Serving Christ in Hawaii Bushman Mission

This morning we took a quick trip to "Samoa" to pull weeds in the Polynesian Cultural Center.  We felt grateful we could, in a small way, be stewards of the legacy that ancestors of this area built through faith in Christ and sacrifice.  A short history below explains further.  Working hard? or Hardly working? Hey, Keep working over there! Much like other places the Saints settled in the mid-1800s, Laie was a bit of a wasteland, unfertile and undesirable.  In 1865 the church purchased 6,000 acres of land for $14,000 for a gathering place of the pacific Saints.  They struggled to make it a success and were on the verge of giving up.  In a meeting held to discuss the problems, Elder Joseph F Smith (of the first presidency) encouraged them and declared a  prophecy.  He said, "My brothers and sisters, do not leave this land, for this place has been chosen by the Lord as a gathering place for the saints of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saint...

  The Sunrises during our first week in Hawaii were absolutely breath taking.  Here is just a sampling of photos taken from Laie Point....

  The Visitor's Center features The Christus, a marble replica of the statue of the resurrected Christ, originally sculpted by Bertel Thorvaldsen which is located in the Church of Our Lady in Copenhagen, Denmark.  He was working on this sculpture at approximately the same time Joseph Smith was organizing the church.        This statue is made of Carrera marble and was sculpted by Rebecchi of Italy. It is 10 ft. high on a 4 ft. pedestal.  It sets the scared tone of the Visitor's Center and temple grounds.   A view from outside.... Elder Steven and Sister Wendy King are the Directors of the Visitor's Center.  (He grew up in Las Vegas and they are settling in St. George UT after they return in January 2022)

The surf was eager to see us on our first day!   Exceptionally high waves put on a show!     A glorious sunrise lit the stage...

Upon arrival in Laie, we were greeted by other senior missionaries at a simple dinner.   Among the group were Paul and Harriett Kirkland, past members of Roger and Penny's ward in Payson UT.  It was fun to make that connection.