Monday, June 24, 2013

Let's Get To Work

Area: Hilo, Keaukaha Area
Companion: Elder Kellogg

Dear family,
Hows everyone doing? This week went pretty good. I probably won't be sending pictures that much here, because the computers are too slow.  This week I have been battling within my own body. I've been sick,
like with the sore throats and the head aches and the coughs and the stuffy noses, but its all good.

Riding on a bike is pretty fun. There is this one spot that we ride by on our bike called like Harlots Bay and I get to feel the ocean as all the kids jump in. I'm pretty sure Preach My Gospel lies when it says that Sundays or Saturdays are the best days to proselyte, because try places where everyone's at the friggin' beach! Its a lot worse then it was in Pukalani, because we lived a good ways away from the ocean on a mountain. But, here in Keaukaha its right next to the ocean, so they can just walk there. They pretty much live on the beach.


We actually got to teach a lesson inside of a tent next to the ocean. People over here don't know how to keep there clothes on either, O' man.  A lot of the houses over here are pretty old really worn down. 
We were riding our bikes down a really long road with no cars on it looking for a part member family. We find the address and we look down the drive way and its just a jungle road for about awhile. So we just ride down it and we get a little farther and we see that this dude is growing taro and all that stuff.  Then we hear the dogs bark. You need to understand, ever since I got bit by a friggin' rabid pit bull I have been skeptical when it comes to hairy four legged creatures and when five dogs came out of the jungle I was ready to leave. After we had called to see if anybody was home at the shack we rode our bikes out of there.   I dont like dogs.  I was down through Keaukaha and all the sudden a bunch of dogs just charged me I had to lift my legs up off the pedal so that they wouldn't try to bite me.

I finally got to see Mauna Akea.  I seriously haven't been able to see it until just the other day when the clouds cleared up and I could see it.  Elder Kellogg got a picture, but I didnt have my camera.

We have this homeless guy named "E" that likes to come to our pad and use our washer and dryer because they are actually outside of our pad.  That dude is creepy man, he came up and asked if he could sleep inside
of our pad like twice. He likes to sell mushrooms to people at church.  He says it helps him see visions. Next time he comes over I'm calling the cops.

There is this huge coconut tree behind our pad and this guy came over and gave us a bunch of coconuts.  It was awesome. Elder Kellogg has a machete and he knows how to open it, so we had some of that. O' man
fresh coconut is good. Elder Kellogg also likes to burn cockroaches with axe and a lighter. O' yea and  I almost forgot about the papaya. We were just ridding our bikes and we see just a bunch of papaya sitting on top of a rock wall with a sign that says "free fruit".  I've never had it before so I just threw as much as I could into my back pack -- because it was free you know.  My back pack has never been heavier and it tastes
pretty good too.

Bishop Auna told us about this kid named "A" who had been coming to church since May.  He now would like to have visits from the missionaries.  So Elder Kellogg and I taught "A" the Restoration. We havent had someone that solid since I've been here.   He has a really good fellowship from the Mortensen family so he'll
probably be baptized next month if not sooner? {picture of us below}

I like to say 'Howdy' to people as I ride my bike by people. It's funny to get different reactions, because Hawaiians can be a little proud about their heritage and about being Hawaiian.  Most people just shaka back that's always nice, but some people just see that I'm a white person who is saying howdy and they laugh at me or say something anti-mainland to me.  I just think its funny, I dunno -- he ho ha.

Sacrament meeting was good. The topic was missionary work. We had the stake mission leader guy speak, Bro Hubner, and he got really emotional talking about how if we had every member of this ward here we would reach halfway back to the stage. Its true there are a less actives in this ward and part member family's. He was getting pretty emotional and the last thing he said was "lets get to work".   It was one of the best Sacrament meetings I have been to for a while and the way that he just said things was awesome.

President and Sister Dalton leave really soon.  It will be sad to see them leave, but they did a good job. It will be President and Sister Warner soon.

Picture of Elder Kellogg and I when we taught "A" at the Mortensens
 and it was also Elder Kellogg's 20th birthday.

This picture is of Mauna Akea taken from Keaukaha.


I love you guys and have a good one!!
Elder Tanner Shoemaker

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