Pictures August 3, 2015: First Pig Hunt, Kalaupapa, and More!

  

Dogs are ready to go at Dawn!

Looking west from the Mountian

Chillin with the Dogs

Coming down from Maunaloa towards Kaunakakai.

Left to Right; Maui, Kahoolawe(I Promise. its there), Lanai

Kalaupapa in the Distance below the Sea-Cliffs

Pictures August 3, 2015: Saying Goodbye to Hauula

The Prescotts

Moalas, Davis' and Pututau's

Kaka's

Update August 3, 2015: Molokai! Closer to Home Than I Thought

Weeks 76

Aloha Everyone!

What a week! I’m just going to dive into it and then pictures will come lots of pictures!  

Molokai is beautiful!!!! I love it here! I miss Hauula sooo much but I love it here. I am excited to work here and serve here and love the people.

Monday- I emailed, finished packing, said goodbye to a few more people then headed to Honolulu to the Mission office. Got to see a lot of faces due to MLC. Then I hung out with all of the Zone Leaders that were flying off island and we went to the Airport and chilled till our flights left. Elder Willis came to MLC with the Zone leaders since he didn’t have a companion. Our plane was a 30 passenger prop plane and our flight was a mere 18 minutes! My kind of flying! When we were flying in over the west coast it reminded me a lot of home. Then we landed loaded my bags into our Truck!!!! I’m so excited to have a truck again! Even if it’s a Chevy and not a diesel I won’t complain! Better than a Cruze! As we left the airport I had this overwhelming feeling of home. Idk how to describe it but as we drove to our dinner in the setting sun I felt as if I were home in my truck driving home from a day at the farm with my Grandmother. It’s good to be home. Home in the country!

Oahu to Molokai!

Our Truck!!

From our back porch!

Then we got settled into our pad we live down stairs from the Nakayamas, our Ward Mission Leader in the Kaunakakai ward which is the east half of the island. The west half is the Hoolehua ward. The Nakayama’s are super cool and a lot of fun. We have an incredible view of Maui, Kahoolawe, and Lanai. It’s beautiful. Our pad is huge since it use to be 4 elders now it’s just us. So plenty space and we have chickens! So about 18 brown eggs a day!

Tuesday- we helped a lady in our ward paint some cubbies and set up for the first day of school. She’s a 4^th grade teacher and super funny! She’s from Fiji. Fun fact about Molokai there are only 7,000 people on a good day that’s 1/4^th the size of BYU… everyone knows everybody and news spreads real fast. We went to a Graduation Party Friday night and a good portion of the island was there!.

            There is like no shopping here on the island. 2 small mom and pop grocery stores, 2 gas stations and an Ace hardware and Napa auto parts. That’s it. And not a single chain restaurant. Just a few local places.  And everything is super uber expensive. The good news is that Milk came down from $10 dollars a gallon to $7!!! Gas is 4.89 a gallon currently with Diesel at 5.41.

            I would tell you about the work we are doing but I know no one’s name! Other things I do remember from this week are we went and stood over the 2,000 ft cliff and looked down over Kalaupapa. These cliffs are the highest sea-cliff in the world!

Hunting is a way of life here and guns are more plentiful than people. Thou we cannot shoot the gun while on our mission we can go hunting! Saturday morning we woke up and left at 4am and went out with a less active family we are working with as well as one of our investigators. We headed up into the mountain. We first place we stopped we saw 3 dozen deer and ridge took a shot but missed so we let the dogs out to hunt for pigs. They all have GPS collars and we would follow using our gps. Then we would load them back into the truck drive to another spot hunt for deer then let the dogs go. This continued till 3. We saw plenty deer shot at 2 but missed both and when we would track a deer then the rest of the group would see one but not have the rifle! Next time we will take two. Haha the found a sent trail twice but no pig. 11 hours in the mountains and left empty. Caulked it up as exercise for the dogs and getting ready for next time!

Sundays I thought couldn’t get longer but it just did! We are at church from 7am to 4pm! Long day then much needed rest.

I don’t really have a spiritual message this week. I guess just find prospective. There can be good found in all. It was really hard to leave Hauula but I try just to see the positive in all. Our Heavenly Father knows all things even when we do not. We must realize that and know everything that happens has a purpose. He is ever watchful. We must find the positive in all.

I love you all; I hope you have a fantastic week. I Love my mission. I love the highs and the lows. It is all for a purpose. I am to be here on Molokai at this time to serve this people.

With love,

Elder Shoaf

Update July 27, 2015: Never Know When the Lord Will Call

Weeks 75

Aloha Everyone!

What a week. Where do I begin? I don’t even know where so I guess I will just dive into it.

Monday- we didn’t take our P-day instead we had a great lesson with Rosemary and she has been prepared so much for the gospel! She’s excited for August 8^th! We then spent most of the rest of the day helping members of Hauula 2^nd  set up camp for the ward camp then we showered and went back fro dinner and Family home Evening which was a Lip Sync Battle! It was the funniest thing I have ever seen hands down.

Tuesday- we went over to camp for Breakfast Coco Samoan and Poly bread from Tita’s grill! It was pretty awesome! So good. Then we had our P-day; emailed, cleaned the pad and hung out with the sisters at the Hub! Then dinner at ward camp.

Wednesday- we had a great district meeting in the morning. The Zone leaders weren’t there so we had to break into the chapel… then we finished up studies and went to Mike’s to help him out for a bit then to the Vuniwai’s to help out over there! We also had our Kahana class, which went really well! Three of the boys that aren’t baptized yet want to be!! So we are going to start teaching them this coming week to prepare them! And then of course, Wednesday night basketball!

            Thursday- we helped out over at the Kaka’s their diesel truck ran out of fuel so I helped them get it running again. Then we helped the sister help a sister in Laie 3^rd ward move. Also had a bomb dinner and lesson with the Yassos.

            Friday- we went to Guy’s First thing and helped him out the lot is clear now but just need to dig up all the roots. Then Brother Kaka helped us move some things from the Sunset Pad to our pad and we had lunch at Ted’s bakery with a family from Columbus, Ohio! Small world. Ted’s has the best pies in the world by the way. We also had a great lesson with Lei and her family and went fishing behind their house! Caught some nice Tilapia! Then we had our Missionary Basketball night! It went really well!

            Saturday- I was on Exchanges with Elder Liava’a in my area and we had a bomb day!! Learned how to make Lilikoi syrup, went to a birthday party, and contacted 2 investigators we haven’t been able to! One of which will have a baptismal date next week!! A lot of tender mercies there.

            Sunday- is when my world turned upside down.it was a normal Sunday until after our third ward I received a call about 2pm from President Warner telling me that I would be on a plane Monday (today) to Molokai. An elder had to go home that was serving there and I will be replacing him. Transfers aren’t for almost 3 more weeks but it needed to happen now. So at 6:30 today I will fly to Molokai, which is the island just east of Oahu and is very very country. My Companion will be Elder Willis who I was in the MTC with and we will cover the whole island by ourselves. Since it’s so Country we will not have a car but a Chevy Silverado!!!!! I’m pretty excited to be back in a truck! I don’t fit well in small cars! We will travel to Maui on a ferry everyone and a while for meetings and other things of the sort. So I will get to see Maui as well!

I am sooo sad to leave Hauula. Hauula is my Home away from Indiana and a piece of my heart will always be here. These people are more than just members to me. They are family. I will never forget how much I’ve learned and grown here.  I know its through the gospel of Jesus Christ bonds like this are built. Our saviors love is the glue that binds families together for eternity.  I love this Gospel so much. I love these people. And I Love my Heavenly Father and my Older Brother and savior, Jesus Christ. On wards and upwards.

Love,

Elder Shoaf