Tag Archives: BYU Hawaii

Days we will never forget

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Feeling joy for the sacred, feeling sadness for our pet, but these are days, we will never forget.

Paddington

Laie Hawaii Temple

PCC

IAO Valley

PCC show “Ha – Breath of Life”

We were pleased to have large turnouts to our Addiction Recovery Program (ARP) support meetings the last two Mondays. We realize that even if just one person came for support that it would be worth it, but knowing that there are many in the community who need the support, we are glad when more than a few come. Love and the Spirit of the Lord is strong in these meetings and we know that it is God’s love that keeps his children coming back for his care.

In addition to ARP, we are starting two other classes or groups. 1) The ARP companion group called Spouse and Family Support for those who need healing due to the choices of loved ones, and 2) a Self-Reliance course called, “Finding Strength in the Lord – Emotional Resilience.” This is a great set of sessions for all of us who want to apply gospel principles for a more joyful life. On top of these groups and classes, we are helping our ward get ready for their big Handcart Trek in June 2026. (More on that later)

From back home we got a text from Melanie, “Daddy, it’s looking like (our cat) Paddy might be about to pass. Lisa and I have been on the floor by him just comforting him and loving him…” A while later our beloved cat Paddington passed away after a couple years of significant illness. Fortunately our daughter Lisa was in town (for major oral surgery) and was able to help Melanie take care of things and make the important decision to let Paddington go on to kitty heaven. It was hard on them, on Joan, and all of the family to let go of one of our furry companions of 15+ years. Emma compiled a set of pictures of Paddington’s life, which was helpful. Lisa is now recovering from her surgery and we are grateful to Jana and Melanie for taking care of her during this very challenging time. We are grateful for angels especially while we are away. In honor of Paddington, Joan and I took a walk up the sacred Iao Valley near our Maui home where we felt of Gods beautiful earth and all of creation.

The next morning I felt impressed to take Joan for a walk along our favorite beach. With all the emotion of the death of our cat Paddington, I woke anxious to go. While there we were approached by a lady who asked about Joan’s Lana’i Cat Sanctuary tee-shirt she was wearing. This lady has been a cat rescuer and hoped someday to visit Lana’i so we talked about our experience there and showed her a picture of Joan sitting happily among many cats. Her interest seemed more than casual so we continue the usual conversation. “Where are you from?” She was from Murray, Utah and loves her cats. “I’m a flight attendant with Southwest,” she added. We talked about her love for Maui. We told her our story and that we were service missionaries for addiction recovery. She paused, looked us in the eye, got a little teary-eyed and said, “I’m in recovery.” 

She continued to tell us about her life and experience and how grateful she is for volunteers who support addicts like her. She spoke of her loving and understanding mother. We became fast friends and talked for 30 minutes as our feet slowly sank in the beautiful sand and the morning sun baked our shins. We moved into the shadow of a palm tree and talked some more, and agreed to stay in contact. She seemed stunned, in a joyful way that she met us. Looking heavenward she spoke gratitude. She said our meeting was an answer to prayer. “I can’t wait to tell my mother that I met you.” We invited her to come to our meetings next time she was on the island. She enthusiastically said she would come. Hugs were exchanged, a photo was taken, and we departed knowing that God was in all of our lives. We are so grateful for the special and deeply meaningful experiences we are having on this mission. God works in mysterious ways.

The next day we flew to Oahu for an extended temple trip and to continue our celebration of our 45thanniversary. We boarded the ferry to the ship Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor and reflected for an hour on the attack and sacrifice there in 1941. It was a sacred and reverent experience. We love America. We met a wonderful senior couple there returning from their mission in Samoa. We then drove to Queens Hospital in Honolulu in hopes of giving hope to our friend Curtis we had met on Moloka’i who is seriously ill. Unfortunately, he was quarantined so we could not see him. We exchanged happy text messages instead. We drove through the mountain and along the north shore to Laie and checked into our hotel room. After checking in, Joan realized she forgot to bring a dress for the temple… so we went shopping and found a beautiful Hawaiian dress in the shops at the Polynesian Cultural Center (PCC). 

The next morning we attended an endowment session at the Laie Temple where as usual, our hearts and minds were channeled in sacred paths of feeling and learning and knowing. (For some reason I was focused on 2 Nephi 2.) After some peaceful moments feeling love and light in the celestial room we completed our temple work that day. We saw other ward members there and expressed our love. We then took a break at the hotel pool before going to a spectacular evening of Polynesian culture, Luau and show at the PCC. The show is called, “Ha – The Breath of Life,” and left all observers spell-bound regarding the amazing journey we all have through life. We highly recommend the PCC.

Back home on Sunday, we heard genuine testimonies during Sacrament meeting, and had an amazing special experience with our youth Sunday School Class. We sat in a circle and counseled together regarding D&C 137 & 138. We stopped reading frequently to understand about revelation, including personal revelation. We then had a Zoom call with most of our kids. Sister Hardman and I then gave the talks on Baptism and the Holy Ghost at a convert baptism that evening before watching the 1st Presidency Devotional with other stake members. 

Feeling joy for the sacred, feeling sadness for our pet, but these are days, we will never forget.

Sep. 1, 2025 – Celestial Demeanor and Temple Vision

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In recent years before our service mission in Hawaii, Sister Hardman and I had developed the habit of attending the temple regularly, often weekly. Like many of you we were blessed to choose from several temples within a thirty-minute drive from our home in Utah. Serving ancestors and renewing our covenants does everything our prophets promise such service will do. We are deeply blessed. Sometimes in ways we hadn’t anticipated.

As mentioned in an earlier letter, the Saints on Maui do not yet have such convenience to temples. (The Kahului Hawaii Temple was announced nearly two years ago, but has not been started) The nearest operating temple is a thirty-minute flight and a sixty-minute drive, not to mention the normal travel and waiting times at airports and the cost. We admire and are strengthened by the faith of those who make this sacrifice. The next ‘ward temple trip’ is not for a month or so, so Sister Hardman and I made the trip to Oahu and the Hawaii Laie Temple this week. In addition to the words and spirit of the Endowment, we learned a beautiful lesson from two other patrons, a Polynesian couple. We were among the last to be seated and found ourselves in the back of the endowment room. The middle-aged brother next to me sensing I might have difficulty seeing and hearing (do I really look that old?) offered to move so that I could have a seat with better visibility. His expression was so sincere and genuine that I could hardly resist, but perhaps my pride got in the way and I politely thanked him and declined. “I’ll be okay,” I whispered. “Thank you… Mahalo.”

The word demeanor came to mind and during the session I thought about the demeanor of special people I have met in and out of the church, and in and out of the temple. Early in the session this brother moved to another seat that would allow me to scoot over a little to see the presentation better. Later in the celestial room while pondering the endowment and amazing blessings promised by Heavenly Father, we again observed this couple as they prayed together standing in a corner, and then as they kindly hugged the first-time patrons tearfully sitting on a white sofa in front of us. I don’t think they knew these fellow patrons but the aloha and love expressed in their unrushed hugs and in their eyes reflected in every way what I imagine to be a celestial demeanor. I reached for some scriptures which are always available around the temple and opened to Doctrine and Covenants 121 and reviewed the behavioral qualities of ‘righteous’ and ‘chosen’ people. “Persuasion, by long-suffering, by gentleness and meekness, and by love unfeigned; By kindness, and pure knowledge, which shall greatly enlarge the soul without hypocrisy, and without guile…an increase of love…full of charity towards all men…” (D&C 121:42-45) “Thank you,” I thought, “Brother and Sister (whoever you are). I want to be more like you.”

Before returning to Maui I had always wanted to visit the BYU Hawaii campus so we drove around, asked some students where we might park and find the cafeteria, then soon found ourselves in a sea of new freshmen enjoying their meal at the fine buffet. We were surprised to run into two of our ward Sunday School girls who were there to start their first semester. While eating we also visited with two other service missionary couples who were serving. We walked around campus a little more, visited the science building, then drove around the north shore and back through the central valley to Honolulu. On the flight back we had a wonderful conversation with Tony, a gentleman on his way home to Atlanta by way of Maui and Las Vegas. There are always opportunities to lift. We hope our love and demeanor blessed him that day.

On Monday we completed our twelfth in-person session of Healing through the Savior – 12 Step Addiction Recovery Program. Recovery and sobriety is a life-long process so we will start the twelve steps over again next week. On Sunday we had spoken for the first time in one of the local wards and on Monday three new participants from that ward came to our support meeting. As usual there is a feeling of joy deep in our hearts as each person shows the faith and humility to come to the Savior and receive His love and power. Our group this week was a little larger than usual. Our hearts ache for the pain and challenge they experience, but at the same time our souls are anxious for the progress we hope they make in overcoming their addictions and moving toward making and keeping covenants with God including temple covenants. Following this week’s meeting Sister Hardman presented her freshly baked Excellent Cinnamon Rolls. After most of our guests left, one sister asked for a priesthood blessing. Elder Taylor and I visited with her and administered and she was blessed and invited to see her future self as the Savior sees her and to expect miracles in her life, including her vision to someday serve in the temple.

Sister Hardman and I invite all of you to pray for us and for the people we service. Pray that each will find grace and power in Christ and make progress in their recovery. Pray that the announced temple will complete it’s planning stages, begin construction, and give the Saints in Maui hope for God’s blessings to come even more close to them than ever before. And pray for each other, even those who ‘appear to be a little older,’ that we may all join in this great work as Senior Missionaries or Senior Service Missionaries for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The work blesses Sister Hardman and me, our relationship and our family, every day.