New Zealand

Shanty Town

2011-01-04T11:22:00.000-08:00

One beautiful spring day we decided that we needed to go to the much heard about Shanty Town. Shantytown (10kms south of Greymouth) is widely recognized as one of New Zealands leading culture and heritage attractions. Over 30 historic buildings make up the recreated 19th Century pioneer town, inspired by the West Coast gold rushes of the 1860s. Its peaceful setting amongst regenerating native forest gives visitors the opportunity to step back in time, experience a range of activities and view fascinating relics from days gone by. Shantytown’s surrounds and historical theme provide a stunning backdrop for photography enthusiasts.

Shantytown’s newest feature is a unique bush saw mill experience - telling the story of milling on the Coast in an innovative way using audio visual techniques. Visitors follow a boardwalk through the heart of the mill - which appears to be working, to an interpretation area and hear typical “yarns” between workers in the deserted “smoko” room.

Other highlights include riding the steam train, gold panning, and having an old time portrait taken as a memento of your visit.

We were able to ride the steam train. It was powered by coal. The engineer reversed the train to fill it with water. It was the engineer's last day of work in Shantytown. He was "shifting" to Auckland. We went through the native bush and saw the unique bush saw. In the picture below you can see the bush behind Elder Archibald. Probably the ride on the steam train was the highlight of our time here in Shantytown.

We had fun wandering through the buildings and taking photos . Below you can see Merle in the "little shack out back."

Below you can see me outside of the school room. I have never done this in my career but it was a fun picture. We loved our time in Shantytown. It was a peaceful day and we always love going into historic places.
I had to take a picture of the flower below. It is beautiful and these grow as wildflowers at the sides of the roads on the south island. They are everywhere and simply beautiful. Some people grow them in their flowerbeds but I think they are most spectacular along the roadside.

Below you can see an iron lung. I was interested in this because of an experience Matthew Cowley had in giving a blessing to a 10 year old boy in Salt Lake City. The young boys mother had Matthew Cowley come to give a blessing. The young boy was in a coma. But when Matthew Cowley came back a week later this young boy was walking around. He thanked Elder Cowley for the blessing and asked if he would give his mates a blessing also. Miraculously, the boys were healed. They had polio.

We had a fantastic time on this day. It was fun to relax and play tourist for the day, although we did stop and visit with our people on the way back.

Tourist Trip from your Computer!

2010-12-05T13:59:00.000-08:00

A while ago we decided to go for a drive and see some of our area that we had heard about but not seen. We got in our car early one bright sunny morning and headed south, although Elder Archibald would swear we were headed north. Our final destination south would be Fox Glacier but we would stop periodically to take a break.
Much of the time we would be driving through trees much like above and then we would drive by a picturesque lake like the one in the following picture.
I can't remember the name of this beautiful lake but it was on the coast side of the road. There were places for boating and kayaking. It was breath-taking.
Then we would be driving along and it would be open on one side and the mountains would rise sharply on the other side of the road. It is simply beautiful everywhere we go.
Isn't it just beautiful. But as we were getting closer to our destination the clouds started to move in.
If it is a sunny day you can take a photo of the magnificent Mt. Cook--Aoraki. But of course the clouds had moved in so we just got the bottomw of the mountain. You can drive to the base of the mountain but you have to do so from the other side of the island, although there are scenic flights via helicopter and small plane over the mountain.
Here is Elder Archibald near the base of Fox Glacier. The spectacle of this giant river of ice as it cuts through dramatic glacial valleys is captivating. The Fox Glacier grinds its way down from the Southern Alps at the rate of 1 to 4 m. a day, and while many glaciers worldwide have been retreating, Fox Glacier and its northern neighbour Franz Josef, still flow almost to sea level. They are both part of the South West New Zealnad World Heritage Area. The ancient Fox Glacier is nestled amidst primeval rainforest, an untamed yet accessible wilderness. We found it amazing as we drove up to the glacier--the turquoise water, the forest, the waterfalls, and the steep rock walls.
Just a couple of more pictures of our trip to the glacier.
The township of Fox Glacier. It is quaint. Look at the small mountains.
A long one-way bridge on the way.
Coming back from Fox Glacier we had a great trip. We stopped in Greymouth for a break and then journeyed home. We had passed by the Truman Track countless times and were always going to stop so today we did. It is a short walk through the rainforest to the ocean. Below you can see the symbolic Silver Fern.
Here is Elder Archibald among the native trees. They are massive. After about a 15 minute walk you come out to the ocean or rather the Tasman Sea. It is protected here and in the evenings you can see the Blue Penguin. All day they are at sea fishing.

Well that's the end of the tourist trip but I want to show you some interesting plants near our flat. The colorful plants at the base of the rose plants are kale. They are edible but this gentleman just planted them for color.

Our Zone:Elder Archibald, myself, Sister Jolliffe, Elder Philip, Elder Prebble, Elder Berryman, Elder Hopoate, Elder Tamale (younger brother to the other Elder Tamale), Elder McLean, Elder Gale, Elder Hill and President Jolliffe. What a great meal!
Another picture.

I Know My Savior Lives!

2010-11-13T18:33:00.001-08:00

This picture is of one of the Rhododendron (Rhodies) outside our chapel. These plants are in bloom all over the countryside at this time of year and it is absolutely beautiful. The blooms occur just at the end of each bunch of leaves. There are many colors but I believe I like this pink the best. Unfortunately, the wind and rain cause the blossoms to fall off. I took this picture this morning as we entered the chapel to prepare for our Primary Presentation.
Above you can see Levi, Kahn, and Samuel kind of hiding. This was last week after we had practice for the program.
Now you can see Samuel, Becca, and Kahn. The young children really look up to Kahn, and Levi for good examples.
Above you can see Brian Anderson. Elder Archibald is playing with Rahul and Joshua is watching. I couldn't get a picture of all the primary together. They just wouldn't all cooperate at the same time so there you have the six wonderful children.
Today was our presentation. Levi and Kahn have been with us all year and Becca, Samuel, Rahul, and Joshua since August and September. Today they shared with the congregation, what they have learned about the Savior this year in Primary. Because our Primary is so small we have the congregation sing all the songs with us. It really involves everyone. The children did a fabulous job sharing their talents and testimony of the Savior. Kahn and Levi are such great examples and the little children love them. The boys led out and the young ones participated as best as they could. There is a new song this year--"I Know That My Savior Loves Me". It is beautiful and talks about how even though we didn't live at the time of the Savior and sit on His knee we can still feel His love as we learn about Him. Kahn and Levi had a favorite this year and it was "He Sent His Son" . Today in singing time they sang it so beautifully. It would have been lovely if they would have sung it in Church but they were just too shy to do that but in Primary time they sing right out.
This year I have been able to work with the music in Primary and will get them started for next year. Primary is not really out of my comfort zone but much of what else I do is. Through music I have felt my testimony grow more each week.

Fish and Chips

2010-11-13T17:57:00.001-08:00

A couple of years ago Merle and I were in London with my family. We looked everywhere for traditional Fish and Chips wrapped in newspaper. Well here in New Zealand you can get the traditional type from the corner Dairy. A Dairy here in New Zealand is a convenience store with milk, soda, a few grocery items, newspapers, phone cards, and lollies. Also "Take Aways", usually fish and chips. We have found our favorite Dairy just down Derby Street about 2 blocks from our flat at Arkwrights Dairy. Merle, at first, thought that there was only milk and ice cream at the dairy because of the name but he has since found out what else is available.
We don't have fish and chips very often but when we do we sure enjoy them. The fish is freshly caught. We never knew that there were so many varieties of fish. Usually it is monk fish,which is so mild, in the fish and chips. We have learned that half a scoop of chips is plenty for the two of us. We got the above fish and chips and took them for a picnic at a surf competition on Labour Weekend at Turanga Bay, near the seal colony. It was a definite treat. Labour Weekend was at the end of October.
Above you can see the view from atop a local mountain. We were up in Denniston, almost a ghost town now, but used to be a thriving coal mining town. When driving down the roads one does not realize that there are paddocks behind the bush but from above you can see forever. Beyond the land is the Tasman Sea which was gray this day because of the overcast skies.

Splendid Spring Spectacles

2010-10-20T15:49:00.000-07:00

We have had an splendid spring. Hence the title of this post. First, it is unusual and interesting for us to experience spring in September and October. As you know from an earlier post we went to the temple in Temple View, near Hamilton, New Zealand. Because our white corolla was getting over 90000 Km. we were asked to drive up and switch cars. So our adventure began. We left early one morning so we could make the Picton Ferry. Our first stop was in Porirua, Wellington, New Zealand. We spent a P day with the Jensens touring interesting things in Wellington, the capital of New Zealand.
Merle loves to watch the news and we have seen the capital buildings many times and he wanted to see it in person. News people were gathered to welcome in the HMS Wellington, where the navy were marching from the harbour to the capital. We missed this parade which was good, we don't like crowds.
This building is called the Beehive and it is right next to the parliament building. It is an interesting office structure. As we were looking at the buildings it was kind of cloudy but warm.

We spent the day with this lovely couple--Elder and Sister Jensen, aka Don and Marilyn Jensen from Logan, Utah. They are the mission office couple and they do a great work. Merle and Don really get along great and we always have a wonderful time with them. We toured around the city and enjoyed that; as when we first landed in New Zealand we were a little jet-lagged and didn't really enjoy the city. Wellington is built on hills surrounding the harbour. It is called windy Wellington for a reason. It is even more windy that at home.

After going to a market and touring around the city we went to the Botanical Gardens. It was splendid and we saw many wonderful flowers. I especially enjoyed the thousands of orchids. There was also a beautiful plant called the "Skunk Plant". When it is in bloom it emits an odor that is quite distinct. Enjoy the picture.

After spending some time in the gardens the sun was beginning to come out and so we went to the tallest point in Wellington, Mount Victoria. It was a windy trip up but the view was spectacular.
As you can see the wind is blowing but you can see a bit of the harbour behind us and the small dot over Merle's shoulder is the ferry.

Here is a symbolic Maori carving. It has been made of cast something so people would not deface it or carve into it. This is looking out towards the hills. We had a magnificent view from atop this mountain. Afterwards we wound our way down the hill and around and decided to go to the beach to eat our lunch. We came to a bay where there were at least 50 wind surfers. Some even had kites behind them and would be lifted up when the wind was just right. It was a beautiful sight but photos didn't capture it as it was.
That evening Sister Jensen and I went to a baptism. We told the 4 elders there that we were doing splits. Elders Archibald and Jensen stayed at the flat and Sister Jensen and I went to the baptism. It was most interesting. The mom and dad were getting married. Then the dad got baptized, confirmed, ordained to the Aaronic Priesthood and made a Priest. Then he baptized his wife. It was very touching. They made the focus of the evening their baptisms. After, the father sang a beautiful song that he had written. They are planning next year to go to the temple to be sealed as a family. They have 4 beautiful children. It was a great evening and nice to spend it with another couple.
We left good time the next morning to drive to Hamilton. It was about 8 hours of driving. As you know Merle does not stop a lot on the trip. I was driving most of the way as his feet were driving him crazy. We took this picture above because we are amazed at how they do not back slope by the roads and there are very few slips. Merle says at home if they just cut straight down through the hill, the hill would cave in on the road; but here clay, gravel, rock, etc. it just does not cave in easily even with all the rain they get.

By early evening we had arrived in Hamilton, in the above picture, on the banks of the Waikato. Hamilton is the largest inland city in New Zealand, with a population of about 200,000. As New Zealand's fastest growing and largest inland city, it sits on the banks of New Zealand's longest river, the Waikato River. Hamilton is the heart of New Zealand's largest export region. It is strong in agriculture, particularly dairy and thoroughbred horse breeding. Hamilton hosts the largest agricultural event in the southern hemisphere. The area is surrounded with beautiful rolling hills.
It was just coming into spring and above is one of the many spring flower beds we saw. I just love how green it all is.
In an earlier post I talked about our wonderful temple trip. I also mentioned Rangi Parker. We had an amazing experience with Rangi Parker and her family. She is a talented lady. When we first arrived in Temple View we asked at the Visitor's Centre how we could get in touch with her. The gave us her card and told us how to get to her place. We went right over and she was not home. We kept trying and finally one evening she came home. She had gone to Aussie to edit a book she was working on. The phones were too distracting at home so she left. She did come back for the Auckland MTC dedication and the Prophets visit. She was now home. We were invited to view her massive collection of missionary history and church history in New Zealand. When I walked into the rooms I was overcome with emotion. I could just feel something that touched my heart. Rangi has a passion for the history of the church in this small country. She has archived much of it. When she visits in the states she is often given photos that the missionaries took while they were serving here. I was glad to be able to share a little of what I had with her. Each time we went to visit her she was so gracious. She also shared her singing talent with us. She gave us a CD of her singing. One evening I put the music on the computer and she sang Merle to sleep. Too bad I am not smart enough to set up a listening gadget so you could hear some of the soothing sounds. She sings a lot in Maori- and does some of her own harmonizing and her daughters do some also. I wished that I understood the language. The above picture shows us with Rangi Parker, Vic Parker and a grandson.

When we left Hamiton we decided to take a few days coming home and see some of the North Island. Many people told us to go to Rotorua. So we did. The drive was amazing and Rotorua is a beautiful small city. We went to the Pohutu Cultural Theatre where we enjoyed a traditional program presented by descendants of the Te Arawa Tribe. We both enjoyed the music and activities and learned more about the culture. We also enjoyed traditional Maori delicacies, steam pit hangi, and delicious seafood buffet.

The next day we had many choices of things to do and see. We could have gone to the buried village but because we had seen Pompeii and Herculaneum we didn't go there. The only difference was this was a Maori Village. We could have gone to the Redwood forest but we had been to the Redwood forest in California. We had been told that Oarkei Korako was amazing so we drove to there. It is a geo-thermal area south of Rotorua, on the way to Taupo. We crossed the Waikato River on a ferry then walked around the area. This area has some of the largest silica terraces in the world. It is a lot like Yellowstone only more compact. Also, there are not the wild animals that Yellowstone has. It was a beautiful day and we enjoyed the "tramping". You can see the steam coming out of the hillside.

The above picture is of Lake Taupo. Lake Taupo is the largest lake in Australasia and roughly the size of Singapore. It is known for its trout fishing. The area has 3 active volcanoes Mount Ruapehu, Ngauruhoe, and Tongariro. They ski and snowboard on Mount Ruapehu. This is a very touristy area,and oh so beautiful.
We have heard of the desert road and often wondered how on earth there could be a desert in New Zealand. In the stormy times the desert road is often closed because it gets treacherous. We were driving along on this beautiful road when all of a sudden the green was left behind and you come to something that is sandy and reminds one of Wyoming with the sand and dried growth. It lasts for about 50 km. and the army uses the area for training. You can see the snow-covered volcanic mountain in the background. There were 3 volcanoes around here. What a difference from what we were used to seeing. As we crossed the desert and looked at the mountains there were long white clouds hanging over the mountains. The Maori word for New Zealand is Aotearoa meaning the land of the long white cloud.
We spent the next night in Palmerston North. We were so tired we just had to stop. The next morning we drove on to Porirua and went to Church with the Jensens. They belong to a ward on the Pah where everyone is related. The bishop is just a young man. We met Elder Metikingi's nana and auntie. We also met many other people who are related to many of our friends in the Nelson District. We couldn't get a ferry ride until Tuesday so spent Monday in Porirua. We became the helpers for the Jensen's. I hung out the laundry and let it enjoy the wind and bring it in before the dew fell. We enjoyed lunch with the Jensens and made tea for them when they arrived home in the evening. We could tell it meant a lot. They were almost in tears. We prepared for the next day when we would catch the early ferry to return to the south island. Below you can see the Kaitaki which is the largest Interislander Ferry. Kaitaki means challenger. It was a smooth sailing and this time the windows were clean and we could take pictures.

We were the first car on the ferry as we were when we crossed from South to North. It is interesting that you can see the South Island from the North Island. It was a smooth sail and we visited with many of the passengers.

Here you can see the Marlborough Sounds and if you look closely you can see Picton in the distance. On our trip we saw Mussel Farms and Salmon Farms. At the edges of some of these islands are cottages. Their mail is delivered by boat. Although there are roads most of the residents travel by small boat. It is very beautiful coming through the sounds. We spent a nice afternoon in Picton. We had lunch and enjoyed an ice cream. I even found a maple walnut for Merle. We called Phillip MacDonald, as he had invited us to stay with them. We spent a fun afternoon and evening with Chris and Phillip. Grandma had taught his father on Wairau Pah. That is where the MacDonalds live. We were shown where the school was and things have not changed a lot, except there are grapes where sheep used to graze. The sea is not far away. The school was close to the Wairau River. Across the river is a group of trees where the old hotel used to be. Spring Creek is nearby where Grandpa spent a lot of time proselyting. It was really cool to walk where they once walked.

The bushes are where the school used to stand. The river is just behind me. The beach is just less than a mile downstream. I loved being here.

Here are Chris and Phillip MacDonald, our hosts for the night. We really enjoyed our stay with them in there lovely home. The land around is land that his father owned many years ago. Phillip has worked hard to make it profitable. We hope to be around in their autumn to watch the grape harvest.
This is Lake Rotiti, just off the road at St. Arnaud. We have driven the road many times and never stopped here until now. It was windy. Imagine how pretty the lake will be on a calm day. This lake is part of the Nelson Lakes National Park. I have a picture of Grandma with relatives at this lake.

Here is Elder Hill on the Ab Circle Pro. It is an ab machine which we borrowed for a week. It really gives you a workout. He has borrowed it from a member until he is transferred out of Blenheim. Elder Hill is a real pro at this. He is a little fellow but his abs must be great because he can really move on this machine.

Elder Kavaefiafi, a Tongan elder from Australia, is really great on these pushup things. He doesn't like the Ab Circle Machine. He is really strong. He got transferred this transfer and we will miss him. We took these pictures at flat inspection time.

We journeyed on to Nelson for flat inspection there the next day. This flat was the cleanest it has ever been. It was just amazing. Elder Berryman and Elder Prebble are the Zone Leaders and there will be two more elders moving in here this transfer. We also were able to get LPG gas for their water heater. Then we took the long way home.

On this trip we came home by way of Motueka. This is one picture we took as we were journeying back to Westport. It was nice to see some more beautiful country.

We have seen enormous stumps around New Zealand. Here is one clever use of a huge stump. We saw this and backed up and took the picture.

On October 14th we saw this steam engine coming into Greymouth. The steam is made from diesel instead of coal as in the olden days but it was a fun sight. We were taking Elder Fullmer to the plane as he was going home with honor.

Elder Fullmer and Elder McLean as Elder Fullmer prepares to go home. We sure will miss him but hopefully we will see him in the future.

While we were waiting for the new elder we "hung out" in Hokitika. In the Gold Shop Merle was able to hold this gold nugget. That was cool.

Also, at the entrance to the shops, many owners had placed these clever mats. It was fascinating.
We have a great beginning to spring and we hope it continues. This coming weekend is Labour Weekend and the people here say it is the beginning of summer. Although the Solstice does not come until December.

Let's Go Fly a Kite!

2010-10-19T20:01:00.001-07:00

A short while ago the Greymouth held a fantastic Branch Activity. They had a kite building evening. Anyone who wanted to build a kite could and the parents got as involved as the young people. In the above picture you can see Elder Archibald helping the children. Their parents were involved making their own kites.
Here you can see Ola helping some of the children. Her husband Emili is working on his own kite. It is a secret.
Puta Langi is finished his kite. Tama'a and I are laughing at his enjoyment. It did fly though.
The Elders also got involved in making their own kites. No one lost fingers and their kites "almost" flew. Above you can see Elder Fullmer and Elder Berryman as well as some of the branch members.

Here you can see Elder Archibald holding Emili and Ola's little girl. She is a real darling. This was a moment of peace in a fun, wild evening.

AND THE WINNER IS:
ROYAL TONGA--built by EMILI LANGI. It flew no matter who tried to fly it.
After a cleanup we had a Sausage Sizzle. What a fantastic evening we had in Greymouth.

President Jolliffe Visits Westport

2010-10-19T19:16:00.000-07:00

A while ago we invited President Jolliffe to come and visit Westport. He has been the President of the New Zealand Wellington Mission since June 2008 and the members here have longed for him to visit them on the West Coast. They have met him at District Conference but he has never been to their home area. So Elder Archibald and I issued him and his delightful wife an invitation to visit us. And he came. He was delayed a week. The weather was oh so stormy, but he flew into Nelson and rented a car. He drove to Greymouth via Reefton on the Saturday and did a fireside there. We drove down to the fireside. The seas were wild and there had even been high sea warnings out. I wish you could see how wild the seas really were but this picture will have to suffice.
At the fireside Sister Jolliffe spoke of the importance of Family Home Evening. During this time we are able to get closer with our families and teach them so they are strong and fortified against the trials that will come. Our families are blessed when we take time to spend with them each week. It becomes a tradition that children will remember. I remember all the years our family held family home evenings before it became a big push in the Church. It was one of the many things my father did to strengthen our family and bring us closer. President Jolliffe spoke about being a goal-setting people. It becomes a cycle we follow all of our lives. The things we do become the brush strokes in our canvas of life. After being fed spiritually we were fed by the members in Greymouth. All had brought a plate. We did Apple Salad which was a hit and pretzel jello salad, also a hit. An interesting side note--they always feed you well in Greymouth. Sister Kinikini had loaded a plate of desserts for President and Sister Jolliffe. President Jolliffe begged Elder Fullmer to help him out but Elder Fullmer declined saying, "I have been here six months and gotten fat. You can handle the dessert." We laughed and laughed. Elder Fullmer had not gotten fat but he had been well fed--he had to exercise lots to stay fit.

The next day our branch was blessed to have President and Sister Jolliffe visit Westport. This day Sister Jolliffe talked about the Savior being our Lighthouse. The human eye can discern a candle at 50 km. on a clear night. We need to be the candle that someone is watching. She also shared and experience of when their family got chooks. She told of how when they first got them they tried to bring them in to the coop before they were ready to come in for the night. They spent hours the first few times. Then one night they were away and a little late getting home. When they went out to gather the chooks in for the night the chooks were already in the coop, nested for the evening. When the chooks were willing to be gathered to a safe and secure place they knew where to go. She likened that to our less active members. They know where there is safety and security and if they are nourished with the light of the gospel they will be willing to be gathered when they are ready. We can't force them, just be there and be constant with our love. President Jolliffe talked about miracles. All at one time knew of the Plan of Happiness. Right now, as through the ages there is a tug of war between the Lord and the adversary. We need to make sure we stay on the side of the Lord. True Christianity is love in action.
Here are Levi and Kahn visiting with President Jolliffe. They loved having this opportunity to meet the mission president.
Here is Sister Jolliffe with Fuata. We had a lovely meal after meetings this day. Fuata is from Fiji and has twin sons that are 6.
In this picture you can see our twins, Rahul, Joshua, (they are Fuata's sons); Amelia, Lydia and Lyn. Lydia is Lyn's grand-daughter and Amelia is her sister.
It was a great time for our branch when the President and his wife visited.

"Oh, That I Were an Angel"

2010-10-14T18:46:00.000-07:00

For many years one of my favorite scriptures in in Alma 29:1. "O That I were an angel, and could have the wish of mine heart, that I might go forth and speak with the trump of God, with a voice to shake the earth, and cry repentance unto every people!" We are here in New Zealand to do just that. As we visit with the wonderful people here we are able to remind them of the love Heavenly Father has for them and what he desires for them to do: repent and follow the example of our Savior and keep the commandments and prepare to return to live with our Father in Heaven. We love the people here in New Zealand, especially the wonderful people here on the West Coast. In May "President" Archibald was given the assignment of inviting all the endowed members of our branch to "Come to the temple with us!" Somehow, he was able to invite them all. Many heard his invitation and prepared financially and spiritually to attend the temple. It is a major undertaking here on the South Island. One has to fly from Christchurch and then rent a vehicle and drive to Hamilton or take the ferry to get to the North Island and then it is a good days drive to Hamilton. Either way it is quite an expense for the people. We had planned on flying and booked our tickets but in mid-September the mission asked us to drive up so that we could trade our car. "Good-bye Old Whitie" our beloved Corolla. What a blessing that was as we were able to see more country going and coming. It looks vastly different on the North Island. There are more rolling hills and not so much rock and it is amazingly beautiful.
This is just one of the many pictures taken from the car on our way up the island. I am driving and Merle is the photographer. But I must take a step back. In Wellington we met the Service Couple, Elder and Sister Ditchburn, from Wellington. Of course when you meet people you always ask where they are from. Sister Ditchburn was born and raised in Wellington but had been to Canada as a young girl of 18. She was sailing there in 1958. She had met a wonderful couple whom she said she would never forget--a Brother and Sister McMurray. They had been to the temple dedication and were sailing home. Tears came to my eyes as she was speaking of my grandparents. She loved them and so appreciated them for taking her under their wing and helping her as she sailed all alone across the ocean. While in Canada she stayed with my Aunt Mabel, whom she also fondly remembered. She knew that Aunt Mabel had 3 children, a boy and 2 girls and had lost her husband in a tragic train accident. Her name then was Lorraine Luft. What a memory! That was an awesome beginning of a wonderful time on the North Island.
This picture was taken as we drove through the gate and at the base of the temple. There was a Visitor's Center behind us. I cannot explain the feelings that overcame me as we parked here. It was like I was home so far away from home.
This is a picture of the temple from the back, our little motel unit was just right here. I loved being able to once again walk around the temple and feel the wonderful feelings I always feel near the temple. I thought of Grandma and Grandpa walking around here with the trees much smaller; I also thought of Uncle Jeddy and Aunt Loretta as they served here and probably lived in the missionary apartments at the base of the hill. It was nostalgic for me.
We had a marvelous week at the temple. We spent a lot of time inside the temple and a lot of time associating with the members of our Nelson District. It was just wonderful. One day we were able to attend the sealing of Lou Ann Kinikini to her parents. It was such a beautiful experience. We love the Kinikini family and we were grateful we were able to share the day with them. One evening Sister Kinikini cooked tea for us and her family. They were staying in the dorms and the cooking facilities were scary for her. We were glad that we were able to help them attend the temple. Below you can see the delightful Kinikini family. We love them so much. Back Row--Moni, Taina, Atu; Front row--Maui, Elder Archibald, Lou Ann, Sister Archibald, and Taufa. We love this family from Greymouth.

Some of the people from our district that we spent a lot of time with were the MacDonalds from the Blenheim Branch. When I first met President MacDonald he told me that Grandma had taught his father in school. I had a copy of the picture that Dave had given me with Grandma as a teacher. I had the picture and my computer at the temple and so one night we took both down to the MacDonalds. After looking for sometime Phillip MacDonald found his father in the picture. He was so excited that he called his sister who lived in Hamilton to come over and see the picture. His sister picked her father out very quickly.
Their father is the little boy just above the child in white. He is looking towards the side. The father was about 10 in the picture. At Wairau Pah is the area where the MacDonalds grew up with many cousins and close friends. This picture was a treasure for them to see and I was able to give them a copy. They are going to try and identify many of the people in the picture. It was a fun time and Phillip and his sister fondly remember Grandma and Grandpa. I also had a picture of them(Grandma and Grandpa) in the 50s.

On our way home we were able to spend time with the MacDonalds and were able to see the area where the school was and where Grandpa labored as a missionary in Spring Creek.

We were also able to have another great experience at the temple. Elder Jensen from the Mission Office was some more copies of the DVD on Matthew Cowley. We needed to find Rangi Parker. We went each day to her place and finally one day as we were leaving her place she pulled up in their car with her husband. Her son had just picked them up from the airport. They had been in Australia for 5 weeks and just returned. Rangi is the darling little lady in the above picture. Also, there is her husband Vic and her grandson. Rangi Parker is a Church History expert for New Zealand. She has a collection second to none of pictures and journals and artifacts of former missionaries serving in New Zealand. We were blessed to see her collection. She asked me if I had a copy of my grandfather's missionary journal. I had a scanned copy which I shared with her. She stayed up most of the night reading it and the next morning asked my permission to have it transcribed for easier reading. I said yes and will receive a copy when it is finished. She also remembered my grandparents when they visited and served here in New Zealand. We had other great experiences while we were away and I will post more later.
Our visit to the temple truly turned the "hearts of the children to their fathers". It was such a blessing for us to be able to have this experience.

Highlights from End of Winter!

2010-09-16T18:59:00.000-07:00

Highlight #1
A Baptism(2 in fact)

Mosiah 18:8-10 ...as ye are desirous to come into the fold of God, and to be called his people, and are willing to bear one another's burdens, that they may be light;...to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places...what have you against being baptized...that he may pour out his Spirit more abundantly upon you?

At the end of August we had the awesome opportunity to go down to Greymouth for a baptism. In fact is was 2 baptisms. A couple who live in Greymouth were baptized. Peter said that he had been looking for the true Church for over 40 years and was so glad to have finally found it. Peter and Marilyn MaCrae have been searching for a long time. The missionaries said they were a golden couple. They still are a golden couple. They love the gospel. They both bore their testimonies at their baptism. It was a truly spiritual experience. Below you can see them with the missionaries in their whites. From left to right there is Elder McLean, Marilyn, Peter, and Elder Fullmer. They were confirmed the next day and we also went down for that. When President Kinikini found out we were coming I was asked to be one of the speakers. It was nice to talk to a branch with heaps of people including little ones that wander around. The Greymouth Branch is full of life and we enjoy the times we have been down there.

Highlight #2
Flat Inspections
The week following the baptism we did our 6 week flat inspections. We find this a fun time to associate with the elders and check their flats and cars and bikes for safety. This time we were saying farewell and have a great rest of your mission to two young Elders. Elder Booth is from Australia and has been in Nelson since he came as a greenie at the end of April. That seems so long ago but it was only 3 transfers--each transfer is 6 weeks. Below you can see him with Elder Archibald. Elder Booth is obedient to the T and drove some of the other elders crazy but we enjoyed him and his little quirks. This flat was awesomely clean when we inspected and after they passed it looked like a hurricane had blown through as one of the Elders cannot find his "stuff" when things are neat and tidy.
The elders had their P-day after inspections and we came back later to cook them "tea". We did a chicken cashew Thai stir fry over pasta. Below you can see them enjoying the "tea".
Closest to us on the left is Elder Metikingi. He is from Porirua and was in our mission waiting for a Visa to go to Guam. When he went to Auckland for an interview his Visa was denied and so his call was re-issued and he left for the Perth, Australia Mission at the end of transfers. He was so excited and even more so as we have been teaching a lady, Tui, and her 2 daughters. Tui was inactive until she came back to Westport. Her young daughters are 9 and 7. She has been coming to Church and her daughters have been being taught since she came and she wants her girls to be baptized together in January when the youngest turns 8. They are going back to Perth at the first of October. Her daughters names are Marina, 9, and Shakira Rose 7. They are just darling and love learning about the gospel. So we have their address in Perth and will email Elder Metikingi when they leave for Australia.
Also, in the above picture you can see Elder Berryman in the foreground, Elder Saxton, behind Elder Berryman, and Elder Booth. Elder Saxton is one of the traveling assistants to the President and he was visiting Nelson with his companion Elder Cook. Elder Cook and Elder Prebble had a tea appointment.

Highlight #3
The Seal Pups
When we went to Blenheim to clean the mold a month or so ago we came home by way of Kaikoura. About a half hour before you arrive in Kaikoura, there is a large fur seal colony. We had noticed it on our way home but the next day I was reading in the paper about how the seal pups navigate their way up the Ohau Stream to a pool at the base of a 30-metre waterfall. They play in the pool at the base of the falls all day while their mothers are out fishing. Knowing that the elders would be traveling this way on the way to the Christchurch Zone Conference, I told them about it and they stopped and saw these cute seal pups. They said it was one of the best things they had seen and done in New Zealand. We had not seen the pups, only the adults lazing on the rocks. After the elders told us about their fun time we decided that when we did flat inspections we would again come home by way of Kaikoura and watch the pups. So we did. We took many pictures and I did about 5 minutes of video. They were just fascinating to watch. Things you see in the zoo or at Sea World being done in the wild. It was great. The water was just "boiling" with young seals. They were curious about us and came very close. Below you can see just one of the many photos I took. It was just amazing.
Highlight #4
Watoto Children's Choir
A week ago we went to a choir concert of Ugandan Orphans. This group tours around and raises money to sponsor some of the many children left orphans in Uganda by Aids and war. The children are delightful. We went mainly because Andrea and Gene are in Africa. We were hoping they would sing and dance of the culture. They did dance but in unison to the songs they sang about how Jesus loves the children. I was amazing at the uniformity of their movements and knew how much work it would take to train a choir as such. They sang very well, a little loud for my husband, but nevertheless delightful. I just love to hear children sing. I loved listening to them talk as they told their stories. This group is well looked after. This institution places the children in a family environment with 8 other children and a "house mother" who helps care for them. Also, in the village are classrooms, medical clinics, a nursery school, teachers homes, playgrounds, and churches. It was quite interesting. Mostly, I loved the children.
Highlight #5
A couple of the end of winter flowers
I am constantly amazed at the flowers that are blooming at the end of winter. Below you can see an orchid. It is the smallest orchid I have ever seen. It is about the size of the end of my finger. Frank O'Connell grows them in pots on his front porch. It is so delicate. Also, below you can see the lilies, I think, that are growing in my front yard. They grow wild all over the West Coast.

It is just starting into spring and many plants are beginning to bloom. I find myself taking my camera when I go for my morning walk. Everyday there is something new blooming. This has been the most amazing winter we have ever spent. We have only had 2 or 3 days of frost. We are into September now and it has been rainy a lot. They say that September is one of the rainiest and it is doing so today. We are blessed to be living on the West Coast and only felt the tremors of the earthquake in Christchurch almost 2 weeks ago. When Merle woke me up I told him to quit shaking the bed. I had been dreaming that I was on a ship and the rolling from the quake felt like it should be. But the creaking of the flat and the rolling of the bed went on for over a minute; it seemed longer when we were in it but it was not. They keep talking of the "Big One" that is supposed to be coming. I pray that it waits until we are home. It is supposed to be 10 times stronger than the Christchurch Quake and it is supposed to be close to this coast. We have our Emergency Packs ready to go and so we are sort of prepared. "If ye are prepared ye shall not fear!"

So we will go on about our work and enjoy our time here in this beautiful land.

Being Fed In Christchurch

2010-08-16T19:16:00.001-07:00

Last week we were able to have a new adventure. Elder Hamula of the Area Presidency was doing a mission tour and our Zone joined with the Christchurch Zone. It was great. We were able to go to Christchurch via Arthur's Pass and come home via Lewis Pass. It was a beautiful day when we left for Christchurch. We stopped in Greymouth for Merle to get a haircut. We stopped along the way to take pictures.
Arthur's Pass used to be more winding than it is now. They built this viaduct so the road would not have to wind via switch back up the mountain side. We stopped near the top so I could take this picture but I had quite an adventure to get to where I could take the picture. I opened the door to get out and there was a Kea at my feet. I screamed, and slammed the door. Then the Kea lit on the bonnet of the car and trotted up to the windshield right in front of me. I was a basket case and my dear husband was laughing. Then he got out with the movie camera to take pictures of this brave bird.

This is the car next to us and Merle followed the Kea and another fellow as the Kea explored the parking lot. They are persistent, smart, and tough birds. Their beak is a hooked beak and their claws are enormous. They have been known to tear a car apart as they go for the rubber--around the windscreen, and the wipers and rubber underneath the car. Last night there was an article in the newspaper about how clever these birds are. A psychology researcher studied the birds and found them to be great problem solvers. The Kea is a New Zealand alpine parrot. They are quite beautiful. The have a beautiful red under their wings. But as you know I would only watch them from a distance.
The day before we left for Christchurch it had snowed a metre at the top of the pass. It is so beautiful. This picture was taken along the way. The snow is right at the tops of the mountains and there are ski hills back there. We saw many cars coming out from a grand day of skiing. I know my brother and his son would love to go there sometime.
As we drove along and were coming down the Christchurch side of the pass we saw people out building snowmen. I snapped this one. He had a tie and a cap and a black nametag. I thought it looked like a missionary snowman and the next day the Greymouth Elders showed me their snowman they had made. I was right--it was a missionary snowman right along the road.
We arrived in good time to the Ormsby's. We were blessed to stay here for 2 nights. Because we were a little early we decided to see if we could find the Chapel and how long it would take us to get there the next morning. It was about 25 minutes from this lovely place to the Stake Centre in Christchurch. The Ormsby's live on an acreage in West Melton. It is a beautiful home. The Ormsby's are a lovely family. They have 2 children, Sarah who is 3 and Jaden who is 13 weeks. It was lovely to stay with a family with children. Sarah latched on to Elder Archibald and took him around their home and told him stories and played games with him. Then it was my turn. She had trouble saying our names so when she wanted us she would say, "Missionaries, Missionaries!" Then whatever she needed. I went to her room and she showed me all her pictures in her Disney Princess Room. Then she read me stories. She didn't want me to read to her, she wanted to read to me. She told the parts of the story that she liked and skipped the rest. When I tried to read she said "No, I will read and you listen!" We had pasta for supper and she loves pasta, but not vegetables. She wanted more and more pasta but only got one serving of seconds until the veggies were eaten. After tea we had scripture reading--Sarah reads one verse each night and she is getting to recognize some of the words like "and it came to pass." She kissed us good night and said she would see us in the morning.
Here is Sarah. She is helping me get ready to go to the Zone Conference. She was very curious about what we were doing. I could hear her from the other room saying to her mother "What are the missionaries doing?" She came back to check and I had a shadow while I finished getting ready. Then we were off.
Beside the Stake Centre is a park called Mona Vale. This is it. The Church used to own this land too but sold it to someone who established a park here. It is so serene in the middle of the city. We were the first ones at the chapel and so I did a bit of wandering. It is just ending winter and so there are not many flowers out but the river is so pretty and the trees and shrubs have new buds on them. There are benches to sit on and beauty to partake of. It was breathtaking.

This is a picture of Elder and Sister Hamula. They live in Auckland now with their 2 youngest children--Jared and Joseph who are 15 year old twins. He is in the Area Presidency. It is a treat to learn at the feet of a general authority. At Zone Conference Sister Jolliffe spoke about her favorite song "How Great Thou Art" and told how much she appreciates the "little bits" that are in the world such as birds, and flowers, and songs. She told of an experience she had when they first got chooks. She had a coop for them and at night they would go out to gather in the chooks. The chooks weren't ready to be gathered and it took them hours. Then after they had had them a while she went out just before dusk and the chooks had gathered themselves in the coop. They were ready to be gathered. She also spoke about clay. You can work out the mistakes as long as it hasn't been fired. Isaiah 64:8 "But now, o Lord, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand." She reminded us that it won't be until judgment day that we are fired. President Jolliffe spoke a little about obedience. He told the missionaries that he was so glad that we are obedient and that we would be blessed because of that obedience. Sister Hamula spoke next. She spoke of the importance of showing gratitude. Gratitude alters the experience. She remembered fondly of an experience she had with President Hinckley when he came to Arizona for a visit. He got up to express thanks and didn't just do a blanket thank you. He expresses thanks for all parts of the meal--the bread, the meat, the salad, the flowers. As he expressed thanks for each bit he said a little about it like the bread reminded him of his mother's homemade bread. She suggested we make a log of what we are grateful for and spoke of Elder Bednar's talk about having a Prayer of Gratitude. We had surely been fed this morning.
Elder Hamula was our next speaker. When you see yourself as unable to do something then you can't do it. That is so true. He reminded us not to be an Eeyore. Do not forget the miracles that have brought you to where you are in your life. He asked "Do you see the land you are called to serve in as a "Land of Milk and Honey" or do you see it as "full of giants". We need to be as Caleb and Joshua. Stories in the Bible have spiritual relevance to what we are doing today. He told us of the need to be obedient with exactness. We need to be humble and realize who knows best. Be mindful of "Well, we shall see." Lucifer is always watching to see if we can be taken down. We learned that it is through diligence and obedience that we gain knowledge and intelligence. We learned many things this day. All things we teach hinge on the Plan of Salvation. After we had been spiritually fed for the morning we were physically fed.
Here you can see the line of Sisters and Elders for the food. A Maori couple had prepared the meal and had steamed it in baskets--called a hangi. It was good. There were almost 40 people to eat. That is way different than when the Nelson Zone of 10 meets.
It was nice to see some other sisters. Here is Sister Tauiliili from Samoa and her companion Sister Bwebwetara from Carabas. Sister Jolliffe and Sister Hamula are also in the picture. Sister Tauiliili knows our nephew Nathan Tanner. She says her brothers taught him how to speak "real Samoan". She spoke very good English.

After the very good meal we had a Zone Picture taken. I will include it in the next post as the President hasn't sent it yet. After the meal Elder and Sister McIntire and Merle and I met with Elder Hamula. He just wanted to get a feel for what we were doing and how we felt about our mission. He was very interested in my connection with New Zealand. When I told him I had a scanned copy of my grandfather's missionary journal he got excited and asked if I would be interested in sending him a copy. He said some people are putting together a history of the Church in New Zealand and are wanting as much information as possible to make the history authentic.

That evening we were able to attend a fireside. That too was was excellent. We were exhausted when we arrived back at the Ormsby's. We followed President Ormsby and so did not have to figure out how to get back to his place we just followed. It had been a great 2 days.

When we got ready to leave the Ormsby's we saw this bird that had made a nest in the middle of their lawn. It was kind of like a Killdeer but larger. If you went to go towards the nest she would act like she was injured and lead you away from the next. Also, it didn't sound like a killdeer. There are many, many birds in New Zealand. It is an awesome country.

Above are winter flowers for our Chapel. Nature is truly a manifestation of God's great creations.

Mold--What's That/ QUEEN CHARLOTTE DRIVE

2010-08-16T18:06:00.001-07:00

At home you hear talk of mold but I had honestly never seen any in homes, just what grew on old food in the fridge. Here in New Zealand it is a real problem. When we do flat inspections we check for mold but I had never really seen any that I recognized. Now my eyes have been opened and I see it everywhere. We even had some growing in our cupboard above the stove. There is no fan there and the steam rises up the cupboard. We have cleaned it and now it is good. When we did our flat inspection in Blenheim the last time we noticed mold growing in a bag of flour. Then we got to inspecting closer and there was black mold on the wall where they hung their clothes to dry before they got the drier. There was even some in the bathroom on the ceiling and walls. Well we put our work clothes on and the elders put their work clothes on and we went to work. Now the Blenheim flat is mold free. Hopefully, it stays that way. After working Elder Archibald cooked pancakes for Elder Hill and Elder Kavaefiafi. He even did scrambled eggs.
After breakfast, we departed and headed for an adventure on our way home. We went to Havelock and drove the Queen Charlotte Drive in the Marlborough Sounds. It was so beautiful.
Merle had a treat this day as I did the driving and he was the tourist. We traveled this road through the sounds from Havelock to Picton. Sometimes we could stop and look around. We saw the port at Picton where ships come in and out of. This is also where the ferry comes connecting the North Island to the South Island.

This is the map of our drive. After we drove this we headed South to Blenheim and then on to Kaikoura. We had never driven this way before and wanted to see new country. At Ohau Point there is a fur seal colony. For miles along the road there are seals resting on the rocks. I am not sure how they get on top of some of the rocks. Also, some of the inquisitive pups have started swimming up the Ahau Stream to a pool at the base of a 30-metre waterfall while their mothers are out at sea fishing. They are so fun to watch.

Then we journeyed on and came over Lewis Pass back to Westport. It was a fun day of work and sightseeing. We were going to stay somewhere overnight but we were close enough to home we just drove on home. We are sure blessed to be able to serve in this beautiful land. I can see why grandma loved it so. We were in her stomping grounds today.

Shrek and Princess Fiona

2010-08-16T16:22:00.000-07:00

At the end of July our small branch held a Mid-Winter Medieval Festival. We were to all dress in costumes such as what they wore back then. We were also to bring a plate. My costume box is non-existent here in New Zealand and I wracked my brain for what Merle could dress as. I finally came up with an idea, but it included my clothes. He would have a large shirt over some tight pants like the pages dressed in the Medieval Times. He had problems with the shirt as it buttoned on the opposite side to what he is used to. I had seen pictures on the internet. That night as he was getting ready, I laughed until tears ran down my cheeks. He was so cute. I thought it was great and he was such a good sport.
However, one of the sisters thought he reminded her of Shrek. Notice, the broomstick. That is his horse and he is ready for the jousting competition. The children really didn't get the jousting, they just wanted to whack each other with the noodles. We had also bought a piece of foam and made 5 swords. They were the hit of the evening with the children and they were not lethal.
We had many games for the children. Above, you can see them getting ready for the wheelbarrow race. You can see Levi, Kahn, Lydia, Thea-Rose, Bailey, Nathaniel, Amelia, and missing is her partner Jake. The children had so much fun and when the adults did boring things like singing and visiting the children went outside and played their own games. All the children went home that night and told their parents how much fun they had had at the Church.
Here I am with Thea Williams, who is the Activities Chairperson. She couldn't stop laughing that night. She had planned such a fun activity. She said that perhaps she could never take "President Archibald" seriously again as she would forever picture him in costume. In fact she woke up the next morning giggling at the image.
The above picture might be another reason she was giggling. You can see "Shrek" and Sir Reginal. Reg went into the grocery store where his grand-daughter works and went up to her till. She was so embarrassed that she knew this man. Gina has it recorded on video. What a grand pair to participate so fully in the evening.

Above is on picture of many of the group. for my memory there is on the front Thea Rose, Thea, Bonnie, Joy, Bev, Maraea, Levi, myself, and Kahn. On the back there is Ann, Steve, Peter Stack. Jonny, Brian, and Elder Archibald.

We had such fun together this night. We sang old songs, played games, visited and ate. To go into the eating portion of the evening we played the Grand Old Duke of York--kind of like a folk dance we do at home, the Virginia Reel. Some people had even gotten recipes of food from the period--steamed pudding, something with cabbage and mashed potatoes, drumsticks, and mutton. There was other normal food as well.

It was a grand night. We had 3 less actives and 7 non-members in attendance. It is helping to grow our small branch.

This and That!

2010-07-23T15:54:00.000-07:00

When we shifted here we wondered what to do with the garbage. Many people hire "Clean Green Bin". We put our garbage in the bin and when it is full we call "Clean Green Bin" and they pick up the bin and give you a new one. Merle being the bargain hunter that he is learned quickly that if he did the "Garbage Stomp" we only had to get a new bin every two months. Also, each Tuesday the town comes by and picks up recycling plastics and paper. That lessened the amount that was going in the "Green Bin". So above you can see Merle doing the "Garbage Stomp". The first time I saw this I laughed and laughed and forgot to take a picture, but I was prepared last time. It costs $13.oo to get the bin dumped and it is going up to $14.oo next month. We can get 2 months out of a bin. That is pretty economical.

We have purchased a digital projector and speakers so we can show free movies at our building. Last week was our first movie. We showed "Suits on the Loose". We made buttered popcorn and waited for guests. The Elders were up from Greymouth and did some inviting and we did also. We had 6 active branch members that didn't come. We had 4 non-members come and one inactive sister come. We also had others from the branch. In total we had 17 people at our movie night. It was a great success. There was also heaps of socializing done after the movie and we are going to continue to have these activities. Tomorrow the District Presidency is coming for a visit and they suggested an activity tonight. Since it is Pioneer Day at home we are going to show Legacy. With the projector we can make it large screen. People who have been to the theatre here say our picture and sound is better than the theatres and we have popcorn. Can you believe a theatre without popcorn? We have again invited many people and hope for a great turnout again tonight. I love Legacy.

Here you can see Trevor, our friend and investigator, holding his wife's rock. She is like Mom and loves rocks and collects them as she walks on the beach. She found this rock one day on the beach. Trevor carried it for a while then walked back for the vehicle and drove back to get the rock. It is quite heavy. I can understand Sue's fascination with rocks--there are many beautiful stones and rocks on the beach. I have even started my own collection. I am just not sure how I will get them home with weight restrictions. Maybe I'll mail them. Can you just hear Merle when I try to get some of them home?

This is Sue with her Taro. It is just massive. She does a lot of cooking with the Taro and will share with us. The elders were impressed with her stand of Taro and she gave them some starts to take to Greymouth. They are going to give it to President Kinikini as he has Taro, but the elders say it is not nearly so big. Granity has a better climate than Greymouth. Sue and Trevor say it never freezes there. Can you believe how green it is for mid winter?
We are truly blessed with our abundance of friends and family and health and the gospel.

Memories with the Marvelous Missionaries

2010-07-23T14:21:00.001-07:00

We have learned that Monday is a fun day for all the young missionaries in our Mission. They do their studies until 10 a.m. and then they are able to do things that need to be taken care of. One of their most important things to do is email--they save their money so they can go and do emails. Internet access is free at most libraries but they have to book in a time and are limited to 1 hour. So most opt to go to an internet cafe where they have to pay for time. They also use the computer to do photos and update their ipods with good music and talks from conferences. They are very good with what they need to do. Another things that they do is play sports--favorites here in New Zealand are touch rugby and basketball. They also play soccer and grid-iron. As I have watched rugby I am impressed with the athleticism of the players. Some of the missionaries in our zone played rugby before their missions and they have massive leg muscles and are in great shape. They run each morning before they shower and eat and study. They are dedicated young men. One day they met in Westport to do exchanges and play. We have a field just down the street. After playing for a while they walked to the library. They met the gentleman in the photo below. He told them he was a "War Lord". He obliged them by standing with them in a photo taken by Elder Booth.
In the photo are Elder Mataupu, Elder McLean, Elder Berryman, "War Lord", Elder Tamale, and Elder Fullmer. This is on Palmerston Street in Westport. Elder Archibald and I have seen many men with a lot of hair on their faces. The missionaries stand out because we are clean cut and smiling. On days other than P day they have on their white shirts and ties and dress pants. So I guess we do stand out.
This photo is taken in the Nelson flat. It was on a P day. This time the Blenheim Elders were in Nelson to help out with evening appointments. The Nelson Elders had over-booked themselves because 2 were being transferred the following Thursday. In this photo you can see Elder Booth, a friend from Nelson, Elder Mataupu, Elder Hill, Elder Tamale, a friend from Blenheim, and Elder Kavaefiafi. They had just finished a day of sports and we were there to inspect vehicles and the flat. Wow, when they know we are coming they have their flat in ship shape.
In order for the flat to have hot water for the shower the hot water tank uses propane. Every time we go to Nelson we fill the 4 bottles and hope it lasts until the next time we are there. We are hoping to get a large tank put in at the back of the flat so that it is checked regularly and serviced by a professional who checks the tank and tops it up on a regular basis. In order to get to the back of flat we had to clear a pathway and so had to move the 4X4 and boat and small trailer. The elders wondered how this could be done as we had no keys for the boat and ute. Elder Archibald said, "Testosterone, boys!" They laughed but everything was moved safely. Above you can see Elder Berryman, Elder Hill, Elder Archibald (without the tie), Elder McLean, Elder Mataupu, and Elder Fullmer. Elder Archibald is not much of a rebel but has difficulty wearing the tie when it is not necessary. It chokes him. He does wear it when we are at meetings and appointments. We even have an emergency tie in the car.
Last week we were able to do flat inspections. We went back to the Nelson flat for pictures the next morning as Elder Mataupu and Elder Tamale are being transferred. Merle and Elder Mataupu have developed quite a bond and it was a sad day for all. But we are excited to see their growth. Elder Mataupu is going to Wanganui. Then Elder Archibald and Elder Booth and myself. Elder Tamale is going to the "Hutt" and will be close to his little brother--10 minutes away from each other. He hasn't seen his little brother since he came out November, 2008. Elder Tamale is going to be companions with Elder Pitcher from Cardston. Elder Tamale has been in Nelson since January, just after we got here. Elder Mataupu has been in Nelson since the end of February. They are great missionaries. In our mission we have several sets of brothers. Elder Mataupu's older brother in in Queenstown. I am getting to know the names and how to say them. There are lots of islanders and their names have many vowels. You just have to let it flow without really thinking.
We hadn't told a joke, Elder Archibald was just checking the fabric in their shirts. This is in the Blenheim flat. You can see Elder Hill, Elder Archibald, and Elder Kavaefiafi. Their flat was pretty clean except for the mold. We have to go back and help them take care of that little problem. They were hungry when we got their--had a kitchen full of fresh veggie but didn't know what to do with them so Elder Archibald taught them a little. We also went to the Bin Inn and got ingredients for them to make hot cereal and taught them how to do that. At least they can have a healthy breakfast. We had planned to do a little touring after the flat inspection but the rain clouds were moving in so we came home--I even drove most of the 3 hours home.
This photo is taken at Greymouth. What a nice setting for their chapel! On the sign you can see Elder Tamale, Elder Berryman, Elder Fullmer and Elder McLean. It had turned out to be a beautiful day. When we arrived in Greymouth in the morning it was so cold. A wind blows down the Grey River. They call it "The Barber" as its chill can cut you to the bone. But around noon the wind quit and it was a really fine day. The picture below is of Elder Tamale and Elder Berryman. Elder Tamale started his mission in Greymouth many months ago and he loved it there. He was also able to come up to Westport once a month for a week to help with the work here. He probably won't get back here before he goes home and he was loving this last time where he started his mission. I asked him if he saw more of New Zealand on his mission or when he lived at home in Auckland. He said in Auckland they never go south except to go to the temple. He was glad to be able to serve in New Zealand. His mom lives in Auckland and his father lives in Australia. Island people don't really travel much to see the sights. I think the Elders see more of New Zealand than the people who live right here. Most of them make sure they see what there is to see in each of their areas.
We are so blessed to be able to serve here in this beautiful land. We are having rich experiences.

Wonderful Winter Wonderland

2010-07-23T00:51:00.000-07:00

We are constantly amazed by the beauty of the winter we are experiencing. The cows are able to eat green grass all through the winter. At least where we are. The last 2 days this week Westport has had the high temperature for all of New Zealand. On this "post" I am going to share some of the beauty that we are experiencing. As is usually the case it is even more beautiful in person. Many people think of New Zealand as one of the south sea islands. It is in the south seas but is not as tropical as many people think it is. Today we were 17+ Celcius. We have had a few frosts but the only snow we have seen is in the mountaintops. Further south there has been heaps of snow. We feel very blessed to be able to serve our mission here in this "Garden of Eden".

This picture was taken a few weeks ago. The pine trees at the bottom of the picture had turned yellow and the last time we were by the needles had fallen off. We'll see if the needles reappear in the spring.
This pretty little bush is almost in full bloom. It is in the bed by our chapel. I have been watching as each week more and more blooms have appeared. The pink blossoms are so delicate. Can you believe this is winter time. Where we live in Westport is as far south from the equator as Glenwood is north of the equator. Wouldn't I love to be able to grow this beautiful bush at home.

They tell me this is a Camilla Tree. They are just starting to bloom here. It is just amazing!
This stand of bamboo is being cut down so that Jim can see his back yard. We were just amazed at how thick the stand grows. We commented to others about this and apparently this is how it grows. They say it is easy to grow--just take a stem and plant it in damp soil. You have to burn the roots out or it will come back even thicker than before.

The picture above is Sue's taro. She lives in Granity and can grow anything that she grew in Samoa. She likes the climate in Granity as she can grow her plants but does not have to put up with the intense heat. Sue has amazing plants in her yard.
There are not a lot of wild, four-legged creatures here. But there are heaps of birds. As many of you know I am not a great fan of birds but there are many beautiful ones here in New Zealand. Above you can see a rare wood pigeon. It is huge and so pretty.
We have seen many beautiful sunsets and here is one we saw this past week. In the distance you can see the Tasman Sea--the shiny bit between the trees. It is so beautiful here as you can see.

Our Adventures at the End of June

2010-06-28T14:31:00.000-07:00

A few days after the last post we were able to go to another wonderful Zone Conference. Conference always makes us want to improve.It is wonderful to meet with our Mission President and his wife and the young elders. We learn many things. There are 2 types of people--those who are acted upon and those that act. This time we were told the story of a man who came with the Elsworth Handcart Company. In 1856 he told the people who asked why he would walk to Zion that "I would rather die with my face toward Zion than turn by the wayside." He and his family entered the valley on September 26. His name was John Moyle and he settled in Alpine, Utah. Shortly after they became settled and had a crude home and outbuildings built he was called to work as a stone mason on the Salt Lake City Temple. On Monday he would arise early and walk to the temple site 22 miles away from his home. He did this for 20 years. He would come home on the weekends and do what he needed to do around home. One day their old cow, Old Lindy, kicked him while she was being milked. He had a compound fracture below the knee. They tried to save the leg but could not so they had to amputate. As he was healing he carved a wooden artificial leg and worked so it fit him. He learned to walk with it and after healing for a few months he packed to go back to work. When his wife questioned what he was doing he told her that he hadn't been released and so he was going back to work. In 1885 he limped the 22 miles to the temple. He died in 1889 before he could see the temple dedicated. He was the man who carved "Holiness to the Lord" at the Salt Lake City Temple. He was truly a man who chiseled away his challenges. As we were watching the DVD I wondered if I would even start to walk from Alpine to the Salt Lake City Temple. John Moyle was truly a man who acted and I had a great desire to become more like him.
We also learned from our President that there are levels of studying the scriptures. First you read for the story, then for the doctrine and finally as you read you receive personal revelations. You begin to ponder over what you read and keep a study journal. As you ponder over what you have read your eyes of understanding are opened. I want to reach the final level. At times I am there, when it is something that I have read over and over. As you can tell it was a great Zone Conference.

Above you can see us eating at Zone Conference. You can see Elder Berryman, Sister Jolliffe, Elder Booth, Elder Kavaefiafi, Elder Fullmer, Elder McLean(New from Melbourne, Australia), Elder Tamale, President Jolliffe, Elder Hill (New from Alabama). The Relief Society in Nelson always fix us such great meals and then we are off for our home areas. This time coming home Elder Fullmer was so sick that the elders stayed with us that night and went to Greymouth the next day.

Later in the week we returned to Nelson to help the Elders move out of their Cherry Avenue flat to the one we had found for them in Tahunanui. We went to make sure the flat was clean and to get the property manager to clear it. The elders had done a really superb job of cleaning. Above you can see the trailer load of junk they were taking to the dump. The stuff, for the most part, had been moved from flat to flat and really is never used. They are tying the load down with climbing ropes. You can see Elder Booth, Elder Berryman, Elder Archibald, Elder Mataupu, and Elder Tamale. It cost $29 NZ dollars to get rid of it. Money well spent.

Here is the new flat from the outside. The man who owns the boat and 4X4 told Elder Archibald he would take him out fishing in the boat--20 miles out where the big fish are. That should be exciting. Last night we asked the elders how there new flat is and they really like it. They can keep warm and it has an "American" shower--one with lots of water pressure. They like being able to come home on the flat, not up a steep hill. It has more room, especially handy when they have guests come at interview time and Zone Conference.
After we had finished helping them get settled we drove to Blenheim to do a car repair. One of the previous elders had hit a possum and done some damage to the bumper. The bumper kept falling off. They had taken it to the Toyota dealership and they had glued it in place but with how the elders drive it kept coming loose and part would rub on the tire. Because they will have to replace the whole bumper when they get ready to take the car to the auction, Elder Archibald got permission to "farmer fix" the bumper. It works--he screwed the bumper from the outside to some piece inside--looks like the farm. The elders were laughing at how it looks but sure appreciate that it does not drag or come loose anymore. Thank you dear, for all you skills. They sure come in handy. Wish I had a picture of the fix.

I am putting some pictures of the blooms that we are having right now. You need to remember that we are in winter right now. It is like end of December here, as we are opposite of home. I am not sure what they are called but they are so pretty.
This was taken just outside the chapel. I was waiting for "President Archibald" to finish his tasks with his Branch job. Notice the bee--was sure glad it did not sting me. I am noticing other plants starting to bloom and will include pictures when they come out. To me it is so interesting as at home all the flowers are dead in the winter. But days are getting longer now--we've passed the shortest day of the southern hemisphere.

Our weather at the present time is sometimes rainy with snow in the mountains. After a few days of heavy rain it clears and you can see snow on the mountain tops. We have had a few days of frost, but now in a row. In the early morning and evening you can smell the coal that people are burning to keep warm. We have a heat pump that works well and we are able to stay warm. When we turn it off to go out we come home to a cold house. We have an electric blanket that I turn on about 1 hour before we go to bed, which warms the sheets. We turn it off when we jump in bed after a long day. Electric blankets here are very different from home. They go over the top of the mattress and under the mattress pad, sheets and blankets. When I was explaining to the sisters at Relief Society about electric blankets at home they thought it so strange. So far we are keeping warm and when the elders stay in our small flat we have a heater for that room and they stay warm. We don't have beds for them just 2 mattresses they throw on the floor and make up. The other day we got some bookcases to put together so we could arrange all our mission supplies and get that out of the spare room. It works quite well. We have been told that about every other week the elders from Greymouth will be able to come up and help us with finding and teaching so we can grow our branch. We need youth here or before long the branch will die because everyone has passed away. All but 4 active members plus the boys, are older than Elder Archibald.

Last week I stepped out of our flat and saw a rainbow just across the street. I thought it so nice to see a rainbow in the winter. After I took this picture, I have seen many rainbows. That is the nice thing about the rain. It rained for about 7 days in a row. And then we had 5 fine days. I have been told that it can rain from May until October and never see the sunshine. Thankfully, that hasn't happened so far.

Above you can see a picture of one of our dear members who passed away on June 21. Her name is Ani Pirimona. She was 73. She was given 6 months to live 20 years ago. She was quite a goer. In the 60s and 70s she was quite the activist. She had quite the personality and we enjoyed our visits with her. She could convince anyone that they needed something if she also needed it. We were able to go to the Marae to meet with the family the day before her funeral. It was quite like a wake at home. After the person dies, people stay with the body until it is buried. When we went to the house to see the family, her coffin was between mattresses and family (Whanau) stayed with her. The following day her funeral was held. It was a Maori funeral, but not typical from what we have learned. It was quite informal and people stood up and told about their experiences with Ani. Then quite often they would sing a song. Most of the family is inactive but after one person told of her experiences with Ani the crowd sang "I Am A Child Of God." It was so beautiful. After the funeral some young boys from the school went out and did a Maori Haka to say farewell and have a safe trip upward. It was a wonderful experience.

The following day the Nelson Zone Leaders were doing exchanges with the Greymouth Elders. After a great District Meeting we fed the Elders. We cooked our first roast beef dinner since being here in New Zealand. It was great. This day we also had mashed potatoes, gravy, carrots, corn, salad with Ranch Dressing from the mix from the States. For dessert we had ice cream and brownies. You can see Elder Berryman, Elder Archibald, Elder Fullmer, Elder McLean, Elder Tamale. Because of the way exchanges went, the 2 drivers went to Nelson. Elder McLean and Elder Tamale stayed Thursday and did some work in Westport. They visited less actives and taught a lesson. We have some names and addresses that we need to contact this week. They stayed in the spare room. The next morning for companionship study we watched a wonderful DVD on Matthew Cowley. Then we took them back to Greymouth to work there.
Yesterday the elders were exchanging back. Because it was P day, they brought the 4 elders from Nelson and we went down and picked up the Greymouth Elders. They played rugby at the field down the road from us. They enjoyed that, especially the Greymouth Elders because they had new people to hang out with. They were able to walk to the library in the afternoon to do emails. We fed them Taco Salad for lunch and pancakes and eggs for tea. It was a great and productive day. Here you can see Elder Berryman, Elder McLean, Elder Archibald, Elder Tamale, Elder Fullmer, Elder Mautaupu, and Elder Booth. They all left about dark to go to their areas of dwelling. It was a great day for us to associate with them.
I think that this is a darling picture that Merle found by accident. He typed in Ira Hayes on google,. and found the site with great music and beautiful pictures. We never know how powerful prayer can be. We pray for our family and friends where ever you are.

End of Another Transfer--Happy and Sad!

2010-06-12T19:53:00.001-07:00

We can tell that each day is getting shorter as it gets dark by 5;30 p.m. It also does not get light until around 7:30 a.m. We have also discovered that it is the north of our flat that gets the sun. We are having a hard time getting our directions straight, that is especially difficult for Elder Archibald. He always used to give directions by north, south, east and west. Sometimes it seems that down at this part of the world the sun rises in the west and sets in the east.
A couple of weeks ago it was time for us to make the rounds and do flat inspections again before the end of this transfer. We picked a nice day to start. We had had some snow falls in the mountains around us and the above picture shows heaps of sheep in a paddock with snow in the mountains behind. This is on the way to Blenheim through St. Arnaud. Rainbow Ski Area is just beyond here. As you can see, the hills are green. Last time when we drove this road the hills were brown like a desert, but we have had rain over the mountains on the east side and it is greening up. It is very beautiful.
In the above picture you can see two of our very fine elders. Elder Hudson left Blenheim this transfer. He was excited to go as he had been in Blenheim since before Christmas. We had grown quite attached to him. He is a great elder. He has gone to the north island as a Zone Leader. His companion is Elder Kavaefiafi, a Tongan from Sydney, Australia. He too is a fine elder who has been out since the January intake. He came out with Elder Palsky, who is Tamara's son.(That information is for all the McMurray relatives following this blog.) We look forward to meeting the new elder in Blenheim. This picture was taken after we had done flat inspection. It was the P day and they were ready to go do emails and some activity. After we had done flat and vehicle inspection in Blenheim we journeyed to Nelson to do the same. Their flat also was great. That evening in Nelson, we were able to meet with a gentleman who had heard our call for help in finding a suitable flat in Nelson for the Elders. He is a member who lives in Temple View, on the North Island. He owns 2 properties in Nelson and one was just perfect for the Elders. Brother Tahere is a returned missionary. He said he knew how elders lived and was glad we did inspections, although he said it does not always look that nice. He said, "They are busy young men with something more important to do that clean." We laughed and said we agreed but there needed to be order sometimes. We were able to get the ball rolling to secure it for the Elders. It will be able to keep them warm during the winter months and it is centrally located so both sets of Elders in the Nelson area will not have far to go to their area. We considered that a great answer to our prayers as we have been hunting for several months for a warm flat in the Nelson area. The elders can start moving this next week.

Later in the week we journeyed to Greymouth for District Meeting and their flat and transportation inspection. We were so impressed by the elders this time round as each of their flats were very well cleaned. Above you can see the beautiful day we had in Greymouth. You can see Elder Archibald, Elder Fullmer, and Elder Sacco. It is always nice to have a sunny day in late autumn/winter.
Trevor Yeatman is one of our friends and investigators. He lives in Granity with his wife Sue. He is standing by his Powertiki. It is a device that they use for fishing. It has a timer and line and you can aim it out into the body of water and it goes out however long you have set the timer for. 35 minutes goes out about 2 kilometers. There are hooks along the line. After a while you bring the line in and you may or may not have fish on the line. I am not positive how it works but the people who have them think they are marvelous. This couple are retired farmers from the Christchurch area. We got in the door through the farmer connection. We have really enjoyed getting to know them and sharing the gospel with them. They have become good friends.

A week ago we had an Apple Festival at the meeting house. Each dish needed to have apple as an ingredient. We had deviled sausages with apples; sausage patties with apples; I made an omlette; salad with apples, avocado, corn, peas, and light dressing; apple cake; apple pan dowdy; and apple cobbler. It was quite good. Two of the ladies had gone to district conference a day early and picked apples to share with the branch. It was a very nice day to share with friends. In the above picture you can see Maraea, Thea with her back to us, Joy Anderson, and Jonny and Beverly VandenBosch.

This transfer was a little sad because we also had to say goodbye to Elder Sacco. He has been in Greymouth for 2 transfers but he got word on Monday that he would be going to the Dunedin area. He had really grown to love the people in Greymouth and liked the ruralness that is in our district. You can see him above in his new suit that he picked up at the Oppy Shop for $4.00. I had madly hemmed the pants so they would be ready to go. You can also see him with Elder Fullmer. As we waited for his flight to come I overheard the elders talking and saying that one thing a mission prepares you for is a divorce--you just get to love the people and the work and your companion and you are sent away. I told them--no it just shows you how you have to adapt and learn to love and work hard. In a marriage you are sealed together and the experiences of a mission teach them how to work with differences and learn to love each other through good times and bad. I also told them to remember how much it hurts to leave those you love and when they are married they must work hard so that the marriage stays good and there is no divorce.

We had about 6 hours before the new missionary came in so we went to Lake Kaniere. It was not far from Hokitika. We took a leisurely drive around the lake. It was a misty day and we saw heaps of rainbows. Along the drive we came to this beautiful waterfall. It is called Dorothy Falls. This picture is taken from the bridge. Then we walked along the short footpath to the base of the falls. The pool underneath was golden in color. Then we continued our drive around the lake and then into the open grassland. It was spectacular. Because it was a cloudy day we were not able to see the Southern Alps. They are covered with snow now and on a fine day they are supposed to be magnificent. I am sure one day will be fine to see them.
Yesterday we were getting water at the Church because Westport water is not good to drink. As I was bringing some water out to the trunk I saw a couple taking a picture of the Chapel. So of course I visited with them It turns out that they are a couple returning from a mission in Perth, Australia. As a young elder, 47 years ago he was in New Zealand on a mission. He was able to open up Westport. He had served in Nelson a lot and in New Plymouth. They were doing a 2 week tour of New Zealand on their way home by the 23rd or 24th of June. We visited with them. He had played basketball with the mission team in the 60s and the mission team had defeated Team New Zealand as they prepared for the Olympics. They had only 6 missionaries that toured the area. They had interesting stories and we had a great visit with them. They were leaving to eat and we invited them over for a meal. They were able to use our internet and make some connections and then were on their way. They were Elder and Sister Miller from Sandy, Utah. It was sure nice to visit with another missionary couple.
Today we had 19 people in our congregation. It was sure nice to see the chapel getting fuller. We will keep working and doing out best. We want our family and friends to know how much we love and appreciate them and all they do for us. We love you.

District Conference in Nelson

2010-05-27T16:01:00.000-07:00

We have had a busy time lately. Last Friday the young elders stayed at our flat so that we could take them up to district conference on the weekend. We took them to help us do missionary work. We went out to a couple in Granity. She is a member who has not been active for many years and her husband is not a member but they have been very receptive to our visits. We had the elders teach them the first lesson, The Restoration. It was well received. We left a Book of Mormon with the husband as she has her father's in Samoan. We had a great visit. When we got home, we got new material and went over to Bob's place. He wants to learn right from the start. We taught him the first 2 lessons. He was really receptive, as was his son. We had a successful evening of teaching. Bob has had lots of experiences, we just need him to get on the right track and endure to the end. We came home and had a bowl of hot soup and buns. We had an early night as we were getting up good time to leave for Nelson on Saturday morning.
When we got to Nelson, the Relief Society sisters had prepared a light lunch for those who had traveled a fair distance. Blenheim had traveled an hour and a half, we had traveled two and a half hours and Greymouth had traveled three and a half or four hours. The lunch was lovely--hot soup and Maori bread and a savory roll. The missionaries visited and fellow-shipped the young and the priesthood leadership from the district had a meeting. Everyone loves the young missionaries. After the men had their meeting there was a great Relief Society Meeting on Visiting Teaching, which is a lot like missionary work. Then at 4:00 p.m. there was a general meeting for all the members. Our district filled only the chapel. The first speaker was a Tongan. He spoke only in Tongan, which many understood but we did not. But you could feel the spirit of his talk. He was dressed in traditional Tongan. He is working in Nelson at the present time. It was a great meeting. After the meeting there was tea for all the district members. It was a feast, as we have witnessed at all the gatherings we have been at. Robyn had organized it and it was very good. Then we went home with Sarah Venable. Her husband had gone with the youth for an activity. They were going go-carting. I spoke with some of the Greymouth youth the next day and they had a fabulous time.
Above, you can see Ashley Venable, Sarah Venable, and Joshua Venable. They were our hosts for the evening. What a lovely family! They live in a modern home with insulation, double glazed windows and central heating. We had a great visit and enjoyed getting to know this charming family. Ashley is 11 and Joshua is 8. Ashley is so excited to be going into Young Women's in August. That means that when our district goes to the temple in September she can do baptisms. They are going to drive up as a family. We are probably going to fly as it is a 2 or 3 day trip, depending on the hours you drive. That includes a 3 hour ferry ride.
Ashley and Joshua are very bright and polite children. It was a delight to get to know them. The husband, Rob, is the Branch President, in Nelson. He had early meetings. When we were visiting, he asked if we knew Darren Cahoon from Cardston. They had been missionary companions years ago and to my delight I had contacts where I could get the email of Darren and reconnect the two of them.
On Sunday all of New Zealand had conference via satellite from Salt Lake City. Above you can see some of the Tongan men dressed in their traditional dress for Sunday meetings. Elder David S. Baxter conducted the meeting and spoke first. He spoke about the need for unity among the saints. He said we need to be tolerant of diversity. We need our hearts knit together in love. He spoke of 4 qualification:

We need to remember whose church this is. It is the Lord's church and we need to come into conformity with the Lord's will.
We need to strive to be one. He talked about the Saviors heartfelt desire for all of His disciples to be one.
We need to avoid cultural traps. We should be equally yoked, avoid pride, and become like Him. Ask ourselves "What would Jesus have me do and DO IT!
We need to be defined by discipleship.

Sister Sylvia Allred spoke next. She spoke of the importance of families. We need to love and care for each other. We need to have a desire to obey with exactness. Elder Richard G. Scott spoke next and it was powerful. He wanted the residents of New Zealand to reflect on what they do to be blessed to live in this beautiful land. He taught that in order to reach a goal never before attained we must do extraordinary effort to accomplish it. He also taught that Satan has no power to force a determined righteous individual as the Lord will protect him. We need to exercise faith in the Savior and do not fear. He also taught that if we have traditions that bring us closer to Jesus Christ we should treasure them; if the tradition distracts from Jesus Christ we need to put it aside. President Boyd K. Packer, who was presiding at the meeting spoke last. He talked about the need to follow impressions of the Holy Ghost. In conclusion he conferred a blessing on the members in New Zealand. He blessed the children that they would be guarded and watched over by angels. He left a blessing on all the homes of New Zealand that if we live the gospel angels will be there to protect us. It was a powerful meeting. Only way it could have been better would be if those people were physically there.

After conference, there was another lovely luncheon. This time it was provided by the members of the Nelson branch. It was like pot luck. Here they call it bring a plate. When I first heard that I thought that you were to bring a plate to eat, but now I know you have to have something on the plate. Above you can see some of the people after the meal. They hang around as if they don't want to return home as it will be a while before we see each other again.
These boys are mainly from Greymouth. They love their pictures taken. I started with one and soon had a group. It was a great occasion.
On Monday we looked for flats for the Nelson Elders. Their flat as no heat, except the small electric heater, and a very poor shower. It only does cool water. If you turn it to hot it just drips out. Above you can see them having a picnic on the living room floor. From left to right you can see Elder Booth, Elder Mataupu, Elder Fullmer, Elder Berryman, Elder Sacco, and Elder Tamale. They are eating mussels, boiled chicken, boiled lamb, fried steak, fish, and chips. They also had apples supplied by the members. We shared some of their food also.
This flat also has limited lighting. We discovered the next day that one breaker was shot and replaced the breaker and the whole flat now had light after we replaced 10 light bulbs.
The next morning the elders had interviews and we stayed at the flat to meet the property manager. She was impressed with how nice the elders kept their flat; but appalled at the conditions they were living in. As we were replacing light bulbs the one in the toilet blew the main breaker so the flat had almost no power. We were able to get that fixed after visiting with the property manager.

It was a drizzly day as we returned home to Westport. The mist in the air is kind of pretty as you can see from the above picture. We had beautiful sunny weather on Wednesday. We made lots of visits that day. I love sunny days. On Thursday is rained and blew all day. We aren't getting flooded here on the West Coast like it is on the east coast but the wind is cold. The residents told us that there would probably be snow on the mountains that we can see from our flat. And sure enough, when the clouds cleared there was snow on the tops of the mountains. I guess winter is coming whether I like it or not. We just have to wear lots of layers and stay warm and enjoy the journey.

Nature--It's Power and It's Beauty and Other Things!

2010-05-19T18:14:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday, in the wee hours of the morning we were awakened with a loud bang. We leaped out of bed to see what was going on. A loud and ferocious wind had started. It had been blowing when we went to bed, but not like this. We looked out the window in the dark to make sure the car had not hit the fence. We were afraid that the roof of our flat was about to blow off. Then the fire alarm rang, and we found out later that someone's roof had blown off. There were sparks like lightening from trees hitting electric lines. I was afraid. Finally the wind calmed a bit and we were able to get back to sleep. Then at 8 a.m. or so another wind hit and more alarms rang. We found out later that spring tides had washed away some of a local park where campers and motor homes were. A woman was down at the tip watching the waves and saw this huge "King Wave" and she knew there would be trouble and she called "111". The waves came in and washed a good size motor home on its side and the next wave righted it again. The fire chief was there and saw the wave coming and thought "I'll hide behind this motor home for safety." The wave washed him into the flax bunches. It just shows you the power of Mother Nature. This was just spring tides. What would be a Tsunami be like? I am not sure why they call them spring tides as it is definitely Autumn here. On our trip to Greymouth this day the sea was wild and in some places the splashes from the waves were hitting the roads. Heaps of damage was done from the wind and the waves. One driveway out at Carter's Beach lost 20 Blue Gum trees and the paddocks had trees uprooted. Trampolines were on roof tops. It was just incredible.

On Saturday morning we went out of Westport a bit and came to a former Scout Lodge. Since there are no scouts in the area at the present time it has been donated to a group called "Island Creek" Association. They maintain the property and let it out for camper groups and do catering campstyle for various groups. The leader of the group is Frank O'Connell. He is the husband to one of our less active sisters. The first time we went to visit them he said "My wife belongs to your true church and I belong to the other true church." He is quite a character and we have visited lots with him He loves LDS DVDs. He has seen more than me. His favorite ones are "The Best Two Years" and "The Other Side of Heaven". He has a complete set of "The Work and The Glory" and has read the set several times. But we can't get him to read "The Book of Mormon". Now to why we were out at "Island Creek Camp Lodge". The group was splitting felled trees for firewood to sell to the community. We had quite a group here for a service. The weather was just lovely. You can see the pile of rounds they were splitting. They said that they did 5 cords of wood in about 3 hours. Elder Archibald worked outside with the log splitter and I worked in the lodge preparing lunch for the group with another branch member, Thea Williams. We did soup, sandwiches and savories. I made a type of sandwich that is quite popular here in New Zealand. They call it cream cheese and onions. You have grated cheese and to that you add a bit of boiling water to kind of melt the cheese. Stir it and add more water until it is just right. Then add a bit of chopped onion. Then you put this mixture on bread and they just gobble it right down. I have never made so many sandwiches in my life. 4 loaves of sandwich bread and 4 dozen buns. We also did egg, and ham, and luncheon(looked like bologna) and tomato and then some with all the mixtures on one sandwich. After the group had worked for about 2 and 1/2 hours it was time for a break and lunch and then it was back to work. It was nice to be of service in the community.
While we were still in our working clothes we journeyed out to Iain's place. He is an inactive member who has a small farm as well as working at Solid Energy on the hill. He lives in a bus with no power or running water. He seems quite happy. He has pigs, chooks, 1 sheep, 20 or so Beefies (beef cattle), and 2 dogs. Above you can see one of his beautiful roosters. We had a great visit and as we were leaving we asked if he would be at meetings on Sunday. He said, "That depends on whether I am invited." We extended an invitation and told him that he was always invited. The next day he was there much to his mother's delight. In fact she was surprised because when he came to town for his morning shower she said he was grouchy. It was so nice to have him there. We love him.
Above, you can see Elder Kaufusi packed and ready to go home. He left Hokitika on Monday morning. We drove him to the airport. President Kinikini came over to their flat to say goodbye, but he will see him again as he goes back to Tonga quite a bit and the villages are not far apart. They aren't really villages, rather small cities. We had been teasing him that we were keeping him here in New Zealand for a while longer so he could help us out. He had mixed emotions this day. He was so excited to see his family but he loved the members he worked with on his mission, especially in Greymouth. His bag was a bit heavy and he did some repacking at the airport. They are only allowed one bag that can be 20 kg. to fly to Tonga. His was 25 kg. He didn't seem worried because he has cousins that work at the airport in Auckland that they would get it on for him. He only had clothes in that huge bag. But there were lots of levis for his cousins in Tonga. I guess they are really expensive there. We never heard back so we are assuming he made it home okay. We told him to think of us during his eternal summer while we were going into winter. He assured us it was going to get colder as we are only in Autumn yet. So far we are warm with the heat pump and our one blanket. We discovered an electric mattress cover that works to take the chill off of the sheets when it is really cold. We will let you know "how cold does it get."
In the above picture you can see Elder Sacco, Elder Fullmer, and Elder Kaufusi. This is at the airport just before Elder Kaufusi was leaving. It turns out that we are distantly related to Elder Fullmer.
Here we are with Elder Kaufusi. We hope to be able to see him in Tonga on our way home. Depends on whether we can work out travel. We will probably never get back to this end of the world. As Elder Kaufusi boarded the plane the pilot shook his had and said "Well done." It was touching to me. We don't have a picture of it but we do have it on video.
After the airplane had gone we went into Hokitika for lunch and then took the Elders out to Hokitika Gorge. Neither had ever seen it and was pretty even on a cloudy day. We walked down the trail, across the swing bridge, and around the trail some more to get to the prettiest part. Here Elder Sacco is inspecting the water. Elder Fullmer did also, and they each got some great shots of them and the water. It was a great day for them and us. As we were driving out we could see snow in the tops of the Southern Alps. Winter is coming. But it is still so beautiful.
On Tuesday we went north, we think. We tried to see many less active on our day. At the end of the road was Oparara Basin. We did about a 1 km. hike into this large limestone arch. It is the hugest one in New Zealand. It is 200 m. in length, 49 m. in width, and 37 m. in height. It had bush growing all around. Merle hiked a bit more along the trail and it came out into daylight on the other side. The water flowing through was a rich brown color. There was gold in the river at one time and probably still is.
We hiked through this amazing rainforest to get to the arch. At times you had to cross foot bridges. You could see and hear babbling brooks. The rocks were covered with moss and there were fungi growing all around. According to a natural history photographer, autumn is the time for fungi and the West Coast has an abundant supply growing in the forests. We saw them and they were beautiful in color. We will have to pay more attention when we hike in the bush. I am not sure how much more hiking we will do as Merle's hip has been bothering him since this day. After we had seen this beautiful basin we were once again on the road and finally we found someone home. We had a great visit with her. This lady lives all alone, through a trail and on a mountain side. She says she is never alone though. She has only a radio and books and a phone. Her stove is broken right now and we worry about her keeping warm but she says "No problem." Coming back we tried to do a few more visits but no one was home.

Wednesday the elders were doing exchanges and so the District Meeting was here in Westport. After the meeting we fed them because they have long trips back to where their area is. In the picture you can see Elder Tamale, Elder Fullmer, Myself, Elder Archibald, Elder Sacco, and Elder Berryman. Elder Tamale is Tongan from Auckland, Elder Fullmer and Elder Sacco are both from Utah and Elder Berryman is Maori from at the present time Mesa, Arizona, but he has spent lots of his life here in New Zealand and is related to the McDonals. As you can see, it was a beautiful day this day also.
Here you can see Elder Tamale, Elder Fullmer, Elder Sacco, and Elder Berryman. Elder Tamale and Elder Berryman are the Zone Leaders for our Nelson Zone. I dispense ginger capsules frequently as many of the Elders get car sick on our winding roads. Ginger works really well and does not make you drowsy. We had a great District Meeting. You should hear the singing. It sends chills down your spine. We are healthy and happy and busy. We are always either doing missionary work or branch work. We look forward to this weekend going to District Conference in Nelson, about 2 1/2 hours away.

Mother's Day In New Zealand

2010-05-09T00:55:00.000-07:00

Today was Mother's Day in New Zealand. It was a beautiful sunny day, the likes we have not seen for quite a few day. As it was the second Sunday of the month, I was the speaker. As many of you know, this is a difficult day for me but I made it through. Today I spoke of the prophet's mothers from Joseph Smith to our current prophet, Thomas S. Monson. I had enjoyed doing the research and I think that the congregation, although small, appreciated the knowledge and the importance of mothers in all our lives. The priesthood surprised us after meeting with a meal that they had mostly prepared themselves. In the above picture you can see Bonnie, Thea, Reg, Levi, myself, Lyn and Joy. It was greatly appreciated.
In the above photo you can see Matah and her new baby brother Toutouwai. His name means Black Robin in Maori. These are the two darling children of a couple we met on the street. They used to live in Christchurch but moved to Westport in January. They know and love Elder Hudson, who at the present time is in Blenheim. When he goes home next year they want to send him money to come back to see them. I was blessed to hold the little guy for all the while we were visiting with the family. I have missed holding babies. The next day after visiting with this family I became so sick for 4 days. I had the flu and a bad cold. It really knocked me for a loop.
I would like to share the story of the Black Robin. It is an amazing story of survival.

Long ago, hundreds of Black robins (toutouwai) lived on the Chatham Islands. They sang in the forest and ate grubs, weta and worms on the forest floor. Then people came. They burnt the forest to make farmland.

Cats caught the robins and rats ate their eggs and chicks. Soon all the robins on the main Chatham Island were gone. Just a few survived on Little Mangere Island.

Little Mangere Island is tiny. Its cliffs are 200 metres tall, keeping it safe from rats, cats and people. But it was so small and wind-swept that the forest was dying. The robins’ tiny wings were not strong enough for them to fly away to find another home.

This is the story of how the back robin made a comeback!

Now there are about 200 Black robins singing in the forests of Mangere and South East Islands.

* The main population of black robins now lives on South East Island, which has more homes and food for the birds because it is much larger and has more forest area than Mangere Island.

* The total of 200 black robins was from both islands. It's not possible to get an exact count because many of the younger birds do not have coloured leg bands.

* There are no rats, cats or possums on Mangere or South east Island.

* All the black robins alive are descended from just one pair, Old Blue and Old Yellow. Old Blue lived to be 14 years old. She was the female.

What a marvellous story of conservation and survival! The fostering programme used to save the black robin was so successful that it has been copied to save endangered birds around the world – how lucky New Zealand is to have such wonderful conservation officers and volunteers!

I had wondered why anyone would name their child Toutouwai but after reading about the Black Robins I know why. I thought you would enjoy the story too.

Every day when I look out our window I see these birds. I am reminded of the Windex commercial at home where the crows are talking and the guy hits the window. I can just hear these birds mocking us.
We were in Nelson this week for Zone Conference. The above picture is of Elder Booth, a new elder, and Elder Mataupu leaving their flat for an appointment. Every time they leave their flat they get a work out. It is so steep leaving the Cherry Avenue flat. The flat is up in the hills of Nelson. When we call the elders in the evening we can hear them puffing as they ride their bikes home.in the dark and cold.
Above you can see a praying mantis. I am fascinated with the bugs that are all over New Zealand. I am learning to take better pictures of what I see and I wish I could share all the pictures with you. Elder Hudson helped me with this picture.
Here is our new Nelson Zone. Front row, myself, Elder Archibald, President Jolliffe, Sister Jolliffe. Back row: Elder Tamale, Elder Fullmer, Elder Kaufusi, Elder Booth(in the back), Elder Sacco, Elder Berryman, Elder Hudson, Elder Mataupu, and Elder Kavaefiafi. We have an awesome Zone and had a wonderful conference. We were taught about the importance of Integrity in everything we say and do. It is not always easy to be full of integrity. Elder Worthlin said that he knew of no higher praise than any many could receive than that he had integrity. It is the light that shines from a disciplined conscience.
We have had a slow couple of weeks as far as working with inactive and non-member people as I have not been well but we have been busy when we were healthy. Yesterday we travelled to Greymouth for tea with the Kinikini's. Sister Kinikini's mother was returning home today to Tonga. Her visa was running out. She lives in the same village as Elder Kaufusi who returns home with honor on May 18th. We will truly miss him. He has been here ever since we got here and we have really gotten to know and love him. We truly love what we are doing, although days like today we do miss our family but we are blessed here in New Zealand.

On The Road Again!

2010-04-23T20:10:00.000-07:00

During the past 2 weeks we have been on the road constantly. On Tuesday, April 13 we helped the Elders out. We travelled to Greymouth to pick up Elder Kaufusi, and Elder Tamale to go to Nelson for interviews with President Jolliffe. Neither of these elders drive. We usually don't go to interviews but we needed a Temple Recommend Interview so that when our Branch goes to the temple in September we can go with them. Because Elder Archibald is the Branch President we have been able to get special permission to go to Temple View with the District. Our recommends ran out in May. It was nice to associate with the young elders and visit with President and Sister Jolliffe. We got to view the area books and chat with Sister Jolliffe while she mended pants for the elders. I have done my share of mending for the elders down our way. Below you can see the Elders in our Zone as I had made some Puffed Wheat Squares for a little treat for them. This is the last time this group will all be together. Elder Barker returns home with honor on the 30th of April. Elder Kaufusi returns with honor on May 18. We learned at interviews that we will have 4 new elders in our Zone after transfers next week. New ones to get to know and love. You can see Elder Hudson, Elder Haynes behind and bending over, Elder Mautupo(I think of spelling), Elder Tamale, Elder Kaufusi (squattin), Elder Sacco, Elder Tuipulotu, and Elder Barker. Elder Archibald is behind the trunk. This is an awesome Zone.

When we got home to Westport with the Elders we took them out to an inactive lady's home. We were lucky and a lot of her children were there. We had a great visit and the Elders from Greymouth had a great interaction with the two teenage boys--Norton and Rory. We were excited that we got such a welcome reception and an appointment for next week.

This week was flat inspection week, just before transfers. We went to Blenheim first and it was such a beautiful day. We left Westport in clouds and threatening rain. As we got around some mountains the sun came out and it was spectacular. Last time I wrote about not seeing autumn colors but in Blenheim and Nelson it looks pretty like falls can. In Blenheim the grapes are ready for harvest and the leaves have turned. They also have trees that have turned colors. It hasn't been frosty yet so it is the days getting shorter. The above picture is taken in Nelson. We spent most of the day in Blenheim with the Elders. It was their P day and we did inspection and then took their car to the Toyota dealers to get warranty work done and a bumper fixed. During the car inspection one tire was bad so they also got a new back tire. Then we went to the grocery store and then home to the flat. The Elders had been given heaps of groceries--sausages, potatoes, pumpkins, cabbages, cauliflower. Elder Archibald showed them how to cooked fried potatoes and onions. He also did his carrots where he adds brown sugar to them as they cook. The elders have all loved his carrots. They didn't have a pancake turner so he ended up using a saucer to turn the potatoes. It was an adventure. The elders--Elder Haynes and Elder Hudson had done a great job with the flat and it was very clean. Then we were off to Nelson before dark. When we arrived at the flat in Nelson it was a disaster--they had slept in the living room where the heater was because they had been cold the night before. When they saw us they said--"You weren't coming until tomorrow." We assured them we would be back in the morning to inspect and things had better be ship shape.
We went on the computer on Tuesday morning to look for new flats for the Nelson Elders so they can keep warm in the coming winter. We couldn't get any appointments. The real estate people think that the elders are transient--which they are but there are always elders in the area. If only the people who own the flat they are in would fix the shower and install a heat pump all would be good. Anyway, when we arrived at the flat on Tuesday morning it was wonderful. The beds were made, the floor vacuumed, the fridge and freezer clean, stove and oven clean, and cupboards wiped clean and dishes put away. I could not believe it was the same place. They had all worked hard. Above you can see the Zone Leaders: Elder Tamale, and Elder Barker with Elder Archibald in the middle. Elder Archibald has trouble wearing his tie--it chokes him.
After flat and vehicle inspection in Nelson we were ready to head home. We had no new flats to look at and it was early so we stopped along the way to see some of the sights along the road. We stopped at some look outs coming over the pass. But my favorite stop was at Lake Rotoroa. It is just before Murchison and is part of the Nelson Lakes. The only drawback--SANDFLIES. At home they would be dead by now because of frosts but no frosts here. Next time we will remember the bug spray. But the lake was so beautiful. I remember Grandma McMurray talking about Lake Rotoroa. It is not that far from Blenheim. Below, you can see a black swan and 2 of her babies. She would constantly dive to bring up food for her little ones. I have it on camcorder.

We had a great drive back. Then it was back to real missionary work when we returned. We have been able to visit with lots and each Sunday we wait to see who will come back. This month we have been able to have 1 or 2 inactives return and it is quite exciting. We just need to keep nourishing them. We love our work here and really love the people. We are also thankful that our health is good. We are blessed to be able to serve in this great area.

This picture begins and ends this post. It is at the Spooners Range Lookout. It is about 45 minutes out of Nelson. We drove up the side road to see what was here. The birds were singing so musically. We really did enjoy this drive back to our home here in New Zealand.

It's April--It's Autumn

2010-04-11T14:36:00.001-07:00

Well, it is April, and they say that it is Autumn. The leaves where we are don't really change colors and fall off the trees, they just fall off the trees. I am waiting for the Autumn colors we experience at home but we only see the odd colored leaves on trees. But we have noticed that as we drive down the coast road there are many trees without leaves now--but no color change. We have been told that if we drive the Lewis Pass to Christchurch we should be able to see the autumn colors. I am still having trouble wrapping my brain around Autumn in April. We were happy to have summer in December and January but now we have to adjust the other seasons. The other day we were out visiting inactives. We have passed this by this monument many times and I thought it was penguins. It is out at Ngakawau. It turns out that it is dolphins. A special kind of dolphin named the Hector dolphin and apparently they breed in the Tasman Sea around here. Their dorsel fin is rounded rather than pointed like the other dolphins. Also, they are white and black like the Orca. A week ago we saw a news clip from a whale watching tour where the orca flipped a dolphin high in the air. The other dolphins in the pod soon scooted speedily away. It was a predator, prey situation. It was very interesting and the marine biologists were extremely interested in the video. That was one on the ball tourist.
That same day we went out to the other side of Westport to visit another non-active. It was so interesting because right on her doorstep were these beautiful peacocks. As they say here "There were heaps of them." about 6 or 7. The cat just watched and the dog stayed away. I was nervous because, as you know, I am frightened of birds but I stayed in the car and watched. They had free run of the yard. The man of the house said they were messy but interesting. He said, "It's a good thing they are beautiful or they would be out of here." It is so interesting where ever we go!

Last Wednesday we had our monthly Branch Family Home Evening. We had a beautiful Easter lesson and then the boys, Levi and Kahn were in charge of the activity. It was a Talent Show of sorts. We were divided into groups and had to make up a poem, song, or dance about New Zealand, nature, or the Church. We were given time to create and then were to perform our number. Luckily, Levi and I were the judges and we all had such a great time. Below, you can see Sister Thea Williams being a fantail. That is a bird. Her group had made up a poem about the fantail that comes into her home to visit and sing and her dog, Dougal, who barks at it. Brian was Dougal. Thea has made a fan for her tail. It was roll on the floor hilarious. Elder Archibald couldn't hear the poem and thought she was being a pig as she has pigs out at the farm. It was so enjoyable. A side note on the fantail. The other day we were visiting at Thea's and Elder and Thea looked up at something. My heart started pounding as I knew they were looking at a bird right in her home. It flew into her bedroom and lighted on something and sang, then past my head to a line in the doorway and tweeted another song. She said another day the fantail brought in a mate to sing too. The mate was unfamiliar with the surroundings and had trouble navigating out but, this one comes lots and is familiar with the home. It is interesting that Thea's patriarchal blessing says that her door will always be open to welcome guests. That is definitely true--it's only shut and locked when she goes away. Thea is a lovely lady.
Last Thursday we had district meeting here in Westport. The Zone Leaders were doing exchanges with the Greymouth Elders and we were a good meeting place. Also, we feed them. We had a wonderful meeting with the Elders and at the end shared the most spiritual experience of the week. That was awesome. We were even able to take a group picture--we all set our cameras on timer and ran back to our places. It didn't turn out too badly. Left to right--Elder Barker from South Salt Lake City, Utah and going home on the 29th; us and that is Elder Archibald's hand on my shoulder; Elder Sacco from Price, Utah; Elder Tamale from Auckland now but originally from Tonga; and Elder Kaufusi, from Tonga going home mid-May. We keep teasing him that we are just going to keep him here. We really have grown to love him and his humble spirit. He is a great missionary--they all are. This week we will go down to Greymouth to get the Elders for interviews in Nelson and the will get their own companions back. We have the Greymouth Elder's car in our driveway so when we come back we don't have to go down to Greymouth. Not that we mind the drive but it really adds on driving after a long day.
When we drove the Elders back to Greymouth we stopped at President Kinikini's home to visit and collect our cake pan that I had left in Greymouth. Below you can see our little dolly--Lou Ann. She is so adorable. She had on her shades and was ready to come home with us to Westport.
We have had a great week. This past weekend we were able to watch Conference via DVDs from the District. What timely messages were there! As Elder Neil L. Anderson said in the last session the messages were indeed a spiritual symphony divinely orchestrated. One thing that really hit home to me because we are missionaries is from President Uchdorf's talk. When he talked of the statue of Jesus that was mostly destroyed in WWII and rebuilt all but for the hands, and the sign that was placed with the statue, "You are my hands!" I truly feel like we are His hands and we need to do as He would do. I pray each day that we are up to the task.

Better Late Than Never!

2010-04-02T21:27:00.001-07:00

It seems as time goes by we are getting busier and busier and as I think "I need to do the Blog!" we need to also visit a less active or needy member and out the door we go. We love what we are able to do and we love the people here. We have had many exciting things to do this past week and a half. Over a week ago we went to Nelson for our Zone Conference. Above you can see a picture of our Nelson Zone. We are the smallest zone in numbers but the largest area. President Jolliffe has challenged us to keep our funnel full so we always have people to work with. Elder Archibald has taken this challenge to heart and we do have a full funnel right now. I will name the Elders in the above picture: Elder Kaufusi, Elder Hudson, Elder Mataupu, Elder Tuipulotu, President and Sister Jolliffe, Elder Barker, Elder Haynes, Elder Tamale, The Archibalds, and Elder Sacco. Elder Sacco is new in Greymouth and Elder Mataupu, from Samoa, is new in Nelson. We had a great Zone Conference. We played a great charade game with the scriptures from Preach My Gospel. We had to guess the concept and the scripture. It was fun to watch the acting of all the Elders.

Above you can see the Elders playing a thank you song for the lovely sisters that cooked our meal. Sister Jolliffe had had pipe chimes made. We are playing He Sent His Son. It was absolutely delightful. The first time it was played was a little rough but after the while it was beautiful. It brought goose bumps to my arms. I love music and the feelings it brings. I want to get the pattern and have Elder Archibald build me a set when we get home.
The above picture is not particularly beautiful but I want you to look at how the bush is on the right side of the picture. As we have driven this and other roads I have marveled at how the trees grow so uniformly. Then I thought that perhaps the big trucks going by had something to do with it and then one day we were driving and came up to 3 trimmers going along the road and each was trimming part of the bush: so that is how they are trimmed so evenly. And I thought it was just how they grew. Silly me.

The above picture was taken at night with the flash. One day Elder Archibald noticed a snail on about half way up on the front of our house. It stayed there all day long. That evening when we came home we could see it moving down the side of the house. During the day all you could see was the shell, but in the evening you could see its head and part of its body as it slid down the house. I found it very interesting and watched it in the dark after I took it's picture. Nature is wonderful.
A week ago it was Mormon Helping Hands in the South Pacific. In Greymouth they did service at 2 schools in the area. It was also their Branch Conference that weekend and on Saturday night they had a celebration with the guests from Nelson. Above you can see the 2 pigs which had been cooked on spits during the day. President Kinikini and his delightful wife were in charge and Elder Kaufusi and Elder Sacco had helped cook the meat. It was delicious. We ate only one pig on Saturday night. I think they used the other the next day after meetings.
Above you can see the tables laden with heaps of food. To me it was amazing. The members each brought a bowl for the tea. There was all types of food and everything I tried was delicious. I am not a very adventurous eater but Elder Archibald tried lots too, and it was all delicious. There were salads of all kinds and other meat dishes and different kinds of potato dishes. They also made a yummy drink with watermelon, pineapple, coconut. Oh my, that was a treat.
Merle has taught the many children how to play the finger game where they cross their hands and double them up. Then you point to a finger, don't touch, and have them move that finger. Because you hands are crossed it gets a bit confusing to move the right finger without practice. The children practice and when Elder Archibald appears they come running up and have their hands crossed and want to play the game. It is a universally accepted game and we have played it wherever we go. Above is Mele ready to play the game. Isn't she delightful? We truly love the people we have been able to meet here.
Probably the highlight of the evening was a display of Tongan dancing. I was busy videoing it and Merle was supposed to be taken still photos. Above is one of the pictures taken. It was such a fun evening with our Tongan friends in Greymouth.
Another thing we have been doing over the past few weeks is delivering DVDs--The Lamb of God. There are media spots on the television and a 0800 number to call. So when someone calls from our area the elders in the office call us with a referral to deliver the DVD. We have delivered about 10 and have call backs on all but one. One had requested the DVD but when we called to deliver it he said he changed his mind. Above you can see the backyard from one of our friends, who had requested a DVD. We had a wonderful visit with him. We even left him with a Book of Mormon and will be going back to teach. This gentleman's backyard goes straight up. He said he had tried to climb the hill in the back yard but only got about 2/3s of the way up. The bush is just too dense.

One of the other fun things we have done is attend Care and Craft. It is an activity for Seniors, all ladies. This past Monday they had an Easter Bonnet Parade. Here are the ladies who brought bonnets. The lady on the front row on the right in the blue dress is Jean who is 104. She has taken quite a shine to Elder Archibald. The week before this event we were the entertainers for an hour. We did a sing song--on the cd player and the keyboard. Music is one thing that is universal and even when you get old music makes you feel alive. The lady in the back row with the gray jacket even yodeled for us last week. That was so entertaining.
We are sure enjoying our adventure and seem to be getting busier and busier. Tonight we have to remember to turn our clocks back--daylight savings time is ending until the spring. This is my favorite night of the year--an extra hour of sleep.

A New Challenge, But What a Surprise!

2010-03-22T16:51:00.000-07:00

Every week has its challenges and surprises and this one was no different!

Thursday was Transfer Day. So we arose early and drove to Greymouth so that we could take Elder Beckwith to the airport in Hokitika. He was excited to move on to a new area in our mission. He went to Wellington. We will sure miss his enthusiasm. This is a picture of him as he is leaving for the plane. He wouldn't turn around so we could see his smile but perhaps he had tear in his eye as I did. I will miss him but all the elders get transferred from time to time, it is part of their growing. It will be exciting to hear how he is doing throughout his mission. He will be out just past us.
Elder Beckwith left at 9:00 a.m. and so we spent the day with Elder Kaufusi. We went to Lake Mahinapua. It is a large coastal lake. We drove on a one way track through jungle to get to the lake. It was an overcast day, but it was so peaceful here. There were campers and school children were on the lake learning to sail. Above you can see Elder Kaufusi and Elder Archibald trying out the new camcorder--he forgot to push the record button. We wore jackets which were just right to keep us warm.
The lake used to be a traveling place where people from the coal and gold mining met and left from. Above, you can see Elder Kaufusi waving to his mom and behind there is some old equipment that was used for mining. We were just killing time and touring around. After we saw the lake we traveled on down the road to Ross. It was a small gold-mining town. We saw trucks the day we were there coming down the mountain and unloading their material. It was a small quiet town. Further down the road are the Franz Josef and Fox Glaciers--about 4 hours return or more from Hokitika. We didn't figure we had the time. Elder Beckwith said that when he transferred in the people meeting him had done that trip and he waited outside the airport for a few minutes not quite sure what to do. After our short tour we drove back to Hokitika and watched the waves for a while. That is a real novelty for us and the waves at the beach are wild. I also walked along and collected interesting little rocks and the odd shell.
You can really see the waves here. The water is getting quite chilly now. We are going into Autumn. It has rained a lot lately but we do get nice parts in almost every day.
Above you can see our new Greymouth elder, Elder Sacco, from Price, Utah arriving at the airport at 5:10. That was about 12 hours since we had gotten up. He is a nice young man. And we are working at getting him a drivers license as soon as possible. Right now the elders in Greymouth are on foot or bicycle. That is good for them.

I love butterflies and above you can see a monarch on a dahlia. 2 of my favorite things. This picture is taken in a garden of one of our less actives. We had been to visit her but her gate was locked so she must be away visiting her sons. When we got back to our flat that afternoon, we were just relaxing and planning our next moves. At about 5 p.m. we got the surprise of our lives. President Kohu of the Nelson District knocked and we invited him in. He asked Merle if he would be willing to serve as the Branch President. Humbly Merle accepted, and on Sunday in Branch Conference he was sustained. I know he will do the best job he can. He will have lots of help. He has two great counselors and I will always support him. Today we were saying goodbye to some friends who had stopped to visit when the phone rang. I came in to answer it and they wanted to know if this was where President Archibald lived. I said "Who?" and then I realized who they wanted and said yes he lived here. They wanted to know our physical address and so I gave it to them. They were from the Hamilton Distribution Centre. Just when life is getting comfortable we are thrown a new challenge. But we are up for it. We are blessed heaps.

We're A Traveling Pair

2010-03-16T23:32:00.001-07:00

On Monday we took a day for preparation and went to Greymouth to meet with the Elders so they could take us to some of the beautiful places near Greymouth. We took them to the library so they could do their emails for the week and we went looking for camcorders. We were done before they were and so did some visiting with people on the street. When they were done we hopped in the car and traveled down to Hokitika.We had lunch together then journeyed out to the Hokitika Gorge. What a beautiful place, even if the sandflies have huge teeth, at least it feels like it. Above you can see the Gorge through the trees. Isn't the water pretty--almost like the water off of a glacier.
Above you can see our tour group. There is Elder Beckwith in the back with Tomi Kinikini who lives in Greymouth but had never been to the Gorge, just 75 km. away from his home. Seated you can see Elder Archibald, and in front of him is Elder Kaufusi, who is from Tonga, and myself. We had a couple from Australia take this picture. It's P Day so most do not have the white shirts on but we all have our badges on.
This is the swing bridge we had to cross to get to the pretty areas of the gorge. It swings wildly when you jump or run on it. It was so fun. I was laughing at the Elders trying to get the bridge to swing. After the bridge you had to tramp around through the bush to get to where we took the other pictures. It was about 1/4 of a mile walk.
On Tuesday we drove to Nelson so that we could do Flat Inspections before the transfers. This is Elder Barker, from South Jordan, in the doorway of his flat. 2 sets of Elders live in this flat. Elder Barker and Elder Tamale are the Zone Leaders and they are companions to Elder Mactavish and Elder Haynes, who are greenies for 2 more days. When I first saw Elder Tamale's name I thought he was Mexican but he is Tongan and is from Auckland. They are all great Elders.
After we inspected the flats in Nelson we traveled to Blenheim. Above you can see Elder Tuipulotu, Elder Archibald, and Elder Hudson. Elder Tuipulotu is from Sydney and Elder Hudson is from Scotland. This trio sang Happy Birthday to me on my birthday. It was fun to think about being in the birthplace of my Grandmother on my birthday.

On Monday the sisters of our Branch gathered together to celebrate the Relief Society's birthday. We had a light lunch and then made Kiddie Care Bags. Here are the sisters; Bonnie Stack, Lyn Maugham, Thea Williams, Joy Anderson, and Bev Vandem Bosch. We were able to make 10 bags for the shelter. Below you can see the bags which we made.

Above you can see Elder Kaufusi and Tomi Kinikini as they prepare the Umu. It is a Tongan way of cooking. Elder Kaufusi prepared the packets. They had taro leaves, silver beet, and then meat added to the top. They put onions on the top then soaked it in coconut cream and bundled the tin foil up. It was kind of like the Hobo Dinners we had at camp as youth. Then we went to a baptism and came back and ate. As it was getting late we brought our packets home. We also had some Tongan Bread that was yummy. When we got home we ate the fish packet which was delicious. We tried the lamb packet today and that was not so good but we made a pork chop packet and a beef packet. They were great. We have had a busy week and done lots of visiting with inactives and new friends. We have also experienced a lot of culture.

A New Week

2010-03-09T23:43:00.000-08:00

I am late updating this Blog as we have been travelling, but I will report on that next week. This week was also busy but peaceful. We spent a lot of time visiting with non-active members. They are always so welcoming and I wonder why they don't choose to associate with the members because they are so kind to us and willing to visit and love us to leave a thought, lesson, or prayer in their homes. If you look closely at the above picture you can see a beautiful Monarch Butterfly almost in the center of the picture. It represents the peace we have felt this week in our work. One day we cooked a meal for the Elders as they journeyed through to Nelson for interviews with the President. We missed the association with the group but had been told we didn't need to come to Nelson, so we stayed home and worked with the members.
When the Elders got back from Nelson they phoned us and told us we would have District Meeting with them in Greymouth. We were glad as it gives us the lift we need for the week. They told us they might be having a baptism on the 16th of March. A young girl whom they had been working with really wanted to be baptized and only needed her mother's permission. She wrote a beautiful letter to her mom and told her how much she loved her mom and how much she really loved Heavenly Father and how much she wanted to be baptized. She took the letter to her mother on the weekend and her mother gave her permission to be baptized. The elders are so excited. When we came back from Greymouth we stopped at the Punakaiki Rocks (Pancake Rocks) and they were really exciting. The blowholes were blowing water and it was so grand. It was exciting to see.

On Friday we journeyed to Karamea. It was a beautiful day and a wonderful drive. An interesting side note. One of the dear sisters who lives up here was having a problem and prayed about who could help her. Our names came up several times and she kept saying to herself they can't come because they were just here for a visit. Finally, she called us and was so thrilled when she knew that we were coming up to visit another lady. Heavenly Father sure works in miraculous ways if we will just listen, as this lady did. So we were able to help this sister and then able to go on to visit Zelda. Zelda is an interesting Maori lady. We had a great visit with her. She is busy with her home care business, she weaves crystals, and does deep tissue massages. She is famous for her massages, she has customers coming from Perth, Australia. Above you can see an interesting tree that was in her back yard that the children have made a swing for. We asked her if she ever swung on the swing and said laughed heartily and said no she didn't know who would give her a massage when she was done. We all had a good laugh over that one. I don't know if she will ever come to Church. She said she has been a member all her life but right now she is a "naughty girl" but she also said "I like you. Please come back again."
Above you can see a bridge, the only one left, we've been told; that is used for both trains and cars. It is also a one-way bridge and everyone "Gives Way" to the train. They have narrow gauge trains here in New Zealand. This bridge is just out of Greymouth on the way to Hokitika.
Above you can see the clock tower in the middle of Hokitika. We journeyed down after District Meeting. What an interesting town. It is touristy but very beautiful. They have a lot of Jade Carving places here. We hope to come down again and see some of the other things here. The trip was quite quick as the road was wider than usual and not a winding.

Saturday--District Picnic

2010-03-01T13:05:00.000-08:00

This week we were a bundle of emotions. We had a beautiful day in Karamea on Monday and then on Tuesday we were told by one of the less active members that she was not interested in our message. We just wanted to shake her and then give her a hug and let her know she was loved by us and Heavenly Father. Kind of like you do to your children when they choose wrongly. We visited with others through the week but didn't have the enthusiasm we usually do.

The sea above kind of describes our emotions. The sea above is the Tasman Sea at Punakaiki. We saw this on Thursday after we had District Meeting with the Elders. After our Meeting with the Elders we stopped over to inspect their flat, which they had done very well except for the oven, which we helped them fix. Then we went over to the Kinikinis. What a beautiful family they are! They just hugged us so hard and tried to convince us to move down to Greymouth. We can't do that, but we can go down to Greymouth to visit on some Sundays. Elder Archibald thinks that the 2nd Sunday of each month would be a good time to do that as Westport Branch has one or the other of us speaking the 2nd Sunday. I had my turn in February.

The picture above is at Punakaiki. They call it Pancake Rocks. Can you see why? It looks like you should be able to pour yummy syrup over them and have a huge Pancake Breakfast. Last Thursday when we were coming home from Greymouth, it wasn't raining yet and the sea was wild. So we decided to stop and take some pictures. As you walk from the road to the rocks there is a jungle of New Zealand Flax. You can hear the roar of the sea but can't see it. These are weird formations but very interesting. It wasn't high tide so we were unable to see the blowholes. It is supposed to be really awesome when the weather is stormy and the tide is high. We will get raincoats and do it again sometime.
Above you can see one of the tidal pools where the water comes in. I was fascinated watching the water. There is something hypnotizing about watching the motion of sea water. You can kind of see the flax in the foreground of the picture. As we got back close to the car the rain started. Seriously, it has rained all but one of the days when we have gone down to Greymouth. I guess they call this the "Wet Coast" for a reason.
On Saturday there was a District Picnic held in Murchison. It was a great day. They had all kinds of fun, old-fashioned activities. It was such a beautiful day. Murchison is about 1 1/2 hours away from Westport. Nelson, Blenheim, and Greymouth had about 2 hours to drive. Above you can see the children participating in a 3-legged race. It had been years since I have seen this race. You can see the mist just lifting from the valley. We left Westport in sunshine but up the Gorge it became misty, kind of like in Brigadoon.
Above you can see the Elders as they participated in the Sack Races. They were the funniest to watch as they were so competitive. Some of them jumped out of their sacks. I think they look like kangaroos here. It was a great race. I am sure many of them were sore the next day.
Another activity was water balloon volleyball. I had seen an activity similar to this when we went down to Andrea and Gene's just before they left on their mission and the kids and grandkids did this. Here though, they had a net which the Elders held and the 2 teams on each side tried to launch the water balloon to the other side without getting wet. It got really complicated when they put 2 or more balloons in the blankets. They had a mens division and a womens division. It was great fun and the cool water felt good.
Another activity that they had was the tug-of-war. This is a picture of some of the children. They also told the elders they needed a female on their team so they came and got me. Well, I couldn't refuse because I am a missionary. We had 9 elders and myself on one team and I am not sure how many on the other team--lots. We only won 1 out of 3. The Tongan women are strong and good sports. I felt muscles the next day that I didn't know I had--at least for a few years. But It was good fun.
Above is a picture of some of the beautiful people from the Greymouth Branch. The little girl is LouAnn Kinikini. In the back is her cousin, Ana and her sister Moni. This is in the shade. There were benches along the side of the beautiful recreation center. At lunch time they brought out tables, then loaded them with sandwiches, and fruit, and slices(cakes or other bars). They cooked sausages at the barbeque on the one end of the building. After lunch there was rugby, soccer outside; and basketball in the building. This was a successful District Activity.
During the day I met a Sister West from Nelson. She knew Grandma and Grandpa McMurray when they were here in the early 50s. I was also able to visit some more with President MacDonald who knew Grandma and Grandpa. Grandma taught his father when she taught at the school near Blenheim.
It was a great week, but full of ups and downs.

The Week of Seventeen!

2010-02-22T11:37:00.000-08:00

This past week was a busy one for us. The title indicates that we were able to visit in the homes of 17 this past week and leave a message. We were busy and enjoyed it. One gentleman we met, has not been active for many years. Someone suggested that we visit him and so we found his address from somewhere and dropped by. He was glad that we did. Elder was able to leave him with 2 commitments. He has an amazing life and his life has been spared many times. He wasn't sure why but Elder told him why he thought he was still here. His wife passed away several months ago.
The above picture is our luncheon after this past week of District Sunday. Our visitors, 9 in total, came down from Nelson Sunday morning. Our Branch almost doubled in size. It was really nice to have 5 in Primary to sing and learn. In the picture you can see the Grandma of the du Feu family, Sister Bonnie Stack holding their little girl, David who is 11, the two older du Feu sisters, their mother Janice, and Sister Lyn Maugham of our Branch. Brother du Feu also brought his 2 young sons, George and Farrel. It was so nice to have young ones at Church. Merle played with them and they can't wait until the next time they see "Elder Grandpa". It was really fun.

Above you can see one of the waterfalls that appeared with the rain on Wednesday and Thursday. This is coming back from our District Meeting we had in Greymouth with our young Elders. They are really teaching us and helping us know what to do.
Above is one of the ladies we are getting to know, Wendy Barrell. She is with her darling dog Sadie. Wendy is an original West Coaster. She is such a nice lady and we have had some great visits with her. Her husband is Reg. She is the Nana to Kahn and Levi. We really enjoy our visits with Wendy. She has a beautiful garden of flowers and vegetables. She suffers with arthritis and has had 2 knee replacements.
This is one of the many beautiful sunsets we enjoyed this past week. It looks correct to me to have the approaching car coming down the right side of the road. I have even been able to drive a bit during the last few weeks. I am not ready for the long stretches yet but I do alright coming home from the beach each evening. The cool water really seems to help Merle's feet.
One day we were out for a visit about 1/2 hour from town and we were early for our next appointment so we stopped and snapped pictures of the beautiful flowers and shrubbery. This day we also drove up one of the "mountains" and were amazed at the view and farmland below. From the roadsides you see a lot of brush and not so much of the fields. This is such an amazing country, so rugged and beautiful.
On Saturday there was a priesthood service activity. Above are who showed up; Elder Archibald and Reg Barrell and Chaz. I took the picture. I also wheelbarrowed the all that stuff behind them. They crawled among the shrubs and plants and gathered all the deadfall and loaded it in the wheelbarrow and I wheeled it to the pile. We worked hard but it was such a beautiful day.
The Tasman Sea was angry when we drove to and from Greymouth this past week. Sometimes it is tranquil but often times it is angry. I love to watch the waves. We should have stopped at Punakaiki this week as the tide was in and the sea was angry. I am sure we can find it one day when it is not raining.
The picture below is in Karamea. We drove up to visit with Maraea and had an enjoyable visit. Karamea is only about 15 minutes further up the road so we continued on. What a beautiful place. It is almost at the end of the road and so pretty. They can grow lots of tropical plants and fruits here. This was one of the large palm trees. Sorry, I am in the shade which felt so nice. It was quite a warm day and the sun seems quite intense.
Below, is our guest, Flat Stanley. We are taking him visiting for Daniel Hoffman. I hope he enjoys his time with us. Behind him you can see the beautiful view from our trip over Karamea Bluff. If you look really far back you can see the sea. We have had a great week and have been very busy.

Rest of the Week

2010-02-15T13:52:00.000-08:00

On the left is a picture of the blossoms found on the tree below. Almost every tree blossoms here. It is so beautiful. Different ones keep blooming. It will be sad when fall comes.

At the left you can see one of the many interesting bugs found here in New Zealand. This one did not bite me as many others have. I think that I am fresh blood. I have bites all over my ankles. They don't seem to bother Elder Archibald, and I think it is because of the oil I rub on him each night. The bugs are about the wildest things we have seen here. They do have birds that are unusual. I have only seen deer raised in paddocks.

This next is a picture I took from the car. This tree is so pretty. It has beautiful pick blossoms. We have seen this tree often as we have journeyed between Nelson and Westport.

Next is the first place 1/2 marathon finisher. On Saturday they held the Buller Marathon. It was the worst weather they had had in 28 years. Some of the racers said when they were dropped off in the gorge it was just like being dumped in a swimming pool. They had over 2 inches of rain in less than an hour. We spent the day at the square watching the runners and walkers come in. They entered through the Memorial Gates. The oldest to complete the marathon was an 88 year old gentleman. He pushed a stroller full of rocks so he could maintain his balance. After most of the marathoners had completed they had a mini-marathon for the youngsters up to 12 years old. They were able to come in the same gates as the marathoners. This activity really brings the community together. It is international--a couple from Australia, a few from USA and Canada, and a few from Europe. They had 300 more entrants this year than last.

Last evening we went to visit a couple that we met on the street. When we passed them in the afternoon the wife kind of smiled and said "Good morning." We are slow and kept walking but as we were talking about it realized that they must of known we were LDS. Do you think the badges gave us away? Anyway, we saw them later at the grocery store and so I got brave and visited with them. Elder with pen in hand got their names and address and phone number. We asked if we could come and visit them and She said yes if you bring a vacuum. Last night we went to visit them. They had known and loved Elder Hudson when he was in Christchurch as their neighbor. They got married last month. They have an adorable 2 1/2 year old and are expecting a new addition in April. The little girl took to me and we had a great visit. I wish we had pictures.

Nelson Zone Conference

2010-02-15T12:59:00.001-08:00

This past week we journeyed with our Greymouth Elders to Zone Conference in Nelson. It is such a pretty drive. It was very nice to go Nelson and meet with the young elders and the mission president. In the picture I will try and name the Elders. Front row: Elder Barker(Utah), Elder Tamale(Auckland but originally Tonga) Elder Beckwith (Adelaide, Australia),Elder Hudson(Scotland), Sister Jolliffe(Mission President's wife from England) Me. Back Row: Elder Kaufusi(Tonga), Elder Tuipuloto(Sydney, Australia) Elder Mactavish (Temple View, NZ), Elder Haynes(Sydney, Australia), President Jolliffe. We had a wonderful Zone Conference. Our Zone is the smallest in our New Zealand Wellington Mission. 2 sets of elders are in Nelson, one set is in Blenheim, us in Westport, and a set in Greymouth. We are quite far apart. We travel to Greymouth, an hour and half away for district meetings once a week. It is almost 3 hours to Nelson and the same to Blenheim. President Jolliffe is a great man. He presented wonderful material to keep us enthused. Our mission theme for 2010 is Mission of Miracles. We had inspirational presentations from him and his wife. The Zone Leaders Elder Barker and Elder Tamale had us role playing situations. All went well and we and the president and his wife acted as investigators as the young elders taught us.
Here is a picture of our Greymouth Elders. Elder Beckwith is full of enthusiasm and energy. He is from Australia. He has been out since end of July. Elder Kaufusi is humble and hard working. He has a strong testimony. He is quite quiet but loves the people. We have watched him with little children and he plays in the hot sun with them and little ones no matter how grubby climb on his lap and he enjoys them. He goes home in May and we will miss him when he leaves. Tonga will receive a very nice man when he goes home.
Here is a picture of the Tongan elders in our Zone. Elder Tamale, Elder Kaufusi, and Elder Tuipulotu. Only one goes home to Tonga, the other 2 to Auckland and Sydney. At conference when just the 3 were together they conversed in Tongan. It was fun to listen to them. Elder Tuipulotu is just a greenie--came out in January group.
Here we are doing what Elders do best. Having a meal. A couple of sisters from Nelson Branch prepared us a very lovely meal. We surely enjoyed it. There was roasted chicken, potatoes, salad and Maori bread. That is a great bread. For dessert there was chocolate cake, ice cream, and fruit salad. The picture below shows the elders cleaning up and serenading us with music. All are very willing to help. We found it very encouraging to meet with the young elders because they are so full of testimony and enthusiasm. They are an inspiration for us. We loved the conference.

Kia Ora

2010-02-07T21:18:00.000-08:00

It is nice to have internet finally at our flat. I will try and describe what we have been doing in this beautiful country. The above picture is of Nelson. We have been there twice and are becoming a little familiar with the area. It is an absolutely beautiful city. It is built on and around hills. Besides driving on the other side of the road and doing round abouts clockwise, it is an easy city to get around. Elder Archibald has done a fantastic job of driving.
There are interesting bugs in this country. This one did not bite. The worst bugs I have found are the sand flies. Their bites are vicious and as itchy or more so than mosquitoes at home. The mosquitoes here are about 3 times larger than any I have seen at home. This bug was found outside the new flat of the Elders in Nelson.
All the trees are in blossom right now. This one was on the boulevard going to downtown Nelson. I wish the picture was as beautiful as the trees were. They were lining the grass way between the traffic. It was amazingly beautiful.
This picture is outside one of the flats we looked at. In the picture are Elder Barker from south Jordan, Elder Archibald, and Elder Kitekeiaho from Auckland. We wish we had secured this flat as it was gorgeous but they did secure one very nice that we had looked at earlier. It was such a beautiful day.
In the center you can see Kahn doing a back flip onto the beach. He is extremely athletic. He is one of the 2 boys in our primary., He surveyed the area before the flip which surprised me and his mother. He must have been hurt at sometime because he didn't inspect the area. I believe he is made of rubber. This day was family day at the beach. This beach is only about 10 minutes from our flat.
This is the Clough Family from Ikamatua. They work on a dairy. They have a lovely family. Bradley is the father, Sophie the mother. Gabriella is Bradley's sister and going to Christchurch for school. Rueben is the oldest. Owen is with Elder Kaufusi(from Tonga). Little Bear(Cooper) is on his mother's knee. Elder Beckwith from Adelaide is behind Bradley. We have really enjoyed our visits with this young family. The Woods(Rex and Collette) met this family 7 years ago when they were here on their mission. However, they were way south in the Invecargil area. Missing from the picture is Hana the daughter but we have her picture later. These lovely people belong to the Greymouth Branch. That is 1 1/2 hours from here in Westport.
Here is Hana, the beautiful daughter. When she came in from school this day it was like a magnet drew her to Elder Archibald. She had been so sad when she missed us last week. She is 6, almost 7. We had a great visit with her when she came home from school. When we left she and the rest begged us to come back and we assured them we would.
This is Ian Williams, with his Chooks. That is NZ for chickens. Merle(Elder Archibald) had a hard time deciding what chooks were when we first heard them talk about the chooks. Here most chickens are free range. Today we were at Ian's neighbors and they told us they call the young ones chickens but after a certain age they are chooks. We are certainly getting a vocabulary education while we are here. Ian is the son of a very active member of our branch here in Westport. When we went to visit on Friday we had a great visit. It is nice to be in the country. At the end of our visit we invited him to Church on Sunday and much to our delight he was there. His dear mother was just thrilled. When Elder Archibald said "We'll see you in two weeks." He responded okay. He works every other Sunday. We will visit him when he gets off shift work. The people here are so friendly.
I am not sure what the above plant is. I think it is a hydrangia(not sure of the spelling) At home they really have to be babied and are usually house plants. I have seen them a lot around Mother's Day. Here they grow wild and beautiful. They are around the roadsides and up driveways. This is truly an amazing country. We love it here. We are busy and happy. We miss our family but have faith they are well taken care of. We so appreciate their support. We also appreciate the support of our good friends. Take care and know we love you. The title of this week is the greeting you hear everywhere.

We've Been Here a Month!

2010-01-31T14:41:00.001-08:00

This is a picture of two really nice girls. They were visiting the Grandmother in Karamea. It was an adventure getting to their grandma's home. Along the coast and then up over and back down a steep bluff. Very winding roads. Then we got to where they had tied red plastic indicating the driveway. It was kind of like a quad trail, but we drove our Toyota up and it was quite an adventure. It was so peaceful there and one could really hide from the world here. The girls names are Madicyn and Tazmyn. They were darling.

We have been in Westport, New Zealand for almost a month. Above you can see some of the seals at the local colony. We went to see them when we first got here because they migrate elsewhere until next October. They will be leaving shortly.

This is a picture of our flat and the Toyota we drive on the other side of the road. The steering wheel is on the right side and more that once I have gone to get in on the wrong side. Elder Archibald is an awesome driver. We still do not have internet at our flat but today we are sitting in front of the library, catching up on email, banking, and reading blogs and updating ours briefly.

This is Hawks Crag. It is one way, cut out of rock. You can see the road from a ways up the road. They say that when it really floods the water comes up to here. The Buller River is below, about 30 to 50 feet. It is hard to imagine the river getting that high, although when we first arrived it rained for days. But right now it is nice and sunny. Today is Anniversary Day for the Buller area and it is a public holiday. School starts for the children tomorrw. They have just had 6 weeks vacation.

Elder Archibald took a walk in the sea to see if his feet would calm. We saw shells, birds and many jellyfish on the beach. It is really lovely here and we love the people. Will post more when we hopefully get internet at our flat.

Christmas Week

2009-12-27T14:03:00.001-08:00

On Tuesday Elder Archibald and I drove down to the MTC for a devotional. We have been missing the special spirit that we felt during the week we stayed there. Tonight Elder Neal L. Anderson spoke to us. His wife spoke first and then they had their grandchildren sing a medley of Christmas songs. This is one thing I have been missing--children. One thing that Elder Anderson told us was "Things that have value have to be paid for in advance." He talked about knowing Christ and that it comes by degrees. How appropriate at this time of year.
On Christmas morning Elder Perry and his wife were the guests. Before they spoke 2 sisters performed Mary's Lullaby. It was so beautiful. Sister Perry reminded us to remember the "Hope of the Babe." Elder Perry told us that our Christmas at the MTC and our next Christmas will always be special for us as we teach about families and the gospel. It was special. The Perry family shared Christmas scriptures and then they spent the day with the missionaries for lunch. We came back to Tricia's .
In the evening we went back to the MTC. Greg Olsen was the guest speaker. I have always loved his paintings but now have even a greater appreciation for them. I picked this picture because of the shepherd. Brother Olsen told as a young boy they herded sheep by driving them and hoping they would go where they wanted them to go. He said as an adult he went to the Holy Land and there he saw shepherds who led their sheep. The sheep knew the shepherd voice and followed him. I am reminded of when we had sheep and the sheep knew Merle's voice and would come or follow him. The Savior is our shepherd and I pray that we can all follow him.

More of Our Week

2009-12-21T09:00:00.000-08:00

These are the young missionaries that are coming to our Mission. Sister Inman from Bountiful and Elder Sharkey from Glendale. They get to fly out today the 21st and we were wishing that we could fly too.
This is a representation of missionaries going throughout the world to preach the gospel. We do not have all of their energy but we love the gospel.
Between the Wilford Woodruff Building and The Bookstore was a display of Christmas lights. It was so beautiful. We hope to also go to Temple Square while we are waiting. I love the lights at Christmas time.
On Tuesday when we went to the Post Office I heard a loud squealing "Elder Archibald". I wondered who on earth Merle(Oops Elder Archibald) knew now. The young lady came whirling out of the post office and threw her arms around me and it was Heather Burt. What a wonderful thing to see and visit with her.

Our Week At the MTC

2009-12-21T08:04:00.000-08:00

Last week we spent an awesome time at the Missionary Training Center.(MTC) We arrived Monday morning shortly after 10:00 a.m. and were directed to our room where we dropped off the luggage and began the process. It had been slushy so we were careful where we walked. This is me on the way to training. We don't even have our badges yet.

The above picture is Merle(Elder Archibald) on the sidewalk as we headed to our first class. We don't even have our badges yet. He still looks fresh off the farm. We were about to begin our adventure. We entered a room and went to Sister Prestwich first. She showed us how to put on our badges--over the left side because we serve with all our heart, might and mind. We met Elder and Sister Buchanan who are called to serve during the week so each Monday they greet a new batch of Senior Missionaries and spend time with us through the week and try to make us comfortable. We met with a nurse who recorded our shots and then with someone who would answer any questions and then finally with a woman who gave us a packet that we needed to go to the bookstore to get. I think by now it was nearly lunch so we went to the MTC Bookstore and back to the large room and put down our books. Then we had lunch.

Out our Front Door

2009-09-30T15:58:00.000-07:00

This is a sight that I will miss when we leave. We have lots to do and need to be ready to leave in a few weeks. Right now I am just practicing so that I will be able to keep a great record of our adventure in New Zealand.

Getting Started

2009-09-30T13:58:00.000-07:00

We are busily getting ready to go to New Zealand.