Another Week in Paradise. . .
January 6, 2025
The sunrises here are always unique. The changing of the waves coming in, the tide, and the clouds. The horizon isn’t flat as you can see. At times it seems like a straight line, and then there are these times when the clouds give it a look of a mountain ( I get homesick then) and these as a cityscape. BUT, it is the flat end of the world with the water/ocean at the end.
Monday Office Day, CARE meetings and student visits and meetings. We get to end the day at Ukulele lessons with Elder Thompson and our fellow senior missionaries.
January 7, 2025
The Winter Semester 2025 is just getting started. Tomorrow is the first day of classes. So there is a lot of activity at the office and with the Dean of Students as there are holds to satisfy and continuing stress and commitments that some of the students struggle with.
We received our Christmas package from home:
We ended the day with our neighbors and friends the Gathrights at LeiLei’s in Turtle Bay with a wonderful celebration dinner:
Wednesday, January 8, 2025
Another beautiful start with a morning walk:
Mis-step on the way down, darn what a not fun way to start the first day of school:
Thank Goodness we have all of these from my Achilles experience.
He stayed off of it all day. First day of school for Winter Semester 2025. More meetings and visits with students. Transitions for those incoming freshmen students. It is a privilege to be here on campus and working with these students.
10:30pm – call and return to campus. . . A couple is distress. . .
Long day on campus, rain on the way home:
Thursday, January 9, 2025
No Sunrise walk, . . Didn’t get home until almost midnight. . .but, my turn for devotional at the counseling center staff meeting. . . 9am
In the October 2024 General Conference, Elder Ronald A. Rasband said:
“The Savior is not absent from our mortal journeys. For the past two days we have heard Him speak through His chosen leaders that we might draw closer to Him. Time and again, with His pure love and mercy, He sustains us as we face the drama of life. Nephi describes: “My God hath been my support; he hath led me though mine afflictions. … He hath filled me with his love.”
Brothers and sisters, we need to do more lifting and less murmuring, more upholding the word of the Lord, His ways, and His prophet, who has said: “One of our greatest challenges today is distinguishing between the truths of God and the counterfeits of Satan. That is why the Lord warned us to ‘pray always, … that [we] may conquer Satan, and … escape the hands of the servants of Satan that do uphold [the adversary’s] work’ [Doctrine and Covenants 10:5; emphasis added].”
We all need to be lifted up by the Lord with peace, with comfort, and most of all with personal revelation to counter the fear, darkness, and contention encompassing the world.”
The Savior doesn’t judge us or begrudge us. He knows life is messy. He loves to help heal our hurts.
Friday, January 10, 2025
This was a day of adventure!
One of the students needed to travel to Honolulu for a dental procedure. Elder Hudnall had the car today to take the Gathrights to the airport. So, we ( the students and I) took The Bus. I wanted to show pictures, but I can’t take pictures of all our activities.
We got on #60 The Bus at the La’ie Foodland stop at 6:04am. They had an 8am appointment in Honolulu. It was an interesting 2 hour ride to travel that 32 miles. Thankfully it coincided a bit with the airport trip. We had breakfast at Zippy’s while we waited for the Toyota Prius to chauffeur us back to La’ie. Gratefully it was a one way bus trip and return Prius Trip.!
We made it back by noon for our Elder Brown Bag Luncheon and the Sister Lunch Bunch Friday get to get her.
Office took up the remainder of the afternoon and we made it to our 5:30pm temple endowment session. It was so nice to be there, our friends The Timothy’s were celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary.
FaceTime with Mindy ended the evening and a little homesickness
Saturday, January 11, 2025
This was our P-Day – Morning Walk – Bike Ride around La’ie. We found the La’ie Cemetery. Not the Pioneer one behind the Temple. It is an amazing site:
Finish the chores, clean up and off to Haleiwa for Lunch, then around the island for groceries and gas:
Finishing the day with Friends, Card and Fudge. . .
Sunday, January 12, 2025
Early start with District Leader interviews at the Mission office:
Before our church at 8am. Elder Hudnall is looking spiffy with his Grandkid Socks:
And we finished the day with homemade Chicken Pot Pie (cobbler)
Sending you all well wishes and looking forward to another busy week. I came across this quote from President Thomas S. Monson that I have put up on my wall to keep reminding myself:
Of others, but also of ourself. . . Thank Goodness we can repent and keep trying. Our Savior Jesus Christ has made that possible. I am a recipient of his love and sacrifice and I am always trying to be aware of that place I have. I KNOW that Jesus Christ is my Savior and we am serving as a disciple of Him.
Love,
Elder and Sister Hudnall
