November 15

Today we are grateful for service. Whether we are the ones doing service, or the ones one the recieving end, Service is such a gift. When we are in the service of our fellow beings we are able to forget our trials briefly.

A few examples of loving service I would like to share that we are grateful for:

1. Our first couple months in Hawaii were hard financially and figuring each other out, as well as meeting new people and learning the ropes of this new island. Our new bishop showed up on our doorstep one morning with 2 pineapples and said, "Welcome to the ward." We will never forget that simple act of service because we truly felt welcome, and that pineapple was able to provide for our little family. We needed it. Also we had friends in this ward who were recieveing WIC (women infant and children) and its like foodstamps from the government, and they got alot of milk a month, and always shared thier extra gallon with us.

2. Our home teacher Alex..He has been our home teacher since we moved into TVA almost, and he has never missed a month. He also never misses a chance to ask us how we are doing and tells us that he loves us. He is a great example and we have been able to feel his spirit in our home.

3. I was having an awful week back in April. I was homesick, lonely, and personally frustrated. You could even tell, because it was starting to effect my marraige as well. Anyways, I had a sweet friend bring me about 9 beautiful long stem roses. JUST BECAUSE. She told me she was thinking about me, and that she loved me and thought that I was a good friend and that i deserved these flowers. Ill never forget that because I have never been in tears when someone has given me a gift, and I was truly in tears because she was an answer to my prayers. Thanks Kelly.

4. My parents send little packages in the mail almost every other month. Maybe not that often, but most of the time it is. We have grown to love this little act of service so much because usually they send us silly things. Like junk food we cant afford to buy, or little decorative festive holiday type things. Its the little things that matter. We are grateful for this act of service because we know we are loved and because usually it is such a suprise to get a package in the mail from home. They almost never tell us when they are sending it, so we are always suprised.

5. Last November we were able to help prepare the Laie Temple for open house by volunteering to clean a few nights a week. This service was an amazing one to get to experience. We loved being apart of it because we got to debut the temple before alot of people did, and after not being inside that beautiful building for almost a year, it was peaceful to get to be inside even though we were cleaning. We even met a nice man there, His name is Ray. Ever since we met him that night he has always taken extra good care of us. He smiles and treats us like he has not seen us in YEARS whenever he sees us, and he let us cut in line at the Haunted Lagoon. We will never forget his smile or kindness he has shown towards us.

These are just some fun examples of service I may or may not have ever recorded in my journal. But we are grateful for this powerful tool in our lives. We have the ability to be God's angels, and do his work. So JUST DO IT!!!!!!