Aloha!! For Realsies!

ALOHA EVERYBODY!!!

This week sure was an adventure! 

After receiving some final training from President, we left Honolulu for Laie on Wednesday! I got to meet my dear companion, Sister H from Japan. I am the only American living in our pad! Everyone else is Chinese/Japanese/etc! I love these sisters. I am already learning about Asian culture, and today I even picked up a single grain of rice with my chopsticks! They were so impressed hahaha. Thank you mom and dad, for introducing me to sushi and chopsticks :)

Serving in the Visitors' Center is a very different experience! As you probably know, we get to wear muumuus, we take visitors from the Polynesian Cultural Center by tram to Temple grounds, and we meet people from all over the world on a daily basis. This transfer, I have been called to serve as an Online Proselyting missionary, so I work on Mormon.org chat instead of a real area around here. It is very exciting! Apparently, I am the first missionary here to be trained while serving online instead of in a ward. I am not complaining because there is so much work to be done there. Also, this mission is seriously called the 40 pound mission because the people here are so loving and feed missionaries so much food! So I am avoiding that for a little bit ;) BUT just a heads up, you probably won't recognize me in 18 months! haha

Every morning we are blessed to wake up early and go running. My favorite spot to run to overlooks the ocean and you can feel the salty breeze. It is so cool to be able to have a Hawaiian vacation for 30 minutes every morning! We are very blessed to be here. Most importantly, however, we are blessed to be able to serve on Temple grounds every single day. The peace and Spirit here are so strong. I wish I could explain it better.

So one of the exhibits here is called God's Plan. It takes you through the lives of a simple, normal family from the ups and the downs, and pains and beauties of life. Most importantly, it teaches about the Temple, and because Heavenly Father loves us unconditionally, he has provided a way for us to be together as families for ETERNITY. I am so blessed that I get to see that every single day, and testify of its truthfulness to families that need these blessings. I am so grateful for you, my family. I KNOW that, no matter what, we can be together forever because of the blessings of the Temple. It is a powerful, true fact. As I look into the eyes of all the families that come into here to learn more about this gospel, I am filled with an overwhelming love for them that only reveals a sliver of the love our Father in Heaven has for us, His children. May we all pray to feel this love for those we come in contact with, so we might understand the love He has for us a little better.

This week hasn't been easy, but it has been so worth it. I love you all!! Keep being awesome!! 

Love Sister Willardson