WHAT DO WE HAVE TO OFFER?

We’ve made it through another week. The final three days at the MTC were spent in training for CES.  All our teachers were great (give them a pat on the back, Paul) and made us feel like we could be successful if we loved the students and sought the Spirit to help us teach.  

Tuesday night, Elder Bednar was the speaker at the devotional.  His talk was instructive and powerful about doctrines, principles, and applications—it was a good review of information that Eric taught us before we entered the MTC.  Elder Bednar said that as teachers, church leaders and parents we should spend most of our time teaching and getting our students to understand and feel the doctrines instead of spending so much time on the application or behaviors.  If we can help others understand the doctrine, their behavior will change.  Isn’t that what Elder Packer said years ago.  Every answer is in the doctrine.

Although I loved Elder Bednar’s talk, my favorite part of the evening was when all the missionaries sang, ‘Behold a Royal Army’.  We were sitting in the front of the hall and my heart was so full as I turned around to see that army of young Elders and Sisters singing with all their might.  I was so proud to be a fellow soldier in that “royal” army. 

Wednesday we said goodbye to our new-found soul mates, had a tearful parting with Jill’s family and headed home to pack our bags.  It was quite a process trying to get weight distributed equally between 4 bags and trying to keep them each under 50 pounds.  One pound over 50 would result in a $150.00 charge.  We were pleasantly surprised to find we could take more clothes than we had planned. 

Thursday we got to see Andrew’s family—he drove home all night from Idaho just to say goodbye.  Thanks Andrew.  We love you. 

Jeff took us to the airport and helped us lift our heavy bags.  We both felt surprisingly calm and peaceful.  And then…the travel.  It was very long and VERY tiring, but we survived.  We slept for only a few minutes in the 32 hours of travel and I’m sure we looked mighty disheveled when we were met at the airport in Wellington by President and Sister Joliffe and four of the young elders who took care of our luggage.  It was great to have the use of those young, strong arms.  After a short meeting with President Joliffe, we were put into the capable hands of Elder and Sister Jensen—the office couple.

Elder and Sister Jensen from Logan, Utah.  We had so much to talk about. 

The Jensens took us to lunch, showed us around Wellington, and took us home to their comfortable flat.  They let us go to bed early and we slept like logs until 4:00 Sunday morning.  (We missed Friday altogether when we crossed the international date line.)

The trees and bushes here are all so different and very beautiful. 

A view from the Jensen’s backyard.  This is the north island and people say the south island is even more spectacular.  It’s hard to believe.

Sunday was a truly remarkable day—a day of wonder.  During this whole process, we have been excited to get into the mission field and make some contribution to the lives of the people in New Zealand.  Somewhere in the back of our minds we thought we might have something to offer these people.  Surely we could teach them something about music, or teaching, or help them with scriptures and their understanding of the gospel—our testimonies would help strengthen them.  (It sounds so pompous that I hardly dare admit this.)  And then we went to our first meetings with the saints in New Zealand.  Elder and Sister Jensen took us to their ward (Porirua 2nd Ward) whose membership is almost entirely Maori.  Sacrament meeting was the Primary program and one of the best meetings I’ve ever attended.  There were only a dozen Primary children—each one strikingly beautiful and talented.  When they sang ‘Follow the Prophet’, they had a different child sing each of the verses.  We could not believe what great voices these children had—they never missed a note.  But, the real star of the show was the woman who played the piano. Melody Salmon is a true genius.  She glanced at the music every once in a while, but for the most part she just played by ear and from her heart. It was glorious.  The children performed two original songs that she had written and her own arrangement of ‘Come Follow Me’ which was sublime.  The introduction to that song was very dissonant, and yet a young soloist was able to pick a note from out of nowhere and hang on to the melody while the rest of the children’s choir sang the most beautiful harmonic part.  We were amazed and touched by the power of their music.  Melody has never written down any of her music—I’m not sure she can.  Here is one woman who would do wonders with an electronic keyboard and a computer program that would make notations from her playing.  

Then there were the teachers in Sunday School and Relief Society—they were excellent.  They must have had the same CES training that we had.  They were master teachers and the comments from the class members were straight out of the scriptures—chapter and verse.  They all had such a great understanding of the gospel.

After church we went to visit Aunt Tilly Katene.  What a powerhouse.  She had just been released from the hospital after having her leg amputated.  Aunt Tilly can remember having blessings from Matthew Cowley.  She was made a ward missionary just before she had the surgery and takes her calling very seriously.  While in the hospital, she taught the nurses how to say blessings on the food, she would sing the hymns and the people in her room with her loved to hear her sing, and any time she was asked why she was so happy, she said it was because of her testimony of God.  We, too were touched by her testimony.

Sunday evening we went to the Hutt 2nd ward for a musical, missionary fireside.  The membership of this ward were mostly people from the pacific islands—Tongans and Samoans.  Several of the ward members and one Elder from Australia (who gave up a recording career to come on a mission) performed vocal solos and each one was splendid.  The place was packed with happy, warm, and friendly people who were unafraid to share their testimonies of Jesus Christ.

So much for all our grand ideas of what we could do to help.  Music is something that flows out of them with force and power, they teach from their hearts, their testimonies are always on their lips, they know and live by the scriptures, and they love one another and strangers with no timidity.  What do we have to offer?  Maybe, just maybe, we came here to be taught. 

Tomorrow we’re off to Christchurch.