Weekly Update: April 21, 2014

Aloha!

Another week down! Can’t believe April is already almost over! As well as this transfer! We are already in week 5 of the transfer!!! It’s crazy how fast time flies here! This week ended with such a super solid weekend with the opportunity to see a man named John get baptized and then of course Easter Sunday.

On Monday we had our usually P-day activities with plenty of Basketball!

Tuesday was District meeting. We had a great district meeting discussing the Atonement and how we can more fully appreciate what Jesus Christ did for us.

Wednesday was a pretty normal day we went out with Wailani who is a member of our ward who just returned from his mission in Japan a few months ago. He went with us to visit a few of our investigators as well as a few families in the ward. We also had our weekly lesson with Richard and he ceases to make us laugh the entire time haha. We then had the opportunity to teach Jacob again and it was a super awesome lesson. We taught him the Plan of salvation and how we can live with our families for time and all eternity. We also committed him to a baptism date on May 3^rd! We were stoked about that.

Thursday we spent most of the morning down at the mission office doing our quarterly interviews with President Warner. They went super well and while waiting for our turn to go in, Sister Warner showed us the Because of him video the Church has put out for Easter. It was the first time I had seen it and it is so powerful! I highly recommend everyone to watch it! It describes Christ’s life and ministry so well! The link is easter.mormon.org I hope you all will go see it and share it with those around you!

Friday was a wonderful day! Elder Boudousquie was back in town! Since he is a Zone leader now he was on exchanges with the Assistants to the President who cover our area! So we got to see him quite a bit! The first thing they did was come pick us up in the morning to take us to the Tab to give Elder Dredge Elder miller’s bike rim to be fixed  that he somehow broke on the way home Thursday night. When then had lunch at Popeye’s. OH how good it was to have good southern food again!!! And mash potatoes!!! They then took us to our pad so that we could change into P-day clothes so we could go to service. We then went to the Akaka’s home to help Kalani in the yard. He has such a cool vision for it but it is going to take some real work! We then showered and got dressed for dinner and after dinner we couldn’t have our Basketball night because the chapel gym was being used and it was raining so we couldn’t play outside! That was a bummer. But I guess that’s part of it!

Saturday was a long but good day! We were on exchanges with the zone leaders so elder miller went to McCully ward and Elder Johnson came to Kaimuki. And well we walked a lot. Since we still hadn’t got the new rim Elder Johnson and I had to walk everywhere! We walked almost 15 miles Saturday! And the sun was hot Saturday so we got toasted! But it was all worth it because we got to see John’s Baptism! John is a guy in his 50s and his wife is a member and all his kids are members but john has been investigating the church for over 50 years!!! Anyway he actually lives in our area but his family attends Kahala Ward so the sisters in Kahala have been teaching him, but we have developed a deep relationship with John over the past couple weeks.  The Baptism was wonderful! And the spirit was so Strong! I was so glade to be able to be a witness at his baptism.

Elder Seaich, Elder Miller, John, Me, Elder Johnson

Sunday was a wonderful day!!! Easter!!! We attended church in the morning and then had a pot luck lunch with several members of the ward. We then went back to church to attend the Kahala Sacrament meeting to be there for John’s Confirmation! We then were asked to teach Sunday school class so we ended up just staying for all the meetings! We then headed back to do our studies and call it a day!

Overall I think the think that stood out to me this week was having a positive attitude about everything. We talked a lot about the atonement this week because of Easter but we also talked about trials with several people and how we need to have a positive attitude even during times of trials. And this actually can relate to the atonement. We discussed a lot about how in god’s plan for us our time here on earth is crucial. On this earth we gain our physical bodies but also we are here to gain knowledge and to learn from our mistakes. And that we choose how much we will learn depending on how we approach these trials or challenges. If we approach them with a bad attitude and a “wow is me” we will take nothing away from the experience.

But if we approach it with a positive attitude and take the opportunity to learn and grow it can teach us so much! I have learned this lesson many times on my mission and going into Saturday I knew we would be walking and I decided rather than focusing on the negative I decided I would focus in the positive. I could have had a negative attitude with such things as my knee and foot problems or maybe the hot sunny day and how sweaty I was or maybe how it took us an hour and a half to get from one appointment to the next. Rather I took it as an opportunity to meet new people as we walked pasted them on the road or in their yard and a time to slow down and think how beautiful it is and about the Easter season. And well my day went pretty well. I didn’t notice the pain I was having or how sweaty I was because I chose not to.

I chose to focus on the positive and I had that mindset going in. and at the end of the day. I smelled terrible I was sticky and wet, my knee locked up and my feet were worn out, I had several blisters but I was happy. It didn’t matter that I was beat up and bruised I was happy to be a servant of the lord and to see the fruits of my labors in john’s baptism. I challenge you all to do the same to choose to focus on the positive. And again I challenge you all to please please watch #becauseofhim at easter.mormon.org. It is only a few minutes but completely changed my day when I saw it. I hope everyone had a fantastic Easter Sabbath and all is well. I love you all and miss you greatly.

With Love,

Elder Shoaf

Our Beautiful sunset last night!

Update May 3-9

3/3/14

Today was p-day.  I did my laundry during studies this morning, then we had some elders over for waffles, then went to Costco.  We had to get a few things from there.  After shopping we hit Ross so Elder Miller could get new basketball shorts then went to the library to email be we didn’t have very long at all!  We had to meet everyone for basketball at 2:00 because we had the keys to the church.  I didn’t even have time to write my weekly letter or respond to emails.  L  We had some pretty intense basketball for four hours then headed back to the pad for dinner.  Luckily it was a drop-off, so we didn’t have to go anywhere.  Then we went and helped Terri move into her new place the rest of the evening.  Overall a so-so day.  I was bummed not being able to email very much and I just wasn’t in the greatest of moods.  On top of that I had a headache.  Hope tomorrow turns around.

3/4/14

Another busy day.  We had district meeting most of the morning.  We discussed the purpose of preparing for teaching appointments.  We ate at Taco Bell as a zone and had a good time learning more about the other missionaries.  After lunch, Elder Boudousquie and Elder Miller dropped Elder Saunders off at the library so Elder Saunders could rest while I worked on progress records and wrote my email home.  After the library, we returned to our pad.  Elder Saunders came down with a bug and has a fever today so he went to bed at our pad and Elder Miller and I split up with members of the ward to cover our prior obligations and appointments.  While Elder Saunders was down and out, Elder Boudousquie had to stay with him.  I ordered pizza for dinner.  We had a money drop-off tonight which worked out well.  I am here with Elder Saunders, while Elders Miller and Boudousquie went to ward correlation meeting.  We have Pearl Harbor in the morning.  I better check on Saunders and pizza will be here shortly.  Til tomorrow…

3/5/14

Today was another day of service!  Holy cow I feel like this is all I’ve done as of late!  We woke up bright and early and met as a zone to carpool to Pearl Harbor.  Today was our monthly day that we go as a zone to serve our time and volunteer at the USS Missouri memorial.  This was my first time at Pearl Harbor.  I was so excited since I’m a World War junkie!  We arrived and we looked around the visitor’s center till the bus arrived to take us out to Ford Island the to the USS Missouri.  Upon arrival, I was so excited to see it in real life!  Then we found out we would be on the rear deck of the battleship cleaning the area that they do a lot of ceremonies.  And even cooler was that on that very deck 69 years ago in Tokyo Bay, the Japanese government officially declared their surrender!  As we were finishing up, we learned that a Canadian warship had caught fire off the coast of North America and was being towed by the US Navy back to Pearl Harbor for repairs.  We also learned that the Navy needed to borrow the Missouri’s mattresses for the Canadians to use while the repairs were being done.  So they took us down to the lower deck where no one is allowed to go on tours!  It was pretty cool!  Except the bulkheads are at 6’…. Haha.  It was super cool though.  We pulled out 150 mattresses to send over to the Navy and took them up to the deck.  We ran out of time and weren’t able to tour the rest of the ship.  I love Pearl Harbor!  After my mission I will need to spend a good two days there seeing everything!  Afterwards we went to Wendy’s – oh how I’ve missed it!  There isn’t one in our area.  Then we went and helped Terri finish moving into her new place.  Finally!  Then dinner, then taught Richard and Jin again.  It’s slow and steady – they are just so FOB? It’s hard to get anywhere.  I’m exhausted!  Off to bed.

3/6/14

Today is our first full day of proselyting in almost a week and boy did we get slapped in the face!  Every lesson that Miller and I and Boudha and Saunders had planned cancelled!  It wasn’t a complete loss.  We did our week plan this morning after studies.  Personal study was a bust today.  I tried to read but I kept dozing off so I just gave in and slept on the couch until companion study.  Haha  After planning we went to lunch at the mall and met the Tusan??? Elders for lunch.  (Elder Shalvis and Kim).  We then took Boudha/Saunders over to go to our lesson and left Boudha//Saunders with the Tongans.  We arrived and she wasn’t home!  So we met the Tongans and Boudha/Saunders at the library to work on progress records and the ward list.  Kaimuki 1 (Boudha/Saunders) (we are Kaimuki 2) left after an hour to go visit some members and we spent another three hours working on the ward list!!!  We got all the names entered now we just have to organize it by street.  We then left to go to our lesson with Lucy and she called to cancel as we walked out!  So we visited a few members then went to dinner then to Ross.  I love that place.  Name brands for next to nothing.  Elder Miller needed some new slacks and I found a pair of Nike elite shorts for $20!  We then got a call to help a member give a blessing to his cousin who was in the hospital because she had a bleed in her brain.  The blessing was great and on the way out, a nurse stopped to talk to us and I asked her her name and she said Manemaleuna…. Turns out she’s Ethyan’s cousin!  (He plays D-line at BYU.)  It was pretty cool.  We listened to a John Bytheway talk on the way back from the airport.  It was about fulfilling your callings.  I love his talks!  They are funny and have a spiritual message.  Off to bed.

3/7/14

Today was a slow but productive day.  We had our personal studies this morning then tidied up a little before going to lunch.  After lunch we finished our street list!!!  Finally!  It started to pour while we were there.  Like hurricane rain and hasn’t stopped so that grounded most of our plans because we don’t have a car.  We did visit and teach a less-active member named Lew.  It was a good lesson.  Then we had basketball which was good to relieve my stress.  I just need a chiropractor!  My neck has been screwed up for a couple days now.  Sometimes I miss BYU because I had access to all of that stuff 24/7!  Oh well!  Off to bed.

3/8/14

Today was a good day but very hard for me.  We slept through our alarm so we got started late.  We worked on some things till we went to a birthday party for a family in the ward’s first child.  We had a good time.  Most of the people there were Philipino and not members.  So we chatted to them about what we do as missionaries as well as talked story with the members there.  The food was good.  I tried a lot of new things and enjoyed most of them!  After lunch the other elders dropped us off and we prepared to go out and start going through the ward list and see every family in the next couple weeks.  Well as we began to pedal away from our pad, it started to rain again.  Well we were already out, so we said to heck with it we are going anyway.  So we biked around visiting our list soaking wet, covered in spots of muddy water for two hours.  We then returned home to shower and change to head to the chapel for the baptism of a 12-yeaer-old kid named Vance that the other elders have been teaching.  The baptism went really well.  Such a great spirit in there and it’s so fulfilling seeing people come unto Christ.  Afterwards we had dinner with the Gullages, then went to Elder Soludes and Mailou’s pad so Mailou could cut Miller’s hair.  On the way over I really started to think and while we were there I sat on the steps and just stared off into the distance.  I had a pretty rough day.  I am pretty down and have been thinking too much and second-guessing myself and wondering if I’m fit to be a representative of Jesus Christ… if I’m worthy to teach these people.  Homesickness has also been a part of it.  I’m kinda lost tonight.  I’m going to pray for strength and head to bed.  Hopefully tomorrow yields better fruit.

3/9/14

Sunday!  Today was an interesting day.  Today we had a good church block then met with Todd who’s a less-active guy who is homeless.  We then met with Bishop with him for awhile.  He’s going through some really rough things right now but we have set up a plan to help him have some peace of mind and solace.  After church he returned to the pad to eat lunch then take a quick nap and ended up sleeping for three hours!!  Not quite what we planned but we then were able to visit two less-active families we didn’t make contact with yesterday.  Then we had dinner with the Okahuras (?) and played Apples to Apples with the kids.  Of course I swept them.  J  For some reason I’m really good at it.  Now we are just taking care of some odds and ends stuff before bed.  Good week.  Looking forward to next week.