Congratulations on the New Additions

We would like to congratulate Nui & Vai I. on the birth of their son, Temanatoa Talalotu Hinckley (7lbs. 14.5oz, 20.5in. long) as well as Renon & OJ M. on the birth of their son, Oliver-Joseph Tauanuu Tamotu ( 8lbs. 14oz., 20in. long). Both babies came into the world on November 19th, 2010.

Recipe: Apple-Raisin Coffee Cake

Got relatives staying with you over the holidays? Here's an easy breakfast recipe (from Kelly C.'s kitchen), chock-full of healthy fruit and nuts, that'll serve a small army.

APPLE-RAISIN COFFEE CAKE

5 cups cored, peeled, and chopped apples

1 cup raisins

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup chopped walnuts

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 tsp. vanilla

1 egg, beaten

2-1/2 cups whole-grain flour

1-1/2 tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. ground cinnamon

Olive oil cooking spray

13" x 9" x 2" baking pan

Large mixing bowl

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray a 13" x 9" x 2" baking dish or pan with cooking spray. In a large mixing bowl, combine apples, raisins, sugar, and walnuts, and mix them together well. Allow mixture to stand for 30 minutes. Then stir olive oil, vanilla, and egg into mixture. Sift flour, soda, and cinnamon together, then slowly stir into apple mixture, making sure it stays moist. Fold mixture into pan and bake 35 to 40 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool slightly before serving. Makes 20 servings.

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 35 to 40 minutes

Nutritional Information (per serving)

Calories 164

Protein 3 grams

Fiber 3 grams

Carbs 28 grams

Fat Total 5 grams

Saturated Fat 1gram

Spotlight for December

We would like to welcome Charlene I. and her children, Kobe and Kitana to our L-town 4th Ward Ohana and more particularly our Relief Society. Charlene is from this beautiful island of Oahu while her children are from the Big Island. They made their way here to L-town because of BYUH. Some of Charlene’s favorites are ANYTHING chocolate, ANYTHING white, and Zumba. She also LOVES FOOD! Charlene likes to read, travel, coach Judo, more Zumba, and sleep. Charlene’s ULTIMATE favorite aspect of life is being HAPPY and being in LOVE with LIFE. Someday she would love to visit ALL the temples and serve a mission with her husband. There isn’t a single thing that is unique about Charlene because EVERYTHING about her is unique. We are so thrilled to have Charlene and her family as part of our L-town 4th Ward Ohana and part of our Relief Society!

Presidency Message from December Newsletter

The Christmas season is wonderful in many ways. It is a season of charitable acts of kindness and brotherly love. It is a season of being more reflective about our own lives and about the many blessings that are ours. It is a season of forgiving and being forgiven. It is a season to enjoy the music and lights, parties and presents. But the glitter of the season should never dim our sight and prevent us from truly seeing the Prince of Peace in His majesty. 

Let us all make this year’s Christmas season a time of rejoicing and celebration, a time when we acknowledge the miracle that our Almighty God sent His Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to redeem the world! 

 --Pres  Dieter Uchtdorf Dec 2010 Ensign.

Attitude of Gratitude Presidency Message for January

I have been seeing on a few people's blogs with the "gratitude" challenge. I went back and reread President Monson's talk from this past October's General Conference, The Divine Gift of Gratitude. There were quite a few points that President Monson made that really touched me:

• "Sincerely giving thanks not only helps us recognize our blessings, but it also unlocks the doors of heaven and helps us feel God's love."
• "We can lift ourselves and others as well when we refuse to remain in the realm of negative thought and cultivate within our hearts an attitude of gratitude."
• Those things which provide deep and lasting happiness and gratitude are the things which money CANNOT buy: our families, the gospel, good friends, our health, our abilities, the love we recognize from those around us. Unfortunately, these are some of the things we allow ourselves to take for granted." 
• "Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a gift and not giving it." 
• "When we encounter challenges and problems in our lives, it is often difficult for us to focus on our blessings. However, if we reach deep enough and look hard enough, we will be able to feel and recognize just how much we have been given."

 The above five quotes struck me because I need to improve in all of these areas. So I will be taking it upon myself to EVERY DAY have an Attitude of Gratitude and to post my gratitude each day. I want to show gratitude each day for things that are NOT SO OBVIOUS, like, my house, my car, my food, etc. even though I AM thankful for all of these but I feel SINCERE gratitude is towards the non-tangible aspects of my life.

Hence today I am thankful for being worthy to have the Holy Ghost abide with me. I started ironing our church clothes today and I kept getting the "feeling" that something was not right. I was hearing a crackling sound and was trying to figure our where it was coming from. It sounded like the chord from the iron was rubbing against something. Yet I was careful and more observant with what I was doing. All of the sudden ( after ALMOST finishing ironing Lavinia's dress) I heard a "pop" and saw a cloud of smoke come out of my iron. Here the chord (close to the base of the iron) split. I immediately unplugged the iron. That iron has to be at least 15 years old (how long we have been married) or more (since I moved out of Mom & Dad's house). I am just THANKFUL that I was right there when it happened and not out of the room checking on one of the kids or something else (like I've done in the past). I am also THANKFUL that this iron died NOW and not when I was making and ironing 100 handkerchiefs for the L-town Temple Re-dedication.

I am also THANKFUL for the opportunity I had to go to church today with my family with a peaceful attitude. Usually we are so rushed getting to church and usually never fails that we are looking for something at the very last minute (scriptures, shoes, etc.) so then we are late getting to church and I pretty much need the ENTIRE sacrament meeting to calm down. BUT today was AWESOME! I was able to have the spirit with me from the time of the iron incident all the way through church. It was a wonderful way to start the new year and the first new week of 2011. I feel ready for anything! THANK YOU!

Sisters, may we all take President Monson charge to heart; "My sisters, to express gratitude is gracious and honorable, to enact gratitude is generous and noble, but to live with gratitude ever in our hearts is to touch heaven....it is my prayer that in addition to all else for which we are grateful, we may ever reflect our gratitude for our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ."

Recipe: Mama's Tacos

From Aunt Sue K.'s Kitchen:

Mama’s Tacos

(serves 2-4, makes 6-8 tacos)

1/2 lb. hamburger

1 small onion (diced)

1 can tomato paste or sauce (small)

tortillas

Garnishes: cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, etc.

Cook hamburger and diced onion. Drain off oil. Add paste or sauce. Cook for another minute or two to blend. Warm tortillas in frying pan (NO OIL). Heat 1 minute on each side. Fill with 2 heaping teaspoons of filling. Garnish with cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, etc.

November Spotlight

We would like to welcome Sister Aileen W. to our L4 Ward Ohana. Aileen is originally from Chico, California. She 

came to Hawaii and more particularly L-town because she was offered a position as a Education Professor at BYUH. Aileen’s favorite colors are blue and green, she is not a big ice cream 

fan but her favorite restaurant is any that offers something new 

or ethnic. Aileen doesn’t watch that much television but LOVES

movies and especially LOVES to read. Aileen loves just about anything outdoors. She loves to backpack, play sports, travel,

 learn new things, ride horses, scuba dive, repel, and decorate. Aileen’s ultimate favorite thing to do is travel. One day Aileen 

would like to feel like she is using her knowledge and experience 

to help those within her stewardship. (I feel that this she might 

already be accomplishing!) One thing that is unique about Aileen is that at one time she worked as a nanny for a BILLIONAIRE! Cool! We are so excited to have Aileen W. in our Relief Society and our L4 Ward Ohana!

***Aileen W. is our new ward employment specialist. She is anxious to help any of our ward members who are unemployed, underemployed, or who perhaps just need something different.

Welcome Home

We would like to Welcome Home President & Sister G. from serving as temple president and matron of the Hong Kong Temple. 

We are so happy to have you home!

Presidency Message from November Newsletter

"We recognize your faith and service even your support and especially your obedience.  Like many of you we felt the physical absence of our temple when there were no lights on at night.  Several times I found myself outside the stake center parking lot looking up at the darkness and knew the absence – the temple was closed.  The temptations of Satan continued to discourage and try to stop us from preparing to go to the temple.  We prepared physically in our community.  We prepared our families spiritually to provide service to the temple grounds and all those things we have done to prepare us and ourselves and others for the great historical events that will take place.  We will be blessed with our very own living prophet, President Thomas S. Monson who will be here in our midst.  May we prepare ourselves and continue to prepare for that." 

 "Truly, truly the Lord desires His people to be a temple going people.  Even the deepest desire of my heart is to have every member of the Laie Hawaii North Stake to be temple worthy.  I hope every member is worthy of carrying a temple recommend even if they will not use it often what ever the reason.  Brothers and sisters, let us be a temple attending, temple loving, covenant making and covenant keeping people.  Let us go to the temple frequently as time permits.  Serve as ordinance and volunteer workers.  Go not only for our kindred dead but for the personal blessings of temple worship and for the sanctity and safety provided within those sacred walls."

 "It is a place of beauty, a place of revelation, a place of peace.  It is the house of the Lord.  It should be holy to all of us.  I testify of the reality of the temple.  It is the house of the Lord.  I testify to all of this.  The temple is the house of the Lord.  It is holy to the Lord.  We cannot and we will not go back to Heavenly Father without the temple.  There is no other way.  We cannot.  May we prepare to be worthy at all times to attend and go to the temple."     

President Hafoka, Sunday session of the Laie North Stake Conference Nov. 7, 2010.

Ward Camp (October 4-7, 2010)

This post is LOOOONG over due BUT I wanted to make sure we got it documented. Ward Camp this year was simple, relaxing, and shortened to 3 days. I am not sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. Maybe for all the time and preparations put into camp it might have been too short. Then again, maybe that means we need to SIMPLIFY camp and then it would be just the right amount of time! Either way it was well worth the time spent together as friends and a ward family. I hope these videos capture the great time at camp and hope that next year more of our ward family will join us!

***Sorry, to the Richie & Natalie N. family but I didn't get your family talent because I was standing in line for my food when you went on****