VISITING HAWAII

20 April 2018

Aloha Brother and Sister Esplin,

This is a general, informational letter that is sent to parents of all new missionaries. 

We are grateful to have Elder Esplin in our mission. We have had situations in the past that have prompted me to call your attention to a most difficult and delicate matter. My strongest desire is to help Elder Esplin succeed as a missionary. Consequently with great love and sensitivity, I need to discuss with you the issue of visits to Hawaii by family and friends.

Our missionaries face a difficult challenge. While many may half-jokingly remark that a mission in Hawaii is a prolonged vacation, the realities are that the beauty of this place is both a blessing and a burden. The streets are filled with people in recreation apparel and the atmosphere is often one of distraction. Our Elders must face this in white shirts and ties and our Sisters in dresses. They work diligently to bring a message of Eternal Life through Christ to souls caught up in temporal pleasures. If they lose focus in their calling, they frequently turn their thoughts towards their home and friends. They become discouraged, sad and unproductive.

We love our missionaries. We spend many hours strengthening them, counseling them, and providing encouragement which will lift their spirits and give them courage to continue in the work of the Lord. You can help us in this effort to strengthen your missionary.

Hawaii is among the world's most sought after vacation spots. The families of many of our missionaries plan vacations in Hawaii. We regularly hear from parents, grandparents, brothers, sisters, cousins, aunts, uncles, friends, acquaintances, friends of relatives, ward members, former ward members, school chums and others requesting addresses and phone numbers of missionaries so they can “just say hi” or take them to lunch, dinner, church meetings, sightseeing, meeting companions, meeting former companions, visiting members, new converts, investigators, former ward members, and countless other “activities” always for just a few minutes or just an hour.

Experience has proved these visits to be uniformly adverse to the best interests of the missionary. The missionary frequently loses the Spirit in his or her work. The companion of the missionary is also adversely affected, sometimes even more dramatically.

Many parents request an "exception" for excellent reasons. However, the visit by family or friends always is communicated through the astonishingly effective grapevine and every missionary who wants to see family or friends on their vacation trip reminds us that "so and so" got to see their family, why not me?

We urge you to not plan any vacation trip to Hawaii while your missionary is serving here. If you do plan such a trip to Hawaii, we strongly urge you to avoid any contact with him. Do not plan to meet up with him, attend church where he is laboring, request him to have meals with you or arrange any contact whatsoever. Please inform all other family members of this request and discourage friends likewise. We plead with you to not write and ask him to request permission for family or friends to visit. All such requests have the potential to create tension and disappointment in the missionaries that we love so much.

We know of your love for Elder Esplin. Please join with us in protecting him so he can obtain the fullness of the Spirit that comes from dedication and focused service to the Lord.

Sincerely,

James H. BekkerMission PresidentHawaii Honolulu Mission