Central City Library

On Thursday we made our first trip into the heart of downtown Auckland to explore the Family History resources available at the main library's research center.   What an adventure!

First off was finding our way there.  Like most big cities, the traffic can be challenging under the best of circumstances.  Add the fact that we were totally unfamiliar with where we were going, driving on the left still feels weird to us at times, and we were there pretty much at the peak of rush hour.  So to some extent the trip in was a white knuckle exercise in reliance on our guardian angels.  Suffice it to say there were a few spots where I just covered my eyes and prayed for safety.

Once we got there we had no idea where we could park.  Parking is a serious premium here. After driving around circles for a several blocks we finally found a public carpark close to the library with much relief.  That relief  turned to trepidation when we found the fee to park there was $6.50 per HALF hour.  Yikes!

Still, we were determined to get to the library and we had an appointment to meet someone there, so on we went.   We were not disappointed.

Libraries are such amazing places.   Ever since I was a little kid I've been in awe of these repositories of knowledge that give us free access to the experience and imagination of people from across the generations.    Although I must admit, as much as I love libraries (and I truly do!)  I  also feel a bit overwhelmed and discouraged when I go to really nice ones.   Just looking at all those stacks reminds me that even if I were to read 10 hours a day every single day for the rest of my life I would never be able to read all the wonderful books that are out there.  Sometimes I feel downright heartsick to know I will inevitably miss out on some truly great works since there simply are not enough hours in the day, not enough years in a single lifetime.  Still...what I WILL discover in the libraries of the world will be pretty great.

Today, however, we were not there to look at books.  We came to check out the Genealogy resources there were available.  I was stunned by the amount of resources they had.  Not only were there stacks and stacks of books this library also had several microfilm / microfiche readers and has a robust program of lunchtime speaker presentations.

We talked with Shona Lewis, the Family History Librarian on staff and learned a bit more about their programs.   They have quite a lot to be proud of.

Our job as Pacific Area Family History Support missionaries is not primarily geared to helping individuals do research.  Instead, we work with church leaders all over the Pacific to help them implement programs to encourage and support members to be more engaged in family history and temple work.  Our job is really to focus on the spiritual aspects of strengthening families by helping them see the value of learning and recording their family stories.

Still, we do get chances to talk about the nuts and bolts of HOW to do family history work, so knowing what resources are out there specific to this part of the world will be really helpful.   I'm glad we got to see all the great resources here and I'm sure we will be back to participate in some of their programs.

Autumn in April

Back in 2010 I wrote a post on one of my earlier blogs about a set of questions to use for writing a personal history.  I have used these several times for helping other's get their life stories recorded, and have taught a few classes on the importance of incorporating these sorts of stories into family history.

Some are not really true questions at all, but rather simple writing prompts to spark a memory.  For example, one says: "Describe a perfect fall day".  Often, those are not the sort of things that come to mind when someone sets about trying to write an autobiography.  However, it's just those sort of simple memories that can illustrate what a person's day to day life was like.

 Autumn has long been my favorite season.   I have many happy memories associated with cooler months when the days have begun to grow shorter - a time when leaves begin to turn and harvests are being brought in.

Today my sweet companion and I enjoyed just such a day - nevermind that it is the end of April.  Here in the Southern hemisphere seasons are all topsy-turvy from what we experienced back in the United States.

Today is a public holiday here in New Zealand (an extended time off from work in honor of Anzac Day which I described in my last post).  Since we were not expected to go into our office, we planned to do a bit of exploring.   However, this morning was cold and very windy, with pouring rain - quite typical for this time of year here, and not much of a day for hikes or going to the beach.   So instead we got together with two other couples and went to the Naval Museum in Davenport.

From Visit Davenport website at http://www.visitdevonport.co.nz/torpedo-bay-navy-museum

According to  http://www.nzmuseums.co.nz/account/3323 the Royal New Zealand Navy Museum

 at Torpedo Bay "is of exceptional heritage significance having been continuously occupied by New Zealand military forces since 1880. It was a key part of Auckland’s early defence system and is now the most substantial and intact 19th century mining base to survive in New Zealand. "

Housed in a 19th Century submarine mining station looking over the Waitemata Harbour, this museum had well presented displays that illustrated Kiwi participation in military exercises, treaties and conflicts from all over the world.

We spent a little over an hour looking at the displays and reading the descriptions.  It was interesting stuff, although somber.  For those with a particular interest in military history it would be a real gem.  For me, it was significant but rather sad.  Still, in light of the day, as we continued in remembrance of those who had served, it seemed and appropriate place to be.

When we got home I fixed a nice lunch and then we just relaxed for a while and took short naps.  We don't get many naps in this mission, so having a day when we could just kick back felt pretty great!

Then Larry and I decided to take a drive out to Brown's Bay.   That was where we had originally intended to go this morning, but had gotten our plans shuffled due to the weather. Once the rain stopped and the sun came out the day turned absolutely beautiful, so we decided to give it a go.

First we went to the Sherwood Reserve where we had a lovely walk and found a couple geocache.  Most of the native trees of New Zealand do not change colors, but we found some that were just beginning to put on a show:

Of course, in this temperate climate, there are still lots of flowers and plenty of green - not the typical die-back we see during Autumn back in the states.  One of the geocache hides we found had the clue "Near a flowering Pohutakawa Tree."  These trees typically flower around December and are known as New Zealand Christmas trees, so I was rather surprised to see this one still in bloom today:

As we walked across the bridge along the pathway we had to smile observing the ducks and pigeons and sparrows all pecking on the ground together - in true NZ multi cultural fashion.  The way the various cultures here are able to peacefully collaborate is such a soothing contrast to the racial tensions we often sensed in the US.

This photo of the spot we were at was taken by Greg Van Slyke and posted on Flikr
https://www.flickr.com/photos/gregvs/4403116669/

After our time at the park we headed down to the beach.   It's only a few miles up the coast from our own Takapuna, so it is not all that different.  Still, the tide was out so there was a wide expanse of open sand to walk on.  The sky was shifting colors as we were there at the close of day.   It was just so peaceful to be there together just relaxing as we wandered along picking up shells.

Then we came home for some relaxed time together, a simple dinner, then reading scriptures and preparing for bed.  Nothing terribly exciting or eventful took place.  But for me, it was a perfect Autumn day.

Anzac Day

NOTE:   The following is an excerpt from a blog post by Susan Winters, one of the other missionaries who works in the Pacific Area Office and a good friend.

She did such a nice job of describing this day that I'm choosing to share her words rather than rephrase into my own.   Her blog can be found at http://www.winterskiwi.blogspot.co.nz/

"Saturday, April 25th was a national Day of Remembrance in New Zealand.  It is called Anzac Day. 
 This year it was the 100th anniversary of the World War I battles and the landings on Gallipoli.  The holiday commemorates all New Zealanders who served and died in all wars.  Anzac day is New Zealand's Veterans day.  They honor those who have served in the wars, perhaps more than we do in in America.  All businesses were closed and they had many small parades in various locations.  There was a sunrise ceremony celebrating the 100 years at the Auckland War Memorial in downtown Auckland.  Everyone wore red poppies and laid them at the memorials.  Last week at church many who had served in the armed forces wore their medals.  There were a few members who had a whole row of medals.  It was quite impressive.  Today at Church we stood and had two minutes of silence in remembrance of those who died.  The closing hymn was the New Zealand National Anthem.  The song has lyrics in Maori and English.  We sang the first verse in Maori and then the remainder of the verses in English.  The title is "God Defend New Zealand".  They mentioned many times   "God defend our free land and to guard Pacific's triple star.  It is a beautiful song and very patriotic.  

On holidays all businesses shut down.  Saturday many businesses were closed all day.  A few opened at 1:00 pm.  Monday will be a holiday again.  The Area Office will be closed."
************
There were many thousands of participants at commemoration services all over the country.   Here are just a few photos showing services at different places from http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/272057/looking-back-on-anzac-day

In the United States we give lip service to Veteran's day.  For far too many, however, it seems to have become just another holiday to gather friends around the grill.  While there are parades and a few military presentations,  I've never felt the sense of deep reverence in the USA to commemorate the fallen as I have sensed here. 

From http://www.va.gov/opa/vetsday/vetdayhistory.asp

History of Veterans Day

World War I – known at the time as “The Great War” - officially ended when the Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919, in the Palace of Versailles outside the town of Versailles, France. However, fighting ceased seven months earlier when an armistice, or temporary cessation of hostilities, between the Allied nations and Germany went into effect on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. For that reason, November 11, 1918, is generally regarded as the end of “the war to end all wars.”
Sadly, if you ask most Americans today what November 11th is, they will not think of a day to end all wars or a time for honoring our fallen Veterans.   What sticks in their minds instead of Nov 11 is SEPTEMBER 11, a day that begun a most painful time in our history which still is claiming far too many lives.  

An Ah HAH! moment in the WC

It’s Tuesday evening here in New Zealand. As my oldest son says, I’m a crazy time traveler since it is still Monday back in the States.

Tuesday nights are when we go teach English classes to a group of native Chinese speakers.   We had a great time tonight.   

I am responsible for the beginning level class, helping them build basic vocabulary.  Last week we talked about opposites.   We used flash cards  laid out on the table to play “memory” with them having to find opposites for things like long/short, hot/cold, dirty/clean, open/closed, etc.

Tonight we talked about our homes, learning the words for each room and the common things found there.  I got them talking about what was similar and what was different in their homes here as compared to where they had lived in China.  (Most of my students are from Beijing).

One of the words they learned tonight was “Bathroom”.   In China, they refer to it as “WC”.  No one had ever told them what those letters stood for.   They just knew WC meant bathroom.   (Which I find odd since their language has neither a W or a C).   

As we proceeded through the lesson, when we got to the living room I was explaining that "TV" meant the same thing as “Television”.   I reminded them of our previous lesson about opposites,  saying that TV was the short name and Television was the long name for the same thing.   I introduced them to the concept of abbreviations.

Then came something so classic.   Elvis, a very sharp young man in his early 30’s, looked at me and said:  “Excuse me, I have a question.   WC is short name.  What is long name?”

I told him that WC stood for “Water Closet”.   (We had just finished talking about bedrooms so he had learned the word “closet”).      He smiled the most brilliant smile I have ever seen and exclaimed “I never knew that!  YES! Water Closet!”    The others broke out in titters as they finally understood it too.   None of them had previously heard the term “water closet”.  All were incredibly amused at how fitting that name was for the area in their home we call the bathroom.   

From there we went on to an interesting discussion on the relative merits of porcelain western toilets as compared to the squat toilets many of them knew in China.  

 Yes, all in the life of teaching English as a second language.  These are the moments we will always treasure about our mission.

My Family 15 in 15

The project we spend most of our time on is supporting the Pacific Area Presidency's goal called "My Family 15 in 15".  For over 100 years LDS people have been encouraged to seek out information about at least four generations of their ancestors and to perform saving ordinances for them in the temple.   The difference with this particular project is the degree of accountability it includes.

Stake leaders throughout the Pacific Area (including Australia, Fiji, Samoa, American Samoa, Tahiti, Tonga, Papa New Guinea as well as New Zealand) are being specifically asked to report if they have entered their 15 names (which means doing 4 generations - self, parents, grandparents & great grandparents = 15 people) into FamilySearch.org.  The challenge is for every one of the members of Stake and District Councils to be sure those names are in the system (as far as is possible) and then to go to the temple for at least 1 family name.

Pacific Area Presidency - Elder O. Vincent Haleck, Elder Kevin Pearson and Elder Gifford Neislen with their
 4 generation charts showing their 15 in 15 completed

In the Pacific Area Office where we work there are a little over 200 people working in various departments (some are senior missionaries, most are church employees.)   Everyone in the office here was also challenged to complete the 15 in 15 goal.  I had the opportunity to work directly with some of these folks to help them locate their family information and get it into system.

This has been a remarkable program to work on.  We have seen so many blessings come from it.

I am a firm believer in the prophet's words when he quoted what he referred to as a cardinal principle of industrial management: "When performance is measured, performance improves. When performance is measured and reported, the rate of improvement accelerates" (see Thomas S. Monson, in Conference Report, Oct. 1970, 107).

There are times when tracking down reports from each stake and updating the master database for how people are progressing can be tedious in the extreme.  But I know that as we gather the numbers to make the reports, those numbers represent real lives that are being changed as a result of the experiences they are having.  It is by providing consistent and careful watch care over these reports we are able to reach out to the specific stake leaders who may be in need of further support and to cheer on those who are having success.

We have learned so much working together to carry out this program.  It will be exciting to see how things go as this spread outward to the ward councils and on to the rank and file membership of the church.

Northlands

We've recently made two separate trips to do some training in the stakes in the Northlands that we serve as Area Family History Advisors for: Kaikohe Stake and Whangarei Stake.   Our take away from these trips is the old maxim: When at first you don't succeed, try, try again.   Our first time up had several snafus, ranging from inadvertently leaving behind our wireless mouse for our computer at a hotel where we stayed to getting hopelessly lost late one night on a scary road (which I referred to briefly in my last post).  We tried our best to connect with folks on that first trip, but for a number of reasons some of those meetings either didn't happen at all or didn't go as well as we would have liked.  It was a bit discouraging.

The second go-round was much better.   We made it to every single appointment and had really great communication with each person we met with.   The various places we needed to be were all quite a distance apart, so we spent a lot of time riding in the car on long, twisty roads.  (On Wednesday we left Auckland at 7:30 AM and were on the road till 9:30 PM with three meetings at various places along the way.)  It was exhausting and exhilarating at the same time.

We worked hard, but we also got to stop to stretch our legs and take a few short hikes between stops since we were covering so much distance.

Here are a few scenes from our travels:

Steps to Maori Fishing Village in Kerikeri

Paihia - Bay of Islands

Rainbow Falls near Kerikeri

Whangarei Falls

Haruru Falls

Lynda at Whagarei Falls

Larry on the trek to Whangarei Falls

Hike to Rainbow Falls

View of coastline from Portland, NZ

Cape Reinga

Confluence of the Pacific Ocean & the Tasman Sea at Cape Reinga

Lighthouse at Cape Reinga

Finding the Magic

I found this graphic on an ad for some home business opportunity that showed up on my sidebar in Facebook.   I have no interest in pursuing whatever that business happened to be, but I was struck by how much this image could also apply to the experience of serving a senior mission.

There is no question that we get to see drop dead beautiful places and that we are enjoying some pretty exotic experiences.  However, for those that think that this mission is just one big tax deductible vacation, that notion could not be further from the truth.  

The simple reality is, being away from our family and friends and everything that is familiar to us sometimes feels really hard.  Also, we do not go where we want when we want.  We follow the direction of our assignment leader.  Sometimes we stay in places longer than we would prefer.  Sometimes we have to come back to our home base when we would rather have had one or two more days in the field.  We have had plenty of peak "mountain top" sorts of experiences that humbled us with gratitude.   We've also torn out our hair in frustration at times (like when we got hopelessly lost in the deep forest at night on an unfamiliar road while looking for one of the more remote family history centers where we had someone waiting to meet with us - the New Zealand bush can feel kinda creepy at night when you can't see where you are going, the GPS is bonkers and possums keep darting out in front of you.)

We are incredibly grateful for this opportunity to be here.  Time and time again we have had things happen that have confirmed for us we are exactly where we need to be at this time in our lives, despite the sacrifices required.  We would not trade this opportunity for anything in the world.

As we look at the big picture of all the pros and cons of serving in a foreign country for a 23 month period, we know the blessings outweigh the hard things.

Still - the hard things are real.  Those just don't happen to be what we usually post about.  I believe in following the admonition of Deiter Uchtdorf who teaches us to be grateful all circumstances.  ( See  THIS LINK to that talk from April 2014.)
 
We don't wait for wonderful things to happen and THEN give appreciation to God for blessing us.  We acknowledge that our very  lives are a blessing each and every day - even when things are hard.

One of the reasons our church teaches people to learn about their ancestors is based on the belief that people will cope with their own life's challenges better when they know the stories of how their forebearers got through hard times.   I know that is true for us.   We think about Edward Bennett Sr. who was called on a mission to England in 1887, leaving behind his farm and family of six children and a wife who was carrying the seventh when he was asked to go.  Our sacrifices pale in comparison to that.  

Family of Edward and Elizabeth Bennett

Or I think of my own grandfather, Frank L. Pendley, who carved his way through solid rock walls of Oak Creek Canyon hammer strike by hammer strike to build the flumes that would bring the life giving water to his land.

Frank Pendley

I consider the challenges he and my grandmother surely faced raising nine children in that canyon.


How many times did they get up in the middle of the night to light the smudge pots to try to save the orchard from freezing?    How many times did they struggle to save crops and trees from the forces of weather, insects, or other catastrophe?

Frank & Jane Pendley spraying the orchard
Oak creek, AZ

I have my Grandmother Pendley's chin and big feet, and JLV Thomas's light blue eyes.   Just as I resemble my family members in physical ways, I have inherited some of their character traits as well.  I know I can be resilient.  I know I can do hard things.

So, rather than get discouraged when things don't work out to my liking or if we are asked to do an assignment that is way beyond our comfort zone I can just smile and say "bring it on".

I have learned that when I am fully obedient to whatever we may be asked to do in this mission, I learn and grow in ways that I never would have accomplished by getting my own way.

So yes, sometimes it is difficult or uncomfortable or just downright scary.   But I am grateful for every minute of this experience.   Even when my heart is aching for the people I miss back home or the uncertainty I have about how I will salvage my career when we return....I count myself blessed to be a full time missionary.  I hope I can always hold on to my memories of this time and this place.  It really is pretty amazing, after all. 

The Honey House

We went back up to Whangarei to visit a couple Family History Centers and to meet with a Stake Presidency there to talk about the My Family 15 in 15 program.   The trip went really well.

Rather than stay in a hotel, we used the HomeAway.com website to find a "Book-a-Bach" - a holiday rental that would be more off the grid and have personal touches than commercial establishments don't.   We found a delightful spot which we call "the Honey House" about 20 minutes northwest of Whangarei.    The place where we stayed in on a gorgeous 35 acre farm tucked back away off a rural road.  A short walk from the main house where the owners live is a huge 4 bay garage.  The unit on the end at one point had been the "Honey House" where they had kept their bee keeping supplies.  When they got out of the bee business, they opted to convert that area into a small apartment to rent it out to folks looking for a quiet getaway.  It was absolutely charming. We could not have been more pleased with our accommodations.

We made all our arrangements over the Internet, and actually never did meet the owner, Samantha.  However, when we arrived all was as promised.  There were many special touches.  She had left a welcome basket with fresh homemade soda bread and farm eggs. The refrigerator was stocked with yummy jams for the bread and there was a personalize letter outlining where things were and what the procedure was for check out.  Since our first New Zealand "home-stay" was so positive we are sure we will do this again as we travel rather than opt for the usual impersonal motel room.


                                          



 The grounds around the place had lovely gardens and there was a note saying we could help ourselves to fresh herbs if we liked.   At night when we walked around outside we were blown away by the clarity of the Milky Way - the stars were just brilliant.     We woke to the sound of wild turkeys wandering past our room who came looking for figs fallen from the tree outside our window.


                                        


When we went for a walk down the lane to see the small private chapel and waterfall across the way, cows came running from the neighboring field to greet us.  (No doubt they associate people with getting fed!) We stopped and said hello to them, then when we continued on our way they went for a walk with us, keeping pace right next to us all along the length of the lane.

                                        



We got to meet Bruce Savill, the man who built the chapel some 10 yrs back and his neighbor, Rosemary - a delightful woman in her 80's who had emigrated from Ireland.  We had very sweet visits with both.

Thursday night we went into town for dinner and found the most amazing Tex-Mex restaurant called Shotgun Betty's where I had an absolutely yummy chimichanga and Larry got a burrito to die for.  (We've really missed good Mexican food since coming to New Zealand.)

Bruce Savill

                             

Our meetings with the Family History Center Directors went very well (THIS time we did not get lost in the bush like we had before!) and the leaders from Whangarei Stake could not have been more welcoming.  All it all it was a wonderful trip.    Our assignment as Area Advisors for the northern counties will have us going back up that way several times each year for various trainings.  We will look forward to staying at the Honey House again and getting to know folks up that way better.

The owner of the place was even kind enough to share here Soda Bread recipe!

Sam’s  Soda Bread

180g high grade white flour

85g wholemeal flour

1 sm tsp salt

1 heaped  tsp baking soda

25g rolled oats

Approx 200ml milk

Sunflower & linseeds (or whatever you prefer)

Preheat oven to 220C  – put in a baking or pizza stone first if you have one, or if not a regular baking tray.

Sift flours, baking soda & salt into large bowl and then mix in rolled oats.  Make a well in the middle and add the milk and mix – adding more if it seems too dry or a bit more flour if it seems too wet.

Turn out onto a floured surface and knead lightly and briefly.  (Actually I don’t turn it out, I knead it in the large bowl which makes less mess).  Once it is in a ball shape add the seeds and roll around a bit to coat.   Place on to lightly floured baking paper an shape into a 4cm deep disc and lift using paper  onto preheated baking stone or baking sheet and cook for 5 min – then reduce heat to 200C and bake for a further 15 -20 mins or until sounds hollow on the bottom when tapped.