Probably Our Favorite Day

"The temple is a sacred edifice, a holy place, where essential saving ceremonies and ordinances are performed to prepare us for exaltation."

One of the most beautiful things we saw while we were there was the Laie Temple. Our church currently has 134 Temples operating world wide, but this one has to be in the most beautiful setting. Even though I am in them, these pictures look more to me like screen savers. It truly was that amazing! The white temple, blue sky, blue water, green grass.

This is the view looking the other direction, from the front door of the temple. The grounds include this long corridor of palm trees that go all the way to the ocean. We were told that several years ago President Hinckley (who was then the Prophet of our church) came to the temple and asked why it didn't extend the whole way. Then he decided it needed to change!

After the temple, we went to the Polynesian Cultural Center. Our church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, owns this amazing tourist attraction. The center offers a view into 7 polynesian cultures. I didn't know if I would really like it. I thought it would be like a museum where you walk around and read about the tribes and island people, but it was Amazing! It's more like a small theme park. They did a show on canoes. Each village came out separately and did a dance as they ventured down the river. Half way through the show I got emotional as I thought of how many people there are around the world and how different we really all are, but that the Gospel of Jesus Christ fits everyone, and that Jesus suffered and died to save us all. It was a good reminder that there is more to this life than what I am use to here in the land of plenty.

This is a traditional Hawaiian food called Poi. It was about as good as it looks in this picture. :)

Of course you had to learn a little hula. Which was also very different than what I previously though.

At the end of a very good day, we went to the Luau and show that the PCC puts on. The Luau was fun, and the food was good. But the show was awesome. 70% of the employees at the PCC are students who attend BYU Hawaii and who work there for tuition and scholarship money. So to see such a professional, moving show was astonishing to me. These students put on a show just as good as any broadway I have seen.

Everyone celebrating an anniversary was called up on stage during the luau. So we even got to do a little dancing!