Sister Kamalani Kawaʻa: Never Can I Repay Thee, Lord!

Ke aloha nui iā ʻoukou e kuʻu ʻohana i aloha nui ʻia!

What a week it has been!!! Another fast one, that's for sure. Bare with me as I try & explain the feelings of my heart. It's just so much & I hope I can share everything with y'all in this email. We had an amazing lesson with our new investigator Mary. From the very beginning of the lesson, the Spirit was so strong. She kept saying over & over again about how she feels this excitement & happiness that she can't even describe. As we were helping her understanding the restoration of the gospel, she just had this big smile on her face & she was just filled with the Spirit of the Lord. It was so awesome. She even ended up committing herself to baptism. We don't have a specific date yet but we plan on setting a date with her on Tuesday.

Fun 4th of July pics

This week was filled with bittersweet feelings. You'll read that a lot in this email. Let me remind y'all that the Lord truly does know us by name & he knows what we need individually. One of the tender mercies this week was getting our truck fixed within an hour. We were told we would have to drive a few hours & that it would take about 2-3 hours. We pulled up to Nissan & right off the bat we were greeted with, "Sisters, what can we do for you?" The guy who helped us out ended up being a member & we finished it up a lot earlier than expected. Tender mercy! That was fun! Sunday, I had the opportunity to bare my testimony & thank the Decatur Ward for their love. Another tender mercy was being able to see a sweet family from my first area (Azle), who ended up coming to our ward cause their building was flooded. That was a tender mercy to see them one last time before I head home.

The Cannons! Ward Mission Leader and Relief Society Presient. Brother Cannonʻs grandfather was George Q. Cannon who helped Jonathan Napela translate the Book of Mormon into Hawaiian.

Audie! We love him!

Larry & Rita

The Von Fechner family!

Huuuuutttaaaaa!!!! Ohh did I tell y'all that it's transfer week & guess where I'll be transferred too??? Wailuku, Maui!!!!! MAUI NŌ KA 'OI

Ua holo wale ka manawa. Eia no au, ke kākau nei i kuʻu leka hope loa ma kēia hana kūpianaha, ʻo ia nō, ka hana mikioneli. Has it really come to that time? Is this really my final email home? Dang man, the past 19 months have been nothing but AMAZING!!!!! This journey has been one that was not easy. I've felt broken, lost, confused, hurt, sad, depressed, angry & I've wanted to give up & throw in the towel so many times, but because of my Savior, Jesus Christ, & through the love & support from each of y'all, my family, my friends, my companions, my Leaders, my mission Presidents & my Heavenly Father, I figured out how to rely more fully on the atonement of my older brother. I've been able to draw closer to him as I've fell to my knees, pleaded with them, prayed to him & as I've sought his council & guidance in all things. I have had beautiful, spiritual confirmations that God knows me. He knows me by name, Jesus Christ is my Savior & the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is Christ's church once again established upon this earth. I have gained a stronger witness that Jesus Christ does know what we each go through. No matter how far we think we have drifted from him, he is there lifting us up, carrying us, loving us & cheering us on every step of the way. I know this to be true because I have felt carried & lifted & loved especially in moments of despair. Jesus Christ is the prince of peace. He is the one that will calm our troubled seas & he stands at the head of the church. No amount of "Thank yous" can or will ever express my gratitude for him & his beautiful sacrifice that he made on my behalf.

Howʻs this street sign?

To my Texas ʻohana, I want to thank all of y'all guys for loving me, caring for me, watching over me, allowing me in your homes & in to your lives. THANK YOU!!! You each have touched my life in some way. To my Maui 'ohana, Ke aloha NUI iā ʻoukou no ke kākoʻo ʻana iaʻu. MAHALO NUI for supporting me, loving me, praying for me, sending me packages, sending me letters, emailing me & most importantly, THANK YOU FOR CHEERING ME ON over the past 19 months. The decision that I made to leave my family for 18 months & all that I ever knew, to go out & spread the gospel to an unfamiliar place was a hard decision, but definitely so worth it. My mission has been so sacred. I've been beat but I've also never been any happier. This was the best decision I could've made. I have learned things here that will carry with me throughout the rest of my life & eternity. The best 18 months for the rest of my life! If you are reading this & if you are thinking about a mission, the best advice that I can give you is GO!!! I did not want to go cause I knew it was going to be hard, but I didn't realize how rewarding & fun it would be. "If he have desires to serve God, he are called to the work." (D&C 4:3). "There's no growth in the comfort zone & no comfort in the growth zone." I stand as a witness that the work of the Lord is going forth. "The standard of truth has been erected. No unhallow hand can stop the work from progressing. Persecutions may rage, mobs may combine, armies may assemble & calumny may defame. But the truth of God will go forth, boldly, nobly and independent. Till it has penetrated every continent, visited every climb, swept every country & sounds in every ear. Till the purposes of God shall be accomplished and the great Jehovah shall say, the work is done!" The blessing that I've received when I first arrived here in Texas has been fulfilled, "You will cry more tears going home then you did coming here." It's a bittersweet feeling for sure. In Hawaiian we say, "A hui hou!" Which simply means, "until we meet again!" A hui hou e Texas!!! Aloha mai e kō Maui!!!! See y'all in just 3 short days

the excitement & anticipation is real. I LOVE Y'ALL GUYS OH SO VERY MUCH!!!!!!!!!!