e-mail: macey.smith@myldsmail.net
Sister Macey Smith
887-A Mililani Street
Hilo, HI 96720
Hello
Hilo!
The Big Island is
called such for legitimate reasons!
Man this place is
HUGE! But then again, it could just be because I have been on Oahu for a while.
So Hilo is rainy and
green and full of hills and old things.
There is a rich
history here that is not easy to miss.
The people are a big
part of that!
This is a big island,
but a small town for sure.
Everyone knows
everyone.
My companion, Sister
Ranck, is a spunky thing straight out of Salt Lake City.
But not really
"straight out".... Because she is going home very soon.
Like 3 weeks soon!
Many people here come
for the space and seclusion they can't find on Oahu.
As you can imagine,
this makes for a pretty interesting group of folks!
A prime example is our
good friend Flavia.
She was raised in New
York to immigrant parents from Eastern Europe and she married a man she
lovingly refers to as "the punk" who works as a janitor at the
University of Hilo.
Both of them take
college courses for fun and, now in their early 60s, are a wealth of surprising
facts and Bob Dylan lyrics.
Flavia calls us
"the Swarmin' Mormons" especially when we do service to help her out.
They live without a
lot of things, but they are happy as clams!
The highlight of this
week, for me, was teaching a young family- the Andersons.
Brother Anderson has
spent quite a few years on Maui and now here after growing up in the Marshall
Islands and his wife doesn't speak much English. They have 4 bright eyed kids.
They remind me of all the cute little chugs I had to leave behind in Makaha! Small
hands waving and loud laughs. Man, it gets me every time!
He asked to look at
the Book of Mormon. As soon as I pulled
it out of my bag he began reading the introduction RIGHT THERE. Sister Ranck
and I kept looking at each other with expressions that said something like
"is this really happening?" Then he asked what time church started!
We promised to bring
by a Marshallese copy of the Book of Mormon for his wife along with a few DVDs
about the restoration and prophets. Closing with a prayer, we shook hands,
gave hugs, handed some pass along cards to the kids who couldn’t have been
happier with a million dollars, we left. And then continued to talk about how
incredible it all was.
I also felt an
overwhelming love from Heavenly Father. He is so proud of us, all of us. Those
who keep trying, those seeking truth, even those people who stick gum under
tables at Mexican restaurants! He loves all of us. In a way that overcomes
everything else. Please don't forget!
I love you all! Have a
happy Mother's Day! And shout out to Mi Madre who puts this all together. She
is everything I want to be.
Choke Aloha,
Sister Smith
