Office Life is Getting Easier
Office Life is Getting Easier
Week 3
Well, it is week 3 and the office routine is getting easier. We still eat our lunch at our desks to catch up and cram everything we can in a day. I hope we can relax a little more in the coming weeks. In all honesty, we are still trying to figure out how we can be most effective bringing others to Christ. We are trying to lift where we were planted, but it will just take awhile.
This is our office and it's kind of fun to wheel backwards to say hello to each other anytime I would like. I think Kelly gets tired of all of my computer questions. Yesterday I reminded him what he felt like when he first purchased a Mac. I have never worked on a PC so it's a double learning curve for me.
We have both been working on our first publications this week. They usually give missionaries a month to do so but we are eager and they have time to teach us now. I wrote an article on the New Zealand's national family history month. Kelly is writing an article about the Tonga missionaries providing shuttle service to world dignitaries that gathered in Tonga this week.
Thursday we had our introductory meeting with Elder Jaggi, of the area presidency. He is a kind, energetic, and insightful man. All of the area presidency are very energetic and pro-active. I understand it's hard to keep up with them. He gave us our ward assignment of the Papatoetoe 1st ward, a Tongan ward. (I would like to hear you say that. It's kind of fun.) I am praying for name retention. At least I won't struggle with the bishop's name, Bishop Tonga. We are excited to get started and serve in our ward. Hopefully we will be able to do some quality ministering there.
Tuesday nights we go to English Connect where we teach English is migrants. I worked with 3 women from China. They were darling, very smiley and ready to learn. I would say our class was at an intermediate level. The lesson plan was on getting around town. Kelly was with advanced students in another room teaching them about celebrations (birthday, holidays, etc.) I will enjoy this every Tuesday evening.
The people we work with are absolutely wonderful. I have said this before but I am amazed at how wonderful the senior missionaries are and how they are so committed to gospel service. They all just want to help where they can. From left to right, Rich Hunter is the Manager of Communications and Public Affairs for the Pacific Area and is a paid employee and our boss. Ben and Pam Tanner missionaries, Susan Hafen missionary, Gina Truman missionary and we all make up the Area Office Communication and Public Affairs Team. Sister Hafen reminds me of Sharon, my sister. She is a dear, wonderful person.
This is home and after a number of stops at various stores, Launette has made it feel like home. By the way, when you drive on the left side of the road, you have to think pretty hard about which side to drive on when you turn into car parks (parking lots in America and car parks in New Zealand) I have to say more about that. Kelly has pretty much got down with the blinker on the other side of the steering wheel until it rained on Saturday and them it started all over again.:) I have designated myself as the person that puts the car in park because it is right by my hand and feels natural.
We have discovered it is very hard to stay healthy on a mission. Between the change of cultures and different foods and frankly eating out way more than we planned, it takes work to stay healthy. But, there is nothing better than Launette's granola, so the other day, she did her best to make it with the products that are available in New Zealand. They have a honey in New Zealand that they say will cure everything!!!! They sell spices in cute little boxes but they are irritating!
Happy 40th anniversary to us!!! Our family is 40 years old. I hope our children and grandchildren know we they are celebrating with us. The start of a family in the Lord's temple is an amazing event and I am grateful for that sealing power every day! To celebrate we went on a road trip for 2 days. We left the office a little early on Friday and drove to the Hamilton NZ Temple. It is a beautiful Temple with a visitor center and patron housing.
In a couple of weeks we are covering a story of a family coming from Papau New Guinea to go through the temple for the first time. They live in poverty with no electricity and he serves in the district presidency. This husband and wife have four sons that will be sealed to them. The sacrifices they make for the gospel are amazing. The church has a humanitarian fund that helps the saints from 3rd world countries come to the temple. The fund provides the flights, ground transportation and patron housing so these families can spend a few days preforming the ordinance and being sealed together.
These pictures do not truly reflect the beauty of New Zealand. Once you get out in the country, the scenery is spectacular. Green pastures, beautiful mountains and rolling hills. It is almost fantasy like beauty. We saw miles and miles for rolling green hills with cattle grazing, thousands of cattle. The other amazing thing is there is no watering system, pivots, or running pipe. It is all watered by rain. Rain that comes almost daily. It's not much. It's kind of like the grocery store misters, comes on briefly and then shuts off. The other thing that is amazing about this part of the world is that it never freezes! Win, win!! Why doesn't everyone farm here?
This needs an explanation. We went to the Cave of Glow-worms. Amazing. Deep inside a cave are thousands of worms that glow in the complete darkness. After walking to the depths of the cave, you get in a boat and a ride a small river to the glow-worms. It is a spectacular view and very unique experience.
Can you guess where we went next? Kelly and I haven't seen the movies, but for all of you Star Wars fans, it was a great tour!! Haha, just kidding. Hobbiton is where the set for the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings movies were made. Everyone around us was nerding out! Don't worry, we got into it. We told our guide that we haven't seen the movies and he said we get a lot of that. I feel like I am nerdy myself now.
One of the Hobbits in the movie
We are so grateful to be on a mission and so thankful for the spirit of missionary work that is all around us with those that serve. The Church is true and Covenants Matter.
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