October 26, 2025

Camels – in Hawaii?

Monday, October 20, 2025

Morning Walk

Regular Monday morning CARE meeting, and scheduled student visits. But, with the end of the mission looming, MANY visits are getting scheduled. BUZY day!

Went straight to Ukulele class from the office:

Tuesday, October 21, 2025

Peaceful beginning to a packed and scheduled day:

Tuesday Devotional Day! President and Sister Hicken gave an inspiring and love filled devotional. We love these leaders. Please listen and enjoy their messages:

(In case you don’t have time, I wanted to leave with you these facts Sister Hicken shared with us, as I have been reviewing them in my mind all week)

From her message:

“The camel is an interesting and fascinating animal.

Here are some fun camel facts.

A camel’s hump is not full of water. Instead, mounds of fat, up to 80 pounds, fill the hump. It diminishes in size as they use the fat storage to give them energy and water in times of need for sustenance. [1]
Camels can drink 30 gallons of water in 10 minutes. [2]
Camels have evolved to survive in an incredible range of temperatures. They have double rows of extra-long eyelashes to help keep the sand out of their eyes. They can completely close their nostrils between breaths to keep the sand out. [3]
Thanks to their thick pads of skin on their knees and stomach, camels can comfortably sit in very hot sand. [4]
Camels are amazing pack animals. They can carry up to 400-500 pounds and walk an average of 25 miles a day. They can travel in hot conditions and go for long periods of time without water.
They have special two-toed feet that spread out when they touch the ground, so they don’t sink into the sand.
Camels are fast. “They can travel at up to 40 miles per hour—the same as a racehorse!” [5]
A camel can be cute in its own way.
But it isn’t one of the most beautiful animals.
It has thick, matted hair that falls off in clumps.
It has very knobby knees.
And it has a big hump on its back.

Regardless of its looks or mannerisms, a camel is loved by its Master.

The camel has a secret.

Each night, at the end of a long day, the camel kneels before his master. His master carefully lifts the heavy burden from the camel’s back so it can rest comfortably through the night.

The next morning, the camel kneels again before his master, and the master gently places the burden on the camel’s back for another day.

Throughout Jesus Christ’s life, the Savior was referred to as “Master.” Jesus Christ, our Master, loves us dearly.

I testify that He loves us, you and me, unconditionally, regardless of our looks or mannerisms.

I also testify that He can ease the burdens that are placed upon our backs.

Like the camel, we can kneel at the feet of our Master each night and ask Him to lift our burdens, that we may rest comfortably.

In the morning, we can again kneel before our Master and realize that He knows our pain, our suffering and our sorrows, for He felt and carried them all for us.”.

“We have a painting that hangs in our home of Christ and his disciples on the boat when a great storm arose on the sea of Galilee. We love the caption below the painting that reads,

“Sometimes God calms the storm, but usually He lets the storm rage and calms the child.”

I join her in testifying of the truthfulness of this fact. I count on my Savior Jesus Christ being able to help me carry the load during my time here in mortality and snatches me from the torrent of the sea.

President Hicken starts with:

“Before I tell you the stories, I want to define a word for you—epiphany. Webster’s defines it as “a sudden manifestation or perception of an essential or meaningful something, a striking, intuitive grasp of reality through an event.” [1] Today, I would like to talk about this very thing as it relates to our membership in His Church and our discipleship with the Savior, Jesus Christ.”

I’ll let you listen to these three stories. He gives us one fictional story and two true stories. Talk Story is vital here in Hawaii.

Grabbed a sandwich before the next two scheduled student visits. Presentation for Elder Hudnall and then we escaped to the temple for a session

Thank goodness the temple and the visitors center and the mission office and stake center are all connected by parking lots. We had a District Leaders Meeting at the mission office and then our monthly Senior Missionary Devotional at the stake center. Junior and Moana Feinga (The Jets) were our speakers (they are also in our La’ie 6th Ward) and the jr Missionaries were invited to this devotional with us.

I Hope they call me on a Mission

This is my first cousin, once removed, daughters- first cousin. In other words. We both share cousin Heidi Wolfgramm Liddard!

Moana Wolfgramm Feinga

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Jets_(album)

Finished this night with the Trio of jr Missionaries that I’ve been working with! Whew the day is over

Wednesday, October 22, 2025

Another beautiful Sunrise/cloud changes to start the day

jr missionaries this morning and student meetings. Scheduled meetings with our boss James Faustino and then a presentation to the SW faculty. More students visits and Hope Squad Class:

on to another presentation at the Courtyard at Marriott in La’ie:

Great opportunity to Talk Story

They serve homemade bread and butter and Cocoa Rice! This is my favorite Cocoa Rice

I had to duck out early and finish up with a jr missionary companionship tonight.

Thursday, October 23, 2025

The Winter Waves are starting up- Aloha

I had to get to the office early. It was my turn for devotional thought for the Counseling Center Staff Weekly Staff Meeting:

Elder Matthew Holland began his conference talk with this joke:

A schoolteacher once taught that a whale —even though large —could not swallow a human because whales have small throats. A girl objected, “But Jonah was swallowed by a whale.” The teacher responded, “That’s impossible.” Still not convinced, the girl said, “Well, when I get to heaven, I will ask him.” The teacher sneered, “What if Jonah was a sinner and didn’t go to heaven?” The girl replied, “Then you can ask him.”

He went on with details of Jonah:

God commanded Jonah to “go to Nineveh” to declare repentance. But Nineveh was ancient Israel’s brutal enemy —so Jonah promptly heads the exact opposite direction, by boat, to Tarshish. As he sails away from his calling, a ship-wrecking storm develops. Certain his disobedience is the cause, Jonah volunteers to be thrown overboard. This calms the raging sea, which saves his shipmates.

Jonah’s cry is that of a good man in crisis, one largely of his own making.For a saint, when catastrophe is brought on by a regrettable habit, comment, or decision, despite so many other good intentions and earnest efforts of righteousness, it can be especially crushing and leave one feeling forsaken. But whatever the cause or degree of disaster we face, there is always dry ground for hope, healing, and happiness.

But this is my favorite part of the story of Jonah as told in The Peacegiver by James L. Ferrell.

In the book, Jonah’s story is used to illustrate resentment, self-righteousness, and the refusal to forgive, and how these feelings separate us from Christ’s peace. Here’s a breakdown of how Ferrell weaves Jonah’s experience into the message of The Peacegiver:

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Rick is struggling in his relationship with his wife, Rick’s Grandfather comes to Rick in a dream:

Rick’s grandfather points out that Jonah’s real problem wasn’t Nineveh’s wickedness—it was Jonah’s resentment. Likewise, Rick’s suffering was coming not from his wife’s actions but from his own unwillingness to forgive and love as Christ does.

Rick has been arguing inwardly about how unfair his wife has been. He feels justified in his anger. His grandfather sees that Rick is trapped in resentment and decides to teach him through the story of Jonah.

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Grandfather:

He reminds Rick that Jonah was a prophet who ran away from God’s command to go to Nineveh. Why? Because Jonah didn’t want God to forgive Nineveh. He thought they didn’t deserve mercy. Jonah wanted justice.

Rick: “Well, Jonah had a point. They were wicked.”

Grandfather:

Exactly,—but that’s the trap. Jonah’s real rebellion wasn’t disobedience to the mission; it was refusing to share God’s mercy. Jonah was fine with God’s mercy for himself but didn’t want it extended to others.

Rick begins to see the parallel: he’s been doing the same thing—holding his wife to a standard he himself could never meet, wanting her to “repent first” before he’ll forgive.

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The Gourd Lesson

Grandfather retells the moment when Jonah sits outside the city, hoping God will still destroy Nineveh. God grows a gourd to shade him from the sun, then sends a worm to kill it. Jonah complains bitterly.

God asks, “Do you have reason to be angry about the gourd?” Jonah says yes.

Then God replies (paraphrased): “You pity the gourd, which you did not make, but should I not pity Nineveh, with all its people?”

Grandfather explains:

God is showing Jonah that his heart is small and self-centered. Jonah cared more about his comfort than the lives of others.

Rick realizes he’s been doing exactly this—sitting in the heat of his own resentment, feeling sorry for himself, rather than feeling compassion for the person he claims to love.

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The Turning Point

The grandfather asks Rick a piercing question—

“Are you sitting outside your own Nineveh, angry that God hasn’t punished your wife?”

That moment breaks Rick open. He sees that his bitterness is what’s separating him from peace, not his wife’s behavior.

Just as Jonah’s real “journey” wasn’t the trip to Nineveh but the journey of his heart toward mercy, Rick begins to see that forgiveness is his own spiritual calling.

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• Jonah symbolizes our own resentment and self-justification.

• Nineveh represents the people we refuse to forgive.

• The gourd shows our attachment to comfort and pride.

• God’s question—“Do you do well to be angry?”—is the question God asks each of us when we hold on to grudges.

Ferrell uses Jonah’s story to show that forgiveness is not about others deserving it; it’s about us choosing peace through Christ.

Ending: Zion Is The Pure In Heart

“So, while we hold ourselves to the Lord’s high standards, let’s also be patient with one another. We are each a work in progress, and we all rely on the Savior for any progress we make. That’s true for us as individuals, and it’s true for the kingdom of God on earth. The Lord invites us not just to join His kingdom but also to be anxiously engaged in building it. God envisions a people who are ‘of one heart and one mind.’ And to be of one heart, we must seek pure hearts, and that requires a mighty change of heart. But that doesn’t mean changing my heart to align with yours. Nor does it mean changing your heart to align with mine. It means that we all change our hearts to align with the Savior. If we are not there yet, remember: with the Lord’s help, nothing is impossible.”

Source

Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “By This All Will Know That You Are My Disciples” April 2025 General Conference

The message: If you’re waiting for someone else to deserve your forgiveness, you’ll never find peace.

Just the beginning to the day –

Student visits, and the our Exit Interview with the VP Kala Kau. Finishing up the details and continuing with the work.

We quickly changed and made it over to the PCC for our shift at Ohana Luau:

Finished dinner at the Luau and hurried over to practice at the Wayts:

The day is completed!

Friday, October 24, 2025

After the walk, I had a training via Zoom, so I stayed at the Pad for the quietness to attend this training:

Many Student Visits and separate Jr. Missionary appointments completed the afternoon. Met with a beautiful artist here on campus Guen Ramirez and attended a delicious birthday dinner for one of our Philippine students.

Another Complete Day

Saturday, October 25, 2025

A beautiful walk to the point and then down to Secret Beach and across to Kamehameha Hwy and back to the Pad.

Breakfast with the Harris’s and Papa Ole’ pancakes and Eggs/Spam. Before we drove around to Kapolei for the test drive for our car. Our dear friends from our time at BYU Provo, Steve and Heather Stewart met up with us here in Hawaii a few weeks ago when they helped their daughter Whitney move over to the island. She is teaching Honors Classes for a high school in Kapolei. She needs a car and we need to sell ours as we leave island. Win/Win situation.

Didn’t need to do many errands, remember we are leaving in 12 days, but we gassed up the car at Costco and came back over the top of the island to pick up our friends the Bonners. They are taking over as District Leaders of the La’ie District 2 as we leave.

A trip down to Kaneohe and our favorite Mexican place Don Goyo’s!

Sunday, October 26, 2025

Our second to the last Sunday at our La’ie 6th Ward. The Hopkins have just arrived on island to start their mission and they are taking our spot in the ward. It was been a wonderful blessing to meet and serve with the people of this ward. Bishop Moffett and others We will miss being with them.

Lunch in Hau’ula with the Johnsons. They have many many banana trees on the property: