Hi Everyone, It is the end of two weeks here and I am well into my service here. I have been assigned to the Mission Settlement about in the center of the Polynesian Cultural Center from now on known as the PCC. It is pretty funny for me to be in the craft area since I have never adored crafts, but guess what, I am enjoying learning how to create different things that we have for sale. People, especially women and children love this stuff and buy it all. We have hand made quilts that are exquisite and lots of Hawaiian style quilting which is applique type quilting. Also I am learning the Ukalele. I just have trouble spelling that. You can play a ton of songs with 4 or 5 chords. Monday a darling new gal will be joining me who really knows how to play it. Also there is a tiny chapel which is a replica of the original first chapel build by the Congregationalists who were the first Christians to come to the islands. I am learning a lot of history of the islands and sharing that with people. I get to see new people from all over the world every day and I love that. Yesterday I got to share with a beautiful family all about our church. When they ask about it I was able to share my story and give them a Book of Mormon and it was an incredible experience. I am eternally grateful. Also Beth Kammerer came over to see me. She was a dear friend from my Pennsylvania days and she is teaching in a high school and her husband Dave teaches at BYU Hawaii right here. I am so happy to see her and she already asked me to sing a solo at Stake conference in August. I sing a bit every day with this tiny Ukelele. We have a concert pianist here as well. Well, I am off with a friend since it is a day off for me. It is exquisite here but the heat is difficult with the high humidity. It is surprising but we can see movies so Anna and I went to see the new cartoon Ice Age.....really funny so laughed a lot. If any of you want to see the Polynesian Village just search for Polynesian Village Laie, HI and they have a great website. Love you all, Sis Brenda

First week at the PCC Polynesian Cultural Center

Hi Everyone,
It has been impossible to get conncected until I finally went to McDonalds across the stree from where I am living temporarily. We are directly across the street from the PCC and of course BYU Hawaii. This week is completely spent on orientation and gettiner set up as volunteers I guess you call us. We are actually not allowed to wear our badges as they are in the Village. We are getting picture id's tomorrow with our first names on them and a picturee. that will hang on a Hawaiian necklace and we will only wear Hawaiian clothes. They givve us one and we find the rest. So swap meet here we come on this Sat.. I am buying a tiny car tha I need pretty bad here. I have done a ton of walking which hasn't hurt me a bit but  I am exhausted of course. We will have to move again August 1st or so but right now I am aloneiin a very tiney place right on the beach. It is hysterical, very old and my neighbors have cockroaches. I have been lucky so far. 

This place is amazing, I lvoe everyone I have met and there is so much love here and so much spirit you can hardly believe it. Lots  of hugging going on  and you all know how I love to hug. We are going through orientation and most of that is customer service which I don know a lot about. I love that though and I will be working right in the center of the village called the mission settlement, lots of crafts. Michelle would love it:). Maqybe I wlil too who knows.

I am exhausted and havne't had a way to get online until I found this McDonals' so I am grateful for it.
My phone is not working so I can't call anyone until I get a new battery. We won't be able to use cell phones at all while in the village of course but can at night. Of course everyone is way later than we are. We are three hours behind the coast so you can figure that all out. The same goes foe AZ of course without the daylight savings time
Here is my permanent address:
Brenda Woods
BYUH # 1805
55-220 Kulanui St.
Laie, Hawaii 96762

This is a box at the BYU Hawaii Post Office.
Love you all, Sister Brenda Woods

Leaving for Hawaii tomorrow. I keep erasing by accident everything I type so I a giving up until I get there and am not doing this in the dark. It has been a perfect week, perfectly wonderful new friends who I will see again at a reunion in two years. God bless them all for what they are doing all 120 of them all Seniors. Then there were 2400 young men and women here totally amazing. Take care, Brenda

Three days into the MTC in Provo UT and I am loving it. Over 2,000 young missionaries and over 100 Senior Missionaries are here at one time. It is so amazing how smoothly everything runs. I have a temporary roomate who is amazing at 89 years old about to go back to her home in St. George to serve in the Temple visitors center there. She is fun to get to know and we are having a great time together. I have 2 minutes to get back so this is a short one.
My thanks to all those who came to my friends Adele's home last week and again at my niece Martha's home. I love you all so very very much for caring so much for me. It means everything to me and I dearly love you all.
I am heading out to Hawaii, the Polynesian Cultural Center this coming Friday already but there are no hard and fast rumors for Sr. Missionaries about communicating. So, whoever has Skype, I will have it as well when I get there.
Must quit now, Love you all, Brenda