Week 24--Hey Mainlanders!

Hey Mainlanders!

Kinda of a crazy, mixed up, jumbled week. It's hard to describe a mission, but I guess one easy way to describe is--it is one big adventure. So many different things happen each week, it's hard to describe.  It is just something you have to experience! 

So after I emailed you last week, we went to a pizza party at a member's house for dinner. We were playing football with their kids, and one of the elders ripped his pants right in the area where the sun don't shine and you use it to sit down. It was pretty funny if you ask me, but he seemed a little sheepish about it. I guess that's what happens when you eat too much ice cream. and pizza. 

The next day we literally painted this guy's whole house--like the whole outside of his house. It was fun, but really, really tiring. The mission has a lot of firsts, and I guess I can check painting a house off my list!  Then, we went over to this girl's house after for some more service. They want to build a chicken coop, so we were taking apart wooden pallets by prying them apart. It was pretty strenuous labor stuff, so that plus the house meant I was pretty beat! My whole body was sore after that! 

That day was really cool too. The waves were ginormis! It was the biggest since I've been here. I didn't get to see too many of the waves, but I caught glimpses. They were like 30 FEET! That's like a 3-story building of waves! In case you didn't know how big a three-story building was...It was sad, though because a mormon dude was trying to surf at a spot near the pipeline, and I guess he crashed and they never found his body. So they've been spending all week looking for it, but he never turned up so please pray for his family and friends! I didn't know him, I think he was more on Laie side of the Island. 

The next day we played volleyball with our ward and it was DA BEST. It's funny because its like a whole bunch of Polys, the browns, and us playing. Polys are really, REALLY good at volleyball. They're really funny though, because whenever someone messes up, everyone just starts busting up! Including the person who messed up, so it's all in good spirits. 

That night though was ROUGH. I woke up and my body was all in pain. I could barely stand. There was a member baptizing their kid that morning, and we were suppose to be there, but showed up half an hour late. Oops...hahahaha but it was okay. I WAS SICK I HAD A GOOD EXCUSE OKAY? We went to his house after the batpism, and the APs were there, and one of them told me that I was being transfered. So not only was I so sick I could barely stand, I found out I was leaving a place I loved so much. So you could say-- I'm the awkward kid crying at the party! So I just went home and crashed. Turns out I had like a 101.5 degree fever. Who knew? I think it's like the flu. But I got a blessing, and I woke up the next morning pretty much completely fine! Good thing the priesthood is so awesome. It's such a blessing to have in my life. 

So we had Stake Conference  yesterday, and since it's like 20 minutes away, our bishop rented a bus! SO WE RODE A SCHOOL BUS TO STAKE CONFERENCE! It was probably the best thing ever. Plus stake conference was cool, it was like a recording of these general authorities in Utah dedicated to Hawaii people. Elder Uchtdorf was funny, he got up and said, "Aloha brothers and sisters!" and we all did the "Aloha" thing, and he was like, "let's try this again with a little more gusto, Aloha brother and sister!" It was funny. It was like he was actually there. He said something cool though. He was talking about looking at the good of situations and said (paraphrased by me) "When it rains, don't be bitter about it. Pull out an umbrella, and jump in the puddles like we did when we were younger. Besides, only after enduring the rain do we get rainbows." And I liked that, especially now. I'm sad that Im leaving, but as long as I have a good perpective, everything will be great! A member was talking to me, and he said on his mission he was in an area where he loved it, and he never wanted to leave, and then he got transfered and his next area was his favorite area. so he just said, as long as you think that this next area is your favorite area, with awesome people. and an awesome, and it very well might be. And I believe that to be true! 

So on a more secular note, glad the Broncos won! Me and Elder Horsley were riding around on our bikes, and we rode past a house and there was people watching the game outside and I was like, "Hey, what do you go say we go "tract" into him?" I dont think he found it very amusing. That's okay. GO DONKS!

Well, next week I will be in a different place. So I will let you know then! But as for now, know this: I love you all so very much! You all are an inspiration to me. Keep up the good work!

Much love,

The Gleavester

Week 23--Temple Tuesday

Hello,

So, I'm sure all of you are freaking out because you're probably like, "He's not emailing me.  I think he doesn't like us...wait a minute, what's this--an email on Tuesday? HE'S EMAILING ON TUESDAY? That's not allowed. Our son is so disobedient." Well rest assure, neither is true. Today we went to the temple as a zone, and since it isn't open on Monday, our Tuesday got made into an automatic pday. So I wasn't really being disobedient...And I still love you! 

Man I've really missed the temple. So much awesomeness there. The Laie Temple is so pretty. Even though it's like a square, it's one of the prettiest squares I think I've ever laid my eyes on.  Plus, the temple is such a sacred and holy place and it was nice just to forget about the world outside and focus my time on the Lord. I definitely felt the spirit there. Just an amazing spiritual recharge. 

So bad news, I think I'm gaining weight. Good news, I've eatten a lot of candy since Halloween. I've been recovering from a candy high, so I've had lots of interesting swings of lots of energy to completely crashing. I guess the struggles of missionary work are real. And while we are on the weight thing, I think I've finally figured out why it's happening. So here's what I think. I could be wrong, but I think that whenever we go to dinner, the families are like, "Oh so you say you like being skinny? Well good because we made a meat dish with lots of white rice and butter and for dessert we bought chocolate cake and ice cream! If your love handles don't love this, I don't know what will!!" Im sure glad we decided to get those bigger pants and shirts. I feel like Im in "honey I shrunk the kids", but more like "honey I shrunk my clothes". That's okay, I'd rather be found dead with a friend chicken wing in my hand than a head of lettuce! 

This week has been very rainy. Which is awesome both for missionary work and for my plants! It's awesome being on bikes in the rain. You knock on someone's door and they feel too bad to make you go back out in the rain so they are kinda forced to talk to you. Plus I love hitting the big puddles and imaging I'm riding on the surface just like Christ walked on water. My white shirts aren't too happy about it though. They've seen theyre better days. 

So I witnessed one of the most earnest prayers ever the other day. You've never really witnessed earnest prayers until youve heard a 4 year-old pray. It went a little something like this, "Heavenly Father, please help us be nice to Jesus. Please help us not turn into monsters. Please help us like our teachers, and please help us not steal. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen." You could tell the sincerity in his voice. I mean who WANTS to turn into monsters? I know that this little kid didn't want to. And what's better, at that same dinner, the opening prayer included, "Please help the missionaries like my mom's cooking." So we are guaranteed to like her food!! No wonder I'm getting fat!!! 

My comp just bought a ukelele from Costco, so now I get to experience the joys of hymns on ukeleles every down time we get. 

In better news theres ant's everywhere in our house. I put a piece of chicken down on the floor to time how long it'd take for the ants to find it. Those suckers were there within 10 minutes!! 

On the missionary work side of things, everything's going well. Just kinda the same old same old. Working hard, and such. 

Transfers are next week, so I will find out if I am staying or not the next time I email. Hope I am staying!

And last but not least, I found out that Ether is a really good book in BOM. Maybe my favorite. The Brother of Jared is a stud. I wish I could be more like him! 

And for all you Star Wars and Mulan nerds out there, I know you will appreciate this at District meeting, we played Jeopardy, and our team name was the "Mushu-Binks" after Mushu in Mulan and Jar-Jar Binks in Star Wars. It was us vs the Thunder Thighs! It was a really close one. I think they won, but who is really counting? 

Well, I hope all is well in the normal part of the states! I heard it's cold. That stinks. It was around 70 here and so people started pulling out sweats and jackets. I imagine its much different than home! 

Love you all! Pray for you every night,

Elder G-Unit

Dumpster Diving

Laie Temple

Week 22: Elder "Big Kahuna" Ga-LEAVE

Hey family!

Good to hear from ya'll.

This email might be a little shorter because I spent some much needed time answering individual emails. Plus not too too much has changed since last time we spoke! 

Some updates in the mission world: We are getting Ipad minis in Jan!  So if you were planning on sending me one for Christmas maybe you should reconsider.  My mission president just asked all the missionaries to seek for a baptism every other week, so i will probs take him up on that.

I wish I could describe to you how much I love it here. I will try to use some words and see what happens. I love it as much as: cake, puppies, watching puppies eat cake, those toe shoes, haircuts, back massages, all de orphans in de whole world, the word platypuses, actual platypuses, pizza, flippers, the show rocketpower, climbing big trees, top hats, supersmash bros, and longboarding. And probably basketball. If that doesn't show you how awesome it is, then I don't know what will. 

--photo added by mom--

Missionary work is taking off in Waialua! The other companionship had a baptism this week. The lady was so amazing. When she got into the water, before she was baptized, she bore her testimony and called this church a "no brainer". She told us how much it has changed her life, and has given her direction, and how she is so sure of her future now. It's this reason I'm out here--to see people's lives changed. There wasn't a dry eye in that place. I wish everyone could feel of the joy that comes through the gospel! 

On Wednesday, we had our ward Halloween party! There was a ton of non members and we did a chili cook off/trunk or treat deal. On Halloween we went to our bishop's house and had a bon fire with the whole zone! It was such a fun time. We played catch phrase and I may or may not have gotten really into it. There was a lot of non-member kids there which made me very happy! 

This week should be an awesome week. I don't know why. Probably cause I'm serving the Lord and he loves me and I love him, so nothing could be bettter right? RIGHT. There's a family were really trying to work with and we hung out with one of the daughters for like 3 hours on Sunday. It was also AWESOME. 

Okay well I love you all!  KEeP StROng in the CHURCH. It's the reason why we are here. Remember we are here "to prepare to meet God", everything else is secondary. 

I keep you in my prayers every night! Much love from the surfing capital of the world.

Elder "Big Kahuna" Ga-LEAVE