As it turns out, last Sunday was our last week to serve in the Sunset Beach YSA branch. We have been transferred to the Laie Park YSA ward. Today was our first Sunday in our new ward. I understand the need for change, but I felt sad about leaving our little branch. I grew to love those Young Adults and admired how hard the branch presidency worked to make good things happen. They will soon be starting a family branch at Sunset Beach as well and the people who live in that area are very excited. I hope that area continues to grow and prosper.

Our new ward is about three times larger than the branch and we were surprised to see a few people that we already know. Some students had taken Dennis' class last semester and some are in his class' this semester. Everyone seemed happy to see him. I know it will take a little time to get acquainted but I hope we can be a help to the Bishop.

We were able to go through the temple on Wednesday evening with Marisa Santeco, one of the girls taking our mission prep class in the branch. Her parents came with her and they are a nice family. Marisa is leaving in a couple of weeks for the Provo MTC and then on to South America. It was a nice way to end our time in the branch.

 Friday we took a little driving trip and went down to the Pali Lookout. It has an amazing view of Kaneohe Bay, all the way from Chinaman's Hat and Coconut Island down to the Naval Base where the Obamas recently spent their Christmas vacation . It is usually cold and windy but we enjoyed perfect weather and no wind. This is the place where King Kamehameha fought the final battle with a king from Maui and eventually drove the warriors off the cliffs and united the islands into one kingdom.
This first picture is the trail that was the original

 road. It was the only route connecting the eastern or windward side of the island to Honolulu and the other side of the island. It was quite steep, narrow, and slippery in olden days. Imagine driving a wagon down the side of a cliff. Our little camera does not do it justice.

After visiting the lookout we drove down to Chinatown and wandered about. It is definitely not like San Francisco or Vancouver's Chinatown. It is a lot like China. Surprise. The markets are full of fresh produce and bins of chicken feet and other delicious looking meats. We ate at a Chinese restaurant called the Golden Palace. We had the salt and pepper crab which was delicious and also several portions of dim sum. It was all tasty and a fun visit.



This week we signed up to be 'mentors' for one of the clubs on campus. There are clubs for each country and we thought it would be fun to mentor the Canadian club, but they already had mentors and so we were assigned to the Indonesian club. I was a little apprehensive since my Indonesian is a little sparse,ok - non-existant, but it turned out to be one of the most enjoyable evenings we have spent. There are about 25 students from Indonesia on campus and they could not have been more friendly, welcoming and appreciative. We enjoyed meeting the kids as well as their advisor, Sister Mills who runs the Seasider on campus. Here are a few pictures of our new friends.

This is a picture of me with Adit. He is the president of the club. We are looking forward to getting to know the other kids in the group. Five newly arrived students introduced themselves and each expressed gratitude for the opportunity to come here and receive a higher education. It is something they do not take lightly. They all work at the PCC to help pay for their education.