Family❣️(February 25, 2025)
February 17, 2025
Presidents Day
Campus closed and a rainy day!
All day!
Mindy arrived at 7pm!!!
Tuesday, February 18, 2025
Gregory and Allyson and family left Cincinnati at 3am Hawaiian time. We attended meetings on campus with Students and then attended the devotional:
President and Sister Kauwe stepped in at the last minute after the speakers were unable to be here. They did a great job and I was uplifted and better for having attended~
Trusting God’s Plan
BYU–Hawaii provides each of us with special opportunities to learn and live the gospel of Jesus Christ. We will receive strength and courage as we rely on the enabling power of the Atonement to overcome any challenge we may have in life. A parable is told of a farmer who owned an old mule. The mule fell into the farmer’s well. After assessing the situation, the farmer decided the mule wasn’t worth saving. He called neighbors to bury the mule in the well. Initially, the mule panicked, but as dirt piled on him, he realized that shaking it off and stepping up would help him survive. With each blow, he kept shaking it off and stepping up, despite the pain. Eventually, the mule stepped triumphantly out of the well. What seemed like it would bury him actually helped him, all because of how he handled adversity.
Like the mule, we can let adversity bury us or use it to grow. Through Christ, we can face challenges. He is there to lift us, guide us, and strengthen us as we shake it off and step up. We need to have courage to face our challenges because through them, God can teach us valuable lessons. Living the gospel of Jesus Christ is not just about knowing the truth but acting on it. Remember that “through the strength of Christ, we can do all things”.
In his April 2017 general conference address, President Nelson said, “When the Savior knows you truly want to reach up to Him—when He can feel that the greatest desire of your heart is to draw His power into your life—you will be led by the Holy Ghost to know exactly what you should do.” [5] As we trust in God’s plan, live the gospel daily, and overcome challenges with faith in Christ, we will find strength, direction, and eternal joy.
Remember, “This life is the time… to prepare to meet God”. [6] By following His teachings and making progress step by step, you’re preparing for eternal life. Heavenly Father will provide you with personal experiences to help you learn and grow in your own unique way. He knows you individually and loves you unconditionally. Trust in Him, have the courage to follow His will, and trust in your own abilities. Be okay with making mistakes; they are an opportunity for self-discovery and growth.
I invite you to reflect on how you can more fully trust in God’s plan. Is there a challenge you can approach with greater faith? Is there a habit you can improve to strengthen your relationship with Christ? As you take even small steps forward, He will magnify your efforts.
In the words of President Jeffrey R. Holland, “Face your doubts. Master your fears. ‘Cast not away therefore your confidence.’ Stay the course and see the beauty of life unfold for you.”
Freedom From Fear
A member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles shared this,
“On a daily basis we witness widely fluctuating inflation; wars; interpersonal conflicts; national disasters; variances in weather conditions; innumerable forces of immorality, crime, and violence; attacks and pressures on the family and individuals; technological advances that make occupations obsolete; and so on.”
What year do you think this quote is from? 2025? 2005? No, Elder L. Tom Perry shared this in 1995! Several decades ago! These challenges sound awfully similar to what we face today. He continued:
“The need for preparation is abundantly clear. The great blessing of being prepared gives us freedom from fear, as guaranteed to us by the Lord in the Doctrine and Covenants: ‘If ye are prepared ye shall not fear’ (Doctrine and Covenants 38:30).”
Freedom from fear through prayerful preparation changes daunting obstacles into exhilarating opportunities.
So, what happens when we prepare carefully but still fall short of our goals or the ideal outcome we had in our minds? Do not let an imperfect outcome amplify your fear. Remember, “God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”
Take that to heart! Instead of fear, use that spirit of love to love yourself, even in your weaknesses. Use the spirit of a sound mind to view your shortcomings candidly and use them as an opportunity to learn and make adjustments. Then, use the spirit of power to try again and again and again. That is the path to excellence!
And second, some words from President Nelson that I have shared with you many times. They are worth hearing again and this won’t be the last time.
He said to you, “My dear young friends, I love you. I thank you. I believe in you. As the Lord’s prophet, I bless you to know the truth about who you are and to treasure the truth about what your glorious potential really is. I bless you to take charge of your own testimony. And I bless you to have the desire and strength to keep your covenants.
As you do, I promise that you will experience spiritual growth, freedom from fear, and a confidence that you can scarcely imagine now. You will have the strength to have a positive influence far beyond your natural capacity. And I promise that your future will be more exhilarating than anything you can presently believe.”
We then left for Honolulu and made a Costco run before being able to pick up the Family from the airport:
They left at 3 am Hawaiian time and landed at 4pm!
Wednesday, February 19, 2025
And a day to get used to Hawaii (time)
Only other thing on the agenda today, other than just being together, a temple night. We printed off some family names and thanks to Aunt Mindy, we four got to do a session in the temple:
Thursday, February 20, 2025
PCC Day – Polynesian Cultural Center
A very long and hot day but really so much fun!
Friday, February 21,2025
Turtle Bay Beach – Sun and Fun
And then a Girl’s Night for Allyson, Mindy and Me:
Sakura Foot Massage and Liliha’s Bakery!
Saturday, February 22, 2025
Started really early. We got up at 5am to make the drive to Koko Crater on the Southern tip of the island:
Mindy and I Made it up to #5 and came back down. (She is still coming back from her broken ankle) Gregory went up/down TWICE in that same amount of time! (He is training. Next week he hikes Kilimanjaro) We had a stop at Liliha’s Bakery on Nimitz Hwy! Different location. . . Same addiction! Still made it back to La’ie by 10am
Then . . . We picked up the rest of the family and headed North to the turtles.
A wonderful day. . .
Sunday, February 23, 2025
Remember we have 8am Church Meetings. We all made it on time because Elder and Sister Hudnall had the assignment to talk in Sacrament Meeting. (We listened to our Provo Ward at 7am while we were getting ready at to go because our neighbor Karen Sowby taught and she did a great job!!
After Church, and lunch. . . We FaceTime with family. Mindy visited friends and We visited the La’ie Temple Visitors Center:
Piano Lessons (for the students) Tessa and Gramma went. Then home to whale watch off the back deck and early evening!
Monday, February 24, 2025
Morning Walk
Off to the Beach. . .
And a trip to Dole Plantation:
Another Sun and Fun day for these snowbound people from Cincinnati and Provo. . .
Tuesday, February 25, 2025
LAST Hawaii Day
While we get the car packed up. . .
Final trip to Mc Donald’s – Foodland and Angel’s Ice Cream and Shaved Ice
And the drive to Honolulu (town) to board the plane. Two plane rides for the Cincinnati crew. . .
(No pictures too much crying)
And Mindy’s plane was a couple of hours later. Oh, that’s right. . . Liliha’s in on Nimitz Hwy just 10 minutes from the airport. . . One last a stop to pack some home on the plane –
Off and away, back to the cold and Home. . .
Sorry this is late, but I was having too much fun combining time with family and time on campus keeping up with the needs of the students.
Our talks on Sunday were “Sacrifices for the Lord”. here are a couple of parts from my talk
Alma 34:10
10 For it is expedient that there should be a great and last sacrifice; yea, not a sacrifice of man,. . .but it must be an infinite and eternal sacrifice.
Brother Truman G. Madsen tells about a visit he made to Israel with President Hugh B. Brown (1883–1975), an Apostle of the Lord who served as Second Counselor and then First Counselor in the First Presidency (with President David O McKay)
When Elder Hudnall and I were able to travel to the Holy land, I took the journal that Brother Truman Madsen kept of this trip with President Brown.
In this journal Brother Madsen asked President Brown, “How does one find Jesus Christ on a visit to Israel, Jerusalem?” President Brown answered, “If you don’t bring Christ with you here to the Holy Land, you won’t find Him here.”
I thought I would learn about the New Testament in the Holy Land. I didn’t expect so much information and history of the Old Testament.
He goes on with:
In a valley known as Hebron, where tradition has it that the tomb of Father Abraham is located, Brother Madsen asked President Brown, “What are the blessings of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob?” After a short moment of thought, President Brown answered, “Posterity.”
POSTERITY – It is what mortal life is all about! We love our family and have been blessed by understanding that even more by being so far away.
I invite you to be more appreciative of your own families and the time and memories we get to build with the here on earth as part of God’s eternal plan.
Love,
Elder and Sister Hudnall
Thanks for an amazing trip!
YES it was!