Birthday Gift

Four grandchildren visiting us this week gave us lots of opportunities to spend quality time together and make some priceless memories. They really enjoyed the Polynesian Cultural Center, especially the Breath of Life evening show where we were seated right next to the performers in the second row, and the kids could look into their smiling faces and feel the heat from the flames of the torches. We kept looking at them throughout the performance and we could see how they were transfixed with wonder in their eyes. We also visited a children's discovery center in Honolulu and our grandkids loved it. It allowed them to be creative in unique ways. Our favorite part of the day was being the audience for them as they dressed up in a variety of costumes and put on a show for the grandparents. It's a joy for us to entertain small children and do things that'll make their visit to Hawaii an experience they'll remember forever.

Ezra, Everley and Emberlin

Sister Mundell with Edith

Sister Mundell had a wildly successful ward activity this week showing the relief society sisters how to make a multi layered "Cookie in a Jar" with all the ingredients displayed in a mason jar. It was something they'd never done before, and the best part was over 30 women of all ages showed up for the event. Many of them don't attend church very often, so we were overjoyed to be fulfilling one of our primary responsibilities as MLS missionaries by encouraging our less active members to participate more fully in activities with the ward. 

Elder Mundell had a birthday this week, it was memorable for him in a special way. He's been diligently marking his favorite passages of scripture in the Book of Mormon the past few weeks, and he finished his project in time to hand out 11 copies to our seminary students on Wednesday. He told them he understood how difficult it is to read the Book of Mormon, and the best way to know and understand the precious truths in it is to start by pondering and praying about the verses he'd highlighted for them, and if they'd do that, it would be the best birthday gift he could possibly receive. We love teaching them about this sacred record, and if only one of our kids reads the Book of Mormon for the first time as a result of this special gift from us, we've accomplished our goal. All it takes for us to be successful as teachers is to reach just that one student.

Cathy's sister Carolyn and her husband Brad were in Honolulu this week and treated us to dinner at Duke's restaurant on Waikiki Beach. They were service mission leaders in San Bernardino for three years, and we had a chance to talk about some our experiences with service missionaries. It's unfortunate when some people feel it's not a "real mission" and their service is not as valid as proselyting elders and sisters. Nothing could be further from the truth! We serve closely at the food pantry with them, and we see firsthand the love and devotion they have for Christ and following Him. We love our service missionaries! Serving 18 or 24 months differently from a "typical" mission call is exactly the same in the eyes of our Heavenly Father. A primary purpose of a mission is to deepen our conversion to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Teaching nonmembers and serving others both accomplish this goal. 

Cathy with her oldest sister Carolyn in Wakiki


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