Malo e Lelei!!   Aloha from Laie.

I have some great news... well lots of great news... The temple is finally all lit up and they have taken the gates down. So for the first time in my mission I can walk up to the front gates of the Temple. I am soo excited. It is soo beautiful, and I can't wait to go inside. The open house is scheduled for October 22- November 12 ish.... So we're getting really busy. I still think it's amazing that I go home a week after the temple opens. Talk about timing... I just hope we get to go once it's dedicated.

We had zone conference this week... and with the new changes in schedules we only have zone conference 4 times a year. So this was my last one! I couldn't believe it when the AP's told me I was going to have to give my dying testimony. I still have lots of time left! A dying testimony is basically your testimony of what you learned on your mission.... How it's helped you... stuff like that...  I cried a little. It was a good conference though. We did our musical number and it went great. I pulled my clarinet out for the first time in a year, it worked well enough, but now its going home :) We focused a lot on the Book of Mormon, and using it to resolve the concerns our investigators have. Speaking of concerns and investigators....

I've had a lot of bashers come in the Visitor Center this week. I'm not sure what it is... I guess when great things are being accomplished Satan always tries to bring you down. One instance that stands out: I was talking story with the Zone leaders in the back when this random guy comes walking down the ramp and makes a quick sweep of the back of the Visitor Center. I excuse myself to follow him, and he quickly brushes me off. So I go the other way to cut him off by the doors. When I get to the front his friend has got one of the sisters cornered asking her all these questions about the Book of Mormon. This sister is amazing. She came from Temple Square so she knows how to deal with bashers.... But it was obvious that her English wasn't quite enough for this guy, and he had a thick southern accent so she had a hard time understand as well. I watched for a second and while he's talking he pulls out his camera phone and is taking pictures of the Christus statue, and him and her together talking. So I decided to be her companion for a few minutes. We had a nice little talk, he wanted proof of all these things, and I thought I did better than I normally would. I was a lot nicer. I think I’m becoming more patient. Thank goodness for the mission. So long story short, Basically Mormons are over-achievers in his eyes. But I already knew that. He left with his friend who was still probing around the Visitor Center (I think the elders got to him).  That was one of the most interesting tours this week....

On a happy note... We committed one of our investigators to baptism last night, and she said yes. We're working towards October 16th for her. She is soo cute. She just married this returned missionary, and the family is soo great. We had a great lesson about the Doctrine of Christ, and the Atonement. We watched the Lamb of God DVD... which I honestly hadn't seen all of before last night... go figure. Sister Han did a great job of bringing the spirit and inviting her to be baptized. It was an amazing night!

So that's really long, but I guess it makes up for me being lazy and not writing last week.
I'm off to the dentist.
Much aloha!
Sister Bridge

Hey fam. I don't have too much to write about.

The Hocketts came to the Visitor Center. That was my highlight.

I've started the registration process for the U of U. Seems like I'll be in school forever. I have to go thru the process of becoming a resident of Utah because I have been out of the state for more than a year. Have to hurry this process along so I can register before Nov. 1 deadline.

The temple looks amazing. It's all lit up and pretty all the time. I'm soo excited for the rededication in November. 

I finally got Polynesian food again. I ate way too much. I love the tarrot, and the 'ufi, and sweet potato... Soo good!

I love doing the tram tours, we get to see soo many people every day. There's honestly not much to report on... I'll send pictures... when I figure it out...

We've been walking a lot. And I pulled my clarinet out to play the zone conference song. it should be interesting. It's been a year since I played... we'll see!!!

Love you lots!
Char

New Transfer

Since we last met... Sister Hockett was baptized... it was amazing. The perfect way to end my stint in Aliamanu and Halawa.

On that note... I've been transferred back to the Visitors Center. I knew it was coming... and I'm very excited :D Just in time for the open house and re-dedication of the La'ie Hawaii Temple!!!  2 more transfers to go... as crazy as that sounds, and I'll stay here till I "die."

Things have changed a lot around here while I was gone. Now we take tours as companionships, I really like that.  I don't really know anyone, they are all new, but the sisters here are great!

My new companion is Sister Han from South Korean, and oddly enough she was the first person I met in the MTC. We went in the same day, and we’ll go home together. That's kinda funny. She's hilarious, and I'm soo excited to be her companion.

We had transfer meeting on Wednesday. I love transfer meetings because you get to see all the missionaries. My companion (sister Apina) was flying back to Big Island, and I had to wait for Sister Magno and her greenie to finish their new missionary orientation stuff. Sister Apina and I didn't have much to do...  so we were hanging out with the AP's for a while (the assistants to the president). We had to run to Walmart to grab something, and Elder Hatch let me take their truck! Soo much fun. We took the long way around Honolulu to get there. 

We've had some great guests at the VC. I love this place soo much. The spirit is always soo strong in here. It's not like you have to try extra hard to have it. It's soo much easier to teach by the spirit here also, because there are soo many things to show people, and to testify of. We have been using this big presentation called "Gods plan for His family" a lot. It's one of my favorites because it shows the plan of salvation in such a simple way, and showing how knowing this plan helps families. We always come out of it feeling the spirit and having our testimonies strengthened on the importance of eternal families :D Good stuff.

That’s about it...
Ofa Atu!!
Sister Bridge

Best weekend ever!

Best weekend ever :D Sister Hockett was baptized Tuesday night, before I came out here. It was amazing!

I'm in Laie, covering a family ward, and 2 BYU wards. Yeehaw. I'm with Sister Han, she's awesome. We go home together, and came into the MTC the same day. President called me Monday night and said that I have a special assignment, but won't tell me what it is yet.

So I'll e-mail Monday and tell more! Love you lots!
Char

Battleships and Baptism

Aloha!! I wish I could send pictures... But I'm sitting at K-mart and can't figure this out...

We did our awesome service project at the USS Missouri this week. It was amazing. I was kind of bummed when the volunteer people handed us sanitizer bottles and told us to wipe down the hand rails. But only later did we realize that this gave us access to all parts of the ship. So we just headed as high as we could... then as low as we could. A few of us ended up going down through the engine rooms, and "cleaning" down there. I learned a lot, and actually got to do some of the cleaning for the new movie coming out that will be filmed on it. Something about aliens... or battleships... not sure. I'm so glad we got to do that, because I pass the ship every day. It’s right outside my door, but I've never been able to go. Now I can say I've seen it, and got to go where tourists don't get to venture.

Roseann, Wallace, and Nainoa were all baptized on Saturday. It was so great! We were going to have it in the Relief Society room, but all of a sudden so many people showed up that we had to move it to the chapel. Then the chapel filled up! It was so great, and I'm so excited for Roseann.

Oh... Transfer News... I'm leaving. And so is Sister Apina. That's the big news... I'm probably going back to Laie for my last 2 transfers. We’ll see.

I'm out of time... stand by...

Sorry... I ran out of time and it almost logged me off... My bad... Anyways... Where was I... baptisms... being transfered.... saddness... Oh yeah, the best part of my entire amazing week: Sunday morning Brother Hockett met with the Bishop and was ordained to the office of a Priest. And Sister Hockett asked if she could be baptized Tuesday night. I can't think of a better way to end my time here in Halawa and Aliamanu... to see my favorite family take this huge step closer to the temple. I'm sad that I won't be able to see her confirmed, but I know that it's truly a blessing that I get to help with her baptism. I have never seen a family change and embrace the gospel quite like this one. They are amazing!

Well now I have to run.... Transfers on Wednesday morning!
Ofa atu... Till next time
Sister Bridge