Sons of Alma

InsideOut has a new fan

2008-03-20T20:41:00.004-10:00

One of the missionaries in our ward shared with us a CD titled Sharing Time by the group InsideOut. I had never heard of InsideOut before, but after listening to the 14 tracks on the CD, my wife and I became instant fans!

I can't name a song I dislike from the CD, but I can name a couple of favorites, namely "Baptism--Jesus Come to John the Baptist" (track 10) and "My Heavenly Father Loves Me" (track 3).

Dating back to when I first heard barbershop quartet sung in the movie/musical "The Music Man," I've been a fan of four-part harmony, so when I heard InsideOut for the first time, I immediately took a liking, especially the songs with a strong bass part (I'm a bass singer wannabe).

While I may never be part of a real barbershop quartet or a group like InsideOut, I can sing along to my heart's content.

Photo credit: www.singers.com

Family Home Evening--3/17/08

2008-03-17T19:37:00.003-10:00

It had been more than a month since we last held Family Home Evening, so it was good to get back on track this evening. FHEs in our home usually have included our two children, Dustin (21) and Jamie (19), and also my mom, Martha, but none of them was here this evening, so instead of waiting for their arrival into the late evening, my wife and I had FHE together.

For our opening song, we sang "I am a child of God" as a duet, a capella. I can testify that I felt the spirit while singing with my eternal companion.

Sister Turner offered the opening prayer.

Then I gave a short talk/lesson based on the scriptures listed with our opening hymn, namely Psalm 82:6, Mosiah 4:15, and D&C 14:7.

Sister Turner then gave a lesson about developing Christ-like attributes from Preach My Gospel, a wonderful resource which I recommend (no, I haven't read the whole thing yet but it is on my reading list--at present, the top of the list is Jesus The Christ.

For our closing hymn, we sang "We Thank Thee o God for a Prophet" (one of my favorites). I offered the closing prayer.

A Early Saturday Morning in Laie

2008-03-15T18:19:00.005-10:00

My wife and I had a busy Saturday planned, and since we had missed our usual Tuesday at the Laie temple, we wanted to make sure that a temple session was part of our day today.

While we had gone to the temple on Saturdays before, we had never gone to the first session, which starts at 5:30 a.m. To get to Laie from our home in Kaneohe on time, we set our alarm for 4 a.m. and left home for the 24-mile drive to Laie at just past 4:30.

The drive along the windward coast of Oahu from Kaneohe to Laie is always a wonderful one, but it was especially nice this morning as the new day was just beginning to dawn. Few cars and few people were out this early.

As we made the left turn off of Kamehameha Highway onto Naniloa Loop, what a comforting sight it was to see the temple glowing there resplendently on the hill where it sits. What was even more comforting was to arrive at the parking lot of the temple to see it filled with many cars of temple workers and patrons. Plenty of faithful Saints here on Oahu.

A wonderful session it was, and the start of a wonderful day in the Lord's vineyard.

Photo credit: Ryan Passey

An obligation or commitment?

2008-03-11T19:47:00.002-10:00

At a priesthood meeting last year, Scott Whiting, our stake president at the time, said that attending the temple once a month was an obligation. Attending once a week was a commitment.

With those words buoying us, my wife and I have made a commitment to attend the temple once a week, and Tuesdays have been the day we have been going. Even last Tuesday, less than a week after she had surgery on her right knee (torn meniscus), my wife, using crutches, joined me at the Laie temple for the 3 p.m endowment session. That kind of dedication is one of the many reasons why I love my wife.

Today, things happened, so we were not able to go.

But there's always tomorrow.

Matthew 21:14 reads, "And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple; and he healed them."

I need lots of healing, and I have found the healing power in the holy temple of the Lord.

A new calling...

2008-03-09T19:03:00.002-10:00

Today, I was set apart as the first counselor in the Elder's Quorum for my ward. Willie Bejosa was called as Elder's Quorum president and Walter Clark was called as second counselor.

I accepted the calling a week ago, but mum was the word. Until today.

On hand in EQ today was our Stake President George Kaluhiokalani who set apart Brother Bejosa. Brother Bert Oshiro of the stake high council set apart Brother Clark and me.

Not long ago, I was set apart as the 4th Sunday teacher in our EQ. Being a new convert to the church, I thought that calling was beyond my means and ability. Here I was brand new to the church and being called to teach brethren who had served missions and had been LDS all their lives. What an order!

Over time, I've become a better teacher and have come to be comfortable in that calling which, from what I've heard, is about the time the Lord will deem it necessary for a new calling. So there may be something to being eternally uncomfortable.

But I've come to learn that Heavenly Father will give callings that will challenge us and help us grow and progress. And I pray that I can meet the challenge of my new calling and progress and grow.

Mum's the word

2008-03-04T12:06:00.002-10:00

As mentioned last time, I got a phone call from Bert Oshiro of the stake high council. My wife and I met with him before church on Sunday.

During that meeting, Brother Oshiro issued a call to me. And after conferring with my wife, I accepted the call.

However, due to circumstances that I don't fully understand (yet), I can't say what the calling is, at least until I am sustained in an upcoming church meeting, perhaps this coming Sunday at Sacrament meeting in our ward.

What I do need to understand and remember is Romans 12:3-5 which reads,

"For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another."

The Call and The Letter

2008-03-01T21:44:00.003-10:00

As Saturdays go, today was a pretty eventful one. First off, my wife had to take a test to qualify to become a Honolulu police officer. She wanted to join the police force long ago, but could not because at that time there was a minimum height requirement (she's an inch shy of 5 feet tall). Now, there is no height restriction, so if she passes the test and negotiates the other steps along the way, she'll be donning a badge, toting a firearm, and doing work to protect the community.

While she was in test-taking mode, I went for a 90-minute hike up the Bowman trail in Kalihi Valley. I got a good sweat from this trail romp; plus I got the old ticker pumping at some higher than usual rpms, so that was good, too.

When we got home in the afternoon, we had a phone message from Bert Oshiro, a member of the stake high council who said he wanted to meet my wife and I early tomorrow before church. I didn't think that there was anything to fret about regarding the meeting but my wife was worried, so she called Brother Oshiro back and asked if we were in any sort of trouble. She was assured that we were not , but now I'm curious what this meeting will be about. A new calling? We'll see.

What we probably won't be on hand to see is the marriage of Michael Healy to Lyndsey Garlick (see pic of the couple above left) in the Salt Lake Temple on March 20, 2008. In our mail today was an invitation to their wedding. Michael, who we came to know as Elder Healy, served as a missionary in our ward for a six-month stretch last year. Elder Healy did great work here in the Kaneohe 1st ward, including, among many other things, helping to paint the Turner family home.
Even if we can't make it to SLC for the wedding, we will be there in spirit. Congrats to Michael and Lyndsey.

The Blessings of the Relief Society

2008-02-29T18:39:00.004-10:00

On Wednesday, my wife had to go into the hospital for surgery on her knee, the result of damage done from a car accident a couple months ago. The surgery went well and she was able to come home, albeit in some pain, that same day.

We got home around 5 p.m. and as I was assisting my wife from the car to the house, Sister Fabian Heloca-Kaulukukui pulls up to make sure my wife was okay and also to deliver a dessert of baklava. Half an hour later, knocking on our front door was Janice Ahuna, a sister from our ward. She had been dispatched by the Relief Society of our ward to prepare dinner for our family. Thanks to Sister Ahuna and her family, we enjoyed a dinner of shoyu chicken, rice, steamed vegetables, potato salad, and a dessert that looked like an asparagus seedling in a cup of soil (but was actually chocolate pudding and crushed oreo cookies) [see pic at left].

The next night, dinner was prepared and delivered by the Dawn and Ray Shimata (meatloaf, rice, tossed salad).

And tonight, the Gary and Lola Kau brought us a dinner of potato casserole, a vegetable salad, and pineapple upside down cake.

All I can say is bless them every one. And I thank thee O God for the Relief Society and good folks of our ward.

Photo credit: goddesshobbies.blogspot.com

I'm in a Choir (at last)

2008-02-27T20:51:00.000-10:00

Since I was in high school, I wanted to be in a choir. Partly because of schedule conflicts and partly because I was too chicken to audition, I never went out for my high school choir.

Well, when I heard an announcement in church that our ward was going to organize a choir, I turned to my wife and asked her, "Can we?"

She was readily agreeable to this, so the Kaneohe 1st Ward choir had at least two eager members.

As things turned out, the choir has had upwards of thirty-plus of us at times though most of our practices, which take place after all our three hours of meetings are pau (finished), draws about fifteen.

We have been blessed with a top-drawer choir director, Micah Hirokawa, who not only teaches us our parts and how to blend them, but he also takes bits and pieces of time to teach us about musical theory and terminology in simple ways we can understand.

At present, we are practicing a set of hymns normally sung before we partake the sacrament for Easter Sunday. One of my favorites is "There is a Green Hill Far Away."

A Honolulu Fireside With Elder M. Russell Ballard

2008-02-25T22:05:00.005-10:00

Last night, my wife and I headed to the tabernacle in Honolulu to attend a fireside. The featured speaker was Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Twelve.

It was my first time in the presence of an apostle of the Lord, and I can say with certainty that I know that he knows.

Elder Ballard, who has a strikingly similar appearance to my father-in-law, talked about missionary work, and how as a mission president long ago, he helped a hesitant and skeptical investigator come unto the Lord and enter the waters of baptism by asking him to get on his knees, pray, and ask Heavenly Father if indeed he and the Elders who had been teaching him were indeed true messengers of God.

The investigator heeded the request, felt a prompting, and agreed to be baptized. He later was called as a bishop and did good work in the church.

Elder Ballard also noted that although it was only 7:30 p.m. Hawaii time, it was 10:30 p.m. in Salt Lake City where he lives, and that his usual time for bed was 10 p.m. "I usually turn into a pumpkin after 10:00 p.m" he quipped.

After he concluded his talk, he asked us if we would oblige and excuse him from the post-fireside mingling and handshaking, for he and two other brethren with him had a long drive to Laie on Oahu's north shore to make and a 7 a.m. meeting the next day to attend (they were here to find out the needs and doings of BYU's Hawaii campus).

Not wanting to disappoint us, he asked the hundreds of saints on hand to raise their hands, make a shaking motion while he did the same, and then go write in our journals that we had shaken hands with Elder Ballard. There were smiles aplenty in the tabernacle.

Elder Ballard, along with brethren he was with, filed right past where my wife and I were sitting, so close that I could have reached out and touched him. But I did not. Maybe some other time, if not in this life, then perhaps in the eternities.

EQ Jeopardy and Job Well Done, President Friel!

2008-02-24T21:38:00.003-10:00

Well, the adventure in Jeopardy for EQ went well today.

Before that, we got word from our EQ president, Tommy Friel, that he had been released and had been called to the stake high council (counsel?). I'm not sure how long he had served as EQP, but President Friel held the calling when I joined the church in 2/06, so it's been at least two years. Anyway, job well done by President Friel. I can testify that he has magnified his calling, no doubt.

For the lesson, I divided the quorum into four teams (3x3 and 1x4). I then reminded them how jeopardy was played. Instead of buzzing in to answer, they had to raise their hands to offer what they thought was the correct question for the offered answer.

I didn't have a game board prepared. Instead, I announced the category (there were four: facts, faith, family, and fruits), the amount that could be earned for a correct answer, and then the answer.

Brother Oshiro, an advisor from the stake high council, was on hand and at one point he reminded me that we were not wagering (gambling is a no-on in the LDS church). Instead we were "offering up some points to play with" or something along that line.

There was lots of spirited and friendly competition in the jeopardy lesson, and it came down to final jeopardy where in the category "FACTS" the final jeopardy answer was "December 12, 1850."

If you know the question, send me a message.

For the record, Team 1 (Walk, Tacuban, Sellers) amassed the most points, and were one of two teams to get the final jeopardy question. (Unbeknownst to me, the answer was posted in today's sacrament meeting program--wow, what a coincidence!)

I concluded the lesson by challenging the brethren to be prepared to share some information with curious non-members of the church. I even prepared a wallet-sized card with facts, faith, fruits, and family information on it.

I've Got an Elder's Quorum Lesson to Teach

2008-02-23T15:31:00.005-10:00

My present calling is as a teacher on the 4th Sunday in the Elder's Quorum. Tomorrow is the 4th Sunday of February, and as such I have to prepare a lesson. In our ward, the Bishop chooses two talks from the most recent General Conference to serve as the basis for 4th Sunday lessons, and the two talks chosen for tomorrow are "Faith, Family, Facts, and Fruits" by Elder Russell M. Ballard, and "Strengthen Home and Family" by Mary N. Cook.

While I haven't sought inspiration through prayer (something I ought to do in this case), my current prompting is to go with talk by Elder Ballard. Nothing against Sister Cook's talk. I just feel that more fruit (pardon the pun) can be borne from Elder Ballard's message.

Using information from Elder Ballard's talk, I am considering the idea of playing a jeopardy-like game with the bretheren of the quorum with the categories of Faith, Family, Facts, and Fruits. Maybe, the next Ken Jennings will be sitting in the Kaneohe 1st Ward Elder's Quorum tomorrow

Then I will challenge the brethren to share the Four Fs with interested or curious non-member family members, friends, co-workers, and others.

But now, I pray.

The road to a testimony

2008-02-16T15:38:00.002-10:00

As I mentioned previously, I have made listening to LDS General Conference and other church talks a regular part of my drive-time routine.

Today, I was listening to a talk about church doctrine and there was an interesting story about a young man who was called to be a seventy at age 15 and a stake president at age 23. As the story goes, when having a conversation with Joseph F. Smith, who would go on to become the 6th president of the church, this young man confided that even though he was called as a stake president, he could say with certainty that the gospel was true.

President Smith then remarked that the young man need not worry. "You just don't know that you know," was what he told the young man.

This young man, by the way, was Heber J. Grant, who went on to succeed Joseph F. Smith as President of the church.

I mention this here because there was a time when my testimony of the truth of the gospel was tenuous. Finding out that even a prophet of God had an uncertain testimony is somehow comforting to me.

A lot to learn...

2008-02-11T00:40:00.000-10:00

Yesterday in church, during sacrament meeting, one of the talks was given by Brother Robert Carlisle. He's on the stake high council and he's also a member of our ward.

Anyway, he gave a talk about the Fall of Adam and Eve. To be truthful, a lot of what he talked about went over my head, but I was intently trying to listen because I respect the man.

After sacrament meeting, Brother Carlisle left the stand and came down to where I was seated with my wife and said, "I hear you are really into studying the scriptures." Hearing this, I thought maybe he had read this blog (how vain of me to think that), but later I found out that my wife had been talking to his wife, and that is probably how he heard about my attempts to be more versed in the word of God.

He then handed me a book by Garth Allred titled The Eternal Plan of Happiness. Though not officially endorsed by the church, it is an interesting and fascinating book, so much so that during the next hour in Sunday School class, I spent more time than I should have browsing through the Allred book when I should have been paying attention to the lesson being given.

Later, after priesthood meeting, Brother Carlisle came up to me and handed me a second book. He said, "Give this to your wife to read. And, you can read it too if you want." Titled Believing Christ, the book is by Stephen E. Robinson. It's only125 pages but it's enlightening reading, literally illuminating some gospel concepts such as the atonement and grace that I have not yet fully grasped.

If anyone has read these books, I'd be interested in reading your comments.

A typical Saturday?

2008-02-09T17:15:00.000-10:00

Before I joined the church, a typical Saturday for me would be spent hiking in the mountains somewhere on my home island of Oahu. I'd hike and then I'd come home and write about hikes I've done.

Nowadays, my Saturdays are different.

Today, for example, I headed to the church to help out with cleaning up the chapel. In my ward, the task of cleaning up the chapel is rotated amongst the Elder's Quorum (which I belong to), the High Priests, the Relief Society, and the Young Men and Women.

Today was the EQ Saturday, so at a little past 8, I was at the church. Our quorum today consisted of just me and Brother Tacuban, who also brought along his grandson. Also there was our Bishop.

I won't be one to ask where the other quorum members were, for there were many EQ Saturdays where Brother Turner was MIA. Anyway, today we got the job done.

After that, my wife picked me up and we were headed to our Stake Center for a 2-hour "Worldwide Leadership Training Meeting" on the family. It was televised from the Salt Lake City and we heard from several General Authorities, including Apostles Packer, Holland and Oaks, the new President of the Church, Thomas M. Monson, and three sisters who head up the Relief Society, Young Women, and Primary organizations of the church.

No, I didn't wish I was hiking.

It was quite enlightening and time well spent on this Saturday. Yes, it was.

Signs of the hand of God

2008-02-08T11:52:00.000-10:00

In the Oct 2007 General Conference, President Henry Eyring gave a talk that really made an impression on me. I remember having this impression when I first heard the talk, and I had the same impression again when I listened to the talk again while driving to work with my wife this morning.

What were the words that gave me this impression?

Quoting President Eyring, he said: "I was supposed to record for my children to read, someday in the future, how I had seen the hand of God blessing our family."

Hearing this, I felt impressed to do this and continue to do this, not for me, but for my children and grandchildren and on and on.

So what sign have I seen today?

I saw my wife head into work with good cheer and the spirit of the Lord with her. Understand, that she has a job that is rife with challenges and risk (she works as a psych tech in the ER of the Queens Medical Center in Honolulu). Yet, she went today, just as she does every day she is assigned to work, looking forward to working hard and helping people. And she also is taking three college classes, doing her church callings, tending to our children and to me, among many other things she does.

I know that through her, God is blessing our family and blessing her.

Our Stake President said...

2008-02-07T17:46:00.000-10:00

I mentioned attending a stake priesthood meeting a couple Sundays ago. Anyway, at the meeting, our stake president, George Kaluhiokalani, mentioned how he has curbed down his TV viewing in order tend to other higher order concerns.

President Kaluhiokalani also mentioned that during his morning and afternoon commutes to and from work, he has taken to listening to General Conference talks instead of the radio. Without coming out and saying so directly, I think the President was letting us brethren know that we best consider wiser uses of our time.

As such, I have taken to listening to General Conference talks while driving. I probably spend at least an hour a day in a car, and I know I've been better off since I have begun (actually rebegun because I used to listen to GC talks at one point a few months ago.

The messages being conveyed have a way of seeping into my brain. And my brain needs a lot of seeping into.

Family Home Evening 2/4/08--All in Favor?

2008-02-05T16:23:00.000-10:00

In our family, we have been pretty consistent about holding Family Home Evening on Monday nights. I will admit that in the past month or so, we have let FHE fall a bit by the proverbial wayside, but I am happy to report that last night we gather our ohana for a FHE.

Along with my wife Jacque and I, also in attendance were my stepdaughter Jamie (18), my stepson Dustin (21), and my mom (71). Jamie, Dustin, and Grandma Turner are not members of the church, but they take part in our FHEs with a good bit of spirit and cooperativeness. While it is true that the kids have had some long faces during FHEs, it is also true that at times we have had some really fun, spirited and spiritual moments.

I will testify that Family Home Evenings have blessed our lives.

Last night, the FHE topic was the prophets on the earth. I talked about the passing of President Hinckley and his successor President Monson. I talked about how we as members of the church sustain not only the Prophet, but also other members of the church when they received their callings.

This prompted a discussion about whether anyone ever has raised a hand in opposition to someone's being sustained to a calling. In my two years in the church I have never seen it.

According to our bishop, he said he has seen a hand raised in opposition just once, and it wasn't for the president of the church.

Anyone seen a hand raised to the prompt "anyone opposed by the same sign"? Just curious.

Anyway, I suppose if I asked for a sustaining vote for the continuation of FHEs in our home, we just might get a couple "opposed by the same sign." Given that, I'll hold off on the vote for now.

Church on Super Bowl Sunday 2008

2008-02-04T17:04:00.000-10:00

Yesterday at Elder’s Quorum, the lesson was given by the Bishop of our ward. I haven’t been in the church but two years, but this is the first time the bishop ever has given a lesson in EQ since I’ve been here.

What I did notice is a few brethren who rarely show up for EQ were in attendance yesterday. Maybe the bishop should teach more often.

Anyway, the lesson was about time and money. Specifically, we learned or were reminded about our top four priorities, in order, as laid out for us by President Gordon B. Hinckley. And they are

Our wives and families
Our jobs
Our church callings and duties
Ourselves

From what I have read and heard, too many of us brethren, me included, have been doing too much #2 and not enough of #1 and #3. Results may vary, of course.

And taking into account my slowly increasing waistline, I’m also falling short in #4, particularly in the exercise and diet part of it.

A lot to work on in 2008 an onward into eternity for me.

Also of note in yesterday’s lesson was information about how the church allocates its money to the thousands of wards in the ward. The amount of funds a ward receives is based on its sacrament average meeting attendance. A uniform dollar figure that is the same for every ward in the world is multiplied by the average # attending sacrament meetings at that ward to arrive at the budget allocated to that ward.

I wonder if attendance will be up for our ward now that we have switched to a 1pm to 4pm time slot for 2008. In 2007, we gathered from 8am to 11am.

Speaking of attendance, not only was it up for EQ yesterday, there was also yesterday one of the bigger gatherings for sacrament meeting in my two years in the church. And it was Super Bowl Sunday to boot.

Good Saints we are. Go Giants!

Faith and Signs

2008-02-02T18:40:00.001-10:00

This past Tuesday, my wife and I were on the Big Island and were able to visit the Kona-Hawaii Temple for the first time. Despite an unanticipated problem, all went well.

We flew to Kona on the Big Island on Monday afternoon. On the drive to the airport, I asked my wife if she had remembered to bring certain important items such as her driver’s license which she would need to identify herself in order to get past airport security. She had that. No problem.

When I asked if she had her temple recommend, she said she thought she did and she began looking through her handbag for it. See, her wallet had been damaged so she had to keep all her cards and wallet items loose in her purse. And as she searched through her purse, I started to sense her angst.

Come to find out, she could not find her recommend. No recommend, no admittance into the temple. I thought it was that cut and dry.

However, my wife would not concede. She made calls to a member of our stake presidency who said he would vouch for her if need be if she did not find her recommend, and to our bishop, who also said he would do the same.

When we got to the Kona temple for the 9 a.m. session on Tuesday, we met the first counselor of the Temple Presidency, President Mo’o. He called our bishop, who had left us his work number and his cell phone number. No luck reaching him.

Bear in mind that the this was about five till nine. I was trying my best to remain calm and actually did a good job of it. Then, I thought that I should try to contact our bishop. A call from my cell phone to his office number in Honolulu was successful, and in a minute President Mo’o was talking to him, verifying the information that he needed to verify, and my wife and I were dashing off (reverently, of course) to the dressing room to prepare for the 9 a.m. session

We made it and had a nice session.

D&C 63: 9 says “But, behold, faith cometh not by signs, but signs follow those that believe.”

Yes, I believe.

Photo credit: ldschurchtemples.com

We Thank Thee Oh God for a Prophet

2008-01-31T17:06:00.000-10:00

This past Sunday, I attended a meeting for all the priestholders of our stake. I have attended meetings like these in the past and have found them to be sparsely attended, generally speaking. This Sunday, in contrast, there was a sizable turnout.

As I entered the Stake Center to find a seat, a saw familiar faces from my ward. I ended up sitting down next to the President of my Elder’s Quorum, Tommy Friel. As I seated myself, he leaned over and asked if I had heard the news.

“What news?” I asked.

“The Prophet passed away today.”

“Oh, no,” I said. I had not heard that news

Later in the meeting, one of the speakers related a similar response when he received the news from his wife. Her response was, “What do you mean, ‘Oh no!’ He has to be the happiest man on earth.”

I suppose he is.

But I will miss him. This man who I have never met, but I have come to know as a true prophet of the Lord. Gordon B. Hinckley.

I had hoped that at the priesthood meeting we would have sung “We Thank Thee Oh God for a Prophet.” We didn’t, but I sang the words of the song in my mind, in tribute to a man we have grown to respect, admire, and love.

Yes, we thank thee oh God for a Prophet.

Photo credit: laiglesiamormona.org

The Laimana Method: flip open and read

2008-01-24T16:58:00.001-10:00

Wanting to feel more like a full-fledged member of the church, within my first year I made a decision to read the entire Book of Mormon all the way through. Ditto for the Doctrine and Covenants and the Pearl of Great Price.

I can report I was able to read through all three.

I then reembarked on another go-thru of the Book of Mormon, but my daily reading fell off and I only got up to Alma 45-ish.

A few weeks ago, a longtime member of our ward, John Laimana (pictured with wife Jane at left), was called to be the new teacher for the Gospel Essentials class at church. John has been inspired to encourage us in the class to read the scriptures all the time. Not a new revelation by any means, but what he suggested has helped me be more consistent with my scripture reading.

What Brother Laimana suggested was to just open up the scriptures to any page and read what was there. I took up his suggestion and amazingly, I have come up with some pretty amazing insights. Brother Laimana calls these "Aha!" moments.

Just today, for example, I picked up a pocket version of the Doctrine and Covenents/Pearl of Great Price that my wife leaves in our car. While passing some time, I popped it open and read a passage that reminded me how important is to write my thoughts and feelings prompted by the spirit.

Eventually, I will set out to read the entire Bible from Genesis to Revelations. Until then, I'll keep up with the flip open and read method.

Photo credit: honoluluadvertiser.com

A man amongst boys...

2008-01-23T18:21:00.000-10:00

As a convert, one of the mysteries of the Mormon church that I had to understand is the priesthood. Males in the church, starting at the age of 12, can be ordained to the priesthood. The lower or lesser priesthood is called Aaronic. Generally and usually, Aaronic priesthood holders in the LDS church are boys from 12 to 18 years old. Not long after I was baptized and confirmed a member of the church, I was ordained to the Aaronic priesthood. Bear in mind, I was 47 years old, which made me three to four times older not to mention a foot or more taller and a bunch of pounds heavier than all the other Aaronic priesthood holders in my ward.

One of the responsibilities of the Aaronic priesthood is to administer the bread and water for sacrament meetings on Sunday. Partaking of the bread and water (sacrament) is the main event of an LDS Sunday service, and the young men of our ward, as in most wards in the church, were given this responsibility or calling. Being in the Aaronic priesthood, I, far from young and of hulking presence, had to take my place among the young men as part of my priesthood duty.

One of the things I had to do was say the sacrament prayer. To do so, I had to kneel and pray aloud into a microphone built in to the stand where the bread and water were administered. For this particular ordinance, the priestholder saying the prayer has to recite the words exactly right. If a word is missed or repeated, the whole prayer has to be redone. The bishop of the ward, or whoever else is presiding, has the responsibility of listening carefully to the wording to make sure the prayer sayer gets the words right. And if the prayer is mispoken, the bishop will indicate with a hand gesture to the praysayer to redo it. Fortunately, the words of the prayer were made available in large-sized, easy-to-read words on a sheet of plastic-covered paper.

I can't tell you how relieved I was that first time I prayed the prayer to see the bishop give me a nod of approval that I had gotten the words right.

A couple Sundays later, I repeated an "it" in the prayer without even realizing that I did so. So when I looked at the bishop for the sign of approval that I had gotten the prayer right, instead of seeing his nodding head, I saw him shaking his head and twirling the index finger of his right hand in a circular manner, meaning, "Do the prayer all over again."

Of course, I was embarrassed at my miscue. After all, I am an English teacher, and I should have been able to read and recite the words of the prayer without error. But I suppose Heavenly Father was testing my pride.

Thankfully, I said the prayer the second time flawlessly. And no one started a petition to kick me out of the church.

How I Became a Mormon--Part 14

2008-01-22T21:05:00.000-10:00

Called to Serve

Soon after we were baptized and confirmed, my wife and I received our first callings in the church. For those who are unfamiliar with the church, a calling is an assignment, a job, if you will. In our case, my wife and I were called to be teachers—my wife as a teacher in the Relief Society and me in the Elder’s Quorum.

The “call” was issued by the Bishop of our ward, Matthew Corry. Born and raised in Utah, Bishop Corry worked as an editor and technical writer for the Kamehameha Schools/Bishop Estate. He, his wife, and three daughters live in the same Keapuka (Kaneohe, Hawaii) subdivision where my wife, our children, and I live.

From what I have come to understand, the bishop prayerfully sought an inspiration from the Lord to determine where we and every other member of the ward was to serve—what our jobs would be, in other words. And after prayerfully seeking inspiration about my wife and I, me received a confirmation that we should be teachers.

Understand that as brand spanking new members of the church, we were intimidated by the notion of having to teach in a class filled with longtime, and in some cases lifelong members of the church. I liken it to a kindergartner being assigned to teach a graduate school class. Imagine that.

But Bishop Corry assured us of the inspiration he received, and that with the help of the Holy Ghost which we had received the gift of from confirmation, we would do fine. I did feel better after he said this, but when I walked into class on my first assigned Sunday to teach, I became in my mind that kindergartener facing a class of PHD hopefuls. And to think that I teach for living (English at Leeward Community College).

I will admit that my wife had an even bigger challenge, for she had to teach in the Relief Society, renowned throughout the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints for elaborate and spirit-filled lessons by well-prepared and enthusiastic sisters of the church. But as Bishop Corry assured us, we did fine. And no one kicked us out for not being Scriptorial gurus. In fact, we received lots of encouragement and well wishes from the brothers and sisters of our ward. This, we found out, is the Mormon way that have come to know and embrace.

How I Became a Mormon--Part 13

2008-01-21T08:13:00.000-10:00

You’re in the Army Now

A week after being baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, my wife and I were confirmed as members in a sacred ceremony that took place at the Waikalua chapel in Kaneohe, Hawaii where our ward met.

Confirmation, just like baptism, must be done by a worthy adult male who holds the higher priesthood, known as the Melchizedek priesthood (the lesser priesthood is called the Aaronic priesthood). Confirmation involves the laying on of hands. To illustrate, what happened in my case was that a selection of priesthood holders, about a half dozen or so, formed a circle around me as I was seated in a chair and laid their hands on the top of my head in a sacred priesthood ordinance. Each one contributed to a united gathering of inspiration and spirit. One of the “brethren” was to be the speaker. For my confirmation, it would be my high school buddy Ted, who I had invited to do the honors. Ted, along with his wife and children, had flown in from the Big Island and were in our ward that day in support of my wife and me.

My wife was also confirmed in a similar manner. During the confirmation, we received the gift of the Holy Ghost, who, we were told, would always attend to us and guide us and lead us as long as we kept the commandments of God. In addition to the gift of the Holy Ghost, we also received other blessings as confirmed by the spirit given to the priestholder giving the blessing.

I will admit that all this laying on of hands was strange and different to me, but I will also admit that I felt a comforting warmth and calmness inside. This, I have learned, is the spirit.

After the confirmation, I was asked to stand before the gathered congregation of the Kaneohe 1st Ward. At that point, the Bishop of the ward, Matthew Corry, addressed the congregation and asked them to sustain me as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints by raising their right hands. As far as I could tell, all people in attendance, both young and old, raised their hands. Then he gave them the opportunity to raise their hands if they were opposed to me being a member of the church. To my relief, none did, so the “vote” was unanimous for the affirmative. My wife also received a unanimous confirmation.

Since that day, I have been in attendance for confirmations of other new members of the church. In some cases, these confirmations are held right after the baptism. In the case of my wife and me, we were confirmed a week later during a sacrament meeting.

How I Became a Mormon--Part 12

2008-01-19T11:26:00.000-10:00

Into the Water

In my mind, I pictured the baptism day for my wife and me as a quiet, little ceremony. Unbeknownst to me, a baptism in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is quite an event, at least it was for ours in our ward, the Kaneohe First Ward of the Kaneohe, Hawaii Stake.

Prior to being baptized, my wife and I were interviewed by the Honolulu, Hawaii Mission President, Ronald Hawkins. A couple weeks prior, my wife and I had attended a “cottage meeting” at the home of President Hawkins with other people who were checking out the church (“investigators,” is what we are called). And it was at this meeting that we decided that we were ready to be baptized.

Actually, it was President Hawkins who decided, based on the interview we had with him. We met him at the Kaneohe Stake Center one evening about a week before our baptism date. We were asked if we believed the church was true, if I were living by the ten commandments, and if we were living by what the church called “the word of wisdom” which meant we were not drinking alcohol, smoking, and taking illegal drugs. We were also asked if there were things in our past that we wanted to confess.

I did have some things to confess. For one, I had not always behaved in a gentlemanly manner with my wife, and when I told President Hawkins about these times he asked if I had changed my ways and if I had made improvements in my behavior. I told him I had.

President Hawkins, a kind and soft-spoken man, told me that members of the church are not perfect, but they should always be striving to improve themselves. I told him I was willing to do that.

Our baptism was held in the afternoon on January 29, 2006 at the Kaneohe, Hawaii Stake Center. To my surprise, fifty or sixty people attended, many more than I could have imagined. Although there was just one member from our family there (Dustin, our son), we came to find out that we had gained many new family members, namely the good people of our ward and of our church. My high school buddies, Clint and Ted, along with their wives and children, also were there for the big day for my wife and me.

Baptism has to be done by a worthy priestholder of the church, and my wife and I chose Elder Michael Webber, 20, to baptize us. He, along with Elder Samuel Manasco, had been the ones who visited us often to teach us about the gospel of Jesus Christ, so it seem fitting that one of them be the one.

While the baptism was the “main event” of the ceremony, there were other things on the program, including an opening and closing prayer and talks about baptism (given by my friend Ted) and the gift of the Holy Ghost (given by Brother Moses Bergao, a beloved member of the Kaneohe 1st ward. We also sang hymns, and I chose “Love at Home,” one of my favorites till this day.

I will confess that I cried on this day as did my wife. We felt the gift of the spirit that baptism brought us. We also felt the happiness we sought. Yes, we were on our way.

How I Became a Mormon--Part 11

2008-01-16T16:59:00.000-10:00

On the Verge

While it was true that the first time in an LDS church made an impression on me, I was not absolutely sure I was ready to take the plunge, as it were.

What followed thereafter was an invitation by the missionaries to take a trip to visitor’s center at the Church’s Laie Temple. That visit was very touching, and in a similar way to what happened at the first sacrament I had attended the week before, I found myself moved to point of tears at several junctures while at the visitor’s center. During that visit, we watched the movie “Testaments,” which was about the visit of the resurrected Christ’s to the Americas. Christ in the Americas? While this was news to me, I did not dismiss the possibility.

Soon after the trip to the Laie visitor’s center, my wife and I were invited to what is called a “cottage meeting.” The meeting, held for investigators of the church, would be at the mission president’s home in the ritzy neighborhood of Kahala. I imagined that the mission president was some rich local white guy, or a haole, as white people are referred to in Hawaii, probably an attorney or a doctor or a rich businessman.

As it turned out, the mission president, in this case, was Ronald K. Hawkins from Orem, Utah, who was “called” to his position as mission president for a three-year period. When called like this, the individual leaves his job and home and family behind. He does bring his spouse, in the case of President Hawkins, his wife Anne, a wonderful woman who my wife took an instant liking to.

At the cottage meeting were probably a dozen and half investigators along with the missionaries who were teaching them. Accompanying my and me were our two missionaries, Elder Samuel Manasco from Delaware and Elder Michael Webber from Wisconsin, two young men we would come to know well abd have a lot of affection for.

The meeting included an opening hymn, which we all sang. A lover of music, especially spiritual songs sung by groups or choirs, I was feeling the spirit as we sang. President Hawkins, a kind, friendly, gentle man, gave a welcoming talk, and then we spent the rest of the evening just mingling and enjoying some ice cream and snacks.

During the meeting, President Hawkins came up to me wife and me and matter-of-factly asked, “So when are you going to be baptized?”

Looking at each other with happy grins on our faces, my wife and I answered, “No one has asked us yet.”

Hearing that, President Hawkins summoned Manasco and Webber and said to them, “The Turners need a baptism date. Can you accommodate them?”

And a date was set two week hence. Yes, the Turners were on their way to becoming members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

How I Became a Mormon--Part 10

2008-01-13T11:14:00.000-10:00

Three Hours of Church?

Also on that first day at church, after attending the first hour-long part, which I came to learn was called “Sacrament Meeting,” my wife, my children and I were then shepherded by friendly ward members to Parts 2 and 3 of a usual Sunday at church for a Mormon family. Part 2, also an hour long, was called Sunday School. My step-daughter Jamie, 17 at the time, was taken to a class for young women. Meanwhile, my wife, my stepson Dustin, and I were taken to a class called “Gospel Principles.” Taught by Roy Hirokawa, a longtime member of the ward, the class, which is for investigators and newer members of the church, was about the plan of salvation on that day. Among the things mentioned in class that morning was that in addition to a Heavenly Father (aka God), there also was a Heavenly Mother. Wow, that was news to me.

Also in attendance at the class was Bishop Matthew Corry. As the bishop of the Kaneohe 1st Ward, he functions in a way like pastors and priests of other faiths lead their congregations. I later came to find out that Bishop Corry does not usually attend Gospel Principles class. Though I’m not certain, I think he was there that day to help us feel more at home.

After Sunday school, my wife, again accompanied by friendly ward members, was taken to what is called “Relief Society” which is yet another class, in this case for all the women of the ward 18 years and older. I don’t know what kind of “secret” stuff they talked about in Relief Society that day, but I’ve come to find out that Relief Society has been a blessing for my wife, my family, and for many members of the church.

In the meantime, Dustin and I were escorted to a meeting called “Elders Quorum.” Presided over by Tommy Friel, who I mentioned in Part 9, Elders Quorum was a meeting for all the men of the ward over 18. In Elders Quorum, there was yet another lesson. In it, I heard terminology like “priesthood” and “brethren” and “setting apart” and “ordained.” To say that I was confused and bewildered was understating how I felt. At the same time, though, I was intrigued. Would I become a part of all this? At that point, I still wasn’t sure, but what I could not deny was the good feelings I had at Sacrament Meeting that day. No, I could not deny the spirit I felt.

How I Became a Mormon--Part 9

2008-01-13T11:00:00.000-10:00

Being an Investigator

A person who shows an interest in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is called “an investigator.” I came to realize how much import is placed on LDS investigators when, soon after I began checking out the church with some seriousness, I got phone calls and emails of support from Clint and Ted, my two high school-buddies-turned-LDS. Additionally, for one of the lessons taught at my home by the missionaries, they were accompanied by Tommy Friel, a Kamehameha alum and a member of the local LDS ward. What’s more, another church member, Moses Bergao, who lived just a street away from us in Kaneohe, also dropped by our house to express welcome to us. Wow, so much attention. I didn’t quite know what to think other than that these Mormons were friendly folks and also quite serious about getting us to join them.

The missionaries provided us with copies of the Book of Mormon (BOM) and suggested passages in it for us to read. I will admit that I wasn’t gung-ho nor diligent about getting the reading done, but the missionaries were consistent and persistent about showing up at agreed upon days and times and asking us if we had done the reading they had suggested.

After I had dropped the ball on reading the BOM, I finally decided that I had best read it if only to not having to keep saying over and again that I had not opened the book. I’ll confess that I didn’t have any epiphanies or spiritual experiences upon reading the book. But at the same time, I didn’t have any bad or doubtful feelings or thoughts either.

One of the keys to my conversion was when my wife and I and our two children attended a Sunday “meeting” at the local LDS ward. Being very naïve about the church and not being a very diligent investigator, I had expected an LDS Sunday service to include a pastor (or the LDS equivalent thereof) preaching a sermon about the evils of smoking and drinking and gulping down caffeine-laden beverages like coffee and Coke. I also expected LDS members to be automatons, reciting in unison chants like, “We shalt not smoke. We shalt not drink alcohol! We shalt not drink Coke!” yada, yada yada.

To my surprise, none of that happened. What did happen during that “meeting” is some excellent singing of hymns by the congregation (Mormons sing hymns? I never imagined that). A talk by a young man, Jordan Laimana, who was heading off to serve a church mission in Africa. A musical medley done by Tommy Friel, his wife, and their three children (one of the songs was “Love at Home,” which when sung was so touching to my wife and I that we were in tears). And a final farewell to Jordan by the all the members of the ward in attendance (probably over 100) where everyone stood up and sang him a traditional song—Aloha Oe. More tears flowed from my wife and I.

When I reflect on that day in church, I felt as if the whole thing were planned for my wife and me. Things seemed “right.” True, wearing a colorful polo shirt amongst all the white-shirt-and-tie wearing brethren of the ward, I did feel like the odd man out in that chapel that day. But that feeling of being an outsider diminished by the warm welcome extended to me and my family by members of the ward.

Were we baptized soon thereafter? No, not so soon, but the tide had risen dramatically, and with a few more forthcoming spiritual experiences, baptism into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints would be in the works.

How I Became a Mormon--Part 8

2008-01-11T13:58:00.000-10:00

Dating, Marriage, and Problems

A hike was one of the first dates I had with my future-wife Jacqueline. Actually, it was her idea to go on a hike, and we found a local hiking club and we joined them one Saturday in 1994 for a five-mile hike. I eventually got the hiking bug and became an avid hiker. I mention that here because I hiked so much that the mountains of Hawaii became my church and chapel in my search for God.

I dated my wife for eleven years before she finally consented to marry me. We had many good times during our decade-plus courtship. In the months preceding our wedding, my wife and I were living together in her apartment in Wahiawa, located in the central part of the island of Oahu. To my surprise, Mormon missionaries visited my wife and her two children at the apartment and taught them lessons. The missionaries were cordial to me but I felt ill at ease with them there, probably due to guilt and shame issues for living such a sinful life without church.

Because I had communication, anger, and other issues and I was unable to deal with these issues well, there were some dark times for us at Wahiawa. I always thought of myself as a quiet, gentle man, and when all this anger and rage came out, I blamed it on Jacqueline. The truth was that Jacqueline wasn’t my problem--I was and I needed help.

To help us through the darkness, at my future wife’s suggestion, we began attending a community church in Mililani. The church was okay and the people there were nice but there seemed to be something missing. I also got to know the pastor there, and he and I began meeting once a week at his office to fellowship and to talk about the bible.

Also during this time, I got word that my high school party buddy, Clint (recall him from Part 2), had been baptized into the Mormon church, along with his wife and two children. I was puzzled by this. After all, Clint and his wife were highly successful professionals in their fields. What did the Mormon church have for them and their children?

On June 5, 2004 at 3:21 in the afternoon (654321), Jacqueline and I were married in a Christian ceremony at the chapel of the Kamehameha Schools. We had our wedding reception in Mililani. Many of our family and friends were there, including Ted and family and Clint and family—the Mormons. To my relief, they didn’t push their religion on me. Not once. Without realizing it, I was impressed by that.

In the months that followed we moved to my home in Kaneohe. Our budding marriage didn’t go smoothly and we sought out counseling for help. Also during that time, Mormon missionaries showed up at our home. Wanting to keep the door open to the help I needed to be a better husband, I agreed to talk to them and go through lessons they had.

When I mentioned to my pastor friend that the LDS missionaries were visiting me, he warned me that they might be the proverbial wolves in sheeps’ clothing. Ironically, his comment to me, instead of making me want to avoid the Mormons, actually made me want to know more about them. So I, along with my wife, continued to meet with the missionaries in the coming months.

How I Became a Mormon--Part 7

2008-01-10T12:36:00.000-10:00

Seeds are planted

I spent a year in Flagstaff, Arizona at the Northern Arizona University. If I met a Mormon there, I didn’t know it. I did do a bunch of drinking there. It helped me deal with the loneliness of being so far away from home. I would have been better off going to church, but my church-going days were still a decade-plus away. I got calls from my friend Ted in Yuma now and then, and when I finally fessed up that I would not be joining him to coach and teach at his high school, he was saddened by that news.

In addition to alcohol consumption, I also studied in earnest, so much so that I graduated with a 4.0 GPA with an MA in English from NAU. Post graduation, I applied to a host of teaching jobs, mostly in Arizona, California, Oregon, Washington, and Hawaii. As it turned out, being fresh out of grad school with no teaching experience, I received lots of rejection notices. To my relief, I did receive one job offer—from Leeward Community College back on my home island of Oahu in Hawaii, so I packed my stuff and headed home to Hawaii.

I began working at LCC as an adjunct writing teacher. After I taught a year there, a full-time tenure-track job opening was advertised. I applied and got the position. Over time, I completed my probationary period and earned tenure, which basically meant I had a job for life if I wanted it.

In 1993, I also met the woman who was eventually to become my wife. Her name was Jacqueline and she had four children from two previous marriages.. No, she wasn’t a Mormon, but unbeknownst to be, she and her children were investigating the LDS church, even attending a local LDS ward now and then.

During this time, Mormon missionaries began showing up at the front door of my home in Kaneohe. If I was outside washing my car or doing yardwork and I saw them in time, I would beat a quick retreat into my house to avoid them. And for the times when they caught me by surprise, I would typically give them the “Thanks, I’m not interested line."

At the time, I wanted no part of what they wanted to teach me, but the thing that made an impression in my mind was that they were always cordial and they always came back. Mormons are very persistent, I came to understand. What I also came to understand is that their efforts, along with all the efforts of all the church members I had encountered in my life, had planted seeds in my soul.

Steve Young Video about the church

2008-01-10T12:34:00.001-10:00

Definitely worth a look.

How I Became a Mormon--Part 6

2008-01-09T09:56:00.000-10:00

Off to Arizona

As things turned out, 1989 was an eventful year for me. It was then that I made a decision to leave Hawaii and make a life for myself away from the islands. A catalyst in this decision was my high school friend Ted. Recall that he was my drinking and party buddy back at Kamehameha and post-Kamehameha days until he found the LDS church (or the LDS church found him) and he converted.

Anyway, Ted, having had graduated from Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, was living happily as a member of church in Yuma, Arizona with his wife and three children. Ted was also the head football coach at a brand new high school in Yuma. After conferring with the principal of his school, Tim asked me if I wanted to come join him as a member of his coaching staff and also teach English there. The coaching and teaching jobs were guaranteed as long as I obtained Arizona teaching certification.

I thought things over and decided to make the move, a very big one for someone who was born and raised in the beautiful yet insulated world that Hawaii is. I applied to Northern Arizona University with the goal of obtaining Arizona certification and was accepted. So in May 1989, I shipped my truck over to the mainland, packed up my stuff, boarded a plane, and headed to the continent.

I picked up my truck in Long Beach and made the drive south to San Diego then east to the California/Arizona border where Yuma is situated. I stayed with Ted and his family for a week after which I had to leave to go to Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff to begin classes there. During the time I spent in Yuma with Ted and his Ohana (family), I had the impression that Yuma was not the place I wanted to settle down. I think what sealed my decision was when Ted and his wife said that they “would find a nice Mormon girl” for me to marry. Sure, I wanted to get married and settle down some day, but as a Mormon? No, thank you.

Not wanting to hurt my hosts’ feelings, I kept my thoughts to myself, but my mind was already made up, and when I headed to Flagstaff, I had already nixed the idea of getting Arizona high school teaching certification, coaching and teaching with Tim in Yuma, and finding a nice Mormon girl to marry. I decided to pursue an MA in English instead. What I’d do after that I wasn’t sure. I had dreams of finding a teaching job somewhere in the western part of the U.S. and making a life for myself there. As it turns out, God had other plans for me.

How I Became a Mormon--Part 5

2008-01-08T09:32:00.000-10:00

Word of Wisdom?

The 1980s was a time of wandering and searching for me. I can’t say I was searching for God or the gospel or anything religious. I can’t recall for sure if I ever set foot in a church in that decade, and certainly not a Mormon church. I’d like to believe that there were people who were praying that I find the light of the gospel and find my way to church, and their prayers were answered, but not until many years had passed.

Meanwhile, I continued my sojourn in apostasy. From 1980 to 1989, I coached football at Kamehameha and did well enough that I was eventually asked to move up to coach the offensive line on the varsity team. During that decade, I also coached basketball, both junior varsity and varsity, also at Kamehameha. A big part of the coaching culture back then, particularly for football, was drinking. And we drank a lot. I can even recall attending a postseason recognition banquet for the Kamehameha football team where my job that night was to introduce the dozen players I had coached and give a brief spiel about each one. I gave what I thought was an outstanding speech and I was drunk while I gave it. Perhaps some of those Mormon young men that I coached said a prayer for me that night. I’d like to think that they did.

In addition to drinking, I was also a big consumer of tobacco. No, I didn’t smoke cigarettes. Never have. But I was big time into chewing tobacco—dipping, as it is called. It was a habit I picked up during my year in Boise while playing college football there. And dipping was a nasty habit that I was unable to break until much later.

In addition to coaching, I also was involved with Hawaiian outrigger canoe paddling. I was drawn to this sport not just for the physical workout that it provided, but for the drinking. And we drank a lot back then, seemingly every day. Like I’ve heard Marines say, “We train hard and we drink hard.” Like good Marines, my canoe paddling teammates and I adhered to the same philosophy. And we felt justified in what we did because we experienced some success, winning races now and then.

In the 1980s, I also continued to go to school at the University of Hawaii. In 1988, twelve years after I graduated from high school at Kamehameha, I finally had pieced enough college credits together to earn a BA degree from UH. The degree was in English. What I was going to do with that degree I wasn’t sure, but at least I had it.

Then in 1989, something happened that started me on my turnaround in life.

How I Became a Mormon--Part 4

2008-01-07T08:17:00.000-10:00

People Along the Pathway

Little did I realize that people I would meet along the way would play roles in helping me find the one true church. And at the time I met these people, I had no idea they were members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

Although I had given up my football scholarship at Boise State, I still loved the game, so I returned to my high school to coach the offensive line for Kamehameha’s junior varsity team. I coached a slew of outstanding players at Kamehameha and what I didn’t realize at the time was that many of these standouts were members of the church. Just like my classmate Stanton Akana, who I mentioned in part 2, these players were hardworking obedient, non-complaining, and did not cuss or swear. And, not surprisingly, these young men were outstanding football players, a coach’s dream, as the saying goes.

Also implanted in my mind are recollections of the parents of these young men. More often than not, these parents were very helpful, supportive, and positive. One couple, Mary and Isaac Miyashiro, parents of Masa Miyashiro, stood out. The Miyashiros seemed to always be around at practices and games, not to badger or pressure us coaches as some parents did. Instead, they would volunteer to help out the team and the coaches in any way. The Miyashiros, as I recall, helped to organize the other parents and took on the task of putting together the team’s end-of-the-season banquet.

Years later, when I walked into a chapel of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints for the very first time, who did I see there but the Miyashiros. Another LDS member I met that day at church was Bob Uyehara, the father of another Kamehameha player I had coached. I came to find out the other LDS members who I had coached when they were young men: in addition to Masa Miyashiro, the lineup included Spencer Parker, Kapua Maruyama, and Michael Matsuzaki. It’s very possible that there were others as well, and I will likely learn who they are in the years ahead.

I also have come to find out that there were others I had met in my life who were members of the church, some of whom I had gone to school with at Kamehameha including Jeff Noa and Jay Serrao. As I reflect on how these guys carried themselves and lived their lives, I find it no surprise that they were LDS. Things started to click in my head.

Admittedly, this clicking in my brain took a while to occur, but I’ve come to believe that these people were put in my path for a reason, and that all that I went through was necessary for me to learn and experience what I needed to learn and experience.

And there was much more to learn and experience—much more.

How I Became a Mormon--Part 3

2008-01-06T10:03:00.000-10:00

From Kamehameha to Boise to the Waiting Room of a Mormon Temple

With not even an inkling of a thought that I would become a member of the Church of Jeus Christ of Latter Day Saints, or any church for that matter, I graduated from Kamehameha in 1976. Because of athletic talents I had along with good physical size (6’4, 230 lbs), I received many inquiries from colleges looking to add me to their football teams. One of those was Brigham Young University, the school affiliated to and supported by the Mormon church. Those college inquiries led to several scholarship offers but not from BYU, not that I would have attended there anyway. I eventually decided on Boise State University, where I attended and played football for a year. The drinking and partying that had begun at Kamehameha continued in a bigger way at Boise. After all, I was far away from the watchful eyes of my parents, and I had no gospel or church to guide me.

Homesick for Hawaii after a year, I forfeited my scholarship, left Boise, and returned to Oahu, where I continued partying and drinking, a good deal of which was with my Kamehameha buddies Ted and Clint. About a year or so after I had returned from Boise, I got a call from Ted with some stunning news: he had joined the Mormon church and had been baptized. One of the things I knew about Mormons was that they didn’t drink, so for Ted to join the church and give up drinking, I figured he [A] had gone pupule (a Hawaiian term for crazy), [B} had had a spiritual experience, or [C] had found a good Mormon girl. While I do not know if A and B applied to Ted, I do know that C did.

And Ted also announced to me that he was going to marry that good Mormon girl and that I was to be the best man at his wedding.

The wedding ceremony took place at the Mormon temple in Laie on Oahu’s north shore. I can’t recall the exact year, but it was in the early 1980s. Ted informed me that although I was his best man, I could not attend the ceremony in the temple because I was not a member of the church. The same applied to all of Ted’s family. So Ted’s family and I spent time together in the waiting area outside the temple while Ted and his bride were being married inside. What kind of strange and secret things were going on in that temple that we could not witness?

Unbeknownst to me, 20+ years later I would be entering that same temple with my own bride as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. But there still was a long road to travel before then.

Photo credit: ldschurchtemples.com

How I Became a Mormon--Part 2

2008-01-04T08:54:00.000-10:00

After a few years, I learned that if I dragged my feet enough on Sunday mornings, my mom would stop insisting and reminding me to go to that Nazarene church. And because she stopped insisting and reminding, I stopped going to church. Thus ended any association with any religious body for many, many years.

Starting in the fourth grade, I attended Kamehameha, a private school for students of Hawaiian ancestry. Part of Kamehameha’s mission was still to instill students with a Christian foundation, and as such, at Kamehameha there were Christian-based classes interspersed with the standard 3R type. We at Kamehameha also learned Christian songs, the most memorable to me being the Doxology (“Praise God from whom all blessings flow…). We also prayed before our lunchtime meal. I though all this Christian indoctrination was okay and I didn’t balk at it.

I can’t remember when I first heard of the Mormon church. However, I can remember the first of my Kamehameha classmates who was a Mormon. His name was Stanton Akana, and he entered Kamehameha in the ninth grade. What was different about Stanton was that he didn’t cuss and swear like all the other male students. Let me qualify that not all male students cussed and swore, but almost all of the students I hung out with, mostly jocks, did.

Stanton was a jock, too. But he was different. In addition to being a non-cusser, he was hardworking, humble, and obedient, classic LDS virtues as well as classic virtues of jocks known as a coach’s dream. And Stanton was that. A strong, tough, hardhitting linebacker on the football team, Stanton had the respect of us all.

I also was on the Kamehameha football team, and after observing and interacting with Stanton and his cleancut Mormon ways, did I have aspirations of becoming a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints? Not at all. Instead, I had designs on partaking of the fun that was part of high school life at Kamehameha at that time, namely drinking and partying.

And during my Kamehameha days, I did a lot of drinking and partying. A couple of my closest friends and drinking buddies at Kamehameha were Tom and Clint (not their real names). I mention them here because eventually they would join the LDS church but not after living in apostasy for a number of years. I will mention these two more later.

How I Became a Mormon--Part 1

2008-01-03T10:20:00.000-10:00

I was not born into the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. In fact, I did not become a member of the LDS church until I was in my late 40s. On that same day, January 29, 2006, my wife Jacqueline was also baptized into the church. I'll be writing primarily about my journey to Mormonhood as well as touching on my wife's. It has been an interesting and eventful journey. And we have only just begun.

I was born and raised in Hawaii on the windward side of the island of Oahu. And I still live there today. Except for the first five years of my life and a couple years spent away on the mainland to attend college, I have lived all my life in a town called Kaneohe.

All through those years, I lived my life without knowing that my maternal grandmother was a member of the Mormon church. I also went through 40+ years of my life without knowing that my father, too, was a member, having been baptized as boy. My grandmother, Elizabeth Turner, passed away when I was five or six, so I didn’t know her well. I cannot recall any memories of her attending church or talking of church or any such thing. I’m not even sure if she was still attending church during the time of my early childhood. I’ve come to find out that she had attended church faithfully for a time but like some members do, she fell away.

My dad, I came to find out, never had much to do with the church after his baptism. In a conversation I had with him after I was baptized, he told me that he had received a priesthood blessing from brethren of the LDS church as a boy after he had become very ill. My dad told me he believed that the blessing had something to do with his recovery from the illness. Nonetheless, my dad said that he had other things on his mind during his youth other than church. This was Hawaii after all, and the allure of the beach as well as sports and friends was more appealing to him.

And I could relate. As a youth, I also felt the tug of sports, the beach, and friends. As I was growing up, my dad never said anything to me or my four siblings about any church, let alone the LDS church. It was my mom, who was born a Catholic, who pushed us toward church. And it wasn’t the Catholic church. Instead, my brothers and sisters and I attended a nearby Nazarene church in Kaneohe for a few years. I was never enthusiastic about attending church, but I learned not to squawk about having to do so because I learned that it was best not to rock the boat in my household.

Seek ye first...

2008-01-02T07:17:00.000-10:00

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus tells us "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." (Natthew 6:33)

A few Sundays ago, a brother in my ward, in a lesson on developing our talents, spoke about how he based his life on the teaching of this scripture. And that as he went about developing and sharing the talents he had (one of which was being a fire knife dancer), as long as he remembered to seek the kingdom of God first, blessings came forth for him.

This is a good lesson for me.

Alpha

2008-01-01T15:38:00.001-10:00

It is the first day of the year 2008. I awoke this morning and asked the Lord for a prompting on what I should do. You see, I have been working on a couple of blogs (1 & 2) and I wasn't sure if I should continue on these or do something else.

I felt prompted to open the Book of Mormon to a random page. And what I came to was Alma 43. Reading it, I knew what I was prompted to do, so here I am. I look forward to a good experience here sharing my experiences as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.