenzie, pick good classes. No more recess for you.
I hope you are all doing well. Thanks for your prayers, your letters, and support. Keep strong, and love the Lord.
Your uncle/brother/weirdo
Elder Kidd
How is my favorite Leavitt family doing? It was wonderful to get all of your letters. I hope you don't mind getting an email as a response. This way you get it sooner!
Hawaii is great, and very warm. I do eat a lot of fish out here, but the thing I eat the most of is.... rice. We eat a lot of rice out here. With almost every meal. It is a staple food (meaning on of the main in the diet). Most people don't eat potatoes at all though. Also spam. The funniest part is that I am actually starting to like spam a bit.
So, I am actually not learning a language out here. I am speaking english. I do have to learn how to pronounce some names though. Like Kuamo'o does not sound like a cow sound. It sounds like coo (like a pigeon cooing) a (like a normal a in a sentance) mo (like, I want some mo'), and then one more o (like the letter name). Crazy huh?
It sounds like you are all having fun, but it is weird to think that you are going to take seminary Sydni. If you go to the high school seminary building for any reason, look for my picture on the big world map. And Kenzie, pick good classes. No more recess for you.
I hope you are all doing well. Thanks for your prayers, your letters, and support. Keep strong, and love the Lord.
Your uncle/brother/weirdo
Elder Kidd
02/02/09
Alohas and happy birthdays
Well, happy birthday to everyone who has had a birthday that I didn't tell happy birthday (which means everyone in the last little bit). I hope you all had an enjoyable day, and know that I was in Hawaii celebrating your birthday... : )
So, life has changed quite a bit in the Kapaa 1st ward in only one week. Slightly contrary to your comment dad(I have been getting your emails, sorry I didn't mention that), I wasn't really getting along with Elder Higley at the end of my last transfer, so this new companion was actually exciting. His name is Elder Bagley. He is a wonderful kid, has a heart of gold, is more of a nerd than I am, and I love him. We are getting along really well, are working in unity, and are having quite a bit of success. He is really into computers (he built them for a while) and loves everyone. He is a bit awkward, but so am I. There really needs to be a spell checker on this program.
So, as for the success... Jack and Sandy both love Elder Bagley. They think he is wonderful. Sandy continues to progress, and really wants to be baptised. She might be able to move out of the house in about 2 weeks, so hopefully we will be baptising her in 5. We had a good lesson, and things seem to be going really well for her.
Jack continues to come along, and I think we finally got it through his head that he needs to pray and ask about the Book of Mormon. It seems so simple doesn't it? But we spent a bit of time discussing that last night, which led to the biggest miracle of the week...
We had started talking to Tylor, Jack's son when we went over. We had gone over a couple of times, and Tylor was the only one at home, so we would teach him. Well, we read the a couple chapters from the Book of Mormon with him, left him a couple to read, and committed him to pray. Well, last night while we were telling Jack he needs to pray, Jack turned to Tylor and asked him: "Have you read?"
"Yes"
"And you prayed about it."
"Yes"
"Did you get an answer?"
"Yeah"
"What, you gonna get baptised?"
"Yeah, what date?"
............
So, Tylor is going to be baptised on the 20th of February. It truely was a miracle. Jack still isn't sure yet, but I am sure that Tylor being baptised will definatley be something to get jack rolling in the right direction. The Lord works in His own way, and in His own time. It was so much more special for me because I have been here the whole 12 weeks we have been working with them, and to see a sincere desire shows that our work has not been in vain. Once again, it shows the power of the Book of Mormon as well.
So, things are moving well in that house now. We also have had some success trying to find people on our own. We have found some good potential investigators, but yesterday really was the all around miracle day. Aside from Tylor's story, and that he and Jack came to church, we had some good tracting experiences. We found one less-active family that used to be super-missionary minded that had a bad ward and stopped coming to church. Though they didn't come yesterday, I have a lot of hope and we are eating dinner with them on Wednesday.
We also found a family that seems really interested yesterday. The only problem is that they all speak Thai, and only about 3 speak english. They really seem interested in eternal families though, so we are finding some Thai Books of Mormon for them. We can only teach them about once a week because they are so busy though, so it may take some time.
As for other stuff, I love my water-pick for one. I don't think I will ever be able to make myself floss again. Also, I finished the book Jesus the Christ this morning, and it is really good for anyone who wants to study about the savior's life.
One really cool thing with this last transfer is that Elder Trujillo (I lived in the same pad as him for my first 8 weeks. He and I kept each other from going insane) is now on Kauai, so we are going to have way too much fun together. He is awesome, and we get along so well.
I hope all is going well on the home front. As always, remember the Lord, and at this time of economic trials, remember tithing. The Lord will never let us fail if we are doing all that He has asked of us. Tithing may seem hard when money is in short supply, but the Lord opens the windows of heaven and pours out blessings. Don't be afraid to do what He has asked. I love you all, and thanks for your support and love!
Elder Kidd
Well, happy birthday to everyone who has had a birthday that I didn't tell happy birthday (which means everyone in the last little bit). I hope you all had an enjoyable day, and know that I was in Hawaii celebrating your birthday... : )
So, life has changed quite a bit in the Kapaa 1st ward in only one week. Slightly contrary to your comment dad(I have been getting your emails, sorry I didn't mention that), I wasn't really getting along with Elder Higley at the end of my last transfer, so this new companion was actually exciting. His name is Elder Bagley. He is a wonderful kid, has a heart of gold, is more of a nerd than I am, and I love him. We are getting along really well, are working in unity, and are having quite a bit of success. He is really into computers (he built them for a while) and loves everyone. He is a bit awkward, but so am I. There really needs to be a spell checker on this program.
So, as for the success... Jack and Sandy both love Elder Bagley. They think he is wonderful. Sandy continues to progress, and really wants to be baptised. She might be able to move out of the house in about 2 weeks, so hopefully we will be baptising her in 5. We had a good lesson, and things seem to be going really well for her.
Jack continues to come along, and I think we finally got it through his head that he needs to pray and ask about the Book of Mormon. It seems so simple doesn't it? But we spent a bit of time discussing that last night, which led to the biggest miracle of the week...
We had started talking to Tylor, Jack's son when we went over. We had gone over a couple of times, and Tylor was the only one at home, so we would teach him. Well, we read the a couple chapters from the Book of Mormon with him, left him a couple to read, and committed him to pray. Well, last night while we were telling Jack he needs to pray, Jack turned to Tylor and asked him: "Have you read?"
"Yes"
"And you prayed about it."
"Yes"
"Did you get an answer?"
"Yeah"
"What, you gonna get baptised?"
"Yeah, what date?"
............
So, Tylor is going to be baptised on the 20th of February. It truely was a miracle. Jack still isn't sure yet, but I am sure that Tylor being baptised will definatley be something to get jack rolling in the right direction. The Lord works in His own way, and in His own time. It was so much more special for me because I have been here the whole 12 weeks we have been working with them, and to see a sincere desire shows that our work has not been in vain. Once again, it shows the power of the Book of Mormon as well.
So, things are moving well in that house now. We also have had some success trying to find people on our own. We have found some good potential investigators, but yesterday really was the all around miracle day. Aside from Tylor's story, and that he and Jack came to church, we had some good tracting experiences. We found one less-active family that used to be super-missionary minded that had a bad ward and stopped coming to church. Though they didn't come yesterday, I have a lot of hope and we are eating dinner with them on Wednesday.
We also found a family that seems really interested yesterday. The only problem is that they all speak Thai, and only about 3 speak english. They really seem interested in eternal families though, so we are finding some Thai Books of Mormon for them. We can only teach them about once a week because they are so busy though, so it may take some time.
As for other stuff, I love my water-pick for one. I don't think I will ever be able to make myself floss again. Also, I finished the book Jesus the Christ this morning, and it is really good for anyone who wants to study about the savior's life.
One really cool thing with this last transfer is that Elder Trujillo (I lived in the same pad as him for my first 8 weeks. He and I kept each other from going insane) is now on Kauai, so we are going to have way too much fun together. He is awesome, and we get along so well.
I hope all is going well on the home front. As always, remember the Lord, and at this time of economic trials, remember tithing. The Lord will never let us fail if we are doing all that He has asked of us. Tithing may seem hard when money is in short supply, but the Lord opens the windows of heaven and pours out blessings. Don't be afraid to do what He has asked. I love you all, and thanks for your support and love!
Elder Kidd
01/26/09
Aloha and transfers....
Six weeks have gone by since Elder Higley joined my life, and it is transfers again. We found out this morning that....(drumroll please...) I am staying in Kapa'a 1st ward, and he is transfering on the island somewhere. We all pretty much decided that means that he is going to Kekaha (an area they recently closed to move Elders to North Shore area). It is a walking/bike area, so he is rather happy about that. It will be sad to see him go, but I am sure he will do well. Now I am just wondering who in the world I am going to be with.
This last week brought about some interesting events. First of all, Sandy wants to get baptised, and understands the right reasons for it now. The biggest problem is that she is living with Jack, and they aren't about to get married. She has to have been living somewhere else for three weeks prior to her baptism. We hope she is making progress, but there is so much drama in that house, that I will tell you more about later.
I did get to see Brenda at FHE though, and she is doing well. She is reading, has questions, and promised me that she is not avoiding us, but is really busy, which I can believe. She wasn't able to come to church yesterday because she ran into a lady from the church she used to be part of, who wants to leave her husband because of the church. That religion is scarey, and is creating a lot of fun things for us. Brenda is watching out for that lady because she is terrified, so we could understand her not coming. We half hoped she would bring her to church, but I'm sure religion right now is not a fond thing in her mind. But, there is much potenial! Choke potential bra.
But, back to Jack and Sandy and that household since we are working so much with them. Wednesday we actually went over to do some service. Well, everyone was gone or leaving, so we let ourselves inside the house and proceeded to clean all the floors in the front room. They have two dogs that live inside, and are not the cleanest family, but fortunately it is all tile flooring. It still took us a good 2-3 hours though, but it looked great, and Jack is very grateful.
We also managed to get Jack, Sandy, and Rich (Jack's tenant who lives downstairs) to church yesterday. Rich is a fantastic kid and has a girlfriend that he wants to marry. Well, we thought she would come with him as well, but apparently she canceled last minute, which really bummed him out. He had a good talk with our bishop though, and got a priesthood blessing. He has so much potential right now.
Yet the drama continues with Jack and Sandy. Jack's son, Tylor, and Sandy's son, Keahi, don't get along. In fact, Keahi has a bad habit of stealing things from most people in the house, smoking, drugs, etc. and Sandy continues to turn a blind eye. Keahi is the reason that Jack came to church with bloody knuckles one week (they got in an argument, and Jack took out his frustrations on a DVD player...). So, Tylor came home from his mom's house last night and told Jack he needed a break from the house and he was going to live with his mom for a bit. Jack was really sad, but he understood why. He decided to go to an AA meeting, and Sandy started accusing him of things, so he got a bit upset. All we heard at first was that Tylor didn't want to live there anymore, and Jack was upset and said he was going to a meeting, so we rushed over to the house and called the other elders as well. Well, Jack went to the meeting, he was calm, but seriously mad at Sandy. He keeps saying he is trying to be loving like Christ, but Elder Higley and I felt prompted to remind him that Christ cleared the temple. We will see what happens, but hopefully Sandy will be moving out very soon, for both of their sakes. When that happens, I think both will do a lot better.
We did get Jack to finally accept that the Book of Mormon might be true yesterday though. We went over after church to see him, and read with him the story of Ammon. While we were reading, he told us he kept thinking that there was no way Joseph Smith could have made all of this up. He must have translated it. So, serious step forward. It is marvelous how reading the Book of Mormon really does change peoples lives, and their minds.
On a funny note, to commemorate my 6 month mark (and my district leader commemoration his 18 month mark) we both played pyro over Jack's nasty pool last friday. I burned my a tie that Elder York gave me (it really was hideous) and Elder Kaiser burned some pants we found in our pad that were really beat up. I used a lot of WD40, and he used some spray glue stuff. Well, mine was under control and fun, his turned into a fireball almost 10 feet high, and he dropped
the burning pants in the pool (where they continued to burn for a little bit). Then we went inside and watched the family slide show with Jack. The slide show was great! It was so fun to look back and remember and see what pictures made it in. I was just wishing at the end Tyler could have put a picture from Hawaii as the last frame with IZ singing somewhere over the rainbow. Jack really liked it, and noticed a lot of how the gospel has blessed our family. He was also
wondering if he could get the music from it on a cd... Tyler... please?
Thank you everyone for your support, prayers, more prayers, and more support. Remember the line part from Cast Away where we reflect on how we just keep living each day, and see what the tide brings in. Some times there are storms that bring nothing but sticks, logs, and other junk on the shore, but perhaps one day we may find a clam with a pearl inside, or a sail to help us sail through our current trials. The Lord uses what He uses to give us what we need. He knows us and loves us, and does what He can for us, but as Jack and Sandy show, He will not force happiness on us. We must make the effort to grab it and do everything we can for it, and then He will bless us. "Prove me herewith if I will not open up the windows of heaven and poor you out a blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it." It isn't just for tithing. He promises us that for every trial we go through. What a great Lord and Father we have.
I love you all. Remember the Lord in all you do, and thank you for all you do.
Elder Kidd
Six weeks have gone by since Elder Higley joined my life, and it is transfers again. We found out this morning that....(drumroll please...) I am staying in Kapa'a 1st ward, and he is transfering on the island somewhere. We all pretty much decided that means that he is going to Kekaha (an area they recently closed to move Elders to North Shore area). It is a walking/bike area, so he is rather happy about that. It will be sad to see him go, but I am sure he will do well. Now I am just wondering who in the world I am going to be with.
This last week brought about some interesting events. First of all, Sandy wants to get baptised, and understands the right reasons for it now. The biggest problem is that she is living with Jack, and they aren't about to get married. She has to have been living somewhere else for three weeks prior to her baptism. We hope she is making progress, but there is so much drama in that house, that I will tell you more about later.
I did get to see Brenda at FHE though, and she is doing well. She is reading, has questions, and promised me that she is not avoiding us, but is really busy, which I can believe. She wasn't able to come to church yesterday because she ran into a lady from the church she used to be part of, who wants to leave her husband because of the church. That religion is scarey, and is creating a lot of fun things for us. Brenda is watching out for that lady because she is terrified, so we could understand her not coming. We half hoped she would bring her to church, but I'm sure religion right now is not a fond thing in her mind. But, there is much potenial! Choke potential bra.
But, back to Jack and Sandy and that household since we are working so much with them. Wednesday we actually went over to do some service. Well, everyone was gone or leaving, so we let ourselves inside the house and proceeded to clean all the floors in the front room. They have two dogs that live inside, and are not the cleanest family, but fortunately it is all tile flooring. It still took us a good 2-3 hours though, but it looked great, and Jack is very grateful.
We also managed to get Jack, Sandy, and Rich (Jack's tenant who lives downstairs) to church yesterday. Rich is a fantastic kid and has a girlfriend that he wants to marry. Well, we thought she would come with him as well, but apparently she canceled last minute, which really bummed him out. He had a good talk with our bishop though, and got a priesthood blessing. He has so much potential right now.
Yet the drama continues with Jack and Sandy. Jack's son, Tylor, and Sandy's son, Keahi, don't get along. In fact, Keahi has a bad habit of stealing things from most people in the house, smoking, drugs, etc. and Sandy continues to turn a blind eye. Keahi is the reason that Jack came to church with bloody knuckles one week (they got in an argument, and Jack took out his frustrations on a DVD player...). So, Tylor came home from his mom's house last night and told Jack he needed a break from the house and he was going to live with his mom for a bit. Jack was really sad, but he understood why. He decided to go to an AA meeting, and Sandy started accusing him of things, so he got a bit upset. All we heard at first was that Tylor didn't want to live there anymore, and Jack was upset and said he was going to a meeting, so we rushed over to the house and called the other elders as well. Well, Jack went to the meeting, he was calm, but seriously mad at Sandy. He keeps saying he is trying to be loving like Christ, but Elder Higley and I felt prompted to remind him that Christ cleared the temple. We will see what happens, but hopefully Sandy will be moving out very soon, for both of their sakes. When that happens, I think both will do a lot better.
We did get Jack to finally accept that the Book of Mormon might be true yesterday though. We went over after church to see him, and read with him the story of Ammon. While we were reading, he told us he kept thinking that there was no way Joseph Smith could have made all of this up. He must have translated it. So, serious step forward. It is marvelous how reading the Book of Mormon really does change peoples lives, and their minds.
On a funny note, to commemorate my 6 month mark (and my district leader commemoration his 18 month mark) we both played pyro over Jack's nasty pool last friday. I burned my a tie that Elder York gave me (it really was hideous) and Elder Kaiser burned some pants we found in our pad that were really beat up. I used a lot of WD40, and he used some spray glue stuff. Well, mine was under control and fun, his turned into a fireball almost 10 feet high, and he dropped
the burning pants in the pool (where they continued to burn for a little bit). Then we went inside and watched the family slide show with Jack. The slide show was great! It was so fun to look back and remember and see what pictures made it in. I was just wishing at the end Tyler could have put a picture from Hawaii as the last frame with IZ singing somewhere over the rainbow. Jack really liked it, and noticed a lot of how the gospel has blessed our family. He was also
wondering if he could get the music from it on a cd... Tyler... please?
Thank you everyone for your support, prayers, more prayers, and more support. Remember the line part from Cast Away where we reflect on how we just keep living each day, and see what the tide brings in. Some times there are storms that bring nothing but sticks, logs, and other junk on the shore, but perhaps one day we may find a clam with a pearl inside, or a sail to help us sail through our current trials. The Lord uses what He uses to give us what we need. He knows us and loves us, and does what He can for us, but as Jack and Sandy show, He will not force happiness on us. We must make the effort to grab it and do everything we can for it, and then He will bless us. "Prove me herewith if I will not open up the windows of heaven and poor you out a blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it." It isn't just for tithing. He promises us that for every trial we go through. What a great Lord and Father we have.
I love you all. Remember the Lord in all you do, and thank you for all you do.
Elder Kidd
01/19/09
Aloha
As usual, aloha from beautiful Kauai. I have felt like a pansy lately because I was getting cold. Yeah, it was about 60 when I woke up yesterday, and we were freezing. One member did point out that aside from the blood thining out here, there is no insulation or heaters in houses, so we really feel it. Still, I'm sure I'm not going to get any pity from those that are in 32 or below
weather....
So, I didn't share about an experience that happened to me about two weeks ago, because I was asked to wait. A tourist couple came to the church looking for a time that they could come to church the next day. Luckily Elder Higley and I were eating dinner, so we were there. They asked, we told them, and came out to point them in the direction of the chapel. Well, as they were leaving, they asked Elder Higley where he was from, and then I asked where they were from.
"Utah."
"What part?"
"Salt Lake,"
"What part?"
"West Valley"
"Wow!" (high fives). "Where abouts?"
"Over by valley fair mall"
"Oh, I live out by about 6200 W" (I realize now that was way off, but that is
what I said)
"That's by my school, Hillside Elementary"
"That's where my mom works, Gloria Kidd"
"She's a secretary there! I teach there. I'm Mrs. Jackman" (formerly known as
Ms. Twitchel)
So, we proceded to talk, she wanted a picture, and asked me if i wanted to write a letter, so I wrote a very brief one and stuck it in an envelope with a 4 gb flash drive for my mom. What are the odds?
But, anyway. This last week has been an interesting one. We still haven't been able to meet with brenda recently, but hopefully I will see her tonight. We are actually doing a split tonight so that I can go to FHE and elder higley can teach Sandy. Sandy wants to be baptised, but doesn't see a need to be baptised... or basically, she wants to be a mormon, but doesn't know the church
is true. Hopefully elder higley can fix that tonight.
Our lesson with Jack and Sandy went well, but not so much for Sandy. We spent a lot of time talking about the spirit world and baptisms for the dead, hoping that Sandy would feel the spirit and want to have her daughter baptised. Well, she feels that her daughter was baptised catholic, and doesn't see a need for her to be baptised again... Problem... Jack on the other hand liked what we said, and though he is a little confused with some things right now, promised he would continue to learn and when he knew it was right, he would be baptised. He sees baptism as a big thing, and wants to know he is doing it for the right reason. The really cool thing was Jack's son, tyler, who shared with me a really special dream he had, and started crying after the lesson. He asked for a few minutes alone in the chapel, and when I looked back through the doors, he was praying. He is such a great kid, and has a lot of potential.
Other things went a little slow last week, but we continue to do all that we can for our investigators and members. Last friday we went and taught a less active lady with Keola Alalem (sometimes known as worthington). He is interesting, but is our ward missionary. The lesson went well, but the lady didn't come to church. She was baptised about ten years ago by two elders. One was Elder Cox from Hurricane, Utah. Sound familiar to anyone? Do we know this person? How small a world is it? I don't think they taught extremely well so that she
understood though, and it has made things difficult now.
Today is interesting. I am actually typing from the Allen's because the libraries are closed since it is Human Rights day. We might actually be going up with the family to a little pond where they will go swimming later (we'll relax). We'll see what happens. I hope everyone is doing well. I love you all so much and am thankful for your many prayers. Living the gospel brings so many blessings. Remember Captain Moroni: If all men had, were, and would be like unto Captain Moroni, the very power of Hell would have been shaken forever, and the devil never would have had power over the hearts of children of men. Let us all strive to be like unto Captain Moroni.
Elder Kidd
The beach in that picture I believe is on Kauai mom, but it is not a very good one, especially after the recent storms. It is covered in branches, but there are some better ones. Also, can anyone see if they can find the music for Voicemale's version of How firm a foundation? Thank you! Love you!
As usual, aloha from beautiful Kauai. I have felt like a pansy lately because I was getting cold. Yeah, it was about 60 when I woke up yesterday, and we were freezing. One member did point out that aside from the blood thining out here, there is no insulation or heaters in houses, so we really feel it. Still, I'm sure I'm not going to get any pity from those that are in 32 or below
weather....
So, I didn't share about an experience that happened to me about two weeks ago, because I was asked to wait. A tourist couple came to the church looking for a time that they could come to church the next day. Luckily Elder Higley and I were eating dinner, so we were there. They asked, we told them, and came out to point them in the direction of the chapel. Well, as they were leaving, they asked Elder Higley where he was from, and then I asked where they were from.
"Utah."
"What part?"
"Salt Lake,"
"What part?"
"West Valley"
"Wow!" (high fives). "Where abouts?"
"Over by valley fair mall"
"Oh, I live out by about 6200 W" (I realize now that was way off, but that is
what I said)
"That's by my school, Hillside Elementary"
"That's where my mom works, Gloria Kidd"
"She's a secretary there! I teach there. I'm Mrs. Jackman" (formerly known as
Ms. Twitchel)
So, we proceded to talk, she wanted a picture, and asked me if i wanted to write a letter, so I wrote a very brief one and stuck it in an envelope with a 4 gb flash drive for my mom. What are the odds?
But, anyway. This last week has been an interesting one. We still haven't been able to meet with brenda recently, but hopefully I will see her tonight. We are actually doing a split tonight so that I can go to FHE and elder higley can teach Sandy. Sandy wants to be baptised, but doesn't see a need to be baptised... or basically, she wants to be a mormon, but doesn't know the church
is true. Hopefully elder higley can fix that tonight.
Our lesson with Jack and Sandy went well, but not so much for Sandy. We spent a lot of time talking about the spirit world and baptisms for the dead, hoping that Sandy would feel the spirit and want to have her daughter baptised. Well, she feels that her daughter was baptised catholic, and doesn't see a need for her to be baptised again... Problem... Jack on the other hand liked what we said, and though he is a little confused with some things right now, promised he would continue to learn and when he knew it was right, he would be baptised. He sees baptism as a big thing, and wants to know he is doing it for the right reason. The really cool thing was Jack's son, tyler, who shared with me a really special dream he had, and started crying after the lesson. He asked for a few minutes alone in the chapel, and when I looked back through the doors, he was praying. He is such a great kid, and has a lot of potential.
Other things went a little slow last week, but we continue to do all that we can for our investigators and members. Last friday we went and taught a less active lady with Keola Alalem (sometimes known as worthington). He is interesting, but is our ward missionary. The lesson went well, but the lady didn't come to church. She was baptised about ten years ago by two elders. One was Elder Cox from Hurricane, Utah. Sound familiar to anyone? Do we know this person? How small a world is it? I don't think they taught extremely well so that she
understood though, and it has made things difficult now.
Today is interesting. I am actually typing from the Allen's because the libraries are closed since it is Human Rights day. We might actually be going up with the family to a little pond where they will go swimming later (we'll relax). We'll see what happens. I hope everyone is doing well. I love you all so much and am thankful for your many prayers. Living the gospel brings so many blessings. Remember Captain Moroni: If all men had, were, and would be like unto Captain Moroni, the very power of Hell would have been shaken forever, and the devil never would have had power over the hearts of children of men. Let us all strive to be like unto Captain Moroni.
Elder Kidd
The beach in that picture I believe is on Kauai mom, but it is not a very good one, especially after the recent storms. It is covered in branches, but there are some better ones. Also, can anyone see if they can find the music for Voicemale's version of How firm a foundation? Thank you! Love you!
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
01/12/09
Aloha!!
It has definately been an interesting week. Elder Higley and I are still getting along well, and are starting to make some good strides. The work in our ward is really starting to get rolling, and the members are starting to get excited about it as well. A lot of them are worried about the economy, but I think missionary work helps soothe some of those worries.
Anyways, the big event this last week was zone conference on Wednesday. The spirit was very strong, and I think everyone left more determined to be the best they could. The next day Elder Higley and I spent about 4 hours planning for this week and the rest of our time in Kapaa. We set a lot of goals and commitments. We also really studied for a lesson with Jack and Sandy that we are going to have this next Wednesday. With the death of the daughter, Jack and Sandy are both really wondering what happens after we die, so we are going to have a nice long lesson with them in the chapel to answer that question.
Something really interesting (and fairly scarey) happened yesterday. Elder Higley called Jack to make sure he was coming to church. All Jack said when he picked up the phone was "I'm pao" meaning I'm done. Then he hung up. We didn't know what was going on, but we were nervous to call back. Sandy was in sacrament meeting, but Jack wasn't. She told us that he was working with Micah (the Jehova Witness friend). We were still worried that he didn't want to talk to us anymore, but figured we couldn't do anything while at church but pray. Before sacrament meeting was over, though, I saw Jack walking outside of the chapel. After sacrament finished, Elder Higley and I went to try to find him. Elder HIgley found him sitting in a truck, and told me. I was on my way over when our bishop found me and asked about him. We both started for the truck, and noticed that Sandy was right by it and looked really worried, and Jack looked very serious. When bishop and I got there, I realized that his knuckles were all cut up. Our bishop talked to him, and they went into the bishops office. He later told us that they talked for a long time, bishop gave Jack a blessing, and his whole countinence changed at the end. We called last night, and he was busy, but we are really looking forward to teaching him again on Wednesday, or seeing him tomorrow.
While Jack was in with the bishop, Sandy was talking to Bro. Thronus (who introduced Elder York and I to her so long ago). They talked about baptism, and she really wants to learn more about the church and perhaps be baptised. Elder Higley and I are extremely excited now.
Unfortunately, Elder Higley and I were not able to teach Brenda last week, and she didn't come to church. We haven't been able to get ahold of her, but she should be at FHE tonight, so we can talk to her then. She was still nice towards us last time we called. I am just hoping that something came up and she is still ok. I still have a really good feeling about Brenda.
So, mail has finally been figured out, and it is back on its usual track. I got my package last Thursday (technically it arrived on Wednesday, but I couldn't pick it up until Thursday) and thank you so much! I am guessing that the twinkies are from stacie, and I know the m&ms were from Tiff, but I have no idea where the others were given from. But thank you all! I actually opened it at a members house, and the wife took pictures of me as I opened it. She found it
absolutely hilarious.
Today is going to be a fun day. After we finish doing email, we are on our way to the chapel in a town called Kaleheo, which has a really steep hill. They have set up a water slide there, and we are going to have some fun. I bought some board shorts this morning specifically for it. They have done it before, and said that it was a blast.
I hope everyone is doing well. I look forward to seeing the family DVD when it arrives. Thank you everyone for your prayers and support. I pray for you all, and love you. Keep your faith in the Lord, and miricles happen.
Elder Kidd
It has definately been an interesting week. Elder Higley and I are still getting along well, and are starting to make some good strides. The work in our ward is really starting to get rolling, and the members are starting to get excited about it as well. A lot of them are worried about the economy, but I think missionary work helps soothe some of those worries.
Anyways, the big event this last week was zone conference on Wednesday. The spirit was very strong, and I think everyone left more determined to be the best they could. The next day Elder Higley and I spent about 4 hours planning for this week and the rest of our time in Kapaa. We set a lot of goals and commitments. We also really studied for a lesson with Jack and Sandy that we are going to have this next Wednesday. With the death of the daughter, Jack and Sandy are both really wondering what happens after we die, so we are going to have a nice long lesson with them in the chapel to answer that question.
Something really interesting (and fairly scarey) happened yesterday. Elder Higley called Jack to make sure he was coming to church. All Jack said when he picked up the phone was "I'm pao" meaning I'm done. Then he hung up. We didn't know what was going on, but we were nervous to call back. Sandy was in sacrament meeting, but Jack wasn't. She told us that he was working with Micah (the Jehova Witness friend). We were still worried that he didn't want to talk to us anymore, but figured we couldn't do anything while at church but pray. Before sacrament meeting was over, though, I saw Jack walking outside of the chapel. After sacrament finished, Elder Higley and I went to try to find him. Elder HIgley found him sitting in a truck, and told me. I was on my way over when our bishop found me and asked about him. We both started for the truck, and noticed that Sandy was right by it and looked really worried, and Jack looked very serious. When bishop and I got there, I realized that his knuckles were all cut up. Our bishop talked to him, and they went into the bishops office. He later told us that they talked for a long time, bishop gave Jack a blessing, and his whole countinence changed at the end. We called last night, and he was busy, but we are really looking forward to teaching him again on Wednesday, or seeing him tomorrow.
While Jack was in with the bishop, Sandy was talking to Bro. Thronus (who introduced Elder York and I to her so long ago). They talked about baptism, and she really wants to learn more about the church and perhaps be baptised. Elder Higley and I are extremely excited now.
Unfortunately, Elder Higley and I were not able to teach Brenda last week, and she didn't come to church. We haven't been able to get ahold of her, but she should be at FHE tonight, so we can talk to her then. She was still nice towards us last time we called. I am just hoping that something came up and she is still ok. I still have a really good feeling about Brenda.
So, mail has finally been figured out, and it is back on its usual track. I got my package last Thursday (technically it arrived on Wednesday, but I couldn't pick it up until Thursday) and thank you so much! I am guessing that the twinkies are from stacie, and I know the m&ms were from Tiff, but I have no idea where the others were given from. But thank you all! I actually opened it at a members house, and the wife took pictures of me as I opened it. She found it
absolutely hilarious.
Today is going to be a fun day. After we finish doing email, we are on our way to the chapel in a town called Kaleheo, which has a really steep hill. They have set up a water slide there, and we are going to have some fun. I bought some board shorts this morning specifically for it. They have done it before, and said that it was a blast.
I hope everyone is doing well. I look forward to seeing the family DVD when it arrives. Thank you everyone for your prayers and support. I pray for you all, and love you. Keep your faith in the Lord, and miricles happen.
Elder Kidd
01/05/09
Aloha from no snow....
Sorry, I just had to say that. And now I say HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
Now that I got those out of my system, Hawaii is still great. Kauai is still beautiful. It looks a little gloomy outside, but I guess with 70 degree weather, I can't complain.
This last week was an interesting week. Brenda came to our family home evening night on Monday evening, and she is really interesed. We actually were able to have a lesson with her on Saturday, and she really liked what we said. She used to belong to a different church with a false prophet that led the church. He told the congregation at one time that he was God in the flesh... and he threatened (in front of the congregation) to kill Brenda's 15 year old daughter because Brenda wouldn't let him marry her off. So, she ran away, and when her husband wouldn't, they got divorced. Now she is very skeptical about religions, but she loves everything about the church. She said to me yesterday at chruch that she will probably be at church every week. Now we just have to teach her about baptism so that she knows that there are more blessings that can come, and covenants we need to make with our Heavenly Father. She already knows about the Word of Wisdom, tithing, etc. and likes them as well. She shines she is so golden.
Jack and Sandy continue to progress slowly. We were finally able to sit down and have a real lesson with both of them this last tuesday night. They had a lot of questions, but the spirit was present, and they said they would read. Unfortunately they didn't come to church yesterday, but we will continue to work with them and help them out. They are starting to read the book of Mormon, which is fantastic. Jack just needs to go at his own pace, and he will find out for himself. I think he knows deep down inside that he will join, he just wants to know what he is doing before he jumps into the water, which is what I would prefer.
This last week was able to resolve a lot (if not all) of the concerns between myself and my companion. On Wednesday morning, we went out to do some tracting. The morning had had a spirit of contention, so we didn't have the Spirit at all. I tried to let him lead, hoping the spirit would lead him (as I was so irritated I knew it wasn't with me) but apparently he was upset as well. He looked around for a bit and said, "Lets just go back to the car, this isn't going to do any
good." So, we walked back to the car, drove back to the pad, and then had a good heart to heart. I callled him out on some things, he asked me to do some things, and we left with a feeling of love between us (FINALLY!!) and things have been so much better. We are having fun now, and are having success. He is settling down, and isn't trying to catch me on every little thing I do, and I feel like he is listening now to me as well. On my part, I am taking special care to make sure he understands what we are doing at all time, helping him learn, and not laughing at his "Greenie" moments. Ahh, so much happier.
It was nice to get that taken care of so that we could enjoy New Year's Eve. We went down to Lihue to hang with the other elders and to spend the night. Before we went down, we stopped by the post office, and elder Higley had received 7 letters (six from his girlfriend, and one from a cousin) and I got one from Aubree (that had been sent 12 days before), so our mail is completely messed up right now, which would explain why my Christmas package still hasn't arrived...
But that night... we all got together and watched Prince Caspian, and Kung Fu Panda. I was slightely dissapointed we couldn't watch Wall.e, but what you gonna do bra? Then we went outside to watch fireworks. Fireworks on new years eve in Hawaii are insane. They actually have to put a limit of 20,000 fireworks per person. Yes, 20,000. They have all sorts of illegal fireworks that go off the whole night as well, but no one cares. The air is so full of smoke it can
make it difficult to see and breathe. It was amazing, and a lot of fun. After that we went to bed, but put on Home Alone to fall asleep to, which i stayed up and watched the whole thing.
The next day we weren't to do any prosolyting, so we played basketball and hung with the elders for most of the morning. When we went home, elder Higley just feel asleep and rested for a while. At 6 we went to the Allen's home again, ate dinner, and watched a movie with them... or rather elder higley and I started to watch one together, and he left to watch the other one part way through.
So, that is the excitement in Kauai. I hope everyone is doing well. It seems for me I just got out of the rainstorm, and I am using the sun I have now to grow all that I can. As for the weather, it looks like another storm just rolled in. I hope everyone is safe with the snow (or whatever weather may be like where you are). I love you all. Remember the Lord watches over us all,
and will not let us face more than we are able. The Second Coming is near, let us be prepared for it.
Elder Kidd
Sorry, I just had to say that. And now I say HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
Now that I got those out of my system, Hawaii is still great. Kauai is still beautiful. It looks a little gloomy outside, but I guess with 70 degree weather, I can't complain.
This last week was an interesting week. Brenda came to our family home evening night on Monday evening, and she is really interesed. We actually were able to have a lesson with her on Saturday, and she really liked what we said. She used to belong to a different church with a false prophet that led the church. He told the congregation at one time that he was God in the flesh... and he threatened (in front of the congregation) to kill Brenda's 15 year old daughter because Brenda wouldn't let him marry her off. So, she ran away, and when her husband wouldn't, they got divorced. Now she is very skeptical about religions, but she loves everything about the church. She said to me yesterday at chruch that she will probably be at church every week. Now we just have to teach her about baptism so that she knows that there are more blessings that can come, and covenants we need to make with our Heavenly Father. She already knows about the Word of Wisdom, tithing, etc. and likes them as well. She shines she is so golden.
Jack and Sandy continue to progress slowly. We were finally able to sit down and have a real lesson with both of them this last tuesday night. They had a lot of questions, but the spirit was present, and they said they would read. Unfortunately they didn't come to church yesterday, but we will continue to work with them and help them out. They are starting to read the book of Mormon, which is fantastic. Jack just needs to go at his own pace, and he will find out for himself. I think he knows deep down inside that he will join, he just wants to know what he is doing before he jumps into the water, which is what I would prefer.
This last week was able to resolve a lot (if not all) of the concerns between myself and my companion. On Wednesday morning, we went out to do some tracting. The morning had had a spirit of contention, so we didn't have the Spirit at all. I tried to let him lead, hoping the spirit would lead him (as I was so irritated I knew it wasn't with me) but apparently he was upset as well. He looked around for a bit and said, "Lets just go back to the car, this isn't going to do any
good." So, we walked back to the car, drove back to the pad, and then had a good heart to heart. I callled him out on some things, he asked me to do some things, and we left with a feeling of love between us (FINALLY!!) and things have been so much better. We are having fun now, and are having success. He is settling down, and isn't trying to catch me on every little thing I do, and I feel like he is listening now to me as well. On my part, I am taking special care to make sure he understands what we are doing at all time, helping him learn, and not laughing at his "Greenie" moments. Ahh, so much happier.
It was nice to get that taken care of so that we could enjoy New Year's Eve. We went down to Lihue to hang with the other elders and to spend the night. Before we went down, we stopped by the post office, and elder Higley had received 7 letters (six from his girlfriend, and one from a cousin) and I got one from Aubree (that had been sent 12 days before), so our mail is completely messed up right now, which would explain why my Christmas package still hasn't arrived...
But that night... we all got together and watched Prince Caspian, and Kung Fu Panda. I was slightely dissapointed we couldn't watch Wall.e, but what you gonna do bra? Then we went outside to watch fireworks. Fireworks on new years eve in Hawaii are insane. They actually have to put a limit of 20,000 fireworks per person. Yes, 20,000. They have all sorts of illegal fireworks that go off the whole night as well, but no one cares. The air is so full of smoke it can
make it difficult to see and breathe. It was amazing, and a lot of fun. After that we went to bed, but put on Home Alone to fall asleep to, which i stayed up and watched the whole thing.
The next day we weren't to do any prosolyting, so we played basketball and hung with the elders for most of the morning. When we went home, elder Higley just feel asleep and rested for a while. At 6 we went to the Allen's home again, ate dinner, and watched a movie with them... or rather elder higley and I started to watch one together, and he left to watch the other one part way through.
So, that is the excitement in Kauai. I hope everyone is doing well. It seems for me I just got out of the rainstorm, and I am using the sun I have now to grow all that I can. As for the weather, it looks like another storm just rolled in. I hope everyone is safe with the snow (or whatever weather may be like where you are). I love you all. Remember the Lord watches over us all,
and will not let us face more than we are able. The Second Coming is near, let us be prepared for it.
Elder Kidd
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