Why I chose church over snorkeling

Have you ever done something you felt you needed to do but couldn't articulate why you needed to do it?

That's what happened to me last week while my brother and I were staying in a resort in Wailea, Maui. One of the things I wanted to do was visit Latter-day Saint ward on Sunday. We rented a car and planned to attend the sacrament meeting of the Kihei Ward. It fit into our schedule perfectly. Keith's company kept Sunday open and encouraged those on the trip to do what they please.

We ran into a small glitch, however, after our kayaking/snorkeling event on Saturday morning was canceled due to choppy conditions in the ocean. It was rescheduled Sunday.

I was left with a choice of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to swim among sea turtles and exotic fish along a coral reef in one of the most beautiful parts of the world or attend church like I do every week.

I chose church for several reasons. From my youth I have heard wonderful stories about the Polynesian Saints of Hawaii. Just recently I was talking on the phone with my father and he was telling me about a Polynesian Sunday School teacher that made an lasting impression upon him when he was young. While living in Hawaii as a teenager, Brandy was baptized into the church partly because of the loving and welcoming ways of the people Polynesia.

I went to church alone and felt great about it.

One speaker -- who looked like she could have lived on the island her whole life -- talked about how she first met missionaries on a snowy day in Maryland while she was working at a surf shop.

Another man spoke about when he was a talented high school volleyball player and how hard he worked to make sure that his team would compete for a state championship. His father was his coach. He said his dad grew tired of his brashness and counseled him to humble himself or there would be other volleyball players with more talent who would do it for him.

The man said after his team won a state championship he bragged to his father about the feat and how along the way he never did face a better player. It wasn't until he was in college that this man experienced what his father told him he would experience. He said he has apologized to his father many times for his youthful ignorance.

It wasn't until I was sitting in church yesterday in Gatesville that I realized why it was so important for me to go to church in Hawaii.

I go to church each week because for me it is a familiar place of comfort, hope, healing and strength. It has become a part of who I am. Without it, I would be a rudderless ship at sea, which even in Hawaii is not desirable.