Firmly Planted

As I walked down Fendalton Road this morning, I walked past an older, stately home which had recently been added to the real estate market in Christchurch.  The sign posted by the realtor listed the characteristics of the house and included the words, “Firmly Planted”.  This home managed to escape the fate of so many other homes that have lost chimneys, bricks, walls, or been moved from their very foundations as the earth has done her best to shake everything loose.  The latest round of earthquakes began last Friday.  After a few months of relative peace, you could feel the great communal sigh when they began anew.  The latest ones measured 6.0, 5.8, and 5.7 with many smaller aftershocks.  Houses and yards once again filled with liquefaction.  Streets became rivers and people gritted their teeth and shoveled out from under.  Stores were forced to close on Friday until engineers could inspect for safety.  Closing so close to Christmas must have been tragic for business, but they were all open again on Christmas Eve.  People were back at the Mall on Saturday, but they avoided the parking terraces.

Skittish Kiwis left long ago, those who remain are hardy folk.  This is their home and they are staying.  Adaptability is their middle name.  We were attending a funeral on Friday.  The first quake was lengthy and strong.  The speaker paused, waited for the shaking to stop, and went right on.  No one moved or tried to leave the building.  Several more happened during the service, each one was met with equal calm and composure.  The earthquake commission will begin inspections once again.  Insurance claims will be resubmitted.  More homes will be ‘red-zoned’, and life will go on.

As I walked this morning, I considered the analogy between these quakes and my mission.  This last 14 months have presented many trials, things that left me shaken and reeling.  However, I knew within the first few weeks that I would not be fleeing.  I knew I was here for the long haul.  As each new wave of testing came, I clung on and prayed.  I relished the moments of calm and sweated through the times of turmoil.  And, in the end, I find myself even more “firmly planted” in my faith than I was before I came.  The gospel of Jesus Christ is my home and I’m staying.  I have had so many prayers answered in such personal ways, that I can’t imagine where Heavenly Father is finding the time to take care of everyone else.  Some of those answers have come immediately as he has given me words to say or answers to questions.  Some answers have come as enlightenment or understanding.  Each answer has left me full of gratitude and wonder.  I have learned the profound beauty of the Savior’s teachings.  I understand more fully the joy that comes as we embrace and live those teachings.  I’ve seen lives changed as the doctrine of forgiveness, or repentance, or charity is internalized.  I know that those who are happiest are those who live Christ’s teachings.  A small incremental step forward in being better able to live as he taught, leads to a monumental increase in joy.  I cannot even imagine what it would be like to finally be as he is.  It will take many more shakings (tests) and eons of time, but out there somewhere is the possibility.

I hear many people bare their testimony that they know Heavenly Father loves them.  I just hope that Heavenly Father knows that I love him and his Son.  I hope that there is something I have said or done here that will help someone else be more “firmly planted”.

A recap of what happened this last week…

Thursday night we attended a Christmas party at the YSA flat. 

They went all out with the decorations.  They had everything including a roaring fire.

With Alice Cammock.

We spent Christmas Eve with the new senior sisters.

Sister Nation, Sister Chelius and I took a Christmas program to two retirement homes.  Sister Chelius and I played some piano duets and Sister Nation told a Christmas story.  The Sisters fixed a delicious meal for us that night of shrimp and pasta and then we played a new word game, Quiddler.  I think the earthquakes really frightened them.  So much for them to adjust to; being away from family, earthquakes, a new culture, and a new companion.  They will be all right, though, and we are so glad they are here.

On Christmas Day, all five wards met together because the Opawa chapel had not been inspected for safety.  I enjoyed having Christmas on Sunday.  What a great opportunity to celebrate the Savior’s birth and to take the emblems of his death.  I kept thinking of Christ’s statement to Pilate, “To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world”, and of the words to ‘Mary’s Lullaby’, “Away spectered future of sorrow and plight, away to the years that must follow tonight.”  I could see and feel great love in the condescension of God. 

We had an hour long service and then went to Bourne’s for dinner. 

Kenny Neider, Margo Neider, Laura Bourne Bates, Matthew Bates, Adam Bourne, Amy, Margaret, Martin, John, and Sister Tailasa (from Fiji).

Margaret Bourne’s Christmas pudding and custard sauce.

We had a second meal at Cammocks and enjoyed visiting with their family.  We were supposed to go to Bell’s, but ran out of steam.  People are always so kind to us.  We were anything but alone on Christmas. 

December Musings

We are getting into full Christmas mode now, well as much as we can without Christmas trees, Christmas music, Christmas lights, and family.  Eating and partying have been ratcheted up.  Yesterday we had the annual south island Christmas zone conference.  So many of the young elders and sisters that we know have gone home now and it was a sea of new faces.  Each district performed a skit.

Here the Canterbury District’s super obedient missionary tries to convince Santa (Elder Neider) that he shouldn’t be working on Sunday this year.  The other elder is asking Santa for a new companion.

This district did a lip-sync to ‘I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas’.  When he came to the word ‘white’ in the lyrics, he pointed to the face of the white elder (middle of back row) and got quite a laugh.  There really are very few white elders here.  Mostly islanders who can really pack away the food.  The sisters of Cashmere ward provided a beautiful lunch with ham, turkey, lamb, and all the trimmings. 

Starting at the left: Sister Risenmay, Elder Neider, Sister Neider, Janice, John, President Kezerian, Sister Kezerian, and Elder Risenmay.

We had a white elephant gift exchange and the nose warmers were the hit of the day.  (Thanks, Kathy.  We hope you’re not offended that we passed on some of your handiwork.)

I couldn’t believe that some young elder would part with these.  I was also a winner in the gift exchange.

Elder Tuipulotu, who goes home this next transfer, told of his mother in his parting testimony.  He said that she had written faithfully each week for two years.  She had a very hard time writing in English, so the bulk of her letters were written in Tongan with a one-liner in English underlined for emphasis.  She wrote such things as, “Son, please don’t teach girls.”  She wanted him to stay on the straight and narrow.  And, “Son, please lose some weight.”  She knew that he would be fed in every Tongan or Samoan home he visited.  And she wrote, “Son, love your companion.”

John’s mother could have written the same advice to him and she would have been pleased with the results.  He lets me take care of the girls, he has definitely lost weight, and he has loved me and served me unfailingly.  I was thinking about our mission the other day and realized that he might have been happier serving a different kind of mission.  The new sisters, Chelius and Nation, are family history missionaries who spend each day photographing records in the archives of this city.  It is technical work, done one on one with a camera—the perfect mission for an introverted photographer like John.  I’m the one that loves the interaction with these students and who is energized by teaching and visiting and activities.  And yet he has cheerfully gone along with my desires and served the kind of mission I knew I would love.  Don’t get me wrong, he loves the kids and all  that goes with them, but it takes an effort for him—an effort that he has so willingly expended.  He has ridden the roller coaster of emotions a mother away from her children, grandchildren, and home can create, and he has done it with nary a whimper.  He is the best of companions.  I, on the other hand, am still me. 

Trevor Anderson graduated from university this year so we had a little celebration at family home evening.

The majority of our young single adults are not enrolled in university.  The area authorities are stressing education knowing what a difference it will make in lives and in the future of the church her in New Zealand.  We are proud of Trevor and know of the work that goes into this great accomplishment. 

We sang ‘A New Zealand Carol’ in Relief Society a few weeks ago.  The words will always remind me of Christmas here on the other side of the world.

Carol our Christmas, an upside down Christmas; snow is not falling, and trees are not bare.

Carol the summer, and welcome the Christ Child, warm in our sunshine and sweetness of air.

Sing of the gold and the green and the sparkle, water and river and lure of the beach.

Sing in the happiness of open spaces, sing a nativity summer can reach!

Shepherds and musterers move over hillsides, finding, not angels, but sheep to be shorn;

Wise ones make journeys, whatever the season, searching for signs of the truth to be born.

Right side up Christmas belongs to the universe, made in the moment a woman gives birth;

Hope is the Jesus gift, love is the offering, everywhere, anywhere, here on the earth.

Merry, merry Christmas to our beautiful family and our wonderful friends.    

And So It Goes

I keep thinking about two lines from the Billy Joel song:  “And so it goes, and so it goes, and so will you soon I suppose.”  One of the hardest things for me about working with the young single adults is their ever-changing lives.  I just get attached to them and they move on. Each one leaves such a big hole in the group and in my heart.  We’ve had to say goodbye to two of the best lately and we’re in mourning.

Hayley Lee finished her course and is now a pharmacy tech.  She studied in Hamilton and then came to Christchurch to finish.  Hayley settled into her flat in the middle of the city a day or two before the February earthquake. Frightened and shaken she fled to Oamaru to be with her sister and escape the damage and aftershocks. She planned to return home to Hamilton.  On our trip south that same week, we met Hayley at church in Oamaru.  She told us her story, we gave her our address and phone number, and told her that if she decided to come back to Christchurch we would look after her and introduce her to some wonderful young adults.  Several weeks later we got a phone call.  It was a Monday night.  One of the kids went to pick her up for family home evening and, ‘poof’, she added her magic to that of all the others and we became better.  She is caring, loving, funny, smart, and all other things wonderful.  We tried everything to get her to take a job here in Christchurch, but she felt strongly that she should move back closer to her family.  As much as we love her, we don’t want to interfere with the workings of the Spirit or with bonds of family.  And so it’s goodbye Hayley, hello skype and facebook.

Maverick Wetzel has to be one of the finest young men I know.  He is intelligent (just graduated with a degree in engineering), spiritual, gentle, loving, and handsome.  He brings fun and laughter to every activity and reason and understanding to every class discussion.  He is returning to Samoa where he plans to submit mission papers after the first of the year.  Here again, as much as we would like to keep him, we would never want to interfere with missionary work.  He will make a huge impact wherever he serves.  His parents hosted a graduation celebration.  We were so glad to be included.  Maverick talked of the people in the room, of his love for each of them, and his hopes that we would meet together many times in the future.  I would love that too, but sometimes when I think of seeing these kids again, I realize that it might be far into the future…in a life beyond this one.  We will stay in touch.  We will always love them.  And we WILL see them again.

We spent three days in Auckland this week.  It was our first exposure to that city.  We were in meetings most of the time with other New Zealand coordinators and the CES ‘big wigs’ from the area offices, so we didn’t do much sightseeing.  We did take a short tour of the harbor on a gray and windy day.

‘The Cloud’ built for the World Cup festivities to the cost of several million dollars.  I had a hard time seeing where all the money went…rather unimpressive in my uninformed opinion.

Half of the New Zealand navy.  The other half is a bit to the left, out of camera range.

The Hilton, an expensive piece of property built to resemble a cruise liner.

Not a very good picture, but this is a Pohutakawa tree.  They are New Zealand Christmas trees which bloom at Christmas time with bright red blossoms.  They grow mostly on the north island and the west coast.  Nature expends much more time and energy in her yuletide décor than most kiwis.  Here is this years sampling of holiday sparkle.  Oh how these places could use Jalaine.

The Christmas Season Kiwi Style

Being on a mission has many advantages, one of them is escaping the hassle of Christmas shopping.  Missionaries rarely have extra cash for buying lots of gifts, and the cost of shipping makes sending things home impossible.  Jill will shop for me so that our grandchildren are taken care of and my kids will get a check in their Christmas cards.  So, when John and I headed into the Central Business District of Christchurch this week it wasn’t with Christmas list in hand.  We went to see the new “container mall” everyone has been talking about.  Amidst all the destruction (which is slowly being cleared away),

are these stores created from inter-modal freight transport containers.  Some are bright and colorful.

Some house restaurants.

And they all sell high priced merchandise—way out of our realm.

John did find a bratwurst and onion sandwich that he could afford.  I think it was about $7.00.  Delicious!

This week we had the first of the ward Christmas parties.  Avonside ward hosted Cashmere ward on Saturday night, and Brother Bell insisted that we attend.  It was anything but the traditional, Utah ward Christmas party.  There was enough food to feed all of Christchurch and the entertainment featured something from all the island cultures and more.  If you have a few minutes, you can watch bits of the show.  There was something from Samoa.

Lusi, Elena, and Iva Sua, some of our beautiful young adults.

A Maori quartet.

Something from Tonga.

Even something from Nepal (not exactly the South Pacific).  Bhumika and Rhadika Dhakal are seminary students.

And the enormously talented David Bell doing a Cook Island dance.

His daughters say he dances like a giant penguin.  Here’s what it’s supposed to look like.

And the grand finale.

A good time was had by all!