September 6, 2015

Happy New Zealand Father's Day! Craig got to celebrate Father's Day twice this year! It was Fast Sunday, so he didn't get his favorite breakfast, but there were many tribute testimonies to Fathers! 

Occasionally, one of the Elders or Sisters has a dental or doctor appointment and we always offer to take them. We like getting to know the missionaries and helping out. For the kids coming from the Islands where they don't have adequate dental care, the Church gives them 6 month checkups. If there is a problem more than a cavity, and the family can't pay, the tooth is extracted. This week we took a Sister for a filling, and an Elder to the doctor for a monthly shot. Elder Martin and I have our 6 month dental checkup and cleaning appointments next week. Another first in NZ! 

There is an 8 year old boy who's mother has a drug problem and is not a member.  We've been wondering how to help him have contact with the Church with little or no support from his mom. Thankfully, we started having FHE once a month with a close neighbor, who invites this boy and his younger siblings to join in. He's a smart boy and happy to learn. We hope this helps both families. 

We have a TV in our apartment, but we never watch it. Craig can't believe he doesn't mind leaving it off. In the evenings and after our morning walk, time is spent making phone calls, reading (scriptures, Church publications), and planning lessons. We catch up with the news and financial reports on the computer, and I write in my journal. I admit to getting on Facebook once a day, but we've committed to making these 18 months a special time for putting the "normal" aside, and doing what will help us help others. Sometimes, I find it a nuisance to grocery shop or do laundry, but those things can't be helped. 

A member of our ward went into the hospital with flu-like symptoms and found out she has cancer. We dropped off a get-well card, and in it wrote words of encouragement and support. Not thinking too much of it, we later got a text message from her thanking us for our timely words. They were just what she needed to hear at that moment and it really strengthened her. She has since thanked us again several times, because it meant so much to her. A simple card of encouragement can mean so much!  I will try to remember that!

A man who rejected the Church thought he had gallstones and found out he has cancer and 3 months to live. We visited the home and he was too ill to see us, so we spent time with his wife. I think she needed the visit more than him. Most times the spouse and caregiver need extra support and someone to talk to. They are exhausted emotionally and physically, from holding it all together, and have their own fears. They have lots of family and ward support, but we hope to be able to help in some small way. 

We teach an inactive man once a week, and we are seeing him recognize that the days of his procrastination need to come to an end. He hasn't been to church in about 40 years, and rationalized that because he reads the Book of Mormon every day, he is ok. Our lessons have become a weekly reminder that he is not ok  Like the man I wrote about above with cancer, who this man is good friends with, the clock is ticking and time may be running out. None of us knows the future, and now is the time for us to prepare to meet God. 

Friday night the High Priest Group hosted a Father's Day Luau and feast! They honored the fathers with a lei and a dance with a child or loved one.  We are dancing near the back. 

These two men with Craig never married or had children, but were honored as well, and two wonderful women danced with them, making their night really special! The one on the right told Craig he never married because he wanted to see the world. When asked where he went, he said "Christchurch". Christchurch is on the South Island. Funñy! 

Before the meal picture of all the food trays with our Stake President Young-Yen. They served a whole roasted pig, roasted chicken, sweet-sour pork, egg foo young, chop suey, amazing rolls, fried rice, green salad, potato salad, taro, donuts, cookies and cobbler with ice cream. Most of this food was prepared by one woman in her kitchen and there was enough to feed double that attended. She had a couple of helpers, thankfully. The party lasted til 11:00, but we had to leave at 9:30 to get the Sisters home.

Driving from one appointment to another, we happened upon this flock of birds along the waterfront. Sorry you can't see their detail, and I don't know their name. New Zealand has lots of birds. There is a historical marker we read that in the early 1800's a Maori tribe traveled from the east side of the country (up at Auckland Bay) to this west side (Mangare Bay) to investigate the great noise they heard, and found it was from birds! 

Traveling back to KawaKawa Bay on Saturday with the Sayer's, we stopped to take pictures of these fun mailboxes. This is a puffer fish!

A Lego smiling guy!

A lighthouse with a little fisherman on it. At the base is a small solar panel that lights it up at night.

We found this nice Wharf with men fishing at the end of it. There is a small island out there that is owned by a family. How fun would it be to have your own island! 

The wind made for a crazy-hair day

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Elder and Sister Sayer's are great adventurers with us! They are from Idaho and have six months left, and Saturdays spent exploring are very precious to them. 

View of Kawakawa Bay in the distance. Those boats are moored out that far. When it's low tide you can almost walk out to them. 

Random outhouse at a parking lot in the park. There are nice bathrooms at the beach, but this must be for emergencies. Never seen one like this. 

Unfortunately, Saturday night while eating at a nice restaurant with some other couples, my Church (dumb) phone, that I am very appreciative of, must have fallen out of my coat pocket and just disappeared! I have no idea what happened to it. I can't imagine someone wanting it, but it is gone! I was embarrassed to call Elder Reeves to report it missing. I should be able to get another one, but I do feel really bad for losing it. 

I really liked this quote from Elder Holland:

"God expects you to have enough faith and determination and enough trust in Him to keep moving, keep living, keep rejoicing. In fact, He expects you not simply to face the future (that sounds pretty grim and stoic); He expects you to embrace and shape the future--to love it and rejoice in it and delight in your opportunities. God is anxiously waiting for the chance to answer your prayers and fulfill your dreams, just as He always has. But He can’t if you don’t pray, and He can’t if you don’t dream. In short, He can’t if you don’t believe.” Jeffrey R. Holland

Say your prayers, dream and believe. Sounds simple, and good advice. 

We love you all and appreciate your love and prayers and support. The Elders we took to the doctor this week told us that the Auckland Mission isn't really a mission because everyone is so nice to them, and they don't get doors slammed in their faces! Maybe your prayers are softening people to at least be nice! 

Love,

Elder and Sister Martin

August 30, 2015

I want to give my beautiful mother a Birthday Shout Out because today is her 91st birthday! Happy Birthday Mom!!! Mom, I love you so much and hope this is a happy weekend for you as you get calls and visits from your friends and loved ones! I want to express my love to my two Angel Sisters, who's constant care and devotion sustain Mother. My brothers are hard working providers for their families and also do as much as they can. There are seven of us and we owe everything to our wonderful parents! 

Every other Monday, we have a Family Home Evening at the Area Pacific Office with all the Senior Missionaries in the Auckland area. Probably, about 20+ couples attend and it's always a spiritual feast, as well as a dinner feast. I know I've really changed, because upon arriving, I started shaking hands and made my way around to all the couples, including the Area Presidency 1st and 2nd counselors and their wives, who were there that night. Normally, I would come into a room and sit down, nodding hello to people around me.  Someone commented to me that I was "working the room" and now it seems like a perfectly normal thing to do! 

We decided that it's time to have FHE with the single Sisters in the ward and not just families,  so we've organized a little group and try to meet every other week. At our first meeting, we ran out of time and didn't play a game, which really disappointed one Sister, so we know now to leave enough time for a game. Girls just wanna have fun! 

I bought an electric fabric shaver this week and love it! I shaved all my fuzz-balled skirts and sweaters, and they are like new! Craig's sweaters got the treatment too! Such a simple pleasure, and now I won't have to buy replacements! I found a clothing store though, that I really like and bought a few new tops. I promise not to go overboard, because I still like the clothes I originally brought. 

We are so excited to be working with a member who wants to continue her education and become more self-reliant and independent. She lacks confidence to start the process, so we're steering her in the right direction and will follow-up. There are tons of free programs available, including one from the church, to help citizens get on the path to a career. 

We gave a lesson about Family Unity to a couple this week, and it was a perfect message for them. The mom tearfully confided that she had been the “black sheep” of the family, had been married twice before, and was now close to full membership in the church again so they can be sealed in the temple together. Her husband just went back to the temple, and her parents and other family are all active. Prayers have been answered and soon a family's joy will be realized! This is a similar story happening all over the world as people become humble, repent, and come unto Christ. 

It's always sad to see our great missionaries leave for home after their time is up. Our Zone all wore blue and yellow for our meeting Thursday, to honor Elder Hall, who was going home to England. Apparently because the blue and yellow tie he is wearing is the only one left of his tie assortment. He was a diligent and hard-working Elder! I made cinnamon rolls to share and they were much appreciated. Elder Fitzsimmons, from, Utah, said they tasted like his moms, and I took that as a compliment.

Each week we love to visit this home for FHE and tonight was another birthday celebration! There are so many facial expressions happening here and I love all of them! Have you ever seen a happier father? And the little girl peeking over her yellow balloon is a delight! Next to her is a very serious brother and the sweetest mother! On the floor is a young man who is always smiling! The birthday boy with the pink balloon is just barely cracking a smile, but I know he is very happy! After a great lesson, balloon messages, I love you's, and pictures, we had a favorite, banana cake, for dessert. 

On our P-day, while Craig was doing this. . . 

I was taking a nice walk around this lagoon called the Esplanade and Outdoor Gallery. I had to make several loops to get a 3 mile walk done, but it was nice walking someplace new and seeing the different artistic sculptures decorating the landscape. 

This corrugated metal house was one of the sculptures. I wonder how many mice are occupying those neat little tunnels in this house!

We had Yum Cha today for lunch. It is definitely an unusual Chinese experience for us. We aren't sure what we ate, except for the coconut rolls, which were very good. Servers come around with carts of Chinese food in small covered dishes and you take what you want. It is meant for family style sharing, so we tried several items. Our friend, Alice, helped us choose. The only thing we couldn't eat was the gooey beef tendons cooked into a jelly substance. Alice loved it, but then she is the one you loves sucking fish heads too!  There was a menu sign on the wall that had the words "chicken guts" but we don't know what else it said. Not sure we will try Yum Cha again, but glad we went. 

After lunch, I talked Craig into going for a drive and we came to a road called "Pacific Coast Highway" which took us to Kawakawa Bay, about 35 min. east. It is a quaint little beach and since it was low tide, families were digging for Cockles. A little girl told me they come every weekend or so to collect and cook them for dinner. Below is what the shoreline looks like, no sand, just cockle shells. Only these are little ones, the family collects cockles 3-4 times bigger. 

I'm holding up a large shell I found, with smaller ones in my other hand. I cant resist plucking the good ones. Sadly, when I got home a crab crawled out of a shell and I had to dispose of it.  

Look at this handsome missionary! The tide comes in quickly! 

We went to a park nearby, which gave us a beautiful vista view of several islands out in the bay which faces the Pacific. We found another beach in this park, that I think will be our go-to summer beach. It's close to home, has beautiful views, some sand, some grassy area, picnic tables, walking trails, and great bathrooms! 

If the sun was out, this water would look torquoise. 

Here's our birthday boy who just turned 12, wearing his new birthday suit, and ready for church! 

I had to put these "rose" cupcakes in here because I think they are darling. We went to a mother/daughter baptism Saturday night and this tray was part of a huge spread of food waiting in the kitchen. I didn't get to taste them because we had to leave, but seeing them was good enough.

A new Senior couple came on Wednesday from Idaho and they are MLS missionaries too. They want us to share with them what we are doing because they are worried they won't have enough to do each day. We just laughed and assured them they will have plenty to do! Service with a smile! That's what we do! Neal Maxwell said, " Zion is where the pure in heart dwell and where there is joy of countenance. By contrast, in hell there are no smiles."

Abraham Lincoln said he had to "whistle down sadness" and that " I laugh, because I must not weep." 

A quote from Heber C. Kimball found in JD 4:222, "God is the happiest of men. I am perfectly satisfied that my Father and my God is a cheerful, pleasant, lively, and good-natured being. He is a jovial person and a beautiful man."

May we all remember to smile and be happy! No one wants to be around a grumpy person.

We love you all and thank you for your prayers. They are helping so very much! 

Elder and Sister Martin

August 23, 2015

Craig just reminded me that we have been on our mission 5 months now, but who's counting, besides our daughter, Heather.

Every week a family in our ward meets with their extended family for FHE. They are not all active, but still take turns preparing the lesson. They invited us to attend, and they taught a good lesson about Talents. For our part, we showed a segment of Meet The Mormons. They were all so kind and one of the boys told us to eat lots "because they fixed heaps of food” for us. This picture is of the grandchildren.  We would love to go back again sometime.

We tried a new fruit this week, called Lychee. They have a pinkish, bumpy rind that when peeled reveals a sweet, white fleshy fruit inside (with a big seed). I could eat ten of these at a time. Even Craig liked them. They come from China and Alice T. shared them with us. She gave us persimmons once and we liked them too. We are so sad that she will be leaving this week for her native Tahiti, and will be gone 3 months! She's in her 80's and is going there to fish. She loves fishing!

We've turned into Kiwi fruit eaters. They are about .20 each here instead of the $1.00 each at home. I buy a bag of them every week.

Wednesday night after standing up from the dinner table, Craig could hardly walk and thought he had pulled his hip out of socket. He made it to the bed to lay down. I thought, now what do we do? We had a FHE in 20 minutes with a family we really didn't want to cancel. At that same moment, I got a text from them canceling because of a netball practice (the mom and daughters are on a team). Craig was so happy. He rested for about an hour and then was fine. We left for our next appointment, and he's been fine since. 

We had the best FHE with our favorite little family. It was a great lesson given by the mom titled "I am a Child of God".  At one part we all laughed and laughed at the funniest comments made by the kids about the differences between a rock and an orange! Their wit, smarts and enthusiasm make us love them and look forward to being with them every week! 

Once in a while we just have to come home in the afternoon to Skype. With the 7, 6, or 5 hour time difference, and our kids' schedules, finding a good time is hard. We were happy to Skype with my Mom and have a nice visit with her. She looks great and was happy to see me too! We also Skyped Emily, Kenny and cute little Kinley.  Kinley has abandoned her army crawl, and it was fun seeing her crawling on all fours. Soon she'll be walking, and we can't wait to see that! Heather happened to be at our neighbors, the Chappels, when we Skyped her, so we saw them also! We are so thankful for modern technology, that helps us stay connected to our loved ones! It makes being at the bottom of the world not so far away from home! 

Craig and I had a nice, visit with a older sister who was recently widowed. Her husband died two weeks ago from complications from strokes. She told us her family was taught about the church 35 years ago. Her husband and 6 children were getting baptized, but she wasn't ready to join yet.  The day of the baptism, she had an answer to her prayers and a personal revelation that she should get baptized, so she surprised the Elders when she told them she was getting baptized too. The whole family was baptized, and she and her husband were sealed in the temple later. She is a happy woman "content to endure to the end" and so pleasant to visit. Her devoted daughter takes care of just her now. 

We had a little extra time, so it was Sister Nakibae's turn to see One Tree Hill. This is a favorite spot, and on a clear day, a perfect view of the whole city and the bays. The baby lambs were frolicking around and lots of sightseers were there. We'll be taking all the Sisters we work with to this place.

 

Friday night was a well-attended and successful Relief Society event. Another Senior couple, the Mickelson's, came to talk about the new Self Reliance program, which they are working hard to share with all the wards. It is a fabulous program from the church, designed to give people the "tools" they need so they can find themselves a job. Afterwards, we enjoyed a "4 Minute Cheesecake" for dessert made with yogurt and sweetened condensed milk, and cooked in the microwave for 4 minutes! Sister Kruger brought her camera and took some photos of the group.  

I have really grown to love all of these Sisters and we have been in all of their homes! 

P-day! Yeah! I went on a good walk, and did a little shopping, while Craig went to hit golf balls. Then we took a 45 min. drive with another couple to the Manukau Heads and lighthouse on the Awhitu Peninsula. Along the way we stopped at a small beach inside the bay at the Awhitu Reserve (park). As usual, we were the only people there. The deserted beach is made up of billions of broken shells. 

This is the cutest little island out from Awhitu beach pictured before.  We saw a few fishermen on the island but no boat anchored.  Then we found out that at low tide, you can just walk out to the island. 

This sign made us laugh, especially when we saw the square ice cream container nailed to the fence that says "Put money in here please".

This mamma cow and calf were being herded along the road by the farmers, probably to the milking shed. You can't tell from this photo, but she is so full of milk that as she walked, milk was squirting everywhere. I could feel her pain. 

It was a cloudy day but we didn't get rained on as we drove along rolling green fields where we saw with lots of grazing cattle. For some reason, there isn't any in this picture though. 

This is DH (Dear Hubby), and the lighthouse on the cliffs of the Manukau Heads. It has been rebuilt a few times because of erosion. Today, it is just historical, and not a working lighthouse, but it gives a great view of the Harbour from up top.

The Manukau Heads is the narrow entrance from the Tasman sea into the lake-like Manukau Harbour. Standing high above on an overlook gave us a beautiful view of the Harbour to the east and the rough waters of the Tasman to the west.

West and the Tasman Sea

East, and the Manukau Harbour. Look closely at the picture and you will see the Skytower of downtown Auckland! This lookout is across the bay from where we live. 

Craig found a cozy spot in the trunk of a dead Kauri tree. 

It was nice to get out of the city and see some more of this beautiful country. We are just so amazed at the beautiful green grazing land everywhere, once we leave the city of Auckland. 

Today, Sunday, we had a 7:00 am baptism and the chapel was packed. It was in another ward, but we wanted to support the missionaries, so we went. There were too many of us to fit inside the baptismal room, so we left for home. Brother Lawrence was out of town, so no MCM at 8, but we have Ward Council at 9, so off to our ward we went. We got there and no Ward Council. We must not be on the call list. Back home we go, and I took a 2 hour nap before church at 1:00 pm, which was wonderful! 

I made a pot roast dinner with a new crockpot I finally bought, and Craig was pretty happy! Then off to our appointment to show part of the "Meet the Mormons" video with a short lesson. They want us to come next week for more of the video.

After retiring, I can be honest and say that Craig and I neglected serving others, outside of our family. Coming on a mission has made us aware of so much more we can do at home, and should've been doing. President Monson calls it "finding ourselves in the thick of thin things"!  We needed to be reminded that "it's the service that counts", for a successful and joyful life! 

We need to ask ourselves everyday what did we do for someone today! Each act of service fills up our vessels with oil so we will be ready when the Bridegroom comes! 

Have a great week and thank you for your sweet prayers! 

We love you all,

Linda and Craig

August 16, 2015

Elder Kevin W. Pearson is a member of the Seventy and is the Pacific Area President. After almost 5 months, we had not met him yet, but this week I was able to shake his hand at three different events. He and his darling wife attended our Senior couples FHE on Monday night, our Auckland Mission Conference on Thursday, and Time Out For Women on Saturday. Now I feel like he's a dear friend! He gave one of our favorite talks at the April 2015 General Conference called "Stand By the Tree".  If you haven't read that talk, read it! If you have read it, read it again. He is a humble, powerful man!  

Recently, two new Senior couples arrived in the Auckland Mission, and we're awaiting 3 more coming soon! It's so fun to get to know and welcome others to this wonderful mission! We also had two couples just leave because their 18 months were over. 

I love these blooming agaves, and I've seen quite a few of them around. Emily said they look like something out of a Dr. Seuss book. They are just amazing to me and I saw this one on my favorite walk along the bay in Mangare, where we work. Sometimes if I don't get my walk in the morning, I will sneak one after lunch along the Kiwi Esplanade (don't you like that name?). I have to wear my missionary clothes and bring walking shoes, but it's so pretty and peaceful. 

I don't know what this is tree is called, but it's another favorite plant I see in lots of different places. I would like to take one home for our yard in Arizona! Surprisingly, we see cactus growing here. Even with all the rain in the winter, they seem to survive. 

My entusiasm for weaving has spread to Sister Palu and Sister Nakibae. Gaelene was so generous to invite the girls over to teach them to weave bracelets and a Kete (Maori basket). They were quick learners and now have a home-made souvenir from NZ! 

Wednesday we kept our calendar clear to go to the temple in Hamilton, about a 90 min. drive. We try to go every other month, and it's a beautiful way to spend the day. Since missionary transfers were on Thursday and we were losing some of our Elders, they organized a District dinner Wednesday night at a place called Burger Fuel. It was our first time eating there and Craig was very impressed with the burgers. Elder Staniscia, from Brazil, left for the Cook Islands, and Elder Hall, from England, was going home after serving a great mission!  Elder Bashara, from Sydney, was going further up north to Whangarei. Missionaries love making silly poses in pictures, but these are great guys and we love being with them. They are so accepting and sweet to us, and gave us a framed picture of our "King of Hearts District". 

What a spiritual feast it was Wednesday, with the temple, dinner with our District, and a FHE with one of our wonderful families. Their enthusiasm to learn gospel principles makes it fun to be in their home. Afterwards, at our appointment with a man we see each week, he told us we were sent from above to help him. In his prayer he thanked God for us, and asked for courage to lead his family to come back to church. The Spirit has really touched him and we see some real progress in his growth. It's time to invite him to come to church!

When two or three gather, there must be food! This photo is after the transfer meeting, where brand-new missionaries were welcomed, and others were sent off to their new areas. We also had a Missionary Conference that afternoon, with the presenters from Time Out For Women speaking to us! We love these dear Sisters. Sister Gila (on the left), serves an hour away in Henderson, and we are so happy to see her at mission events. Sister Nakibae and Sister Palu are with us almost everyday. We are so happy they didn't get transferred and will be in Mangare at least another 6 weeks! 

Way back in April, when we first arrived, these 3 Sisters and I (the woman on the far left is a guest) bought tickets for Time Out For Women, which was coming to Auckland. This was a whole day of music and inspiring presentations by very accomplished professionals, put together by Deseret Book. They hold them all over the U.S., and every year in Kansas City. I have never gone before and think it is funny that my first time going was here in NZ.  Instead of driving and paying for parking, we decided to take the train to downtown Auckland. You can see how empty the train is, and that is because it is 7am on a Saturday! 

TOFW was a crowded event, but we were lucky to get the center third row, which gave us a good view of David Archuleta, who was one of the musical presenters. All the Sister missionaries in our mission got to attend free if they brought someone investigating the church, who also got in free! They were so excited to get to see David Archuleta! All the presenters were wonderful and I recommend this event when it comes to your area! I will have to go again in 2017, once I get home.

One of the highlights of the week happened at church today when the cutest little girl from a family we visit, came to church with her family, and walked up to the front row to sit with us. We are so happy she stayed for Primary, even though her family had to leave! She is so sweet and loving, just like her brothers and parents! Also, as I was co-teaching the Gospel Principles class with Craig, I had an overwhelming feeling of love come over me, for the people in this ward and this country. I also felt sadness that we would have to leave someday, even though we miss our family so much. This time here will fly by. 

Brad Wilcox, one of the TOFW presenters, spoke about having humor in our life, and said 

"If we can laugh at it, we can live it!" We all have our ups and downs - daily, weekly or monthly - and that is how we learn and grow, and cope in our lives. 

We pray for you, and we feel the strength and blessing of your prayers! Thank you for your sweet comments each week. They make me feel like we aren't so far away! 

Loving you,

Elder and Sister Martin