{September Update}

Missionary Life at the PCC during September 2009

I must say that Sept. was a busy, busy month as it was the month of preparation for the Haunted Lagoon for the Polynesian Cultural Center. Hour upon hour was spent getting everything ready. Bob was certainly one of the “number one” individuals involved in this process. We truly put in lots of “over time” and we hope the pay is worth it! The Lagoon will run all during Oct., so there will be more on the “results” in our October Missionary Life report!

During Sept. there were two of our favorite missionary couples that completed their mission and left us! We become like family to these people and have learned to love them so much. Pictured below are Tim and Elaine Hobbs from Franklin, ID. They worked in the warehouse and they were both such good workers! We loved them so. Bob and I took them to the airport and I have to admit, I shed some tears when we dropped them off! (As I said, they become “family”). We have lots of plans to spend time with them when we return to Utah.

TIM AND ELAINE HOBBS

Bob and Billie Dewey were also great friends of ours. They were here on their mission when we first came in Aug. of 2008. Elder Dewey was an engineer doing drafting in the maintenance building where Bob works and Sister Dewey was working in the Island Office and was my trainer. We became great friends. They are from Chino Hills California. They returned as volunteers for 4 months from June-Sept. 2009 as Elder Dewey was asked to do some specific projects at the PCC. So Sister Dewey and I spent more time together in the office and it was GREAT! We plan to see them also when our mission is complete and we return home.

JEANNIE CABELLA, BILLIE DEWEY, VICKIE, LANAE NGATUVAI ISLAND OFFICE WORKERS

A good friend, Lorrie Belcher (I worked with her for many years in the Heber City Hospital, where I worked in surgery and she did anesthesia), and her husband Steve came to visit her sister and husband that were working as volunteers for BYUH for 4 months. Isn’t it a small world, especially within the church! We were able to spend a couple of afternoons and evenings with them. Taylor kids, remember spending time at her house as we were “cat sitting”, enjoying her hot tub, or eating her delicious meals, when she lived in Valley Hills? She is a great friend and lots of fun. It was fun to be with them again.

BOB, VICKIE – STEVE, LORRIE AT HALEIWA HARBOR

The Island of Tonga had their devotional on Sept. 12, 2009. We love going to the devotionals and seeing the students perform and learning more about each of the island culture. Also it is a time for more “eating and ‘talking story’!” Each island here at the PCC does a devotional once a year. The office where I work is very involved in getting these devotionals ready, setting up, planning and preparing the programs, food, decorating, etc. So they are always a big event for us.

TONGAN STUDENTS PREPARING FOR DEVOTIONAL

FASI TOVO, MANAGER OF ISLAND OF TONGA

Sept. 10th, 2009 was our fourth wedding anniversary. We decided that we would do the “Dinner Cruise” out on Waikiki to celebrate. It was so beautiful and such a fun thing to do. The sunset was spectacular, of course, and to see the skyline of Waikiki at night from the ship was something that we are happy we did not miss!

WAIKIKI DINNER CRUISE ON “STAR OF HONOLULU”

So there is another thing we wanted to tell about that happened in Sept. We were able to be a part of a baptism. Being “service missionaries” does not always give the opportunity to proselyte and be a part of many baptisms. This one was very unusual and special to us…

MICHAEL CAMP’S BAPTISM STORY

Sept. 26, 2009

We attended the baptism of Michael Camp tonight in the Laie Stake Building, Laie, HI. This was a very interesting and unusual story.

Brother Camp is a counselor in our Ward Bishopric in the BYUH 20th ward, 3rd Stake. He is a student, approximately 26 years old. He is married to Hailey, and they are expecting their first child. He is originally from New Mexico and she is from Utah.

Brother Camp tells the story like this: He said it was during his mission that he began to have some questions about a few things. He was having great success with baptisms and in the mission field he was hearing a lot about converts and their own conversion stories. He said he noticed that “everyone” had memories of some kind about their baptism day and the event. As he thought about it, he could not remember anything about his own baptism day. He had grown up and was active in the church as a young boy. There was a short span of time during his young boyhood that his parents and family were a little dysfunctional due to a marital separation, but that was resolved and he was ordained to the Priesthood, etc. as any young man growing up as an active member of the church.

He remembered when he was interviewed for his mission and getting ready for his temple recommend the Bishop had said to him, “You don’t have a baptism date listed here, when is your birthday?” Apparently the Bishop at this time put his 8th BD as his baptism and confirmation date. He didn’t think any more about it except occasionally during his mission.

He returned from his mission, started college in N.M., met his wife and married in the Temple. Events led them to BYUH. He said when he kept hearing about the conversion stories of the many students in his ward here at BYUH, he kept wondering why he could not remember his own baptism. He was called to be a member of the Bishopric of the BYUH 20th ward and it began to worry him that he could not remember any of this important event. He spoke with his parents about this and found that neither of them could remember the event either and determined that the timing would have been during their separation. They did, however, remember the baptism of his younger sister. After many questions and much prayer, it was determined that he probably had never been officially baptized nor confirmed a member of the church!

His Bishop had him write to the First Presidency to see what he needed to do to correct this. The answer came that he simply needed to have the baptism and confirmation performed and recorded and then all other ordinances that had already been completed would be valid.

So he announced that he was being baptized and confirmed on Sept. 26, 2009! It was a great day! His cute little wife, pregnant and all, was on the front row of course! Many of his friends here at BYUH and the 20th ward members were in attendance. It was very spiritual and wonderful evening. Bob and I will probably not experience a baptism under those conditions again…what a joy for us to be a part of it!

MICHAEL AND HAILEY CAMP

Yes, Sept. was busy and eventful and fun and we loved it! We hope you have enjoyed reading all about it and look forward to our “memories for Oct.” to be coming soon!

Life in Hawaii has been good to us. Our blood pressure for both of us has never been so good! We assume that is a good thing! Hope life in Utah and over the mainland is good to each of you.

Love to all forever and always,
Your missionaries from Hawaii,
Elder and Sister Remund
Dad and Mom
Bob and Vickie
Grandpa and Grandma

JOYCE LOURENE MILLER EDWARDS

Due to circumstances beyond our control (we are sure you have heard that before!) we are far behind on our blogging and therefore need to repent and get caught up. Our plan is to update each month since Sept. 2009, with a few pictures and information about what we did during that time. BUT before I start with September, I want to blog a short tribute to my Mom. She passed away on Dec. 24th 2009. We were able to go home to Utah from our mission in Hawaii from Dec. 18, 2009 to Jan. 5, 2010 to help and be with her and to assist the family with her funeral. It was a blessing for us to do that and to be with our family for Christmas.

MY MOTHER…JOYCE LOURENE MILLER EDWARDS

Nov. 20, 1926 – Dec, 24, 2009

My mother passed away Dec. 24, 2009. She had been sick for several months and because Bob and I were serving our mission in Hawaii, my sister Susan and brother Dave and their families, and my children and their spouses took care of her. I am so thankful to all of them for the time and sacrifices they gave to make her life happy.

When we left to come on our mission, Mom was relatively well. She had suffered with rheumatoid arthritis for over 20 years and had become quite crippled. Therefore, physical mobility was a problem, yet she remained very independent and lived alone in her home until she died. She eventually died of EFD (esophageal function disorder).

It was a blessing for us to go home and be able to help care for her and visit with her for a few days. It was a blessing to be able to be with our family and friends in the celebration of her life during her funeral (held Dec. 28, 2001 – her and Dad’s 65th wedding anniversary date) and the days following. It has been a “bitter-sweet” time for us.

My mother was such a beautiful person, inside and out. She was truly a peacemaker during her entire life. It is an honor to be her daughter and to have been loved and taught on this earth by her. Her life was not always easy, but she always made the best of everything. She sacrificed much, giving hours of service to us as her family, Dad, the community, and the church. She had a strong testimony of the gospel and loved her Savior, Jesus Christ, with all of her heart.

Mom was a “classy lady!” She liked to always look just right and took great effort to do so. She will live on in our memories as a beautiful person from inside to outside!

Mom had a good life. I was privileged to help her write her history a few years ago, and now that history becomes a priceless treasure! She was such a beautiful example of love; sacrifice; devotion; humility; she was a wonderful wife, mother, grandmother, and friend; homemaker; community worker; and church worker. She was a true example of a Christ like life!

I miss her so much already! Many times a day I think, “I need to call Mom.” Oh, how I would love to talk to her ‘one last time’! One memory that is special to me is that every time we spoke to one another, our conversation ended with, “I love you,” “I love you too!”

I know that she knew she was loved by all of her family and friends, from the devotion and love everyone gave to her. Those memories will live on forever of the time and hours spent to visit and enjoy her company, help comfort her pain and ease her suffering. I know she now lives on, free from physical suffering and deformities, and continues her life with those that have gone on before her. It must have been a marvelous reunion for her with Dad, Phil, Jason, LaVaa, her parents, her brothers, and many other family members and friends. What a blessing the gospel gives to us with our knowledge of our life hereafter and progression in the eternities.

I pay tribute to Joyce LouRene Miller Edwards, for her life, for what she has done for me and my family, and I give her the love of my heart for being my mother. I anxiously wait for that time when we will be together again, for I know that time comes!