Santa did Come to Hawaii

Santa did come to Hawaii and Margaret was excited
for her presents

Thanks to my supportive crew and the fact that school was out, we spent lots of time with Kevin,
 MJ, and Margaret.

We hit Ted's Bakery 3 times. Yummy.

Luau at the PCC.

Matsimoto's Shave Ice in Haleiwa was a hit. 

The Best Christmas Present

 THE BEST CHRISTMAS PRESENT

We were so excited to have Kevin, MJ, and Margaret come to visit for Christmas.

 They endured a 12 hour flight from JFK with a 20 month old. But they left New York with 18 degree weather.

Mary Jane lived on the point when she attended BYUH for one summer.

Lanikai Beach was a hit with Margaret.

This is the panorama view from the top of the second pillbox on the pillbox hike. 

Mele Kalikimaka

It isn't beginning to look a lot like Christmas

It isn't Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

This is from my office Christmas party. It just so happens that 

my dear cousin, Hilma's cousin, Paul Stratford works with me 

in the Career Office. He has the Stratford accounting genes in his

DNA and we couldn't function without him. 

It is difficult to work 40 hours a week,
but the office staff makes it more
than bearable.

My desk is right behind the tree.

Here we are with Santa and Mrs. Claus at the Polynesian Cultural Center.

Hiking the Pillbox

Lest you think all we do is play I will include a picture from my office, the BYUH Career Center. Bill and I actually do work about a 40 hours a week. It just so happens that I work with a darling girl from Rexburg named Emma who is good friends with Laura and Eliza Schmidt.

In the Career Center we help students get internships and then jobs when they graduate. We give them help with their resumes and interviews and even offer personality tests like the MBTI to help

them decide what profession or college major might be the best fit for them.

We do try and have fun on our P-Days and after work.

We were pleasantly surprised when our nephew Mark Owens showed up for a photo shoot and offered not only to take us to dinner, but also took some photos for us. He is a gifted photographer.

Saturday we hiked Pillbox with our good friends and neighbors the Wendy and Jeff sessions. It was a hike that Mark Owens suggested and the views were spectacular as you can see. The "pillboxes" are 

military gun in-placements from World War II.   This view is of beautiful Lilikani Bay.

Thanksgiving Week

Thanksgiving Week

We had a short work week with the Thanksgiving holiday on Thursday. I am serving in the career center at BYUH. I am the first senior missionary to be there full time. Looks like I will be the executive secretary to the director. I will be answering the phone and emails, helping to train student career mentors and other duties TBA. I am looking forward to helping the students find good internships and jobs after graduating. Our students are very diverse coming from over 70 countries. There are many languages spoken in the career center and we have 4 managers over various areas of the world, with an emphasis on the Pacific Rim. Their helpers, the student career mentors, speak many of these languages, as well as the mangers. The Church's mission statement is to have these graduates return to their countries of origin to build the Kingdom. I think I am really going to enjoy serving with these students. 

On Thanksgiving we had dinner at the Polynesian Cultural Center. All the senior missionaries were invited. The turkey and ham were cooked underground with banana leaves on top. It is called kailua style and was delicious. We also had hula lessons and entertainment. Bill ran into an old classmate from Highland High, Jeff Swinton. He and his wife Heidi are directors of the Laie Temple Square Visitor's Center. 

On Friday we we went to the North Shore and watched the surfers and then to Waimea Valley and waterfall. It was gorgeous and saw some lovely flowers that you can see.

We decided that since the ancient Hawaiians built shrines out of rocks for their ancestors, that Bill needed to build a shrine behind our apt. to George and Tryphena Garff who served a mission here in 1896. They both taught school here in the then Sandwich Islands. After visiting the town of Haleiwa,  we tried to stop at the famous Ted's Bakery but it was closed as the power was out from a power pole being knocked down on the road ahead. Consequently, we had to go home all away around the other side of the island, so we made a pit stop in Kailua and went to Target and Whole Foods for some needed items. 

On Saturday we took long walks on the beach, had a beach picnic with the senior missionaries and capped the evening off with a view of the sunset as we ate shrimp at Seven Brothers in Kahuku.

Aloha and Aloha

 Catherine, Michael and Duncan

 Steven, Jane, April, Caleb and Lily

We said a quick goodbye before boarding 

to our flight to the "Salt Lake"

 kids and some of our grandkids.

We were warmly greeted at the airport and given leis

in the Hawaiian custom by these folks;

Sister Chris Millard, Bob Tippets (Bill's new boss).

Hello curly head me.

and Brother Rick Millard(taking the pic)

At The Point with the Millards.

Looks like  Bill and I start "work" tomorrow. I will be serving in the Alumni Office and Bill in the Construction Office. I am afraid I will need to brush up on my computer skills. We found out our Sunday assignment will be with a BYUH Young Adult Ward. We don't know what we will be doing yet, but the kids are darling and super-friendly. Many work at the Polynesian Cultural Center. 

We live in the small town of Kahuku about 4 miles from the campus.

Our flat is a clean, one bedroom that backs up against the "jungle". It is in the back of this building Here is the white Toyota we purchased from a couple leaving. Our flat is surrounded by chickens on either side. Apparently a chicken factory burned down awhile back and there are many feral chickens around. Unfortunately that includes numerous roosters and so we get a 5:30 am wakeup call every morning. We are grateful for an airconditioner in the bedroom window. 

MTC

Our district is going all over the world from Madagascar

to Chile to Hawaii.

 

One last visit with Karina and family. At the MTC we also ran into 

Terry,  Karina's aunt, and her husband Doug who are going

to Johannesburg, South Africa.

I was impressed with how much all our lessons int the MTC 

were centered in Jesus Christ. 

We were able to go to the new Provo CityTemple 

with our district from the MTC.

 From left to right, The Millers going to Madagascar (she is a nurse)
the Lisonbees going to Mormon Battalion San Diego,
 the Willnauers going to Santiago.

First Day in the MTC

Today was our first day in the MTC in Provo, Utah! We will be here for two weeks before heading to Hawaii.