This week was SO cool! One thing that I've learned about Polynesians since I've been here is that they are a more 'visionary' people than I've ever met anywhere else. They are a little more umm...superstitious I guess you could say. So the other day we were teaching a lesson to an investigator, Marie. The member that we invite to the lessons was there too. Her name is Sister Cummings and she is a funny old polynesian woman. During the lesson, Sister Cummings was sharing a dream that she had a couple of years ago about Satan being a "short man". Often times people tell us about the dreams they've had. I've heard some pretty crazy things. Sometimes they interpret dreams as a way to predict the future and make important decisions. Sometimes they think that because we are missionaries, we can tell them what their crazy dreams mean. I'm not gonna lie though, there must be something in the air in Hawaii because I've had some pretty crazy dreams since I've been here as well.
Speaking of making predictions, I don't think I ever mentioned who the Hawaii Temple Visitor Center Director is right now. His name is Elder Mark Eubank and he was the weatherman on Channel 5 for a long time haha. His son took over his job now. Elder Eubank is funny because he is always trying to predict the weather here in Laie. I don't think he's been right yet....
Well, I wanted to send home a picture of my dinner the other night. There are a lot of wild chickens here in Laie and Kahuku. They just wander the streets and the yards and they are everywhere! They are gross and sickly looking most of the time. So for dinner the other night some members made us chicken. Kahuku wild chicken. The stems of the feathers were still in my piece of chicken. After I gagged, I laughed pretty hard. I'm so glad that I didn't get sent to a 3rd world country!
I hope that everything is going well at home. I heard Utah finally got snow! Its cold here in Hawaii today...70 degrees :)
Love,
Sister Stringer
PS - HAPPY BIRTHDAY MASON!!!! I LOVE YOU SO MUCH
I've been having a lot of fun this week! Sister Smith and I are starting to teach Orlando, a professional cliff diver. I get so excited when we get to talk to him because he jumps off cliffs and does flips and other cool stuff like that and gets paid for it. I think I want to try it when I get home! Something else to add to my list ;)
On Friday night a Sr. couple from the Visitor Center took the new sisters (me, Sister Slade, and Sister Lu) to the Polynesian Cultural Center night show. Elder Quentin Cook of the Twelve Apostles was there and he was sitting 2 rows in front of us so during intermission we were able to go talk to him. So cool!!! I love being a missionary.
In Preach My Gospel, it says that "just as vital as what you do is who you are." I love that! I spend so much time studying the gospel and gaining knowledge but its so important to become a better person because of the things I have studied. By the end of my mission, I truly want living the gospel to be natural. I want it to be who I am...so personal and such a big part of my personality and motivations. As I study more about Jesus Christ, I feel a huge desire to follow His example, even as imperfect as I am. He is helping me really internalize His teachings as I devote my time to Him.
The more I see out here, the more I realize that freedom comes by following the commandments. No wonder why the missionaries in the Book of Mormon wanted to stand on the rooftops and preach repentance to the people. Its liberating! The burdens of sin..guilt, pain, and sorrow are what bind you down and make you feel trapped. By following the commandments, those feelings are gone and you feel like you are floating on cloud 9. Its like wearing a skirt everyday after being trapped in pants all your life haha. Its liberating and it feels like a breath of fresh air! I love the commandments and I love the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Love and Aloha!
Sister Stringer
Today I want to focus my thoughts on serving in the Laie Temple Visitor Center. It's definitely different than I expected. The hardest thing is that most of the time things are pretty slow so I don't feel like I'm working very hard. For any of you that know me, you know that I have a hard time if I don't feel like I'm being productive.
Sister Smith gave me some good advice. She said that God wants me here right now, so why should I complain about being in a place where the Spirit is always present and the Lord's elect come to us? This week I have realized that I have so many wonderful resources at my fingertips and that the Lord is giving me the chance to serve Him while still having lots of time to learn and study on my own.
Being at the visitor center has shown me how important it is to always be worthy to have the Holy Ghost with you. When people walk in, we usually only have 5 or 10 minutes to help them understand why they need the gospel in their lives. There is no way I could do that on my own, but as I pray for the spirit to guide me and then start talking to them, I am always given the words to say. They are not my own words, I know that for sure. Its such an amazing thing to watch someone change right before my eyes as the spirit testifies that what I am saying is true...or that what I just said was "exactly what they needed to hear." I plead with everyone of you to always live so that you can have the spirit, it is one of God's greatest gifts to His children and will bless you beyond comprehension!!
Another week come and gone...its already going by way too fast.
Love from Hawaii,
Sister Stringer
PS - NEVER underestimate the power of Jesus Christ to help you!
Good morning everyone! One week down...many more to go. I haven't had much of a problem adjusting and I'm happy to say that the tan/burn lines are starting to form. To answer your question Brady, at the PCC we give tram tours that go to BYU-H, Laie residential area, and the Temple. My summer tour giving skills are actually coming in handy. There are a lot of asian people here and its funny because whenever they see me and my blonde hair, they want pictures with me. Its only ever the men though haha and I definitely stand out here but I'm finding that its usually a good thing.
The natives here are so nice. Even if they don't want to hear our message, they will still usually chat with us for a while so we can soften them up a bit. I've gotten more kisses in the past week than I have in the past year LOL....everyone here gives us kisses. At first I was a little weirded out but I'm starting to like it now :) There are some boys in the ward that want Sister Smith and I to go surfing with them. Tempting, I know. And for those of you that are curious...yes, I am putting on weight. Sister Smith said if the polynesian people love you, they will do anything for you. That means that we always eat their food and LOVE it haha. That's how we find people to teach. We will be blessed for our willingness to eat their food and hopefully the Lord will help me take the weight off when I get home.
A really cool thing happened this past week. We were teaching the second lesson to a recently found investigator on Sunday. Her name is Marie and she lives in Kahuku with her 3 children. We were planning on extending the commitment to get baptized to her that day even though she was only on the second lesson because she really seems ready to have the blessings of the gospel in her life. As Sister Smith was about to ask the question, Marie beat her to the punch and said, "Well Sisters, I want to be baptized. What do I need to do?" Wow. We both wanted to jump out of our chairs and yell Yippee!! I have come to learn that there are lots of people out here that are not ready to embrace the gospel, but when you find that one person who has been prepared, it makes all the other rejection worth it.
The Lord's hand is in all things. He guides this work because it is His work and it will continue to move forward! I see miracles everyday.
Love,
Sister Stringer
Aloha from the beautiful island of O'ahu! I just have to rub it in a little bit because the weather here is perfect and I fall asleep to the sound of the ocean. This is not going to be an easy mission but I am definitely blessed to be here.
My new companion is Sister Smith from Pleasant Grove/ Orem, UT. We graduated from high school the same year...its a small world. Our District Leader, Elder Wooten, is also from Pleasant Grove and knows Kayci. PG represent!!
I am currently serving half days in the Laie Temple Visitors' Center and the Polynesian Culture Center. We live right next to the temple in a pretty decent size "pad" (apartment). I was able to street contact in Honolulu for a day and then we drove to the North Shore. I am being trained to be able to drive which is good because I guess that drivers are in short supply.
Well mom you'll be happy to know that the other half of my day is spent in my first proselyting area....the glamorous town of Kahuku, HI. I'm not gonna lie, parts of it are pretty ghetto and make me a little nervous but the ward there is strong and the members are great member missionaries. EVERY missionary in this mission gets fed dinner each night by the members which is actually pretty cool. They take great care of us.
I've already had some amazing experiences in the Visitor Center. We have thousands of people that visit each week, mostly non-members from that are spending the day at the PCC. The spirit is so strong here on the Temple grounds, making it the ideal teaching situation. I know that the gospel of Jesus Christ can change lives and bring happiness. It has been reaffirmed to me so many times in these past couple of days.
I love you all and wish that I could talk to you each individually. Have a very Happy New Year!!
Mahalo nui loa,
Sister Stringer
