Week 55-Transfer 8

Alooooha! y feliz dia de los muertos!

10/29/13

Aloha querido familia:)
All around us pumpkins are appearing and witches and ghosts are
peaking out of the windows. Here they don't have many fall
decorations, (I'm not sure if they know what fall is like) but the
Hawaiians LOVE Halloween! At least here in Laie. Apparently in our
ward they close off all of Moana St. and people from all over the
Island come to go trick or treating. People say that thousands of kids
trick or treat on that one street. I think this year I will be the
same that I was last year...a sister missionary. I think I look more
and more like one each day:)

This week has been pretty great. First off, Alex is getting
baptized!!!!!! So the first couple times we met with her she was
saying that she would just wait until she moved to Utah for school
till she got baptized so she wouldn't have to deal with the strong
opposition of her family, but then one day we said, "so you wanted to
wait to get baptized in Utah then?" and she replied, "Actually, no. I
think I want to get baptized here." So we set a date for November 9th
and everything is pretty much planned out. She is super excited and is
inviting the whole world. (She is like Brandon in that sense, very
popular). Just as expected, she is getting opposition from her family
that she lives with (her dad is in Rhode Island, her step-mom lives in
town, and her mom died when she was young). Her Grandma just told her, "fine, it's your soul" and her cousins have been a bit more forceful
than that even. She just told them, "if God didn't want me to be
baptized than He wouldn't have put me in this situation." I told her,
"wow, that's good reasoning." and she said, "yeah, isn't it
missionary?!:)" She is so funny and fun to teach and always seems to
have a positive outlook, which is so good in her situation. It was a
miracle and tender mercy when on Sunday she called her dad and told him and, after asking a ton of questions about it, he said that he
loves her no matter what she is and he supports her. She just started
bawling and was so happy that day. Especially since right after that
she texted her step-mom who says that she supports her as well and she will be at the baptism! I think that really helped her a lot to hear
that. Today she is going "Mormon shopping" (her words not mine:)) with the Millers (her fellow-shippers) to find some good church clothes.
Did I tell  you she used to be a model for Teenage Hollister modeling

jackets and t-shirts? She is just super awesome and I feel so lucky to

be able to teach her. I love her so much!

As far as Nina goes, we are taking it easy on her for a while now. The

decisions she has to make in order to move on seem too insurmountable for her right now so we are just going to go over and share messages of the Restoration and read from the Book of Mormon to help strengthen her faith. That is so important to have that strong solid foundation. Maybe that is what Heavenly Father is waiting for before he prepares the way. She needs to grow her faith. We love her so much though and have told her that we won't give up on her and she needs to not give up on herself and get too frustrated. I think she will get there with time.

Well that's about all as far as teaching in the area goes. We have a
few less actives we are working with on and off and we continue to ask for referrals and strengthen the members as best we can. And of course we are always looking for ways to improve. I feel like for me at
least, I don't really need to look for ways, they find me easy enough.
I feel so inadequate so much of the time. But then I guess if I didn't
feel that way than I would be prideful. The trick is to trust in
Heavenly Father. Right now, among other things, I'm reading the
Doctrine and Covenants. I think it's the first time other than that
time we read it for family scripture study a while back that I have
actually sat down and read it cover to cover. It really is quite
amazing! I love the way the Savior talks of Missionary work. He tells

the missionaries over and over to "fear not, for I am in your midst"

"be of good cheer" and other such uplifting phrases. I am so grateful
for my Savior, and for the power of prayer and the comfort and
direction that comes with it! This gospel is so real and the Atonement
is real! How grateful I am that this is the Lord's work and not mine:)

Well, time sure does fly and I am striving to not waste any minute of
it! I love you all so much and I pray for you siempre!

Les Quiero!
Hermana Rowley