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The Malaysian Club asked Steve to speak to them one Sunday evening about 'building relationships'. It was followed by a fun Q&A discussion. He's well known around campus as a mental health therapist. Wherever we go students are saying hi to him. If I don't know them I assume he has seen them in a counseling session. He keeps everything strictly confidential. Many are very open and have told me they have seen him in counseling. It's interesting how the different cultures view dating. In some countries you don't 'date' until you are ready for a committed relationship or actually engaged. These Malaysian students said that arranged marriages are still common in some parts of their country.
Here we are at the Christmas reception with President John Tanner and his wife Susan. This was a thank-you to University employees and missionaries. If you recall, she was Young Women's General President and her mother was General Relief Society President years back. They are both pretty amazing. As a tradition in their family, he is a fudge maker and she makes caramels. They gave out tons of fudge and wrapped caramels. We were also treated to a lovely buffet of delicious finger foods.
These cute little elves were made one day while our director was out of town. (The elves did play that day) They printed off color photos of the employees, me and student workers and them made the bodies out of scrapbook paper.
One Saturday we went to the surfing competitions further up on the north shore where they are so famous. It was a beautiful, windy day. The surfers were out so far we could hardly see them. They are divided into groups and then get four chances to ride the waves. It hardly seems fair when the waves can be so finicky. A few days earlier the competition was cancelled because the waves were too high and dangerous.
Remember the 'Tongan Sisters' that sang on the Ellen Show? They gave a wonderful singing fireside at the Laie Temple Visitors' Center.
This is the sum total of our Christmas decorations! Life can be simple and happy without a lot of stuff.
This is our annual Christmas picture. We hope you have all had a chance to visit the 'Giving Machines' in downtown Gilbert. What a wonderful time of the year to think of and give to others, especially those in need around the world. We were able to give 4 chickens through the Giving Machine. We chose chickens because it's a gift that keeps on giving. Someone in a foreign country may even start a business of selling eggs or chickens and also provide food for their family.
One Ohana Sharing Aloha (One family sharing love)
Stories from students shared in the weekly Polynesia Cultural Center publication...
"If you want to go to church, you will receive blessings from God". This was the challenge Ma Heye received from his mother. Ma and his mother live close to Bejing. His mother was working for a company whose owners were members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Later-day Saints. They shared the gospel with them and after study and instruction, Ma and his mother embraced the gospel. But it was not without much consideration and prayer.
Ma's family were Buddist and they had followed those principles all of their lives and for generations. While investigating the Church, Ma and his mother wanted to visit a local congregation in China, but government policies only permitted members of those with family connections to attend church. So they followed the old idiom, 'where there's a will, there's a way.' At the age of 13 Ma and his mother went to the Hong Kong Mission where--in one day--they were taught all the lessons and baptized.
There are seven million people in Ma's home city, but he was the only teenager in his church unit. After wavering in activity, Ma returned to church at 17 and fulfilled a Chinese-speaking mission to Washington, D.C. One of Ma's missionary companions was a graduate from BYUH. This companion, along with his mission president, encouraged Ma to attend BYUH to fulfill his educational goal. Ma is grateful for the I-WORK program (international students work on campus or at the PCC in return for half price tuition), where "we are all treated as family and enjoy the great spirit of enthusiasm." He is majoring in accounting and supply chain management. His future plans are to return to China to complete a master's program and then seek employment. Thank you, Ma, for your family's example of willpower and determination to conquer obstacles for membership in the Gospel.
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Did you know I love tablecloths? Yes, I know that's odd. But I love to use seasonal and colorful tablecloths when we have company at home. I have been wanting a Hawaiian tablecloth but was not able to find anything I liked. While driving through Kaneohe we made a quick U-turn when I saw a small fabric store. (No Jo-Anne Fabrics around here). I quickly found a 60" wide Hawaiian print I liked and bought three yards of it. The University has a wonderful sewing center full of a dozen wonderful machines and sergers and one industrial machine that sews leather. It's always full of students making their own repairs, dance costumes, recital outfits, etc. I serged around my fabric and voila, I have a tablecloth.
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A morning hike to Manoa falls in the middle of a Honolulu mountain neighborhood. Afterwards our good friends Scott and Kathy Edgar (he's a retired major in the Air Force) took us on a tour through Hickam Air Force Base and then on to Pearl Harbor base. It was so interesting touring these two important bases where Edgars were stationed 25 years ago. Kathy is a labor and delivery nurse. She serves and teaches pre-natal classes to all the students who have babies. These girls have no families locally and having babies in a new country can be scary.
Tantalus Lookout. An amazing view of Diamond Head and Honolulu from the mountain area where we just hiked the falls.
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The Registrar's office staff. We just went through our fourth graduation while here. Elder Uchtdorf of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles was our commencement speaker. The students working here are from Korea, Fiji, New Zealand, Philippines and the mainland.
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The Tongans go all out for their graduates. These flower leis are homemade and cost a fortune and are so intricately made.
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Two monk seals were on the beach recently. My goal has always been to see them when they slide back into the ocean. With a little extra time on a Saturday, I planted myself in a chair and started to read while keeping an eye on them. Whoa! They both started rolling over and Sadie on the right scooted all the way down into the water. She swam with her head above water for several minutes before disappearing. Whenever the seals are on the beach, there's always a person from the monk seal protection squad putting up the signs and watching over them. The seals have all been named and their genealogy is known.
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One Ohana Sharing Aloha (One family sharing love)
Stories from students shared in the weekly Polynesia Cultural Center publication...
"If you want to go to church, you will receive blessings from God". This was the challenge Ma Heye received from his mother. Ma and his mother live close to Bejing. His mother was working for a company whose owners were members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Later-day Saints. They shared the gospel with them and after study and instruction, Ma and his mother embraced the gospel. But it was not without much consideration and prayer.
Ma's family were Buddist and they had followed those principles all of their lives and for generations. While investigating the Church, Ma and his mother wanted to visit a local congregation in China, but government policies only permitted members of those with family connections to attend church. So they followed the old idiom, 'where there's a will, there's a way.' At the age of 13 Ma and his mother went to the Hong Kong Mission where--in one day--they were taught all the lessons and baptized.
There are seven million people in Ma's home city, but he was the only teenager in his church unit. After wavering in activity, Ma returned to church at 17 and fulfilled a Chinese-speaking mission to Washington, D.C. One of Ma's missionary companions was a graduate from BYUH. This companion, along with his mission president, encouraged Ma to attend BYUH to fulfill his educational goal. Ma is grateful for the I-WORK program (international students work on campus or at the PCC in return for half price tuition), where "we are all treated as family and enjoy the great spirit of enthusiasm." He is majoring in accounting and supply chain management. His future plans are to return to China to complete a master's program and then seek employment. Thank you, Ma, for your family's example of willpower and determination to conquer obstacles for membership in the Gospel.
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The Bilibili by Vai Vuniwai (VP of Human Resources at the PCC)
"Fortified and built to float the waters of Fiji is the 'bilibili'. The bilibili is a flat raft of bamboo poles and tough home-made rope holding it all together. As a kid, it gave you the honor of calling your cousins your shipmates and hours of fun were spent jumping and yelling as if the cares of the world never mattered. I remember one particular morning when my dad asked my older brother and me to come with him. Half-awake, I stretched my arms and took the journey through the tall grass still wet from the morning dew and weaving through hundreds of coconut trees, we ended up at the river right next to my village. There in front of us was the bilibili I had been jumping from the day before. My older brother, much bigger than me at the time, always wanted to show off that he could board it without any assistance. I, on the other hand, didn't mind being carried by my father and placed well in front of the float to have the honor of riding first-class. My father pushed us off by leaning his weight on a long bamboo pole and off we went. Exiting from the river into the beautiful Natewa Bay, I saw my father transition from the bamboo pole to a paddle. After some time and arriving at a secluded spot, I watched as he dove and brought up fish and crab for the family. My brother and I took turns organizing the items; it was teamwork at its best. That morning has always stuck with me. I don't recall the conversation but I will always remember being so happy and together, important and loved. Dad's smile and his youthful energy provided the momentum from which my brother and I thrived.
As much as those memories are treasured, it is the bilibili that is the foundational symbol that conjures those memories of my father, brother and myself. Like the bilibili fortified with numerous bamboo poles and tough rope, our relationships with each other must be the same. Whether at work with our co-workers or even within the confines of our own home, the prerequisite for momentum, unity, and growth is sticking together. The Ropes of charity, love, forgiveness and especially understanding will keep things together when life seems to be falling apart. Whether you prefer being on the front of your bilibili or being the strength pushing your team or family along, the important part is being unified in a collective effort."
I love this story and the metaphor he has drawn between the raft and life. I also love hearing about his culture and the story of his youth. It's almost hard to imagine growing up and living as so many of our international students have. Who of us has grown up in a village, played or worked on a raft and caught fish to sustain your family? Many students grew up in thatched-roof huts with no walls and built above the ground on stilts to survive the rains and flooding. Who needs walls when you're trying to catch a breeze on a hot, humid day. I've heard that some students have slept on their hale (dorm) floors as they did at home, until they get used to a bed. The lives and stories of many students are unbelievable. And just think, we get to be a small part of it.
Mission Tidbits:
Students from the following countries will be graduating 12/14/18:
Hungary, Chuuk, Tonga, Samoa, China, South Korea, Philippines, Mongolia, Democratic Republic, Guatemala, Australia, New Zealand, Taiwan, American Samoa, Kiribati, Japan, Thailand, Indonesia, French Polynesia, Singapore, Honduras, Malaysia.
After a student walks at Commencement, their file has to be processed to make sure every single requirement has been met before their diploma is mailed to them. In several island countries like Tonga, Samoa and Fiji, the students don't have mailing addresses because they live in a village or island without reliable mail delivery. Diplomas are mailed to the Church sponsored high school and they will contact the student or their family for pick up.
We have a married couple graduating and their first names are Jordan and Jordin.
Did you know we have to pay for our laundry? With quarters!! We have two missionary couples sharing one washer and dryer so it's better than many missionaries. Some share with 4-5 couples. Some have their own free W/D in their apartments. We're all different. We pay $1.50/wash and $1.00/dry. So it's best to have thin towels rather than fluffy ones, they dry faster.
I stopped in the student health center to speak to their director one day. I was blown away when they had a TV going in their waiting room. 'The Pioneer Woman' was on HGTV! I was so excited to see my favorite show. I used to get lots of cooking ideas from her.We haven't watched TV in 18 months! I may have to stop in to catch an episode occasionally.
We've had a couple of casualties at home in Gilbert. When we left home I just hoped that our appliances wouldn't die before we returned. Our stand alone freezer bit the dust a few months ago. We can deal with that when we return. Recently Raylynn, our house sitter, called to tell us our dryer took it's last breath. Ugh, what do we do? You can't live without a dryer. She suggested a used dryer off Craig's list since all the repairmen wanted almost $100 to come check the broken dryer. What a great idea! We picked one out of the list and called Ryan. I think he runs a business of used appliances. He delivered our new/used $100 dryer, he hooked it up and took off with the old one. I hope he can fix and resell it.
When was the last time you froze ice cubes in a tray in the freezer. Every morning I twist our tray to get the cubes to fill up my thermos. I remember doing that as a kid. You have to be our age to remember ice cube trays and TVs before remote controls. We even wash our dishes by hand, or I should say Steve washes them. I cook, he washes, works for both of us.
While waiting to get new tires put on our car we walked to the mall next door and caught the movie, Robin Hood. It was a great action adventure without any cars, airplanes and guns to blow up.
One of our wonderful missionary friends, Sherrie Anthony, a Church Education teacher wrote a book titled, 'Reaching Through the Veil'. It's a wonderful book about guardian angels that often look after us. It is supported by scriptures and quotes from Church General Authorities. One of her quotes is, "An angel is any messenger sent by God to do His work." Angels also include family members, friends and neighbors who come to our aid.
In Macy's and Ross in Honolulu all the signs are in English and Japanese (characters). When I went to the big Ala Moana mall in town, I'd say 95% of the shoppers were Asian. The exchange rate must be good coming here.
I love it when our foreign students bless their babies or pray in Church in their native language.
One young man in our ward from China said he was introduced to the Church by playing basketball with the missionaries.
The local McDonald's serves spam and rice on their breakfast menus.
I don't think there are any orthodontists in Japan. Most of the Japanese students who wear glasses choose a round frame like Harry Potter.
None of the local women or international female students paint their toenails.
We shared a lovely breakfast brunch with about 12 other missionaries on Christmas day. I wasn't going to cook a dinner for two and wanted to eat out. Much to our disappointment there wasn't a single restaurant in town that was open. Disappointed, we came home and had hamburgers and watched a DVD on our computer. Delicious anyway!
Students from the following countries will be graduating 12/14/18:
Hungary, Chuuk, Tonga, Samoa, China, South Korea, Philippines, Mongolia, Democratic Republic, Guatemala, Australia, New Zealand, Taiwan, American Samoa, Kiribati, Japan, Thailand, Indonesia, French Polynesia, Singapore, Honduras, Malaysia.
After a student walks at Commencement, their file has to be processed to make sure every single requirement has been met before their diploma is mailed to them. In several island countries like Tonga, Samoa and Fiji, the students don't have mailing addresses because they live in a village or island without reliable mail delivery. Diplomas are mailed to the Church sponsored high school and they will contact the student or their family for pick up.
We have a married couple graduating and their first names are Jordan and Jordin.
Did you know we have to pay for our laundry? With quarters!! We have two missionary couples sharing one washer and dryer so it's better than many missionaries. Some share with 4-5 couples. Some have their own free W/D in their apartments. We're all different. We pay $1.50/wash and $1.00/dry. So it's best to have thin towels rather than fluffy ones, they dry faster.
I stopped in the student health center to speak to their director one day. I was blown away when they had a TV going in their waiting room. 'The Pioneer Woman' was on HGTV! I was so excited to see my favorite show. I used to get lots of cooking ideas from her.We haven't watched TV in 18 months! I may have to stop in to catch an episode occasionally.
We've had a couple of casualties at home in Gilbert. When we left home I just hoped that our appliances wouldn't die before we returned. Our stand alone freezer bit the dust a few months ago. We can deal with that when we return. Recently Raylynn, our house sitter, called to tell us our dryer took it's last breath. Ugh, what do we do? You can't live without a dryer. She suggested a used dryer off Craig's list since all the repairmen wanted almost $100 to come check the broken dryer. What a great idea! We picked one out of the list and called Ryan. I think he runs a business of used appliances. He delivered our new/used $100 dryer, he hooked it up and took off with the old one. I hope he can fix and resell it.
When was the last time you froze ice cubes in a tray in the freezer. Every morning I twist our tray to get the cubes to fill up my thermos. I remember doing that as a kid. You have to be our age to remember ice cube trays and TVs before remote controls. We even wash our dishes by hand, or I should say Steve washes them. I cook, he washes, works for both of us.
While waiting to get new tires put on our car we walked to the mall next door and caught the movie, Robin Hood. It was a great action adventure without any cars, airplanes and guns to blow up.
One of our wonderful missionary friends, Sherrie Anthony, a Church Education teacher wrote a book titled, 'Reaching Through the Veil'. It's a wonderful book about guardian angels that often look after us. It is supported by scriptures and quotes from Church General Authorities. One of her quotes is, "An angel is any messenger sent by God to do His work." Angels also include family members, friends and neighbors who come to our aid.
In Macy's and Ross in Honolulu all the signs are in English and Japanese (characters). When I went to the big Ala Moana mall in town, I'd say 95% of the shoppers were Asian. The exchange rate must be good coming here.
I love it when our foreign students bless their babies or pray in Church in their native language.
One young man in our ward from China said he was introduced to the Church by playing basketball with the missionaries.
The local McDonald's serves spam and rice on their breakfast menus.
I don't think there are any orthodontists in Japan. Most of the Japanese students who wear glasses choose a round frame like Harry Potter.
None of the local women or international female students paint their toenails.
We shared a lovely breakfast brunch with about 12 other missionaries on Christmas day. I wasn't going to cook a dinner for two and wanted to eat out. Much to our disappointment there wasn't a single restaurant in town that was open. Disappointed, we came home and had hamburgers and watched a DVD on our computer. Delicious anyway!
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So many neat festivities! I love Christmas time and I bet it's fun to have Hawaiian Christmases. The people sounds wonderful! I love that that lady teaches childbirth classes. Someday maybe I can do that. I did see an opportunity on "Just Serve" for a nurse to donate her time teaching childbirth classes at some poor community center. If I didn't have to find babysitters I would do that.
ReplyDeleteOh and I love your tablecloth!! And I love your long hair and bangs!! So cute.
ReplyDeleteI love your photos and experiences that your share! I think my favorite part of your emails though is the personal experiences that are shared by the students. What faith and hard work these kids have put forth to be where they are.
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