Elder Tanner Shoemaker: I think someone loves me.....

Area: Kekaha, Kaua'i
Companion: Elder Fowles

Hey whats up?? Whats up Mom! My address is PO box 719, Kekaha HI 96752. Hows everyone doing today? That's great! OK well I just went through my first week here in Kauai. Its pretty sick over here. The Island of Kauai is one zone. There are 5 wards and 1 branch here....... there is Kepa'a 1, Kepa'a 2, Lihue Kolaheo, Hanalei Branch and Kekaha. That's my ward. There are 4 sets of Elders and 2 sets of Sisters here. I am a District Leader still, us and Kolaheo. Ok, first of Kauai is very very beautiful!!!

We went up over Waimea canyon today and to Koke'e. Thats me right there.

But actually the place we stay in Kekaha is the dry side of the island. Kekaha is probably the smallest town on the entire island of Kauai. Its pretty hot and dry and a little dusty. Chickens run rampant and I saw kids whipping each other in the streets after church just this Sunday. Our area covers the town of Waimea and up the valley and Kekaha.

It was pretty funny we didn't realize it but we were driving and we didn't know it but we were actually out of gas. The car said that we couldn't go any more miles, but we actually made it into the only gas station in town before it died. We were watched over.

The ward here is super cool. Keaukaha (last area) was mostly all Hawaiian homelands. Kekaha has a lot Hawaiian homelands as well. Everyone in our ward is Hawaiian except for like 2 people. Our pad is super nice and it has two AC units and we sleep in queen sized beds. We never have to buy food because the members give us all the food that we need.

Elder Shoemaker and Elder Fowles

My companions name is Elder Fowles. He's a baller man -- you dont want to get in the way of this kid when he's playing basketball, he'll wreck you. He's from Arizona and he has been out for 3 months. This is still his greenie area. He's a good missionary, good with people. The people here are a little layed back perhaps little too layed back, so got to watch out for that. Most everyone in the ward is related just like in Keaukaha.

You can see Niihau (inhabited Hawaiian Island by Kauai) which is pretty cool.

We went to this Queens celebration thing with some of our investigators. It was pretty cool.... saw some hula dancing. Then after we went to their house and we set a date for both of them to be baptized next month which is pretty cool. Then on Sunday, some members realized that there was some non-members that where at church so actually thought them right after sacrament meeting. They said that they wanted to be baptized but they need to talk about it first. So its was a pretty good lesson, the spirit was really strong there.

I cant get over how cool the ward is here, they idolized the missionaries and they friggin' love us.

We're going to Oahu on Wednesdsay for a mission tour with a member of the Quorum of the Seventy. That should take up all day Wednesday, I think. I had President interviews yesterday and it was good. I told him that I sometimes have a hard time having good studies so he told me some things that could help. Then the AP's stayed here and stayed for p-day with us. We have good APs.

O ya and this ward is big on hugging.... you kinda just have to do it. Well I cant really think of anything else to say other then I think that I'm gonna like it here. I think someone loves me cuz I got pretty lucky to go from Maui to the Big Island an then Kauai. Each Island has its own feel....they each have like a different aura about them. So cya guys Love ya!

Love Elder Shoemaker