Courageous Devotion - Comes From Food & Beverage

A couple of Saturdays ago the Food & Beverage Department held their annual devotional. It was a wonderful experience for all who attended. The speakers were especially inspirational.

Taylor Young was faced with the challenge of being courageous when her father died while she was still a young girl. She described being a teen who missed her dad, and making the decision to come to BYU-H. The transition was difficult, and has taken much courage, but she is finding great blessings. "We all have small moments of courage," she said.

"I am inspired by the dishwashers and BBQ Lunch Crew," she continued. She explained how the dishwashers make it a point to fulfill their job. Even after a hard day they push to complete their responsibilities. She then highlighted the BBQ Lunch crew. “They have great experiences, because they choose to portray a positive and enduring attitude.”

President Peter F. Uchdorf, during his visit to the PCC last week,  stated that our 'efforts will be bless if we continue in faith". Taylor takes great courage in this promise. She is very proud of the entire crew for their faith and their courage.

Imeleta Coffin is both a returned missionary and a convert to the Church. She discussed the importance of moral values, quoting our prophet, Thomas S. Monson, who said "...in order for us to make the correct decisions, courage is needed—the courage to say no when we should, the courage to say yes when that is appropriate, the courage to do the right thing because it is right."

She compared the act of courage like unto Nephi, when commanded to return to Jerusalem to obtain the plates. He did not waiver, but went and did as his father told him to do.

Imelta also had to face fear and make a decision based on faith, even though it was very hard. She was raised in a devoutly Catholic family. Her father went to Mass every day. When she decided to go on a mission, she went to her father to tell him of her decision. He was very angry and told her "if you leave, you are no longer my daughter."

She had to choose whether to stay and be a daughter to her dad or go to do what the Lord wanted her to do. She had faith that the Lord would touch her father’s heart in the future.

After her mission, she went home. When she arrived at the house, her father asked her to come over and sit by him. She was surprised, because she expected him never to speak to her again. He told her "I am proud that you came home and served with honor".

"You are not still mad," she asked him?

He placed his arm around her and asked if she would go to his baptism the next day, while she was still ordained a missionary.

Two years later, she was attending school here at BYU-Hawaii when she received a call that her father had passed away. This has been very difficult, but she is so grateful for the gospel in her family’s life.

Imelta explained that Jesus Christ gave her the courage to push through. After all, it was Jesus Christ, in the Garden who had the courage to take upon Him the sins of the entire world.

Siniteke Fotu is from Tonga. She talked about how nervous she was the first day of work at the PCC Food & Beverage Department. "I thought, I hope I won't cut off my finger,” she explained. “It was not long before I found that I loved my job".

She shared a great quote: "With hope you gain courage. With courage you gain confidence. With confidence you will find that there are no limits to what you can do."

She told us that "we may come without knowing how to do our jobs, but because of our willingness, we learn so fast. Some of us are happy to receive a paycheck, some are happy for the experience, but all of us feel nervous. Maybe we worry about how to respond to a guest, or how to cook the food".

"Small and simple things make great things come to pass," she said. "When we have courage, everything is possible." (Alma 37.5)

The last speaker was our recently retired VP of Operations, Logo Apelo. He gave the students great words of encouragement. "It takes courage to do whatever it takes to get an education. Look at all of the people depicted on the art work in the murals on the wall," he instructed. "It took courage for these people to build this place so that you and I can have a better future." He thanked the students for their courage to do what is right and advised us all that "with the spirit of our ancestors, we all work to make sure that the PCC will continue on. We've faced tough times all these 50 years", he reminded us.  "Do you know how we survived? Through the courage of our employees."

Logo finished with these words: "Let's do everything we can and leave the rest to the Lord."

And with those amazing words ringing in our ears - and with our hearts full of gratitude and inspiration, we headed off to feast and dance.

Chef serving our Administrators

One of his marvelous creations (fish)

   

A quick note regarding Fifita Unga, head of F&B. This is a woman of grace, courage and an amazingly level head. She is a mentor and example to her staff. She is exacting in what she wants - which is for her department to be as good as they possibly can. She starts at the top, with herself, by giving her whole heart and best effort. We all love and respect her very much.

The Hardest Part of a Mission

I protest! This is not good planning. Today was the farewell of 3 - count them....THREE of the sister missionaries that work in my office. A few weeks ago Sister Miller left and now, the other three sisters in my office are leaving me too.

I can't believe they would do this to me, seriously.

Okay, so it's not all about me (except in this blog....where let's be serious, it's TOTALLY about me - oh, and that hero of mine. It's about him too.)

But lets get back to the subject at hand.

My friends are leaving and I am staying - here in....oh yeah......Paradise. Okay, I'll quit whining. But I can't promise to like it. I will REFUSE to like it. I'll wish them well, and smile and even be excited for them. But I ain't gonna like it!

It all started with Monday's Family Home Evening, where Sisters Bisson, Cummings and Edginton gave their farewell talks. It's like this for every returning missionary. They get an opportunity to say a few words, then we sing Aloha Oe (and cry a LOT) and then line up and hug and cry some more. Personally, I spent most of that evening staring at the ceiling - because looking at any of these ladies would start the waterworks.

Sister Bisson

Sister Cummings

Sister Edginton

Singing Aloha Oe

Elder Jones waiting for his turn to hug and sniffle.

Today's Luncheon - Thank yous and praise all around

The good-byes continued throughout this week ending with the big farewell luncheon today. So many people showed up, there was no room left in the Board Room. That's how loved these women are.

with President Grace

So I end this pity party with an explanation of how I really feel - both about the experience of being away from my own family and the special circumstances of these great women I serve with as expressed in a cultural belief I shared in Devotional last week:

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Radiate the Spirit – I live to radiate the spirit of God every day in every way

We refer to this particular Cultural Belief the most often – probably because it is the first one on the list. But I wanted to take a different angle on this subject this morning, if you will indulge me.

There is nothing quite like the look on the face of one of the missionaries, especially the sister missionaries, when they start talking about their families.  This is particularly true when a family member is coming to Hawaii for a visit. We women get downright giddy about it.

Yes, it is difficult for us to leave them and come to this little island in the middle of the sea. But we have been promised that sweet blessings will come from that sacrifice.

I personally received direct instruction from the Lord that if I were to place my trust in Him, exercise faith, and serve with my whole heart, that my family would be blessed abundantly. And so they have. The miracles in their lives have been beyond my wildest dreams. I have been so humbled. I am so blessed.

So we missionaries, on top of all the wonderful blessings that come from serving a mission, also feel great joy in how our missions serve our families.

A missionary never stands alone. Even though our precious family is not physically here beside us, they are truly here in spirit, backing us every day.... praying for us, calling and writing to us, loving us every step of the way.

…and I have discovered – and I say this with great reverence – that this support does not just come from our family members here on Earth.

I can testify that I have felt the presence of our loved ones who have left this Earth also. This is especially true of the beautiful single sisters who serve us. 

My dear friends, I want you to know, first off, that I never think of you as “single”. Your loved one is here too – supporting, loving and blessing you for honoring your eternal union. I see their influence. I feel the united strength you two built and how it has made you the great warrior that you are. I feel them here, right now, working with you, side by side. Their spirit radiates from your heart, and it is magnificent to behold.

How grateful I am for eternal families – for the gift, the promise and the blessings they bring.

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....and just to be clear - how extremely grateful am I for the blessing of these angels in my life. Oh, I really will miss them so. Keep in touch, dear friends. And God's speed!

One Year Later....Our Missionary Report - of sorts

One year ago today we walked into the MTC. We left behind the worldly things like mortgages, jobs, even television. I remember that I was actually shaking, I was so scared. It was like walking into another universe - and as excited as I was, I was also so worried about measuring up.

Elder Jones, on the other hand, was as calm as ever. He just doesn't let things ruffle him.

So here we are, one year later - a year of ups and downs. Days I've been so tired, my legs could hardly carry me. Nights without sleep. Tears on the pillow. Sweat so heavy my skin actually gets crusty. Sundays when I think "I just want one Sacrament Meeting where I can actually hear the speaker over the crying babies." One day at work where I don't say something silly or lose something or greet a colleague by the wrong name. Yep - there are definitely some challenges out there.

But life is about challenges, and fortitude and resolve and faith. Without challenges, life would be very dull indeed.

I saw a quote last night that said "There are two types of tired, I suppose one is a dire need of sleep. The other is a dire need of peace." I've felt both. Yes, a mission - as well as marriage, service, crack-of-dawn exercising, praying, hoping....and now caretaking of a big ol house on the beach....it can all be so very exhausting and overwhelming.

But I wouldn't trade this experience for the world.

I could have been assigned to the deep, dark jungles of Africa, or the cold and barren hills of Siberia, and I still wouldn't trade it for the world.

As Elder Jeffrey R. Holland said, "if for a while the harder you try, the harder it gets, take heart. So it has been with the best people who ever lived."

I think about the people I admire most. Each one of them have been sorely tested, and through this amazing process of life, became mentally stronger while miraculously letting their hearts become softer. 

Yes, I can do this...and I LOVE doing this. 

I love sitting next to my visiting teaching partner - a lovely young mother from Korea as we visit our assigned sisters from the ward. I always give the lesson, and because she feels limited in her language skills, she always shares a simple hymn. Such a pure voice. It's like a sweet moment of quiet joy for me - every month. 

I love shaking hands with the children in our ward. They all seem to get this serious look on their face, like they are performing a sacred duty. Shake the missionary's hand, look down at their toes and say in a low voice "good morning, Sister". So adorable.

I love walking into the temple - one of the only places in the world where my mind actually lets me relax (sometimes too much, as I tend to fall asleep at the most inopportune times). I feel so connected to my loved ones on the other side of mortality - who I miss so very much. I feel so connected to my Lord - and rejoice every time I learn something new about His ministry and His love for me and my family.

I love the Polynesian Cultural Center where I serve. The beauty and the spirit of it humbles me every day. It is an awesome wonder how Heavenly Father has created this great blessing for the world.

I love serving with the other missionaries, young and old. I just love them so much, I can't think of words to describe it.

I love my mission. I begin to dread when it will be over. I hope the next 9 months don't zoom by as quickly as these first 12 have. I want to drink in this great blessing. Soak up this love. Radiate this light that has been given for us to share.

This morning I went for my run on the beach and dip in the ocean. It was a good day to bring my camera. Somehow, I think this picture says it all - this sums up my mission to me:

Sunrise

Ocean waves

Light reflected

Rocky shoreline

Cool water

Stunning colors

A few clouds

Husband waiting patiently for me to come back in...

A moment of peace

Yet still kicking to keep my head above water.....

- all of it equals Paradise to me.

Me - kicking away. LOVE this new FinePix Camera!

Honu Heroes!

We have been having a marvelous, fantastic, lovely and enjoyable time with our son and his wife here in Paradise.  Havilah was able to stay for one week. Mike stayed for another week longer. There has been snorkeling, touring, climbing, eating, eating, eating, work (both at PCC and at our home) and lots and lots of beach time.

Today, as a last hurrah, Mike and Ron thought they would go see if they could make it out to Goat Island, just north of us along the beach. I wimped out.

I got home just in time to hear a fantastic story and thought you all would enjoy it too!

So the guys were heading out to Goat Island, but found that it was just too rough, so they just snorkeled around the coral.  As he was talking, Mike showed me this picture:

Yeah, his finger got in the way - but what he was looking at was some great coral.

He then turned around and saw a.....

SEA TURTLE = or as we call it here on the islands, A HONU! 

And right behind the sea turtle was Dad.

What in the world was Dad doing?  Oh, wait. He was holding on to something.

That something turned out to be fishing line. It was wrapped around the turtle. Not just a little,

mind you. It was wrapped around and around her flippers, her neck, more flippers, back to the neck. She was completely wrapped up in it.

They tried to get it off, but it was impossible. Oh to have that diving knife Elder Jones has been coveting. But even if he did, he could not have done anything with that much string under water. He tried to hold on to the turtle, but she was having none of that, so he took her as gently as he could, rolled her onto her back - placing her head above water and onto his chest and began to swim towards the shore.

Trouble is, that fishing line was not only tangled on her, it was tangled in the coral. This is where Michael came in. He work hard to hold slack on the line so it wouldn't cut into the turtle as Elder Jones made his way to the beach. After a while, Michael was able to break the line - hurrah!

They saw a family out on the beach and called out "do you have a knife?" They hauled the turtle up onto the beach, still sunny-side up, and soon a razor blade knife appeared.  The grandmother of the family seemed to know exactly where to cut and how. Soon the turtle was free.

But was she okay? Elder Jones inspected and found small abrasions on one flipper, but no deep wounds. She seemed tired and confused - but otherwise - miraculously in good shape. 

 They turned her over and placed her at the water's edge, but the waves were slapping her around. This approach was not working.

So, back onto Elder Jones' chest she went, out into the ocean. He knew if she didn't respond well soon, they would have to call the local conservation volunteers. But as he got past the breakers and turned her over, he said she perked up and BAM - shot out into the ocean like a bullet...full of energy and one purpose of thought - to get away from these crazy creatures and back to the safety of deep water.

It was a perfect end to a great visit. We love our honus! Elder Jones was told a Japanese fable of a turtle once saved by a kindly villager. Later that honu came back to repay the villager for their kindness. "Maybe," she said "this turtle will come back and visit you someday."

How fun that would be! We love our honus!

Note: It is illegal throughout the US to harass, hold on to, ride, climb on, pet or bother sea turtles. It comes with up to a $2,000 fine and up to 30 days in jail. But in this case, the NOAA states: 

Line entanglement around flippers, head or neck is the greatest threat to sea turtles from hook and line fisheries. Fisherman are encouraged – at the moment an accidental interaction occurs – to please help remove and limit the amount of line left on reefs or left trailing an animal after being cut loose. 

So, congratulations, Ron and Michael Jones, for being the heroes of the day and the heroes of my heart. You get the Good Doo-bee Award and I am sure, the gratitude of a happy and healthy honu out there in our bay.

We promised big news - and here it is!

An opportunity has come our way that proves that the hand of the Lord is in control. We stumbled across a house, on the beach here in Laie that was in need of a new caretaker. After much prayer and soul searching, we have decided to take on the care of the house - in addition to our missionary duties, of course.

This 7 bedroom, 5 bath house, is co-owned by 28 families.  It includes a 2 bedroom/1 bath apartment. We will live in that apartment. It's not new, and rust is an ever present problem that will make life interesting, attacking anything metal, including cars, (oh NO, MARVIN! Will he survive???), machinery, computers, tvs, appliances, faucets, doorknobs and hinges. Yep - EVERYTHING. Also, there is a very well used famous beach right next to the house. Earplugs may become a part of the nightly routine. But hey, it's workable.

The caretaker duties are pretty straight forward. Every two weeks a different family comes to stay in the house. They stay for 13 days.  During their stay, the only caretaker requirement is to maintain the landscaping. We have 6 – 7 hours to clean the house top to bottom in between when people go and when the next ones come.  General maintenance of the house is needed on Saturdays, which includes yard work.

The other part of the chores is the occasional need to come pick up or drop off a family at the airport. There is a 14 passenger van provided for that.

The greatest advantage for us is a living rent free in exchange for our services. The apartment comes fully furnished and we are even allowed to use the staples provided, such as detergent, cleaners, tools and equipment.

This is a great, great blessing to Elder Jones and I. Of course, it does not come without sacrifice. We will be working even harder as we are determined not to let any of our missionary duties lag. 

Another blessing, as if all of this wasn't enough. We have one more year for our mission. After that year is over, we can choose to convert to volunteer status at the Polynesian Cultural Center and continue serving here for the time period we choose.  The departments that we work for want us to stay and are very supportive of this opportunity. They are thrilled that we want to stay longer.

It gets better! The current caretakers have family here and have actually asked if they could come take over for a month or so every few months, allowing us to travel. It's like a dream come true for us. A means and a way for us to live on our limited savings, go hiking about in other lands AND live in paradise. 

How long will we stay? Only time will tell, though it appears that two years seem to be the norm.

The hardest part for me is leaving the family we have grown to love like our own. I don't think I could do it if it wasn't for the fact that we're only going to be about 3 blocks away (well, and because it was clear that we were suppose to do this). The apartment is going to be held by the mission and they have full intentions of placing new missionaries here soon - we have a number of new couples coming in during the next couple of months. They had BETTER be super good ones! The Kalamas deserve no less.

It wasn't our plan, but it appears that it was the Lord's plan. So here we are - for a bit more. We greatly appreciate your prayers and support. We start this Wednesday and oh how I want it to work out beautifully. Like I said, it won't be easy, but it sure will be an experience! Ron has dreamt of living on the beach his whole life. I felt bad trying to keep his expectations for such a thing low. How wonderful that Heavenly Father felt that those dreams had merit.

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In other news, as if this wasn't enough, I just finished getting my diving certification. What an adventure!

But, as much as my beloved would hope otherwise, all I can say is "I'm glad I did it, but I don't think its for me". Mainly because I got so seasick each time I went out. It's not the underwater part. It's bobbing around on the surface strapped to crazy, heavy equipment and a blow up vest that did me in....lol.

A little visit from a local before we jump in the water

Ron - in underwater heaven

Our instructor -with a crabby little friend

Nina trying to decide what she really thinks about all this

Tongan Devotional and Pickled Mangoes

Today was the Tongan Devotional. Each of the 6 villages holds a devotional every year. June is always Tonga.

We missionaries have come to love these events. There are always talks by the students about what they have been learning by going to school and working here in Laie. They are so humble and inspiring. We Americans forget how blessed we are to have the plenty that has been poured upon us. These students speak of living in poverty, many times without electricity or running water. They talk about the opportunity to come here, and how difficult it is at first to live in a completely foreign society, but also how wonderful it is to have a piece of home with them every time they come to work.

Here are a few pictures of today's devotional:

We started with a flag raising ceremony

We sang hymns in Tongan

We listened to speakers.  Siope Tafuna spoke on mamahi'i me'a, or Loyalty. He related how King Taufaʿahau became the first Christian ruler of Tonga and the courage he displayed when he placed his people under one God. The King stated, "God and this kingdom are my heritage."

Siope Lani Tautua'a spoke on loto to, or humility. She joked that she is known as the loudest and most talkative one of the village, but then she spoke about Queen Salote, who humbled herself while attending Queen Elizabeth's coronation, and how that humility and love of country helped others to become interested in her beloved island nation. She stated that she was very grateful for the examples of humility that influences her as she serves at the PCC.

The subject of Faka'apa'apa or respect was handled by Etuate Cocker who conveyed how he learned to recognize through working at the Tongan village how much his father sacrificed to raise him and his siblings. His father's love and care was a true example of respect for his family.

Akanesi Ahonima presented the virtue of tauhi va or maintaining relationships. This could be your relationship with God, with family and friends. It could be everyone around you. How can you accomplish this? By loving one another. There is no other commandment greater than this.

After we were greatly inspired, we were greatly fed. Elder Jones and I are getting used to all of the various Polynesian dishes. Hey, I even ate Tongan raw fish, and LIKED it! There was also this amazing coconut bread in a caramel sauce. Soooooooooo good!

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One other fun activity happened last weekend. I was given the assignment to pick mangoes and make pickle mangoes. Normally this is not a difficult assignment, but I had to take it a step further and try different varieties, menus and methods.  I now have pickle mangoes coming out of my ears....or at least my fridge.

Here's the funny part.  I appears that Elder Jones has a bad reaction to mango sap. This is actually not unheard of....except by us.  The mango plant is from the same family that gives us poison oak. So, for the last week Elder Jones wakes up, takes a shower and (don't ask me why it happens this way), comes out looking like Popeye - one eye squeezed shut, tingly lips, and itching like mad. Benedryl keeps him sane, but let me tell you, we are SURROUNDED by ripening mango, so I am trying to keep things clean, clear and away from him. For those who know him, you will know that the most difficult part is keeping HIM away from the mangoes. He loves em! Swollen lips be danged!

He's so fun.

Anyway, I blogged about my experience making pickle mango, along with providing two recipes for them in our Shop! Polynesia online Food Blog. Take a look if you are interested:

http://shop.polynesia.com/blog/mango

We have a big announcement in a couple of weeks and I will be blogging about my upcoming Scuba Diving certification class (Elder Jones conned me into it....and yes, I am a nervous wreck!!)

We're still having a GREAT TIME over here. Drop us a line sometime!