Brothers and Sister Aloha,
Thank you so much for all the support and love you have shown me in the letters you have sent me. I thoroughly enjoy reading them. They are like Christmas presents every time!
What an exciting week it has been as always. This week has been far the best though as in our companionship unity. We finally have made each others weaknesses become strengths. But sense it's been 6 weeks, it's transfers. Therefore as soon as I finally figure our my companion he gets transferred this Wed. Now I get the responsibility of running the area for the first while while my new companion adjusts. I don't know who my companion will be till Wed. when I pick him up at the airport. But Ka'u is huge, the area of Ka'u is as big as Oahu, land wise. I definitely feel inadequacy but that's when the faith is put into place and you see how God works through you. I'm definitely going to miss my companion Elder Salima from western Samoa. I've learned far beyond what I could of imagined. Especially life long traits, like patience. He taught me very well by example of how to teach, by going to heaven and asking inspired questions, speaking slowly with love and passion behind, along with applying everything to the needs of the individual. As we are really teaching people not lessons.
I don't know if i talked much about who Billy is, but we taught him twice this week. Not only that we got members to come out with us. The ward is making big progress. But Billy's wife passed away 2 months ago and he has had kidney stones for the last 3 months. He was telling me how much pain he was going through, Physically, Emotionally, Spiritually... Obviously he ran into missionary's in kona on work break, got taught at his boss's house then referred to us sense he lives in our area. We've got to know him very well, the frist lesson about the restoration was great, but the next lesson on the Book Of Mormon and Prayer was a very spiritual high. We'll see how he does on his commitments of reading the chapter we left him.
In the Planation out side our house and the church we harvested hundreds of carrots and other things that don't grow in utah. After our long 4 hours of harvesting on Saturday, we got to watch my companion climb the coconut tree's and knock all of the coconuts down. Then see how he slices it with the machete and drink the juice inside. For a how-lie (someone not of the islands) it was a awesome thing to watch, I gave it a try but it's harder then it looks. The juice was great but obviously an acquired taste. I had one and a half and my companion, Bishop, and uncle Andy all had 3-4.
We had dinner with Bishop again this week and we got talkin story for quite a while, and got to hear his life story and conversion. He was the number one drug dealer in Ka'u making bank, telling all kind of stories of how it was like, sense I was interested in different life styles. He shared how powerful his conversion was and 6 years later being 29 he's the bishop, doing an incredible job getting the ward to where it needs to be. Getting order put back to where it should be.
Last for the best, this p-day we got to go to the Lava Flow by Pahoa. where the Lava goes into the ocean. It was gorgeous! We were walking on dried lava and got to where it was flowing out and into the ocean. Something that can't be explained but truly a magnificent thing to watch.
Have a safe week! Alofa ia te oe
Love,
Elder Gardner
No comments:
Post a Comment