Farewell Lanakila

Elder Matua, Arynn, Jonah and Elder Temahuki

We had a great week!

Elder Temahuki went home with probably the best week a missionary could end with. We taught choke lessons, found some new investigators, got the ward started on the 30-day fast, and had two baptisms!

Arynn and Jonah did it! They had a great baptism and were confirmed on Sunday. The ward supported them great and the week was awesome.

Unfortunately, Sunday morning during Sacrament Meeting we were confirmed that the area will be whitewashed. I have loved that last five weeks I have been able to spend in Lanakila and have created some wonderful new friendships while working with some great members. I have packed my bags for the fourth time in three months! But it is okay, the Lord needs me elsewhere.

I will be moving to the North Shore. I will be serving in Hau'ula 4th and 5th Wards. It will be a big change but I am ready to get to work in a new area. Just gotta roll with the punches I guess. I really hope that the new elders will work hard for the people of Lanakila. This area has so much work that needs to be done.

Love you all and thanks for your support. Go to Church, Pray daily, and Read your scriptures!


Alofa Tele,
Elder Matua

Working Hard

Well we are all set for a baptism on Saturday!
Aaron and Jonah have fulfilled all the requirements of baptism and have been interviewed and are excited to get baptized. Both of them have been great in all the lessons and it is great to see a real desire in these young boys to do what is right and be great examples to all around them.

The rest of the week was really good as well. We have been sharing a little message about the 30 day fast that we will be doing and the members have really gotten behind the idea and are pushing it along. We are seeing many families in the ward catch the vision of completing ordinances and helping the others around them do the same.

Families are coming together, the ward is getting excited together, and even non-members are joining in on the fast. Things are going really good here in Lanakila. Transfers are coming soon so my companion is about two weeks from the end of his mission so we are working super hard so that he can leave on a good note.

Love you all, go to church, read you scriptures, and pray always. The church is TRUE!!

Alofa Tele,
Elder Matua

P.S. The city is rough!

Another week in Lanakila

We have been working really hard on putting a month long fast together for the ward that will give them a boost and hopefully help the members begin to see the importance of completing ordinances so that they can receive the promised blessings from making and keeping covenants with our Heavenly Father. We had a lot of lessons cancel on us though so that has been a bummer.

We have continued our teaching with two young men who are cousins. One of the young men has a less active father and two older brothers who have been baptized recently. We really needed them to come to church so that they can be on track for their baptismal date. Sadly as we waited they never came to sacrament meeting. After church we went to see them and discuss the matter of changing their date. The oldest brother came to the door to talk to us and told us that they had all slept in so he woke them all up and took them to the Samoan ward. So they all got to church and they are still on track for baptism!

This past week as we have been trying to contact members on our lists we have gone to some sketchy places. We contacted some members in a place that made me feel like I was in another world. Everyone there was speaking a different language and the buildings were so close together we had to walk single file and the houses felt like they were going to collapse on us. Then we went to some housing units and as we were walking through the narrow hallways my companion decided to tell me that he has heard stories of people getting stab in these halls. So lots of fun times searching. We were protected by the Lord even though I did step in some pee... haha!

Love you all, hope everyone enjoyed a wonderful Easter Sunday and was able to strengthen their testimonies of our resurrected savior Jesus Christ. The church is True!

Alofa tele,
Elder Kingston Matua

Update from Honolulu

We got to go to the temple this morning which means p-day is today. Nothing new going one here. We had two investigators coming to sacrament meeting so that was great. One of them was a young man who is ready to be baptized and has a date for May 3rd!! The other was his cousin who still needs some work.

We are starting to build our teaching pool and the ward is getting behind us really well. We will keeping working hard and do everything we can to help the people in the Lanakila area.

Dad, Elder Teisina was with me in Kaneohe. Teisina and Elder Langi were covering the Tongan branch and I think he is the only one out here that I know of. My new companion is Elder Temahuki. He is one of the best missionaries I've served around. He is done in three weeks so he is coming to the end. It is a very different experience working with a missionary who is almost done but I am learning so much from him and I'm very grateful for the opportunity to be his last companion. The area is slow but we are slowly picking things up so all is well.

I'll have a better update with pictures next week, the computer is just about to kick me off. Love you all! The gospel has been restored and we are doing the work of the Lord.


Alofa tele,
Elder Matua