The Pacific Post

  Week 24 New Intern, Buskers Festival, and Bringing the Church out of Obscurity 26 January 2025 Hello everyone and happy buskers week. (More about that later.) I predict this next month will be the busiest and most exciting month of our mission. Bring it on. We really enjoy feeling productive.  Let me introduce you to our new intern, Jasmin Balahadia, from Kaysville/Philippine. She is darling and very energetic, smart, willing, easy-going, and capably. She will be easy to mentor. She is here at the perfect time: seminar, temple open house, Rotarua trip etc. This picture doesn't look like much but it is the beginning of about 100,000 people coming through the Auckland Temple. This is the committee that handles the actual tours. We sit on that committee and help where we can in preparations and coordination. I have learned just how much goes into planning an open house and the amount of man-hours is off the chart. Fun to watch the Lord's hand in the process. Just trying to figu...

  Week 23 Open House Committee &  Sheep World 18 January 2025 Hello All! Things are hopping down here in Kiwi Land. Since the holiday our assignments have doubled and it is going to get busier next week. Here are some of our assignment and responsibilities: 1. We just joined the open house committee for the Auckland Temple. We have been assigns to come up with displays for the overflow room where the guests enter before they watch the movie and start the tour. This has been a little tricky gelling committee ideas with approved material from the temple department. Decisions still need to be made. The clock is ticking. 2.Most of our time goes to planning our annual area communication seminar on March 6-9. It is timed so the island visitors can go to the open house. We have about 40 guests coming for 3 days. This involves classes, panels, entertainment, displays, swag, training, and scheduling flights and hotel accommodations. Come to find out, I actually enjoy the planning p...

  Week 22 Christmas and Shaw Family Visit 12 January 2025 Merry Christmas Everyone and Happy New Year!  It is going to be a great year, I can tell already. We have had a great start meeting a serving new people here in the Islands. I don't think I can ever get tired of meeting new people. I feel our Heavenly Father's love of them. How can that get old??   Sorry we missed the last two weeks of blogs.  We have been occupied with our children and loving every minute of it. This is what Christmas Eve looks like on a mission. We invited a few couples over for dinner, Christmas carols, the Nativity story, Christmas memories, and a white elephant exchange. It was a great night. We love the missionaries we serve with. They are like family. (OK, some are family.) Yes, we are singing "I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas" and "I'll be Home for Christmas". White elephant exchange. Here are 2 pictures at our ward Christmas Party. Kelly corners the missionaries ever...