June - Erana's 8th, Tyrell's 21st Birthday

Scripture of the Month: Same as May

6/3/18

Hi Son, 

Memorial Sunday we visited Mum/Grandma across the street and on Memorial Day we had the scout breakfast. And went for a walk with Uncle Scott’s family. And we played tennis and had a fire pit. Kage turned 13 on Thursday, he has really curly hair. Went to see the ‘Be One’- 40th anniversary celebration of the 1978 revelation on the priesthood. Jordan, Mina’s boyfriend came with us. It was an awesome, Glady’s Knight and her choir, Alex Boye, Bonner family performed. Mina and Jordan have been seeing a lot of each other and Dad thinks Mina is going to marry him. He’s nice though and the girls like him. But I think Dad is still hoping for a poly son-in-law! lol Maybe you will marry a poly!!! Hahaaa Yes!!!

Went to eat at Oliver Wolferstans on Saturday for his daughters graduation party. 

It’s Sunday night and this afternoon around 5pm your cousin Ariana was proposed to by her boyfriend Keaton and she said yes! 

Now this will be a shock and very sad, Jason found out yesterday and then we had to tell the kids during family prayer and Jordan was here too. But your Uncle Shaun and Aunty Christine are getting a divorce. When we told the kids they were all upset and emotional, Erana was crying thinking she’ll never see Gracie again. And I could tell Mina wanted to cry too and she thought we were joking, she was teary eyed but I think she didn’t cause Jordan was here. We fasted for them today and will continue to pray for them. 

Even when you find the right person you have to continue to work at your marriage, Dad and I still have our ups and downs but I don’t see myself with anyone else but him forever. 

Well we love you and are proud of you, keep up the good work!!!
Love Mum and Dad xxx

Hello Tyrell,

We went to the Memorial day breakfast and we had a walk with Uncle Scott’s family. Erana and I had piano practice and we played at Jenna’s house after on Tuesday. On Wednesday, for young womens we just talked about girls camp. Thursday, we went to Uncle Scott’s house for Kage’s 13th birthday. The next day, we went to the Be One 40th anniversary with Gladys Knight, it was the bet show ever! Yesterday, we went to Imigan’s graduation party, and I beat Johnny at a game of horse! I was making every faraway shot more towards the end and not in the beginning. Today, we watched the Youth Conference. I hope you have a great week, stay safe! I LOVE YOU!

Love, Leila XOXO

Hi Tyrell,

Yesterday we went to Sophia’s sisters graduation and we celebrated my birthday there. The day before we went to the Gladys Knight.
Love, Erana XOXO

Hey Tyrelly Smelly,

We went the Memorial breakfast on Monday. Then we went walking afterwards with Uncle Scott’s family. Then we went to Mina’s graduation. On Friday we went to the ‘Be One’ show thing. And on Saturday we went to the Wolferstans to celebrate their daughters graduation. Hope you have a crazy week.
Love, Jaxon XOXO

From Tyrell 6/4/18:
Dang that's really sad about Uncle Shaun, how are the cousins doing about it?
Happy Birthday Erana!
Mom just send me some money and snacks for my birthday. Actually I heard that there is a sport place near Thanksgiving point selling nike golf pants for sale  like 30$ If you happen to find those let me know cuz I'd like a couple ;)
Love ya'll!
Elder Wihongi

From Tyrell 6/8/18:
Here is a journal entry from 6/8/18

Pretty good day. Was really hot. We took the car into tillys to get it fixed. Had lunch and than made our way down to Angier to do some potentials and tracting. Prayed with an old black lady and a prostitute. Enjoyed ice cream at sunny skies before dinner. I had two flavors, Sweet&salty and peach. Had dinner with the loveless's and their very picky children. Lasagna and salad. Then we planned a family History event with the Everett's. Finally, we tracted in a very strange and dark apartment area. We talked to this lady for a good while, she seemed interested and everything till I mentioned Joseph Smith and then she quickly shut the door on us. There was a large bird hanging upside down tied up to a light post, and the dude living in the apartment right behind it was very, very strange...

He was middle age, black, and would only answer us with no, no, no, no... And than when we left him he started making very strange and creepy mumbling tongue noises non stop and stared intently at us as we went from door to door...We ended up finding a disabled wheelchair recent convert member whose records had not been moved yet and she's been living in Fuquay for a very long time. She has been wondering where the church was and who her visiting teachers were and why no ones been contacting her. So, glad we found her and she was very nice.

6/10/18

Hi Son,
Enjoyed your last letter so much that I shared it in my sacrament talk today. The topic was the importance of ministering. Are you teaching the Egyptian lady all the lessons? I’m hoping the brick wall you made is strong. Did your companion know how to do that? You can always ask if members know how to do that stuff as well. Did we tell you we bought a new car. We replaced the old escort finally. It wouldn’t pass emissions and it was too much to fix. We donated it instead of bothering to sell it. A tow company came and picked it up. Our new car is a 2013 Kia Soul. I like it, it’s nice to drive. It’s silver like the escort was. I was released as the Ward Mission Leader finally after 3 years and 2 months. I’m a Sunday school teacher now. I teach the 16-18 year olds. I take turns with David Hatch. I took the day off Wednesday to go to the zoo with Erana and her friends for her birthday. We took a picnic lunch. It was a hot day. They had fun. Hope all is well.
Love Dad and Mum.

Hi,Tyrell
On my birthday I got the best present of  my life so here is what I got for my birthday the first present I got a betta fish and the last present was these kind of strawberries but they are called hulaberrys. Love erana xoxoXoXoxOxOoooxxx.

Hello Tyrell,
A lot happened this week! On Monday, Erana and I went to Kage’s house and we went to free lunch. Tuesday, Erana and I had piano lessons and went to Kage’s house afterwards. For Erana’s birthday the next day, mom, dad, Erana, her friends, and I went to the zoo for a long time. Afterwards, we dropped off Erana’s friends and we headed back home, where Jonah and Maya and Kage’s family came over for cake and ice cream and presents. Jonah and Maya slept over, and we went to free lunch and a waterpark on Thursday, Erana and I also had Tausala practice. The next day, Jonah and Maya slept over again and we went to free lunch again. We went to Wheeler’s Farm after free lunch. After that, we went to Kage’s house and that’s where Uncle Jody picked Jonah and Maya up. Yesterday, Erana, dad, and I washed the cars. I hope you have a great week, stay safe! I LOVE YOU!
Love, Leila XOXO

Hello Master of For Honor,<(if you still remember that game)
This week was pretty fun. Jonah and Maya slept over for 2 days. We had Erana’s birthday on Wednesday and Mina and I got a fish for her. We went to a water park and to Wheeler’s Farm. Youth Conference starts this Tuesday so that’s pretty exciting. Well, hope you have a very spiritual week. Love, Jaxon XOXO

From Tyrell 6/11/18:
A new car thats cool! Happy Birthday Erana! Hope things are going good! Love yall!
Elder Wihongi

6/17/18

Hi Son,
For your Bday will send you a package of goodies, can’t get you your golf pants though? Will put money in your checking account too. We’ve been going a lot to classic skating cause I bought the kids summer passes. Leila spoke in sacrament today ‘developing faith in Jesus Christ’, she gave a good talk. Dad got breakfast in bed for father’s day, I bought him a skillet and cooked his sausages and omelette in it. Watching the ‘Lara Croft’ movie for our family movie, I’m not impressed. Going to Seven Peaks SL this week for the first time, Provo one closed down they went bankrupt. Well keep up the good work, we’re praying for you.
Love Mum and Dad xxx

Hiya Tyrell,
I went to Youth Conference on Tuesday. It was sooooo fun. I came back on Thursday. On Friday Talia and Zion came over and slept over. Me, Talia, and Zion went to go see The Incredibles 2 on Saturday. It was so good and funny. The Last of Us 2 official gameplay trailer came out. Ellie is a lesbian. Don’t know if you still want that game. Well, hope you have an incredible week.
Love, Jaxon XOXO

Hi Tyrelly Smelly,
Talia came over to sleep over, it’s fun having her here. We went to ‘this is the place’ and we got so much free ice-cream.
Love Erana xoxxo

Hello Tyrell,
We went to free lunch and Classic Fun Center with Dray on Monday. On Tuesday, Erana and I had piano lessons and Dray played over a little bit. Wednesday, we went to free lunch and Classic Fun Center with Kage and Dray, and since it was youth conference, the beehives had a campfire at Carol Boley’s house. Thursday, we went to free lunch, afterwards Erana and I had Tausala practice and I went to basketball practice after Tausala, and Kage is on my team. On Friday, Erana, dad, mom, and I went to This is the Place and we ate lots of ice cream. Talia came over because her family went to Brazil so she’s staying for a few weeks. Zion came over too, but only for a sleepover, and we played at the park. Nothing much happened yesterday. Today, I gave a talk in sacrament on How I Can Develop Faith in Jesus Christ, I was so nervous. I hope you have a great week, stay safe! I LOVE YOU!
Love, Leila XOXO

6/24/18

Hello Tyrell,

It was my turn to do the lesson for FHE on Monday. On Tuesday, Erana and I had piano lessons and we played at Jenna’s house and went on a bike ride with her. We did temple baptisms for Young Womens on Wednesday, Talia came with us. Thursday, Erana and I rode our bikes to the Ferguson’s and played over. Afterwards, Erana and I went to Tausala practice and I went to basketball practice after Tausala. Friday, we helped mom and dad paint our backyard fence, and Zion came over again. Yesterday, I had a basketball game and we won hardcore, thirty something, maybe forty, to 18. Mom, Dad, Erana, and I watched Jurassic World 2 afterwards. Today, it was Tainui’s Farewell, Tainui is Uncle Vaughn’s son. I hope you have a great week, stay safe! I LOVE YOU!

Love, Leila XOXO

Hi Tyrell MoM DaD Leila and I  we went to see the new movie jurassic world the fallen kingdom. 

Love Erana xoxoXoXoxOxO.

What’s happenin Tyrell,

This week we’ve gone to Seven Peaks once and the other days were stuff that I forgot. On Friday, me, Talia, and Zion went to go see Jurassic World 2. It was pretty good. Then on Sunday we went to Tainuis Farewell. Well, that’s everything interesting this week so hope you have a fun week and stay safe.
Love, Jaxon XOXO 

Hi Son,

Went to Tainui’s farewell today kids have already told you. He’s serving in Knoxville, TN spanish speaking. And spent a lovely beautiful sabbath day with family and yummy food. Took the girls to see Jurassic W2, it was meh, ok seen better Jurassic park movies. Went swimming at Seven Peaks for the first time, and it was nice and hot and I fell asleep. Talia is staying with us while Uncle Jared/family is in Brazil for 6 wks, she’ll stay with the other Aunties too maybe? Mina put in her mission papers last night!!! Happy Birthday for Saturday, and let me know if there’s something specific you want, besides goodies? Will put money in your checking acct too. We love you and are very proud of you keep up the good work!
Love Mum and Dad xxx

From Tyrell 6/25/18:
That's awesome Mina when did you set your availability date? I don't have time to write a letter today, but thank you for your letters! Love ya'll!
Just give me some money mum, and I'll get what I need ;)
Elder WIhongi

 

Leila's Sacrament Talk - Developing Faith in Christ

Kia Ora everybody my name is Leila Wihongi, for those of you that don’t know me. My talk today is on How I can develop faith in JC.

”The Apostle Paul defines faith as “the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” We’ve heard this many times but what does it mean?
The Prophet Joseph Smith further revealed through his inspired revision of the Bible (the Joseph Smith Translation) that faith was the “assurance of things hoped for” (substituting assurance for substance). He explained that faith “is the assurance we have of the existence of unseen things. And being the assurance, … [faith] must be the principle of action in all intelligent beings.”
So I’m twelve years old and I have never seen Jesus Christ, but I know that he is real and that he lived on this earth, he atoned for our sins, he died for us, and was resurrected. He did this so that we can return to live with him and HF with our families forever. So you can say I have faith in JC, i’ve never seen him but I know that he is real.

These are some of the things that have helped me develop faith in JC. And I’m going to add my Dad in these because its fathers day and I wanted to honor him.

Prayer - I can’t remember when I first started saying my own personal prayers. But I probably started out because my parents encouraged me to say them. I see my dad saying his prayers next to his bed or during meal times. He has taught me that HF & JC hears my prayers and know who I am and I feel good when I talk to him, I know they are listening. The Apostle Paul counseled that through our prayers we “might perfect that which is lacking in [our] faith.”

Study - We gain faith like any other attribute. I have been born in the gospel. Because of this blessing, I have been taught good things in family home evening and family scripture study. Been going to  church since I was a baby, listening in primary and YW. Watching General Conf and listening to our prophet and apostles. My Dad likes to listen to the Prophet, he sometimes has his eyes closed, but tells me he’s still listening and not asleep. The Prophet Joseph Smith instructed, “Faith comes by hearing the word of God, through the testimony of the servants of God.”

Service and Sacrifice - Serving others and sacrificing my time, money, even my life, helps me to develop faith in jc. Like waking up early to do temple baptisms instead of sleeping in. Or paying tithing instead of spending it. Serving others is what Jesus did and when I do service I always think of him. My Dad has shown me and taught me that people are the most important thing in this world - if you didn’t hear his talk last week.

Personal righteousness - The Savior taught, “If any man will do [God’s] will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.” Sin is the greatest of all faith destroyers. Pride, anger, selfishness, greed, or any other form of disobedience diminishes faith, while righteousness leads to greater faith. God gave us commandments to keep me safe and to help me return back to him. I know as I live his commandments I am doing his will, and not only is HF and JC happy with me but also my earthly Dad as well.

I am grateful for all fathers in this ward for what they do for their children, and for what they do for HF and JC. Happy Father’s Day to all you father’s, keep up the good work!

I’d like to bear my testimony, that this church is true, and that JC is our Savior and Redeemer.
And I say these things in the name of JC, Amen

Jason's Sacrament Talk - Importance of Ministering

Introduction
I want to start out by quoting an old Maori proverb:
“He aha te mea nui o te Ao? He tangata, He tangata, He tangata!”

What does it mean? You’ll have to listen all the way to the end to find out. So sorry if I put you to sleep, you’ll miss out. I want to read the last letter from my son Tyrell. He is serving in the Raleigh North Carolina Mission.

Letter from Tyrell
Hey everyone! This week was the hardest working week I've ever had on my mission so far. Elder Cox and I worked sooooo hard! We knocked about 7 hours everyday whether it was downpouring rain or blazing hot it mattered not. Plus we were on bikes for the week to.  We've definitely been seeing the blessings from all the work we've put in this week. We have been working with a less active family called the Tejedas. They have an 8 year old son who they would like to get baptized so we have been teaching him the lessons. Sister Tejeda is Puerto Rican and she makes some pretty good chicken. We found a young Egyptian Muslim lady who is struggling to keep the roof over her head and people abusing her property. She recognized us because missionaries had knocked into her a year ago and offered her a book of Mormon, she said they also offered to help her but she declined. Her name is Iman and she is from Egypt. She started crying when telling us all the things she's been going through. She said ever since she moved to America her daughters have gone astray and believes now she is being punished for it. Her house is built on a slope and so whenever it rains it carries debris and sludge and just makes a mess everywhere. She's made walls and ditches to try and divert the water but whenever she is gone people come by and destroy everything. I really felt sorrow and compassion for her and offered help. She asked us, why would you want to help me? We comforted her by telling her that God loves her, and sometimes he puts us in rough situations only so we can learn, draw closer to him, and ultimately become who he wants us to become. I asked her what she was seeking most for in life, and she said "Peace. Peace in this world, and peace with God." I promised her peace if she gave us a chance, and she accepted. We biked back a couple days later, the day she told us to come back and it was pouring rain. She was so surprised to see that we kept our word, and actually came back to help. She couldn't believe how nice we were being. We ended up building a cinder block wall behind her house to block the sludge, and than we found shelter on her porch and talked for a good hour sharing beliefs and all that. We bore our testimonies, and I offered to pray for her. She was overcome by the Spirit while I was praying and began to cry, the rain also stopped while I was praying and the sun shone on us. It was a tender mercy and a testimony builder for me that God really does care about us. We have a lot more good things happening, but sadly I'm out of time! The work is really picking up in Fuquay! God is good, and the church is still true!
Love ya'll
Elder Wihongi

So it sounds like he is doing well and doing a lot of good. Whether the Egyptian lady ends up being taught the lessons or not, the Lord had compassion for her and sent his missionaries to minister to her. It was an example of the importance of ministering which is the topic of my remarks today. We all seek peace in our lives just as she does and we can be the instruments in the hands of the Lord to help bring a small measure of peace into the lives of others. And if we can help point a person’s life towards Christ then we know there will be hope for a peace that is not of this world, as the Savior says,

“27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”

For that reason only I could close my remarks now about the importance of ministering but I’ll continue...Just to bring a little peace for the Bishopric right now.

Letter 
Some of my remarks are taken from a talk called Personal Ministry by Sister Bonnie Parkin who was the General Relief Society President from 2002-2007. She shared a letter in this talk.

Dear Sister Parkin,

We fly quite a bit, and when we got our boarding passes, we had been upgraded to first class. This has never happened before, and may not again, but it was a little exciting.

As I was getting on the plane, I saw to my left a young woman in military uniform. The thought immediately came to me, “You need to give her your seat.” It was quite a strong impression, and one I could not ignore. So, not being totally obedient, I went to my seat and put my bag down and sat down. I could not sit there though, and I walked back to talk to the stewards. I told them I wanted to give my seat to someone I had seen while getting on. Then I went back to get my bag.

I stood by the stewards until this young woman boarded the plane, and I pointed her out. They stopped her and informed her that I wanted to give her my seat. She was very appreciative, and I told her that I appreciated all she did for our country and I was happy to do this. I found out her seat assignment and went back and settled in.

About halfway through the flight this young woman came back to my seat and thanked me again. She kept calling me ma’am and telling me how grateful she was for this kindness. Then she handed me a little piece of paper and walked back to her seat. The note said, “Ma’am, I just wanted to say thank you so much! You helped me out in my hour of need. This soldier is forever thankful for your kindness. I am heading home to attend my mother’s funeral. She passed away yesterday in a car accident. I thought God left me and punished me for something, but through this He gave me an angel to help my travel. Thank you. Here is a little something that helped me out. Now I’m passing it to you.” Enclosed with the note was a little metal cross that said, “God loves you.”

The letter concludes:

I am so grateful that I listened to the Holy Ghost and acted on that prompting. I don’t know her name or where she was going. I really only know that she was a soldier. But I know that Heavenly Father knows her name and where she was going and that she was hurting. He wanted her to know that He loves her and was comforting her at this difficult time. I know that Heavenly Father loves me, too, and that He trusts me. It was such a simple thing to do. I guess that is what most service is—very simple things.

My son’s experience and this sister’s experience shows us how Heavenly Father knows each of his children and so much wants to help in our time of need. It also shows that He needs willing hands and hearts to do his work. And it doesn’t need to involve difficult things but usually very simple things as this sister pointed out.

Change
As you know from the last General Conference that Home teaching and Visiting Teaching have been replaced with ministering. Elder Holland said this about the change in the last conference:
Brothers and sisters, as the work of quorums and auxiliaries matures institutionally, it follows that we should mature personally as well—individually rising above any mechanical, function-without-feeling routine to the heartfelt discipleship articulated by the Savior at the conclusion of His earthly ministry. As He prepared to leave His still-innocent and somewhat-confused little band of followers, He did not list a dozen administrative steps they had to take or hand them a fistful of reports to be filled out in triplicate. No, He summarized their task in one fundamental commandment: “Love one another; as I have loved you. … By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.”4

This is one of the Frequently Asked Questions posted on the Ministering website.

How is ministering similar to and different from home teaching and visiting teaching?
Ministering is similar to home teaching and visiting teaching in that each household will have priesthood brethren—ministering brothers—to minister to and care for the family or individuals who live there (see D&C 20:47, 59). Each adult sister will have members of the Relief Society—ministering sisters—to minister to and care for her...
In addition, some requirements of home teaching and visiting teaching have been adjusted to help members minister with greater focus on meeting needs. No longer must contacts always be formal visits. They can take place at home, at church, or in any setting that is safe, convenient, and reachable. As Elder Jeffrey R. Holland taught: “[What] matters most is how you have blessed and cared for those within your stewardship, which has virtually nothing to do with a specific calendar or a particular location. What matters is that you love your people and are fulfilling the commandment ‘to watch over the church always.’”3

In short, ministering is led by the Spirit, it is flexible, and it is customized to the needs of each member.

3Jeffrey R. Holland, “Emissaries to the Church,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2016, 62.

I feel this change will help us to develop a ministering mind set. Both those experiences weren’t with people they were assigned to minister to but were with people they came across during their day, although my son was actively seeking for people to minister to. As we minister to our assigned families in small, simple but loving ways I think we’ll realize we can do the same thing in our other circles of influence and minister as the opportunity arises as we go about our lives.

Sister Parkin said this:
Most ministering opportunities are spontaneous, not planned in advance. Much of the Savior’s ministering seemed almost incidental, happening while He was on His way to somewhere else—while He was doing something else. Chapter 9 of the Gospel of Matthew is an amazing illustration of that.

Early in the chapter, the Savior disembarked a ship. A man with palsy was brought to Him. Jesus stopped and healed him. Then Jesus had a discussion with the Pharisees and a man interrupted, saying his daughter had died. So Jesus left to assist the man. On His way, a woman touched His garment. Jesus healed her. He continued on His way and raised the girl from the dead. As He departed her home, two blind men followed Him, and He healed them. As He continued on His way, He cast the devil from a man possessed. All of this took place in one chapter! He gave us the example of ministering as He went.

Another FAQ from the website.

How is ministering led by the Spirit?
As members minister, they seek inspiration to know how best to reach out to others and meet their needs. Would a scheduled visit and regular phone calls to an older sister who lives alone provide the connection she needs? Would an invitation to a less-active young adult to participate in a community project be the most helpful contact? Would supporting a youth’s soccer game help both the youth and her parents? Would texting someone a hope-filled scripture help lighten his burdens? Would a note or card or email show helpful concern? What would the Savior have His servants do? Finding inspired answers to such questions and using all available methods for making contact with those they are assigned is central to inspired ministering. To provide Christlike service, ministering brothers and sisters cannot rely on routine visits or predetermined messages; they seek inspiration and counsel with family members to best care for those to whom they are assigned—using the time and resources they have.

Sister Parkin shared this story in her talk:
My daughter-in-law’s mother, Susan, was a wonderful seamstress. President Kimball lived in their ward. One Sunday, Susan noticed that he had a new suit. Her father had recently returned from a trip to New York and had brought her some exquisite silk fabric. Susan thought that fabric would make a handsome tie to go with President Kimball’s new suit. So on Monday she made the tie. She wrapped it in tissue paper and walked up the block to President Kimball’s home.
On her way to the front door, she suddenly stopped and thought, “Who am I to make a tie for the prophet? He probably has plenty of them.” Deciding she had made a mistake, she turned to leave.
Just then Sister Kimball opened the front door and said, “Oh, Susan!”
Stumbling all over herself, Susan said, “I saw President Kimball in his new suit on Sunday. Dad just brought me some silk from New York . . . and so I made him a tie.”
Before Susan could continue, Sister Kimball stopped her, took hold of her shoulders, and said: “Susan, never suppress a generous thought.”
Susan didn’t have an assignment to make that tie. She wasn’t hired to do so. Despite feeling a bit hesitant, she did it because it felt right. Susan had a quiet sense of mission to serve others.

If you have a good thought, a generous thought, don’t brush it off. Follow through with it whether it’s someone you are assigned to minister to or not. It could have only come from the spirit. Moroni taught us this in Moroni 7.

13 But behold, that which is of God inviteth and enticeth to do good continually; wherefore, every thing which inviteth and enticeth to do good, and to love God, and to serve him, is inspired of God.

So as Sister Kimball taught, “Never suppress a generous thought.” You can feel confident that it is inspired of God.

So back to the old Maori proverb:
“He aha te mea nui o te Ao? He tangata, He tangata, He tangata!”
What it the most important thing in the world? It is people, it is people, it is people!”

I know God lives and loves each one of us. We each are what is most important to him and that should tell you how important ministering is. I know Jesus is our Savior and can bring peace into our lives as we turn to Him. I know God can use us to bless others as we minister.

In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.