Return to Tonga

We traveled to the Kingdom of Tonga for the first time in May of this year.  That trip was a whirlwind of meetings across fourteen different stakes.  We stayed on the main island if Tonogatapu and focused on teaching stake leaders about the My Family 15 in 15 program.  We also trained many Family History directors and consultants basic skills in using FamilySearch.   

We worked with Brother and Sister Piatau, the Area Family History Advisors for Tonga.  Brother Piatau had put in a lot of effort contacting the various leaders ahead of time to set up our schedule of meetings.  Our days were packed, with two or three different trainings each day and lots of travel as we covered every area of the island.  We all worked together to be sure each stake presidency understood the My Family 15 in 15 goal and to get reports showing how many of the individual Stake Council members had completed it themselves.

Our second trip focused more on working at the ward level.  Again, we had a very demanding schedule ready for us.  Our primary objective this time was to increase the number of names being submitted for temple ordinances.  Many people throughout Tonga had received the MyFamily booklet and had completed the first step of gathering family information.  We wanted to be sure that they understood the importance of transferring the information from their books to the Trees program in FamilySearch.org and identifying those who they could do temple work for.

Because Brother Piatau works for the Seminary and Institute (S&I) program of the Church, he was busy working during much of our stay.  So, during the work week Sister Piatau would accompany us to direct us where to go and make introductions.  As needed, she also provided translation for us which was invaluable.  On Saturday and Sunday Brother Piatau would also join us at the trainings.

Our findings on the first trip were that there was a need for more training of the family history consultants all over Tonga.  So this time we brought additional resources we could provide for them.  We had created an electronic folder of video and PDF lessons for how to do many things on FamilySearch and added in a handout for introducing people to basic skills for using computers.  At each Family History Center (FHC) we went to around the island we put this folder on the computers and showed directors and consultants how it could help them.  This was very much appreciated.  While these resources were all in English, we hoped they would still help raise the bar of skill level among those with Family History callings.

Saturday – 5 September TRAVEL DAY
We left Auckland in the early evening, arriving in Nuku’alofa, Tongatapu at 9:00 PM.  On our first stay we had accommodations at Little Italy, a local hotel.  This time we were able to stay in one of the houses on the church campus.  Since we were familiar with the island from our previous trip, we had no problems finding our way there, even in the dark.  We picked up our rental car and headed over.  We received the keys to House 25 at the gate. This house was right next door to where Elder and Sister Beckstrand had been staying on our previous trip, so it was easy to find. The house was very comfortable, giving us plenty of space and the WONDERFUL blessing of a bathtub!  Sister Bennett got her first bath since leaving America and loved every minute of the nice hot soak.  We turned in early to be well rested for a busy day ahead.

LDS Campus on Tongatapu

House 25 where we stayed

Livingroom

Kitchen

 

Northshore SeniorNet - Blogging Class

We were invited back to to present again to our good friends at the Northshore SeniorNet group. We very much enjoyed meeting with them last June when we came to talk about FamilySearch. This time I did a presentation on blogging and how it can be used as an alternate means of telling one's own personal history stories or to record family history. I showed them some of the family history blogs I have created over the years:
               Spirit of Elijah - basic research lessons and tools
               Pile o' Pendleys - My Father's family
               Krebs / Kurtz Connections - My Mother's family
               Remembering Fred - Larry's dad's stories and photos

Then I took them through the steps for how to create a blog and answered questions they had about best practice for sharing family information. They were a great group to teach - very attentive and engaged. Many of these folks are working on compiling books about their family heritage with the intention of self publishing them.  They were interested to know that they had an alternate option for sharing all their careful research that could be done with no cost.

I enjoy chances like this to get out into the community to teach. When we return home after this mission is over I want to keep looking for ways to do things like this.  I doubt very seriously that I will ever return to the academic world.  I have no interest in going back to the demands of crafting exams and grading essays.  Twenty years of that was more than enough.  But the interactive part of  teaching is something that is every bit as important to me as making music is to my guitar playing brother.  In one form or another, whether through one-on-one mentoring or leading a group, teaching is something I love doing and  hope to be able to continue as long as I live.
       

The Circus Comes to Town

Tonight we went to see the circus with a group of other senior missionaries.  It was great fun!  I was amazed by the way those kids could bend themselves and the elaborate acrobatics they performed.  

There are many things that we think are too hard, or might even call impossible. However when I watched those young children bend themselves like pretzels, or a lovely young girl stand en point first on her partner's shoulder and then up on his head, I had to admit that these kids were doing a lot of things most would consider impossible.  (They must be built with rubber bands!)

There were so many things I would have liked to have asked the performers.  How long does it take to learn those skills?   How do they overcome their fear of jumping into nothing, trusting they will be caught properly by their partners?

I have a terrible fear of heights, so the very idea of doing many of the things these kids did was beyond any imagination for me.   Beyond that - their balance was incredible.

Having had three different falls causing me injury in the past two years, I have mindfully been working on improving my balance lately.   One of the exercises I do for this is to stand on one foot while I am brushing my teeth.   I'm getting pretty good at it now, but when I first started I was quite wobbly.   I must admit it feels pretty silly to take satisfaction in being able to stand on one foot for two minutes when I see what this team of accomplished acrobats could achieve!

But then I had to remind myself, it does me no good to compare myself to others.  I am better served to compare my current ability to where I used to be.  I am making progress.  I am improving.  That's what matters.   Will I ever be an acrobat?   Not hardly.   But I will continue to stretch my own ability to build strength and increase balance.   In the future when I try to push myself to do something just a bit further outside my comfort zone, I will think of the kids in this show and be reminded that a lot more is possible than I might initially think.

Mt. Roskill Stake Training

On many Saturdays we have gone out sight seeing or enjoying some sort of adventure on our usual "day off".  But today we had an opportunity to participate in the Mt. Roskill Stake Family History training.   It went really well.   There was a good turn out of Consultants and Priesthood leaders (Bishops and High Priest Group Leaders).  Everyone seemed very engaged in the training and enjoyed the way the various topics were presented.   

Larry met with the Priesthood leaders to talk about the role of High Priest Group Leaders in supporting Family History in wards and branches.  I did a segment to the family history consultants on the way partner sites like Ancestry.com work together with Family Search.  The whole morning came together great and we were glad to be a part of it.  

Bush walks are nice and I'm always up for discovering another waterfall.   But THIS is why we are here.  We love teaching this stuff.  It feels so good to be a part of something that matters, to know our efforts are contributing to things of eternal consequence.  It truly is a privilege to be serving this mission.

Larry and Brother Hillbourne setting up chairs for the meeting

The Mt. Roskill team; Sister Wihongi, Sister Hillbourne and Sister Leung Choi

Putting the FAMILY in Family History - Mt Roskill FHC Director Sister Hillbourne talked about the importance of making the centers a welcoming place for all family members.  This FHC keeps a toy box for little ones to play with while Mum & Dad are busy searching out ancestors.

President Otukolo - Counselor in Stake Presidency over Family History & Temple Work

Art & Heather Schwencke, new Area Family History Advisors for the Auckland region

Sister Leun Choi talking about where information about Family History callings can be found online

Sister Schwencke teaching about the "Memories" section of FamilySearch

Sister Hillbourne shows how to keep microfishe sorted by using place markers whenever you remove one

Sister Wihongi did a brilliant job of illustrating how we all need to work together to have a strong family history program in our wards and branches

 People were divided into groups.  Each group was given a set of paper strips with words on them. The group I was in had a list of ingredients - things like sugar, flour, eggs, chocolate chips, etc.

 Another group had bowl, spoon, baking sheet, spatula,   The next group had words like stir, mix, bake.    The final group had pinch,  teaspoon, 2 cups.

By ourselves, none of the groups could put together a batch of biscuits (the Kiwi word for cookies).  But when she had us all get together to bring what each of us had to share, we were able to build a proper recipe.

 Likewise, in the  wards and stakes of the Church it takes Family History Consultants, Priesthood leaders, Patrons, and the Spirit all working together to make Family History programs really come together.

Afterward we got to eat some of the real biscuits from that recipe.

Brother Collins, High Priest Group Leader for Mt. Roskill Stake gave the closing remarks

A good time was had by all!

Jane emigrates to Australia

We have continued to teach our weekly English class to the Chinese students whenever we are in town.  It has been a fantastic experience.   However, I did have one very sad thing happen.

A couple weeks ago, one of my favorite students, "Jane" (on the far right in this picture), came to me with a gift - a lovely orange silk scarf.  She said to me in her somewhat halting English.  "I go to Australia.  I get this for you.  You very good teacher".  I was deeply touched by her kindness and thanked her sincerely for the present.  At the time, however, what I THOUGHT was that she had taken a trip to Australia and had felt prompted to bring me back a gift.  I had no idea she meant she was actually about to move to Australia and I would never see her again.  She was telling me goodbye, but I did not understand that at the time.

When I showed up for class this week and she was missing I was disappointed.  I always look forward to seeing her as she is a bright student and very much a joy to work with.  I asked some of the others where she was.  They said "She moved to Australia.  She's not coming back."  I was stunned.

Suddenly it dawned on me the mistake I had made.  I felt terrible that I had not properly acknowledged her leaving.  SHE got to say goodbye to me, in her own way.  But I simply didn't recognize that at the time. So I did not get to properly say my own goodbyes to her.

I will miss this sweet woman who was in many ways the bright spot of our class, always encouraging others.  This also serves as a reminder to me that we never know when we will lose the people in our lives.  I want to be sure I acknowledge the people I care about while they are with me so there will be no regrets when they are gone.

Auckland 2nd Ward Family History Night

We had the best time ever tonight teaching members of the Auckland 2nd ward how to do Family History. The room was filled with laughter, tears and love. One of the sisters said "I had a feeling tonight I've never had before. When I opened up the tree and saw my family's names there and knew I was part of that, it made me cry with love for them". If I EVER doubt for even one instant the truth of this work, may I forever remember this night.

Sisters from Samoa, Niue, Cook Islands and New Zealand.

We have also worked with Brother Harry Vete in his home to help him get his 15 in 15.

Oh how I love these ladies!

Growing Older - Missionary Style

Last night we had another Senior Missionary Family Home Evening.  It went GREAT.  Elder Cotterell taught a fabulous lesson based on chapter 6 in Preach My Gospel, about how we can develop the attributes of Christ.  We had a wonderful discussion, with various people sharing ideas about the various attributes they were working on and talking about what it means to allow our very natures to be changed through the atonement of Christ.

I have been working very specifically on the attribute of patience, particularly as it relates to how I respond to the challenge of my broken wrist.  I have had many nights when I was not able to sleep well because of the pain and discomfort of this injury.  When it really gets hurting, I have gotten up in the night to read my  scriptures, to pray, and to ponder the larger concept of coping with adversity in our lives.  I've learned heaps in the process.

After the lesson we had a delicious meal of lasagna and salad that Sister Cotterell had prepared and had a good time visiting with the various missionaries - especially those who live in Manukau that we don't get to see very often.

When we came home, Larry and I enjoyed talking about all we had learned that evening.  Then we decided to watch a movie to relax before heading off to bed.  We are able to stream a lot of different films with our iPads and connect that to our TV, so that is what we did.

The movie we watched was "I'll See You In My Dreams" with Blythe Danner and Sam Elliot.  The film portrayed a group of older women friends - all on their own (most widowed, one divorced) and how they lived their lives.  Most of the women knew each other from all living in the same retirement community.  Blythe Danner's character, Carol, is the exception, preferring to live alone in her own home which is near by.  

While I enjoyed the performances of the actors (including a great line up of supporting cast - June Squibb, Rhea Perlman, and Mary Kay Place as the loyal friends, Malin Ackerman as the daughter and Martin Starr as the pool guy who befriends Carol) I struggled with the lifestyle I saw portrayed.  These women spend day after day playing cards, playing golf, and passing away the time with no apparent deeper meaning or purpose than their own amusement.

I could not help but compare that to the lives of the Senior Missionaries I had just spent the evening with.  Among our cohort we have people in their 50's, 60's and 70's.   We have a broad range of people from those with modest means (like us) and people with significant wealth.  However ALL of us have other things we could be doing if all we cared about was our own comfort and amusement.   We have left behind families, homes, and a few rewarding careers.  We have each come to the mission field at some level of sacrifice in order to dedicate a period of our lives to service.  We are missing out on significant births and deaths, graduations, baptisms, weddings, recitals, reunions and all manner of  important family events.  We are doing it because we believe our lives should be about something larger than our selves.  We are doing it because we be believe in the words of King Benjamin from the Book of Mormon when he said "When ye are in the service of your fellow man, ye are in the service of your God."

I am so grateful we have the opportunity to spend this season of service here in the South Pacific.  I am grateful for all the many lessons we are learning, even those that are really hard.  There are times I weep with homesickness and longing for my familiar family and friends.  There are times I worry about how uncertain my career future will be after taking this extended break away from the world of working.  There are plenty of things about living in a completely different culture that  are a challenge, every bit as big as the blessings and the beauty of being here.  But I would not trade this experience for anything in the world.