Greetings one and all. We’re just home from a crazy busy Sunday afternoon shift at the Visitors’ Center and I have a few minutes before I need to go back to help with the technology for a large Tahitian group coming at 6pm for an hour-long fireside.

And I do mean a crazy busy Sunday afternoon! The tourist season is in full swing which by itself means lots of members on vacation stopping by to spend time at the Visitors’ Center. Many want to watch a video and a couple of times this afternoon we didn’t have enough rooms available. Added to that were the mainland Chinese tourists. At one time we had five busloads in the Center. One visitor from California asked me if we were having a ‘Chinese Invasion’! I think we had eleven busloads this afternoon.

Just as our shift was ending another tour bus came in, this time with French-speaking tourists. Only one person and the tour guide spoke any English. Sister Smith had a great time talking with them, though. She’s sure that she isn’t yet “French certified”. As we drove away a large bus of Chinese tourists came into the parking lot. The saga definitely continues.

Last Sunday started with a trip to the Emergency Room with a kidney stone. All together I passed three stones by Monday evening. Nothing more since then (thankfully). The VA laboratory is doing an analysis on the stones to let me know if any lifestyle changes are needed. I feel great, though, and am quite interested in not doing another kidney stone episode.

This has been a very standard week at the Visitors’ Center and at the Polynesian Cultural Center. Our Visitors’ Center Director had a birthday on Wednesday so we had a cake and ice cream party to celebrate. My observation was that we don’t have enough parties!

I was able to spend a couple of hours yesterday with the ham radio guys here on the Island of Oahu. The annual Amateur Radio Field Day event brings ham radio operators around the world together both in person and on the air. The local club had set up a tent and a number of antennas along the seashore at a regional park about a half-hour south of here. I’m one of two missionaries here in Laie that have ham radio licenses and both of us were at the event yesterday morning. While I really enjoy ham radio activities, it’s a pretty low priority while we’re here as missionaries. I wrote about the morning on my blog: https://www.rnsmith.com/ .

We’ll be having a pretty standard week coming up as far as I can tell. It’ll continue to be as busy and occasionally hectic. We have no problem falling into bed and immediately to sleep at night!

Thanks to Jared, Tania, Daryl, Laura, and Lilly for taking time on Friday to visit with mother in Soda Springs. The pictures were delightful and the visit was very good for mother!

’til next week!

Love,
father/father-in-law/brother/brother-in-law/uncle/grandfather/son/uncle/missionary/friend

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