Our first holiday in Hawaii.  This Thanksgiving week flew by.  Classes ran Monday and Tuesday then off throughout the rest of the week.  Gave us time to catch up on a few things.  I have been busy getting things ready for next semester.  I had to write new syllabi for the second half of the D&C and a one for Missionary Prep, a course that I have never taught.  But I am excited about both of the courses and anxious to apply what I have learned about teaching at BYUH in the next semester.  The courses will be much more structured and specific because that is what the students here expect and depend on.  So more projects, outside assignments, in class quizzes and exams and fewer writing assignments.  These are especially difficult and frustrating for students and for their instructor.

We thought it would be our last Branch meeting in the BYUH theater but there was a mix up and we will not move to the Sunset Beach Community center until 8 December.  We'll have pictures of our new home next week.  We are even going to do a group photo as a historic moment of the first YSA branch to be organized on the north shore.   Here are some photos of our most recent activity, a YSA beach bonfire (hot dogs, smores and a talk by elderwright)

A huge beach bonfire made of drift wood

Kaye and Ku'ulei at the bonfire

 The activity was a success with more new people who are less active and hopefully will start participating.  Some are even returned missionaries who are lost in the surf community.  It is a life style with no responsibilities and mind numbing sameness. They just sit around and wait for waves.  Hardly the stuff of eternal progression.  But most tire of it and hopefully the Branch will be there to help them come home.





This young sister is very sharp, a photographer who is one of the key branch members.  She is in the RS presidency and works hard to help others feel welcome.  It seems like every ward or branch has such people which is a good thing.

We still don't have computer lists of the member who live on the north shore.  Apparently we just have to discover them and then tell the Church where they are that week.  At least if we can identify them we may have a chance of following them.  It is interesting.

We went to the Triple Crown of Surfing which is right across from the community center where we will go to Church.  The crowds are really something.  They have huge temporary buildings full of judges, commentators, cameras, etc.  Good thing there is a huge jumbo tron or we could not see anything because the big waves are off shore making the surfers had to see.  They have cameras on jet skis that take the best pictures for the screen.  I have never seen such big waves.  Here we are at the Vans sponsored championship event.

Dennis at the world cup main "building"

Kaye in front of the jumbo tron

Kaye has been very active at the Library.  They have given her the responsibility of updating the children's collection and ordering almost $10,000 worth of books.  She has been almost heady with so much power and responsibility.  Each day boxes of books arrive.  She and her student aides catalog and enter the books into the library system before they go on the shelf.  The big thing was allowing her to leave the covers on the new books.  The past policy had been to remove them.  But Kaye taught them how to protect the covers and thus made the book more appealing to the community and faculty kids that use the library.  She is doing a great job.  Her education responsibilities are not as exciting but reorganizing of the department materials is sorely needed and will be a big help.  She is daily discovering materials and "stuff" that they did not even know they had.  

The paddle out Surfers are leaving with some already in water

On a sad note we went to a surfer memorial for our branch member who was killed.  Remember his name was Kirk.  The community has a native Hawaiian pastor who conducted a service for about 100 friends and family.  They call this a "paddle out"  It starts with a meeting where all hold hands and the pastor chants and prays in Hawaiian.  He forms an inner circle with the family and has another set of prayers.  Then the group all grabs their boards and paddles out to sea where they sit on their boards in another circle.  I don't know exactly what happens out there but from time to time they splash into the middle of the circle

Paddle Out Memorial for Kirk Passmore

After about a half an hour they all come to shore and have treats and beer.  This kid that died was an active member of the Church but was one of those people that everyone liked and he liked everyone.  He ran a surfboard and t-shirt shop and knew everyone.  So the memorial service had lots of support.  We were there in our nametags as he would have liked us to be.  He was very proud that he had become active in the Church and told everyone.  Good publicity for the Church.  But the Hawaiian native pastor did not think so much of us being there when he saw our tags.  I don't think he knew Kirk was an active Mormon.  But we were there, the branch leadership were there and paddled out along with a dozen or so members of the Branch.  A very unique experience.

We had Thanksgiving at the Sharp's home with their family and a group of students.  It was a traditional feast with all the fixins.  Kaye is now boiling the bones to make her famous turkey noodle soup with homemade noodles.  That will be good.

It was a nice week and we are grateful to be missionaries and having the opportunity for service, adventures and new learning.