Sunday Afternoon we went with Elder & Sister Robbins to go see the Dolphins - it was such a beautiful setting. It was wonderful to watch these amazing creatures!

Here we are with the Robbins by a wonderful Banyan Tree; quite a complicated trunk system!

It was great fun watching these 5 Dolphins perform. Since all five are Males - the trainers refer to their setting as 'the Bachelors' Pad'!!

These guys eat up to 26 lbs of fish every day!

We are a little worried about our Assistants to the Mission President, Elders Hatch and Doane. President is going to California to attend a Mission President Seminar this week and already they are making plans!

Last Saturday, July 24th, we spend the day with President & Sister Dalton (center) and the Robbins touring Pearl Harbor. We got to see sights that most tourists don't get to see such as the machine gun bullet holes along a runway airstrip where a Japanese was flying behind a truck with two service men driving. They looked in their rearview mirror to see the plane coming behind them and both baled out; both survived.

Just before we go on board of the US Missouri Battleship.

We were given VIP Treatment at the US Missouri. The gentleman with the hat on is Sam Lowe and he is a member of the Church who is in charge of the US Missouri Battleship.

Walking onto the US Missouri Battleship.

This plaque marks the spot on the US Missouri where General McArthur and the Emperor of Japan came together to sign the peace documents bringing WWII to an end.

I think this photograph is definitely worth a "1,000 words." In fact, words probably can't fully express the horrors of this day!

You take a boat over to see the US Arizona Memorial.

At the US Arizona Memorial they listed all the names of the men who went down on this battleship and today are entombed under the water. Any survivor of that day, who served on the ship, can have their remains also interred at this spot as well.

I thought this was a fun "antique" of Uncle Sam located at the US Missouri Battleship.

Please don't turn me into government security; but on our visit to Pearl Harbor we all took pictures of this surveillance station, and immediately security surrounded us and called the police. When the police arrived they made us delete our pictures - BUT this one got through!! Oh well . . . I wouldn't know who to sell it to anyhow!

Lee is such a good sport! (Wearing Elder Hatch's shark beenie hat!) He did threaten me if I were to post this on our Blog . . . but sometimes you just have to live dangerously! (Flowers!)

We love Elder Hatch! He is one of the Assistants to our Mission President and is just outstanding! I would love to introduce him to someone very special, but he is very tall - 6'6". Do you know anyone who would measure up?

We went out this evening for dinner and when we got back to our place was welcomed by this Hawaiian Sunset! You have got to know it was even more beautiful in real life!

I love the setting of this old little church in downtown Honolulu

This photo was taken at our last Zone Conference with outgoing President Peterson. We are here with one of our favorite missionaries - Elder Conners.

This little clip is known as the Book of Mormon HAKA. HAKA is a dance that the Pacific Islanders would do just before a battle. These missionaries adapted the dance to using the Book of Mormon. The words are:

Take the Book from your Back

Slap the Book on your Chest

Read the Book, Read the Book

Pray, Pray

We've got the Gospel

No matter what they say

You walk in the water with me.

I understand that there is a recording somewhere with President Peterson doing the HAKA with our Elders - I'll try to locate!

On Youtube you can find some great recordings of the HAKA at Sports Events - pretty intense.

June 28, 2010

Last Zone Conference with President & Sister Peterson ~

Aloha & Mahalo!

It is so fun having Elder Brandon Petersen in our Mission! He was a neighbor just down the street and his parents are dear friends! This one is for you Marilyn! xoxox

This is Transfer Day with missionaries coming in from the different islands to be reassigned to new companions. There are 3 groups of missionaries assembled here: 1) Newly Arrived 2) Those going home or "dyers" and 3) everyone else to be reassigned. There are about 80 missionaries involved in the process and it's quite a sight!

New Crop of Missionaries arriving and waiting their assignment for their first companion!

President Peterson among his adorning missionaries! They really do love him. It will be hard to have him return home in 2 weeks. One of my favorite Elders' is Elder Watanawaworakula from Thailand (on the right end in blue tie). He has invited Lee and me to come to Thailand and he'll see that we ride an elephant!

Meet one of the Assistants to our Mission President:

Elder Moroni Michael KU'UHOAPELIOKALANIMEKANALUOKE'KAI

Mederios!!! That's only 31 letters on the middle name alone! It means:

"My Companion of the Heavens and the Ocean Waves."

Lee and I get to attend a Zone Conference of our choosing every 6 weeks. This one was held in Laie where the temple is located (as well as BYU Hawaii and the Polynesian Cultural Center). Here we are with our Mission President, President Stephen Peterson and his darling wife Sister Cathy Peterson. They really are remarkable people and we hate to see them go home in July. It was been an honor to get to know them!

For Memorial Day we participated with the Hawaii Floating Lantern program where you can make a "Boat" and place a candle inside that is lit, and then set a float on the ocean. I dedicated my Boat to Mom!! Boy do I miss her! This picture show my Note to Mom on my boat dedicated to her memory! I have posted on my facebook a Youtube clip that really shows how beautiful this sight was.

There were thousands of people waiting to "launch" their boats in memory of their loved ones. I wrote a letter to Mom on two sides and on the 3rd side a note to Dad, Grandma & Grandpa and listed all my kitties - I know silly; but I miss them all!

This little boy took my boat for Mom (the one next to him) and guided it out to the ocean; Mom would have loved that a child did that!

It really was a beautiful, and very touching sight!

We found a fun artist who is 85 years old and loves to paint different scenes of Hawaii. I think she took lessons from Mom!

Elder Ioelu, from Tonga, with Lee wearing one of Mark's beautiful Ties! Thanks Mark!!

Laie Zone Conference - May 26, 2010

Wonderful Talks, Beautiful Testimonies and the best Missionaries in the Church!

With President and Sister Peterson at Laie Zone Conference, May 26, 2010. President gave a "General Conference" quality talk to the missionaries - very moving and brought tears to our eyes.

We rarely see our Mission President, President Peterson. Literally he "flies" in and out and is gone - like a whirlwind. So I took the opportunity to walk into his office and as I take his picture ask him if it's o.k., snap and "Thank You President". We have never seen a man who is always on the run and I mean ALWAYS!

Hey Mark! I wanted you to see this darling missionary, Elder Blucker from New Caledonia, wearing one of your beautiful ties. He was so excited. I said to him - "The tie matches your beautiful dark eyes!" and he said: "And my dark skin!" He is just darling and his native tongue is French so he is going to teach French lessons in hopes of trying to find investigators!

Great Snap of Lee swimming along side huge turtle w/head above water!

Lee gathered quite the crowd watching him swim with this one turtle! He said that when he was out snorkeling he saw about 10 turtles!

Some people never cease to amaze me . . . but then what some will do "all in the name of Fashion!" I'm afraid the joke is on this little gal! Now you know the REAL REASON the Missionaries can not come to the Beach!

These Turtles are huge! They can weigh up to 400 lbs! There are about 40 in this area and the volunteers who keep watch over them know them all by name! I spent about an hour visiting with the volunteers and watching them swim around looking for food.

So if ever you want to go watch and swim with the Turtles - we know the perfect spot!

The WIND does wonders??? for Lee's hair!

Standing in front of a statue of some King whose last name is at least 20 letters long~

well o.k. it's only 10 letters long: HAMEHAMEHA

Standing next to the Elders (Blucher and Conner) is Alika. He is 16 years old and just loves to go out tracting with the missionaries. He lives with his grandma because his parents are on drugs. He is a great young man and is very much looking forward to going on a mission in a few years!

This is Sister Suafoa who works in the Mission Office with us. She is a Service Missionary and this is her 4th Mission! She is a wonderful, dedicated lady - always a smile and always a flower in her hair.

APs Elder Medeiros and Elder Hatch literally brought back a flat tire into the Mission Office to Elder Robbins (center) who is in charge of the cars for our mission! It was a funny sight seeing these two Elders rolling this tire down the hallway to our office!

So . . . it's Sunday Afternoon and Lee wants to go for a walk - QUOTE: "It should only take 45 minutes then we can come back and fix Sunday Dinner for the Elders!" I should have had him define "Walk" because it really was more of a Hike that took 45 minutes going up and 30 going down!! He now understands that Hikes are best for Saturdays and Strolls for Sundays!! Look at the size of this single leaf compared to Lee's head!

I was trying to get Lee to snap the Tree so it looked like it was on the palm of my hand; didn't quite work!