Financial Freedom

Recently we had a Relief Society weeknight meeting that focused on becoming financial independent. Brother Richie spoke, and he is here at BYUH on a mission in the School of Business after many church callings such as MTC president in Africa, a mission president, etc. etc. He is also one of the wealthier members of the church and personally finances, along with a few other members, the prizes for some of BYUH contests like the one Tim had in the School of Computing, where they gave students $1,000 worth of cash. These contests were held in other departments such as English also. Anyway, his remarks were very interesting and he claimed he began his knowledge of money handling by studying the little book “The Richest Man in Babylon” by George Clason. I was interested enough in his talk to purchase this book on my Kindle device and have read it now. In this blog I will pass on some of the concepts I gleaned about becoming financially free. The book is a story occurring in Babylonian times and quite interesting as well as short so I recommend it.

First principle: “A part of all I earn is mine to keep”. As soon as you earn any money, (after paying tithing) save at least 10%. Do not touch this savings for anything.

Second principle: Everything you save is a slave to work for you. The child of what it earns is also a slave to you and should likewise be put to work in a secure investment situation as well as the grandchild, etc. and so on.

Third principle: Do not go to a brick layer for advice about jewels. Go to an expert in the field of whatever you wish to invest in. Don’t assume that you yourself are an expert in the investment field either (unless of course you are).

Fourth Principle: Control expenses. Expenses always grow to equal your income unless you budget and plan. Don’t confuse needs and wants. A budget helps you realize your most cherished desires by defending against casual wishes.

Fifth principle: Make your home a profitable investment. Own your home, borrowing if necessary as it is better to regularly pay a mortgage than rent. Improve your home with gardens and flowers, etc. (not out of the 1/10 you save, but the other 8%)

Sixth principle: Guard your treasure against loss. Investments need to be secure, loans should have collateral equal to or above the amount of loan- either item, land, signature of services, etc. If there is no property, then get a co-signer to vouch for your person that the debt will be repaid. The principal should be safe, reclaimable if necessary, and where you can collect a fair rental. Gold flees from the person who tries to get impossible earnings or follows alluring tricksters or their own romantic and inexperienced desires

Seventh principle: Insure a future income for your family in case you get old or die. Regularly put a little away and invest it for reasonable growth, such as life insurance.

If you have debts then make a plan to repay. Still pay tithing, save at least 10%, then live on six percent and divide the remaining 2% between all of your creditors until slowly you have repaid all your debts. Debts are your enemies to be fought against but creditors are friends who trusted you to loan you the money, treat them well and with respect.

Remember the soul of a free man sees life as a series of problems and goes about finding solutions to them, while the soul of a slave whines “What can I do who am but a slave?”

The story of course teaches these principles by things that happen in the lives of the characters, but I was trying to boil it down a bit although mine is undoubtedly less interesting. Of course being from Babylon the story doesn’t say anything about tithing but I thought that an important addition.

The Glass Bottom Boat

Several years of living in Hawaii had not found us taking advantage of the open water tour of Kaneohe Bay on the glass bottomed boat. Saturday seemed like a good time to try it. Actually, we were going to go on Friday since it was Prince Kuhio Day and therefore a state holiday, but after enjoying a sleep-in and then calling the place at 10:30 A.M., we had already missed the last tour of the day. We decided to schedule for Saturday. The tour requires a minimum of four people, but there were several already reserved for 11:15 so we joined that group.

We arrived a few miniutes early and were able to board shortly after paying our $17 a person fee. The crew was friendly and so were the other passengers, who happened to be several children and their parents and both sets of grandparents. That, of course, made us wish our grandkids had been here to tag along.

A few minutes into the bay we stopped and watched the fish and corals through the glass panels in the bottom of the boat. One of the staff came snorkeling up under the glass and startled me a bit since I was not expecting to see people on the bottom. His goal was to feed the fish so that they would gather under the boat and we could see more. The coral was pretty and we did see serveral species of fish swim by. We probably spent about ten minutes doing this.

Next we were ushered topside of the boat so that we could watch the waves and stop again to feed the fish and see the green sea turtles. We each were given a slice of bread and it was fun to watch the little fish swarm to the crumbs we scattered on the surface. We actually saw four turtles swimming in the area. The picture included in this article is one of them. The turtle is the dark area in the front of the picture.

The crew had us stay topside and told us about the 52 reefs in Kaneohe Bay. My big disappointment in this trip was that we never went to another spot or got to watch anymore fish on the bottom through the glass before we were docking and it was over. The whole thing lasted an hour but I really felt like it should have included a few more minutes of bottom watching. All in all, it was a fun trip, but a bit on the expensive side for what we actually got to see.

The Tsunami That Wasn't

Of course I'm grateful that the predicted tsunami following the 8.8 earthquake in Chile did not really materialize on Oahu. But after "much ado about nothing" including evacuating for several hours it would be nice if someone explained why all the hub-bub over a 3 foot wave. Three feet is like a normal wave here, we see them everyday.

Well, someone did explain it all and I thought you might want to know too. In Hawaii's "Star Bulletin"on February 28th, Jim Borg explains that the phenomenon at work is called harmonic resonance. He says the perfect example is the Slinky, that little metal spring toy. It takes two people with coordinated effort on each end to get the slinky vibrating in rhythm. If either person is out of sync the whole thing becomes unruly without focus or energy.

In 1960 an earthquake at the same place in Chile but with a harmonic resonance of 30 minutes between waves synced up easily with Hilo on the Big Island and the resulting Tsunami killed 60 people there. This time the wave harmonics were 20 minutes and Hawaii was out of sync.

The awesome power of a Tsunami comes from the towering height of the waves as they reach close to the shore. For this reason many boat owners quickly moved their boats out about a mile on Saturday so that they were not destroyed by the onslaught of waves. You should probably know that tsunamis are not just a single wave, but a series of waves of varying heights. Even this weekend a few people took their surfboards out to try the waves but that is a deadly activity. Going toward the beach is also very dangerous. The rule is if you can see the wave it is too late to escape.

We are so thankful this one did not have our name on it, or should I say our rhythm to it. Believe me there was enough excitement waking up to sirens blaring and moving with our 72-hour kits to higher ground to make me feel like I got my money's worth.

My Favorite Leftover Turkey Recipe

I made these for my Dad once when I was visiting and he said it was the first time he had liked the leftovers better than the original meal. Trust me, they are delicious. I took some as a compassionate service meal to our ward's executive secretary when his wife had a baby. He like them so well he had her get the recipe and make them once a week. So far as I know they still do.

The filling:
2 cups of turkey meat chopped into small bits. (canned chicken also works well when you have no leftovers)
1 small onion, chopped
2 sticks of celery, chopped
1/2 teaspoon pepper
8 oz. cream cheese
2/3 cup fresh mushrooms, chopped
6 tablespoons of butter, melted

Mix all the ingredients of the filling together except the butter. Unroll Pillsbury refrigerator crescent rolls and put a dollop inside each one then roll, pinching the sides a bit to seal in the stuffing. Dip in the melted butter. Then roll in dry Pepperidge Farms herb stuffing mix. (Other brands work fine, you might just have to roll them into crumbs for coating first) Bake at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes until the rolls are golden brown.

Serve with a gravy made from a can of cream of chicken soup, 1/2 cup milk, 1 cup sour cream which had been heated.

So, go ahead and eat your ham for Christmas if you must, but then get some canned chicken and try this recipe. You'll be glad you did.

So Grandpa is Santa--Who Knew!

Well the truth is out kids. Your Grandfather has a secret identity and here is the proof in this picture. The children at our ward Christmas party were asked to sing "Jingle Bells" loud enough to bring Santa in and so they did. We tried to prepare Topaz and Emerald for the shocking news and Topaz managed fairly well during the activity. Emerald was traumatized when Santa picked her up and she couldn't stop crying. That must have somewhat rattled Topaz too because later in the evening when we asked Topaz how he liked having Grandpa be Santa he burst into tears and said "Never do that again!"

The Surf Is Definitely Up!

Thanks to a storm at sea near the Philippines there are big waves in Hawaii. In fact, reporters say they are the biggest in a couple of decades with some reaching 40 and even 50 feet high. The beaches are taped off, meaning they are closed, but that doesn't stop the die-hard surfers. Amber and I decided we wanted to see the massive breakers. Of course,so did everyone else. We drove along the North Shore and were actually able to briefly catch some free parking at Sunset Beach to take a few pictures. By the time we were near Pipeline the traffic was total gridlock and moving slower than a snail, but in Amber's words "It was totally worth it." Parking was soon non-existent and some people that lived along the way were charging $10-$40 dollars to park in their driveways or on their grass. We didn't park again but just took pictures through the windows of the car.


A crowd of more than 20,000 people gathered the next day for the Quiksilver Competition because the waves were so spectacular. Apparently that is the biggest crowd ever for this particular event. Many people were stuck on the packed Kamehameha Highway in the traffic and did not get to see the actual event except through the crowds and cars. Lifeguards on Oahu were incredibly busy rescuing all those people who failed to heed the numerous warnings. This year's Quiksilver contest was in memory of Eddie Aikau, the first official lifeguard at Waimea Bay. Eddie had saved countless lives but he died some years ago after paddling out to save some people from a canoe that had capsized. All I can say is that people surfing in these kinds of waves are cra-a-a-a-zy!

Laus Deo

Laus Deo translates to"Praise be to God" These words are inscribed on the top of the Washington Monument. They seem particularly appropriate for Thanksgiving Day. We should thank God in all things. I am especially thankful for the redemption wrought by Jesus Christ for me and for the restoration of the gospel in these latter days. I am thankful for my husband and my children and their families and my siblings. You(my family) are the reason I am a happy person and have a fulfilled life. It's nice to be alive this year as last year at this time I almost wasn't. Each day is a gift that I should try much harder not to waste.

I am richly blessed to be born in this free land and I hope and pray that we will recognize our role in keeping it free by obeying the laws of the God of the land, even Jesus Christ. I am thankful for a prophet and scriptures to help us find our way through the mists of darkness and the deceptions of the evil one. Thanksgiving the "Feast of the Harvest" is held in appreciation for daily bread. We are very blessed to not be hungry, and in fact today I feel totally stuffed. God is good to us.

Even when we have trials, He makes a way for us to bear those challenges. He protects us and guides us as long as we will listen and follow Him. I am thankful I know He loves me.

Pumpkin Log

This Thanksgiving, for the first time, I made a pumpkin log or roll. It turned out really well so I thought I'd share the recipe. I believe I got my copy from Ben and it is called Bro. Brigham's Pumpkin roll and is the same as they use at Great Harvest Bread Company.

First you need to put wax paper on a cookie sheet and then oil that paper also before pouring on the pumpkin ingredients.

Blend together:
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup pumpkin
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 cup flour.

Pour onto the prepared cookie sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes at 350 degrees. ( I actually baked mine slightly longer until a knife test came out clean.) Remove from the oven and roll the mixture leaving the wax paper on at this time. Then allow to completely cool before unrolling and putting the filling on.

Filling mixture:
1 8 oz. package of cream cheese
4 teaspoons of soft butter
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla

Carefully unroll the cooled pumpkin log and spread with the filling. Then re-roll the log removing the wax paper as you roll. Wrap in foil and refrigerate or freeze until ready for use. It only takes a short time to unfreeze so we set ours out while we ate Thanksgiving dinner and it was ready when we were ready for dessert.

Not Swayed By Popular Sentiment

It is not a stunning reversal by the Mormon Church to support city laws that would prohibit discrimination against gays in housing and employment. Peter Spriggs of the Family Research Council, as quoted in the Star Bulletin, one of Hawaii's newspapers, last Thursday, claims that the Church's support is disappointing and a setback that reflects a reaction to the attacks the Church came under over Proposition 8 in California. He sees the Church as bending over backwards to exhibit tolerance toward homosexuals in some way.

The LDS church has never been discriminatory. They have and do still oppose gay marriage, not out of a stance of discrimination, but because it is contrary to the moral laws of God. Since a prophet leads the church and he and the other apostles have access to direct communication with God in directing the affairs of the worldwide Church, it is a great blessing to know without a shadow of doubting that the position of the church is the same as God would do Himself if He were here.

The new city ordinances that make it illegal to fire someone or evict them from their housing for being gay, bisexual, or trans-gender are not really related to the morality of a gay marriage and therefore it only makes sense that the church support these laws.

Now after my mild tirade on this subject I will add into this blog one of my "pet peeves". I, personally (nothing on an official church basis here) do not like to have the gay rights movement using the rainbow as their symbol. I feel the rainbow was given by God to help us remember something different; that He would not again destroy the whole earth by flood. To me it is a visible sign that He exists, that He still communicates with man, and that He makes and keeps promises. This rainbow symbol usage is a perfect example of calling or making good things evil or calling evil things good. Amber had a T-shirt with a rainbow on it that she was uncomfortable wearing because she thought it indicated to the world something about her moral preferences. That is so sad, I think.

It's New To Us

After six faithful years of service our 1998 Honda Odyssey bit the dust. The problems, we were told, would cost about $4,000 to repair and because of age and other issues the car wasn't worth that much anymore.

So we traded it in on a 2007 Hyundai Entourage. The business department of the car dealership had listed this car at a good price to draw in customers and figured they would want a different color and they would give them the regular price for that change. That worked for them for a few people but we thought the red color was O.K. and didn't warrant the $8,000 difference in price.

Some of the interesting features include 4 captains chairs and the third row seats divide so that one- third can be laid down while two-thirds stay up or vice-a- vers. The car has temperature control so that you can pick an exact temperature, like 72 degrees, for each of the driver and passenger front seat separately, as well as for the back area separately. The doors are electronic and open for you at the push of a button.

A little compass reads out the direction of the car; and miles per gallon of gas is instantly and continuously computed and averaged. The dashboard shows a car picture that each tire can light up on if the tire pressure in that one is low. There is a conversation mirror in addition to the regular mirror so that front row people can see those in the back. There is a sunglasses holder built it on the top of the driver side. There is a CD player and radio with extra controls for the volume on the steering wheel.

The gear shift looks like a standard although it is automatic. The 1,2,3 drives are shifted to the side, while regular ones are straight up and down. There are 11 cup holders in the car with four in a fold down tray between the two front seats. All three rows of windows can be opened and controled by the driver. The computer display of the miles per gallon can also show miles per trip and outside temperature.

The car has a V-6 engine while our Honda was a 4 cylinder. There are at least three twelve volt power outlets (cigarette lighters) for plugging things like little DVD players into. The car has less than 30,000 miles on it. The lights in the car operate automatically so that they are on when it is dark and go off by themselves. I'm sure there are a number of gadgets that we have not discovered yet.

Your Daddy says it is so beautiful. I think he really likes it. I hope it lasts many years as cars are expensive these days.

Halloween Pumpkins

Amber and Topaz created the pumpkin with the lite brite cat face. It is lit by a
flashing light inside that causes the lite brites to glow. I carved the little monster pumpkin, but since I am no artist, I used a pattern. They were cute enough that people came and took pictures of themselves by our pumpkins.

Just the Girls and Topaz

While Tim was in Virginia for a week, Amber and I and Emerald and Topaz played. The Dole plantation has a train called the Pineapple Express that tours the pineapple fields. We thought the kids would enjoy that and had planned to do it while we were at the maze on another day. The weather was much more pleasant, even slightly sprinkling while we were riding the train. One of the things you learn on the train is that pineapples never get riper after they are cut, so it is best to refrigerate them if they are not being eaten immediately. Pineapple also acts as a meat tenderizer and aids in digestion so it is good to add to meat dishes.

On Saturday we were planning to go to the Swap Meet in Honolulu, so Amber and I drove down. When we got there, the Stadium was closed for a University of Hawaii football game. So, since we were already in Honolulu, we wound around until we came to the Bishop's Museum. There is a new traveling exhibit there on dinosaurs. The dinosaurs are huge and robotic so they move and roar. They are both in the building and outside on the grounds of the museum and they looked a little too real to Topaz. He totally freaked out and had to be carried past them. He pulled his hat over his eyes because as long as he couldn't see them, they must not be able to see him. On the other hand he totally enjoyed the normal volcano exhibit. It seemed that as far as Topaz was concerned we couldn't get out of there fast enough. Imagine my surprise when we pulled out of the parking area and suddenly he began to cry in the most heart-broken fashion. This continued all the way with him begging "More dinosaurs pleeeese!" Finally in desperation we stopped at a Walgreens in Kaneohe and bought the child a small stuffed dinosaur to remember the occasion and the tears stopped. Children- no matter what you do it is tough to get it right!

Because I have given this story the title of the girls and Topaz, there is another experience this week that fits. There is a playground at the mall in Kaneohe where both Topaz and Emerald enjoying playing. This time Topaz was running around as usual and he came to the top of the green hill holding the hand of some little girl. Together they ran down the hill and when they came back up he had two girls by the hand. Once again he ran down and once again he came back this time with three little girls. It seems boys this age have no shyness around little girls.

The Pineapple Maze

After a long summer and early fall hiatus, I've decided I need and want to get blogging again. There were so many things I wanted to write about our summer in the Mainland but I didn't and now it seems like old news, so I will just begin again.

Yesterday, Amber and I took her kids to the world's largest maze. It is at the Dole pineapple plantation. The center of the maze is shaped like a pineapple and all the winding paths are tall hedges of hibiscus trees mostly. Topaz really likes to do mazes on the computer and on paper, so we thought he might like to see what a real one is like.

When we went in, I was a little concerned thinking we had to complete the whole thing correctly on one path before we could ever get out again. If you know me very well, you know I am easily lost and always end up needing a bathroom right when none is available.

In this maze we were often lost, but you enter and follow a straight line to the center pineapple. Eight entrances go off from the center and you wind around in them. Back in the bushes they overlap so that you might go in one gate and come out another. In each of the eight areas you can eventually find a machine where you can mark your little passport with a picture that indicates you found that one. We let Topaz tell us which way to turn most of the time so sometimes we repeated the rows. When you walk directly to each sign post you cover a total of 2.4 miles, so I'm sure we did a little more than that. It is not too stressful because you can always wind you way back to the center and sit down and think about it or rest and drink water, if you take water, which we did and I would recommend.

We were doing quite well and still had two sign posts to find. Topaz was having a great time. Emerald was happy in her stroller, but I had a bit of a struggle pushing her as the paths were rocks. Anyway we were going along very well despite the repeats and periods of being completely lost when Topaz exclaimed "Look only two more places to find!" He seemed totally excited to continue on when about three feet later he said "I'm done Mommy let's go". We all were pretty well baked in the 89 degree weather and my shirt was completely wet from sweat so we really didn't argue. We went back to the center pineapple and straight out to the gift shop and bought Topaz a Pineapple Maze finisher T-shirt to celebrate the accomplishment. Our punchout clock said it had taken us one hour and twenty minutes.

The Dole Pineapple Maze is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records in both 1998 and 2001 as the world's largest maze. They still advertise it as the world's largest so I presume it still is.

Ward Camp

In a Mormon ward in Hawaii the yearly activity is a week at camp on the beach. Usually we miss this because we are in the mainland visiting our children when it occurs, but this year we were in town.

You would not believe the luxury camping that Hawaiian do. First of all they set their tents all up under "easy corners". These are sturdy pole and tarps arrangements that protect the tent and living area from rain, wind, etc. Being mainlanders ourselves we do not have easy corners so we just set our tent up. The first year we did this, about five years ago, our tent blew down a couple of times. This year we selected a spot a little more sheltered by trees for some shade and wind protection and did not have a problem. Some people hook up large double sinks to the available faucets. Our first time someone even brought a real china cabinet to camp to live just like at home. Unbelievable!

Hawaiian wards take huge generators to camp to power everything from lights and cooking stoves to TVs, etc. A staging area is used for group activities. This year the first one was a huge memorial dance for Michael Jackson with a performance of "Thriller" and pulsating lights. Other group activities included a Primary activity for the children one day, a Musical fireside on Sunday, nightly movies, and of course every ward camp ends with a huge luau including the kalua pork (pig cooked underground).

Topaz and Emerald went camping with us the first night. They loved scampering around in the tent and swimming on the beach. On the other hand, they did not love sleeping at night so it was a rather long night for me. It didn't help that the Michael Jackson Memorial dance loudly went until 11 P.M. and then some neighbors from another group played the radio nearly as loud until 4 A.M.

Since the beach camp was less than a mile from our house we luxuriously went home for showers and even slept at home a couple of the nights. We're not the campers we were when we were younger but all in all it was quite fun. Many of the locals make this their only vacation from work, but of course we mainlanders will go to the mainland to visit our families still too.

The Hawaii Tourist Hits Bishop's Museum

On Monday Tim had a doctor's appointment in Honolulu. Then he decided we would stay in town until supper and go to my favorite Red Lobster. With a few hours to kill he decided that he had not yet seen Bishop's Museum. This was my third time but it is always fun to go again.

We spent some time in the science museum where a gigantic globe acts as a screen with a show af various planets. The globe can look like Jupiter, Mars, or any of them and you can see the 360 degree appearance. Then the globe can show you earth and change the time so that you can see the splitting of the continents from one land mass. Also it can show the clouds and weather patterns currently existing on the whole planet. It is updated every 15 minutes and so it is really quite interesting. Of course they also show what is happening on earth with the global warming and what is expected to happen in the future. All very fascinating.

Next we went to the temporary exhibit of Animation. Here you can make cartoons yourself, put sound effects into ones already created, and every other conceivable variation that falls under this heading. Children would love all the buttons to push and nobs to turn here and the ability to see their own creations on T.V.

Back to the science building, next we went to the Planetarium for a presentation based on the Hawaiian skies as seen from Mauna Kea on the Big Island. Mauna Kea is actually the highest mountain on earth if measured from it's base under the ocean. It rises into a starry sky where not man-made lights disturb the viewing. We stuldied the starryo night in a land where you can see the Southern Cross.

With only a limited amount of time left we toured the volcano exhibit. Here a gigantic volcano erupts every twenty minutes and you can see it from three levels. At the top lava bubbles and steam blows, in the middle you can touch various kinds of volcanic rocks and learn what happens to make them different, and on the bottom you travel through a cave with florescent drawing by early Hawaiians on the walls to see under the vast volcano.

We were unable to spend time in the historic and s;endid Hawaiian traditions and artifacts hall and many of the other things but the Bishop's Museum is a wonderful way to spend an afternoon.

These links Should Work Now-Two YouTube Videos Not to Miss

Here are links to a couple of You Tube Videos that are well worth watching.

One is singer Susan Boyle on American Idol that is a surprise.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lp0IWv8QZY


The other is a tour of Minatur Wunderland in Hamburg, Germany that is quite cool.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PN_oDdGmKyA&feature

Shingles

Tim has been diagnosed with Shingles. Shingles is caused by the same virus that causes chicken pox and can occur in adulthood in those that had chicken pox as children. It is the second eruption of the virus and it may have lain dormant in the nervous system for years after having the disease. It usually occurs in senior citizens after age 5o when there is a weakening of the immune system. There is a vaccination for shingles but you have to be 60 to get it. Sometimes younger people get shingles but that usually happens after some health crisis that seriously weakens their immune system or stresses their nervous system such as in auto-immune diseases like HIV or something.

Shingles occurs on only one side of the body and starts in the nervous system. It often occurs as a band around the middle from stomach to back, which is like Tim's which is one spot front and one spot back. It can occur on other parts of the body and can leave scars. This root beginning often means there is a great deal of pain and the area of breakout can be extremely sensitive to touch or even slight breezes or clothing for months or even years after the break out is healed. So far Tim has not been experiencing any pain.

Shingles is only contagious to people that have not had chicken pox, such as babies and young children, and then they get chicken pox, not shingles. The doctor prescribed some anti-viral pills for Tim. Just a few pills cost $140.00. Fortunately our insurance through BYU-H plus Champus Tri-care through the military covered the cost. It is amazing how expensive medications are these days.

No More Beach Baptisms

According to Elder Whiting our Area Authority there will no longer be baptisms performed on the beaches of Hawaii. This truly Hawaiian tradition has had a few problems. The priesthood brethren that act as witnesses don't really like to get their feet wet so they often don't walk out into the waves far enough to really see if the ordinance is completely accurate in its' performance.

Another problem has been that even though baptisms are held at very early hours there is still often a cute bikini clad young woman or swim suited macho guy running or swimming in the area affecting the sacred nature of the baptism.

As much as I have loved the beauty and uniqueness of the baptism in the sea, there is also the problem of hearing the little talks given or the words said in the actual ordinance due to the wind that is often blowing in my ears. It has been an awesome moment to look up the street from Temple Beach directly to the Laie, Hawaii Temple and that site will now not accompany baptisms. The only baptismal font in our Stake happens to be in Amber's ward building in Kahuku 1st ward. It remains to be seen whether baptismal fonts will now be added to the existing building in the area.

I am quite sure the person receiving baptism will still receive a lei from family and friends in token of congratulations on taking this important step in their spiritual development. After all this is Hawaii.

Hawaii's Slippery Slope

The Hawaii State House panel has already approved House Bill #444 claiming it does not redefine marriage but certifies "civil unions". Back in 2007 this bill failed to win support, but now we are told that it has gained diverse support especially from churches. The representatives say people are more tolerant here and this is not a defining issue for them. Many people seem to feel that if gays can't marry in California and other Mainland states they will want a place to come where they will be openly accepted and allowed to flaunt their alternate lifestyles. Civil union bill supporters claim that a blatant injustice currently separates same sex couples from enjoying all the benefits of married heterosexual couples. They want the same benefits and they want to file joint taxes and adopt children.

I believe this bill tries to circumvent the will of the people as expressed in their "defense of marriage" amendment passed in 1998. This amendment reserved marriage for opposite sex couples. I think "civil unions" are an attempt to legitimize gay marriage by using another title. This word play makes it appear that government has sanctioned gay marriage.

Certainly I don't want same sex couples to have the right to adopt children, whom I believe God wants to have both a father and a mother. Children can become confused and led astray when we allow unnatural and immoral behavior to become an accepted part of society. Hawaii is standing on a slippery slope in moral issues according to recent choices. I believe we can only have hope to solve our state and our national challenges if we remain worthy of the divine assistance of Almighty God. The Lord our God is one God. He is no respecter of persons but He also does not look upon sin with the least degree of allowance.

Will There Be Gambling in Paradise?

Did you know that only Hawaii and Utah of all the fifty states have no legalized gambling in any form. That may soon change. It seems that Hawaii, like all the other states, has a financial deficit, this one to the tune of 1.8 billion dollars. So Gov. Linda Lingle, long time opponent of the gaming industry, has decided to consider legalizing gambling to make up the deficit. She said there were two choices. The money could come from the transit authority, meaning I presume that the money raised for the rail system could be used, or gambling could be legalized. I voted for the rail system to be built, but I'd rather see that money save the state than that they bring gambling here.

Gambling and lotteries are touted as a means to relieve the financial burdens of the state, but in reality they do just the opposite by preying on the poor and the elderly especially. The inducement of a chance to win big causes people to waste their limited resources with little real chance of receiving any value.

Since forty eight states now practice some form of gaming you would think that if it worked those states would be in financially stable situations. They are not as can plainly be seen by their current economic distress. I believe if gambling comes to Hawaii it will be detrimental to the moral fabric of Paradise.