Thanksgiving Greetings!

We woke up to find sixty hearts taped to our front door with messages of "thanks" from the sister missionaries we serve with.  Here are two of the comments on the hearts: 

"Sister McArthur!  Thank you so much for everything you do!  Especially for cooking for us during the open house!  We appreciate it so much.  You're the best cook!  WE LOVE YOU.  Happy Thanksgiving."

"Sister and Elder McArthur. Thank you so much for your kindness and help!  Especially during Open House.  Thank you so much so tasty food.  You are our great example.  We love you two so much!  Happy Happy Thanksgiving day!"

Chinese student wants to know more

Tonight as I was sitting at the desk greeting tourists from the PCC two oriental women were looking at our handouts.  I asked where they were visiting from.  The one who spoke English said she was a college student at a church school in Michigan.  The older lady did not speak English, only Chinese.  They were originally from Shanghai.  I was impressed to give them everything we had in simplified Chinese which is what they read on mainland China.  I even handed a Book of Mormon to the student.  She was very interested and started reading it right in front of me. 

Later I learned that as she rode the tram back to the PCC she filled out a comment card and asked for the representatives to visit her and added names of two friends.  The Lord works with individuals.   I can see that as we give out literature to the Chinese who come to the VC,  the  gospel is going forth to that nation.  I am in charge of ordering our literature from church headquarters and cannot get any more copies of the Book of Mormon in simplified Chinese as they are revising it and other Chinese literature.

We also had an interesting meeting in the morning with Elder Paul  Pieper of the Seventy.  He told of the miracles that are happening quietly in the Middle East where he is assigned.  He was also assigned to Kazakhstan and knew Craig Vincent and his wife.  Small world in the Church!  

Temple Rededication

This morning we attended the 9 am Rededication of the Temple.  Originally we were going to go to one of the stake centers since the temple could only hold 700 persons and we thought the local members deserved to be in the temple, more than we did.  However, Friday Elder Scott Whiting, Area Authority Seventy, came to the VC and handed us two tickets for the Celestial Room saying he wanted us there.

The services were broadcast by TV to all the stake centers in the Hawaiian Islands and were held in three sessions: 9 am, 12 noon and 3 pm.  In addition to President Monson and President Eyring, we heard from Elder Cook and Elder Walker.  The choir of only 24 voices sounded like the Tabernacle Choir in stereo!

My last official act as a member of the Usher Committee was to lead the group out of the Celestial Room after the official party had exited.  It has been a very rewarding, and exhausting, three months of service.  I no longer complain about not having enough to do...on average we've given full-time service (and a little bit more).

Temple Celebration

2,000 youth participated in "The Gathering Place - Celebrating the Laie Hawaii Temple."  We received Special Guest seats and attending the dress rehearsal.  Here's a picture taken with my cell phone showing the climatic ending with a large temple replica raised and the picture of the Christ projected above.

At 10 am the temple and surroundings were blocked off for two hours in anticipation of a President Monson visit.  All the VC missionaries congregated at the VC watching and waiting.  About noon the entourage showed up at the temple and I took this picture.  This is as close as we got because when the group finished touring the temple they did not come to the VC.  How sad!



Elder and Sister Eubank's 50th Anniversary

Elder and Sister Mark Eubank's 50th wedding anniversary was on Friday, November 19.  With so many things going on at the VC they were unable to break away and go to dinner with us (we postponed it until Monday).  So Donna arranged a surprise visit by all the missionaries.  We gathered outside their apartment  at 9:30 pm and helped them celebrate with a cake and lots of hugs!

VIP's begin arriving for Temple Rededication

Thursday evening we learned that President Thomas S. Monson, President Henry B. Eyring, and Elder Quentin L. Cook arrived.  Earlier Elder William Walker, Executive Director of the Temple Department, and Brother Thomas Coburn, Managing Director of the Temple Department, both came to the VC.

On Friday President Monson and President Eyring attended the Polynesian Cultural Center and our BYUH grandson, Kody Cook, ran into President Eyring and shook hands with President Monson.

David Hanneman

In 1960, before the Palomar Stake was organized, the District held a Samoan Luau fund-raiser (taalolo) at the recently constructed meetinghouse in Vista.  A Polynesian group from Orange County was contacted to help us and one of the men who helped us was David Hanneman.  I later met David when I was called as Regional Representative (1977) and assigned to the Anaheim Region.  He was, I believe, on the High Council working with the missionary program.

 He now lives in Laie and has been here for many years, and is a member of the Laie 3rd ward, the ward we attend on Sunday.  When we first attended the ward there was David Hanneman and as he greeted us he recognized me and reminded me of our relationship in the Anaheim Region, and said he had a letter from me in his file at home.  (The next week he brought the letter to church to remind me.)

He served as president of the Laie Temple, as a patriarch, and is still the historian for the Polynesian Cultural Center.  Of all those we've met in Laie, David Hanneman stands head and shoulders above all the rest -- a true disciple of Christ.  One day, when I grow up, I hope to be more like him.