The Farther South You Go, The Farther South You Are

We went to Ka'u on Sunday. It is about 60 miles South of Kona. We went there 3 weeks ago to speak in church, but as it turned out they didn't get the meno and so we were not on the schedule. They felt bad, rescheduled us for last Sunday and we stayed for the meetings. We really enjoyed the members and the spirit there, so we weren't too disappointed about having to go back again to give our talks. The talks went well and the members said they enjoyed them.

When we were down the first time, we met a couple who own a car repair shop not far from where we live. Connie was thrilled to meet them because our air conditioning in the car was not working, and we didn't have any idea where to take it to be repaired. We found out where their shop was located and went to visit Carla at their shop. She gave us an estimate and we set up an appointment to get it fixed. We took it in on the appointed day and 4 hours later we drove off with a cool car. While we were there, we were asking her where she lived in relation to the Ka'u chapel. Carla tried to explain where her house was and finally said "why don't you come to dinner after you talk in church on the 9th." We felt like we kind of invited ourselves to dinner, but we excepted the invitation and went to her home after church. The food was wonderful, the company was superb.  Brother Perrea showed us around his fig orchard, his green house and explained how he was hoping to be producing figs to sell in a couple of years. Four hours later we said our good-byes and came home. It was so enjoyable that we decided to go back on Monday.

Monday morning after getting our housework done, we headed back to Ka'u. As we passed the Ocean View Subdivision where the Pereas live, we couldn't help but notice how barren the land looks from the highway. It is built on a lava flow that is about 150 years old and looks mighty barren, it really isn't as barren as it looks though.

When we got to Punalu'u, where the Ka'u church is, we went to the Punalu'u bakery.  It is the farthest Southern bakery in the United States. When we were down there the first time, we stopped at South Point, which is the furthest South spot in the U.S. ( I guess that technically the furthest South is really 12 more miles South to international waters),  but it is the furthest South dry land. After a few sweet rolls and a few pictures, we decided to circumnavigate the Island. We stopped at the the Blacksand Beach, took a few pics, onto Volcano National Park, and then onto Hilo, only to find that gas is 20 cents a gallon cheaper there than in Kona. We filled up with gas, got lost looking for downtown Hilo. we drove around for a while and finally found the highway only to lose it again because we were in the wrong lane. After driving thru some more neighborhoods, we finally found the highway for good and headed for Kona about 50 miles away. We stopped in Waimea where the Parker ranch is for dinner (cost us over $100), and continued home on the mountain road to Kona. We had to make our routine drive down Ali'i drive, along the ocean thru town and then home.

We had a great day, saw a lot of beautiful scenery and just enjoyed being here.

Live is good!

I know what's best, trust me

You can trust me. I only want what's best for you. Your best interest is all that I' m concerned about. I know what is best for you and your family. I can save you. You will never have to worry about anything. I'm only doing this because you will really be a lot better off if I do. I understand your needs better than you do. If you really understood what I'm trying to do, you would know I'm right. You don't really need that.

Have you noticed how many people there are in the world that have never met you, know nothing about you, but  still know what's best for you? They know how to best raise your children, what kind of car you should be driving, what size of house you need to live in, what kind of gas you need, what kind of light bulbs you need, what you should eat, what you should drink or just about anything else that has to do with your life and needs.

Isn't it interesting that all these things that are great for you aren't good enough for them. The car that they want you to drive isn't big enough for them, the house that's good enough for you isn't good enough for them. Your food is alright for you but they need better. Ever ask yourself what's wrong with this picture? Sound like anything you have ever heard before?

God's plan was for us to learn from our own experiences to learn good from evil. There was one who  claimed he could make sure that we would all be saved and he would make sure that we would be. There was another who said he would show the way and make it possible for us to be saved, but that we would have to prove ourselves worthy by our works and actions.  In other words, choose for ourselves which way we would go and who's plan we would follow.

With all the interesting revelations about how government is really working, it's plain to see that the only ones our elected officials are interested in helping are themselves. They want control over us. Why else would they spy on their own citizens or buy votes by way of give away programs? They always have a logical reason.  It always sounds good and it is always portrayed  in a way that any reasonable person should want it. How is it that it never turns out as advertised. The laws or the rules never seen to work. The government never seems to be able to provide the proper over site. Maybe, just maybe, God is the only one who knows what is best for us and loves us enough to show us the way by his son Jesus Christ's example. Communism or socialism or any other "ism" will never work because it is designed to benefit the ones in charge  the very most. When I was in officer's school, they always stressed that when given the opportunity to kill the leader or the second man, you always  kill the second man. You will always find someone who thinks he has something to gain as the leader but the second man in line is just the second man and nobody wants that position if it means you might get killed. With Satan's plan, he is the one who stood to gain the most. He wanted to become a God without proving he had what it would take to become one. It didn't work out for him and it won't work out well for anyone else either. God is in charge!

Aloha from paradise.

We now pause for a commercial message

For those who may have wandered on to this blog and are wondering what is going on,I will give you a little information about us.

We are Paul and Connie Cox and have been called to serve a mission for the Church of Jesus Chist of Latter Day Saints. We are serving in the Kona Hawaii Temple located in the town of Kona on the big island of Hawaii.

The purpose of the temple is to preform ordinances for the living and the dead that we believe are necessary to enter into the kingdom God. These ordinances for the living include marriage for time and all eternity, for the dead, they include baptism, marriage for time and eternity and the binding of children to their parents to eternal families.

We believe that the whole purpose of life is for God's spirit children to come to earth, gain a physical body, gain experience and prove ourselves worthy to enter back into God presence by keeping his commandments and obeying his laws.

We believe that the Book of Mormon is another witness of Jesus Christ, that together with the Bible and modern revelation thru the living prophets God has provided, we have and will be given the laws and principles of the gospel necessary to be saved thru the atoning sacrifice of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I know this to be true and testify that it is true.

I guess that is about it, so Aloha