Aloha!

ALOHA!

  This week was really good, but it was also very emotionally/mentally draining. 

Tuesday: We were able to go to the temple which was wonderful! We also got to have lunch with Sister Carroll, Sister Hatori and Sister White! They do so much for us! We are very blessed to have them.

 Wednesday: We had exchanges with the Ewa Beach Sisters. I went to Ewa Beach! I was super nervous, because I didn't know if I could handle seeing anyone from the 1st ward. The first person I saw was Brother Iosefa. I was SO excited to see him!!! It was so wonderful to be with him again. He really is such a wonderful Ward Mission Leader and, of course, an amazing person! I was with Sister Chapman on exchanges. She is so sweet. It makes me so happy to know that she is taking care of Ewa Beach. 

Thursday: We got to go out with Sister Rowland to visit some of the Sisters in the ward. It was nice, because she already has such a good relationship with the sisters, so it is easier for us to get to know them. After we finished with Sister Rowland, we got a call from Travis. He is the investigator that was reading the Book of Mormon regularly and who came to church. He called to tell us that he has decided to stop investigating the church and he wants to just go to his own church instead. The rest of the day, Sister Jolley and I didn't say a whole lot, and we just kept going to visit people. That night was rough though. I couldn't keep it together once we got home. It's just so sad. He seemed so prepared, but he slipped away as easily as he came. I know that his heart is still good though. I am sure that if he meets missionaries again down the line that he will at least listen to them. It definitely never gets easier each time an investigator drops you though. 

Friday: We were able to meet with one of our investigators named Lovelynn. She is so sweet! She works with one of the members in our ward, so that is how she got introduced to the church. She is really interested, but she has been sick, so she couldn't come to church on Sunday. I am confident that she will be there next week though. We went to see the Mokiaos in the evening after dinner. They are a very special family. The daughter, Noi, is so amazing. She has such a strong testimony, in spite of such challenging circumstances. The mom is one of my heroes. She loves her kids so much! 

Saturday: We went to Nanakuli's area to do a district flood. We met a lot of people who were not interested in the church whatsoever. We also ran into one of their members though, so that was nice. :) We met a family who seems pretty interested. I will give you more of an update next week after our next appointment.

Sunday: Church was awesome. We had ward conference, which was really awesome. The leaders in our stake are so amazing. Truly men of God. 

Well, that is all I have time for! I hope you all have a great week!

Love, Sister Barber