The tsunami

So I had an interesting Saturday... In the morning we went to Honolulu to go to the swap meet where you can buy really cool expensive stuff for dirt cheep. After that, we went to the Live in HD broadcast of Verdi's opera "Otello" based on Shakespeare's play. After it was over, we went shopping for some lights that we are going to install sometime this week. Maybe tomorrow or the next day, I'm not sure. Then, we went to the new movie called Hotel Transylvania and about 1/2 way through, one of the guys that worked there, came into the room and he said, "there is a tsunami warning that is going to hit in about two hours. if you come out into the lobby, we can get you another ticket to come see the movie again..." The only times i've ever heard about tsunamis were a year and a half ago when one hit Japan, and the other time was when I saw the movie The Other Side Of Heaven.

 The guy told us to find higher ground in case the water came further inland. We stayed in our van listening to the radio, and finally slept there for a few hours.  Don't worry, it didn't even come anywhere close to where we were. It was interesting though because while I was really scared, everyone else was all calm saying stuff like "when this happens...." one of my friends even told me that it's an annual thing that they do every year just in case something happens... which it did.

There are still people watching it to make sure that it is still safe. The Big Island was the one that got hit the most. They had all these different shelter places for people in the different cities to go and the place that the senior missionaries were told to go was the Temple or the Temple Visitor Center.

I think we were inspired to stay in Kaneohe and not go home after we went to the swap meet in Honolulu. Our condo sits right on the ocean, and those coastal towns were all evacuated to higher ground.

Hawaii the Beautiful

sunsets

                                     These are a few pictures of the sunsets here.

New Opportunities

On Saturday, my mom and I found a recipe for Taro rolls. you probably don't know what taro is but it basically looks like a purple potato. It tastes different but it looks the same. If you've been to Hawaii and you've tried Poi, it's made out of taro. The recipe that we used was the same recipe that the Polynesian Cultural Center uses in the Lu'au.

Yesterday in church, I told one of the interpreters that if they needed another guy to sign the Sacrament prayers, I'd be happy to do it. they said "sure go home and practice it and you can do it next week." So last night I went on lds.org/asl and watched both of the prayers in ASL. If you click on the link that
I've posted you can see how they are done in sign language.

I get to go on splits with the missionaries again today! SorryI' m kind of jumping all over the place but I'm just remembering all these random things. ... let me see.... Oh I am going to give a Book of Mormon to a guy named Daniel that we met when we got out here. He's our contractor that is helping us with our condo. I also might invite him to come to church with me and my parents. They're having another music fireside on the 21st that i might get to sing in again.

that's all i can think of for now but i'll post later if i think of anything else.

My average day at PCC

I know a lot of you have probably been wondering, "What does Elder Ballam do every day?" Well, I'll tell you.

      My day starts when my parents come back from their morning walk around the beach/ golf course. Yup we live on a golf course... anyway, I get up, have morning prayer, get ready for the day, eat breakfast, read the Book of Mormon as a family. This should be when I have exercise time but we're still trying to figure that out so we haven't been very consistent with it. I either take the bus or go in the van to the PCC, where I go to Hale Ohana which is a Barbecue lunch, 11:45  to take tickets.  I have had some cool experiences there with people from all over the world.  I can eat there for free, and it's great food.  I love the purple Taro rolls. After that, I go to the Mission Settlement which is a replica of three buildings that were built when the early Christian settlers came here and started Christianity in "the Islands", the Chapel, the Schoolhouse, and the Mission Home. I'm working on learning all the facts so I can share them with the guests. I stay there until 3:30-ish.

Then I roll across the street for seven minutes and go to a Gospel ASL class that I am taking so I can learn all the Gospel vocabulary in case a Deaf person comes into the Center. That way I can talk to them and help them with anything they need.  If you have been reading my posts,I wrote an experience about using sign language a few days ago.

After my class, I come back to the "Center" and stay until 6 when my dad (or mom) comes to get me and take me home.One of my responsibilities is to teach ukulele lessons to people. So the first thing I had to do was learn how to play it myself. :)

 Since it's October now they have started this thing called Haunted Lagoon that I get to work at once in a while, giving hot chocolate (although i dont know why they drink hot chocolate in one of the hottest places on Earth) and Cup-O-Noodles to the people that scare everyone that goes through the Lagoon.

Occasionally I get to work with my parents at the Lu'au that I work at in the morning only we do dinner instead of lunch, and we take tickets.

my fist day using ASL at the PCC

A few weeks ago, I was taking tickets at the Lu'au and a tour guide came in with his group just like he had for several days but this time he said we have___ # people but we cant communicate with two of them. I said we could try to find someone that speaks their language and he said that would be a problem because not many people at the center speak their language. I asked him what language they spoke and he said ASL. I told him I could talk to them for him if he wanted me to. I followed him over to where this couple was standing and I started to talk to them in Sign Language. they told me where they were from and how long they would be in Hawaii. I asked them what they were looking for and they said they didn't know. I said, "Well you can eat here or you can eat at the Banyan Tree snack bar which is like a fast food place." They said that they would go look for the Banyan Tree. I told them if they needed anything else, to just ask for Ben, the Volunteer in a wheelchair and someone would be able to tell them how to find me. A few minutes after I finished at the Lu'au, I went back to the Mission Settlement and that same couple came walking right in to the Mission Home and I asked them what they were looking for and they said, "Oh we're lost but we think we'll just look around." I was able to help show them around a little and find their way. I know that that wasn't just a coincidence that they came to the Lu'au and that their tour guide asked if I would help them.  Since then, the people at the information center asked for my card and phone number so that anytime a deaf person comes in and needs ASL, they will call me.  I want to bear my testimony that I know that Heavenly Father was watching out for me and that he knew that I wanted to get the chance to use my sign language abilities to help that couple.
I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ Amen

Polynesian Words of the Day

Hoa is the Tahitian word for friend
Uo is the samoan word for friend
Lu'au is the word for Feast
Koa is Hawaiian for Warrior
Ali'i means King
Lani means Beautiful
Lei means flower
Kalua means baked
my name, Ben in hawaiian is Peni
Waka means Canoe
Iosepa means Joseph
Roti is a fijian meal which is like a burrito with curry and potatoes, carrots,meat, etc. it's really good. but is's spicy
Otai is a mango smoothie type drink that is really cold. it has slices of mangoes and other fruits and it has the juice from those fruits as well. It's reeeealllly good!!!
Taro is a purple root that kind of looks like a purple potato. it is what they make Poi out of. Any of you that have been here, know what Poi.

i cant think of any more right now but if i do i'll let you know

Missionary fireside with Ben signing and singing

                               Elder Ballam has already been called on to participate with
                                      the missionaries at a musical fireside using his ASL.