ELDER KAKA'S LAST LETTER

Lia Happy BIrthday girl!!I love you so much Lia!! I give you one beeg hug when I see you ok:)
Kia ora you falas!! like always ay its good to hear from you falas!!!

Been a mean week. The weather is getting hot. Its 50 degrees today!!!! I walked out of my apartment and couldnt belief ma eyes!! warming up hard! You guys should be good when you come mum and dad!! I dont have much to say family but that Im still seeing miracles! im happy and content with my service as a missionary. My mission really has been the "hardest but most rewarding" 2 years of my life. I testify that Christ lives and that he taught us how to live. His life was a mission uphill. I now know that there is no growth in the comfort zone and there is no comfort in the growth zone. If we are to become as the Savior is, our path must also be uphill. Yes it is is hard, tiring and at times may seem unbearable but I testify that this is the only way to peace and contentment now and in eternity.

    

I love you guys so much and I cant explain how grateful I am for each of you individually. The plan of salvation will only extend our happiness beyond our imagination. Im excited to see you all ay. Mum and Dad you falas ready for this? We are going to be eating heaps of food probli like 2 dinners every night lol and more so get your fat guts ready ok!! Alright family! 2 more days of all guts out ay!! till the end family!!

ELder Kanahele!

Catalino Ramirez Baptism - In Janesville

Kia ora you falas!! How you falas doin ay?? hoohoo str8 up ay!! good to hear from you family!! thanks for your letters.Iv loved hearing all the growth in each of you through out my time here. Lia girl so proud of you for sticking out with your wrestling. You did so good your first year. I’m happy that you still came out on top and having learned so much physically and mentally. I can remember how demanding it was in wrestling having to continue and wanting to continue even when your body is wasted and injured. It taught me a lot about "discipline" and I’m sure you as well, being strict with a diet, lifting, maintaining your weight etc. and I was able to transfer that over to my missionary work as a "disciple" of Christ having to change and give up various different things, in this case some physically but more spiritually. D&C 130:19  says:  "And if a person gains more knowledge and intelligence in this life through his diligence and obedience than another, he will have so much the advantage in the world to come". The lord can see the end from the beginning and knows what we need now to prepare for later. I love how you learned something from your experience Lia. my wrestling experience has blessed me even today.

     Family!! I had a good week. I will start with the highlight. I went down to one of my old areas Janesville to give Catalino Ramirez the baptismal interview for the "4th" time!! (Hes the guy we went and helped him get a suite for church about 6 months ago lol) Well he passed it, and I got to baptize him Saturday night. It was such a cool experience for me. It was a miracle to have been close enough to be able to have kept going back even after i left the area to give him the interviews and then to see him baptized 9 months later.

     This is my last week family!! Its coming closer and faster. Finishing strong here family! Im  cherishing every moment to testify, speak and act in the name of christ. It has been my most prized possesion I would say in all my time as a missionary, Testifying of the savior. I love him so much and I have stood by him my whole time here. I have at times faught against him, and Iv learned that his way in the end is the only way to have success and happiness in this life. I learned a cool quote this week that teaches us the purpose of the gospel, it says "the purpose of the gospel is to make bad men good, good men better, and to change human nature". The results of following the Savior has changed who I am. I have been blessed by his atonement. His enabling power has pushed me beyond my natural capacity, and it is that power alone that saves us beyond all that we can do in this life. I am so imperfect and my mission has helped realize how much I need my Savior.

    Family I love you guys and I thank you for your testimonies, your love and prayers for me. I have been blessed so much by you. I pray and thank my heavenly father so much for each of your individual gifts that have blessed my life. I look forward to seeing you guys again!! Have a good week you falas!! till the death!!

Elder Kanahele Kaka!!

Kia ora family!! Lia so proud of you girl. Your in a battle right not yeah? in pain and pushing your body beyond its limits. Here is where your most growth comes girl. You'll be surprised how far you can go when you have a strong mind yah? Im so proud of you Lia, wish I could have been there to yell for and at you lol. Ice your body up, massage it and take some protein if possible to heal as much of it as you can. I remember getting stingers a lot. I had to wrap my shoulders when I wrestled. I took pain killers before i wrestled so that I could alleviate as much of the pain as possible. Don't show any pain when you wrestle Lia. Trick there mind yeah. Half the battle will be in the mind cuz when your tired and have no energy, its your mind that takes the body past its limits. Good luck this next week Lia!!

     Mum thanks for your little Hawaiian spill. I felt so proud to be apart of this culture just hearing your experience and passion for the Hawaiian people. Its a lovely culture and Iv grown to appreciate it so much having been out here amongst so different of a culture. The Aloha spirit is so apparent there like its night and day. So proud of you mum, you have been so successful but also enduring and positive. I admire that about you mum. Im bad when it comes to being positive while enduring. Its my patience ay lol.

     Well family another week come and gone and time is moving faster than ever its all a new experience trying to finish everything off, mixed emotions. I’m ready to move on when my time and efforts are done here, to move on to the next phase of life. I do however need to finish my time, all of it to the last day and second serving with all of my heart might mind and strength just like the scriptures teach. We teach the doctrine of Christ daily as our centre piece of our missionary work, principles that were brought back in full by the restoration of the one original gospel as it really was and also the priesthood. Faith, Repentance, Baptism, receiving the gift of the holy ghost and "enduring to the end". It is like an upward spiral that never ends, a continuous process that we repeat over and over that binds us to God only on conditions of our enduring. I think how different the atonement would be had Jesus given up or stopped before the end. An incomplete mission. It would have changed everything. I am in my last days here on the mission and really trying to live this principle and make everything count. I have enjoyed the journey but want to finish at the top of the mountain where I can see the view, and feel good about the hard steps it was to get up, not at the bottom. Of course there will be more mountains to climb. I am feeling the pressure ay lol its scary. As I once believed and still do now "just gotta harden up" lol a good philosophy I say.

   Sorry to explain da life. My week was mean though! its supposed to be -16 on Wednesday without the windchill’s haha I thought it was supposed to be warming up too. Oh well. I went and took my drivers test again today in another city and just barely failed lol I Was closer though this time. Its hard driving on the roads here ay and with all the ice and frosty windows its hard to see sometimes. All goods though Ill just get it when I come home. Also my debit card was cancelled for some reason. I called American savings bank and they said they were going to send another one in the mail to our Hawaii home address so you guys keep an eye out for that please. Mum and Dad excited to see you guys!! dont crash on the roads ay! If its possible could you guys bring some sort of cheap gifts for my people here, chocolate or something, whatever you think, thank you! I love all you guys, you too grams!! keep pushing yourselves to be better! see you guys in a bit!! Doitzen it up the guts again this week here we go!!!

Elder Kanahele!!

Meagans Wedding - So pretty!

Kia ora you falas!! so crack up reading your letters today. Lia girl. second??? dang thats so cool Lia!!! so proud of you girl. Your body must be all hard right now yeah? you get pains ah?? ah come on girl you was raised wit 3 boys, you get em ah, keep going hard Lia, dont back down girl. Ash bro hahah crack up dog bout your prom crap. I remember doing crap like that and getting caught bro. alguds bro do what you gotta do bro, your the man dog no one can touch you. Hows your senior year bro?? you enjoying it bro? hows rugby? hows your body looking bro, send me a pick bro. My body’s looking pretty descent. Hope your ready to try and take me on bro, im coming full force dog. Con bro how you doing brada?? still surfing so'o ah? lol crack up bro. Lion king??? what did you have to do bro? hows your body going bro? Mum you must be happy as to be finishing with school. Good luck with all your assignments. You’ve come so far mum and still remember when we lived down by Sam store when you were in school and waitress down and hukilau cafe  slogging your guts. You’ve been in it head strong the whole time and its paid off yeah? grown so much. Your a awesome example to us all mum. And still able to look beautiful, be a mum, wife and still able to go down and surf at the beach. You get em ah mum. Dad bro I Got a nice grey jacket, a black one and also a heavy duty one. Dont spend too much money yeah you guys. That guy Brian is all shirt ow. The weather should be all gee. As long as you have some layers when you come, and you can use one of my jackets. its not like were gonna be out tracting all day. well be in doors ay. you trying to be handsome ay dad?? haha crack up bro, always gotta look prime ay bro. If that’s the case don’t let me stop you bro, do your thing ay. I can get you a good jacket mum that you can use as well from one of the members. just let me know ay, easy!!

     Anyways you falas I had a mean week. Had the best Sunday this week. We had heaps of investigators come to church and heaps of less-actives, one who hadent come for the past 20 plus years. It was such a good feeling to have so many lost sheep at church. This is the best ward that Iv ever been in. There were members at the doors greeting, hugging and making these people feel at home. Our bishop stood up towards the end of the meeting and bore his testimony specifically to these people welcoming them and promising them blessings God would give the m for being their. I know he followed the spirit  because I know these people he was talking towards and I know their struggles and a lot about their hardships and he said things that highlighted something in everyone of their lives, it was so cool. One of these less-actives we have been teaching since we came into this area. We cut his long hair, got him cleaned up and shaven, got him a white shirt and tie, some perfumes and just made him look good. He finally turned up yesterday  for the first time in 6 years and we couldn’t even recognize him. I felt the spirit just looking at him and how much more presentable and happy he looked. I realized how much worth he had and how all he needed was a little love and it made a huge difference. The scripture  In Matthew 25:40 says "...Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have ^adone it unto one of the ^bleast of these my ^cbrethren, ye have done it unto me."

 Im so grateful that God see's the person that I can be. Jesus Christ treated all his followers this way. Not as they were but he treated them and saw more their potential and who they could become. Because of his perfect love and leadership they were able to live up to that person that he saw in them. Kind of like Mahana in Johny Lingo ay. She really was a beautiful women from the start but she wasnt treated that way. She was convinced she was ugly and lived up to that standard alone. It really bottled the people when Johnny Lingo a very wealthy man was willing to pay 8 cows in exchange for Mahana. He treated her like she was the most prized possession. It was then that she realized her worth and potential. The end of the movie shows her transformation. I saw this in Anthony, yesterday and it was one of the happiest times of my mission.

I love you family, still enduring. Its time to finish everything off strong. Thank you!

elder kanahele kaka

Kia ora family!! fa good to hear from you falas ay!

 

Flash-Back - Da man!

Lia you crack up! you havent had a wrestling match in a while ya?? lol you gonna wrestle at states? send me some pics of you in your gears!

Ash bro thats awesome bout your eagle bro, mean accomplishment bro, thats carck up bout uncle harold bro. Hes two mills wit that stuff ah. sole so you gonna be doing 5 proms than or what? you like me come wit you sole when I get back? lol crack up g!

So awesome to hear about Nainoa and Liliu!! mean you guys. So proud of yu guys and the missionary work you are doing! keep it up.

well family another week come and gone man! just crazy how fast the weeks go ay. Had a crazy week out finding again. Its a constant thing ay. We find so many people every week but we lose them almost as fast as we find them lol. Its a continuous cycle. We been working hard to get our african family moving foward. They were sick this week so we didnt get to teach them. Other than that we just been doing a lot of finding. Its freezing today! We are so lucky to have a car in this area. We drive past other missionaries in our zone all the time and give them rides. Its just crazy with the wind. It gets you to the bones ay. Family my time is getting close ay, excited to reunite again. Help me finish strong. Im trying to work harder than I ever have and love more than Iv ever loved. Its a constant battle. I am so imperfect and have a lot of weaknesses and my mission has taught me a lot about how much labor their is to perform in our probation here on earth. We are never just alguds ay. We will be learning progressing and growing till the day we die. I love you guys and am so grateful to you for sticking with me from start to end. Im on my second wind you falas!! no more talking ay just gotta get it done!! Miracles this week family!! cheehooooo!!

 

Elder Kanahele Kaka

 

p.s mum and dad dont spend too much money on warm gears ok. Just use the layers you guys already have and just get one good jacket. theres some good places over here. probli better if you just wait till you get here ay?. no need boots or anything like that. it'll only be in the 30's when you come and its not that bad when you arent really outside that much, just walking from the car to a building. Dad I got a few nice jackets for you bro. Sweet if you guys have any questions bout the cold let me know. Dont want you falas to get sick ay soft falas! different ballgame over here ay!!

Kia ora you falas!!!

     Sweet letters!! everyone sounds busy as heck! So cool that you guys have been so involved in the community and doing so much service etc. How did you like wrestling this year Lia? you probably glad its pau ya? Can grind all the food you want after. Proud of you Lia for being such a good girl. Keep it up.

     Ash bro sole 5 proms uce??? oiy shole! crazy bro all the girls like grind you ah? crazy bro, good on you ash bro hows your body looking bro? still lifting and gaining weight bro? Proud of you too ash, you have grown up so much bro, you just a loveable guy bro, a tool that’s gonna come in handy for you on your mission.

     Mum I got a permit ID, that should be good yea? Its got all the same info that a regular Drivers License but it just says Permit on it. I'm gonna schedule another drivers test and see if I can do this again. Question, you guys got a GPS that we gonna use? cuz my one is broken.

     Anyways you guys I had a good week. Its gone by way too fast. Still working with my African family. They didnt make it to church yesterday. Gonna keep working with them this week to get them to church. A lot of people have a hard time coming to church in the winters because its so cold so we gotta have some powerful lessons with them so that their motivations gets them over that hump. Church is like the steroid for investigators. Every time an investigator comes to church they take huge strides in their progression towards true conversion. So many of the commandments we ask them to live are all kept there and so when they come they are blessed so much. I don't have much to say this week family just plugging along. Gonna do more to get our peeps closer to personal conversion.  I love you guys and look foward to seeing you again. Thanks for your prayers, I'm going hard for us here in Wisconsin. These people need the gospel! Have a good week you guys, see you all soon ah!!

Elder Kanahele Kaka

PS-Please tell Vick I just got his letter in the mail. the mission office forwarded it to the wrong address. i will reply to his class next week! also tell the McDonalds I said hi. they were so good to me you guys!! 

Kia ora family! I love you guys. The family sounds so busy ay!! 3 mean you guys. Iv the way the youth is taught now days sounds so much more advanced than how it was for me and conway. where we just play hangman and eat candy lol. Lia and ash you guys sound so spiritual and Im so proud of you guys ay. Mum and Dad 25 years???? oiy shole old futs lidat! Im so happy for you two ay. You have been the best parents, friends and examples all in one.

   

I had such a good week. I have been so blessed to not get sick and to be in good health when there are so many who haven't. The work is progressing so quickly here and I have had some amazing experiences coupled with miracles. I feel I have been more happy now in my mission than I ever have been. We found and taught a family of 6 this week. They are from Africa. We were out working in the middle of a snow fall and this family feeling sorry for us let us right in their home. Their religion is they believe that all religions have truth and that Gods will is to bring all these churches together. It was a miracles to teach them the Restoration and read with them scriptures. I felt an automatic love for them and could feel the spirit touching their open hearts. The lord really does prepare his children to receive his word(Alma 13:24). It seemed that this message is what this family has been looking for their whole lives and I felt so much peace knowing that I was out in the right place and time to run into this family who was ready.

     I love my mission. I am still learning so much everyday and trying to become a person and leader like Jesus. Its so motivating for me to know how perfect Jesus is and though we grow so much day by day we always have room to improve, learn and grow to become more like him. it is a process that is continuous for the rest of our lives and I love it. My time is coming close and the need I feel to leave my all to the lord increases. I cant stop. Last P-day I had the opportunity to take a nap and I couldn’t. There is no time for that. I am most happy now because I have never felt so focused in doing the lords will than I ever have. I am much happier now then before. Not that I wasn’t focused or happy before but my point being that conversion will happen and happiness will occur and increase till the day we are finally prepared to live with our father in heaven again. I love you family. Keep moving and improving, I look foward to seeing you all again.

Elder kanahele kaka

Hey Family!! good to hear from you guys again! im just at the laundromat now on their computers drinking a whole jug of chocolate milk. Con bro you and koal look like your on steroids uce, looking 3 mean dang!! happy for you bro. Lia good to hear you enjoying yourself girl. Your a good girl lia, never letting you get married ok. Ash bro in first nephi bro? mean gee. Thats crack up bro. Thats good you applying your readings to yourself bro, mean g. Con you plastic maori bro hahaha na sounds mean as bro! all I know is "Shot on the harakeke bei" haha. you all sound good though ay which is always a blessing for me to hear. My week was fulfilling again. Our investigators didnt show up to church yesterday the mungrills but we went over to their house after and taught them a mean lesson on the restoration and made things clear to them. We are working our butts off even in the cold and and are seeing a lot of progress. I feel a huge motivation to serve the lord full heart-ed every day. I feel peace every night when I lay down regardless of the results knowing that I did all i could with every moment I had to open my mouth and declare the gospel. I love my Savior and cant imagine how eager he is to help us. The very thought of his suffering always bottles me with how much he knows our circumstances, and how understanding and patient he is with helping us to reach our highest possible potential in this life. Im loving my mission and most of all the guidance I have received by the spirit. Its been my biggest blessing. I dont have much family just plugging away and working to bring a family into the church! Have another good week family. I am grateful for you all!

p.s grams I got your box with all the grinds. Thank you so much grams. love you!

Elder kanahele

 Hey you falas!! hows it goin ay?? Good to hear from you guys ay. Ash bro crack up as g!! your hair cutting bro. Im happy as for you bro. I just finished cutting some hairs today bro. I do a crappy as job ay lol iv gotten worse out here haha its good though. Glad to hear you doing your thing bro. I remember back in kahuku bro I use to sell lollie pops and fruit rollups bro haha that was a crack up. Sometimes when I give out dvds and Book of Mormons I think about just selling them ay haha get some moneys haha na jokes man.

     I had a good week family. IT was zero degrees the other day when I went on an exchange in another area and it felt normal to me cuz its just been so cold lately. Im "acclimated" woiya! We had 4 investigators come to church yesterday it was so cool. They were people we just met this past week and they all showed up it was so cool. We gave talks yesterday and taught the classes so it was cool for them to see young people teaching compared to what they are used too. Our members connected with them real well and so we hope to see some continued progress with them this week. Last night we had a lesson with 3 African American guys same age as me. It was hilarious man. African American guys are some funny people man without trying. Every time  they liked something we said, they would say something like "oh daaang bro thas tight... ye thas what it is man" crack up as man. We had a awesome lesson with them though, taught the restoration and it just rang in them man, it just felt right to them. I love when that happens. They accepted baptism in a heart beat. They are hard into making music, singing and rapping and so I told them I would bring my guitar the next lesson.

     The weather has been warming up a lot lately and so we are trying to take advantage of the weather. Tomorrow is Zone Training Meeting and so we are getting ready for that, no rest for the wicked ay. My goal before I finish is to bring a family into the church. Im so determined to do that.

     I had a cool experience this week being able to go back into my old area on exchanges and taught an investigator that I found long ago. We had a powerful lesson with him. His name is Catalino. He was doing really well at one point but stopped taking the lessons because of some bad example members in the ward that really killed his trust. We went and taught him and  I was wondering what I would say especially being that it would be my only

chance to teach him ever again. I felt to open to Mosiah 18. We got him to read some verses and I had no clue this would happen but it was exactly what he needed to hear. His countenance lit up and he said " I want to get baptized. I will get baptized on Febuary 2nd" We were shocked. It must of been something or some question he needed answered and it was. The Book of Mormon is a powerful book and iv seen it change people over and over again. In Lehis dream the rod of iron was the only thing that linked the people from wherever they were on the path, to the tree of life. with out that rod the people would have all fallen away and perished. Today with the world around us iv seen such a great need for the Book of Mormon.  Without it we would have no chance. I love the council of our leaders in the talk "Safety for the soul"

"The Savior warned that in the last days even those of the covenant, the very elect, could be deceived by the enemy of truth.

Brothers and sisters, God always provides safety for the soul, and with the Book of Mormon, He has again done that in our time. Remember this declaration by Jesus Himself: “Whoso treasureth up my word, shall not be deceived” and in the last days neither your heart nor your faith will fail you."

I have seen the blessings of strength the Book of Mormon brings to those who treasureth it up mostly in my own life. Love you family! Thank you for your letters and for your prayers. I have been blessed by them.

Elder kanahele kaka

New Years Day - Nuuanu Hike

kia ora you falas!! Con bro thats crack up as bout your permit! kids here get their lisence at 16 bro. Well I didnt pass my test. I had a cunning old lady in the car with me. I wanted to smash her ay. She was getting me to do the dumest things ay. Algud though Im gonna set up another day to do that next week. I was driving out in the snow, it was a little different when you cant see a thing ay lol but I think I get em for the next time. lol anyways family. You guys going back to school ay?? lol sounds like fun ay. Mum you get em girl. Second wind for you here girl. Lia you look good girl. Looking skeeny lidat ah? good on you lia. How you doing in wrestling? Learn how to use your strength to your advantage lia cuz if you dont youll just tire yourself out and lose. Be smart and dont let those asians win dem ounces. Ash sole cutting hair so'o ah? sole you trip me out some times uce lol. All your hobbies bro are crack up. gonna make a shed you reckin bro?? I was cutting my hair this week and dropped my buzzer and

New years Day - Feed @ Dave & Busters

broke the entire blade so im just not gonna cut my hair till I come home lol. Con bro you crack me up to bro with your surfing pics gee!! since when you started loving to surf bro?? member when you never did that crap?? crack up bro. your pics look real good. You guys must of had good fun playing ball with the familiy!! I got me some new basketball shoes too bro nike quikness ones and some colby brians too g!! haha for 40 bucks bro, i wen rip this asian missionary off lol!!! mean ones though bro!!

     Anyways family!! its pretty cold here ay. -50 degrees today. Within minutes you can get frost bite lol out of it ay?? Im doing good though, I got some good gears. Im a wisconsinite now, my skin get em now haha!! our car was frozen this morning when we went to start it, it was crack up but yea pretty cold. My comps hair was wet last night when we left the apartment and his hair just froze by the time we got to the car lol. Im doing good here in this area though, im really loving it. We have been seeing a lot of miracles with just being in the right places at the right time meeting people that we were supposed to meet. Iv been really trying to work my absolute hardest and Iv been growing my testimony even more lately working diligently out in the cold. Its easy to just

Christmas Eve @ the Mahe's Home

wanna go home after a time of only rejection but iv noticed that most of our miracles since Iv been here have happened after pushing through the un-productive times and being positive. This past week our miracles happened around 9 oclock just before going home. Had we not been out working till the last minute we would have missed those people that we met and helped. Their is no such things as coincedence. Heavenly father knows what he is doing and he works by small means to bring about his great purposes. I love the work. Love you guys Have a good week you fallas!

Elder Kanahele!!

p.s the plans sound good for our trip!! see you guys then!! doitz 2nd win you falas!! smash it ay!!

Ash & Con, Christmas Eve at the Mahe's