Sister Kamalani Kawaʻa: 11 Months in the Field!

Aloha y'all!!!!

How are y'all doing? Hope everyone's getting excited for thanks giving. I know I am haha. Just thinking about all the food haha. Another busy week has gone by. Full of finding & contacting people. Since the work is slow here right now, we've been going through the ward directory & been trying to see those who still live here & those who don't. It's been fun trying to find all these people. It's also been colder here. I'm loving it to a certain extent haha. Tuesday we had our Zone Conference with President & Sister Whitney. Oh man, it was so good. He showed us the new Christmas initiative that's coming out on November 25th. I highly recommend all of y'all to watch it. It's so beautiful & yes, it's a tear jerker so you will cry. I just love this years theme, #LightTheWorld in 25 ways over 25 days. It gives us an opportunity everyday in December to do some kind of act of service. It's all about giving back. It's gonna be so great & I can't wait to share it with people here in Texas

Hurst Zone Conference

Photo bomber!

On Wednesday, we had an awesome referral that we went & contacted. Her name is Ms. Dorothy & she is the cutest & funniest little old Texan lady. When we knocked on her door, she knew exactly who we were & why we were there to see her. She told us that the other day, she nearly almost committed suicide cuz of how lonely she is. She explained to us that her son just had passed away in April very suddenly, & it has been very hard for her ever since. She said that the day she was thinking about committing suicide, she ran into some guys that were installing solar panels. After they were talking with her for a while, she found out that one of the men is a Mormon & he proceeded to teach her about the plan of salvation which started to give her some kind of peace & so much hope. He then told her that he would have some missionaries come by to teach her more & that's where we come in. That was such a great testimony builder for me. Little acts of kindness really can change or even save a life. None of us know what others around us are going through. Surely there is a God who loves us & wants us to be happy. He's sad when we are sad & he is happy when we are happy. If that man never went & talked with Dorothy, who knows what would've happened to her. I am grateful for people who are so bold & not afraid to share the gospel. He touched her life & I know that she's forever grateful for him opening his mouth. Please pray for her!!!!

Texas has grown on me! Gotta represent!

The Duke girls!

Thursday, we didn't get to see Lynn or the Blackburns. Poor Logan (Christy's son), got really sick & ended up in the hospital cuz he had a really high fever & he couldn't catch his breath. Shout out to our relief society president, she's so bomb! She went ahead & made the family some dinner & they were so touched & grateful. Another random act of service that blessed & helped not just one person but an entire family. We got to go to our relief society activity later that night & be with Sisters. It was great!

Christmas already?

We did service at the food pantry on Friday & ran into a less active lady that we haven't seen in such a long time. Gods timing is always so perfect. We didn't plan on being there till later but thought that we were late but it was perfect timing. If we had went any early or any later, we probably would've missed her. She expressed that she's been thinking about us so we're going to start working with them to get them back to church. It's gonna be awesome. Saturday, we got to meet a wonderful sweet Sister who is a non member. Long story short, she is married to a member who passed away recently & she was so surprised & happy to see us. She too expressed how she's been angry & still grieving the loss of her husband. We were able to talk about Gods wonderful plan. The Plan of Salvation. The look on her face was priceless & we just knew that she was so touched & thankful. She did say that she is a strong Methodist but hey, things could change. We still love her & continue to help her & lift her up.

Sweet Sister Hill

Yesterday's lessons in relief society was so perfect for our week that we had. The topic was "teaching the gospel." In the lesson manual (chapter 22 teaching of the Prophets), President Howard W. Hunter said, "The purpose of teaching is that we might be an instrument in the hands of the Lord in changing the heart of an individual." Just that statement alone is so powerful & so true. We as missionaries see this miracle happen on a daily with hose that we come in contact with & teach everyday. I too have seen it in my own life, especially as I've grown up. We never really know how much of an impact we can make or how much of an influence we have on someone. President Hunter goes on to say this, "In Alma 5:14 we read, "And now behold, I ask of you, my brethren [and sisters] of the church, have ye spiritually been born of God? Have ye received his image in your countenances? Have ye experienced this mighty change in your hearts?” This is the purpose of teaching. This is the reason we labor so hard, seek the Spirit, and prepare our minds with good things as the Lord has commanded." I love that so much! It's so true. As we teach with the Spirit, truly understanding & listening to our investigators (friends, neighbors, students, kids, spouse, etc.), we are helping them change. We are helping them become more converted to the Lord. I continue to thank Heavenly Father for allowing me to grow each & every single day. It's so humbling & mind blowing sometimes. I love y'all so much & I hope y'all have a happy thanks giving