Staying on the Big Island

Area: Hilo, Keaukaha Area
Companion: Elder Griffiths

Howdy everyone hows everyone doing? awesome! This week was pretty ok.  Not a whole lot happened. Transfers are here and a lot of people are leaving.  Elder Hall is going to Lana'i again. Things are gonna change but I'm gonna stay in Keaukaha. We got a car and it's been nice being able to use it. Were trying hard to have success but right now we are kinda lost.  Elder Griffiths got sick and he also had to talk in sacrament. We flipped a coin to see who had to talk. I won. I put a lot of pictures so hopefully you wont get mad for me not writing that long of an email?

Love Elder Shoemaker

Elder Hall, Elder Wilson, me and Elder Griffiths

Elder Griffiths layin' one back

Where the lava fields meet the ocean

Waipio valley

Elder Uaisele enjoying the majesty

Kona Temple with Griffiths

Me and Elder Hall

Right after we got wrecked from a wave

South Point Cliff

Getting mauled by a bunch of puppies while tracting (quite frankly this is adorable!)

Elder Palmer, Elder Hall, Elder Uaisele, and Elder Griffiths at the lava fields

Me and Elder Uaisele just got KO'd

Elder Griffiths poking lava, pretty dang hot

Keaukaha Beach

The Lava Flow of Missionary Life

Area: Hilo, Keaukaha Area
Companion: Elder Griffiths

Aloha family hows it going!? Things have been going pretty good, except for the part where my bike continues to get jacked up. Elder Griffiths back got a flat tire one of these days. Then I got a flat tire after him. I was trying to  fix it when the tire exploded as I was filling up the tire I had just fixed. Then I had to wait for the zone leaders to come pick us up because we do not have a car.   We get to Walmart, got home, then realized we had the wrong size for the tube. ................so I had to wait for the zone leaders to come again to give us a ride to get another new tube.  Then we figured out that it was actually the tire or maybe it was the spokes or something cuz before me and "G Money" (my nickname for Elder Griffiths) were kinda goofing around and he ran straight into the problem.   So I try to salvage some parts from a rusty bike that was behind our pad.  Then I get it to work, thank goodness, because we had to be some where at 4 PM.    So we start cruising along get to the house, teach the family, then in the middle of the lesson I hear this psssssssshhhhhhhhhh PaKow!   Elder Griffiths and I look at each other and just smile.  After we walk over to Bishops house and he calls a member and we throw our piece of crap bikes in the back and just cruise on home. I lost faith in fixing my bike kinda after that.  I think I'm just gonna take it to the bike shop and have a professional bike guy fix it.   But it sucks because its not even my bike, because the bike will stay here after I'm gone.  We can't take the bikes from island to island.  We've been relying on other people lately to give us rides and take us places and all that junk. Basically every lesson we had for this week cancelled as well so this week could have definitely been better!

We think that we might finally have an investigator that could go some where. His name is "T". He has been in and out of jail and prison his entire life, until recently he wants to change his life. Like a week ago we visited him and his leg was in a cast and he was using crutches. He told us that he broke his leg while he was surfing and that the pain was pretty bad. We didn't want to push him so we told him to get some rest and we would come around again. We came the other day and he let us teach him and our ward missionary came with us -- Uncle J.J.  We taught him in his garage (which is basically an outside living room to everyone here). It was pretty cool and he is a really good guy.  He has a bunch of cars around his house that people pay him to fix.  One thing about Hawaii is that there can be like 6 cars in front of a persons home and there will still be no one there.   The dogs think they own Keaukaha.  If your driving down the road and there is a a dog sitting in the road, the dog wont move. You have to drive off the road to get around them. But anyways!  I kinda got off on a tangent.   After the lesson with "T" we gave him a blessing, it was a really cool experience and now just got to get him to church.

When we were out tracting we found this navy seal guy that let us talk with him and he said that he had killed like countless people. He said the only reason why he was so close to God was because of all the bad that he had done. It helped him to become closer to God as he saw how bad it can be and how good it can be with the gospel. Really cool guy, likes talking "story," but wasn't interested in learning more about our church because he had already taken the missionary lessons before.

This morning for P-day we woke up at 2:30am and were treated to a tour that had been paid for by a member of the Kilauea ward. We got to go see some lava flow baby!!!  It was pretty sweet.   The lava is so hot and there is so much lava rock that you have to walk on it to get there.   Lava rock is of the devil!  But its cool cuz you can poke the lava with a stick and the stick like explodes with flames. Then after we got to see where the ocean and the lava flow meet.  Its a pretty good view. It was a nice refreshing walk.  Lava rock is unstable though.... its so brittle.

We made a bet with the Kilauea sisters that they couldn't handle bikes for a week.  So all of Tuesday we had a car...........it was pretty funny as the sisters couldn't hack it. Transfers are coming up pretty soon, but I don't think I will be transferred because I'm training Griffiths still.   However, there will be change in the Zone, I just learned that my trainer Elder Niemann will be coming here. He's taking Elder Halls place as Zone leader and will be in the ward. So that should be cool seeing him again!  Our numbers were not that good this week, but you know.... its ok.

I'm able to write a lot today because Elder Griffiths brought this keyboard thing that you can type and just upload it to your email, so I'm trying that out. I cant really think of anything else that happen this week , so thank you guys for everything that you do! Love you guys!

Elder Tanner Shoemaker

Elder Shoe and "G Money" or Elder Griffiths

Poi -- I Like It!

Area: Hilo, Keaukaha Area
Companion: Elder Griffiths

What up Mommy and Daddy --  hows life in good old Cache Valley? Things are still good in Hilo, everyone here is just so chill and laid back.  Everything goes so much slower over here.

My son, Elder Griffiths is awesome.  I think he completes me.

This week has been pretty good, except for the fact that our numbers were'nt really all that hot.  Yesterday for p-day we went to Waipio Valley. That place is freaking off the chain dog. A member of the Ainaola ward took us there and we had to ride in the back off his truck because its pretty steep. Its beautiful down there and really green. We got to work in a guys Taro patch! It was so much fun, just stomping around in the mud. Taro is like the life blood of the old-in-day Hawaiians and when you pound it you get Poi! The purple looking goopy stuff and I'm not gonna lie I do like it.

Everyone got burned pretty bad from last p-day when we went to south point, but it was worth it. We helped a family pack their stuff from the Ainaola Ward the Naehu's who are moving to Utah.  There is one of the families that loves the missionaries and always has them over. The missionaries tracted into them like a year ago.  The husband was less active but the rest of the family were not members. Over a period of time they where all baptized.   It's cool because the wife had a dream that she was living in Utah and it felt so real, they decided to leave everything and move. All they had was some cash and they just left.   Didnt even know where they were going to live or where they were going to work, just moved. Its awesome.

O crap one of our investigators "K" just called me and said they he didnt want to meet with us anymore, kinda sucks.  Yea both of our lessons for today were with Pono and "K".   Earlier this week we taught this guy named "H" again he's from Micronesia (I'm not entirely sure how you spell it) he has some crazy story's.  He told us how he was spear fishing and this shark came up and jumped right over him and skimmed his body. He was swimming away as fast as he could and on the way a baracuda swam right at him and ran into a wall -- and he got shot straight in the eye. He's a crazy guy, I think we might be seeing him today.  It sucks that "K" doesn't want to us to come by anymore because we had an awesome lesson with him in the Keaukaha Dug out and commited him to a baptismal date......but its all good.

Things are slow here in Hilo just because the way people are here.

One of the sister missionaries had an extra camera, so I scored a free one.  It's nice not being on Island (Oahu) though, because I've only been to one transfer meeting my entire mission and that was my first one. It's because we are waters apart.

I've been having a crazy lady call me a lot recently.  I think she has some mental problems. She wanted us to call a taxi for her, pick this "thing" from the Library (she said thing), and pick up her clothes from a place called HITCO in Kea'au.  I told her we dont have a car and that wasn't really are calling to be a courier service. She's crazy, I didn't really know how to handle the situation.

I hope ya'll had a good week as well. I almost got  hit by a bus the other day on my bike, but its all good.

So thank you for all of the support and I love you guys!

Love Elder Tanner Shoemaker

Super "chill" here in Hilo

Area: Hilo, Keaukaha Area
Companion: Elder Griffiths 

Aloha people. Hows it going? Things are going pretty good over here.  This last week was kind of a crazy week, with the storm, temple day and the next day was disrtict meeting, then we had interviews with President and Sister Warner on Saturday.

O ya and we can actually text now! .........so that should come in handy with a lot of things.

This P-day we went all the way down to Southpoint, which down past Ka'u. That's like an hour and a half drive and there is like no one out there.  But the water is super blue over there and we saw some green sand. I almost got wrecked by a wave.  It hit me, Elder Seitz and Elder Uaisele while we were on a rock and so right now my camera is really not working.  heheha.

I think that you should get me a shoulder bag like Jack Bauer.

But ya all of our investigators are not really progressing right now. We were visiting this lady, she was a referral, we asked her if she was interested in meeting with the missionary's and stuff but she said "no, but you can have this cat?"   I dont know what I was thinking but I took the cat and brought it into our car.  Then it started to climb all over us and spike us with his claws. So we decided that it wasnt worth it so we drove back and put the cat back by the house and drove away.   {Meow}

I  also decided that we would go back to that house with ton of dogs one last time. We drive in and start walking and all is well.  Then a big hairy dog comes out from underneath an old car and comes at us. Then a whole bunch more so we run like scared little girls back to the car and drive away.

Its been really nice lately because there is an extra car on the island so we've had a car all week! Super nice. But ya its super chill here in Hilo and the Coqui frogs are nice at night.

 O YA and thanks for the box, it was awesome! I had been going on a mail drought so it was really sweet. I especially liked the homemade dried bananas.  You should get Treavor to email me now that he's home or something like that!

There was this crazy lady this week that wanted me to pick up her clothes in Kea'au. I dont know what she was thinking?  We also had dinner in Honomu yesterday as a Zone. It was pretty cool.

Since we've had a car, we have been trying to visit the people that live in the boonies. instead of having to bike all the way over there.  We met with a lot of people this week that left the church because they were offended.  Its kinda sad, but it happens any where you go.

But I got to go! I LOVE you guys! ...and have good life! =) =) :) ;)

Hello Flossie........

Area: Hilo, Keaukaha Area
Companion: Elder Griffiths

Mom!! I miss you so much!!!  {Awe, man......} My companion and I doing great! I'm emailing today because yesterday was not a p-day for us.  I just got out of the Kona Temple a couple of hours ago, I'm in Kona right now writing this letter to you.  It's so crazy how the climates change as you drive from Hilo to Kona. You got Jungle, lava rock crap, desert, grassland, rolling hills and whole bunch of other junk in between.   The ride over was good.   I got to drive, so that was a good change from the bike.  

Yesterday there was supposed be a big storm or like a hurricane or something {Hello tropical storm Flossie!} so me and Elder Griffiths were all psyched for some trees to get up rooted and stuff,  but we sat there in all it did was blow some kinda hard wind and rain. I was bummed, i haven't seen lightning in like a year!  Everyone put up their tents because of the storm, maybe they are up again by now, who even knows.

It sucks Treavor had to go home.  I hope that he's happy and doing ok.  I'm started to forget what peoples faces look like -- so I'm at that point.

"C" did not get baptized last Saturday, because he hasn't to come to church yet! But that's all good, he will come home sooner or later.

Elder Griffiths and I are really starting to get along very well, he's kind of crazy, but that's all good!

I wont be able to send pictures or any of that stuff because this computer is also friggen slow. There was a missionary fireside last Sunday where the Mission President spoke and so did some recent converts.  President Warner is going to be a good mission president, he's a lot different then President Dalton, but he's going to do well.

Earlier this week had an encounter with another different kind of dude.   We were meeting with and reading the scriptures with "F", who is a recent convert.  This dude was visiting.  Elder Griffiths offered the closing prayer and said something in his prayer that bugged this dude.  He started letting every kind of profanity fly right in the middle of Elder Griffiths prayer.  It was kinda awkward, he continued with the prayer and said "amen". We just sat there in silence, super weird!  :/

We also talked with this guy named "H" who said he could talk through lightning.

I have to get going but I love all you guys, and Hawaii and its people are awesome!

Love, Elder Shoemaker

....and Happy Birthday Dad!

Hawaii has become my Home

Area: Hilo, Keaukaha Area
Companion: Elder Griffiths

Hey hows it going? This week has been pretty crazy, I'm training Elder Griffiths from Draper Utah.  He's 18 years old and graduated 2013. He's a little bit taller then me but its all good. Its different then being with Elder Kellogg because Elder Griffiths talks a lot more and Elder Kellogg not so much.

Its too bad that Treavor is coming home home {Elder Shoemaker's cousin, Elder Green is coming home from his mission due to an injured knee that needs to be repaired}, I dont think I would be able to leave Hawaii now because its become my home. Keep me updated.

The first place I took Elder Griffiths was down to the tents by the beach to teach the restoration to Chazz. He did a lot better then I did my first time, so he's gonna do fine. We have been doing a whole
lot of biking lately, we saw this cow out in the boonies and I needed a picture. That thing almost charged me!

Mr. Cow.....and Elder Shoemaker

I'm starting to realize more and more that Keaukaha is just one big family basically. I would also say that at least a third of the people that live there are members, less active or active. Drugs are pretty big in Hawaii though. I can now say that I know what marijuana smells like.

Sorry about sending pictures then writing an email hours later, its just the computers are slow here and I like to send pictures as fast as I can, then write the email when I have time.

Its definitely weird being in charge, I would say that I'm not much of a leader, but kinda being put in this situation makes me have to be one!  O ya Alex's baptism went really well!  Brother Kamalamalama (its a mouth full) his good friend baptized him and Bishop confirmed him.

The baptism was super spiritual. Alex started crying after he was baptized and so did his non-member mother after it was over. Its was super good. Our bishop is awesome and so is our Ward mission leader.  They are really behind us in all that we do. I could see us doing a lot in this ward because it was once the highest baptizing ward. I could see it happening again.

Taught Elders Quorum on Sunday - it was pretty good.

We have been pretty dang wet ever since Elder Griffiths got here. I didnt know it, but I guess Hilo is the wettest place in the US. Thats why its so dang green here. We get to go to the the Kona temple next week, so that will be super sweet. Havent been to the temple in 6 months, but Kona is like a 2 hour drive away on the other side of the Big island.

Brother Billy Goat........I'd like to teach you about Jesus?

I went fishing on a big rock as I was waiting for dinner to be cooked at the Mortensens tent after Alex's baptism. I didn't catch anything! I think I need to invest in a fishing pole.

While I'm training I find myself saying a lot of the same things that my trainer Elder Niemann said to me. Its weird! I got to go, so love you guys! hope your doing well!

Love, Elder Shoemaker

District Leader and a new Greenie for Elder Shoemaker

Area: Hilo, Keaukaha Area
Companion: Elder Kellogg

 Hey, how are you guys doing?! Things have been a little crazy here lately, because this week is transfer week.  Have I ever told you how much I hate transfer week? well I do.

We taught Alex on the beach last Saturday and he's for sure going to be baptized on the 20th. He's already passed the baptism questions so ya! Chaz is also pretty solid for the 27th still.

Our door fell off of its hinges last night so we had to fix it.  It took a while.  We had crapes in the morning for P-day, then just kinda chilled.

We met the new president Thursday.   He's super different then President Dalton, but he's still pretty cool. It will just take a little while to get used to it.

The Hilo zone is going to change a lot this next transfer.  Elder Kellogg is leaving to O'ahu, Elder Packer's going home and so are a bunch of other people, so we will see!!   I'm also going to be training next transfer a greenie from the MTC........so I have a lot on my mind right now. When President called he also called me to be a District Leader.....so I can testify that right when you get comfortable and you think you know what your doing, then something comes up and changes everything. I'm gonna try my best, that's all I can really do! That greenie is gonna have a baptism on his very first week! I'm pretty nervous, so cant think of much else.

Love you guys! Cya later!
Elder Shoemaker