Mighty MO

It's been another busy week for us, and some of the things that happened to us were a bit out of the ordinary from the usual routine of various service activities we attempt to do each week.  Because it was President's Day on Monday, we decided to give the youth at the correctional facility some trivia questions about the US presidents, such as which one was a movie actor (Reagan) and the only one who became president without being elected (Ford).  We were having a very enjoyable time until all of a sudden a fight broke out between two of the boys over one of the questions - and Elder Mundell ended up right in the middle of it!  Never a dull moment ...

Our district was given the assignment to help do some service work at the USS Missouri - which is permanently moored in Pearl Harbor after a long and storied past in the US naval fleet - which included being the location of the Japanese surrender in Tokyo Bay at the end of World War II.  Our previous volunteer work involved cleaning the gift shop, but this week we got to clean the interior parts of the ship that the visitors take for a walking tour through history.  We learned a lot of interesting stuff along the way, such as the fact the "Mighty Mo" was chosen for its role in history simply because the president at the of the war, Harry Truman, was from Missouri.  

Senior couples from our zone at the USS Missouri - the Bradys and the Whitmans

Sister Huefner, Sister Jarman and Sister Mossman at the Mighty Mo.

We sometimes feel like the time we spend helping others is not very productive or does much good, but then we have things happen that make us realize we are making a difference!  A lady that we met at the women's homeless shelter several months ago reached out and contacted us through Facebook with a request for a Priesthood blessing because she was in the ICU at the hospital with a serious infection.  Elder Mundell asked another senior missionary, Elder Harry, to assist him in giving her the blessing.  And another lady at the shelter told us this week that shes loves it when we come because our fun activities are therapy for her.  We learned an important lesson - you never really know the impact our kind words and gentle actions can have on other people.  

We gave the ladies at the homeless shelter jigsaw puzzles this week

We often give the patients we visit at the drug and alcohol detox center an opportunity to express themselves through motivational and inspirational affirmations as a way to help them overcome their addictions.  We were blown away by the artistic talent one of them displayed this week when he was asked to share something along those lines with the group.

Sister Mundell has been honing her skills as a hair stylist on our mission.  It is extremely expensive to get a haircut at a barber shop in Hawaii, so Elder Mundell has been a willing guinea pig for his wife to practice cutting and trimming his hair every month or so, and it's saved him hundreds of dollars by letting her learn a new talent.  We like the results!  It's possible she may offer her services to the elders we serve with, or even get a license and cut hair professionally as a side hustle when we return to Florida.

We love this opportunity we have to serve as missionaries, and we love the young elders and sisters who serve with us.  We feel closer to our Heavenly Father through Christlike service.  We encourage all of our family and friends to find joy in their lives through serving others.

Missionaries serving in the Olomana ward, Elder Winn and Elder Taylor.

Missionaries serving in the Waimanalo ward, Elder Sasagi and Elder Digerness.