Pictures

A trip to the Temple 

As a Zone we all  got a "Real" Hawaiian Icee

February Hoi Hou

January Newsletter 2020

January 27, 2019

	Mon, Jan 27, 4:14 PM

No ka Oe (The very best)

I wish I could describe all the good experiences I am having this week. I have started to understand the Book of Mormon prophets  when they say they can only write a hundredth of what they would like to put into their record. 

A sense of peace has fallen over me these last few week. Things have been easy, not without any struggle, but I am filled with satisfaction and clarity, and a sense of finality with each day that marches onward. The gem of this week would be teaching Oliver and Ninoa.

It is funny I cannot comprehend it, I do not understand why I care so much for them. Maybe I can relate to them, or I can sense they are choice souls facing a life with the odds stacked up against them. They are pretty goofy at times and have a hard time focusing, and our lesson on Sunday felt like pulling out teeth (Kc can probably relate.) We tried a different approach than usual we covered the word of wisdom yesterday. I wanted to do a role play of sorts where they would teach us the word of wisdom. They are smart kids and with some help they could easily explain to us what they knew. This is when their ADHD kicked in and made it difficult for them to take it seriously. The lesson took an hour. It was straight patience that got of through. They finally were able to focus enough to deliver what we knew they could. After our lesson they fed us dinner and we talked for about another hour.

Sister Brinkerhoff started a good conversation and the boys told us a little about their story. Mom that story you told mw about Grandpa Packer is actually very similar to Ninoa's. Apparently one night he was praying to know why, he had to go through all of his trials and being separated from his parents. Suddenly a voice came to him and told him his parents loved him and they were trying their best. 

Their Mother came to sacrament for the first time since they were blessed as a baby! She even said she would come back. I will admit I naturally a little judgmental of them. I blamed them for their boys trials, health, foster care and emotional pain. Sister  Brinkerhoff also confided that she had hard feelings against the mother too, but that at sacrament she was able to see the mother through God's eyes. 

Even a drug addict, or hardened criminal, nothing can alienate us from God's love of us. He knows who we are, and we are not our mistakes. Our mission president told us a story when he was a bishop of a prompting to tell a man who had broken into homes, in his ward and scared the families, in a rampage, looking for drugs; That God loved him. He had previously had the thought he hoped they would: "lock him up and throw away the key." But God chastised him, informing him that he was still his son and he loved that man.

It is a confusing world but this concept makes it make much more sense. Nothing we can do on our part can make a perfect God not love us. As humans we lean to the law of Moses: "An eye for an eye." With that kind of philosophy we tend to make the whole world blind to the fact that as humans our greatest potential is to change. Yes those boys have suffered greatly because of their parents poor choices, but in the end God ensures everything will work out the way it is meant to be. He send them people to help them during this critical time like the Brinkerhoff's to teach them the Gospel and give them love and support, and we were send to teach them and further strengthen them during their time if foster care. 

I fully believe I was sent to Kane'ohe for them. I always get a feeling of intense purpose when I come to an area and find the souls God has sent me to teach. They are perhaps the last bit of work has for me in Hawaii, besides a few other people here.  

Every time we go over I talk with sister Brinkerhoff and we talk about trials and the picture begins to get clearer and clear and I can see the good that has come into the boy's lives because of this trial. It sucks, yes...But life sucks...A good deal of the time. Good thing we can do hard things, plus men are that they might have joy in this mortal journey.

Love you guys!

Ofa Atu 

-Elder Esplin

January 20, Aloha Ohana

Another week has flown by, before I know it I will be home! This area has been an amazing place to be, the work is good, members are friendly and they have a passion for missionary work. 

Nothing of particular interest has happened since Wednesday (our last p-day/temple trip.) We gave Cody a blessing (Cody is a 17 year old who wants to reform his life.) He called us I believe on Friday and asked us if we could come asap. We could tell something was bothering him so we rushed to his house. He was having a hard week. He said the adversary was working on him. We gave him a blessing and he said he felt better. Little by little Cody is changing, his prayers are improving and he is exercising faith for perhaps the first time in his life. He is on a Felony parole so he cannot get baptized until March, which will be good for him to prepare some more. Cody will hopefully get baptized right before I go home! 

We had a lesson with Oliver and Ninoa on Sunday. They are awesome kids. Ninoa had a hard time focusing and taking it seriously. We had them teach us the plan of salvation from a wooden kit my companion had. Oliver was spot on. He had a lot of questions about the resurrection. He was confused about how the graves would open up and our body's would become perfect. He asked if we would be able to fly and eat and etc... He was genuine in his questions. It was sad at one point he was talking about how we can visit other kingdoms and he briefly mentioned he would visit his parents while pointing to the Telestial kingdom. 

Both Oliver and Ninoa are in the Foster program. They are split from each other. They were living with their Aunt and Uncle for about 2 years. But the Father who was on drugs was causing some problems in the family so the kids had to go into the system. The members (aunt and uncle) want to adopt the boys, and that would be best for them, but it is uncertain if that would be problematic. The state is currently in the process to terminate the mother's parental rights. She had slipped up and done drugs and that was her last straw. Both these boys have had a hard life. They were exposed to drugs in the womb and suffer some health defects because of it. One of the boy's foster family does not believe in God and doesn't really care about R rated movies, alcohol, swearing, etc... He has asked us to prayer for his foster Mother so they can get along better.

Both boys got baptized a few years ago but the reason we are stopping by and teaching them is strengthen them through this hard time. They know the hand of God is in their life and they have had spiritual experiences. In the game of life they have not been dealt a "wining hand" or even a good hand; Good thing with our Heavenly Father we don't have worry about the "odds", Because we know it will all work out in the end. Please if you can pray that these boys will get to stay with their aunt and uncle in our ward they are doing amazing things for the boys. They are my primary focus in this area.

A Member in our ward is a mental health worker and told us some of the things he has seen. It was pretty gruesome. But it was I think a reminder to me that my mission for coming here to this earth is to help those souls like Oliver and Ninoa. I think I will try to work with foster children and youth. As a career it would be fulfilling. As I near the end of my mission I have had more and more opportunities to use psychological techniques along with the gospel principles to help people. It seems my path is clear for my career, Heavenly Father is paving the way for when I get home and go to school. I have seen it first hand and dealt with people in those type of situations I am excited to continue my mission as a career.

Love you guys,

Aloha 

Elder Esplin