Our New Zealand Thanksgiving

On the Saturday after Thanksgiving the Senior Missionaries from the Auckland mission gathered together to celebrate a true feast of gratitude.  

Susan Winters described it well over on her blog so I will quote:

"We had four different ladies cook the turkeys, make the stuffing and the gravy.  All the others had food assignments to feed 15+ people.  Cooking a turkey is also a challenge, as most of our apartments have small ovens.  A few apartments have larger ovens, so they cooked the turkeys. 

Several sisters volunteered to decorate a table.  This required them bringing dishes and tableware for 8 from their apartment.  There are some very creative people in our group. "

Elder Bennett and I are feeling we have an extra measure of blessings to be grateful for this year.  In just a coupole weeks we will be heading back to America to be with our family over the holidays.  We will get to stand as witnesses to our son and his wife entering the temple to take out their endowments and we will spend time with those we love in Arizona and Utah as well.

I never dreamed when we left for this mission that we would have an opportunity to go back for a visit.  For that matter, I did not know we would be allowed to call home whenever we like or that we would get to use FaceTime, social media and other tech tools to stay in touch as much as we do.  I just didn't realize that the rules for Senior missionaries were so very different from the very structured expectations governing the young elders and sisters.  Discovering how much freedom we have to maintain close connections with our children, grandchildren and sibs  has been a wonderful blessing indeed.

I'm also thinking of our sweet son, Troy, who is recovering from his cancer treatments.  This time last year we honestly didn't know what the outcome  for him would be.  The fact that he is now thriving and is cancer free is a blessing beyond our dreams.

I could go on and on with things that we have to be grateful for this Thanksgiving season.

We truly have been richly blessed.

Gardens and Worms

While we were in Hamilton for our recent Temple trip we took the Ormonds to see one of our favorite places, the Hamilton Gardens.  This is a world class botanical gardens that is absolutely gorgeous year round.  There are many different areas each dedicated to a different style of garden.  I've always been a sucker for pretty plants and flower, so it was great to be able to spend time there with good friends.

David & Gayle Ormond at Hamilton Gardens

Gayle loved all the roses!

Another fun thing we did together was visit Waitomo Caves to see the glow worms.

The "worms" aren't really worms at all.  According to eHow:  "Glow worms are the larvae of a beetlelike bug and this insect produces light due to a chemical process ...

Attracting Prey

• Glow worms produce threads that resemble mucous. This mucous like substance is what they use to attract and capture their prey. They place these threads in cracks and crevices within their habitat. After planting the thread, they wait patiently as insects slowly flock to it. Glow worms also use their light to lure their prey to the mucous thread."

These insects are unique to New Zealand and can be found in several different parts of the country.  Seeing the caves all lit up by their bioluminescense was really quite pretty if I didn't think too much about it really being a chemical condition of bug snot!

At any rate, we enjoyed showing our visitors some of the unique and beautiful places this country has to offer.

Another reason we were down that way was so Larry and I could  visit one of the Family History Centers in Hamilton to talk with the director about the ongoing My Family 15 in 15 program.  As the year is winding down we are all pushing extra hard to reach our goal of 10,500 people submitting family names to the temple throughout the Pacific.  
We have recently received approval for our planned trip to the United States to be able to go to the temple with Aaron and Stephanie, as well as to spend a bit of time with our other family so we are feeling extra pressure to reach this goal before we leave.   I hope we make it!  We prayed and fasted to know what we might do to be as effective as possible.  Now all we can do is trust that the program is moving forward as it should and that the Lord will help us to reach the people we are assigned to serve.

Temple Blessings

We spent Thanksgiving day going to Hamilton to spend time in the Temple with our dear friends, the Ormonds. When we begin to count all the things we have to be thankful for at this special season of gratitude, we are very mindful of the atonement of Jesus Christ and for His teachings.  There is no place we feel closer to the Savior than in the temple

                                

For the past several years we have made a tradition of going to the temple for our anniversary, which is Nov 28th.  Being in the temple either on or very near our anniversary each year helps us recommit to the holy promise of our forever marriage.  Having a "for time and all eternity" bond is no magic guarantee, but rather a sacred opportunity which we need to live up to.  Frequent temple attendance helps us to remember why it is so important to include the Lord in all that we do.

When we first were sealed in the Washington DC temple back in 1983 we talked about one day getting to go to all the temples we could.  At that time there were only 7 temples in the US and not many more throughout the world.   Now there are over 150 temples world wide either in operation or under construction, with more being announced every year.  There is no longer much chance at all that we will ever see even half of all the temples, and that's ok.  We are excited that on this mission, however, we get to add several new ones to the list of those we have been in.

World Wide Temple Map Found HERE

Ormonds Come to Visit

On Tuesday, Dave and Gayle Ormond arrived from the United States to spend a couple weeks with us.  Dave was the Ward Mission Leader in Shamrock Ward back in Boise during the time that Larry and I were serving a Ward Mission.  We very much enjoyed working together and built a special friendship through our service together.  

As they get closer to retirement the Ormonds are considering whether or not a full time mission might be something they would consider.  So they decided to take a vacation here to shadow us for a while and get a better view of exactly what a full time mission entails.   We look forward to showing them some of the beauty of New Zealand and sharing with them the excitement we feel for what we are doing.  

Everybody's situation in different.  Health, finances, family concerns and decisions about what to do with your home are all things that seniors have to consider when deciding whether they are ready to serve full time.  For us, it was absolutely the right thing to do, even though it did require some big sacrifices.   We have no idea whether Dave and Gayle will choose to serve full time or not.  That is between them and the Lord.  But what we do know is that there are MANY different kinds of missions, some in far away lands and some that can be served right from home.  Hopefully they will enjoy their time here with us and perhaps it will help them get a clearer idea of some of the different ways available to serve.  

They will get to meet lots of different missionaries who work with us in the Pacific Area Office, each with very different assignments.  It just may be that this trip will give them a better feel for what their future may hold.

Dave & Gayle Ormond at Lake Pupuke

Parrot we saw at the park in Davenport

Parrots in flight

View of downtown Auckland from Mt. Victoria in Devonport

Devonport Harbor

Choosing Gratitude

Every Monday morning we have a brief devotional in the Pacific Area Office before starting a new work week. We have been SO blessed by the thoughtful messages that have been presented in these meetings. Today we got a great reminder about Choosing to be POSITIVE and focus on GRATITUDE no matter what!

The speaker began with a question to ponder - "What is your response to terrible things?"  He then told the story of a District President in New Caledonia who was persecuted for bringing religion to the villages there.  One of the village leaders beat the man with a stick and called him many insulting names.

The man did not fight back.  He did not show any outward sign of anger or resentment for the treatment he received.  He actually expressed gratitude for his absolute knowledge that the Gospel of Christ was true.

We were then challenged to consider our own opportunity to fully experience and express gratitude in all circumstances.  With Thanksgiving coming up I've been thinking a lot about all that I have to be grateful for.  Truly, I DO have many blessings to give thanks for.  However, I have not been inclined to turn first to gratitude when things go terribly wrong.   Today's message was a good reminder that I can make the choice to be thankful in ALL circumstances.

These weekly devotionals have totally reformatted the way we view Monday mornings. Instead of "UGH - weekend is over...gotta go back to the grind of work" we get up perky and ready to be spritually fed. LOVING this mission!

Three Sisters

The drive back to Auckland from New Plymouth is 5+ hours so we decided to stop along the way to get out and stretch our legs. It was low tide, so we had an opportunity to explore the caves around Three Sisters.  An amazing place!

From Wikipedia: Tongaporutu is a settlement in northern Taranaki, in the North Island of New Zealand. It is located on State Highway 3 at the mouth of the Tongaporutu River, 15 kilometres south of Mokau.Tongaporutu is well known in New Zealand for its 'Three Sisters' rock formations and its Maori petroglyphs carved into cave rock walls. However,both the Maori rock carvings and the 'Three Sisters formations are constantly being eroded by the Tasman sea.

When we got to Hamilton we stopped again to do a session at the Temple.  It felt good to quiet our minds and reflect on all we have been learning and experiencing these past few months.  Whenever we get an opportunity to spend time  in the temple we feel closer to Heavenly Father and the Savior.  Feeling very blessed.

In the News

Recently Mormon Newsroom posted a story online about our family history work in Fiji HERE.  Elder Champlin, one of the Public Affairs missionaries who works right across the hall from our office put the piece together from the photos I took and stories I shared in our report of our recent trip.

It was interesting to see the number of "Likes" for this article go up and up.  Then, the Fiji Sun Times picked up the story and ran it in both their print and online publications.(Fiji Sun HERE)

Shortly after the piece came out in the Fiji paper I got an email from Sister Senikuriciri, one of the Area Family History Advisers in Fiji.  She said that many members there were excited to see this positive piece about family history getting so much publicity and that she knew of at least one person who had been prompted to investigate the church after reading it.  Learning that an article led someone to investigate the gospel helped remind us that the things we do can have far reaching results we may not even see.

Larry and I are fortunate that we get bombarded with love and support from the people in the various islands we visit and we frequently see direct results of our labors.   Still, I am sure there are plenty of outcomes from our efforts that we never will know of in this life.

Whether as missionaries or back in our "civilian life" in the day to day things we will do, it is important to remember that everything we do or say has the potential to touch people's lives in ways we may not fully comprehend like the rings in a pond after throwing in a stone.

I want be a positive example of righteousness and do all that I can to be sure the influence I leave behind helps others feel respected, appreciated, encouraged, loved.  I've heard it said that people may forget what it was you said or did, but they will never forget the way you made them feel.  It is so easy for any of us to get caught up in our own needs, our own schedule, our own priorities, leading to words or actions that can hurt without ever intending to.  I know I have been on the receiving end of abrupt or thoughtless treatment more than once. Even when it is not deliberate, it stings. Unfortunately, when I have been rushed, preoccupied, or in a bad mood I fear I have also let others down, making them feel snubbed or slighted, without even being aware of it.  Sometimes just being super busy can lead me to overlook a friend's need to talk or a family member's sensitive feelings.

I know I cannot take responsibility for everyone else's feelings and there will inevitably be times that someone will be unhappy or disappointed if I am unable or unwilling to meet his or her needs.  Gone are the days when I would bend over backwards in order to please others no matter what the cost.   Still, I think it is a healthy and appropriate thing to be more intentional about how I interact with others - to be more sensitive to the impact my words and actions may have.  The example we saw in Nakawakawa very much showed us the power of that.

There are so many lessons this mission brings to us.  I hope I can learn them, keep them, become the person I have the potential to be rather than just busy myself through the work. I  want to allow the experiences of this mission to soften me, to shape me to being more open, more teachable, more loving toward others.  Some days I feel like I come close to that.  Other days I recognize that I still have a long way to go.

Blue Suede Shoes and then some!

One of the fun things we do while traveling to various places on this mission is to do a bit of geocaching.   (For more info on what that is, check out Geocaching.com).  We've been playing the game since 2006 and have enjoyed it immensely.   Today we logged our #300 find at a place we never would have expected to find in New Zealand - an ELVIS PRESELY museum.

It is actually a private collection of memorabelia in a guy's garage.   But he has things set up to display for anyone who is interested to see it, so we took some time to check it out.

Kevin Wasley of Hāwera, Taranaki, began collecting Elvis Presley records and memorabilia in 1959. His collection grew so large that he turned his garage into a museum, which is open to the public by appointment.

Return to the Taranaki

We had the opportunity to make a second trip to the Taranaki district to do a Family History training in Waitara Branch.   This time we stayed in New Plymouth.   The training went really well, particularly the connection we made with the Young Women's president and the Branch Mission Leader.  We got some beautiful views of the mountain and had a bit of time to explore again in Pukekura Park.  It's a long drive down there, but we really like the area and love working with the saints there.

We had a positive meeting with the Director of the Family History Center in New Plymouth.  Many FHC staff feel somewhat isolated and disconnected from the stake or district leadership.  It's important to us to get to know as many of the directors as we can and let them know how much their efforts truly are appreciated.  Often times we find that with just a little bit of validation these faithful men and women begin to blossom.

As we draw closer to the end of the year we are pushing really hard to meet our goals for the My Family 15 in 15 program.  The monthly reports we get tell us  that more people than ever before throughout the Pacific Area are getting engaged in Family History work.  We certainly can't take credit for that, but we do know that as we plant seeds where ever we go and try our best to lift people up through instruction and encouragement, amazing things are happening all over.  It is such a privilege to be part of this great work.

Brother Arana Kipa-Dakin - Waitara Branch Clerk  

Ilona Ruru signed on to FamilySearch for the first time ever and now had all but one of the names for her "Family 15 in 15".  She was very excited to submit her mother's name for temple ordianances.

Peter Patuwairua, Branch Mission Leader submitted is great-grandparents for
temple ordinances to work toward completing his 15 in 15

Lehi's Vision in Today's World

One of my favorite stories from the Book of Mormon is Lehi's Vision of the tree of life (1 Nephi Chapter 8).  In this vision Lehi sees many symbols that represent the importance of staying close to the gospel.  Over in chapter 11 we read about when his son, Nephi, is allowed to see the vision for himself and is given the interpretation to the things that he saw.

Lehi sees a tree "whose fruit was desirable to make one happy" (representing the love of God). Or, as Elder Bednar said in the October 2011 conference, "The fruit on the tree is a symbol for the blessings of the Atonement. Partaking of the fruit of the tree represents the receiving of ordinances and covenants whereby the Atonement can become fully efficacious in our lives."

Photo of stained glass depiction of Lehi's vision from LDS Conference Center taken from
Shannon Brown's blog, Find Joy in the Journey Here

Lehi also sees a rod of iron that extended along the bank of the river, leading to the tree.  (This, we are told, represents the word of God.)  There is  straight and narrow path along this rod of iron.  Some of the people in the vision, including Nephi and Sam and Sariah,  take hold of the iron rod, follow the path and go directly to the tree where they partake of the fruit.  Others, including his older sons Laman and Lemuel, do not follow the path.   They go a different direction.  Lehi sees other people who start out on the path, holding to the rod.  But somewhere along the way they become distracted, falling away, getting lost in the mists of darkness.

Lehi goes on to describe seeing a large and spacious building (representing the pride of the world) in which there are many people in fine apparel who are in an attitude of mocking, pointing fingers and laughing at the people who are on the path to the tree.  Some of those who managed to make it all the way to the tree and eat the fruit afterward were ashamed, because of those that were scoffing them.  Because of this, some fell away into forbidden paths and were lost.   Still others were making their way to join the great and spacious building.

"Lehi's Dream" By: Damir Krivenko of Russia found on Pinterest Here

Recently there has been a great deal of controversy in social media and in various blogs about a change in the LDS handbook of instruction for leaders regarding how to respond to those in same-sex relationships and council about their children.

Currently there is a huge furor among some, claiming the leaders of the church are promoting unreasonable discrimination.   More than ever before I have felt that the "large and spacious building" is luring people away from the tree.

The Supreme Court of the United States recently ruled that marriage between same sex partners will be legal in all states.  Regardless of the laws of the land, the Church maintains that marriage is ordained of God to be between a man and a woman.  In the recently updated Handbook 1 the Church defined homosexual relationships to be apostasy requiring church disciplinary court and stated that the children of same-sex couples should not be baptized or advanced in the priesthood until they are of legal age.  Although the Church made efforts to clarify this position as one intended to protect young people from being put in the difficult position of conflict between loyalty to their parents and loyalty to the gospel (see Elder Christstopherson's statement HERE ) many people reacted to the news of the policy change with hurt, anger, and in some cases have chosen to leave the Church over this issue.

While it is not unusual to hear attacks on Church policy or practice from people outside the church, this case brought a tremendous amount of wavering from people who were long time members.  People I know and love were questioning whether or not they could support this and some were seeing it as reason to doubt whether our leaders were truly prophets at all.

As the world increasingly moves further and further away from the teachings of Jesus Christ and the revealed word of Heavenly Father, it will become harder and harder for many to stay true to the covenants they have made.   Now more than ever it is critical that we follow the council of Elder Kevin W. Pearson, President of the Pacific Area from his April 2015 conference talk:





I don't always fully understand or feel comfortable with every statement or rule the Church comes out with.  But this I know for sure - The Book of Mormon in true.  Joseph Smith really did see Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ in that famous vision in Palmyra, New York in 1820. The Atonement of Christ is real.  The covenants we make in temples are essential to our eternal progression.  We are led by true prophets today.  I believe these things with all my heart.

So, whenever there is some new statement that I may feel uncertain about,  I can go back to the talk by Dieter Uchtdorf who made very clear that doubts and questions are key ways that lead to truth.  "Inquiry is the birthplace of testimony".



I have a firm testimony of the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ as taught by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  But that does not mean I understand every piece.

One of my favorite scriptures is Mosiah 4:9 which says:
"Believe in God;  believe that he is, and that he created all things, both in heaven and in earth; believe that he has all wisdom, and all power, both in heaven and in earth; believe that man doth not comprehend all things which the Lord can comprehend."    (Emphasis added).

I feel sad for those who will allow their doubts to carry them away from what they once knew to be true.  My goal  in life is to ALWAYS stay by the tree.

I love the words of Jeffrey Holland, who also spoke of Lehi's Vision as it applies to the world today:

I know there will indeed be "Mists of Darkness" that will make it difficult to discern what path to follow.  I know that the pride and opinions of the world will ridicule those who choose to stand firmly on the path that leads to Christ.  But I also know that by holding firmly to the word of  God by continued intentional prayer and scripture study, I can find peace - no matter how disruptive and chaotic the world around me may be.

Meeting the Calderwoods

On Saturday we went over to Manukau to meet with Elder and Sister Calderwood who are new Member and Leadership Support (MLS) Missionaries in the Auckland Mission.  They are from Idaho and are the parents of one of the ladies in our home ward.  I talked with Sister Calderwood (Debbie) quite a bit on the phone as they were preparing to come out, sharing some information about what to expect here and making suggestions about what things to bring or not bring.  It was great to finally meet them in person.

(We didn't take photos during our visit that day, but did take some later on at various gatherings).

We had a delightful time visiting with them and a delicious meat loaf meal.  Elder Bennett and Elder Calderwood found they had much in common from their professional backgrounds and interests.  Debbie and I thoroughly enjoyed getting acquainted.  We hope we will get to see more of them.  With our travel schedule we don't get a lot of time to connect with other missionaries, but when we do it is always a real treat.

After we left their place Larry and I headed to the Auckland Botanical garden.  It was a beautiful late spring day (which seems strange to say in November, but that's how it is here in the South Pacific!)  All in all it was a beautiful day.