I Love Molokai!

Hey everyone.  How are you all doing this week?  My week has been awesome.  I love Molokai.  I guess I will just start from the beginning of the week.  Tuesday I just said bye to everyone in Maui and the last stop of that day was the Kaholoaa Family (Bro Kaholoaa is from Molokai so I will probably see him soon, haha).  They were awesome!  They are definitely one of my favorite families to visit.  Sister Kaholoaa's sister was the one we were teaching who was not ready to commit to baptism yet.  When we were there saying goodbye at their house, we were talking about baptism and she seemed really close to committing.  So then I left and came to Molokai.  I rode the ferry to Molokai and I got really wet but that's beside the point…  Turns out that the day after I arrived in Molokai, Elder Workman calls and tells me she committed to baptism! We taught her a bunch and she decides to commit the week after I leave?  It's ok though, as long as she is getting baptized, I'm stoked.  Elder Workman called me today and told me she passed her Baptism interview and will be baptized next week.  Awesome!  This whole past week I have been trying to figure out how I could get over there… I think I am going to have to swim...no…  but I think i can make it... maybe... her Uncle is coming from Molokai to confirm her.  I'll just come with him... that would work probably if there wasn't a large ocean in the way.  Oh well, it’s all good.  So that is the story that made my whole week!

Anyway Molokai is awesome!  And guess who my comp is…Elder Davis!  He was in my district on big island!  He is awesome and loves to work!  The people here are the best.  Everyone knows everyone and they are so nice and wave all the time.  It's a lot like Ka'u but is its own island.  We have set a goal for 7 baptisms for October and I think we will make it.  We have 4 for sure and there are a few other kids who are pretty much ready.  The rest of my District is awesome as well.  Our District Leader is Elder Maybon from Boise Idaho and his comp is Elder Mafi from Tonga.  There are both hilarious and I'm stoked to be able to serve here with them.  I'm taking a lot of pics so I will probably send those soon. 

Oh and I need to tell you about Molokai hot bread...  Ok imagine this…  You are careening down the slopes of a cream cheese icing mountain on a sleigh made of the best bread in the universe and you run into a cinnamon patch and it dusts your sleigh with the perfect amount of cinnamon…then you eat your sleigh and it is kind of like fireworks exploding in your mouth...  And that is how it feels to eat Molokai hot bread!  It’s so good, except it is a little strange when you buy it because you have to go down this dark ally, and it doesn't open until 8:30 PM, and you order through the window of this old building and they go and make it and then give it to you.  It's the best.  You guys really need to try it someday haha.

 

So that is my week.  It was a good one.  I look forward to hearing from you guys again!

Elder Pincock

NEXT STOP... MOLOKAI!!

I am being transferred!  It's funny that I have only been in two areas and now I am being transferred to MOLOKAI!  It's one of the smaller islands off of Maui.  It is still in the same zone, haha.  I'm pretty excited for that!  I've always wanted to see what it was like over there.  Now i will only have one more island to go to and that is Kauai.  Well and Oahu but everyone goes there, haha.  There are only 4 elders total on Molokai.  I hear my new companion is pretty cool too so I will let you guys know about everything next Monday.  I get to ride a ferry there and that means I don't have a wait limit to my bags which is nice.  I’m pretty stoked to go but obviously sad to leave.  Elder Workman has been awesome.  He has been one my favorite comps so far.  He is staying here along with Elder Savage.  Elder Allen is going to Oahu somewhere.  This has been a crazy 4 ½ here, haha. 

So JT is going to live in a bamboo hut? That would be awesome!  That would be weird to go tracting in a place like that!  There is so many Phillipino people here.  We can't understand what they say and they can't understand us.  They see us and just say "Catholic dats why"...  it's kind of funny. 

I wish i could be there for the demolition in the house, haha,  that was always the best part.  I kind of miss remodeling haha.  I haven't lived in a house where we haven't done that.

Well the work this week was pretty much the same.  We have been trying to see all the less active and part member families on the ward list (which is like 75 percent of them)  but we haven't found anyone solid yet but we will keep looking.  Wel,l I guess elder workman will...  We also taught one of our investigators again and it still amazes me that she's not a member.  We had a really good lesson.  She is moving forward but very slowly.  She keeps trying though. 

We went to chiefs house again for the last time.  I don't know if you remember me talking about him but he lives way out in the boonies next to a rock beach.  It was awesome.  I took some pictures so you guys will get to see it soon.  We also rode a school bus this week, haha.  There was an investigator in pukalani ward that we all know pretty well that drives the bus to school.  Elder Allen told her one day that he would show up one day and sneak on the bus.  She didn't really believe him so we just had to do it.  So we got up early and grabbed our back backs and drove like a block away from her house and then parked so she wouldn't see it and snuck up to her house and she had her bus running in the driveway.  We snuck up in and layed in the back and she came in and made a few stops.   Then in the middle of it we just sat up.  She had the funniest look on her face.  She just looked at us and started laughing.  So then we just talked to all the kids on the bus to school.  She had them all introduce themselves to us and they all prayed with us before they got off the bus, haha.  So, that is my interesting story for the week. 

I love you guys.  Thanks for all of you support.  I really am grateful for it. 

See ya in Moloka'i.  (probably not though.  That'd be weird)

Elder BigBear Pincock

Could Be My Last Week in Maui??

Hey family and all other who read this…

Sounds like it was a good week, once again I start all of my letters like that.  Mom, yes we might have warn the funny glasses in the package for a period of time, haha! Thanks a lot I was stoked for that package. 

That's funny about that guy here that emailed you a picture huh, haha.  He is quite wealthy...  He lives pretty much across the street from the beach and owns a zipline on big island so if I get to go back there again I might be able to do it for free! it's crazy cool!  He lives in Paia which is the north side of the big part of Maui.  That's pretty much where all the hippies/haolis live, haha.  He is a really nice guy though.  We didn't even know he lived there we were just tracting on his steet and he answered the door.  We were like I know you from somewhere, haha.  Tracting was kind of hard that day because two days before I sprained my ankle because we went down this hill to see a goat and I slipped on my way down...  I get hurt in the dumbest ways.  Elder Allen and Elder Workman pretty much just made fun of me.  But really I deserved it, lets be honest. 

Transfers are coming up again next week.  We find out on Sunday and leave Wednesday.  I think I am out of here.  I think I am going to Oahu this time...  Not sure what to think of that.  But I'll let you guys know next week how that goes. 

I got the package with the memory card in it.  There were no videos on it...  Or maybe they just wouldn't play for me but i wasn't able to see them...  Bummer!  I miss my Max a ton

You guys are starting the remodeling?! sweet!  Did I tell you we were tiling this guys house?  haha We did some demolition and now we are putting down the tile.  So glad I was able to see dad do all those things.  I really can't wait to remodel my own house.  That's really funny that we guys are fighting to stay in that little house.  But I really think I would be sad if I came back to a different one.  I don't quite understand.  I guess it will be a little different.  Maybe a little nicer, haha.

 

Our pad is pretty funny.  It is slowly being sucked down into the earth.  If you look at the inside everything is way tilted and our fridge kind of looks like it is going break through the walll and fall out.  It is tilting back and our microwave is on top of it pushed to the back so I feel like a small child when I have to use it.  Elder Workman makes fun of me because he is like 8 feet tall, haha. 

Again this was a slow week for missionary work...  A really slow week.  That was kind of our fault too though.  We had a lot of things going like zone conference and whatnot which bytheway was awesome.  I love zone conference.  I think I tell you that every time too.  It helps so much with the work and helps motivate me again when things aren't going as good as I would like them too.  The leadership in this mission is awesome.  One of our zone leaders, Elder Davies, is going home and we are all pretty bummed about it.  And I have told you guys a ton that I love our mission president and his wife.  They are awesome and are always looking out for us. 

We also had our movie night on Saturday.  We had 2 nonmembers come!  Hopefully we can get over there and teach them.  One of them seemed pretty open.  They came with their friend who is a member who just moved in to the ward.  Hopefully we can get teaching them soon. We are also teaching another girl who probably should have been baptized a long time ago but keeps telling the missionaries she is not ready.  We had a super spiritual lesson about baptism on Friday but she just won't commit.  She is afraid to make a mistake.   And we have told her many times that she WILL! haha and that's why she needs to be a member so she can be forgiven of those mistakes.

 

Well that is pretty much it for the week.  I hope you liked this email better than the last one.  Sorry about that.  Love you guys.  The church is true and there is no way that it couldn't be.  I love being a missionary and encourage you guys to help those in need of this Gospel. 

Elder Bigbear

Aloha Again!

Hey family and friends…How are you all?  Thanks for the packages mom they were awesome!  The jaw harp didn't really work though, so I was pretty bummed about that.  I'm glad you guys liked the pictures!  My favorite video is when Elder workman is telling the story about the hamster, haha, that story is true! 

Things are a little slow still.  We are working really hard but not much is happening.  I am worried that our ward mission leader thinks we just don't do anything, but he is wrong.  The bishop has even called me in to meet with him because he could tell I am a little stressed these passed couple weeks because not much was happening and I am trying to help Elder Workman be a good missionary but it's kind of hard when we can't really find many people to teach, frustrating.  The bishop was very nice though and wanted to make sure I knew if we needed anything, we could just call him.

 

A couple of things happened… the first one… we hit a deer! Crazy, huh? I'm pretty sure it was Bambi all grown up too.  We didn't hit it very hard and it just rolled over got up and ran away. I wondered if we could have found it if we could have taken it to Bro. Koholaa’s and he could have cooked it up for us, haha.  It didn't do much to our car, just kinda pushed the grill in a little bit but we just snapped it back out.  It was a buck too!  …. Then the second thing…. We did demolition work on somebody’s house, haha.  We broke down walls and such and then we started doing the tile.  It felt good to do that stuff again, you know… man stuff, hahaha! 

I would have to say that the Highlight of the Week was to see Joe pass the sacrament!  I'm pretty sure that is how I will feel to see my son pass the sacrament for the first time too!  It was a real good feeling.

I'm really not sure what else to write about anymore, so I will bear my testimony.  I'm so grateful for the trials I go through on my mission because I know that Heavenly Father is just shaping me into something I will be later in this life or in the eternities.  I love being a missionary as I have said many times.  I can't believe I am almost at 9 months.  It doesn't feel like that long.  I'm so grateful for my Savior and for the chance I have to stand in his place for two years to do the things he needs done.  I know that I might not understand all the time of why I am doing some things but I know that if he asks me to then it has to be right and for good.  I also know that the living Prophet, President Monson, is the spokesperson for God and is unable to lead us astray.  We can never go wrong with following the prophet.

 

I love you all, thanks for your support!

Elder Pincock

Aloha Kakahiaka!

Hey everyone!

It has been a crazy week.  I haven't done much missionary work because on Tuesday we went to the doctors and Elder Workman was told he had to go to the ER to get his appendix out! Crazy, right! We were at the Hospital from like 6pm to like 1:30am (it was weird being up that long on a mission). I was with the Zone Leaders, Elder Davis and Elder Gardner.  We just had to hang out until they came out and told us what was up.  When we finally got home I stayed with them for a couple days.  Then we went to pick up Elder Workman and take him to a members house where he would be staying.  It was the nicest house in Maui, I'm pretty sure.  All of us were wanting to now take out our appendixes, haha.  He was pretty much treated like a king there, haha, and meanwhile I was at our pad working with the Pukalani Elders (Elder Savage, Elder Allen) and just kickin’ it with them for a couple days.  Elder Workman was able to come back to our pad on Saturday.  He is still got some pain but he is probably one of the toughest guys I know.  He didn't even want to go to the doctor to see what was wrong even though he was in horrible pain! Haha.  Now he is still recovering, which is okay because we will take it easy for a couple days and I have a cold so it’s all good.  President Dalton even flew over just to see him and to make sure he was ok.  He is pretty much the dad of 200 kids.  He's so awesome!  

I'm doing ok for shirts and stuff for now but I think I will need some new ones soon.  I will let you know.  Hopefully it isn't because they are too small, haha. 

That mule ride you guys went on looks like a real pretty place.  I wish I could ride so bad sometimes.  I have only seen one mule here and I am tempted to go over there and tell them I will train it if they will listen to the missionary lessons, haha.

 

Roy is that really reeaaallly big guy at the gym right?  I remember him! I didn't even know he was a member.  That would be cool to hear his conversion story! 

I haven't heard from Tyler in a while.  Hopefully I will hear from him soon!

 

That was probably way weird for you mom not to go to register someone for school, haha.  I could just picture you asking to take someone elses kid and helping them to get registered! Haha, maybe you should just be a counselor there, you would be the best counselor ever at school!

 

The movie night was... well, honestly only mediocre at best, we didn't have any investigators and only a few members came.  Pukalani had a couple investigators though, so it was good for them.  We are planning another one on the 10^th, I think.  Hopefully it goes better than the last one.

I'm pretty stoked for the birthday package! Transfers are like 3 weeks from now so I might open it early.  We will see, haha!

 

Oh I almost forgot to tell you about this bounty hunter guy we ran into.  We were knocking doors in Pukalani's area and we found this guy who is a less active member and we later figured out he is a bounty hunter and knows like everyone.  I talked to Keith Barton, the lawyer from Utah, on the phone.  He told me to convert him, haha.  He was kind of a funny, he kept telling us how much money he made in a year and about his hummer and Harleys.  He offered to get us a helicopter ride but we aren't allowed to.

Well, this is all for now and I will talk to you next week. 

The church is true and it is proven to me every day.  I love this gospel and love being a missionary.  Everyone should do all you can to find missionary opportunities because it is the most rewarding work in the world. 

Love you.  See ya!

Elder Bigbear Pincock

Mission Stuff - Elder Bigbear Pincock

Hey, How are you guys doing?  Did receive your email yet today… I did receive a pictures and that strawberry mule ride looked so nice!  Me, Elder Allen, and Elder Workman had a Trunky Tuesday where we sang country songs all day and it really made me want to ride a mule, haha.  Well let me think of what happened this week...  Oh yeah!  We taught a guy the other day who used to be in a gang and he was like one of the nicest guys I ever met...it was unexpected.  He is a member but less active and he wants to start getting back into church.  He said God has helped him turn his life around.   He is a really nice guy and hopefully we can help him. 

Elder Workman got chased by a dog the other day, haha.  We were knocking on a door and this dog was growling at us but it didn't even phase Elder Workman.  He just kept on walking, but then when we walked up to the door it tried to eat me so I stayed back haha.  Well it just sat there and growled at Elder Workman while he was waiting for the door to open but no one answered so he turned around, but not without trash talking the dog a little bit, haha, and right when he turns his back to the dog he has to book it out of there…he was screaming and laughing haha! Luckily it was on a chain.  It was pretty funny. 

Well the work right now is still a little slow...  We really need to find more investigators.  We have one with a date but then she didn't come to church so not really now at this point.  We have had a few new investigators but it’s moving slow.  Hopefully we will find those people who are prepared soon.  We are working our butts off, of course.  It's gonna pay off sometime, haha.  I'm really learning how to be a more effective missionary though.   We have been trying to work through the members more.  It seems like they have been talking more to their friends but no one interested yet, haha.   We are having another movie night.  We will be showing the Testaments.  Hopefully we will have some more people come to that than last time.  The ward is also having a ward picnic and they are supposed to invite nonmembers, but guess where it is at?  THE BEACH! Haha, they just gotta rub it in a little bit more, haha just kidding. 

Hey if you wanted you could send me some protein bars.  That would be nice.  I have also been thinking of my birthday and I think I know what I want.  Brace yourself because you definitely haven't heard these words ever come out of my mouth...  I would like some books for my birthday... weird right haha!!  They are the Book of Mormon made easier and there is like 3 volumes and then also the New Testament made easier.  They are by David J. Ridges.  They're awesome and helpful!  I definitely would recommend them.  It explains so much about it a little simpler.  I believe you can get them at Deseret Book. 

Well that is all for now, hope I get an email from you a little later.

Elder Bigbear Pincock
P.S.  I love being on a mission

Still in Maui another 6 Weeks and I Love it!!

Still in Maui!  AAAWWWHH YEAH!  haha Our whole pad stayed…Elder Workman, Elder Allen and Elder Savage.  I'm stoked.  I really need to send my camera card home, it's been a while.  There are so many pictures and videos you guys have to see.  I love Maui!  I did finally receive my Ukelele!  Thanks!

This week was a pretty good week.  Once again it feels like I was just writing you. Time is going by so fast!  Our investigator pool is still kinda low. Although, I don't know if I told you but one of our investigators just up and moved and didn't tell us where she moved to.  Well, good news…she called us!  Woohoo! She was like "did you forget me?" I was like YOU MOVED, haha, but we haven't been able to get over there to teach her yet.  We are going to teach her the word of wisdom and then we will talk with her about the baptism invitation…we tried really hard last time but she didn't know when or where she would be moving, but now we got all that taken care of.  Hopefully everything goes well with her.  Joe is still a solid new member.  He is supposed to receive the priesthood next week. 

Hey that's awesome about Jared's mission call.  We have an investigator from Argentina!  Her name is Maria.  I'm sure you have heard me talk about her before. 

We had another Mini Missionary with us on Friday to Sunday, except he definitely wasn't mini in size.  He was one of the biggest Tongan guys ever and a pretty cool.  It is a little hard at times though because I am pretty much with 2 greenies and helping them stay on track doing what we should, which is all great except if the other elders don’t study or get up on time and that makes it kinda hard.  It feels like I have to be the bad guy sometimes and that gets a little stressful.  It's alright though I really enjoy serving with these elders.   I feel like I have known them forever when really it has only been like 3-4 months. 

This is going to be another short email.  I do the same thing like you were saying mom, I think of things to write after I get done emailing and plus today I had 17 emails to respond to so if I think of something else cool to say I will send you another one later because we have to go now but I need to come back in a while with Elder Savage.

Love you All! 
Elder Pincock