Thursday, June 26, 2014

Survived another transfer

Well we made it through the transfer! We had a difficult but we kept working through the challenges and finished another transfer. We got some good new elders and sisters in the zone and we are ready to work here in Laie in the next couple of weeks.

This past week we were just getting elders ready to transfer and preparing areas for the new elders coming in. But we were still able to teach some good lessons and do choke service. On Saturday we were helping at the temple weeding some of the spots on the temple grounds. Then we went over to Sunset to help with a Mormon Helping Hands project and clearing more weeds. Finally we were able to help an elderly couple in the Samoan ward paint part of their house. Other than all that it was just a normal week.

It sounds like Mica and I are going to have some good times playing rugby when I get home. I've been waiting and hoping for one of my brothers to fall in love with rugby so that we can go to work together. Can you believe that in a year I will be back and playing again? Time goes so fast! Every time someone asks me how long I've been out it takes me awhile to think about it and when I can come up with a number I feel like there is no way I've been out that long. Then I get scared because that means that I'm almost done. All of my really good mission friends who were my leadership and stuff at the beginning of my mission are starting to go home. I feel like it all goes so fast. I love it though.

I feel bad because I was going to put a postcard in the mail for auntie Lisha and I looked at her address and it said 830 W 720 W so I didn't know which was which LOL. Can you give me the correct one so that I can send it to her?


Love you all!
Elder Matua

Tuesday, June 10, 2014

We walked and walked and walked ...

We walked a lot this week!

Our car was in the shop and we are now covering four wards so our area doubled and with no car we were walking all day. We did really good this week though. We were challenged by our zone leaders to teach the most lessons and the winner would get a prize. So we tried extra hard even with no car. We were able to teach a 9-year-old girl who's grandma is a member and she now has a baptismal date set up for the end of June! She is a sweet little girl and really wants to be baptized. Her dad is also not a member so we sent the elders in town to go and see him.

We did tons of work and had a couple mile long walks and I was able to work on my tan. There were also a couple of times where we got caught in the rain for awhile. We were wet but it was still almost 80 degrees.

Overall it has been a fun week and we have been able to get a lot of work done. We had a chance to teach a workshop at a ward missionary night in Kahuku. Each set of elders talked about a different part of member missionary work. We got to talk about "follow up". Follow up is key as Elder M. Russell Ballard has said. He says it is taking the hands of the investigators and walking the path with them. I can tell you how much easier it is when it is not just the missionaries walking that path with the investigator. When that person has a whole ward walking along side them as they strive to change their lives it will be that much easier. I challenge all of you to not only reach out to someone but also to follow up and show them that you really care.

Love you all hope you have a great week.

Wednesday, June 4, 2014

Zone Conference and more

Another great week goes by here in the Honolulu Hawaii mission. Hauula is stilling treating me well. We had ward camp with the Samoan Ward (Hauula 5th) this weekend so we were able to do some fun activities with the members and get to know them all a little better. There was also a lot of food. Every tent we went to they were showing us love with food. I probably ate too much.

We were also able to do a good amount of service this week. Tuesday we painted a house and on Thursday we helped weed a small farm area. The spiders and centipedes were huge!

We had Zone conference last Friday. Since we have the Visitors Center in our zone we are big enough to do zone conference on our own which was kinda weird to me. We usually have two zones combined for zone conference. Pres. Warner gave us a training on introducing the Book of Mormon which was really cool and Sis. Warner talked to us about communicating - mostly with our companions and how we can have happy companionships.

Every zone conference pres Warner asks us all to prepare a talk and gives the whole mission one topic. This time around it was Humility. After lunch he will call on one sister and one elder to share the talks that they have prepared. I usually spend a good amount of time on these talks and then feel like it was for nothing when I don't get called on. I made the comment to some of the other elders earlier that morning and sure enough while I'm wiping up a spill on the floor Pres calls on me to give the talk haha! I will never complain again.

I was very grateful for the chance that I had to study the topic of humility. In Alma it talks about humility being an attribute that is required to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Which means that having pride, or not being stripped of pride will keep you from entering our Father in Heaven's Kingdom. I am really going to start focusing on eliminating pride from my life. When I have tried my best to be humble I am happier and it seems easier to take on the challenges of every day life.

Family - I fell like I haven't left a family note in a long time so here's one: Congrats to Chase for finishing the [high school] race. I hope you are ready to start the next one. Let me now if there are any questions that you have about the mission. I would love to be able to help with them.
Mica, Kenyon, and Quinn, enjoy your summer, have fun, and stay out of trouble.
Dad Happy B-Day and mom, your'e the best. Love you all I'm doing great.
Being around negative people can sometimes affect my spiritually, but I push through it. I am trying to figure out what changes I can make to myself that can help everyone around me. Sister Warner taught us that when we are having problems in a companionship, 90 percent of the time the change needs to happen on our part.

Yeah almost everyone here knows someone from the Lehi Fa Taha Family and the other half knows you dad haha! Your uncle or cousin is here I don't remember which, but he is an Utai and he is from Savaii and for the life of me I cannot remember his name. I am soooo sorry we had zone conference this week and I totally spaced putting your card in the mail. It is a combined fathers day and B-day card. Hope all goes well with trek.

Thank you all for your love and support! Congrats to all those you graduated this month, good luck in the next chapter of your lives!

Alofa Tele,
Elder Matua

Monday, June 2, 2014

More North Shore Updates

Skating in Hawaii?
Nothing new happened this week. We're just looking for people to teach and stay busy. Most people were busy with graduation stuff this weekend. We were able to attend a child of record baptism. We had the chance to teach an 8-year-old boy before he was baptized. We are really just working with two other child of record situations where the Bishop likes us to make sure the kids are fully understanding their commitment. It is a good way to keep our teaching up. The work is slow but good.

Got some visits from some great familiar faces this week. It has been nice to see familiar faces around and their love is always great. Kap (Tafiti) comes to church every Sunday and I saw him at the PCC a couple of weeks ago.

I'm currently in Alma 26 so we are pretty close to each other haha.

Alofa tele,
Elder K. Matua