Week 14

Aloha Ohana and Friends,

    I am still trying to learn what the Hawaiian word for friend is.
    This week I have been thinking a lot about miracles. I have come to learn that we find what we are looking for. Miracles are all around us, both big and small, we just have to look for them and recognize that they are miracles. The Lord is always showing us that He loves us with small tender mercies everyday. I remember in Provo walking home on my birthday this past year... I had nothing planned- my big day was just another day- I felt a little bummed and was kicking a rock just thinking about who knows what- then the story about President Monson telling the man to look up came to mind- so instead of kicking the rock and trying to step on every leaf I looked up. There was a beautiful sunset. And as dumb as it may sound I started to cry- here I was getting ready to throw myself a pity party and I look up and God is there telling me Happy Birthday! There is no greater miracle than that- knowing that God, my Heavenly Father, the Omnipotent thought of me and just wanted to tell me He loved me and knew it was my birthday.
     Why I told that story- I am not sure. I know that life gets hard and sometimes we feel lost in all the commotion of the world but there are a few people who will never forget us. They are Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father. They are always telling us that they love us and are thinking of us- all we have to do is look.

Sarona is one of the cutest kids here.  We are really close with
the Seiuli family.  We watch the local basketball
league with them every Monday for FHE.

      We have started doing service for an older lady who lives at the hospital- she cannot walk or control her hands- once a week we will read to her. She has a cheery attitude and it is a miracle to me that she can stay happy even though she cannot move on her own. We have started teaching a young girl, Raven, who is 18 and pregnant. Her boyfriend is starting to come back to church. Raven wants to be baptized but we have to set a date with her. It is a miracle that she has so much courage to be living away from home, learning about the gospel of Jesus Christ, is preparing to get married, and has a child on the way. She is a miracle to me that she is not just breaking down from everything that is happening ( I would be freaking out ! ) People are miracles- how they handle all the different trials that come their way. They never give up but keep fighting because that is what has to be done. The other day we met with a less active - we found him on the old man's bench. There are 2 pavilions at the park, one for the old men and the other is for the old ladies but anyone sits there. Well we were told that John is always on the old man's bench and he was. We chatted with him and then the 2 other guys there. One a chain smoker, John hates questions and has the best laugh, Conner loves to swear and drink but is nice ( I think I would prefer a little less of the f word ) Basically all they do everyday is sit and watch the ladies walk by... One girl walks by and Conner says, "Wow, she's hott!" looks at us "Is it wrong to notice her beauty?" We tell him no but you have to respect her for the daughter of God that she is. We then tell him about how we are missionaries and we tell him about how we read the Book of Mormon everyday. He asks to see it because he already knows what it says. I hand him mine and he starts flipping to random pages and reading random verses. Well, this is what he reads: 1) "the same that looketh at a women to lust after her hath committed adultery" 2) mind your mouth 3) Alma 32 the part about the seed and if the seed be good then we need to continue to nourish it. He hands the Book of Mormon back and I am astonished. The Book of Mormon is a miracle- Connor randomly opened to scriptures that will help him more closely follow Jesus Christ and I had nothing to do with it. The Lord did it all.

     Along with miracles- I have been thinking of all the miracles I have seen so far on my mission. Brandon Avegalio was baptized on March 16, Shaun Langsi was baptized on April 12. A little over a week ago, Sister Duke and I went to Maui for the day for District Meeting. Well, we ended up being dropped off at the ferry 2 hours early. We started doing the tourist thing and looked at all the shops. Sister Duke started to go into a boutique and I thought, "I think this is a little out of our price range," but followed her inside. The lady working started talking to us and we found out that she has a lot of friends that are Mormons. Kaili (the worker) has a really good friend out on a mission and writes him every so often. I asked Kaili if she would allow the Sister missionaries that are over her area to come and visit with her and teach her about the gospel so she can know what her friend does everyday. She said that she would love that. Well about 5 days later we get a call from the Sisters who met with Kaili. Kaili will be baptized on April 29th. A miracle that I got to help make. A bigger kind of miracle.
     Yesterday, we were out tracting and knocked into a man's house. We asked him, Jim, if we could pray with him- he didn't know how to pray but said that it would be fine with him. We ask if there is anything or anyone specific that he would like us to include in the prayer- immediately he mentions a friend who is struggling. We pray for him, say amen, and Jim is crying. The Spirit was there and no he is not getting baptized yet. He thanked us and told us that he wasn't sure if we could come back but that he would call us. At first, I was so upset, wondering if I had asked the wrong question after the prayer that had made him give us the Spirit back, or what I had done wrong. Then, the Spirit came to me and just placed the thought, "Did you do everything by the Spirit" "Yes" "Then you did your part". At this time I don't know what the outcome with Jim will be- whether he will allow baptism to help change his life and bring him the greatest peace and happiness or if he will never want to know more. But, I do know that that prayer that we said with Jim was a miracle to me. It was God once again telling me that He knows me, He cares, and He is accepting my efforts as small as they may be.
    I love this work! It is the best! It is hard but great! We are all called to the work to be missionaries- whether in the field or as a member missionary we are called. There is always someone that we can help and lift. Maybe being a parent is the only thing that can compare to being a missionary. You see those you love grow and make changes, sometimes there are times that you want to quit or scream but then a moment of pure sweetness comes and all the moments of frustration are washed away and you are ready to start again! That is how missionary work is. I know there have already been frustrating moments but those are not the ones that I remember it is the times when I noticed the miracles around me. The moments that I saw God's love for me. Miracles are there just open your eyes and look. Aloha ovua ia oe!
Love Always,
    Sister Cassidy Lang