Week 19- Paint Spots

Aloha Ohana and Haoaloha,

 

This week seems like it was forever ago but I guess that it all happened since the last time that I wrote. On Monday we had exchanges. In a normal mission one person from a companionship switches with another person in a different companionship. Well the Hawaii mission is a bit different and the Maui zone is even more different because our zone covers 3 islands. So we had 2 Sisters come to Lanai on Monday night. It was a bit interesting because 2 people barely fit in our pad and so the other companionship slept in the cultural hall. 

 



We took some pictures when we were done painting.  As you
can see, Sister Duke and I are the cool Sisters with funny faces
and the other ones are too cute to make funny faces. :-P

The next day was full of service. We started by helping a guy build a green house- we started making the foundation by digging cinder blocks into the ground. (Not how I would make a green house but then again I would never care to make one in the first place...) Then after that we got a call from a member who needed our help painting. Aka we painted a room that her husband had built onto the house. It was pretty well built and it looked good when we were done. I'm pretty sure that all of my basketball shorts now have paint spots on them. Though I think the principle is the same as having scarred and calloused hands. Those hands show that your life has been full of helping and serving others. Dirt-stained, paint-splattered shorts show the same that I have been out in the service of others. After our sweaty hours of service we cleaned up really quickly and went out to see a few people. Miracle of the day. Sister Willis (from Maui) and I went to go see Flora. Usually if we don't catch her coming home she wont come to the door but today her door was open and she came outside to talk to us. We had a really good talk with her about baptism and asked her to pray and really think about being baptized. I just don't understand why she has been coming all of these 20 years and wont get baptized. She honestly is the only person who is making herself so unhappy, and she refuses to see that she is a good person and a daughter of God.

 

Adventure of the week: Sister Duke and I discovered Haole camp, meaning white-persons' camp. Aka the really rich part of the island. Shoot those houses are nice! Unfortunately no one wanted to pray with us so I couldn't ask my really awkward question of, "Can I just look at your house?" We told some of our members that we just discovered Haole camp and they were amazed that it took us this long but in our defense there are only 2 roads that go up there. We were just knocking on doors and then we found a road that just kept going up and so of course we had to follow it up and it took us to the infamous Haole camp. 

 

Saturday was full of more service: we have a family that is moving :( and so they were having a garage sale so we went over early morning to help set up and bring stuff out to sell and then we had a branch clean up. So back to the church we helped clean the building for the Branch Conference that was happening the following day. After a few hours cleaning up we went back to Avegalios to help finish up their garage sale. We helped move a few heavier objects. (Sisters are often underestimated for how much weight we can actually lift. I'm not that strong... this just isn't that heavy...) Everything that didn't sell went over to the thrift shops that Alberta runs (one of the bazillion things that she runs). Then we went over to President Fernandez's house to help him clean fish because Sister Duke and I are pros now ;) After that we went over to the Purple Church ( I have no idea what denomination they actually were but the building foreclosed and was recently bought by someone else and the church was painted purple- hence the nickname Purple Church). The new owner said that Alberta could have all of the stuff inside to sell at her thrift shop (it's called "Where the Cats Meow" its a great name). We helped move out all of the stuff inside the church and I swear they must have loved peanut butter because we found like 10 jars of it! Boxes of Bibles and I was glad to find a Mormon pass along card! We left it there :) That night we made banana bread for our Branch Conference Potluck. 

Making pankeke

Sunday: Branch Confernece and of course potluck! It wouldnt be Lanai without a potluck big enough to feed the whole island! And yes my banana bread is as big of a hit here in Lanai as it is back home and in Provo. Later that day we met an awesome guy named Charlie. He is 75, Japanese and so funny. I think we stood talking for 2 hours at least! I LOVED TALKING TO HIM! He said he likes banana bread so the next time we make some we will take him some. For moms out there he loves you. Being a mom is the hardest job in the world. To my mom he said that you raised me right and you did. A mom's job never stops- she is working all day long- spending her nights rocking her fussy child back to sleep. He pointed out that at minimum wage in Hawaii at $9.25 an hour they would bring more money than most husband out there. After my sore legs walked themselves out we went to Elaines for dinner. Elaine is 18 and is the only active member here and her family is all back in Samoa. She is an amazing girl and we went over and made a mismatch of food but it was so yummy. I learned how to make pankeke (basically go to Dennys and get their Hush Puppies and thats what I learned how to make Samoan style) My first attempt of getting it into a perfect sphere was a mess - batter kinda flew a few different directions haha. But I got it down towards the end. 

Now its back to monday and we have already been out serving again helping move boxes! "When ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God." (Mosiah 2:17). I love to serve others. I love others and when you love others you just want to help. Loving others has come easy and Im sure there are so many more that I will just come to love. My heart keeps growing so I can keep loving more and wanting to love more. God is good ALWAYS! Love keeps this world worth living in. Serving others show others there is love, when there is love there is hope. Hold to the hope and we can make it through anything! Aloha uwau ia oe! 

Love Always, 

Sister Cassidy Jean Lang