Aloha Kahaluu Ward Family,
With our Come Follow Me study of the Book of Mormon in full swing, I’m trying to ponder more deeply on the story of Lehi and his family leaving Jerusalem instead of reading quickly through it. A thought comes to mind about Lehi’s family’s journey -“You perceive what you receive by who you are, not what you want.” For example, Lehi’s entire family traveled through the same wilderness, but they did not perceive their experiences in the same way. Laman and Lemuel were rebellious, stubborn, and angry. They perceived every difficulty as insurmountable, every blessing as fleeting and every request of personal sacrifice as unnecessary. They only gave when compelled and complained incessantly. Their journey was miserable and they happily reveled in their discomfort. They believed they were wronged and nothing could replace what they left behind in Jerusalem. They surely wanted a “promised land” but they never believed they received one.
Nephi on the other hand had traveled in the same wilderness, left behind the same privileges and luxuries in Jerusalem, and even struggled with the constant murmurings, assaults and beating from his older brothers, but he perceived he was being protected, led and ultimately blessed by God. Each step of his journey was filled with gratitude and when he finally arrived he knew he was at the promised land.
These are two wildly different perspectives about a shared journey. Despite the shared physical experience, Laman and Lemuel only perceived misfortunes and Nephi perceived miracles. Their external landscape was the same but their internal landscapes were vastly different.
My personal goal this year is to consider more thoughtfully how I am perceiving the world around me. I hope as we study the Book of Mormon together that our perception will increase to see more clearly the miracles in our personal landscapes despite our trials. May we rejoice like Nephi did in every step and ultimately recognize and appreciate the promised land when we get there.
Much love,
Sister Kaiulani Lau
Meeting Schedule & Links
Feb 11, Sunday 10 am @ Keolu Chapel - Kaneohe Stake Conference Conference is also available to watch at home on Youtube: CLICK HERE
Announcements
Missionary Meals: Our missionaries need meals and visits! Please sign up to meet with the Elders using this MEAL CALENDAR, or call them at (808) 379-8012.
Feb 15, Thursday 6:30 pm - Primary Activities @ Waikalua Chapel
Feb 15, Thursday 6:30 pm - Youth Night @ Waikalua Chapel
Feb 17, Saturday 10-12 pm - Stake T&FH Family Search Workshop @ Waikalua Chapel
Feb 18, Sunday 2 pm - Sacrament Meeting @ Waikalua Chapel
Feb 18, Sunday 4 pm - Youth Council @ Bishops Office
Feb 18, Sunday 6 pm - SED @ Bishop’s Home
Missionary Corner
This Tuesday, we had a visit with a member who had a massage chair, so my companion was in the chair getting a massage. I visited with the members and got to know them. We had a lesson with our recently baptized friends at a member's house we hadn't met at before. Their uncle, who was giving them a ride, got lost, so we had to bike around and find him. We were able to find him, and the lesson went well. One of the sisters made a really good cheesecake for us for district council, which was fun. We went out into the country part of our area and visited someone the missionaries haven't talked to in a while. When we got out of the car, a bunch of dogs came and barked at us. I'm not scared of dogs, so I didn't think much of it. But then one of the dogs came up to me and bit me in the leg. Luckily, I haven't died of rabies (yet), and after getting bit, I just walked it off and kept visiting people. I had a cool experience when we knocked on a member's door who hasn't been to church in a while. We talked for a bit, and she started crying because she has been thinking about coming back to church. We told her there are no coincidences and invited her to church.
-Elder Candari
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