Kahalu'u Ward Message 12/1/24
- Kahaluu Bishop
- Nov 30, 2024
- 4 min read
Aloha Kahaluu Ohana,
Over the past 23 months, I’ve talked to my son Maddux more than I did during the first 18 years of his life. He’s currently serving in Rome, Italy, and apparently has no time limit on P-days when it comes to calling home. With the 12-hour time difference (and his mission president’s rule that he can’t call after 7 p.m. in Rome, which is 7 a.m. here), that often means staying on the phone until 2 or 3 a.m. most Tuesdays while he shops for groceries, shaves, says his prayers, street contacts, rides buses, and the list goes on. If I tell him I can’t talk as long one week, he’ll call someone else. When they don’t pick up, he calls me back and talks for another hour or two. Sometimes, it’s hard to keep my eyes open, and I probably sound annoyed, exhausted, or uninterested in his daily activities. But he still has so much to share… or he’ll hand the phone over to his companion or random people he meets on the street for me to talk to. (I promise there’s a point to all this—stick with me.) Over time, I’ve become more patient, learning how to guide the conversation back on track when it starts to wander in a thousand different directions. But mostly, I’m just so proud of how far he’s come in the last three years.
Last Wednesday, after another late-night conversation, it hit me. This is the relationship we should be having with our Heavenly Father. He is always available—literally 24/7—ready to listen, to comfort us in times of struggle, and to celebrate our triumphs when we choose the right path. Now, I’m definitely not comparing myself to Him, but the connection between us and our Heavenly Father can resemble a parent/child relationship through prayer. The key, though, is that we have to take the first step: we have to get down on our knees and make the call.
I’ve tried to keep this in mind throughout the week, especially in my prayers. We can pour our hearts out to God, knowing He will ALWAYS be there, ready and willing to listen to us about our struggles, our successes, and all the blessings that fill our lives. That, for me, is the power and truth of prayer. I hope we can all start to see our Heavenly Father as the perfect, loving parent He is—not as some distant, unreachable being, but as someone who is always just a prayer away, ready to embrace us with open arms.
Aloha,
Ashleigh Vilardi
YW President, Kahalu'u Ward
Sacrament Meeting Schedule & Program
THIS IS THE LAST SUNDAY WE ARE MEETING AT WAIKALUA CHAPEL. NEXT WEEK SUNDAY DECEMBER 8th WILL BE OUR FIRST SUNDAY BACK AT THE STAKE CENTER. SACRAMENT MEETING WILL BEGIN AT 11:00 AM.
Dec 1, Sunday 2 PM - Sacrament Meeting Program: CLICK HERE
Zoom Link for Sacrament Meeting available upon request. Contact Bishop Tano or Bro. Hirokawa.
Announcements
Missionary Meals: Devember Calendar needs attention please. Elder Vongphakdy & Elder Mitami need meals and visits! Please sign up to meet with the Elders using this MEAL CALENDAR, or call them at (808) 379-8012.
Sign up to get free church magazines delivered to your home: CLICK HERE
Dec 1, Sunday 2 pm - Sacrament Meeting @ Waikalua Chapel
Dec 1, Sunday 5:30 pm - Baptism Service for Blaise Hirokawa @Keolu Chapel
Dec 5, Thursday 6:30 pm - Youth Night @ Waikalua Chapel
Dec 5, Thursday 6:30 pm - Primary Activities @ Waikalua Chapel
Dec 8, Sunday 11 am - Sacrament Meeting @ Kaneohe Stake Center
Dec 10 Tuesday (Any session) - Ward Temple Day @ Laie Hawaii Temple
Dec 11, Wednesday 6:30 pm - Youth Night @ Kaneohe Stake Center
Dec 15, Sunday 11 am - Sacrament Meeting @ Kaneohe Stake Center
Dec 18, Wednesday 6:30 pm - Youth Night @ Kaneohe Stake Center
Dec 18, Wednesday 6:30 pm - Primary Activities @ Kaneohe Stake Center
Dec 21, Saturday 6:00 pm - Ward Christmas Party @ Kaneohe Stake Center
Missionary Corner
My spiritual thought this week come from Psalm 95:2 which reads, "Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms." Being that it's Thanksgiving week, i wanted to share about being thankful. Since coming out on my mission, my gratitude has increased immensely. Kind of like you don't realize how good you had it till you don't got it anymore and it's not that i don't have anything. I still have so much but there's a lot from home i miss. On the other hand, there's a lot from home I'm grateful for. Specifically, the way my parents raised me in the gospel. It's effects show so strongly out here so my gratitude for the gospel and the being raised in it has deepened as well. There are countless blessings to give thanks to Heavenly Father for. Someone once asked,"if the only things you thanked Heavenly Father for were the things that stayed in your life, how much longer and thankful would your prayers be" the answer is a lot longer lol i want to challenge you all to try and say a prayer of thanks. Just thanking Heavenly Father and not asking for things. I've been challenged this before but I've never done it so I'll be taking this challenge upon myself as well. So next week, I'll come back with what i got and yall tell me what you got :)
Okieee transfers will be next week and im highkey freaking out but we're just gonna see where I'll be finishing 2024. THATS CRAZYYY but anyways, happy happy thanksgiving to all of you. Grateful for each and every one of you, truly. Enjoy some mean imu food for me and I'll be back for that next year lol love you guys and I'll catch you next week. Shooooooots
Alofas,
Sister Fano <3
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