Tsunami reaches Hawaii...barely

The 8.8 earthquake in Chile generated a Tsunami which arrived Hawaii this morning around 11:30 am.  We woke up around 4:00 am with the road outside filled with cars and people evacuating to the high ground behind the temple.  Here's a picture of the cars parked around our house. 

A few days ago the zone leaders had asked us to help fix a breakfast for the sister missionaries and we went ahead with the plan, except we fed them from our kitchen and not the stake center.  The Visitors' Center was closed until the evacuation warning was lifted.   All the highways were closed on all the islands and everyone living in the tsunami zone were asked to move to higher ground.

The person under the blue and white umbrella is Bruce Tuttle, the temple's AV specialist.  The other picture shows some of the folks hanging out on Temple Hill.

The six elders in our zone had no place to go so we offered our "pad" to them.  Here they are doing their morning personal study.  Left to right: Elders Moncur, Stanger, Wise, Robertson, Laufiso and Wooten.  Later Donna fed them pasta-fruity salad and chocolate cake for lunch.

It's now 1:30 pm and it appears the tsunami was mild, with swells around 3 feet; however, the evacuation requirement has not been lifted, so the VC is still closed and everyone is just "hanging out" like these two sister missionaries, Sister Kafusi from Tonga, and Sister Ochiai from Japan.

Donna's Birthday

We had fun celebrating Donna's birthday by spending the night at the Westin Hotel on Waikiki Beach.  Unfortunately (or fortunately) we had forgotten  the congested crowds in Waikiki.  We took our bathing suits and had planned on sitting under an umbrella or palm tree and enjoying a quiet retreat.  Once there, and checking the surroundings it seemed inappropriate for two missionaries to cavort in bathing suits and so we left them in the suitcase and found quiet places to read.

We did, however, enjoy visits to the Iolani Palace used by Hawaii's King and Queen from 1882 until 1893 when the USA muscled in and, in effect, deposed the Royal Family and took control of Hawaii.

Here's a picture of the front of the Palace.  Yes, that is Donna standing at the bottom of the stairs on the right side.

We also enjoyed a tour of the USS Missouri Battleship.  The "Mighty Mo" was the ship where the Japanese signed the surrender agreement in 1945, bringing the war with Japan to a close.  It is moored next to the USS Arizona Memorial - a fitting symbol of the beginning and the end of the conflict.  It could fire a 2,700-pound "bullet" 23 miles.  It was called back to active service in the 80's and was armed with Tomahawk missiles.  It is 887 feet long and weighs over 100 million pounds.

At the VC's weekly training meeting Donna and Sister Slade and Elder Lafiso (who also had birthdays this week) were sung "Happy Birthday" missionary style.

Her birthday celebration wrapped up by having dinner at Duke's in Waikiki with Steve and Karen who flew in from Kawai on their way back to the mainland.

I know what you're thinking "Are they really on a mission?"  Yes, we are.  My non-journal entry this week was a very poor tour presentation for two visitors from India who zipped out of the VC while I was in the middle of a comment. On the other hand, Donna had a great tour with a couple from Michigan (she was Catholic) who had many questions, listened intently, and left with a much better understanding of our beliefs.  The wife was especially attentive to the revealed understanding of infant baptisms.

Steve and Karen Visit

We had a wonderful visit with Steve and Karen and attended a luau and the evening show at the PCC with them and with their niece and nephew, Steve and Jenny Kolb.  Here's a few more pictures from their visit.  The picture taken in the VC includes Sister Han from South Korea, and Sister Stringer from Utah.

A Week in Review

Friday night all the sister missionaries cleaned out their closets and "pads."  Saturday morning the senior couples sorted through "stuff" and the sisters came and picked through everything, taking items they could use.  Monday, the Salvation Army came and took what was left.

On left, Elder and Sister Peterson, Logan, Utah.  Center, Elder and Sister Tripp, Draper, Utah.  Next to Donna is Elder Eubank, Bountiful, Utah.


Monday morning a couple from Toronto, Canada came to the VC.  William Wang was originally from Hong Kong and Nancy Wang was raised in Taiwan.  They were as nice a couple as I've met in my five+ months at the VC.  Nancy was amazed at the commitment of the sister missionaries and elders who serve.  She wanted to know all about them, what they do when they go home, education, etc.  Our conversation moved to my family and "our" missionaries who have served all over the world.  They left wanting to know more and I promised to have the missionaries come to their home and bring them a "traditional" Chinese Book of Mormon as well as an English version. 

Tuesday afternoon was the monthly trip for the four senior couples (except the Tripp's couldn't go).  We went to Haleawa and had lunch at Kua Aina's Sandwich Shop (really ono [good]).  On the way back we and the Eubank's stopped at the Pu' U O Mahuka Heiau.  A Heiau is a former sacred Hawaiian temple site.  You can see the outline of the Heiau behind the two of us.  I took a picture of Elder Mark Eubank and his wife who were scanning the horizon for whales.  They saw one breach and several others venting.

Transfers were this week and two wonderful sisters returned home.  I am with Sister Fan who is from Hong Kong and Donna is with Sister Fung from Taylorsville, Utah, but raised in Scotland by parents who were both born in China.