30 years ago
today I was baptized and confirmed a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-Day Saints. It was just two months before my 21st birthday
that I waded out into the surf at Kokololio Beach Park, at that time known as
Kekela Beach. I was influenced by many good men like Joel HK Nakila who
performed the baptism as well as being a role model to me that introduced me to
the late Herman Ah Sue who was one of the missionaries that taught me about the
church and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. At that time in my life I was living my
dream, working at the Polynesian Cultural Center, and learning hula with my
many wonderful hula brothers and sisters under the direction of Kumu Hula, Cy
Bridges. Probably my greatest blessing at that time was that I was staying with
my Hawaiian adopted family, Uncle Martin “Swanee” and Aunty Kela Miller in a
quaint home right off the beach, not far from where I was baptized. I am so
thankful for all of the love, support, and counsel that I received from these
great people of Hawaii. My life took a different direction from what I would
have ever thought while I was a teenager. I was able to grow up, obtain
direction, set goals, accomplish a lot and I have many years of great
experiences and wonderful memories. I’ve served a mission in South America for
two years and was able to learn Spanish. I’ve been able to go back to school
and earn a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree. I married a wonderful and beautiful
woman, and together we’ve been through some struggles and every now and then
things have seemed to easily fall into place for us. We’ve been able to travel
and visit some fascinating parts of the world including our own American
continent. We have 4 beautiful children that require a ton of attention, love,
and good wholesome nurturing to keep them from being distracted by the alluring
things of the world. Having left my former career of 21 years with FedEx in the
spring of 2010, I’ve been able to spend a lot of time with my children,
participating in their daily activities, helping them with their homework, and
developing a crucially important family bond. Right now we’re going through
challenging economic times. We are working hard to keep the family together, relentlessly
pushing them through their education. We have been building home businesses to
not just supplement, but to fulfill a necessary financial need, with a goal to free
ourselves from debt and purchase our 3rd home. Most important is
that we continue to spend quality time with our children, helping them to make
future goals including preparation to serve missions when they become young
adults. My life has been blessed and I’m grateful for all that I have been able
to do, all that I have now, and all that I look forward to. Aloha my friends
and family. May each of you enjoy the great blessings that we are able to share
from the abundance of which the Lord has provided for all of us. This I leave
you in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
