Querida Hermana Nielsen,
Well here we are on the Big Island of Hawaii. Our last day here. We fly out this afternoon back to Oahu and then back to Las Vegas. So this is what we have been doing this past week:
Monday June 2nd: We got up and wrote you our emails. We never did get a letter from you until later that day or the next day. After we got showered and dressed we went into downtown Honolulu to the tabernacle as all the leaders of the mission were having MLC down there. So she could see all her missionary buddies. One Elder came up to her and said Sister Nielsen, Holy crap, you are wearing pants. It was fun to see all their expressions on their faces seeing her back in Hawaii. At the tabernacle (the stake center) they have these banyon trees which are really old and the trees send vines down from the top and when they hit the ground it starts growing into a tree trunk. So it looks like one tree with 30-40 trunks. But I imagined that these vines are what Tarzan would swing from in the trees in the movie Tarzan, so I had to give it a try swinging from the vines coming down. I did not do it as well as Tarzan, that is for sure. After that we went to visit a museum called Iolani's Palace. It was really neat. It is where the King and Queen of Hawaii lived in the late 1800's before the Americans took over the islands. King Kamehameha III was very advanced. This palace is one of the first to have electricity even before Buckingham's Palace in England. We found out a lot about the Hawaiian culture there. They were even one of the first to have flushing toilets at this palace.
We went to Costco as that and bought lunch, pizza as it is cheaper there. Then we went to a beach for 2-3 hours. We were not sure what beach it was as Amber was trying to find a particular beach, but we found something else. It was one where it was mostly locals there and they were body boarding and surfing. We tried catching waves with just our bodies, but it did not work very well. It was ok, but we are just not beach people. We went back to the Tanaka's, they place where we were staying and then went to a Family home evening group that they have had for 20 years. It was really fun, about 30 people showed up. We ate dinner there and then had a lesson on the Hastening of the work. Brother Tanaka had me share the Elder Bednar story I told you a couple weeks ago about family history. There were a few big black cucaraca's (cockroaches) flying around in the covered patio and Sister Tanaka hates them, so we left about 9:30 pm. It was a very enjoyable evening.
Tuesday:
We got up and got ready. Amber was doing her homework so we got a late start, but we were going to the visitors center to visit Stewart and Ardis Jensen who are serving there as missionaries. We visited with them for about 2 hours. A young teenage girl from China was there and wanted a blessing, so Elder Jensen and I went in a back room and gave her a blessing. Then we went to the Polynesian Cultural center. That was great and a lot of fun seeing all those BYU Hawaii students performing and dancing. We did not get the Luau, but got the cheapest dinner we could get and then watched the show HA, the breathe of life. It was all good. Mom was tired and kept falling asleep in HA. The samoan fire guy Kap was great and in his Samoan show, he was very funny. A little old short guy who was built like a tank. We got home late that evening.
Wed:
Was Amber's 23rd birthday. What a way to celebrate your birthday. We went back to the swap meet, amber wanted to get a sweat shirt there. Then we went to this fabric store that had 1,000's of different hawaii patterns. Amber said she just loves that store. Then we met up with Sister Lauhingoa and Sister West and took them to lunch. We went to costco again and bought fruit, mango, lychees, wrap sandwiches, shrimp and smoothies, it was great. Amber loves seeing her 'baby'. Then we went and hiked koko head. A mountain that amber had always wanted to hike, but her comps. did not want to. It was straight up and during the heat of the day. I was sweating like a pig by time I got down. We were meeting up with another family from Kahala ward that wanted to take amber out to eat on her b-day, so we went to some beach front that had showers and washed up a bit, the best we could. That family took us to a Chinese restaurant and it was great. We had Peking duck, I had never liked duck before, but it was really good. Then we went home and got back a little late.
Thur: Out flight from Oahu to the big island left at 5:00 am, so we got up at 2:30 and tried to get all packed and ready to go and had to return the rental car. By time we got to the airport, we still had 1/2 hour, but they said we were too late and they would have to put us on the next flight which left in 1 hour. So that was good, that we could still do that. We only brought 1 suit case and then my little carry-on suit case and mom's byu bag, and we could not get everything to fit. we were carrying bags in our hands on the plane. We had a great flight and made it to the big island, got our rental car and went to the Jensen's condo. We found it okay and it is very nice, right on the golf course and has a swimming pool, etc. But we will not be spending much time here. We took a nap, went into Kona and went to Costco to buy food so we had it at the condo. And then we went to the Kona temple. Amber said it was the 2nd smallest temple in the world. But it was great. We were talking to a couple afterwards that was in our session with us and he said they came over here 25 years ago to die. The doctors had given him 3 month to live with his cancer and that was 25 years ago. He and his wife joined the church about 7 years ago and now are temple workers. It was a great story. He said president Benson is somehow related to him. Then we went to the stake center next to the church so amber could do her homework. We don't have wifi in the condo and drove back home and got back late.
Fri:
We drove across the big island to Hilo to visit Sister Ahnee who was from Hawaii and served in Elko, 17 years ago. It was great to see her and her 3 kids and her mother. He husband was working. She fed us Laulau. It is pork meat rapped in Taro leaves and then wrapped in Ti leaves to be cooked. It was good. Then we drop around the big island and the rain forest side to see sites and very that side of the island and came back through Kohala and visited a few people in the ward and then back to the condo. One couple (the Veloria's) sang to us some hawaian songs and she gave amber a blanket of hawaian scraps that she had made and gave her a wonderful explanation of what it was for and what it meant. They were a very nice couple. He is a sealer in the temple.
Sat:
We got up and worked out a bit. I went swimming in the pool. We have 8 wild tom turkeys that walk around the golf course right behind us. I enjoy watching them. We drove into Kohala and tried to visit a few people that were home. We went to a park where they had Heiau (temples) from 200-500 years ago where they offered sacrifices etc and where King Kamehameha I was raised and where he conquered all the other chiefs to become the 1st chief to rule all the hawaiian islands. It was very interesting. We heard the words, High Priest, Priesthood, seers, prophets, etc. I find that very interesting that they used those words. I am sure the book of mormon people had some influence in settling these islands. We hiked down to Pololu valley where they had huge lava walls and the waves would crash up against them. It was fun and very beautiful. That beach was a black sand beach and the sand was sooo fine, like sugar. We tried to visit a few more people but nobody was home and then we went to the grocery store but food for the sunday and came back.
Sun.
We went to church at the Kohala ward. We got there about 5 minutes late as it is a 40 minute drive from the condo. It was a very nice small ward and the Kona temple president and his wife spoke to us. Afterwards they had all the visitors go up and they sang Aloha Oe and gave us all leis. We got like 3 leis and they had a beautiful smell. Amber got about 7 leis. They were all very happy to see her and everyone said that she was a great missionary and thanked us for allowing her to serve. Afterwards we went by an old 83 year old tongan man's shop where he makes all these souvenirs and amber and mom got to pick out what ever they want. He is a sealer in the temple and his wife died about a year ago. A very sweet old tongan man. We visited with another family and they fed us dinner, she is from tonga and he is hawaian, he is less active. But they are a very nice family. Then we visited with Sione (a tongan man who amber found and was baptized in March) and his wife Kimi. She is not a member, but we had a great visit. Sione had tremendous faith and I can see him being a great leader some day in the church. We visited with a few more families that amber was teaching who still are not baptized and then came back to the condo. It was a very nice day.
We are learning to love these Polynesian people. They are very loving and very giving. I hope we can return the favor one day to all of them. We have had a great trip, but we miss the kids. Cody and the girls are doing well at home.
We love you and are so happy you are serving a mission. I am sure you are making the same impact on the people in Peru. As a missionary you will never be able to understand how you bless the lives of those people with whom you mingle and teach. You affect will be eternal. Keep working hard and we pray for you daily. Have a super week. We hope you are enjoying your new area.
Love, Dad
I hope you enjoy the recipes, this is all I am going to be able to send today, Dad covered things pretty well. ( I helped him remember everything!) I love you so much, have a great week, and stay safe. I think I know why they sent you to open up this new area. Hermana Nielsen can handle anything! Love , Mom
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