Week 57

Spring Time and Goodbyes

14 September 2025

Hello Everyone! It's hard to put into words what we are doing right now. It's definitely a supportive role. We come to the office asking "What can we do to help?" and before you know it, it's time to go home. We have been helping the productions team get ready for Sister Johnson and Sister Runia's visit to the Pacific. They will be in Australia, Tonga, Vanuatu, and New Zealand during the next 2 weeks. There is a great deal of prep, scheduling and arranging for General Authority visits. We will help take pictures and get quotes in Hamilton and Auckland. Stay tuned.

All the employees left for Australia on Thursday and this is what the office looked like on Friday. Believe it or not, we had a very busy day: training a leader on JustServe, posting on Facebook Newsroom, writing an article on a humanitarian project in the Cook Islands and sending it to correlation, making a Powerpoint proposal for 2 social media experts to visit the Pacific and making a Powerpoint on "Wise Use of Church Funds!" (Kelly's idea)

It's spring time here in New Zealand but it's still rainy and windy. We are waiting for a majority of Sunny days.

One of our institute students loves Japan. Every week he brings a sweatshirt with Kanji on it and asks me what it means.  I haven't been able to read any of them yet.  So, I always turn to Google translate to give him the answer.

The above two pictures are the end of an era and likely a miracle. Serving a mission with your brother and sister-in-law is like a one in a million chance. We didn't make arrangements for that to happen. The Lord took care of that. We are pretty sure our parents in heaven may have had some input. K.C. and Judy have been so fun and helpful to have here with us. Our assignments were completely different. They served in the mission with Pathway, English Connect, and MLS and we serve in the Area Office. Still, what a blessing. Hard to see them go.  We took them to the airport on Saturday and while I am writing this, I think they should just about be home in Orem. As a result of them going home, we have been transfered from the Papatoetoe Tongan Ward to the YSA 2nd ward.

We are sad to say good-bye to the Papatoetoe Ward.  They are wonderful people with strong testimonies who live the gospel with faithfulness. The Papatoetoe Ward is doing a great job. creating Zion. After reading about the early Saints and their efforts to live in a Zion community, I have more appreciation for a group of Saints working towards that goal. This ward is unified, inclusive, loving, edifying, and has great leadership. We will miss them.

We love the YSA too. We are very comfortable serving with them and are looking forward to the new assignment. The Bishop of the YSA ward is a Church employees and offices right next to us in the Area Office. He is a wonderful person and hopefully we can help him and his 70 YSAs.

Life Lesson for the Week--2 Nephi 28:24 Therefore, wo be unto him that is at ease in Zion.  This scripture may sum up much of life.  Just when you feel like you have a few things figured out, the Lord has different plans for you to stretch and learn and grow.   For both of us, the difference between normal every-day life and a mission is that this process is repeated much more frequently and sometimes with greater intensity on a mission.  

We love you all and pray for you all the time.

Elder and Sister Shaw