Elder & Sister Mundell

     We spoke in both wards last Sunday, and it gave us a chance to introduce ourselves and allow the members to get a glimpse into our personalities and unique talents. Cathy said she's been waiting 38 years to serve a mission, and mentioned how she loves to bake cookies as a way to make friends with people. Dan talked about how the loss of his wife and two of their children was a motivating force in his life to serve a mission after he retired, and he doesn't want to do anything to jeopardize his cleanliness before God, because he knows they are waiting for him in the celestial kingdom, and he does not want to fail them.     We  made our first visits with ward members this week, and like most everything we've experienced since we arrived, it's proving to be a challenge. Our apartment is in Kaneohe, and the ward meetinghouse is about 12 miles away in Waimanalo. Consequently, all of the members are at least 10 miles away each time we try to visit them. And ...

       Our first week as a senior couple has been an eye opening experience, in many ways. We are assigned as member & leader support (MLS) missionaries to two wards on the windward side of the island of Oahu, Olomana and Waimanalo. They both meet in the same chapel, one is at 8 am, and the other is at 11 am. The Saints in our wards are very friendly, kind hearted and easy to talk to. We will need to build trust however, because we can tell most of them are hesitant to talk about their problems and especially other people's needs. It is a cultural thing that we need to overcome to start helping those we are called to serve.      Without a lot of brothers and sisters that we've been asked to visit yet by elders quorum and relief society, we directed our efforts towards finding opportunities to serve others through volunteer organizations. On Wednesday our zone was assigned to assist at the Food Pantry, and we handed out groceries to over 500 familie...

     We arrived at our missionary assignment to the island of Oahu Saturday night, August 12th. We so excited, so blessed to be here, and willing to serve in any capacity, consecrating our time, energy and talents in a full time effort to bless the lives of God's children.       The MTC experience the past two weeks was unforgettable. What stood out the most to us during our time there was how close the ideal of Zion can be if we are unified in our purpose to serve Heavenly Father and His children with an eye single to the glory of God. "And the Lord called his people ZION, because they were of one heart and one mind, and dwelt in righteousness, and there were no poor among them." That is an apt description of the MTC.      Our departure to Honolulu was delayed for five hours, but we used our time wisely to engage the people near us in meaningful conversations, and really listen to them. Elder Mundell is making huge p...

      It has been an eventful week for us at the Provo Missionary Training Center, full of instruction, spiritual feasts and meeting new people. The biggest thing we learned this week was the importance of coming unto Christ. We learned the natural man or woman turns inward and wants to satisfy their own needs, however the Savior was always looking outward, seeking to help and bless others. This is the character of Christ. We want to follow that example and always looks for ways to serve others and not be focused on ourselves.      At times it feels like we are at the temple, because the spirit is so strong here, it is a presence you can actually feel because this training center is so different from other places.   We've learned a lot about how to use the scriptures more and how we can apply them into our lives.  For example, we read 3 Nephi Chapter 11 as a group.  This chapter in the Book of Mormon talks about the coming of the Sa...