No Thanksgiving, but lots to be thankful for!

We didn’t have turkey, dressing, and mashed potatoes at Rob’s with our children and grandchildren. We didn’t sit in our family room with the fireplace going and watch the snow falling.  We didn’t see the lighting of the Christmas lights on Temple Square or do the Messiah sing-in with Paul’s family.  We didn’t go to the traditional Jazz game with Brad and the gang.  But we did have….

 

and…

and…

(If you look closely you can see the cricket players out on this beautiful field at Canterbury University.)

all seen during a 45 minute walk we took one evening. 

We have perfect weather; cool enough that you want to keep a sweater handy, but not so hot that you feel sweaty and uncomfortable.

We have the ocean.  Monday, during a Skype session with Jeff, Andrew, Laurie and Mimi, we were asked if we had seen the ocean yet.  We couldn’t answer yes to that question, so the next morning at 6 a.m., we took a twenty minute ride in a south-easterly direction until we came to the water.  In a quaint little place called Sumner, we got out for a little walk. 

 

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Another evening we walked around Canterbury University which is just around the corner from us, and found it just as beautiful.

 

No, we’re not missing the cold and snow. 

We have internet and phone service at our flat.  The signal isn’t the best, but we can call Utah when we want to.  That, and a warmer blanket for our bed, were the last things we needed to really feel settled in, and just in time because I think we’re about to get really busy.

We had a “sausage sizzle”—the New Zealand word for BBQ.  The Bournes planned a “get to know the new missionaries” social before institute class this week.  They cooked sausages (not like any of our sausages, but quite delicious) and onions on the grill and served them on slices of white bread with BBQ sauce and tomato sauce (ketchup).  With full stomachs we headed in for the spiritual part of the evening—Brother Bourne’s lesson on the Pearl of Great Price.

 

Jeremy Beck—his family are transplants from Oregon.  I can understand every word he says.

Margaret and Martin Bourne—truly lovely people.  I can understand most of what they say.

We have New Zealand treats.

Tip Top has some of the best ice cream I’ve ever tasted and who wouldn’t love Tim Tam cookies

We have exciting and interesting work to do.  Brother Bell shared a letter with us from the Area Presidency (Elder Tad Callister and counselors) to the stake presidents and district presidents asking them to focus on enrollment for seminaries and institutes.  Each potential student is to be contacted personally and invited to attend seminary or institute.  Brother Bell printed off pages of names—hundreds of young adults—that are institute age, in and around Christchurch.  John and I are going to try and meet with the Stake President and then the bishops.  Hopefully they will accept our offer to seek out and find many of the young adults that are not participating.  With some help identifying which ones should not be on those lists (some have moved and some have married) and some addresses, I think we can really do some good.  We would love to see this institute grow and be able to offer a bigger variety of classes.

We have people to love and who love us.  The Bournes have had us over for “tea” (evening meal) twice in the short time we’ve lived here.  They are transplants from Australia.  Brother Bourne is the high councilor over the YSA.  Amy Bourne, his daughter, is the CES secretary, and Margaret (his wife) is the cutest little thing.  At their home we are always fed a delicious, warm dinner and a spiritual feast as well.  We feel as though we have known them forever and we love them.

Friday night we had a dinner for the seminary and institute graduates from the Christchurch stake. I met the most interesting woman, Nicola Petty.  She has a Phd. and has been “lecturing” in Statistics at Canterbury University for the past 20 years.  However, she is quitting and starting a new career.  She and a colleague have invented a game that is about to be launched as an app for iphones.  The game is called Rogo.  Watch for it.  She and her husband Mark have two sons.  The oldest has asbergers and is serving a mission in Auckland.  Her youngest, Jonathan, is a savant with a genius for music.  The whole family was recently on an episode of Sesame Street.  I liked Nicola right away and hope that I get many opportunities to visit with her.

Jonathan played for Seminary graduation on Saturday night and he was really amazing.  When I called him to ask if he would participate and gave him the names of the opening and closing hymns, he said he had never heard them before (this was Friday night), but by graduation the next night, he played them perfectly with wonderful introductions and a beautiful prelude of Christmas Carols.

Jonathan Petty—a truly special young man.

One more story about Jonathan.  When he was a preschooler, his mother took him to his aunt’s house where he played her piano but wasn’t able to play it as well as the one he usually played.  They discovered that his aunt’s piano was tuned 1/2 step lower and Jonathan was transposing as he went along so that the music sounded exactly as it had on a correctly tuned instrument.  He has perfect pitch. 

This weekend the Christchurch stake had a youth conference at Blue Skies Scout Camp in Kaiapoi.  I had the best time just watching this multi-ethnic group of kids. 

Kids from the Opawa ward.  This ward is full of Pacific islanders—Tongans and Samoans—very unified group.  The boy at the head of the line was an amazing athlete.

  

Youth from the Winoni ward—a Samoan speaking ward.  They were certainly the most colorful and interesting group there.

The Riccarton Ward (our ward).  The largest group by far and full of very good kids.  Bishop Clendon is the furthest on the right.

 

Matthew from one of the small branches up north.  I loved him.

 

Cashmere (Yellow) and Avonside (Purple) wards.

We have ‘Christmas in the Park’.  Amy took us to Hagley Park which is an enormous park in Christchurch—a whole golf course makes up just a small portion of it.  Massive amounts of people attend this concert where New Zealand’s talent sings and performs on a stage that seemed miles away.  There is a giant screen, and people sitting on blankets or in lawn chairs sing-along, dance, visit and munch on snacks.  They come mostly as families but also as groups of friends.  Santa makes an appearance and the evening ends with fireworks.  It is still impossible for me to feel like Christmas is just around the corner.  It can’t be, it’s much to warm.

We have a place to worship.  We live in the boundaries of the Riccarton ward, but our chapel was damaged during the earthquake (it is also the stake center).  The damage is all internal and it looks perfectly fine from the outside.  Evidently the church is waiting for the aftershocks to cease before they make any repairs.  Until then, we meet in the Cashmere ward.

    

Cashmere chapel in Christchurch, New Zealand

The bishop asked us to speak in church on Sunday.  I was grateful that I could understand the bishop’s invitation to do so.  I couldn’t help but remember Mom and Dad’s experience the first Sunday in Germany when Dad wouldn’t admit that he couldn’t understand what the Branch President was asking, and just answered, “Yah, dos ist goot”.  Mom was so surprised the next week when she was asked to sit on the stand before giving the talk she knew nothing about.  At least I have a week to think about it.  I think we’ll put in a plug for seminaries and institutes.

We have testimonies of Jesus Christ and His church.  One night this week John was bearing his testimony in his sleep—so loudly that I had to wake him up to get him to quiet down.  His response when I asked about his dream, “Darn it, she was so close.  I almost had her converted.” 

So much to be thankful for!