As you may have heard or read, there was a hurricane that had its eyes set on the island this week. A lot of people were panicking, and most of the major grocery stores were completely out of ice and water (oh, and POP TARTS… what the…) due to people trying to get prepared. It was definitely a different/scary experience for me, but once it hit land, the hurricane soon turned into a tropical storm that we didn't even get up north. We just had a lot of precursor storms that brought many inches of rain and lots of gnarly wind. Anyway, with that being said, there is a gentleman here in the ward and he and his family opened up a shaved ice business not too long ago. They received word that their supplier of block ice wasn't going to be able to give him what he needed anymore, so we would go to Foodland and many of the other grocery stores to try and get the ice that they needed. They go through at least 200 pounds of ice a day. HOLY ICE! That is a ton! With him trying to stock up since his supplier is no more, he had a good amount stocked up (from the sounds of it). Due to the lack of bottled water and ice here on the island because of the storm, him and his family decided to temporarily shut down their business and give their ice to people that needed it. There are still people here that haven't had power since Thursday. They are trying to keep things cold and just flat out need water. How incredibly humbling! This is a source of income for his family and, thanks to social media, they have gotten so busy and so popular. But because he knows and understands what the gospel teaches and is all about, he is willing to put his business on hold to help people in need. How many of us are willing to do that? How many would close up shop not knowing when we would see that money come in. We ALL get so caught up in money this, money that. It's hard to say when their shop will open again and when he will be able to get ice. This gentleman really understands what life is all about.
There was a gentleman that was a cop on Oahu, and he decided he was going to clean up his life. He got caught up in some bad habits through his job, and he was tired of being "that man". He moved his family to the Big Island for a fresh start and made the choice to go back to church. In the process of "recovery" I guess you could say, he almost became a little angry. He would get easily upset with his wife or his kids and get SO ANGRY! They had a tree in their backyard, and he made the commitment that every time he got mad or frustrated he would go out to that tree and let out his anger. He would cuss, swear, and sometimes he would grab a branch and pull. Then he would compose himself, walk back in the house, and continue life as normal. He said within one year, that tree stopped bearing fruit. Within two years, the tree had died completely. Now he took care of his cussing tree and gave it everything it needed. It didn't have any bugs. It just… died. He talked about what a life lesson that was for him and how harmful some of the things were that came out of his mouth. Imagine the damage it could have done to his family, maybe not killing them physically, but quite possibly killing them spiritually. It becomes so easy to belittle those around us, but I really wish we would stop. We should be builders, not destroyers. Don't kill trees, guys. Just stop. Something for EVERYONE to work on.
I loved this touching story in Relief Society. It had me crying. The sister (the 1st counselor) that was giving the lesson was speaking about her time studying at BYU-Hawaii. After classes, her branch went on a temple trip. She sat next to an older sister (Sister M.), who was old enough to have grandchildren. Before their session at the temple started, Sister M. jerked her head to look behind her. She looked to the left. She looked to the right. The (now) 1st counselor leaned over to Sister M. and said, "Sister, is everything okay?" She replied, "Yes. I just thought I felt something behind me." She turned to look, and nothing was in the row behind them. They didn't think anything of it and continued on with their session.
While they were waiting for everyone outside after their time at the temple was through, a member of the bishopric came up to Sister M. and said, "Hey, was that your grandson with you today?" Sister M. looked surprised and said "No, I didn't bring my grandson with me?" The member of the bishopric said, "No! I saw him! He looks JUST like your husband, just skinnier! I saw him put his hand on your shoulder and hug you from behind. Wasn't that him?" Sister M. began to weep. She knew exactly what had happened. Many years and years ago, Sister M. lost one of her boys when he was only in his twenties. He had never married. He was a spitting image of his father. She had been praying for 5+ years to KNOW that she would have her son forever. Even as faithful members of the church, we often have doubts or insecurities in the church. That day in the temple…her prayer was answered. She knew it was her sweet boy, and she was yet again reassured that FAMILIES ARE FOREVER when we are sealed in the temple and WE LIVE OUR LIFE RIGHT! What a sweet testimony from a faithful sister.
I hope every one has had a beautiful and sacred Sunday. Love you all.
XOXO
Incredibly inspiring and life changing!
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