Serving together

The best part of being here so far is the friendships we have been making with the other senior missionaries.  Everyone has been so kind and welcoming. Yesterday we had an opportunity to go to Hamilton with Elder and Sister Winters to attend the temple there. 

Afterward we went to the Hamilton Gardens and then on the way home stopped for ice cream, which seems to be a big tradition for all the missionaries here.

There are a lot of different missionaries working in the area office with all sorts of assignments:  public affairs, Church Education System (CES), welfare and self reliance, mental health advisers, general counsel, medical and others.  We are the only family history missionaries.   We each come from different back grounds with different talents. Yet the unity we have as a group has been great.  I look forward to getting to know others in the mission in the coming months and hope that we will be able to stay in touch with some as life long friends.

Let's Go Fly A Kite!

On our trip to Muriwai Beach I flew my kite on the shores of the Tasman sea.  I've flown this same little kite all over the world.  It has gone with me to places by the Atlantic Ocean, the Pacific, and even the Red Sea.  Now I am here, flying new adventures.

Once upon a time I was a collector of kites.  I had many different kinds, all shapes, sizes and colors.  When we did the great purge of our last downsize in preparation for our mission, I got rid of most of my kites.  I kept a couple special ones.   But most have found new homes.   This little para-sail that I have always used as my go-to travel kite is among my favorites because I can easily cram it into small spaces and it has no sticks to break.

Whenever I fly this (or any) kite, I am reminded of the talk given by Patricia Pinnegar in the October 1999 Conference.  As part of that talk she told a story about a young boy who went kite flying with his father and the parallel the experience has to the gospel.  The story went like this:

"The boy was very young. It was his first experience with kite flying. His father helped him, and after several attempts the kite was in the air. The boy ran and let out more string, and soon the kite was flying high. The little boy was so excited; the kite was beautiful. Eventually there was no more string left to allow the kite to go higher. The boy said to his father, “Daddy, let’s cut the string and let the kite go; I want to see it go higher and higher.”

His father said, “Son, the kite won’t go higher if we cut the string.”

“Yes, it will,” responded the little boy. “The string is holding the kite down; I can feel it.” The father handed a pocketknife to his son. The boy cut the string. In a matter of seconds the kite was out of control. It darted here and there and finally landed in a broken heap. That was difficult for the boy to understand. He felt certain the string was holding the kite down.

The commandments and laws of God are like the kite string. They lead us and guide us upward. Obedience to these laws gives us peace, hope, and direction."

As a full time missionary representing the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, there are certain rules and guidelines I am expected to follow.   I am not here in New Zealand on vacation for a grand adventure.  Yes, I do have the opportunity to have some leisure days when we get to do a bit of sight seeing, as we did today.   But I am very clear what my main purpose here is...

 Even though our assignment is not proselytizing, I am very conscious that everything I do or say should be aimed at that overall purpose.  I want to be sure that I am obedient in all things, and living close to the spirit so that I can be guided to serve the way my Father in Heaven would have me serve.  I want my example and my efforts to be such that I might strengthen those in need of encouragement and enlighten those in need of a new direction.  I want more than anything to make a difference that matters for good.  That is why I am on this mission. 

The rules I follow do not bind or chafe or hold me back.  They help me soar, like my kite.

Day Trip to Muriwai Beach

Today we took a trip over to the west cost to have a picnic at Muriwai Beach and see the Gannett Colony there.  It was a beautiful drive and made for an easy adventure.

I took the top photos, but this close up comes from TripAdvisor HERE

For anyone looking for a great way to spend an afternoon, I would certainly recommend this one.  It is just a short drive from Auckland and the views along the way are pretty spectacular.  Particularly right towards the end as you drop down to the sea, the lush vegetation, flowers, rocks, etc are truly splendid.  The area is open year round and access is free.  We found easy parking, available restrooms and changing areas and open picnic table in a pretty spot.   Who could ask for more?

As it says over at 100% Pure New Zealand:
"The views from the colony are very impressive. Muriwai Beach extends 60 kilometres to the north - a line of black sand between the thundering surf and the sand hills. Far below, enthusiastic surfers look like seals on the large ocean swells."

From Auckland Council Website

Apartment Life

One of the adjustments to be made while serving on our mission is living in an apartment complex.  

In the United States, over 40% of the people live in apartment buildings, but that was not my experience.   For nearly all of my life I have lived in single family homes with a private yard.  I am accustomed to being able to choose the colors and textures that surround me, and to have choice in how light/dark I want my rooms to be through selection of window treatments.  I'm used to having relative quiet inside my home and quite a bit of  space for projects or entertaining.  I'm also used to having built in climate control through central heat and air conditioning.

None of that is true for me here.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not whining.  We have a lovely flat with lots of modern conveniences.   I was delighted to find we had our own washer and dryer inside the apartment and have been intrigued by features I've not had before, such as the heated floors in the bathrooms and this cool towel warmer thingy that will make things quite cozy come winter.
I also have found it very convenient to be able to simply trot down the hall to one of the other units when I want to visit one of the other missionary couples.  (There are about ten couples living in various units throughout this five story complex).

However, that does not change the fact that I sometimes feel a bit overwhelmed by being in a human hive.


There is a baby that lives a couple units over from us that cries quite a bit, often in the middle of the night.  New babies do that.  I would imagine it is rather frustrating to emerge into this world with a warrior spirit, only to discover that for the first several months in your life you have no coordination of this new body you have been given and you can't communicate with the locals with any sort of refinement.  (Trust me baby, I really relate to you on that last part).   So when the little chap needs his nappy changed or is longing for a bit of tucker, it only makes sense that he wails.  However, I'm a very light sleeper.  Every time the kid cries, it wakes me up and then I have a hard time getting back to sleep.  That has been a source of frustration.

I continually hear doors opening and closing outside our unit and we sometimes catch snatches of laughter or talk as people come and go.   It gives a much more "public" rather than "private" feel to being here.

Then there are the sirens.  Oh my.  We live on a fairly busy street, not far from a major medical center.  So we get a fair amount of ambulance traffic going by.  I suppose I will eventually get more used to it to the point that I can tune them out, more or less.  But so far, each time one goes by sets my nerves all a jangle.

One of the most pervasive features of our flat that impacts me is the whiteness of it all.  Color can have a tremendous impact on mood.  Our place here is pretty sterile, with all white walls, white dishes, white window treatments.   Previous missionaries who lived here did try to liven up the place by choosing bright red duvet coverings.  

 However, I still feel like I'm in a motel room rather than a home. Hopefully we can eventually pick up a pretty tablecloth and some brighter throw pillows or do SOMETHING to make it feel more cozy.   For now, I'm learning to choose to accept my surroundings as they are by focusing on other senses:
          SOUND - listening to a lot of Pandora
          TASTE -  I'm experimenting cooking with different spices and really trying to broaden our meals to include as much local produce and grains as I can
         SMELL - we baked cookies which filled the whole flat with the sizzling scent of cinnamon and I've got a diffuser with lavender essential oil for calming.

When I absolutely can't take the whiteness of my living quarters anymore, all I really need to do is get out and go for a walk so I can immerse myself in the true beauty of this place.

On the positive side - one of the things I have found down right refreshing about apartment life is that I can whip through the whole place to get it all tidy in less than an hour.  I certainly can't say that to be the case when cleaning my home back in Boise.  Having less STUFF is very freeing, on many levels, and may be a general pattern I choose to carry on when I get home. 

I am truly grateful that we have a place that meets our needs so very well.  We live in a safe community.  We have close, easy access to the beach, to the library, to shopping, and can walk to work.   There are many advantages of being here.  Sure, there are things I wish were different.  That is to be expected.  I will not put on a Polly Anna face and say that it's all perfect when I know very well it is not.  Instead, I'll be honest about the things that grate on my nerves or keep me up at night.  But I won't focus on them. 

Today, I will do my best to breathe deep of the sea air and remind myself of what my purpose is here. I will seek out ways to incorporate color into my life, even when I can't change the color of my walls.

I will be living in this flat for 22 more months.  During that time I hope to make it feel a bit more like "our own space".   In the mean time, I can learn much, laugh and dance right where I am.   There will ALWAYS be things in my surroundings or circumstances that are not to my liking, no matter where I am.   My peace of mind is not dependent on what is going on outside of me.   YES, I am influenced by my environment.  But I still get to choose how much I dwell on those details.   I get to choose where I put my thoughts and what I focus on.

Today, I will seek beauty.  I will breathe peace.   As for sleep?   It may be a while till that kid down the way starts sleeping through the night.  Until then, when I'm up in the wee hours I read, I write, I reflect on all that is amazing about this experience.  If I am a little bleary eyes throughout the day, I can live with that.

Connecting With Home

One of the best blessings about being a missionary in a far away land in this modern age is the ability to stay in close contact with my family and friends back home using the Internet.

For those who have Apple technology (either iPads or iPhones) we can do FaceTime.   This lets us both see and hear the person we are talking to.  It's very easy to use and costs nothing.  We just need an Internet connection to make it work. For those who don't have Apple tech we can use Skype instead.  


For times when seeing the person is not so important we will use MagicJack. This is a great free app that can be installed on either iPhone, iPad or Android to allow me to make free phone calls to anywhere in the USA or Canada.   I LOVE this app!   Yesterday I got to call my siblings and my dear friend Carma, as well as my two sons.   We can chat till the cows come home with no fees associated.  

Then of course there is always email, FaceBook and even this silly blog for sending letters and sharing photos of all that we are doing.

These tools make a huge difference in how I experience being half way around the world from all my loved ones.   It doesn't do much for how much I miss my dog, but as far as all the humans in my life, it makes all the difference in he world.

Rules of the Road

One of the challenges we have to face in adapting to our new home here in New Zealand is getting used to driving on the left side of the road. Beyond that, the road lanes are considerably narrower than what we are used to and the traffic here can be quite hectic.  I get white knuckled nervous on the motorway just being a passenger.  Fortunately, Larry is a really good driver and seems to be taking it all in stride.
His only problem so far is what is referred to here as the "American Salute"...when he wants to turn on his turn indicator he often clicks the windshield wipers instead since they are on reversed sides of the steering column from what he is used to.

 I don't know if I will drive here or not.  Even at home I'm not crazy about freeways.  I think I may just defer to my sweet husband since he we go everywhere together anyway.

The signs here are very different from what we are accustomed to seeing:

Speed limit - YIKES - that seems too fast!
Oh, wait, they mean kilometers.

There are the MANY Roundabouts. 

" A roundabout is a central island in the middle of an intersection, where all vehicles must travel to the left of the island. Roundabouts can be small, large, single-laned or multi-laned. The number of roads that come into a roundabout can range from three to five or even more".  (From the Official New Zealand Road Code)

There have been some detailed studies that indicate roundabouts are actually safer than intersections.  I suppose they need to do all they can to minimize the danger of having foreign visitors on their roads who may be disoriented from being used to driving on the other side.

Every time we go through another one I think about the song by the group Yes on their album Fragile that was quite popular back in the late 70's: "Roundabout" 

 

Discovering Lake Pupuke

One of our first explorations after we arrived was a walk to nearby Lake Pupuke (pronounced Poo-Pu-Kee).   

While it is almost the end of December, here that means full on summer, so there were several kids on the pier enjoying the chance to go for a swim.  The park around lake is truly lovely.   We were surprised not to find more people there.

There are lots of black swans and a strange looking bird we later  were told in known as a "swamp hen" or "pukeko" (many things have have both an English name and a Maori name here).

Photo by Stephen Streeter

Photo by Stephen Streeter

 We were walking around taking photos and enjoying the beauty of the place.  We saw a young Asian woman down by the water's edge and asked her if she would take a photo of us together.   (We have lots of pictures of each of us individually as we take turns taking one another's pictures during our travels, but not that many of the both of us, so this seemed like a good opportunity).   

We struck up a conversation with this young woman to learn more about her.  We learned she was from Korea. Her name is Song and she had only been in New Zealand for a couple weeks.  We explained that we were missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  She had never heard of the faith. From further conversation, it was clear that she had very limited knowledge about Jesus Christ. 

We spent the next several minutes talking to her about the gospel.  We told her about our assignment to help people learn about their family history and bore testimony about the importance of families.
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Then we talked about our faith in Jesus Christ and showed her the website Mormon.org on her smart phone.  (It automatically came up in Korean so she was able to read it easily).  We had a wonderful conversation, culminating in us inviting her to come to church. I do not know if Song will choose to come or not. That's up to her and I will respect whatever choice she makes.  But either way, having this opportunity to spontaneously bear our testimony to someone we just met and to have it be received so positively was a great experience.

As we walked back to our apartment we met three young missionaries who are serving in the Chinese Branch.  We enjoyed talking with them for a few minutes to learn a bit about proselytizing here in New Zealand.

All in all it was a great day.  We still have so much to learn and I'm sure we will face our share of challenges.  Still, experiences like this are a great reminder of why we are here.  While our particular assignment may be family history,  as we were taught in the MTC, every missionary's primary role is to bring others to Christ.  I'm so grateful we got a chance to share that.

Grocery Shopping In New Zealand

One of the interesting adjustments to make when moving to a different part of the world has to do with food.  Things definitely are not the same here as what we were accustomed to.  That's not a bad thing, it just takes some getting used to.

For example, in the USA, eggs must be refrigerated.   Here, the stores simply stack cases of eggs on the regular grocery shelves.

As it turns out, the USA is really the only place where refrigerating eggs is common.  They have way more of a problem with salmonella than other countries do.  (See article HERE to find out why).

Next, some things that I used to buy all the time simply are not available here.  Graham crackers seem to be on the list.  No one here has ever heard of them.  Also there doesn't seem to be anything quite like Elder Bennett's favorite granola, which he will surely miss.

Then there are other things that they have, they just don't put them where I expect to find them.  I spent almost twenty minutes looking for applesauce.  I figured it would be with the canned fruits.  Nope.  It was tucked away on the bottom shelf in the area where they keep sauces.   Who knew?  Don't get me wrong, I have no problem with picking up applesauce over by the sushi seaweed and soy sauce.  It just wasn't what I was expecting.

There are a lot of things that are pretty much the same as what I would buy at home, only they call it something else.  Hamburger is "Mince".   Napkins are "Serviettes".   Other things LOOK very much like something I am familiar with, but then I find out later it is something entirely different.  For example I bought something called "Kumara" which I thought was the same as a sweet potato.  It actually did have a similar taste and texture, but the color was completely unexpected - I thought it would be orange inside.  Instead, the flesh was white.

Looks like a sweet potato to me!

See the white stuff on right side of plate next to the strawberries? 
Tasty, but just didn't look like what I was used to.

This is what I learned about "kumara" online from Garden NZ:

Kumara: Sweet Potatoes - Ipomoea batatas

In most countries they are called sweet potatoes, but in New Zealand they are known by their Maori name kumara. Kumara are one of the most popular vegetables in New Zealand and one of the healthiest you can eat.
They are an excellent source of vitamins and minerals, are virtually fat-free, cholesterol-free and very low in sodium. Kumara have more fibre than oatmeal and provide many essential nutrients, including vitamin B6, calcium and iron.

Varieties:

Available in red, gold or orange, each variety has a deliciously different colour and taste. Red kumara has a creamy white flesh, firm texture and tastes delightfully mellow. Gold has a soft texture and is slightly sweeter. The orange variety is firm and tastes the sweetest.

Last but not least, the biggest difference in grocery shopping here is the cost of groceries.  Here are just a few examples:


3 L of milk (a little over 3 quarts) $ 5.15

1.24 KG Mince/hamburger (2 3/4LBS) $11.22

Very small roasted chicken $ 9.99

Can of Tuna $ 3.98

Box of cold cereal $ 5.99

Can of whole kernel corn $ 1.59

Small jar of salsa $ 5.79

Salad Dressing (similar to Miracle Whip) $ 2.69

Suffice it to say we had a serious case of sticker shock the first time we went to the store.  But we are taking it all in stride.  We are comparing notes with other senior missionaries here to know where to find the best bargains.  We will read labels carefully and shop frugally.  In the end, we can at least take solace in knowing that we get the benefit of a strong foreign exchange rate.  The rate fluctuates up and down, but from what I've been told  it has been staying pretty much between .78 to around .82 US$ for each New Zealand dollar, which helps take the sting out of higher price tags.

The real take away for me is to remember I am not in Boise and that rather than compare everything here to what I am used to I can be open to discovery and experimenting.  Some things I get I will really like (Milo is yummy!).   Some stuff here I will pass on completely.   (Malt Biscuits are NOT like graham crackers).  Either way, I want to embrace the experience of seeing, smelling, tasting new things.  I will learn to cook differently.   I will learn to try new things.  Who knows?  Maybe when I get home I will actually miss having kumara with my dinner.