Some of my best memories of this mission will be of that amazing people we have met during our service. Among these will be Elder & Sister Garth, who come from South Victoria, Australia.
The Garths work in the mission office so we do not see them as often as the ones who work in the Pacific Area Office with us. But through our visits at Family Home Evenings and times when I go over to their office which is just around the corner from ours, I've come to appreciat them both for their deep faith, their humor, their kindness and humility.
I rode over to the Sister's Conference with Sister Garth, so it gave me a chance to get to know her a little bit better. I was so impressed by what I learned.
Elder Garth's career was a prestigious one in finance. He has all sorts of corporate experience and several degrees. Before coming on this mission he was NOT a "Mister - Fix - It" sort of guy. He worked in an office crunching numbers and making deals. If something needed repaired, he wrote a check to get it done.
In the mission, however, his assignment has been to take charge of the missionary housing. That means he has to clean up missionary flats and fix things, to paint and patch. It is an assignment that was FAR outside his comfort zone or knowledge when he first started. But you would never know that to talk to Elder Garth.
I have NEVER hear him utter a word of complaint about the things he is asked to do. He always has a smile on his face. He always is eager to offer a helping hand if anyone has a need.
Then there is Sister Garth. She has had some significant health challenges in her life. Even now she has to deal with a level of pain and limitation that would make many people say mission service was out of the question for them. But not her. Her attitude is that as long as she can get up and serve, she will do it willingly and cheerfully. I don't think I've ever met anyone as sincere and loving as these two sweet servants of the Lord. They are both such great examples to me.
When I have a hard day or am asked to do something that I don't like or don't feel equipped to do, I hope I will always remember the Garths.
I attended a very special gathering of women in Auckland. It was the Sisters Conference organized by Sister Robyn Balli, the Mission President's wife. Sister Missionaries both young and old gathered together for a full day of uplifting messages, fun skits, a scrumptious meal and good council.
The theme of the conference was "We Need Sisters Who....", based on the talk by Russel M. Nelson "A Plea to My Sisters" given in the October 2015 General Conference.
This is what MormonNewsroom had to say about the event:
The purpose of the gathering in Auckland on Thursday was to discuss in depth the subject, “We need women who…”—a subject formerly introduced in talks by Russell M. Nelson and Boyd K. Packer (1924-2015), apostles in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
President Nelson said, “We need your strength, your conversion, your conviction, your ability to lead, your wisdom, and your voices.
"We need women who know how to make important things happen by their faith and who are courageous defenders of morality and families in a sin-sick world."
Elder Packer said, “We need women who are organized and women who can organize. We need women with executive ability who can plan and direct and administer; women who can teach, women who can speak out.
"We need women with the gift of discernment who can view the trends in the world and detect those that, however popular, are shallow or dangerous."
Sister Robyn Balli, wife of President Frederick K. Balli, who presides over the New Zealand Auckland Mission, organized and conducted the day-long conference.
In her message to the women on Thursday she likened each individual's development to that of a pearl in an oyster that takes an "irritant" or "weakness" and from that develops lustrous layer upon layer of learning as our knowledge and faith develops until one becomes a "pearl of great price."
Balli said the talks given by Nelson and Packer were for today's women. "They can empower us to realize the scope and influence we can have as we seek to be daughters of faith and understand and teach the doctrines of Christ."
Her talk included the following points:
“We need women who know how to make important things happen by their faith.
“We need women who know how to receive personal revelation. Who speak those things that come to their heart and mind as directed by the Spirit.
“We need women who have a bedrock understanding of the doctrine of Christ who will use that understanding to teach.
“We need women who speak up…We need your impressions, your insights, and your inspiration.
“We need women who teach fearlessly, who can speak with the power and authority of God.
“We need women who know how to draw upon the powers of heaven.
“We need women who with the gift of discernment can view the trends in the world, and detect deception in all of its forms…who are courageous defenders of morality.”
I'm always baffled by those who say that the LDS faith holds women in any sort of subservient role simply because only men are ordained to the Priesthood. While it is inevitable that some individual men in the church (some who may hold local positions of leadership) may have demeaning attitudes or behavior toward women, the PRINCIPLES of the gospel are quite clear that the Lord honors women and that members of the church are supposed to do the same. In all the years I have been an active member of this church I have been treated with respect by the overwhelming majority of the leaders and officers of my faith. I have been taught so many good and useful things in the classes that have been offered to me. I have been given opportunities to grow and stretch, developing new talents and abilities. I have also been given opportunities to lead groups in meaningful ways.
Today more than ever before women of the church are being included in key councils and being given responsibility for critical projects. Over and over I hear talks about the important role of women in the church. This one was a good one, but certainly not unique.
I am so grateful to be a woman in the gospel at this time in history and in a place in the world where I can speak up and speak out knowing I can contribute and have it be valued.
I will go back and read and/or listen to this full talk again, along with some of the others that have been given on the topic of women in the church, to better understand how I can best strengthen my home, family and community through righteous influence.
I will also ponder the poem that Sister Balli shared about the pearl and think about how I choose to respond to things that may irritate me or which I struggle with. I hope I can always remember the lessons I learned from this conference. I want to be one of the kind of women Elder Nelson spoke of, who will make a difference for good.
One of the blessings we have working for the church here in the Pacific Area Office is we get to start each work week with a devotional on Monday mornings. Each department takes turns assigning someone to lead an opening song and another person to give a brief spiritual message, then we close with prayer. Many of the talks we have heard in these devotionals have been powerful indeed. One recent devotional message that touched me was given by Chrissie Barrett. I asked her for permission to share her message here and to be able to send it to some of my own family and friends who I thought might also benefit from it. I really appreciate her letting me do so, as this message really taught me a lot!
Chrissie
Barrett
Area MLU Analyst |The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints -
Pacific Area|
What Alma teaches us
about coping with challenges
See Chapter 8
When Alma preached in the land of Ammoniha, the scriptures
tell us of his labouring much in the spirit, his wrestling with God in mighty
prayer, his persecutions, and eventual expulsion from the city. Samuel the Lamanite experienced similar
persecutions as he attempted to preach to the Nephites within the land of
Zarahemla. How easy it would have been
for them to give up.
Alma, upon entering the city of Ammoniha, had already
fulfilled the command to go to his bretheren and teach the word. He tried his hardest, but their hearts were
hard and the people would not listen.
Defeated, Alma left the city and begun to journey thither.
Picture Alma. He has given them everything
he had to hive. His exhausted effort is
apparent as he was weighed down with sorrow, wading through much tribulations
and anguish of soul. We might imagine
this great man thinking of the ways he could have done better, the words he
wished he could have said, how things could have been different if he would
have known at the beginning what he now knew.
On the road as he was leaving the city, an angel appeared to him commanding him
to return, a second chance he so willingly accepted. His second attempt at this wicked city
demonstrates a significant attribute, an attitude that should be mirrored in
our own lives when we are asked to do something which is difficult. In Alma 8:18 it tells us that Alma returned
speedily to the land of Ammoniha and “entered the city by another way….” He found a different way, a new way, perhaps
even a better way to achieve his goal.
He sought after a more effective way, now with more preparation and
experience under his belt. Alma met his
wingman, Amuleck, and subsequently preached of the greatest doctrine we have in
the scriptures, with great example to us of the power of testimonies to change
the hearts of those we serve.
When leaving the city of Zarahemla, Samuel the Lamanite was also commanded to
go back. He also found another way, a
more effective way, to achieve his goal.
Samuel became resistant to death, neither arrow nor massive drop off a
city wall could take this scriptural legend.
He was mentioned by the Saviour himself when He came to visit the
Nephites, and will live on as a Book of Mormon hero and primary children’s
favourite.
Both of these great prophets of old sought a different way,
an improved way, to achieve what they had been commanded to do after their
initial efforts did not give them success.
The point I want to emphasize is when we feel like we have tried everything, only
to see our best efforts fail, instead of giving up we can seek to enter in by
another way, find a new approach.
Sometimes the old methods simply don’t cut it anymore. We are entitled to inspiration from the Lord
in our callings, in our work life and in our personal lives.
When Elder Bednar came to New Zealand he spoke of the need to change. He warned us not to get complacent or
comfortable, but to have an intense hunger to improve. When we think we have everything under
control and all is going well, we will be faced with new challenges. Nothing stays easy for long. We are constantly being stretched and
moulded into the person that Heavenly Father knows we are capable of becoming. He will not ask us to do something that we
are not capable of doing. He will always
provide a way.
We can all think of the story of Alma returning
to Ammoniha when we are asked to do something difficult or when we feel the
approach we are taking is simply not working.
We can use this example when we need to go about the problem from a
different angle or from a different perspective. As we remain faithful and strive to have the
attitude of Alma, we will have the Holy Ghost to inspire us with new ways and
new ideas to accomplish what we have been asked to do.
One of the blessings I never expected when we came on our mission is that at Senior Missionaries we are allowed to have visitors from home. My friend Patricia Valentine has traveled much of the world, but had never before seen New Zealand, although it had long been on her bucket list. Once she knew we would be living here for two years she decided this would be a good time to come.
She spent most her time here traveling on her own. Knowing we have a busy work schedule as full time missionaries, she did not want to interrupt our reason for being here. So one week she rented a car and went up North to see Cape Reinga and hike among the giant Kauri trees. The second week she took a bus south to visit Hobbiton and then go on to Rotorua.
On our weekends between those trips, however, we got to enjoy showing her some of the lovely scenery round here. We took a day to go to Murewei Beach and then from there went on to the Waitakere Ranges Regional Park. It was fun to see the beauty of New Zealand through fresh eyes. We have gotten so accustomed to the lush tropical bush and gorgeous beaches that we have unfortunately lost some of our wonder and amazement. We still appreciate it all very much, but not with the sheer awe we felt when we first arrived.
I hope she had a good visit. I think she did. However, two weeks goes by mighty fast. It made me realize all over again what a priceless opportunity we have to actually live in this magical place, to get to know the people and to explore so many of the nooks and crannies.
We've had the time to fully experience the North Island from the Northlands and Bay of Islands all the way down to Wellington. We've savored the Taranaki District, the Bay of Plenty and the Coromandel. From the busy city life of Auckland to the sleepy rural towns tucked along the twisty, winding roads that we travel for our mission assignments, we've embraced it all.
There is so much stunning beauty in this country. Beyond that, the kindness of the people, the harmony and peace that I feel here is something hard to capture in words. It truly has been the adventure of a lifetime to have these experiences. We've learned a lot.
Now that we are past the half way mark in our mission our thoughts do wander to home more often. As much as we love it here, it will be good to get home when our time comes. In the mean time though, we want to keep taking every opportunity we can to get out and enjoy this place while we are here. We want to relish as much of it as we can. There is much about living in New Zealand I know I will surely miss.
On our many walks along the beach we often watch the parasailers, surfers or folks doing stand-up paddle board. We are often amazed by their grace and skill on the water. I have no idea how long it takes someone to get really good at these sports. What I do know for sure is that it takes practise, struggle and some serious determination to go from weekend enthusiast to someone who masters these endeavors. They go out into the sea over and over again, even when they don't particularly feel like it, even when their bodies are sore and tired. It doesn't take long to learn how to spot those who are truly serious, distinguishing them from those who are simply out for a good time.
Years ago I set a goal for myself that I wanted to learn to play the piano. I signed up to take lessons. I had a decent old piano to practise on. I got a book and started practicing. But I hated it. I cringed at every mistake. I couldn't stand being awful at it long enough to get past the beginner stage. It didn't help that there was a very young Asian kid who played magnificent sonatas and classical works who was scheduled in the spot right before my weekly lessons. I would sit listening to his performance and then follow with my own shaky rendition of Go Tell Aunt Rhody the Old Grey Goose is Dead. It was demoralizing. Week after week went by without me being able to see any significant improvement. Frustrated, I eventually quit. Because of that, today I do not know how to read music or play the piano. Had I been willing to tolerate my own fumbling mediocrity a bit longer, recognizing that early stages of any new skill inevitably has a season of stumbles, things might have turned out very differently.
As I watch the varying abilities of the many who flock to the beaches to ride the waves and air currents, or to glide smoothly on the water's surface, I cannot help but wonder what things in my life I am willing to learn now without giving up.
What am I willing to work at and make sacrifices for? What am I willing to truly commit to, even when it feels discouraging and hard?
I've been thinking about those questions, and revising my own personal life bucket list. It will be interesting to see where it takes me.
Larry and I have been spending a lot of our evenings taking walks on the beach. One reason is that I'm working hard at getting in better shape. Since getting my FitBit in January, I've been tracking how many steps I take each day and watching what I eat in a concentrated effort to lose some unwanted pounds. I've been heavy for many years, a combination of sedentary jobs and genetics. (I have my grandmother's shape!) Then, the first year of our mission I put on even more pounds. (New Zealand had fabulous ice cream, cheeses and hot meat pies! Also there was all that island food on our travels.) Now I am determined to reverse that trend. While size and weight are the easy things to measure, what I'm really working on is my overall health. I want to increase my strength and stamina. I want to improve balance. I'm feeling so much stronger spiritually these days. Next I want to do a better job of honoring the body that houses my spirit. Taking a walk ever day is part of that goal. Besides wanting the exercise, our long evening walks are a great way for Larry and I to unwind and connect at the end of the day. I love the way this mission has brought us so much closer. We've always had a good marriage based on kindness and mutual respect. Over the time we have been serving together though, we've grown so much more deeply connected emotionally and spiritually. We've shared so much and relied on each other in ways we never had to before. It's amazing how our trust and intimacy has grown from these experiences. Beyond that, however, we are very aware that we don't have a lot longer to go before we head back to land-locked Idaho. We will deeply miss living by the ocean. Both of us love the time we spend by the sea.
We had so much success with our special Tongan training that we set up a similar meeting for Samoan saints in Auckland. Leaders came from Mt. Roskill, Tamaki, Penrose, Waterview and Redoubt Stakes.
We have truly learned to love the people of the islands. Whether we are working with Polynesian people in their native lands during our travels or the ones who have emigrated to New Zealand, we love the special spirit these dear people have. And oh, the singing! Whether in a small group or a large one, hearing our island brothers and sisters sing is amazing. Again we are reminded of the scripture we chose for our Mission Plaque that hangs in our home ward during the time we are gone:
2 Nephi 29:7 " 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; and I rule in the heavens above and in the earth beneath and I bring forth my word unto the children of men, yea, even upon all nations of the earth?"
