Life Lessons while Fishing at Birkenhead

This weekend we spent some time down at the wharf at Birkenhead so Elder Bennett could try a bit of fishing.  Sadly, although he had a few bites, all he caught were rocks.  (He lost his hooks and sinkers a few times when his line would get caught in the rocks below.)

So, my craving for fish tacos had to be satisfied at the market instead.

It was not a complete waste of time however.  Up until now we really had no idea where to go for fishing here.  What we got that day, instead of a fine catch, was an education.   We did see some other people catch some nice snapper, so we know there ARE fish to be caught in that place.  He also got some tips from some of  the locals about best baits, times, tides, etc.  

Of course, some of the fish caught were too small to keep,  like the one pictured here.  But others we saw pulled in would feed a family well.  So we are hopeful that on another day Larry will manage to hook one or two of his own.

 The best part for me was visiting with Naresh, a woman from Fiji who was a delight to listen to with her soft, lilting Hindi accent.  We talked about how she and her family adapted to living here after they emigrated several years ago.   She misses Fiji, but recognizes that there are more opportunities for her sons here.   We talked about all sorts of things, from cooking tips to her views on arranged marriages vs. love marriages.  She spoke of her memories of growing up in Fiji during simpler times and how the world is different today with cell phones, Internet and video games.  I may never see her again.  Or the universe could surprise me and the two of us could become good friends.   Only time will tell.

One of the biggest lessons of mission life for us is to appreciate each person we meet, each place we visit, without making any attachments for the future.  We must do our very best to live in the present moment, focusing on gratitude for what we are experiencing without placing expectations.  That is a major switch for me.

There is a line in a great American song "Mother Blues" by Ray Wylie Hubbard that says "The days I keep my gratitude higher than my expectations are very, good, days.”

There is real wisdom there.

Asking for Help

One of our favorite pass times on our days off from our mission responsibilities is to go geocaching. I love that this international treasure hunt game so often leads us to gorgeous hiking trails we would have found no other way.

Sometimes we find the hidden container we are seeking.  Sometimes we don't.   Either way, we both appreciate getting out for a good walk and enjoying the beauty.

There have been a few geo hides that we have gone back to three or four times trying to locate.  Sometimes we tough it out on our own, and sometimes we ask for help

Recently we found one on a trail not far from our daily walk home from work that originally stumped us.  (Yes, pun intended, because it was at the site of a BIG stump!)

We looked ALL over the place, but could not find a thing.  So I finally broke down and emailed the "owner" of the cache, the person who had originally hidden it.  He answer back right away giving very specific directions for where we should look and what we would be looking for.

I have to admit, at first I was disappointed.  I had wanted a CLUE to help me figure it out or some general "look higher"  or "look lower" sort of guidelines so that I'd have a better chance, but still wanted to feel like I had been able to accomplish it through my own skill.

However, when we actually DID find the hide, I recognized there was simply no way we ever would have found it on our own.   The thing was a very small glass tube that had been put inside a hole drilled into a branch and then layed down in a crevice of the tree.  It simply looked like a natural part of the surrounding area so even my my most clever searching would not have recognized it.  I needed help to find the prize.  But my prideful heart wanted to do it more on my own.


As we prepare for church tomorrow, I've been thinking about this in terms of how I approach the atonement.
No matter how obedient I try to be, no matter how righteous my intentions are, I will always fall short of God's plan for me.   
Like everyone else living in this fallen mortal world, I make mistakes, plenty of them.  Some of my mistakes are because I have not yet gained full understanding.  Some are from outright rebelliousness.  Some will be sins of commission, the wrong things I do which I know good and well that I should not do.  Other times they will be sins of  omission - not doing anything terrible, but failing to do the righteous thing I know that I should do.

Some sins will be based on ignorance, others on spiritual immaturity.  Some come down to basic laziness, pride, greed or other petty human frailties.  On my own, no matter how hard I may want to do the right thing, there are going to be times that I fail.
However, our loving Heavenly Father gave us a way to get back on the path through repentance, and by relying on the eternal gift of the atonement of Jesus Christ.

When I cannot find my way spiritually,  I need to turn to Him.

Sometime I have tried to obey my way into God's good graces.  I've tried to earn worthiness by diligently doing everything I can to "get it right".  And that is a tricky thing, because I SHOULD be obedient, and I SHOULD do all I can to be worthy.   But I always have to recognize that I simply cannot make it on my own.   I need the help of the atonement.  So I'm trying to learn to understand that better and to rely on it more fully.

Beyond that, just in my every day life there are times I need to make decisions that can have high stakes as to the outcome.   One of my challenges is to know when it is appropriate for me to try harder to "study it out in my mind" and figure it out using my own ability and agency or when I should seek answers from the Lord through inspiration / personal revelation about what I should do.

When do I tough it out on my own, and when do I ask for help? 

In 1973 Elder Bruce R. McConkie, a member of the Quorum of 12 Apostles, the general authorities who help guide and direct LDS people throughout the world, gave an address at BYU in which he said:  "...we're faced with two propositions.  One is that we ought to be guided by the spirit of inspiration, the spirit of revelation. The other is that we're here under a direction to use our agency, to determine what we ought to do on our own; and we need to strike a fine balance between these two, if we're going to pursue a course that will give us joy and satisfaction and peace in this life and lead to eternal reward in our Father's kingdom."

In that talk Elder McConkie gave some good examples to illustrate the importance of  not expecting Heavenly Father to just hand out solutions because we might ask for them.

The first was the case of Oliver Cowdry, friend and scribe to the prophet Joseph Smith.   While Oliver was very faithful in recording the words from the gold plates which were to become the Book of Mormon while the prophet read them under direction from Heavenly Father,  Oliver really wanted a chance to do more.  He wanted to experience translating for himself. So he had the prophet ask God in prayer if that was a possibility.   The answer he got back was "The Lord said, "Oliver Cowdery, verily, verily, I say unto you, that assuredly as the Lord liveth, who is your God and your Redeemer, even so surely shall you receive a knowledge of whatsoever things you shall ask in faith, with an honest heart, believing that you shall receive."

This sounded like a Green Light to Oliver.  Trusting those words to mean just what they sounded like, Oliver asked God to let him take a turn at translation.   However, it didn't work.   When Oliver tried, he could see the marking on the Gold Plates, but nothing came to his mind for what those words would mean in English.  His mind remained closed.

So what's up with that?  

When Oliver had the prophet go back to the Lord again in prayer to ask why he (Oliver) could not translate as asked, the response was this:

"You have not understood; you have supposed that I would give it unto you, when you took no thought save it was to ask me" (D&C 9:7).

Explaining this, Elder McConkie said:

"Now, seemingly, that's all he'd been instructed to do, to ask in faith; but implicit in asking in faith is the precedent requirement that we do everything in our power to accomplish the goal that we seek. We use the agency with which we have been endowed. We use every faculty and capacity and ability that we possess to bring about the eventuality that may be involved. Now this is translating the Book of Mormon, it's choosing a wife, it's choosing employment, it's doing any one of ten thousand important things that arise in our lives."   (emphasis added).

The Lord went on to reveal:
"I say unto you, that you must study it out in your mind; then you must ask me if it be right, and if it is right I will cause that your bosom shall burn within you; therefore, you shall feel that it is right.

But if it be not right you shall have no such feelings, but you shall have a stupor of thought that shall cause you to forget the thing which is wrong; therefore, you cannot write that which is sacred save it be given you from me." [D&C 9:8–9]

The second example Elder McConkie gives has to do with the brother of Jared (also known from revelation as Moriancumer) when he wanted to know how he might have light in the ships he had been directed to build to take his people across a vast ocean into the promised land.  His first concern had been how to have fresh air in the ships since they would have to be sealed up tight "like a dish" to preserve the people when the ships would be "buried in the water".  The brother of Jared asked the Lord what to do about that and was given a direct answer that solved that concern.

So when his next issue came up, he tried the same thing.  He wanted to know how they could have light to help them through their journey, so he simply asked.

This is what Elder McConkie said about that:

And the Lord talked to him about it a little and then he said this: "What will ye that I should do that ye may have light in your vessels?" (Eth. 2:23). In effect, "What are you asking me for? This is something you should have solved." And he talked a little more, and he repeated in essence the question: "What will ye that I should prepare for you that ye may have light when ye are swallowed up in the depths of the sea?" (Eth. 2:25). In other words, "Moriancumer, this is your problem. Why are you troubling me? I've given you your agency; you are endowed with capacity and ability. Get out and solve the problem."

The brother of Jared then found a solution on his own that he felt would be workable.  He then  took that solution to the Lord and asked for the Lord's approval of  the plan.  Through his absolute faith that God could and would give him the light he needed according to this plan, the brother of Jared was allowed to see God face to face, and the light was provided.

The last example given in Elder McConkie's address comes from the early history of the church.  The Lord directs the group of Saints in that time to come together and hold councils.  He does not tell them when, where or how to do that.   He just tells them it will be important.  That direction is followed up with this:

For behold, it is not meet that I should command in all things; for he that is compelled in all things, the same is a slothful and not a wise servant; wherefore he receiveth no reward. Verily I say, men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness; For the power is in them, wherein they are agents unto themselves. And inasmuch as men do good they shall in nowise lose their reward.  But he that doeth not anything until he is commanded, and receiveth a commandment with doubtful heart, and keepeth it with slothfulness, the same is damned. [D&C 58:26–29]

So from all this I have come to understand that in many cases, I really SHOULD try to figure things out on my own.  That's how I learn and grow.
But it is just as true that I need to know when to humble myself to admit that I don't have the answers.  I need to be more willing to ask for help.   That can be true in many areas of my life - whether it be geocaching or getting directions on how to get somewhere rather than wander around lost.

It is most definitely true in the spiritual sense.  There will be plenty of times that even when I have put forth my very best effort, I need to ask for help.  That's why the Lord said in Ether 12: 27
"And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them”.

Two Months Down

We have now been on our mission for two months.  We have 21 more months to go.

It has been a powerful experience.  We've had our highs and we've had our lows.  There is so much about mission life that we absolutely love and feel privileged to be experiencing.  Yet there are other times when we get hit with great waves of overwhelming longing for home and all that is familiar.  We work hard at staying focused on the present, allowing ourselves to fully immerse ourselves in our current surroundings.  We try to live by the mantra of "Be Here Now".   Still, there are times when our hearts crumble with thoughts of all we have left behind.

There is a lot of sacrifice in taking on a full time mission - particularly a foreign one.  This is very different from simply choosing to go expatriate for a grand adventure.  We have chosen to submit our own preferences and desires to go where ever Heavenly Father wants us to be and do whatever it is He would have us do.  

Our testimonies are growing.  The love we are feeling for the people we are with has been amazing.   The reason I keep writing these blog entries is to help us hold on to these memories.  Already in the short time we have been here some of the details have slipped away in the swirl of new events.  I'm beginning to understand more than ever why it was so important to Lehi's family to go get the Brass Plates that Laban had.  Human memory simply will not hold on to even the most sacred instructions over time.  We need the truly important stuff written down.

That's why we have the scriptures.  That's why we are counseled to keep journals.  That's why we record our family history.   I'm sure there will be gaps from time to time.  But I hope I can keep this record going for the full duration of this mission.  It feels important.  I don't ever want to forget what is happening to us and more importantly IN us during this season of our lives.

Family History Work on the Island of Niue

As I mentioned in my last post, the first LDS missionaries arrived in Niue in 1951.  On 14 Aug 1952 the first baptism were held in a pool at Amanau Cave, bringing 26 new converts into the gospel.  On 28 Aug 1952 12 more people were baptized.  

Elder Pennington and Elder Childs, the two young missionaries currently serving in Niue, took us to the Cave so we could see this historic site.

   

                      

                

                                                                      Elders Pennington & Child at Amanau Cave,        
                                                               Site of first LDS baptisms in Niue   

                                

Rosalina was in the second group of saints to be baptized on the island.  Here she is shown with her daughter who is filling in family information on a pedigree chart for the "My Family 15 in 15" Pacific Area Presidency Goal.

 Currently there are about 200 people on the rolls of the church living on Niue, but many are not active.  The Alofi Branch has about 40 – 50 active members.  We spent most of our time in this area.  

On the northern side of the island is the  Lakepa-Toi Branch which has about 25 active members.  Currently Lakepa-Toi alternates their meetings between two different chapels – one in Lakepa Village and one in Toi.   At one time there were more active members which justified additional meeting houses.  (At its peak the island had 5 meeting houses).  After the major cyclone in 2004 many people left the island.  So now the Lakepa and Toi congregations are combined to one congregation and they take turns meeting at the two different buildings so as to meet needs of folks in both places.       

Alofi Chapel – built 1954-1958                                           

      

Alofi Branch Presidency

There is abundant fresh fruit on the island .  Pictured here is the mission home where the full time missionaries live and a shot from their back yard where they have papaya, coconut and mango trees.  Coconuts are routinely kept in the refrigerator for a cold drink.  We would knock a hole in the top, insert a straw and enjoy the fresh juice

 .

 Elder Pennington and Elder Child were a tremendous help to us, introducing us to families all over the island.  They were also great learners when it came time to train them in how to use FamilySearch, the church's online program for tracking genealogy.

Missionary Activities:

We had four main goals for this trip, all of which were accomplished.

     1)  Set up Family History Center with new computer  

     2)  Train full time missionaries in using FamilySearch 

3)  Educate branch leaders about My 15 in 15 Pacific Area Goal

4)  Meet with someone from government to establish contact for future negotiations regarding publication of microfilm records.

We felt that our trip was very successful and had a positive impact in terms of promoting the Pacific Area Goal of My Family 15 in 15  as well as supporting the full time missionaries and giving them tools to be more effective in their service there.

Elder Child's Pedigree chart was the first to be printed
 in the newly opened Niue FHC

In addition to helping quite a few members learn how to use FamilySearch to track their family history, in just the first two days the newly opened Family History Center was open there were four people who submitted names for ordinances to be completed in the temple.  The people were so grateful for this.

  

We also had opportunities to visit in many members homes and to help teach a gospel lesson to a young girl preparing for baptism.   

We had dinner with the Lavini family one night.
They were wonderful folks and fed us a delicious meal.

We had a great gospel discussion with Avi, the owner of the pizza house and fish stand where we ate a couple times.  He is an immigrant from Israel who is married to a Niuean woman. We gave him a "My Family" booklet and encouraged him to record stories about his family, then teach them to his young daughters.

 We put in long days and worked hard.  It  was hot and I got eaten up by mosquitoes.  Still, we would not have traded this experience for anything in the world.  In addition to meeting all the objectives for this trip, we felt our time in Niue strengthened our own testimonies and provided vital experience for us which will make us more effective on future travels throughout the Pacific.

Elder Bennett getting his Niue driver's license at the Police Station

Sister Bennett with a Coconut Crab

Mission Trip to Niue

We just got back from our first overseas mission trip - to the tiny island nation of Niue.  It was quite an experience.

Here is a bit of background on Niue:

The following information is taken from the book “Niue of Polynesia: Savage Island’s First Latter-day Saint Missionaries”  by Robert Maurice Goodman. We checked this book out from the Takapuna Library (ordered ahead of time through inter-library loan). It is a worthwhile read and helped me appreciate the place and the people a lot more by knowing a bit of the history. Several of the people mentioned in the book were still strong members of the church at the time we were there.

“Where is Niue?
Niue (pronounced “knee-oo-ay”) is a sparkling, beautiful coral atoll island nation in the South Pacific that is seemingly lost among its more well-known neighbours, such as Tahiti (500 miles east), Samoa (300 miles north), (Fiji (350 miles northwest), Tonga (240 miles west), and New Zealand (1500 miles southwest). Niue is located slightly northeast of the invisible intersection of tropic of Capricorn and the International Date Line, at approximately 19 south latitude and 179 west longitude."

Characteristics of the Land and Its People
"Niue is one of the largest coral atolls in the world. Some people refer to the island simply as “the rock” or “the rock of Polynesia.” This island has a total area of 100 square miles-about the size of Washington DC. It is 17 miles long and 10 miles wide at its widest point, and it has approximately 40 miles of rough coral roads.
The island has two terraced levels, one at 90 feet and the other at 200 feet above sea level. Unlike most of the rest of Polynesia, there are no sandy beaches in Niue. Steep, rugged cliffs of well-pounded coral rock form the shore line. There are very few places through these shear, unyielding black and grey cliffs where one can find access to the open sea.

Small boats can dock at the wharf at the capital city of Alofi, and there are a few canoe landing places at such places as Avatele, Tuhia and Uluvehi. But elsewhere, there are only a few deep, natural chasms, such as those at Vailoa and Matapa, through which one may reach sea level. …

The entire island is solid rock, covered by only a thin layer of soil in which to grow crops. In some places, farmers had to create individual seed holes at an angle so there would be enough soil to cover the seed plant. Because there are no lakes or rivers on the island, people would collect the rainwater that fell onto their tin roofs and store it in barrels or tanks (cisterns) for future use"
.
(Note from my experience: A new water system provides plenty of safe drinking water pumped up from underground wells, usually stored in large tanks.)

"During the summer (December through March) the average daytime temperature was about 82 F. During winter (June through September) the average daytime temperature was about 72 F. Although droughts were frequent, and destructive cyclones hit Niue every few years, the trees and foliage of the island were usually lush and plentiful. There were many coconut, banana and papaya trees, along with many exotic hardwoods. Before tractors and defoliants, Niueans cleared the land with bush knives and controlled fires.”

LDS Presence
The first LDS missionaries arrived in Niue in 1951. On 14 Aug 1952 the first baptism were held in a pool at Amanau Cave, bringing 26 new converts into the gospel. On 28 Aug 1952 12 more people were baptized. A few of these original pioneers of the gospel are still living on the island today.

(Goodman, R. 2002. Pg 8 – 9).

OUR EXPERIENCE -

There are somewhere between 1000 and 1200 people who live on the island, mostly native Niuans, along with a small sprinkling of expats from various nations.  Many from Niue have emigrated to New Zealand or Australia, and some to other places after the last big cyclone.  Some of these folks do come back to spend extended visits with family on the island or to maintain interest in land holdings.  But the permanent population is quite small and the degree of established infrastructure is limited.  It's a pretty quiet place with few businesses.

Because of the cost of shipping and the sporadic nature of resupply, anything imported you buy in Niue is relatively expensive.  Niue uses New Zealand dollars. There are no ATM’s on the island and not every place takes credit cards, so it is important to take sufficient cash.  Even if you have plenty of money, however, there  are limited places to eat or shop.  Most tourists who come to Niue come during whale watching season or to enjoy the fishing and scuba diving.   There is no "nightlife" or even much "daylife" for that matter. Particularly when we were there, which was the"off season" as far as tourism goes, it's a pretty relaxed, quiet place.  People were friendly and kind.  The place was quite beautiful.  But anyone looking to be entertained would most likely be disappointed.  This would not be considered a hotspot of the Pacific.  There are no fancy dining places.  Most look something like this:


                                                
But for a relaxed meal at a decent price, we can definitely recommend the following:

Kai Ika (right next to Alofi Chapel) Good pizza! Also good fish.
Crazy Ugas (across from Police Station in Alofi)
Gills Indian Restaurant (in the “mall” in main part of Alofi)

In the central part of Alofi there is a shopping area, sometimes referred to as “the mall”.  However, the stores did not seem to keep any sort of regular hours. This is where the Post Office is and also the one electronics store. Other shops are mainly handicrafts and a hair salon, as well as the Indian Restaurant mentioned above. Our experience was that store hours of operations are somewhat random. We needed to go back three or four times before we found anyone at the electronics store where we needed to purchase a power strip for the Family History Center we were setting up.  We learned that if you need to get something and don’t find them open, don’t give up. Just keep trying!

"The Mall" in Niue

The Niue Information Centre is worth taking a visit to as it as some displays about the history and culture.  I was particularly interested in learning about the changes in Niue since the big cyclone that occurred in 2004.

Elders Pennington and Childs who we worked with during our visit

It is because of events like the devastating loss of records that happened during that storm that the work the family history department of the Church does is so important.   I'll close this post with a video that describes that and tell a little bit more about our activities on this trip in the next entry.

Exploring the Coromandel Peninsula

 

For all of us missionaries assigned to work in the Pacific Area Office, Saturdays are a time for gathering to explore.   One of our recent trips was to the Coromandel Peninsula. We started out in the town of Thames, driving along lovely beach-side roads and then cut across lush rain forest on a VERY twisty road (don't let that map line fool you - it was switchbacks around mountains nearly the whole way) till we got to the west side to visit Hot Water Beach and Cathedral Cove.

Larry, Me, Sister Winters and Elder & Sister Whidden

Thames Monument

Elder Gary Winters get's a bird's eye view of the surrounding area

from http://www.cycletour.org.nz/coromandel-west-coast.html

Rain Forest Reserve, Interior or Coromandel Peninsula - from Wikipedia

at the start of the trail to Hot Water Beach

Looking down on Cathedral Cove

 The Coromandel Peninsula has much to offer and a person could spend many days fully appreciating the trails, beaches, and little towns along the way.   For a quick day trip, we just got a bit of a taste.  Still, it was a beautiful day spent in the company of good people.