Week 17 &18: Extra cool email: Thanksgiving!

Me and my zone on the top of Koko head

 

Aloha kākou! Super sorry I was not able to write a weekly last week. But it was worth it because now I have one email to fit a whole two weeks worth of people, places, and miracles!! Thanks for tuning in

So last p-day was pretty weird . We did a hike called Manoa falls and I was so excited to go on a hike finally in this area that of course I brought my camera. However, shortly into the hike it started pouring rain and the bag I kept my camera in isn't waterproof . I basically hid it under my shirt the whole time. Beautiful view though! We passed by an area where they were setting up plants for shooting Aquaman 2. Didn't see Jason Mamoa though. Oh well.

Have I talked about Barry before? Well Barry is one of our investigators. He's really nice and very interested in the gospel. He was originally on date to be baptized but was pushed back because of some issues with the word of wisdom. And he has a friend named Randall. Now Randall is a bit of a trouble maker. He's nice too, but he can sometimes make it difficult to teach lessons simply because he's attending quite a few churches and has different ideas of what things mean. Recently we've taught Barry about keeping the commandments and how the Book of Mormon blesses our lives and guides us. Randall wasn't there for that lesson. BUT, Randall was present during the last lesson of which we discussed temples and family history. He had a lot of questions and turned it into more of a debate. We tried our best to explain the best we could and eventually the lesson got across to both. It will just be interesting to see how it goes from there .

Thanksgiving was the BEST! And I thought Halloween was fun! We had dinner at a Tongan family's house. They are relatives of Brother and Sister Uyema in our ward. The food was sooooo goood! It was the perfect blend of traditional Thanksgiving food while also some Hawaiian favorites! Kalua pig, baked Mac n cheese, stuffing, turkey, Lau Lau(pork in some green cabaggy stuff) and TONS of desert. Getting hungry yet? After the food, me, Elder Thompson, and the AP's Elder Anderson and Elder Horsely gave a message about being grateful. It was really cool and really invited the spirit. But that's not all. Not even close. We did Karaoke! Everyone at the tables were telling the AP's to sing a song but they got scared. So before we left I sang the classic hit "Everybody Talks" by Neon Trees. Oh the applause was deafening! Just kidding but it brought a lot of laughs .

So in the last two weeks there's been quite a few baptisms in our stake! Me and Elder Thompson had the cool opportunity to give the missionary moment for two of the baptisms. We did this for a woman named Connie and a bro named Len. It was awesome because it gave us the opportunity to share the Restoration lesson and it ALWAYS brings the spirit. You have no idea how touching it is to see people being baptized as a missionary. It's so motivating for me and really inspires me. I'm so proud of them!

Another cool thing that happened was that I was able to speak in church yesterday. I was asked to speak on missionary work and I talked about how faith and works helps the work move forward. It was a great opportunity for me to ask myself how we as missionaries use our faith to push us forward. I mentioned the story in Joshua about how the Israelites carried the Ark of the covenant across the Jordan River. They were promised that the river would part, but it didn't part until they stepped into the water. This story is a good reminder that as much faith as we have, we can bless ourselves and others as we act on our faith. 

Oh and did I mention that President and Sister Walker were in church today?  I definitely wasn't expecting that.

Well that's pretty much my week(s). I want you to know that I'm grateful for you. I can see specifically who receives these emails and I love and miss every single one of you. This mission would be a lot harder to do if it weren't for your love and support. 

Have a great week! Aloha!

Yours, Elder Nielsen

Pictures: These ones wouldn't load

1-2. Last week's hike to Manoa falls

7. Me singing  Don't judge too harshly.

 Can't remember why, but I really wanted to take this picture. Maybe for posterity.

This is a cat. Can't remember where it was.

Tongan Thanksgiving!

The view from Koko head!