The Blessing of Transportation

Area: Honolulu, Oahu
Companion:  Elder Ewar

Hey ALOHA, how's everything? Everything is pretty good over here, just this and that.  This week has been a little slow as most of our appointments fell through.   Ummmmmmm I'm having a hard time thinking of things to type.   So were actually not right in the middle of Honolulu and where our apartment is located its surprisingly really quite.   Right now we don't have a whole lot of investigators that were working with.   The most important one is probably Zashalyn and she's about 11 years old. She lives at KPT.   Her family actually gave us a car, which is super nice because now we don't have to ask the other Elders to give us rides and stuff.  

Well I hope you guys have a wonderful day!

Love Elder Shoemaker

An adjustment period.....

Area: Honolulu, Oahu
Companion:  Elder Ewar

Ok so how is every one doing?  Hope your doing ok!  I'm doing ok.   So I'm transferred to Oahu to the Moanalua 1st ward.  I live in an area that they call Salt Lake.   My companion is from Chuuk Micronesia Islands ‎(in the North Pacific Ocean in between Philippines and Papua New Guinea) and he speaks Chuukese.  He's been out for one more transfer then me.   My companions name is Elder Ewar.  He's pretty crazy.

Elder Shoemaker's new location (a little off from the guess last week, but kinda close!)

I've sent my new address (indicated on the right).  When I first got here I was kinda lost, but this is pretty typical when I get transferred, especially to an island where I don't know where anything is.  However, I leave Kekaha with 7 investigators with a baptismal date and I come here and we have nothing!  I look in the area book...... there is nothing, I cant even find a map!  We don't have a car, so we have been bumming rides off of there people a lot lately.  We cover an area called KPT.  This place is where there's tons of Chuukese people and Marshalese people.  It a place with tons of people from different places.  There are various language wards that are on the Oahu island that cover the entire island, so we always see other Elders and Sisters from other zones.  We also share the area with the zone leaders and they have a car.   We have spent most of our time in KPT since I have been here. 17 floors of pure housing after housing!!  I don't think that we have the complete trust of the ward either so that is something else that we need to work on.  The area isn't split in half with the Zone Leaders either .... we just all share the same area.  It's almost kinda like a competition and I don't really like that.

I have learned some words in Chuukese though like "rananim" = Hello and "ifa usum" = How are you?  My ward is mostly all white people.   I have to get used to that as well.

Yes, sure I would love to have some pants and if they don't fit me then maybe they will fit some of the other elders here.   It's definitely gonna be a trial, but hopefully I will be able manage.  It's so different though!  I maybe saw the other Elders and Sisters once a week in Kekaha and now I see Elders every day.  It's a big change for me.

Well love you guys! Sorry I don't have my camera cord and cant send pictures this week.

Kene nom

Love Elder Shoemaker

Off to Oahu!!!

Area: Kekaha, Kaua'i
Companion: Elder Vaitaki

So it sounds like you guys are doing great. Well this last week was pretty awesome, but the crappy thing is that I'm going to be transferred.  I really really kinda don't want to go, but man I guess that I have too.   I'm kinda a little scared because I'm being transferred to the city.   I have been in the country my entire mission and I'm not sure if I'll be used to it at first.  I'm being transferred to the Moanalua 1st ward (or something like that) in the Honolulu West Zone.   It's on the island of Oahu.  I have really grown to love the people here in Kekaha.   They sang Aloha 'oe to me this last Sunday and then afterward the everyone came up to me and gave me hugs . Some people were crying mann.   However, I feel pretty accomplished for what I have done here.  Since I've been here I have been pretty instrumental in the reactivation of the Naholoholo family and that is due to the baptizing of those kids.  Now most of the family come to church regularly and the Mom was just called into the Young Women's Presidency.

Moanalua Area looks to be right outside of Honolulu, near the famous Diamond Head Crater Hike.   We'll have to get the exact location from Elder Shoemaker next week.

The baptism on Saturday went very well.  Kam'lin was pretty excited and it was just awesome!!!!

My district and the others is our zone.  We only have 2 districts in the Kauai zone.

 That is Elder Vaitaki.  I'm gonna miss him big time.

O ya and thanks for the valentines box that you sent it was just delightful!  I am still a little bit overwhelmed with that fact that I don't want to leave.  The last 4 1/2 months have been great.  I'm leaving the quiet laid back Kekaha and trading it for the loudness of the city.  It's ok,  I'm sure I'll like it there, but I know it's going to take me some time to get used to it.
 

I love you guys cya lata!

Elder Shoemaker

I love this place!!!

Marshallese Party and Brother Otuafi

Area: Kekaha, Kaua'i
Companion: Elder Vaitaki

 Hey so this week was pretty nice, a good amount of things happened.  Last p-day after  had email you we had a slip and slide and oh man it was dirty.  When this island is dirty, everything gets dirty.  It was down a pretty steep hill at the Kalaheo chapel.   Today for p-day we went off roading with some members of our ward up the mountain in their truck.  It was pretty bumpy and we went pretty far in,  I got pretty cold. It can actually kinda cold up here!

But, anyway last week was nice, some parts of it were slow, others were better. We went to a Marshallese party this last Saturday.   That was way fun and they were dancing and singing Marchallese dances and songs.  I did take a video but I really dont know how to send a video by email.  So we'll have to view it later.

 

Our investigator, Kam'lin is getting baptized this next Saturday and it just might be my last baptism in the Kekaha ward as transfers are next week.

 

We ate lunch right next to a cliff man...cool!

A Waterfall

Yesterday was Sunday.  It was pretty nice.  It was also Super Bowl Sunday.    That Hawaiian dude Taniela Otuafi and his family came to our ward yesterday.  He has family in our ward, the Youngs, so he came to do a musical fireside at the Kekaha chapel.   After church we were invited to the Young's for lunch, so we went and they where having a Super Bowl Party!   We didn't watch, but we could hear the TV.   A lot of the members here actually dont know that missionary's cant watch tv and all that.   So Elder Vaitaki and I just ate lunch and talked with Brother Otuafi and his cousin for a little while.

A little email chat:

Keri emailing Elder Shoemaker:  That's pretty awesome about the Otuafi family, did you know he came to our stake and did a fireside a couple of months ago?  I introduced myself to him as I tracked him down when I was in the Stake Young Women's Presidency to get him to come speak at our stake.  That's so awesome that you got to hang out with him.  His family is so darling!!!  Did you get to hear his fireside?  When his daughters sing, it's precious. What a small world!!!!

Elder Shoe's reply:  Yea I remembered that he did.  He asked where I was from and I told him North Logan and he said that he remembered doing a fireside there as well.

Well I need to get going, but it was a really good week. I love you guys cya later!

Elder Shoemaker