June 16, 2009

Hi all,

Time is really going fast. I can't even remember the last time I wrote. We are busy and sometimes wonder how anyone older than we are could keep up.

We have survived another round of zone conferences and transfers. Two week ago we were to get in nine new missionaries to replace those leaving but because of the outbreak of swine flu at the MTC, we lost nine missionaries and had transfers but no new missionaries. President Peterson called the Stake Presidents and the vacancies were filled by recently returned missionaries here. So we have what we call "mini missionaries" because they are back in the mission field after just being released. What a blessing it was that those nine young people were willing once again to put their lives on hold. We are to receive seven new missionaries tomorrow, two scheduled to come showed signs of the flu so they will wait a bit longer to get here.

The office missionaries begin training the new missionaries at 8:00 am tomorrow morning or 12 pm Utah time. It will be easier for both of us since we only have to remember seven new names and not the 200 names when we first came.

We are still doing the same things and finding more to do. We have continued to have computer problems but hope to switch all of my files this week to a new computer. Hopefully that will put an end to the almost daily task of trying to get one or another computer up and running. It is amazing how our lives are tied to computers.

I finally managed to pull enough information together to figure out what foreign speaking missionary gets what church magazine in what language. And I now have a system in place to keep a running record of names and languages. We have over 40 different languages to deal with and every once in a while get requests for commissary items in yet another language I haven't heard of. Gratefully, on the pamphlets, the church has the same pictures as on the corresponding English pamphlets so I can always pull them off the shelves depending on the pictures. The shelves are already labeled so I know what language goes where but individual items, I really appreciate the pictures.

We drove to Laie Saturday morning to delivers some missionary name tags, magazines, and Books of Mormon in Tagalog and Spanish. Elder and Sister Eubank were at the Visitor's Center and gave us a tour of the Visitor's Center. We also had the opportunity to visit with Elder and Sister Eggett from Bountiful. They were in the MTC with us. He is a carpenter at the PCC and Sister Eggett does whatever they want her to do at the PCC. They have moved three times since arriving a week after we did. They only spent two nights in the first house. Sister Eggett said they spent two nights killing cockroaches and decided enough was enough and moved into their car until they could find a bit better place but kept looking for something they could feel at home in.

After Laie, we drove to Haleiwa and had the best "shave ice" at Matsumotos. Then on to the Dole Plantation and finally stopped on the way home and had a Loco Moto for dinner. It is an interesting dish. A hamburger patty and gravy over rice and macaroni salad with a fried egg on top. It isn't the strangest thing we have had to eat but will probably be the last one we will have.

We had to miss our grandson's games on Saturday in order to get the supplies to Laie and missed being with the Whitings. But we will go this Saturday to the games and then to their home on Sunday for dinner.

The Honolulu Stake held a wonderful program last Friday and Saturday evening. It was an evening of music with an orchestra and wonderful singers/dancers who did songs from Broadway plays. It really was a great evening.

Elder Fowler is busy again with housing. He moved two sisters to a better pad and it is great and not as scary as the previous one. We are getting a lot of furniture and items from people which comes in handy for the missionaries pads.

Enclosed are some more photos from the mission. These were taken at the last transfer.

Take care, love gm gp elder and sister fowler.