Tuesday, June 3, 2014

Update June 2, 2014

Week 15!
Aloha everyone! I cant believe I’m writing you again already! Where did the week go! And where did May go? I cant believe its already June 2nd! It has been an full, busy week her on O'ahu in the heart of Honolulu.
Tuesday was a pretty average day then about 6pm Elder Uaisele had to got he the airport so the Zone leaders took him and elder Jensen needed a companion till Elder Rigby flew in so Elder Wilson went with him and I went with Bishop Stanley to dinner then to ward correlation then to ward council and by that time Jensen and Wilson had Picked up Rigby so they came a got me after my meeting. Overall a quick and busy day!
Wednesday was busy again, we worked on some fliers and such for our fireside coming up then had lesson after lesson all evening! It was a good day!
Thursday as normal, except at our lesson with Fred he said he is ready to be baptized! Now our focus is to help him quit smoking so he can be and then in late July after his daughter gets back from her trip we will plan the baptism! We are so excited to see him grow and progress in coming closer to our savior Jesus Christ!
Friday we Tracted all morning and actually found a few families interested in hearing more about the gospel! About 1:30 we had to head back tot he pad, I hadnt been feeling well all morning but I couldn’t push through anymore. I was dizzy, dehydrated and sick to my stomach. I made it home then sat in the cold shower from about half an hour then crashed for 2 hours. I woke up feeling a little better and was able to go to our district flood then to dinner then we had to go with Elder Uaisele to drop off Elder Jensen at the airport then go to lesson with Elder Uaisele before returning to the airport to pick up elder Holt.
Saturday was a day of service. We were asked by the Kahala sisters to help them help one of the less-active members of their ward. We helped her clean out her basement and garage. It was so cool to see how grateful she was for our help! We then took a load of donations in the truck to a low income house office then showered and headed to dinner before returning to the airport to drop off elder Holt. We then tried to visit a few of elder Uaisele's investigators before returning to the airport to wait for Elder Jensen to land.
Waiting for at the airport with elder Uaisele for elder Jensen to land!

Sunday was our usually Sunday routine except we were able to go to Brother Kurihara's house so that he could Adjust me. Its so nice having a Chiropractor in the ward that I can just stop by his house and get adjusted!
Overall I had a pretty good week, staying busy helps me from focusing on the hard side of a mission, being away from home, and such. I am really working on how to work best with Elder Wilson, we have two very different personalities and sometime we don’t align. But we are figuring it our as we go.
This week I have thought a lot about the work im doing here and how I strive to do the best I can but I feel as if I am not successful im all things but then I remember that we are not expected to be perfect but only to do our best and to lay it all on the alter and be “willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father.”(Mosiah 3:19) and if we have done so then we are where we need to be. Another thing I was thinking about was yesterday in Sunday school we taught repentance and I read a quote from President Spencer W. Kimball, in response to keeping the commandments that said, “First, one repents. Having gained that ground he then must live the commandments of the Lord to retain his vantage point. This is necessary to secure complete forgiveness.” when I read this I thought of when we hiked Koko Head a couple weeks ago and how difficult it was and I related that to the process of repentance and how as we got through the process of repentance we are climbing the mountain to the “vantage point” or eternal life. And I related the commandments to not roadblocks or restrictions but as the railing along the path and the cliff edge at the top and how the commandments are here not to hinder us but to help us maintain this vantage point. They protect us from falling back down to sin and spiritual death. But along with this I said how grateful for Jesus Christ's atonement and how its not a one time admittance but infinite. If we choose to “hop the railing” because it seems more fun or a better view from outside the safety zone and fall off “cliffs” or slide down the mountain that if we go through those simple steps of repentance;
Recognize, Feel sorrow, Stop, Confess, Make Right, forgive others, and keep the Commandments
We can again climb the mountain back to that “vantage point” and learn as we do so. I have fallen many times when I have gone over the “railing” but have never been denied the opportunity to once again to put in the work and climb once again to the top. I know that it is only through the Gospel of Jesus Christ that we can return to live with our heavenly father again.
I love you all so much and hope everything is going well! Congrats to all those who graduated this week and will this coming week! I can't believe its been a year since I graduated! Time flies. I also broke 4 months this week since I left for Hawaii.
With all the love in the world,
Elder Shoaf

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