Luau and Dancing

We are enjoying the beautiful Hawaiian sunsets and watching the sea out our window. Kerry tried snorkeling yesterday but was disappointed to find that he couldn't see anything without his glasses on. I was disappointed too because I wanted him to see the colorful fish in the reef outside our hotel. That is the best experience to watch the little and huge fish wandering around. I even saw a Mora Eel yesterday.

We stopped at the Hawaii Temple to take pictures yesterday. We were disappointed that the temple was closed for renovation and found that it was boarded up. They must be doing something major there.

When we got to the Polynesian Cultural Center they took us on a boat to our first destination. My first impression of the boat was that it had a really hot seat and we burned our rears. I kept waiting for the guide to be knocked off the boat at one of the bridges because he was standing up and the bridges were so low.

It was great learning about the different cultures in Polynesia. I especially enjoyed the dancing. I did the hula with Kerry and Kerry did the men's Fiji dance. He was having a great time. It's so nice to see him relax for a change and not have to work. In fact he hasn't opened his work email all week. It's a record!!

At our Luau we were awarded leis made from orchids. It was good food, entertainment and conversation. We made our way through salad, pork, Teriaki Chicken, and some purple rolls made from Taro root that were delicious. They even served drinks in whole pineapples. That was fun too. Afterwards we went to the show that featured Polynesian dance. I loved this experience. Both Kerry and I have wanted to do this for years.

Hawaii

This week I am relaxing in Hawaii. Wow. It is really hot here and some of my pictures show it. Like this one. We went to the USS Arizona Memorial and the USS Missouri battle ship on Tuesday. We had to navigate the construction going on because they are rebuilding the visitor's center. So we went to get our tickets to see the memorial and walked to the present visitor's center. While there we saw a really interesting movie about what happened at Pearl Harbor. We are staying on the north side of the island where the radar station is that picked up the 350 planes and they reported it but the guy they reported it to didn't believe that the Japanese were attacking until it was too late. We can see that radar station from our hotel.

Kerry and I like to listen to the narrative so that is what we were doing when we took this picture. In the background you can see the memorial and the battleship behind it. We had to wait a little bit to get on the boat to go out to the memorial. We were told that there are 900 people buried there still and that it is a grave. Most of the boats were raised from the harbor during the war except for two. The USS Arizona was one of them. It was too damaged to raise, but the guns were reused on another boat. That is why there is a hole where the guns were.

We took some pictures of the memorial while we were there. This is one of the important things on my list to do while we were in Hawaii. I have wanted to visit this memorial for years. My grandfather Derrick was a journalist and his job was to sit at the teletype when he worked for the Associated Press in 1941. On December 7, 1941 he was sitting at the teletype when the news came from Hawaii that Pearl Harbor had been bombed. He sent the news to the rest of the United States. He was featured on one of the news blurbs they used to show at the beginning of the movies at that time. I thought that was cool.

Here I am standing in the deck of the USS Missouri. This battleship is an important American icon because it is where WWII ended. The narrative explained that FDR chose this boat because it was christened by his daughter and he actually had lunch on this boat. He was also was a Senator from Missouri and was born in Missouri. There is actually a plaque where the treaty was signed and a reproduction of the treaty.

Here is a copy of the treaty. And a picture of the place where WWII ended. Okay. So I'm a history enthusiast and really enjoy looking at historical things.

The ship is also a museum. One interesting thing they showed was that the ship was subject to many kamikazi attacks. Usually the planes were shot down before they hit the boat. But one plane succeeded in hitting the ship and the pilot was killed. When they were examining the plane they found out that the Japanese were using the Firestone tires that the US had sold to them to build their planes. Another interesting thing that was brought out during our visit to the memorials is that Japan attacked Pearl Harbor to disable the US Navy so they would not prevent Japan from taking over the Pacific area and Southeast Asia. They were mad because the US refused to sell them oil.

I had to try being the captain on the ship so here I am in the captain's chair.

After we visited these famous landmarks we had to visit another one that Kerry wanted to do. He loves Jimmy Buffet and so we had to have a cheeseburger at the "Cheeseburger in Paradise" restaurant in Waikiki beach. Going to the beach was an interesting experience and Kerry and I have decided that we love where we are staying better. There are a lot of hotels and people that are on the beach and much less on the north side of the island.

Yesterday we spent our time going to the Bishop Museum. Mrs. Bishop was actually an Hawaiian Princess who wanted to showcase her culture. We took a tour about the botany of Hawaii and then saw a volcano demonstration. We had a quiet relaxing time in the planetarium (We both fell asleep). Afterwards we went to the Aquarium off Waikiki Beach that is run by the University of Hawaii. Then we were off to Chinatown where I got my lei.

I really think Hawaii is a cool place. I especially love all the flowers. So yesterday Kerry took me to Chinatown and bought me a lei. I always imagined that when I got off the plane in Hawaii that I would be greeted with a lei around my neck and someone kissing me. Well that is what Kerry did when he bought me the lei. He put it around my neck and gave me a big smack on the lips.

Today we went to a ranch on the eastern part of the island where many movies were filmed. First of all I was able to get Kerry on a horse and we took a ride through the jungle. My horse was named Dog. Kerry had the biggest horse which was sweating bullets the whole time. I rode behind him and Dog would slow down a lot. Kerry's horse did not like the horse that our guide was riding and so she had to yell at him because he was making a fuss. Here I am standing in front of the famous tree where the kids hide in Jurassic Park when the dinosaurs were after them.

When we got back I went snorkeling in the bay in front of our room. It was really cool to see all the beautiful tropical fish on the reef and to see the sealife so close.

Jonathan and Janilee

Jonathan and Janilee came to Portland in April and we celebrated our 31st Anniversary with them. We took a trip to Saturday's Market in Portland and found some really cool masks and gadgets made out of metal. As you can see Jonathan and Janilee are modeling for us. We had a lot of fun with these and bought a few little things that we found fun.

After Saturday's Market we took a trip to the Japanese Tea Gardens. It is a good time of year to go because the flowers are starting to bloom and then we got some fun pictures. I love the one of Jonathan and Janilee on the bridge.

When we walked back to the car we wanted Jonathan and Janilee to get an authentic Portland experience so we took them to one of the oldest restaurants in Portland...Jakes. This restaurant is known for it's seafood. When I happened to mention that it was our anniversary the manager of the restaurant brought out free crab cake appetizers. They were delicious and then we ordered a delicious meal. I had their famous clam chowder with a salad and then afterwards we had dessert. We shared a big plate of 4 types of desserts. We were stuffed.

Money Money Money...It's so funny...It's a rich man's world

Okay. So I'm stopped from achieving my goals by the money problems that this world is having. This week I had my brother come over for dinner with his children. He seems to be wheeling and dealing with the real estate market. He sold his house last year and is free from any real estate right now but he wants to buy a home because of all the foreclosures on the market. Okay. So I'm sitting here thinking...what is really right? Is it right to take advantage of people's suffering? What is the righteous thing to do? Is it okay to take advantage of the good deals that are out there? I am really confused about this. While we were sitting and talking his real estate agent called to let him know that his home in The Gardens is going up for foreclosure. The people who bought the house from him are upside down...meaning that they owe more on the house than the house is worth so they gave the home back to the bank. So Albert says that if he can get the house for $250,000 he would buy it. Now I'm sitting there thinking...this house is 2 blocks from my house, is much bigger, and if he gets the house at that price the price of our house will go down. Ugh! I told him I would be very mad at him if he did that to us.

So selling our house has been a challenge in this market. Okay. I know that the market is plunging and we are stuck in it. One solution is to stay put for a couple of years and wait it out. Another solution is to take a big loss...about the price of a year's pay. People have been coming through to look at our home but our agent says that people are hesitant to buy. On the radio I hear that the market has reached the bottom and is starting to come up. Our agent is saying that the market is ready to plunge some more. Who can predict the future. I can't. Nobody can. Unless you have some inside information into everybody's money situation. In this economy I think only the rich are making a killing because they are the people in control. Money, money, oh money.

First from Rome

Oh my dearest family,

It's finally happened!! I'm here in Italy...Dad seems to have already figured it
out...yep, i'm in Rome! Rome 1 to be exact. I honestly thought that of all the places I
wouldn't be sent here, but I'm so happy I was.

This place is incredible! We are living on the same street as the stake center, where two wards meet. I think my ward is the largest in the Rome mission...we have 3 sets of missionaries. 2 sets of elders and us sisters!! The work here is incredible too. We have about 10 investigators I think? Maybe more. I'm still pretty new here so i'm not 100% sure! Today marks the anniversary of my first week on the mission! The members in the ward are incredible. We have found a lot of the investigators through referalls. The rest come from investigators, street
contacting, and the bus.

My favorite contacting is on the bus! People here seem closed off, but I say hi to them and they usually ask if I know them, but once they realize that I'm learning Italian they all want to help me. Then they all get curious about why i'm in Italy and there's my chance to share the gospel! Italians are a very curious people...we get stared at a lot on the street. Especially me, I think it's because I look american! Also maybe because we look a little bit like the jehova's witnesses. We
spot some every day! There are also gypsy's everywhere. Begging or stealing...i'm so fascinated by their culture. They look really poor, but I guess they steal so much and beg so much that they get a ton of money. My companion was telling me that they have lamborginis and nice villas.

Anyways...I love Rome! Did I already say that? I live in a really nice part of town. We went and did casa in casa (ringing at the the apartments) last night for the first time. We didn't get in, but we did only do it for about a half an hour. I'm so glad we have a lot of appointments here, because it's easier to find people on the bus and through referrals! We keep trying different ways though for finding. It's funny, but I was expecting that finding would be all that we would be doing in the field, because they stressed that so much in the MTC! But we actually do a lot of lessons with investigators, meeting with members, and doing service.

And eating. Let me tell you...Italians eat slow! It's a fun experience though. My second day here we went to dinner with Marco Antonio and Monica at a Chinese restaurant. (Marco Antonio manages our apartment building, he's been inactive for 3 or 4 years. He and his wife are from Peru, and he served a mission. His wife Monica is the Primary president and is wonderful). The dinner ended up being about 3 hours. I was freaking out a little inside wondering why we were with them so long, and why we were out so late! Mostly because I didn't understand what anyone was saying for about 3 hours. Then I realized later how important it is to strengthen the members through friendship and spirit. Marco Antonio has been seeing missionaries who have lived in our building every day for years, and nothing has happened. So yesterday I came up with an idea...and I asked him if Sorella Barbiere (my comp) and I could come on Sundays after church and do a little spiritual thought with him. He says he misses the gospel, and he knows he needs to come back to church, but his pride is getting in the way. We're hoping that by bringing the spirit into his life again, we can find a way to bring him back. I just realized I haven't even talked about my companion! Sorella Barbiere is my companion, and yep, she's Italian! From Genova. She is so kind and patient with me and my language disability (kidding!). I was terrified when the two sisters came to the villa the day of transfers that I was going to have an italian companion who couldn't speak english, but she has been in the mission for a year and 3 months, and she has learned english so well through her other companions. It's such a blessing to hear her accent, and she knows the italian language backwards and forwards, which is helping me so
much! Italians just love her too.

We had lunch with the Bishop and his wife on Sunday for his birthday and their anniversary. Let me tell you, this was HUGE. They never have the missionaries over, and they especially never invite them. The bishop also doesn't like to work with the missionaries. So yeah, them inviting us over for a family thing was incredible. I had my first taste of italian cooking, and my first experience with a 4 hour long meal! I was going pazzo by the end not understanding why we were there so long, but afterwards I found out from Sorella Barbiere that she had found out why the bishop didn't usually work with missionaries (he doesn't like it when missionaries baptize investigators before they're ready), and now their family loves us. The result...the bishop WANTS to come to a lesson with an investigator. Miracle! Yay! The investigator is Angelo. He is an 80 year old man who Sorella Barbiere and her comp met the day before transfers. They gave him a card and he showed up for church on Sunday!

The Bishop met him and was really excited. We had our first lesson with him which was CRAZY. He wasn't listening to Sorella Barbiere and the member we had brought for at least a half an our. He just kept fighting them and saying he didn't believe in miracles and that he was God's son (he also started ranting about how the youth today are terrible...which is what all the older italians talk about =)). I didn't understand what was going on at all, but I could tell it wasn't good. I just kept praying to know what to do, and I stopped him and bore my testimony. It was the hardest it has ever been for me to speak italian, but the words started coming easier from the spirit. But he listened. I started bearing my testimony about Christ, and then I started crying. Ah! haha, but at that moment my companion said she could feel the spirit come back into the room. She said she's only cried once during a lesson on her mission, and this was the second time. He listened to our testimonies, and the scriptures we read him. Then he told Sorella Barbiere that when he saw her and her companions on the street, it was because he had felt this incredible urge to turn around. Then they started talking to him. I know it was the spirit. He called yesterday and told us he had read in the Book of Mormon, and the pamphlets we gave him. He said he wants to know why he had to meet them that day, because he doesn't understand it. God is working miracles today! It's incredible.

Yesterday we went to do a lesson with a new member. She was an hour late, so while we were waiting we were talking with the lady she takes care of named Nadia who has Alzheimers. She is the most adorable woman I have ever met in my entire life. We sang songs together, and I sang her some hymns. She used to be the main Soprano in the Milan opera (which is one of the best in the world). I just love her so much!

Interesting tidbit about italians, they all do "baci" ...which are the kisses on the cheeks. It was a little awkward for me at first, but now i'm used to it! Also, they eat a lot of fish. They fed us octupus the other day, which is so strong and squeaky, I was trying not to gag. =) I miss you all and pray for you! I show everyone the picture I have of our family that will listen, and they all say we have such a beautiful family.

Here is the address for the mission home (I pick it up every 2 weeks).

Sorella Jenessa Miles
Italy Rome Mission
CP 11/282 Montesacro
00141 Rome RM
Italy

And my apartment!
Sorella Jenessa Miles
Via Peveragno 3/15
00166 Rome RM
Italy

I love you so so much! Baci!

Jenessa

Mi manca la mia carissima famiglia!!

Jenessa's newest letter....

Oh my dearest family,

Yet another week has passed!! Probably the longest of my entire mission, but it has been full of wonderful ups and downs. I love the downs because they give more punch to the ups! I was reading a talk by elder..oh I don't remember who it was, but he said that any missionary who is completely 100% on cloud nine probably has something messed up with their head. That made me laugh, but it is so true! Adam and Eve didn't fall so we could not feel anything, adam fell that men might be, and men ARE that they might have JOY!okay, so let me start off where I left off last week on Pday. For my first real p day here we went to the Hard Rock in rome with all the missionaries in my district (it's huge, we have 3 pairs of elders and two pairs of sisters) and 3 sets of zone leaders. It was probably the most ridiculously expensive menu I have ever seen! I split something with a sister though to cut costs (I learned from my last trip to europe, buying food at restaurants will kill your budget!) Afterwards we all went across the street to the bone church...one of the creepiest things that I have ever seen! There were 5 or 6 rooms solely decorated with the bones of 4000 monks. Yep, disgusting!

The next day at english class (yep, we teach english at the church weekly, I don't know if I said that in my last email, but bear with me if i'm repetitive!) there was a lady named Tamara who started asking the teacher manny (a convert from new york) about the church. She was really confused, so we offered to teach her the lessons. Yay! New investigator!Friday, the big event was Gesso in Piazza del Popolo (gesso means chalk) where we drew on a big bed sheet il Piano di Salvezza (the plan of salvation). It was the best finding activity ever! People are DRAWN to the plan of salvation. We gave away more phamplets and BOMs in a few hours than I have almost my entire time here! We had some great experiences meeting people, but I don't have time to write them.Saturday we had a lesson with our investigator Erica. We were so excited last week, because she said she was going to FINALLY come to church! But then we came, and something came up with the old lady she works for, that always keeps her from coming. We were heartbroken, but we told her we would fast and pray for her to find a way. She really just needs a new job.

That night we went and saw Rosita and Nadia...two people in Italy who have completely captured my heart. Nadia is the adorable lady with alzheimers that I sang with last week who was an opera singer. She sat in on our lesson, and she loved the verses we were reading in the book of mormon, and she made the sweetest comments. She was so excited when we told her that she has her own Book of Mormon. She asked about 10 times when she was supposed to read it, and we told her whenever she wants to (she doesn't have a short term memory). I love her so much, and just hope she remembers to read!

That night we did gesso again in Piazza del popolo, and this time with dispensations. It wasn't as sucessful as the plan of salvation, but it still went pretty well! I made friends with a bunch of toddlers who wanted to draw with me. I couldn't get rid of them they loved it so much! (reminder...this is a great finding activity for families!)Sunday was crazy as usual, except I actually understood what was going on during relief society. It was really nice. During sacrament meeting Angelo came to church again. I almost had a heart attack moment when one of the more interesting older ladies in the ward got up and started yelling about how the catholic church isn't true, and something about a miracle with getting to the temple in 200 fiery cars. All you can do is laugh. But the great news was, is that angelo read every day in the Book of Mormon! yay!! Progress!

Monday was kind of beyond crazy. We were about to walk into the park when the plumber called and we had to RUN home to meet him. (Our water heater has been broken for a week...i've been taking showers with boiled water and pots and pans! I know this sounds crazy, but I actually had fun. I kept thinking "this is probably what Kent did everyday on his mission!" except i'm not sure if he even had a stove. That would suck). He wasn't able to fix it right then, so we went to meet Angelo and go with him to the Bishop's for FHE. When we showed up at the bus stop, he had a little surprise waiting for us....ROSES. One for each of us! haha, then he started stroking Sorella Barbiere's face. She took a deep breath, but the fiery italian in her broke out when he started making excuses about not wanting to go to the bishop's.

So we had to cancel, and now we must pass him off to the elders. haha...all you can do is laugh! So we called Tamara and she came to the church to watch the restoration video. She showed up and pulled out her English homework.......I think I realized two things that day about how who we are as missionaries might confuse people. Young ladies, and english teachers. Bah! But now that I know, i'm going to be much much more careful.

Yesterday was Zone Conference, which was incredible, and exactly what I needed after monday! I saw my old MTC comp Sorella Dalia, and I just missed her with all my heart. I felt like I had left my sister! It was great to talk to her and hear she's going through a lot of the same things. That night we had a little surprise. A lady called us, and asked to meet us at the train station. So we went, and found out that she is a member, who had lost her job and home, and didn't have a place to stay. We tried to take care of her the best we could, but all she wanted was us to take her suitcases so they wouldn't be stolen. It was sad, and the whole thing broke my heart. We spent a few hours with her and bought her dinner. I just hope she's okay.So I must end yet another long email! I love you all, and hope you are well.

This world is beautiful, and the gospel is true. Faith can make miracles happen, I see them every day. The mission is probably one of the hardest things i've ever done, but it's because we put every piece of our hearts on the table for these people. I realized that my original intentions of coming on a mission to learn more about the gospel, and just give up my life for God are not the reasons any more. Every person here that touches my heart makes me realize I'm here for them, and the help God have his children come back to him. The gospel is true! Study the Book of Mormon every day. It will change your life. Keep me in your prayers. you're all in mine!

Love,

Sorella Jenessa Miles

Mother's Day

This is what happens when you get old. Your face is pasted to the glass and you are looking outward, wondering why there is an ambulance going down the street at 3 in the morning with it's siren on and thinking, "Boy, I wish I could get some sleep. Hmm. Maybe another day."

I was thinking today that Mother's Day is coming up and that I would have really loved to send my mother a card. It is hard to think that both Kerry and my mother are gone and sometimes it is really hard on Mother's Day to want to celebrate without them. They were good women and tried to do their best to teach their children right from wrong.

They both taught their children in different ways. I remember Kerry telling me that one time his mother cried when his sister took all the lunch money from everyone's desk at school. She felt really bad. This goes to show you that she really wanted her children to do the right things. I know that my mother made fun of people who were doing the wrong thing to show us that the behavior was really stupid. That was her way of teaching us moral values. She also told us to do the right thing by telling stories about people who did things that were wrong and telling us how much she disapproved of it. Before we would go to someone's house we would get a lecture about how to behave in another person's home. For example, wait for the hostess to eat first, help clean up after the meal, don't ask for anything wait until you are offered it, don't get into people's cupboards or fridge, make sure that you said please and thank you and always use your napkin.

I have a different way of teaching my children. I was very straight forward with them to make sure that they knew what was right and wrong. I don't know if I taught them how to behave well as a guest in people's homes but they seem to know. They know not to take advantage of people. They are the givers not the takers. I wonder if that was always wise because sometimes people take advantage of their good natures and take and take from them.

I heard a good quote this week and thought I would share it. "When you wish upon a falling star, your dreams can come true. Unless it's really a meteorite hurtling to the Earth which will destroy all life. Then you're pretty much hosed no matter what you wish for. Unless it's death by meteor." For more of these go to http://www.despair.com/ they have some funny ones.