Chapel clean up, ye Elders of Israel

One of our quorum assignments is to clean up our chapel building, specifically on the third Saturday of the month.  Today, quorum members did their duty.  Mahalo for your service, ye Elders of Israel.  At the conclusion of chapel clean-up duties, quorum member Makana Tani helped us feel the Spirit by playing Ye Elders of Israel on the organ in the chapel.   Good job, Makana.

Kaneohe 1st Ward, Church today -- 1/13/13

Sacrament Meeting 

• Presiding:  Bishop Bert Oshiro
• Conducting: Brother Robert Carlile
• Ward business:  
• Releases--Laola Kau (Relief Society President), Sheri Livingston (RS, 1st Counselor), Lorelei Wai (RS, 2nd counselor), Kim Hanohano (RS secretary), Pat Wong (Primary President), Ashley Tani (Primary, 1st counselor), Jodi Presbitero (Primary, 2nd counselor)
• New Callings--Jan Tani (Relief Society President), Lorelei Wai (Primary President)

• Youth speakers:
• Kamuela Hoopili spoke about tithing
• Airi Sellers spoke about how she builds a relationship with Heavenly Father.
• Adult speakers: 
• Elder Taylor Johnston, from Centerville, Utah, regarding his mission, said although he was expected to serve, he wanted to serve.  "Serving is something I always wanted to do," he said.
• Elder Mitchell Goodman, from Thatcher, Arizona, told us the parable of the long hike through the desert at the completion of which a hiker obtained strawberry lemonade to quench his thirst.  When given the opportunity to share some lemonade with a fellow hiker, he did not.  Likening the lemonade to the gospel of Jesus Christ, Elder Goodman urged us not to keep it to ourselves but should share it far and wide. 
• Sister Ella Arume, recently returned from a mission in Milano, Italy, spoke about the blessings that come from obedience.  "We're in this little trial period of our lives," she said, and we need to make the most of it.

Sunday School

• Gospel doctrine:  Lesson 2 -- Intro to Doctrine and Covenants and Church History
• Family history: Gathering information from public records.
• Gospel Principles: see manual

Elders Quorum

• Brother Kanoa Kanahele was released, with a vote of thanks, as Elders Quorum 1st counselor
• Brother William Sellers was sustained and set apart as Elders Quorum 1st counselor.
• Brother Isimeeli Hikila was welcomed to the quorum.  He and his family moved from Kaneohe 4th ward.
• Announcements:
• Ward Temple night.  1/16 Wednesday.  7 p.m. session, Laie Hawaii Temple
• Chapel clean-up:  Saturday 1/19.  7 a.m. 
• Baptism for the Dead, Friday 1/25, 5 p.m. Laie Hawaii Temple.  Need endowed priesthood holders for ordinance work.
• Ward flood to visit ward members.  Saturday 2/2, 9 a.m. Meet at church.
• Laulau/palasami making activity.  Friday 2/8, 6 p.m. at Bill Sellers' house.
• Trip to Laie Hawaii Visitors Center.  Saturday 2/9.  Time TBA.
• Missionary Fireside.  Sunday 2/10, 7 p.m. Waikalua Chapel. 
• The lesson in the quorum today was about Learning by Faith.  Lesson key points:
• Learning requires faith, exertion, and perseverance.
• The education of the Spirit is worthy of our best attention.
• We benefit from hearing gospel principles over and over again.
• When we gather to learn the gospel, both the teacher and the learner need the guidance of the Spirit.

Quorum service--adopt a highway

Adopt-A-Highway is a public service program for volunteers to pick up litter along Hawaii's State highways...to make a contribution to a cleaner State. In addition to a cleaner roadside, participants help to prevent pollutants from entering our storm drains, streams, and the ocean.

On 1/12/13 Saturday ward members picked up litter along Likelike and Kahekili Highways, which is the Elders Quroum's adopted sections of roadway.  Mahalo to all who participated for their service.

Kaneohe 1st Ward--Church today--1/6/13

Sacrament Meeting

• Testimony meeting: Bearing testimonies were Bishop Bert Oshiro, Garth Gertch, Filipo Filiaga, Vivian Filiaga, Elmo Tacuban, Tai Lesa, Iliesa Delai, Vaughn Lei.

Sunday School

• Gospel doctrine:  Lesson 1 -- Intro to Doctrine and Covenants and Church History
• Family history: Gathering information from public records.
• Gospel Principles: see manual

Elders Quorum

• Brother Makana Tani was sustained and set apart as elders quorum secretary.
• Quorum service project: Adopt-a-highway trash pickup on 1/12 Saturday.  Meet at 8 a.m. at Kaneohe Burger King parking lot.
• Chapel clean-up:  Saturday 1/19.  7 a.m.
• The lesson in the quorum today was about home teaching responsibilities which include 
• visit members in their homes at least monthly. 
• watching over and strengthening the families they are assigned.
• becoming acquainted with family members’ interests and needs and recognizing special events in their lives.
• consulting with the head of the household about the family’s needs and about ways to be most helpful.
• helping parents ensure that their children are blessed, baptized, and confirmed. 
• helping parents ensure that their sons have the Aaronic Priesthood and Melchizedek Priesthood conferred upon them and are ordained to priesthood offices at the appropriate ages.
• offering help when members are unemployed, ill, lonely, moving, or have other needs
• helping members strengthen their faith in Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ and encouraging them to make and keep sacred covenants, especially new members and less-active members.

Baptism and Confirmation for Alan Yugawa

When we are baptized and confirmed, we have entered into the gate, and there lies before us a “strait and narrow path which leads to eternal life” (2 Nephi 31:18).

Baptism is the gate that opens the path leading back to the presence of God.

Baptism by immersion is “the introductory ordinance of the gospel, and must be followed by baptism of the Spirit in order to be complete” (Bible Dictionary, “Baptism”). The Prophet Joseph Smith explained that “baptism is a holy ordinance preparatory to the reception of the Holy Ghost; it is the channel and key by which the Holy Ghost will be administered. The Gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands, cannot be received through the medium of any other principle than the principle of righteousness” (Teachings: Joseph Smith, 95–96).

Brother Alan Yugawa

Kaneohe 1st Ward -- Church Today -- 12/23/12

Sacrament Meeting

Youth speaker:  

• Lele Stanley

Adult speakers:

• Kanai Hanohano--spoke about his first semester at BYU-Provo and how he is preparing to serve a misson.

• Jerrick Laimana--just returned from Phillippines Naga Mission where he served the past two years.

Sunday School

• Lesson 48:  Come Unto Christ.  The objective of today's lesson to teach class members how to judge between good and evil and how to receive a testimony of the gospel and the Book of Mormon.

Elders Quorum

• Mahalo to EQ members who helped Brother Joshua Steffen load boxes onto a truck at his home.  He and his family are moving to Utah.
• Mahalo to quorum and ward members who went Christmas caroling on Christmas Lane (Namoku Street) this past Thursday 12/20.
• Laulau making activity--5pm on Thursday 12/27/12 at Bill Sellers' house on Kuuipo Place. Learn how to make laulau.  Invite family and friends to attend.
• Lesson in the quorum today was based on the talk "That the Lost May Be Found" by Elder M. Russell Ballard who counseled us on what we can do to not become lost including [1]  prioritizing by putting everything we do outside the home in subjection to and in support of what happens inside our homes; [2] doing things in the right order, specifically marriage first and then family; [3] making sure we, as husbands, are equal partners with our wives in our marriage; and [4] using the family resources of the Church, whereby in raising our children, we can draw upon the help of the ward.

Kaneohe Hawaii Stake Conference December 2, 2012

Kaneohe Hawaii Stake
Semi-Annual Conference
Sunday General Session
December 2, 2012
Cannon Activities Center, Laie

Prelude Music:  David Ahuna, Kaneohe 2nd Ward

Presiding:  President George H. Kaluhiokalani

Conducting:  President Kaluhiokalani

Chorister:  Micah Hirokawa, Kailua 1st Ward
Organist:  David Ahuna

Welcome and Announcements:  President Kaluhiokalani

Opening Hymn:  #202 Oh, Come, All Ye Faithful

Invocation:  Ed Motosue, Kailua 2nd Ward

Stake Business:  President Henry E. Gibson, Stake Presidency 2nd Counselor

Stake Choir:  "Samuel Tell of the Baby Jesus"  Directed by Micah Hirokawa

Speakers:

• President Carl K. Kawakami, Stake Presidency 1st Counselor
• Kalai Hanohano, Kaneohe 4th Ward
• K'lynn Eror, Kailua 3rd Ward
• Terry Takaki, Kaneohe 3rd Ward

Stake Choir:  "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day"

Speakers:

•  Maile Au, Stake Primary President
• Elizabeth Kanekoa, Hawaii Temple Matron
• President Patrick K. Kanekoa, Laie Hawaii Temple
• President Kaluhiokalani

 Closing Hymn:  #201 Joy to the World

Benediction:  Lisa Kunioka, Kailua 1st Ward