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