Missionary Sabbath Day

We had a very special day for our last Sabbath in July. The Sacrament meeting talks were all focused on Family History, which of course we thought was great.  Talks were given by Sister Debra Andrews, who teaches the Family History Class for our ward, and several of the people we have helped to find family names to take to the temple.  They each did a great job.  We loved the spirit that was present in the room as they each bore strong testimony of the importance of family history work.

However, no matter how good the talks may have been, we have learned that the REAL focus of every Sacrament meeting is the Sacrament itself.  Over the course of this mission we really have learned to consider this a personal, sacred time to reflect on our individual lives and to renew our covenants with our Heavenly Father.

Next came Sunday School
 The way the "Family History Workshop" model works, every three weeks we begin helping a different group of people. Rather than having a long class to teach in depth knowledge, the goal of this way of doing it is simply to orient as many people as possible to the basics of FamilySearch is a small group where they can get individual attention and assistance to find a family name to take to the temple. This was day one with a brand new group. As usual, it is a bit hard to get the previous class to feel ready to move on as they all seem to have a good experience with us and want to keep coming. However, we lovingly direct them back to Gospel Doctrine class, explaining again as we do at the beginning of each session that their session is finished as we are trying to give everyone in the ward a turn to rotate through. Sister Andrews then introduced the new people to what we would be covering in their sessions and had each one share a brief family story. Then we all got online and began showing them the way FamilySearch works.  I was able to help the sister I was working with find a family name to take to the temple right away which felt really special.

For the third hour Larry and I taught the combined Relief Society and Priesthood class, giving an overview of  why we do family history and the steps to take a family name to the temple.  We answered all sorts of questions that people had.  It seemed to be very well received.

Then later that evening we headed out to the Missionary Training Center that is over by the Redoubt Stake Center. We had dinner with the young missionaries and then presented an hour long devotional on ways they can use family history in teaching the investigators they will work with and how to make it a priority to see all new converts get to take a family name to the temple within the first few months of their membership.

At dinner I especially enjoyed visiting with some of the young sisters from Tonga and Samoa. When we talked about some of our experiences in those countries they got big smiles on their faces, so happy to know of our love for their homelands.

We were both really happy with how our presentation went for the devotional. Last time we taught at the MTC we had some issues with our technology (Our PowerPoint was created in a different version from that on the computer they had set up for our presentation) so none of our videos would play properly.   We know our stuff so we were able to convey our message without the videos,  but it went so much smoother this time when we had our own lap top there to run it with and all our media running properly.

New Zealand Missionary Training Center (MTC)

When we got home we did our usual nightly reading together from the Book of Mormon.  We are in Alma now and are on track to finish the book for the 5th time just as we finish our mission.  Oh how I love this book!

Afterward I spent a couple hours working on some FamilySearch for various people that have asked for assistance in identifying family names.   One of our goals has been to help 100 people or more
 find a name to take to the temple before we go home.  We've done a lot for the folks here, both those who work in the PAO and those we meet at various trainings we take part in.  In addition to that, we've helped quite a few people we know back in the USA.   I truly love being part of this work!

These last weeks seem to be going by so very fast.  This soon will all be over.  I hope I will never forget these special times, these special people.  I am so very grateful for the chance to be a family history missionary.  The love we feel in doing this work is truly priceless.

Return to Okura - Stairs-Stairs & More Stairs

 Today we headed out for a P-day adventure with our new friends who have recently come to the mission, Stephen and Christine Streeter. We really enjoy them!  We wanted to show them the Okura Estuary Reserve.  It's one of our favorite bush walks that we have been to many times..

We stopped to show them all our usual landmarks like the "Adversity Tree" with the roots navigating around a giant stone and the"Circle Tree" that always reminds us that when we find ourselves going in the wrong direction we can TURN AROUND.

We have brought others here before, and everyone has enjoyed it.  However each time we have visited in the past we always stopped when we got to the first major set of stairs.

There are a whole other set beyond what shows up in this picture.
 We did not count them, but there are A LOT of stairs!

We knew that if we went down all those steps, we'd have to climb up them again on the way out.   Since there was so much beauty in the first section of the hike, we were satisfied only experiencing that part.

This time however, we decided to walk all the way to the cottage.   The Streeters are pretty serious hikers and they were up for the challenge.  It was a gorgeous day.   Why not?  So on we went.  We were not disappointed.   We saw so much more on the next section - from the bridge over the creek where there was a sweet little waterfall all the way down to the beach.

We had fun all taking turns on the rope swing by the Dacre Cottage and loved soaking in all the lush beauty of the place.

Here is a little history about Dacre Cottage:

This little brick building was erected originally about 1855 on a block of 3334 acres purchased in 1848 by Ranulph Dacre, an"adventurer merchant" who operated trading vessels between Sydney and New Zealand carrying livestock, produce and timber. The land formed part of a 20,000 acre Weiti block originally sold to Henry Taylor by Maori chiefs of the Ngati Whatua; Ngati Poa; and Ngati te Matua tribes. 

By 1842 when the land claim had been verified, Henry Taylor had sold more than half of the block to H.B. Sparke of Sydney. Captain Dacre purchased the land from Sparke but did not settle on the land. Dacre's sons, Henry and Septimus, farmed the block as a cattle station. The cottage was constructed of bricks that were believed to have been used as ballast in Dacre's sailing vessel,s and originally had a shingle roof which was later replaced by corrugated iron. The Dacre family farmhouse was built nearby, (south of where the large Norfolk Pine now stands), and the little brick building was used as an abattoir when the family moved into their farmhouse. 

After some play and rest it was time to head back UP the hill, retracing our path up all those many stairs.  By the time we got back to the car Stephen's phone said we had hiked 11.79 kilometers (a little over seven miles), and had climbed a whopping 80 flights of stairs.  By the time we were done my knees and feet were weary and sore, but it was so very worth it!

When we got home we took a break for some rest and a shower.  Then we headed over to the Streeter's apartment to have dinner together.  We had to keep reminding ourselves that we had only just met them a couple weeks before when they arrived.  We all got along famously as if we were dear old friends.

Truly, one of the sweetest blessings of this mission has been the special friendships we have made along the way.  These are people we hope to stay close with for many years to come.

Feed the Need Service Project

This week the entire staff of the Pacific Area Office was encouraged to participate in the community service project of their choice.   Some went to Auckland City Mission Food Bank.  Others were at DePaul House. There were teams helping sort clothes at Salvation Army thrift store and others doing other things.  For our day of service Larry and I chose to help at the "Feed the Need" Program.  Feed the Need is a charitable trust that identifies provides hot, nutritious meals at schools that have high rates of low income kids who often go to school hungry, making it hard for them to learn and thrive.  Largely volunteer based, they provide fresh cooked lunches for about 1500 students five days a week for ten weeks each winter.  It seemed to be a worthy program.

We showed up at 9:00 AM and received a quick orientation to what we would be doing, then went right to work.  There were also several LDS youth who were there doing some of the same jobs we were.  We enjoyed the camaraderie we had with them as we all worked together on this project.

Our firsts job was to count out and bag pita bread into sacks for each classroom for the three different schools we would be serving. We began by putting stickers onto bags that gave the name of the school, the classroom number, and how many students were in that class.  This way we knew exactly how many pieces of pita bread needed to go in each plastic sack.  We then tied of those bags and placed them into heavy green cloth bags that designated the school they were to go to.

While we were bagging bread, the regular staff who work with the program were busy putting together three big vats of chicken-coconut curry.   Once our job with the bread was done we were able to come help stir those vats with long wooden spoons while the staff cooks poured in huge bags of chopped potatoes, several gallon size cans of tomato sauce and many jars of some sort of chutney.  As the ingredients all came together it became quite heavy to stir, but it was important to keep it moving so it never scorched on the bottom. As the stuff bubbled and cooked the whole room smelled heavenly!

Once the concoction was done, Rikky began scooping servings into individual plastic containers.  At that point we were put on lid duty. Big trays of individual plastic tubs of  hot curry were brought to us and we would stick on the lids, then pack them into the special foam boxes for transporting them to the schools.  The lids on each box said the School name,  Class # and number of students (along with how many students -if any- were vegetarian so we would know to put in a sufficient number of meat free servings)

We were on a tight schedule to get these meals ready and out the door into the waiting van in time to make the lunch period.  We all moved as fast as we could, calling out "Tray" or "Box Up!" every time we finished a step so someone one the other side of the room knew to bring us the next tray of steaming food or to move the full box we had completed and replace it with the next empty one.

Finally we had them done,  all 1,538 of them.  We were tired but happy.  But it didn't stop there.  The whole crew took a short break to have a serving of the curry and bread for our own lunch.  It was quite tasty!  Then Larry and I hopped in our car to follow the van that would be delivering the meals so we could help unload and carry the boxes into the schools.   At two of the schools we just left the boxes in an office where the school staff thanked us.  At the last school, however, we were to line the boxes up in the courtyard and then children from each class came to get them.

About half the kids we saw that day wore no shoes.  We did not know if this was typical Maori custom or they simply did not have any.  I suspect it was some of both.

Some of the kids were shy about coming to get the boxes.  Others were bold, proud to have been chosen as representatives from their classroom.  A few of the younger grade students hardly seemed big enough to carry the large boxes, but they managed.  Many of the kids greeted us with big smiles and thanks for their meals.   I remember one little boy in particular who gave me a warm, lopsided grin and called out "Thank you Feed The Need peoples!  Yous is great!"

Throughout the project I kept remembering scriptures that have taught us

"If ye are in the service of your fellow man, ye are in the service of your God" from King Benjamin's address (Mosiah 2:17) or  "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my bretheren, ye have done it unto me".  (Matthew 25:40)

I've been involved in a lot of different service projects over the years, but usually I have been one or two steps removed from the actual recipients of my service.  I've done things like put together hygiene kits,  tie quilts, or assembly infant layettes - but in none of those cases did I see the people who received them.  I've worked in canneries and orchards,  hoed weeds in tomato fields.  In all of those I knew my efforts were going to help those in need.  Somehow though, getting to give these boxes of food that I helped to prepare directly to the children who would be eating it felt very special.  I did not do this for their thanks or for any accolades.  Still, it was the personal connection we were able to establish with those children that made this a day I will long remember.

It felt really good to be part of the worldwide chain of Mormon Helping Hands.

Auckland Ward Cottage Meeting

Tonight we taught a lesson for a "Cottage Meeting" in Auckland Ward. This was a meeting where members of the ward were encouraged to bring non-member friends or family members and the missionaries would bring anyone they were working with to explain the basic teachings of the church.

So we began a with a very basic message on our belief in God as the creator of the universe and how He wants all of us to be happy.  We showed a video that has astronomer Dr. John Lewis talking about his faith against a backdrop of images from space taken by the Hubble Telescope.  It the video he makes a statement about how science and religion are not in conflict, but how they are two different witnesses to the existence of God and His role in creation.

From there we went on to talk about how we believe we lived as a family in the pre-existance with God as our Heavenly Father. We showed another video to reinforce that point.








After that we spoke about how our faith teaches us that families are God's plan for His children and gave a very basic introduction to what family history is and why we do it.

Then we talked about making family history fun by adding pictures and stories.  We showed the video about preserving family photographs, which people always seem to like.

We closed with our testimony of the eternal nature of families and the importance of temple work.

From there we moved in to the cultural hall where Brother Alamein Peihopa led everyone a game using a T shirt that he had purchased at a Hospice resale shop a few days before.  The shirt had the words "I'm about to do something awesome!" printed on the front.  For the game, everyone sat in a big semi-circle facing the stage.  Then one at a time people would be selected to come to the front and hold up this shirt, then say "I'm about to do something awesome!"   Everyone in the group would respond back in unison: "What are you going to do that is awesome?"   Then the person would relay some plan or goal they had, whether large or small, that they planned to do that week.

At first people giggled a lot and some were quite shy to get up in front of the group.  But once we got going, people relaxed and then got enthusiastic about it, eager to hear what each next person would commit to doing.   Not everyone took a turn, but many did.  It was as if we were empowering each other to stretch ourselves to do something bigger and bolder than we ordinarily would.  It felt really inspiring.

At the end of the game Brother Peihopa gave me the T shirt which I thought was fabulous because I had really liked it - and also knew I would use it again to do this same sort of exercise with other groups.

After the game there were refreshments and more casual visiting.  Everyone seemed to enjoy the evening.  Auckland Ward has some very special people and we feel so blessed to be a part of their group.

Chinese Pass Along Cards

This morning we attended a "mission tour" training conducted by Elder and Sister Haleck and Elder and Sister Balli with many of the young missionaries as well as quite a few of the seniors.  This was the first opportunity since assuming his new position as Area President that Elder Haleck addressed all of us. There were three separate training scheduled so that all the missionaries could be included.

Mission Tour training 26 July 2016.
Larry and I left right after lunch so we were not there when the group photo was taken.

As part of the training each senior missionary served as a "listening partner" with two 
of the young  elders or sisters to give feedback on their role plays and discussion about 
how to teach effectively.  The two sister missionaries I met with relayed a story about 
finding a big stack of  Chinese pass-along cards in their apartment.

Pass Along Cards are "small picture handouts, which replaced almost all tracts provided by the Church for members and missionaries to give to those they feel might be interested in the Church.  About the size of an index card, the pictures usually have a photo or image on the front and a brief message inviting the recipient to request the item shown on the back and includes the image of the item offered.  The cards are distributed occasionally in the Ensign Magazine as well as in packets through Church Distribution Centers.  The cards usually focus around a topic, such as families, the purpose of life, or the Scriptures.  A card is also available for Christmas offering a video featuring the Mormon Tabernacle Choir."  (Mormon Wikki)

Apparently whichever missionaries had lived in the sisters' apartment before them had served in the Chinese branch and must have left these behind when they moved out.
Since neither of these two particular sisters spoke Chinese and they were serving among English speaking members and investigators, they initially planned to simply hand the cards over to the missionaries serving in the Chinese branch.  However, in their companion study they talked about how they could be more effective in teaching.  One of the goals they set was to talk with every single person they had an opportunity to meet - whether on the street, in the market or out tracting.   

In the past, whenever they encountered Chinese speaking people (a common occurrence here in Auckland) there would be a lot of confused head shakes and shrugging of shoulders as both acknowledged they could not understand one another, then the sisters would move on.  Both somewhat shy by nature, the two young ladies sometimes felt very awkward struggling with the language barrier, and were embarrassed not knowing what to say. That had happened so many times that these missionaries had begun avoiding approaching any Asian people they saw, which here in New Zealand means skipping over a whole lot of the population.

After talking about it some, they decided they would keep these pass along cards to hand out to any Chinese person they met who they could not communicate with.  Once they started doing this, they began having much more positive feelings about approaching ALL people. They found several English speaking Asians they would have otherwise missed.  They also had a way of leaving a positive message with those who did not speak English.

The sisters talked about overcoming their personal shyness and reserve to boldly greet more people than ever before.  We talked about gaining confidence in being messengers of Jesus Christ.  As our session ended I encouraged them to continue to look for other unexpected tools to help them overcome any obstacle they might face and trust that the Lord would give them what they needed when they needed it.

Working in the Pacific Area Office (PAO), we generally don't have much contact with the young sisters and elders serving in our mission.  This conference was a great opportunity to feel of their spirit and be reminded that we are all engaged in the same work.  While we seniors all have specific assignments other than direct proselytizing , ultimately all of us have the purpose of bringing others to Christ.

Link to article on new area presidency

Link to article about President & Sister Balli

Omeru Falls with the Lovelesses

Today we took a drive up to Omeru Scenic Reserve  (on the east side of Kaipara Coast Highway, between Kaukapakapa and the Makarau River) with Scott and Cheri Loveless.  It was a bit blustery and overcast, with spitting mist looming on and off throughout the morning - but we had a good time nonetheless.  I continue to be amazed at how many gorgeous spots there are like this within just a short drive of where we live.

There are a series of three waterfalls  - Waitangi Falls, Omeru Falls and Waitangi Stream Cascade.  In the summer locals come here to swim and have picnics.  Things were pretty muddy today from all the recent rains, but it was lovely to see just the same.

We really enjoyed being with Scott and Cheri.  On the way up we stopped near Wellsford to introduce them to Geocaching and then on the way back we stopped in Helensville to have lunch in a local cafe.  We've been to their apartment on several occasions to play scrabble or Rummy-O and visit, but this was our first time to go out on a P-day adventure with them.  It is times like this that will build memories we will treasure all the days of our lives.

Pot Luck at the Grahams

Tonight we gathered with many of the Senior Missionaries from Takapuna to enjoy an evening of good food and friendship for a pot luck supper over at the Graham's apartment.  It was a wonderful evening.

Elder Morris and Sister Winnie Graham

The Grahams live in Hawaii.  Morris is a psychologist and his assignment here is Mental Health adviser for the whole Pacific.  He does phone consultations with young missionaries all over the region. Winnie assists him with the intake files and notes, but also does other projects.  They are both delightful people.

The meal at their place had a Mexican theme, so there were several different batches of enchiladas, there were tacos and Winnie had made a huge crock pot of Cafe Rio and Rice which was absolutely delicious.  There were many desserts as well.  We have some great cooks in our midst, so there was no shortage of yummy foods.

But the real feast was the fellowship. Before and during the meal there was a lot of animated visiting going on.

Elder and Sister Collins

Left to Right - Sister Crane, Sister Jackson, Sister Spencer and Sister Garth

Then after, Winnie had us all sit in a circle and go around the room with each person taking just a couple minutes to share something about themselves or tell of a mission experience.  That part was powerful.

First we heard from Elder & Sister Garth (from Australia) who had some very tender words to share.   Sister Garth is needing knee replacement surgery so they will be headed back home to take care of that.  They work in the Mission Office and are both amazing people.  I got to know a little bit more about them both when I rode with Sister Garth to the special Sister's Conference that Sister Balli organized.  I've had tremendous respect for them both ever since.

Elder Pat and Sister Judy Garth from Victoria, Australia

Elder Scott and Sister Cheri Loveless from Provo, UT.

Elder Loveless told a story that reminded me all over again about how the Lord knows each one of us personally and is mindful not only of our needs, but of our heart's desires.  When Elder Loveless was a young missionary he served in Frankfurt, Germany.  He loved the people and had many wonderful experiences there.  Throughout his life he worked hard to retain his fluency in the German language.  He was hopeful that when it came time for he and his wife, Cheri, to serve a Senior mission together they might be called back to Germany where he could use those language skills again.

He said he was happy to go anywhere the Lord wanted them to serve, but there was some disappointment when he learned he would not be using his German on this mission.

Then, when it came time for them to go, there was a delay of them getting their New Zealand visas.  So they got permission to begin their mission in Hawaii, since that would get them part of the way here and they had family living in Hawaii they could stay with while they waited for the visas to arrive. This was a special blessing for them as they had a grandchild born there during the time they were staying there.  It gave them some special bonding time with that baby and the opportunity to be of service to their family at that precious time rather than waiting for almost two years to meet the new one.

While in Hawaii they wore their badges and did what they could to be of service in that area.  On one particular day they were at the visitor center at the Laie Temple when Elder Loveless overheard a conversation between the young missionaries who were trying to answer questions of a couple who had come through.  The couple spoke some English, but it happened that their native language was German. They were struggling both to express themselves in English and to understand the things they were being told by the young missionaries who were serving at the visitor center.  So Scott Loveless stepped in and was able to relay the story of Joseph Smith's first vision, tell them about the Book of Mormon and answer the questions this couple had in their own language.  The got quite excited when they had someone to talk to that they could converse with freely and were very appreciative of his time with them. As they left, they filled out a card saying they would like to have missionaries contact them in their home area to teach them more.  Their home happened to be in Frankfurt Germany.  Scott knew then that the Lord put him in exactly the right place at the right time to use the abilities he hand to touch a life for good.

There were many other experiences shared by members of the group  - here are just a few I want to be sure I remember:

Elder Maughan spoke about the man in Tonga night fishing to help feed his neighbors. Also his wife, Anne, told a very touching experience of finding an answer to a personal concern through the scripture "Oh that I were an angel..."  from Alma 29:1.

Elder David and Sister Anne Maughn from Richland, WA

Elder Crane told a story of showing up late for a church meeting and not wanting to stay since the meeting was already going.  At the prompting of his wife he relented, deciding to go ahead and go in.  At this meeting he met a young man who was preparing for baptism.  That man asked the question later what it meant to have a dream you were going to meet a certain person and then the next day at church to meet that very person he had seen in the dream.  The person he dreamed of was Elder Crane. Elder Crane talked about still not being sure what he was to learn from the experience, but knowing that the Lord's hand was at work.  

When Larry's turn came he shared the scripture that we chose for our mission plaque: 2 Nephi 29:7 which says:  "Know ye not that there are more nations than one?  Know ye not that I, the Lord your God, have created all men, and that I remember those who are upon the isles of the sea..."  He talked about the special love we have felt for the island people we have met and how we have seen the Lord's hand so many times throughout our mission.

                                           

                                                                               Elder Bennett and I enjoying the evening
When my turn came I said that my main high point of the mission has been the closeness I feel to the spirit when I help people identify family names to take to the temple.  I asked for anyone in the group that night who either of us had helped with FamilySearch to get a family name to please stand up.  I was astonished when I saw how many people there were!
                                          
Standing up together with us were the Spencers, Jacksons, SisterCollins, Praetors, Champlins, Sister Maughan, Lovelesses, Hendersons and Sister Olsen - 15 people in all!

There have also been quite a few other missionaries we have helped who didn't happen to be there that evening.  Then when you add up all the Stake Presidents, Bishops, and others we have worked with during our many training trips, plus the people back home we have done through email - we are up to well over 100 people who have had temple experiences with their family because of this mission.  That's a huge blessing in our lives.

I feel so humbled and honored to be serving here in this remarkable place with these good people.

Over and over in this mission I have felt the truth of the gospel in so many ways.  I have learned to feel the love of my Heavenly Father and the Savior more personally than I ever would have dreamed possible.

Feeling so very blessed!