Pray, Then Act!

Aloha e kuʻu ʻohana!!!
How are y'all? Hauʻoli lā pākoa!! Happy belated Easter haha! Well, it's now week 12 in the field. This week was a little challenging. Got a little sick. I guess I have allergies. Thank goodness for priesthood blessings & for meds haha. I am doing a lot better. So quick update, we haven't been able to meet with Ella this week cause her mum had to work 🙁 but, we have an appointment with her tonight so, please pray for her that all will workout. We've been trying to contact a lot of people this week & we've even had a lot of support from our ward mission leader who even came out with us on exchanges. It wasn't as successful as we thought it was going to be though, because like always, they ended up not being home. This week was another reminder for me to know that Heavenly Father truly does bless us for ALL of our efforts & for our obedience. Also a reminder for me to be patient & not give up!

The Lord's warriors!

5 of the families & people that we are currently working with came to church yesterday. A mix of less actives, new converts & a new investigator. It was a very humbling experience for me, to see them have that desire & that willingness to want to come to church. We as missionaries or members, plant seeds everyday with those that we come in contact with. We have the power of the Holy Ghost  to be lead to people who are yearning to either come back or to learn more about this restored gospel. We may not recognize it or see it but, Heavenly Father blesses us each day with his Spirit so that we can know what to say & how to help. D&C 84:88 says, "And whoso receiveth you, there I will be also, for I will go before your face. I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up." I really do feel Heavenly Father & his angles round about me, everyday, helping me & bearing me up. Just need to be reminded to never give up!

CTR 5 sent letters!  So sweet!

Short experience. A few weeks ago, we had a less active member named Brian, reach out to us & want to meet with us. It was cool because, we had been trying to get in contact with him for a while now. We finally set a day to visit him & we had a really good visit. We even set up a ride so that he could come to church the next day & we set a return appointment to visit with him that week. Then, things didn't workout & he ended up not coming. Last week Tuesday, after our district meeting, we went to see him but, he was no where to be found & his phone wasn't working. A lady who lives with him came out & told us that he had packed his things & moved out. It was very disappointing & a little frustrating for me personally. I really thought that he was doing so good. After that, I just couldn't stop thinking about it & something kept telling me to reach out to him & call or text him. So, the next few days after that, we called him, texted him & left voicemails & still, no response. Then we got a random text from him on Saturday & both Sister Matson & I looked at each other so confused. Then we got a call & it was Brian! He explained to us that he wasn't moving & that he was going to be there at church if we could find him a ride. So, we set up a ride for him & we prayed for everything to workout for him & guess what? He came to church & stayed for all 3 hours! It was SO awesome. The power of the Holy Ghost is SO real & being obedient brings blessing. I am sure of it! I testify that if we allow ourselves to be sensitive to the Spirit, Heavenly Father will help us have opportunities to be guided by him to people who need our help. There are SO many opportunities for us to do so. It is our job to pray for these opportunities & to have the desire to listen to that still small voice & act on the promptings that we receive by our Father in Heaven.

General Women's Conference

I am learning & growing each day. I know this gospel is true & that Heavenly Father never leaves us alone. He will always be there for us, to bear us up in times of need. We are his hands in helping him build his kingdom. It's our job to help him bring his children back to him. I am eternally grateful for this time that I have now to serve him & do his will. It's not my time, but the Lords time! Thank y'all SO much for  ALL that y'all do!!! Thank y'all for the prayers, emails, letters & care packages. I love each & everyone of y'all SO much!! Have a blessed week folks! Pray for opportunities to serve others & share the gospel then, go out & act upon the promptings that y'all will receive! I testify that yʻall will change for the better & grow spiritually. Until next week My sweet ʻohana!!!! 😘

"Hurrah for Israel!!!!!"

Love,
Sister Kawaʻa

RS Birthday Celebration

Week 11: Reach Outward!

Aloha y'all!!! 😊
Hi my sweet 'ohana!!! How's everyone doing? Hope everyone had an awesome week!!! This week went by way too fast. It sure was a busy, busy week, which is a good thing. For Preparation day, we hung out with Ally (our recent convert). Tuesday was our Zone Conference. My very first one & it was awesome!!!! Zone Conference is when, a bunch of us missionaries get together & have a big meeting with the President of our mission. It was very much inspired & I sure learned a lot about how to be a more effective missionary & a better companion as well. We've been working a lot with our less active members lately. We first got to teach a sweet sister who has been excommunicated. We taught her about the power of the atonement & how it's never to late to turn to our Savior. The lesson was so awesome & the Spirit was so strong. She is doing so good & is working very hard on being able to be baptized again. She says that she knows where she needs to be & what she needs to do. She was very grateful to have us help her get back to church.

Sister Matson, Ally (recent convert) and Sister Kawaʻa

We got to go to the temple twice this week!  We first went on
Thursday morning with some of the relief society sisters for endowments. I just LOVE the temple. Always so beautiful! 

Dallas Temple with the Azle Relief Society sisters!

We also got to go again on Saturday & witness a beautiful night with one of our returning members, Sister Sanborn. She was able to do baptisms for the dead for the very first time & she also took 2 of her own family names as well. She said that she is now addicted to family history haha. It was so humbling to be able to witness her father & her sister join her & support her that night. It had been a moment that both her Father & her sister had been waiting a long time for. Definitely one of my highlights of this week. 

Sister Sanbornʻs first trip to the temple!

Earlier that day, we were asked to sing at a members funeral who had past away. It was such a privilege to be able to use our talents to uplift & comfort the family at this time. The Atonement is so real & remembering that families are forever is always comforting. It was a sweet funeral full of happiness & love.

I want y'all to know how much I LOVE my mission!!!! It has been rough, being a way from family & people that I love but I have learned how to truly commit myself to the Lord & allow him to help me grow. Obedience is key! Keeping the commandments has helped me in so many ways. Here's a question to ask yourselves, why do you keep the commandments? I keep the commandments because I love my Heavenly Father & our Savior Jesus Christ! Being busy is also great because it helps me forget myself & focus on the needs of others. It helps me reach outward instead of inward. Azle is seriously the best! So quick story, I lost my wallet while I was at the temple & I don't have anything. No money, no license, no temple recommend, basically nothing & these members have been nothing but a blessing! If you know me, you know that I hate asking people for help so, it has truly been a humbling experience for me. SO many members have been making us food & even just giving us snacks & stuff to make sure that we are good. I am truly blessed to be serving amongst such sweet & loving people who go out of their way to make sure that we are okay. I am learning the true meaning of love. Reaching outward instead of inward.

Forever sisters

I want y'all to know that I have a testimony that we have a loving Heavenly Father who answers prayers & places special people in our lives to help us. He knows us & loves each of us unconditionally. I know that we also have a loving brother, Jesus Christ, who wants us to be the best that we can be. As this Easter week approaches, let us all reflect on our Saviors last few days on earth. Let us remember that all though he died, he was also resurrected & he lives again, even today! If you haven't yet, I highly encourage all of you to watch the new Easter video called Hallelujah. It's a perfect Easter message about our Savior & what he did for us. Well, my beautiful ʻohana, let us reach outward instead of inward & focus more on the needs of others. I testify that as you do so, your lives will be changed for the better & you will be eternally happy. I LOVE y'all SO much & miss y'all everyday!!!!! Thank y'all for EVERYTHING!!!!! Keep  pressing forward & keep doing the little things!! Until next week XOXOXO!  

#hallelujah followhim.mormon.org


Love always,
Sister Kawaʻa 🌺

Week 10: Strive to Become More Like Our Savior!

Aloha y'all!!!!
How are you guys? What week even is it? lol. This week could've been better. The weather so was not the business. We were on a temporary tornado watch & that was pretty cool but scary cuz I've only been around tsunami & earthquake watches haha. The thunder here is something else. Foreal tho! So thankful tho that it wasn't too bad. We has a awesome zone conference. Very uplifting & always good to be reminded of our uprise as missionaries. This week was kind of had for us. Two of our sweet investigators dropped us so, we basically have been trying to starting over. On a happier note, we set a date with Ella for April 23rd.  She is so excited & is really looking forward to it!  We also had a good lesson with the Hurst family & their father (who isn't a member) sat in on the lesson & shared his thoughts with us. He's such an awesome guy. We told  him that we''ll get him sooner or later haha. 

Zone Conference Activity - making temples out of marshmallows.  Sister Kawa'a's Angel Moroni wouldn't stay so she made the gummy bear her eternal companion! LOL!

The weekend turned out to be so much fun! We were able to be spiritually uplifted. Much needed after having not so much success. We had our Stake Conference for the Weatherford Stake. At the adult session on Saturday, us missionaries sang the EFY medley of "As Sisters in Zion" & "Armies of Helaman". It was awesome! President & Sister Ames (Our mission president & his wife) joined us as well. Elder Gong from the Presidency of the Seventy & Elder Villareal of the Area Seventies came & presided over the meeting. There was a recent convert who was there & bore her testimony about he role of the Holy Ghost & how important it was in her conversion. Her testimony was so powerful. The role of the Holy Ghost is so important because, that is the only way that our investigators can gain a witness that what we are teaching them is true. Our job as missionaries is to help them recognize & understand the Spirit. When they do so,  it allows them to grow their faith in our Savior. It's so awesome to see our investigators start to recognize the importance of the Holy Ghost.

Typical Texas weather and scenery!  It has been rainy and stormy!

Sunday's session was yet again another spiritual one. They reorganized the stake presidency & one of them called was, Bishop Stutz who's our bishop in Azle. Such a spiritual thing to witness. The testimonies & talked that were given were so on point & each testimony bore witness to me that this church is true & that the Book of Mormon is such a powerful & spiritual book. We also had our mission president fireside last night & our recent convert, Ally, was asked to bare her testimony & share her conversion story. She did SO awesome! Both Sister Matson & I were so proud of her! So many of her friends also came to support her. It's so important for our investigators to feel loved & have relationships with members. It definitely helps them know that there are people who love them & truly care about them. This week I was reminded that once again all of our efforts count. Even the tiny ones. Heavenly Father truly does bless us for ALL of our efforts. Even when we are  sometimes stubborn or too distracted to recognize the blessings. I am so blessed to be serving my Heavenly Father & to be doing his will. I am also grateful for having such a strong relationship with my Savior. This gospel is SO true & I love it SO much. My mission is truly life changing & it's the best decision that I have ever made!!!!!!!

Exploring Texas!  Not sure what they came across here! LOL!

Let us continue to press forward & fellowship with our recent converts & with the investigators of the church. Let's continue to be that example & strive to become more like our savior each day. Mahalo nui or all the love & support!!! I appreciate each &  everyone of y'all prayers, letters, emails & care packages. I'm SO spoiled!!! Some things never change hahaha. Anyways, I love y'all SO much!!!!! Until next week my sweet 'Ohana!

Ke aloha nui!
Love,
Sister Kawa'a

The Hawai'i State Flower growing in Texas!  Reminders of home!

Week 9: This Gospel is SO True!

Aloha my sweet ʻohana!!!!

How are y'all? This week was a quick one for us. It consisted of meetings, exchanges & tracking. We went to the Creek last Pday with our Ward mission leader, Brother Galloway. It was fun! We had yet again another awesome district meeting on Tuesday. We were counseled on the importance of using scriptures when we teach. It was SO good! I just love when us missionaries get together. It's always so fun & encouraging to be around other people who are doing the same thing that you are doing. My district is always so helpful. On Wednesday we did exchanges with the STLs (sister training leaders). I went to Hudson Oaks for the day & was paired with Sister Ramirez. She is such an awesome missionary. Their Ward boundries just changed to like 50 families from Hudson Oaks Ward who now belong to the Weatherford ward. It was a little crazy cuz they still were getting use to their new zone but it was a lot of fun & different being in the more city part of Weatherford, Texas. Still love the country better though haha.

Thursday we did our weekly planning where we plan for the week ahead of us. It always seems like it takes forever but I'm learning to have patience with it. This mission is seriously just a learning experience for me. I am growing so much in the gospel. Friday, we went on exchanges with Sister Walser who's a Ward missioanry. We
were able to meet with a lady named Kathy Ogden who had requested a Book of Mormon cuz her brother is Mormon & the guy that she is talking to is Mormon.  She wasn't home when we went to her house though cuz her daughter had to go to the ER but we met her friend who was there & we shared with her about the Book of Mormon & how it blesses & changes lives. She was actually really interested & said that she would read it with Kathy.

Movies with the Missionaries

Saturday was our "Movies with the Missionaries" activities. We originally had all these questions from our investigators & we had wanted them to watch these movies to help answer some of their questions. This small idea turned into a Ward event where we invited the Ward members to come & bring their nonmember friends.  It was so awesome!!!  Earlier in the day, we met with Betty & had a really good lesson about the Plan of Salvation. We then invited her to the movie night & guess what? She came & she enjoyed it!  It was a really good turn out & we had lots of support from the Ward. So many members are now waiting for the next "Movies with the Missionaries" & so we're hoping to have at least one, once a month. Fun missionary opportunity.

Yesterday, was fast Sunday! My favorite days ever even thought fasting seems like an eternity haha. Just have to have a good ind set when yo dating & remember the reasons why your doing so that you can just enjoy it. Church was good! Betty came to church! It was so good to have her with us. We got to hear so many wonderful testimonies from the members & I also had the wonderful opportunity to bear my testimony as well. I definitely felt the spirit so strong. Later that evening we had dinner with the Gilchrist family. The Father is on the bishopric & this family is definitely on of the families that I just grew to love. We also visited another Ward family & both Sister Matson & I got to share with their kids, the reasons why we wanted to go on a mission & serve the Lord. Every time I get an opportunity to bare my testimony about this gospel, the Spirit bears witness to me that this gospel is true. I finished reading the Book of Mormon for the first time, all the way through & really studying it. I have no doubt in my mind that the Book of Mormon is true. It is meant for us to help each of us in our lives. If you read it with a sincere heart & with real intent, you will know that it's true!

I am just amazed at Heavenly Father & with all that he has blessed me with. This gospel is SO true. It changes lives for the better. I know it & I cannot deny this gospel. I am blessed with the amazing opportunity to share it with so many others who don't know of it. I love y'all SO much & thank y'all for all the support! It real means a lot!!!!! I love youuuu & miss youuuu all!!!!! Have a good week! Until next week!!! XOXOXO

Hurrah For Israel!

Love,
Sister Kawa'a