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 Week 37

Welcome Lolly Leis and Good-bye Necklaces

27 April, 2025


Hello Everyone! First off, thank you for your calls, notes, texts, posts, and prayers. They are so thoughtful and really help us to feel connected and loved. We miss you and think of you often.

This has been a busy week. (I love busy weeks). We are moving!!! We boxed up our desks on Friday and we are moving to the building next door. Our department, publishing and communication, is combining together. More to come on that next letter. It will be "interesting" for me and good for the department.

I have recruited all of my friends and acquaintances to help me with my projects. Does that sound familiar? (Sometimes you don't want to be my friend because I get these ideas.)  I decided to make 55 Lolly Leis for the BYU Women's Soccer Team coming tomorrow. New Zealand's customary welcome is not a lei of flowers, but a lei of "lolly" candy. I first recruited the girls in our institute class. We had so much fun 1 1/2 hours before our class making leis. They had me listening to all of their favorite music, singing loud and clear. We finished 28. Then I taught the senior missionary sisters how to make them and we finished the rest.


Then I thought it would be "fun" to make sea glass necklaces for the team. Elder and Sister Rytting helped us with this project.



I'm always matching. What is the deal.  

This week in the office we worked on national communication budget requests, wrote articles about self-reliance classes in Tonga and also a humanitarian article in Tonga. Watched an inter-faith youth concert (via Zoom) in Tahiti so that we could provide a write-up on the event. Other countries want to do the same thing and we are trying to get a project planner ready for them. The last part of the week we spent making arrangement for Elder Bednar's visit to the Pacific. We are trying to get his appointments scheduled with some of the country Prime Ministers, leading media and inter-faith contacts and arranging some of our travel to support the trip. 




So, one of these things is 400 years old. Even though the people look like it, the tree in the background is 400 years old. Our zone went to a nature reserve.


I have no idea?!? Your guess is as good as mine. They either love golf or hate golf, can't figure it out.


A citrus fruit used for garnish and popori.


For P-day we went on a boat ride or a "3 hour tour". When they announced that, we looked at each other and starting singing.  
This is the original New Zealand Governor's mansion that was used for special occasions. It has been restored.   





We finished our institute semester this week and have been assigned to another class in another stake. We are going to miss these amazing adults. I don't think we will be able to recreate what we have with these students, which makes us sad. They are smart, funny, tender, spiritual, vulnerable, and very loving. We will miss them. Our class was on Women and the Priesthood. We started with more women and ended with more men. Youth need this subject. I needed this subject. I was a little nervous at first but wow, our leaders today have provided all the resources we needed!


Notice our green stone necklaces. They were gifts from the students and stake president. You need to know the background of green stone. First of all, traditionally, you are not supposed to buy this stone for yourself. It is to be given as a gift. Second, a prayer of love and unity is given to the stone before it is given to express love to the recipient. The 2 necklaces are from the same stone and together they form a heart. We will treasure them because they are from our dear students.


This is Aejiah. Can you have favorites? I don't think so, so she is one of my favorites.  The YSA today are amazing!! Many have gone through hard things already but seem to be stronger because of their trials. Many are serving in leadership positions and doing awesome. Many are helping parent younger siblings. Many are coming out of spiritual crisis with strong testimonies. We oldies can learn a lot for these young whipper snappers.

Tomorrow morning we rise and shine to meet the BYU soccer team at the airport.   We will be with them for two weeks for their "humanitarion" and "good will" visit.   More to come.

We love you and miss you!

Love,

Elder and Sister Shaw




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