Hi Everyone,
Since my last posting I have had still more visitors and these came all the way from Pennsylvania. Dear friends who we met during our short time working at the Day-Timer company in Allentown PA back in 1990 and 91 I think. We have stayed in touch these many years with Pat and Dan Vassileros, and again I bet I spelled it wrong, have always ha trouble with that name. We had a great time even if it was short, I spent the whole day with them taking them around the PCC with a young man who is a guide there who served a mission there and attended their ward. Dave Richardson is his name and he is finishing school here with his wife and baby. He added them on to his group so we all learned even more about this wonderful place. I loved seeing them and love them.
We keep very busy here with meeting the folks who visit from really all parts of the world. We have a lot of people form Canada and Australia and many from Japan, China and Korea. We love to connect with them and if possible share a little bit about the church although we can only do that if they ask. We do invite them to take the free tram ride over to the Laie Temple and visitors Center and that is a good thing for it is beautiful.
There is much work going on at the center trying to prepare for the big anniversary celebration the month of September mostly the first week. We expect President Monson to be with us that week or part of it, not sure. Things are being spruced up and new things are opening, and always ther eis something new happening.
I am working hard trying to perfect my Ukulele playing and really enjoying it. My friend Gloria is a great teacher and still has much to teach me before she leaves probably in July.
We have fun on our days off going shopping or going into Honolulu. A group of women got together and went for a day of just seeing things on our day off and went to a place sort of like Sea World but not nearly as good. We enjoyed it though, loved the Dolphins of course. Everywhere we drove of course we saw ocean because the road mostly goes around the whole island. I even ran into a lady from Anthem AZ where I live full time. I had never met her before but she had attended some of our concerts in Anthem.
I found out about a dentist about an hour away who treats missionaries for free so I went to see him to make sure all is well, and it is. That was a kind thing for him to do.
There are many kind people here who like to take care of missionaries who are here serving so I know God will bless them.
Many of my new friends families are coming to visit their parents before they return home so it is fun to meet all of them.
I can't remember if I had my new calling yet when I last wrote. I have been called to teach the Gospel Doctrine class and that scared me to death. That is the class my Trapper taught and he was an amazing teacher so needless to say I have been really worried about it and study like crazy. So, I guess you know that I have been the most blessed person by having this assignment. I am learning more and more every week and loving it even though I get scared every week. I have had totally full classes as we have our new summer students here and a number of them are returned missionaries and that is intimidating and yet they don't make me feel that way at all. In fact they are there to help and support me.. I just love these kids so much and my heart goes out to them so much because they are so brand new to all of this, most of them anyway. Here they are from many different countries and English is their second or third language and they have to learn everything in English. I am so proud of all of them I really am.
I have had many opportunities to sing as well, but mostly at Christmas. I am going to sing for the Education Week for adults. It is really only two days here but I am looking forward to that. Also I am directing the stake choir and that is fun but tough. It is hard to get them to come out but once they do they have a good time. My really good singers have left on missions though so I have to find some more. There are 7 wards in my stake so you would think we could find some great singers. They decided they want to practice a couple times a month so we can be ready for the next stake conference or anything else they want us for.
We have had a ton of rain but it is getting hot and very humid so that wears us down.
We will be having new sister missionaries coming very soon as we have some people leaving. That is the way it goes. Out with the old and in with the new. I am down to eight months now until I come home and I can't believe how fast every week goes. It seems like the world is speeding up.
I love hearing from you so please email me at brendalwoods@gmail.com. I miss all my friends so very much but it is fun getting to know new people too. One couple is moving to St. George, the Whelchels so we may see them when we go through there to get to SLC.
W
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Hi Everyone,
I don't know what I do but more often than not I write a whole lot and I am abut to post it and it disappears and I get discouraged and just forget abut it.
I will try once again to post here some of my thoughts and feelings about being here. It is the second week of May 2013 and I am still loving being here and serving these young people coming here for an education from 70 countries. the school is gong through much construction right now with many new dorms for both single people and married people. Also there is a beautiful new stake center that will be dedicated in Sept by Russel Nelson who will be coming over for the celebration of the fiftieth birthday birthday party of the PCC. That will be a huge week with lots going on. I can't wait to be in a real church again as i have been assigned to a wonderful freshman ward who is now meeting in a classroom setting and we move to other classrooms for the Sunday school classes. I have been teaching Gospel Doctrine for the first time in my life an at first it terrified me. However with a few classes under my belt I am now really enjoying it and loving teaching these beautiful young people. My ward are all freshman but we have many ages. Since the church put out the new rules that young women can serve missions now at age 19 and young men at 18, students are flying out the door as soon as they are ld enough to serve the Lord. Consequently we change faces in our ward often. As a matter of fact since I came here we are on our third Relief Society Presidency. How would that be? However visiting teaching is easier because everyone lives in the same dorm and they call them Hale's here.
We have fifteen sister missionaries and over 20 couples serving and also people serving missions teaching at BYU Hawaii. It is totally amazing there are so many who are needed. Also the Pcc is now building an entirely new marketplace that hopefully will bring in more people who are just driving by. We will have a restaurant and many stores. They are rebuilding a Luau venue that was infested with termites and about to fall down.....well almost anyway. The new IMAX movie is open and runs all day and has a beautiful new shop that people just love.
We are selling Ukulele's every day and teaching people every day and I am helping to sew when I have the time. It rains nearly every day but that is good as it brings people into the settlement where I work every day.
We sell lots of umbrellas and ponchos.
I feel so bless to have so many new friends and to have wonderful home evenings every Monday night. Last week we had one of the temple presidency speak to us and he was so amazing. Our whole world will be dotted with so many more temple than we now have and millions of lives will be blessed because of it.
Last night we had this wonderful group of diverse young people from BYUH give us a presentation that they are presenting around the country talking of what they are involved in called Enactus. There are 166 students involved along with skilled faculty managers and faculty campus and business leaders doing good in the world. They talk of their many projects and it is fascinating.They will be our future business leaders.
We are having an Education Week next month that I have been asked to sing for.It actually only lasts two days here and we will all go to as much as we can while we are not working.
My wonderful ward is working hard to send a large box over here to help many young people who come from very poor circumstances. They need bedding an everything that goes along with it. I know that many missionaries are asking for help from their home wards. These darling young people sometimes come here with the clothes on their backs an then they start working the day after they are here but don't get a pay check for three weeks so they need help. They work so hard and try so hard.. Just imagine coming to a school that is taught in a language that you have only been studying for a couple of years. Wow that would be hard.
I love them all so much and we so try to be surrogate Mom's for them and they just all need lots of love and hugs and when they walk across that stage in three years with a college diploma it just changes their young lives.
Thank you all for your help God will bless you.
Must hurry and get over there, it is time I Leave,
Love, Brenda
I don't know what I do but more often than not I write a whole lot and I am abut to post it and it disappears and I get discouraged and just forget abut it.
I will try once again to post here some of my thoughts and feelings about being here. It is the second week of May 2013 and I am still loving being here and serving these young people coming here for an education from 70 countries. the school is gong through much construction right now with many new dorms for both single people and married people. Also there is a beautiful new stake center that will be dedicated in Sept by Russel Nelson who will be coming over for the celebration of the fiftieth birthday birthday party of the PCC. That will be a huge week with lots going on. I can't wait to be in a real church again as i have been assigned to a wonderful freshman ward who is now meeting in a classroom setting and we move to other classrooms for the Sunday school classes. I have been teaching Gospel Doctrine for the first time in my life an at first it terrified me. However with a few classes under my belt I am now really enjoying it and loving teaching these beautiful young people. My ward are all freshman but we have many ages. Since the church put out the new rules that young women can serve missions now at age 19 and young men at 18, students are flying out the door as soon as they are ld enough to serve the Lord. Consequently we change faces in our ward often. As a matter of fact since I came here we are on our third Relief Society Presidency. How would that be? However visiting teaching is easier because everyone lives in the same dorm and they call them Hale's here.
We have fifteen sister missionaries and over 20 couples serving and also people serving missions teaching at BYU Hawaii. It is totally amazing there are so many who are needed. Also the Pcc is now building an entirely new marketplace that hopefully will bring in more people who are just driving by. We will have a restaurant and many stores. They are rebuilding a Luau venue that was infested with termites and about to fall down.....well almost anyway. The new IMAX movie is open and runs all day and has a beautiful new shop that people just love.
We are selling Ukulele's every day and teaching people every day and I am helping to sew when I have the time. It rains nearly every day but that is good as it brings people into the settlement where I work every day.
We sell lots of umbrellas and ponchos.
I feel so bless to have so many new friends and to have wonderful home evenings every Monday night. Last week we had one of the temple presidency speak to us and he was so amazing. Our whole world will be dotted with so many more temple than we now have and millions of lives will be blessed because of it.
Last night we had this wonderful group of diverse young people from BYUH give us a presentation that they are presenting around the country talking of what they are involved in called Enactus. There are 166 students involved along with skilled faculty managers and faculty campus and business leaders doing good in the world. They talk of their many projects and it is fascinating.They will be our future business leaders.
We are having an Education Week next month that I have been asked to sing for.It actually only lasts two days here and we will all go to as much as we can while we are not working.
My wonderful ward is working hard to send a large box over here to help many young people who come from very poor circumstances. They need bedding an everything that goes along with it. I know that many missionaries are asking for help from their home wards. These darling young people sometimes come here with the clothes on their backs an then they start working the day after they are here but don't get a pay check for three weeks so they need help. They work so hard and try so hard.. Just imagine coming to a school that is taught in a language that you have only been studying for a couple of years. Wow that would be hard.
I love them all so much and we so try to be surrogate Mom's for them and they just all need lots of love and hugs and when they walk across that stage in three years with a college diploma it just changes their young lives.
Thank you all for your help God will bless you.
Must hurry and get over there, it is time I Leave,
Love, Brenda
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