A MIRACLE!

Area: Honolulu, Oahu
Companion:  Elder Carter

Soooooo this week has been kinda pretty interesting.   First, I am being transferred, but I don't exactly know where I'm going.   Elder Garrison (zone leader) went home, which is pretty sad because we were pretty good friends.  It was hard to see him go cuz he has been having a hard time with his testimony so he just decided to go back home to Tennessee. 

There was a bloody friggen miracle this last week!!  A lot of Chinese people came to the temple visitors center and while they where there they all decided that they wanted to be baptized.  It was crazy because they are from China and they were going to go home soon.  There is no proselyting in China.  The sisters in the VC (visitors center) called the President.   President told them to pretty much baptize them as soon as possible.  The only Chinese speaking Elder is actually in our zone in the Nuuanu ward.  His name is Elder Chen {remember the picture I drew of him a couple of weeks ago?}.   Elder Chen is with one of my previous companions Elder Fowles.   So, they sat in front of twenty Chinese people and taught them all the lessons in one day.  Out of the twenty, ten decided to be baptized.  They were all interviewed that same night and baptized and confirmed all in the same day!!   They taught them all @ Waikiki in some really fancy hotel.  Then five of them recieved the priesthood that same Sunday.   Did you get that?  They found TEN people and baptized them in one day.   That is like the equivalent of Alma baptizing 200 today.   President was pretty excited about it.  Those Chinese members are now back in China. Pretty Cool don't-cha think?

I've been in a triple companionship for a little while now with Elder Belnap our Zone Leader since Elder Garrison went home.  They are actually taking out the extra 2 missionaries in our ward so now it will only be one set of missionaries, the zone leaders, which is a really good idea.  I did not like having 4 elders in the same ward at all.  It just causes to much confusion and its just so much simpler when you have your own ward. 

We went to the temple today, that was pretty awesome.   Then went to the VC.  My foot kinda hurts from driving so much but its ok ya know. So well I have got to go.  

I love you guys cya later!

Elder Shoemaker

LOVE THOSE TIES!!!

Wow, What a week!

Area: Honolulu, Oahu
Companion:  Elder Carter

Today for p-day we played a little basketball in the morning, but the thing with most missionaries when they are on their mission they get a lot better at basketball..... but me I feel like I'm getting worse!  but whatever.  Then later we went on a hike and it was really muddy, rainy, and wet.   Good thing I already new that it was gonna be like that, because most hikes here in Hawaii are exactly the same.   So I put my camera in a plastic bag and I had bags for my flip flops because I don't really like to wear shoes that much anymore, so I just wore my flip flops.  It was pretty nice and refreshing. 

This last week end we had a mini-missionary with us that was pretty interesting.  His name was Maui Taotofi.  It was fun.  We had a chance to chase a dog and do a lot of service.  We taught some Micronesian people this week and had some Micronesian families come to church which was pretty nice.  Our zone leader was pretty sick so part one of the days I got to stay home with Elder Belnap cuz he was sick.   We watched Mountain to the Lord.   

Saturday was kinda busy we woke up around like 5:50am drove to the Stake Center.   We have been doing insanity (??) there in the morning for a little while.   When we were done there was someone from the Samoan ward that was doing a eagle scout project so we got drafted and ended up painting bus stops for like an hour.   We got back and we were kinda hungry and we knew someone was cooking food at the church, so we waited for that.   Then while we waited we somehow got involved with the Kalihi wards youth who were doing a water balloon fight, so we got soaked and had a little fun!   Then there was Dutch oven potatoes which I haven't had in forever so I ate those.   Then we got drafted to clean the Stake Center.   Then we were finished a Samoan family wanted us to eat there food and I was already sooooooo stuffed so I hid in the car. (ha ha ha ha)  Then someone wanted us to go do some yard work or something, so we were in this place with a lot of vines just overgrowing the place next to a river.  He gave us a machete and we just went to town.  He also gave us 5 coconuts and showed us how to open them with the machete and we got to drink the coconut water and eat the meat, which was pretty good.  Then he let us eat a whole watermelon.  By the time we got home we just had to get ready cuz there was a baptism in our ward for a guy named Christian.  It was the other Elders that taught him, but the weird thing was that he wanted me to confirm him.  So I had the opportunity to confirm him during church.  This week was pretty nice week. 

I will probably be getting transferred not this Wednesday but next Wednesday, which I will be sad. There is a lot of good people that are in our ward and around here.   I'll probably miss the Suda family the most because they always let us use their bathroom and always feed us and they pretty much do anything for us.  We even had them sew our pants for us.  They have three girls in their family who are going to leave on a mission soon and one son, so that will be awesome for them.  Even though they are not the richest family they will all be leaving pretty soon together which is cool. 

Well I lost my wallet again so better go find it (these kinda things always work themselves out so I'm not worried). 

I love you guys and see ya later. booyaah

love, Elder Shoemaker

Elder Purevdorj

oh my goodness my cheeks are getting fat!!!!

Service at Pearl Harbor

Area: Honolulu, Oahu
Companion:  Elder Carter

This last week was pretty good.  We had a great week.  There was a baptism in our ward, but it was the zone leaders baptism. That was pretty nice. Gingerale didnt come to church this last week because she had some work stuff to do, but its ok.   We will try to get her there next week.

 

We went to Pearl Harbor again this last week and did some service! That was pretty nice.

 

Cleaning the bunks......

That's a really big gun........

That's a really big boat....

We had the chance to do a car fast this last week. Everyone just didnt drive there cars in the entire mission for an entire day.  It was kinda fun because we just asked one of our members to give us a ride and we got to ride in there Mustang.  He went really fast and almost killed us (not really!), but it was pretty fun.

 

It was a pretty nice week though. ....So ya love you guys.

 

Cya later

 

Love Elder Shoemaker 

 

A picture I drew of Elder Chen......

A P-Day visit to the PCC

July 7, 2014

Area: Honolulu, Oahu
Companion:  Elder Carter

Hi Family, Today for P-day we actually had a chance to go to the (PCC) Polynesian Culture Center. It was pretty cool. We didnt have as much time as we would have liked because we had to drive all the way back and stuff. It's a little bit of a long drive from where we live.  I actually got to see Elder Griffiths who is my first son that I trained in Keaukaha. I haven't really seen him for a while and he's now serving in Lai'ie.  

{Couldn't resist doing a close up of THAT tie?  They are seal pups!  Whoa.... must be some tie trading going on}

For the 4th of July we watched the fireworks over Pearl Harbor from the Halawa chapel.

 

So ya its been a pretty good week. We had dinner with the Sudas and with the Wachters.  Some of our Chuukese investigators came to church this last Sunday. Yep!  Her name is Gingerale and her 2 children also came with her.  We taught them before and they accepted to be baptized, but I most likely won't be here when they get baptized.  That's really the most interested investigators that we have right now.

....and Mom,  I got the sling shot, but you know that is not my sling? ....but it works pretty good anyways.

So ya I'll cya guys later I have to go to dinner with our Bishop pretty soon k bye bye.  Enjoy the pictures!

kinisou chapur

Love, Elder Shoemaker

 

 {I was reading through one of my nephews recent missionary letters and my sister ask these questions to her son so I thought I'd give it a try and ask Elder Shoemaker }

Question 1:  What has been your most favorite thing about serving the Lord with a companion?

• Reply:  You'll never get lonely

Question 2:  What have your learned from serving with a companion 24/7?

• Reply:  It should never be duplicated in any other circumstance.

Question 3:  How do you apply that learning on a day to day basis?

• Reply:  I'm glad that I get to choose who I'm going to marry.

Dinner at the Wachters

District Meeting

A baptism happened in our ward (with the other Elders that serve in our ward).  Brother Matsunaga who is 89 years old.

His son baptized him who is the stake prez.