Morgans 17th Letter in 2013 - Photos

Ohana,

So we got our transfer calls this Sunday, I am getting transferred back to Oahu this week. My flight leaves on Wednesday at 6:15 in the morning, and then ill go to the transfer meeting where they will tell me where I'm serving next. I'm gonna miss this Ward and this area. This has most definitely been my favorite ward so far. I wish i could stay for another transfer or 2 transfers, but i guess the Lord needs me somewhere else more. But i am grateful for the time i have been here, and for all the people i have met, and all the friendships i have made. I'm definitely going to be staying friends with a lot of the people i met here, and maybe come back and visit them sometime in the future.

This morning we hiked into Waipio valley, we have done this hike before with an investigator named Skip. But this time we went farther on the trail and instead had 3 Elders, and JR and Daniel who are 20 and 21, and are in our ward. We left around 8 and got done at around noon. It was really fun, we were all able to talk to each other, and just enjoy the beautiful nature that God created for us. I think hikes are one of my favorite things to to in Hawaii, to be able to go and see nature, and get the exercise, and see whatever you are hiking too.

We found a stray dog on the way, that started following us on the hike. Were not sure where the dog came from or who the owner is. So we found a member who lives really close to where the hike starts, and left the dog with the member, and she is going to try to find the owner of the dog. Then later today we met together at Spencer's Beach Park, everyone in the Zone came. So like 16 missionaries were there.

We played basketball, and volleyball and just chilled with each other and everything fun.

So one of the missionaries out here is from Blackfoot Idaho. Her name is Sister Kami Christiansen,  however its spelled. I asked her if she new Michael Cardinal and she did, she knows the Cardinal family. She says she thinks she knows Arielle and Adrianna Marvel, that there name sounds really familiar and she would probably recognize them. She went to Blackfoot High and i think graduated in 2009 or something. So Dad you''ll have to see if you know her family, or if Adrianna and Arielle knows her?? that would be really cool.

On Sunday we had a member who invited her boyfriend Spike to come to church with her. Spike came to church and sat through sacrament. And afterwards he said he had lots of questions about the church. So we went outside with him to a bench table, and answered his questions, and also taught him the restoration. It was super awesome, the spirit was there very strongly and I'm so grateful for the spirit helping me answer some of the questions. Because they were really hard questions that i have never answered before, but the spirit began guiding my thoughts and ideas, and then my words. It was a great experience. He said he is going to pray about the Book of Mormon, and then pray about it. His parents are anti Mormon, and don't want him taking the lessons.

But he is like 24 and he wants to learn more about the church. It was an awesome experience.

We had 3 dinners on Sunday, ugh.... First one was with the Yosts at 4:30. Second dinner was with the Loo's at 6:30, and the third dinner was with the Eskarans at 8 Pm. By the end of the night i was so stuffed i felt like i was going to explode. I'm glad i got to go on the Hike this morning to help work some of it off. But all the meals were huge meals with desert included. In this area, in Waimea and Waikoloa, i realized that members feed us so much brownies!!! I'm not complaining because those are like 1 of my favorite deserts but still, its not healthy! I like legitimately get brownies like 4-5 days out of the week.

Like I'm not even joking, I eat brownies almost every day. Its like a

90 % chance that the member is going to give us brownies for desert, and sometimes we just get dropped off brownies, or given brownies after scouts, or young mens and young womens. Its just crazy!!

Well my time is out, i need to drive home and get ready for our dinner, i love you all! Mahalo for reading!!

Love Elder Durocher

Waipio Valley - JR, (the brown one) Me, and Mark

This is Elder Small, Me and Elder Richards, in Waipio Valley

This picture shows the green cliffs that we were hiking to get into Waipio Valley

Awesome!

Morgans 16th Letter & Photo's

Dear Family,

So on Friday we did a District Tracting Flood. So our whole District, all 8 of us, went to the Sister Missionaries area in Kohala. We all met at the Church and then traveled to the Hawaiian Homestead in their area. Hawaiian Homestead is housing and property that only Hawaiians are allowed to live in, and they get to live their for a lot cheaper.

So all 8 of us went there and started knocking on doors for an hour.

We didn't have very much luck, at most of the houses nobody answered, and the few that did answer were not interested. Then we were heading back to our car, and saw someone just pull into his driveway and decided to try one last house.

 So we walked over there, and say hi to him just as he is walking back to go into his house. He asked if we were Jehovah Witness's and we said no. Then we Introduced ourselves as Missionaries of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Then he was like okay than i have a question for you. How come their are Dinosaur Bones that are millions of years old, if God created the world only around 5-6 thousand years ago. We answered his question that God created all things and expounded on that. Then he asked if on Noah Ark there was only Noah's family, how come we have Black People, and Asian people with Slanted Eyes, and Hawaiians, where did Hawaiians come from? We tried to answer him, but he wouldn't let us. He kept interrupting us with lots of anti God stuff. He was definitely an Atheist. Then he started bagging on other Religions, and then was bagging on the Mormons and how they are allowed to have "many wife's", he didn't know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is the same church as the Mormon church.

But we didn't tell him that, we didn't want an argument to start or anything. Finally We asked if we could say a prayer for his family, and he said no he didn't want a prayer. So i said it was nice to meet him, and went up to give him a hand shake, but he said "No i don't want to touch you, why don't you get some common sense, and become "real people" and stop being missionaries." I said to have a great day and turned around and walked away. Its so crazy to think how people can become like this guy, believing in the philosophies and ways of thinking of Man, and turning away from God. Reminds me of the scripture found in the Bible, in 2 Timothy 4:3-4. Saying:

3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;

 4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

It was hard to see this man turn to the Wisdom of the World, and to harden his heart, and to turn completely away from God. Hopefully 1 day in his life he will turn to God.

So i wanted to tell you all to watch a Mormon message that is about a young man in my ward. His name is Kuha'o, hes is a blind 15-year-old young man. He has an amazing piano talent, he is awesome. He plays for our ward all the time during church. You'll have to watch his video.

This young man is actually on the LDS.ORG homepage right now, so just go to LDS.org, and go to the one that says "extraordinary gift", its a few down from the top. But if you want the link ill put it below

https://www.lds.org/youth/video/kuhaos-extraordinary-gift?cid=%20HP000033&lang=eng

Thanks everyone for Reading my letters, it means a lot to me, i love you all very much! And i love hearing from all of you.

Love Elder Durocher

P.S. The photo attached is a Jackson Chameleon that we found, with Elder Rokete from Kiribati in the Background

P.S. The photo attached is a Jackson Chameleon that we found, with Elder Rokete from Kiribati in the Background

I had to send this photo because of how much it reminds me of Idaho or Montana. We got a rainstorm for like 2 days and it all turned from dead and grey, to lush green it was amazing

So this is a Picture of 2 members of Waimea 2nd ward. I was on exchanges with Elder Dzieman, and we set them apart as Ward Missionaries. I think that was my first time setting someone apart in a calling. It was awesome. Then they wanted pictures, so we took pictures afterwards.