January and February - This and That!

Sunsets, Manta Rays, wild goats, cruise boats, a Super, Blood, Blue Moon and more!

Kona is known for its beautiful sunsets and they are especially lovely down near the water.  We like to meet the other missionary couples at the Sheraton Hotel late in the afternoon on Sunday to watch the sun go down.

The Sheraton is situated on a rocky, lava coastline which is beautiful, and they have an observation area where you can watch sunsets and the Manta Rays. 
As the sun is setting, the boats filled with snorkelers, arrive.

As soon as it is dark, the lights come on and the people slip into the water to snorkel as they view the Manta Rays. The Rays feed on the plankton which are attracted to the light. The Sheraton also has a light (as you can see in the photo above) which shines down on the water.  From this light, we were able to see Manta Rays from the shore.  The photos below were taken under water (not by us) and show the wing like, dorsal fins and the large mouths that they use to feed on the plankton.

Our photos of the Manta Rays

These interesting creatures are awesome to watch as they dive, flip and move so gracefully through the water.

Elder and Sister Walker

Wild GoatsAs we drive north past Kona, we are often treated to the sight of wild goats walking along the highway and through the lava fields.  This day, we saw a small herd of black goats with the cute baby goats.

The Super, Blood, Blue MoonThis was our view of that moon as we drove to the temple on the                            early morning of January 31, 2018

Cruise Ships

Most every Wednesday we are treated to views of an NCL cruise ship anchored in the Kona bay.  Occasionally, we will see other cruise ships in this bay.

This photo was taken from the temple grounds before we entered the temple to begin our shift.

These photos were taken from the Walmart parking lot after our shift.

A Happy Relief Society Activity

Our theme for the February Relief Society Activity was: How to be Happy.  We arrived to see all of these cute "happy" plates up on the board.  Joan had been asked to help with this lesson and she had prepared a matching game.  We each took turns choosing 2 happy faces and seeing what quote about happiness was written on the back.  When we matched 2, we were given a prize.  It was a fun way to focus on happiness and the quote of wise people.

After this game and time to share ideas about what makes us happy and how to face challenges in life with a positive attitude, we were each given a
"Happiness Notebook" and pencil to record something each day that made us happy.  After this, we had yummy treats:  cookies and hot chocolate!  It was a "happy" evening and a nice opportunity to get to know the sisters in our ward better.

Spending time with the other senior missionaries

We enjoy getting together with the other couples to play games, have treats and go out to dinner together.

Elder Walker is very "tech savy", and he showed us a program on Family Search that lets you see if and how you are related to others in a room.  It was fun to log on with our phones and see the results of this program.

Elder and Sister Zabriskie

Enjoying dinner together on Saturday afternoons at the end of a week of temple service.

A fun visit from one of our missionaries

Tyler Hinkson served with us in Russia on our second mission and was a great missionary.  We received a text from him telling us that he and his family were coming to Hawaii and he wanted to get together with us.  His parents own 2 homes here on the island that they rent out and they come periodically to maintain them.  Tyler and his cute wife and their 2 little boys also came.  Tyler has a pest control business at home in Utah and he came to help with the maintanence of the homes and to spray for bugs (there are LOTS of bugs in Hawaii - they love paradise too!).

Tyler and his wife and his parents came to the temple for a session and then we went to lunch with them afterwards (Tyler's treat).  It was good to get to know Tyler and his parents and his family better.  He and his wife are expecting boy #3 soon.  I forgot to take a picture while we were all together at lunch - phooey!

Then, a few days later Tyler called and then came over to our apartment to spray for bugs (Tyler's treat again).  This gave us another chance to visit with him.  He is a fine young man and we are happy that we had a chance to see him again!

President Mickelsen and Elder Hinkson - reunited in Hawaii!
ALOHA from paradise!