Fun and Games

    We really didn't know what to expect when we arrived in Hawaii almost three months ago. We are so happy to be here, serving God in such a beautiful place. We feel overwhelmed by the kindness, generosity and love of the Hawaiian people. And we are trying the best we can to reciprocate the love we feel from those we meet. What we are finding as we talk to people, both members and non-members of the church, is that they just need a friend. So that's basically all we are trying to do - make friends by being friendly, kind and compassionate with everyone. Which of course is what Jesus Christ would do. Following the example of Christ brings us joy each day, and we feel like the time and effort we are putting into this mission is being returned a hundred-fold back to us in blessings and God's tender mercies.

    We have been participating in what the Kaneohe stake calls the "green arrow marathon". Birth, marriage and death records from the Hawaiian Islands have been indexed, and our job is to add these "unconnected" individuals into FamilySearch and then request temple ordinances for them. It's quite an undertaking, there are thousands of Hawaiian people that still need this information to be recorded and sourced for the temple. Sister Mundell had a special spiritual experience this week as she requested the ordinances for one deceased man. She distinctly felt him say "Thank You." He told her that if she hadn't been on her mission the work wouldn't have been done, and that because of him, she had achieved her purpose as a missionary.

    Another project we have been working on is called Letters of Love. We print out blank greeting cards for children who are battling cancer or serious illness, to help them know that we care and lift their spirits a little bit. They've asked for Christmas cards to be sent more than a month early so they can distribute them to the children in December. So we handed out several different blank cards, and we asked the families we visit at a homeless shelter to color them with crayons or markers and leave a positive message inside. It was great! The lovely people we've met there were so happy to help and share their love with others in a very simple way. 


        We enjoy playing social games with others, in addition to the spiritual messages we share, in many different types of settings among the groups that we're reaching out to. So far, we've done things like  Uno, Sequence, Sorry, Bingo, word searches, holiday trivia, and craft projects. Cathy has extensive background in recreation therapy, and we believe that providing a fun environment helps get the message across better than if the only interaction we have is trying to preach the word of God to them. It is a patient approach we are taking, trying to build trust and friendship as we introduce the teachings of Jesus Christ and principles of truth found in the scriptures and the restored church. We feel like the Lord is blessing our efforts to reach out to His children in love and kindness. 

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