Guess where I am! Go ahead. Guess. That's right. I'm in Maui!! But anyway lets take a step back yeah?
So it was the last day of the MTC and we were all like freaking out (good way and bad way). All the girls wanted blessing so we gave them all blessings. It was cool because one of the sisters asked me to give her a blessing so obviously I did, and let me tell you I dont remember a word I said in there. The spirit put the words in my mouth, and I guess it was exactly what she needed to hear. It was first time that has ever happened that strongly. Well it was hard to say goodbye all my MTC buddies but it helped that I was going to Hawaii. The amount I grew there was insane. I started off going there believing that Book Of Mormon was written for me and I could get revelation. I believed that Christ died for our sins. I believed the church was true. But let tell you, I know that these things are true. I know with all my heart that Christ suffered in the Garden of Gethsemane for our sins and died on the cross so we could be cleansed of the mistakes we've made. I know that God is our heavenly Father, and when we die we shall return to live with him again as father and son. I know that the Book Of Mormon is a true book of God, and in it are answers and truths that are written for us in our day. The Holy Ghost is real, and its influence in my life is huge. It comforts me, and helps with me with my problems. I know without a doubt that Joseph Smith is a prophet of God, just like Abraham, Moses, and Noah, and he was sent here to restore the true Gospel of Jesus Christ. Ask me before the MTC and I'll tell you I believed, ask me now? I know these things. I know them with all my heart.
So anyway, time to go to Hawaii, yeah? The flight wasnt too bad. I sat next to two sister missionaries so I couldnt (thankfully) talk to nonmembers about the gospel. It's not that I didnt want to, its just that i was way to scared. Well we got to Hawaii, and IT IS BEAUTIFUL. We flew into Oahu. I met to mission president and the APs and they are really awesome. It's weird like being here. I was so nervous. Honolulu is way urbanized. Its like a REAL city yeah. There's so many big hotels and skye scrapers, its not what I pictured. Anyway, the APs took us to the mission home, and its weird because they were like "this is one of the nicest houses in Hawaii. Like their neighborhood is for houses that are millions of dollars" and I got there and it was like smaller than most peoples houses in Colorado! It was only one floor! Just weird how much everything cost yeah. Anyway, they took us to the house, gave the low down and rules on what to expect, and we went to a baptism! the TAB (tabernacle) in Honolulu is where it was held. It was amazing to see someone change their life like that. Choosing the gospel, and how happy he was to be apart of something this great. He was a Chuckesse man (from the island of Chuck), and he was just smiling the whole time! We went back to the house and they gave us all envelopes on where we were serving. I was so nervous yeah. FIRST AREA!!! I really really wanted to get off island (off of oahu), so like I was just about to burst when I opened mine and it said I was serving in Maui. Merry Christmas Elder Gleave!!!!! There was like five of us going to Maui too, so I was stoked because we'd see them each week during district meeting and zone conference. We slept at a members house, but I didnt much sleeping. We had transfer meeting at the TAB the next day, and all the Pollys are always yelling when people get called. President Dalton and Sister Dalton gave their testimony becuase it was their last transfer meeting. It was incredible. The faithfulness of that couple is so inspiring.
After the meeting and some good ol training we had a little tracting. Not too bad yeah. THEN OFF TO MAUI!!! My companion is Elder Hunter. He's this short little guy from Tennessee. He's way nice and pretty experienced. He's been out 15 months. Okay but here are when things start getting weird. So we got in and got to our pad (our house), and they took me to Wal-mart to get some supplies. I thought we'd have a lesson, dinner appt, or something, but we just got stuff and then went back to the pad and hung out. I thought it was just because it was my first day, but apparently heres the deal: Im in Kahului area right now, and before I came in there was only two Elders there. But when I came in, that companionship split up, and me and another Elder came in and joined those two. So Elder Hunter and Elder Powell were the only two Elders in the ward, but theres me and Hunter, and Powell and Elder Basag. The only problem is that we jhad to split the area. All the work, all the investigators, and the places that Powell and Hunter had worked on previously went to Basag and Powell, while me and Hunter got nothing. We have no investigators, and all we have is former investigators. So the first REAL day I was out there and allowed to work, heres what happened. We had to the early morning study yeah, and then I was expecting to get going around 11. But we kinda just waited around, then another companionship came over so we went and got lunch at food land around noon. And then so we got lunch and we ate it and kinda just sat around al lot. We didnt even get out of the house till 2! Im like what the heck. I just want to work!!! And so were walking right now becuase I'm in a biking area and we havent gotten our two new bikes yet. So we were walking and decided to start tracting. Funny story so we went to literally the second house and we knocked on the door and we heard through the window "Can I help you?" We look through the window and see a lady BREASTFEEDING!!!! WHAAAAAAAT. EWWWWW. I guess like father like son. So we basically were like uhhh nevermind and just away. Anyway, the rest of the we tried visiting former investigators and literally no one was home. We went to the pad around 4 and Hunter seemed like really discouraged and I was like come on man we got to go. And so he got up and we went and visited so members and less active. We visited so family from the Marshal Islands and gave his wife a blessing because she was sick with an ear infection. Then we went to a members house and introduced ourselves, and they actually were nice to offered to make us dinner! it was good because we hadnt eatten.
Well anyway, friday was the same deal. We got out late, walked like 5 miles, and got pretty much no wheres. Its like really frustrating becuase we just walk and walk to one house, knock on the door, and no ones there. We dont really tract, and we dont really teach. All it is walking. I guess my companion served in a tongan ward, and so in there you kinda HAVE to be a little bit relaxed, but I was just frustrated because I felt like we could do so much more. We actually got one former investigator to answer, Kathleen, and she seemed pretty interested, but her dad was Catholic so she was worried about him. We figured out a time on tuesday we could back, when her Dad isnt home so we could teacher her. It doesnt seem so sure though. Anyway, just again, not a really productive day. We ate at the bishops house that night, and it was good to meet them! Awesome family, awesome bishop.
So on saturday we went to a baptism over by Kihei in the Tongan ward. That was really cool! But after we went to a togan birthday party, not even in our ward. It was so awesome to see all the Tongans and to eat their food and stuff, but we didnt get done until 2:30! I mean thats like half our day. And When we got back, my companion had to work on a talk and so we didnt get out until like 4. At least we got our bikes. But oh wait, my companion popped his tire in about 20 mintues of riding them! So we were like in the farthest away zone in our area and his tire popped. We managed to visit a less active who has choke (a lot of) number of kids not baptized and set up time we could teach them, and we headed back. So we taught one person. All day. I know I shouldnt be pushy, and just kinda relax but I know we can do better than ONE person in one day. I mean come on. I want to serve the Lord with all my heart! And so we got back around 6:30 because our food was being dropped off, but the person didn't even come till 8:00. So basically we were just sitting around for an hour and a half. I wanted to be obedient and serve with all my heart, but I didnt want to be an uptight Elder who cant have any fun. So when I got home i just dropped to my knees and prayed. I prayed with all my heart and strength for heavenly father to help me, to help me know what to do. Thats when I got up and walked by my computer and had a thought that said, "read your patriartical blessing". And i was like thats weird, I know everything in it. And then a little bit later I walked by again, and again it was read your patriatical blessing. So I pulled it out, and when I got the part about being a missionary I read "You will serve with total dedication". And thats when the spirit overcame me. I knew I had to be obedient even when other people might not be. Then "we are as the army of helaman" started playing in my head, and i thought about the army of helaman which serves with exact obedience. And i knew that the spirit had told me to read my blessing, and put that song into my head. I then made a promise with heavenly father that I would be exactly obedient.
Anyway sunday rolled around, and We went to church and came back. It was around 440 by the time we got back and dinner was at 6, so I had an impresson we should go tracting. My companion was reluctant because he hated tracting and they usually sit around until dinner on sunday but i told him we had to. So we went and like the first five houses: nothing. The next five: nothing. I was thinking to myself tracting is stupid. And then we came to this kids house and we did what we call the prayer approach. That is where you meet them, ask if you can pray with them, and then when you do they feel the spirit and then teach them about the spirit and then right then you ask them to be baptized. Just like that. And so this kid Jannon we prayed for him and his mom and then asked him how he felt and he said that it was like his Mom was going to get better. We told him that was the Holy Ghost and then told him one way he can feel that more often is through baptism and guess what...HE WANTED TO BE BAPTIZED!!!! JUNE 29tth!!! I was SSSSSSSOOOOOO stoked. I know that the Lord rewarded me for my diligence. I know that he rewarded me for being obedient. Things are always going up from here.
Anyway, I got to go. Just giving you the update. Miss you all! think about you and pray for you all day! I wear sunscreen dont worry!
I will update you next time on how things are going! Keep me updated!
Much love from Maui! Shoots!
Elder Gleave
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