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!