Holy Week

 This week we have been following the Holy Week pages of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, "Grow Your Relationship with Jesus Christ during Holy Week,"  with scriptures and videos of Jesus's life. The videos are accurate to the New Testament and very affecting.

Also the Easter Week page, "Easter Day by Day," #Because of Him. 

Autumn anemones growing in a crack of the rocks. It is Autumn here (Kiwis don't use the word "Fall") and getting colder by the day. I am sad to see the warm days leave!

Ruby, mother of Waaka who was baptized a few weeks ago, was baptized on Saturday. Here, Leonie, the Relief Society president, is welcoming her to one of the largest and oldest women's organizations in the world.

Sunday evening we attended a musical fireside in honor of the birth, life, atonement and resurrection of Jesus Christ, for the Rotorua Stake. Here a group from the Tarawera Ward is singing in beautiful island harmony.

I played the accompaniment to Conrad and Rebekah Myler singing the ethereal Kenneth Cope song, "More than Just a Boy," about the baby Jesus. Also I sang harmony with a group of young elders and sisters serving in the Rotorua Stake, including the Tarawera, Fairy Springs, Taupo and Tokoroa Wards, singing the Primary children's song, "Gethsemane."

Elder Rooks gave the most important part of the narration in his soft yet deliberate voice, about the prophesied death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, that he might save the people, for this is what he came to do.

At District Missionary Council Meeting, one of the sisters had a flag of New Zealand, which I haven't been able to find yet. She got it at Coin Save downtown. Here you can see the Korean proprietor on the sidewalk. It was a dollar-store setup, and since then I've seen all sorts of Korean-operated dollar stores downtown, as well as souvenir shops.

So I bought the New Zealand flag, with its British Union Jack and the stars of the Southern Cross

... and a couple of writing books, including the Hangarua Pukapuka Mahi, or Recycled Work Book. Mahi is a favorite word of the young missionaries who want to "get to work!" and a Pukapuka Tuhi, Writing Book. My other books are getting filled up.

The Kiwis use the A4 paper size, along with the entire rest of the world except for the United States and Canada. The 8.27" x 11.69" A4  paper (a bit taller and narrower than our Letter size 8-1/2" x 11") can be smartly sized along with all the other sizes. It is very handy, and I wished we used the A4 size if for no other reason than I can fit more writing on it. 

It is so easy to say "I want that in an A5 size (half an A4 sheet) or an A3 size (two A4's next to each other), and everyone instantly knows the dimensions.

On the way home we passed the Sulphur City Soapery, fortunately, because I was running low on scented volcanic soaps, if you can imagine. I also got some scented bath salts which are very nice. I have to be careful of the darker colors because my terrycloth washcloths are no longer so white as they once were.

We passed some bicycle racks, for "Paihikara." In Maori, P takes the place of B, and R takes the place of L, K is an approximation of C, (since they don't use the letter S,) and all words end with a vowel.

Spectacular clouds on a windy day

Sis. K. wanted a nice fish and chips dinner, so we found out when the Sister missionaries would be  doing some service in her back yard, and brought a Number One Special from Wendy's Fish Shop. Sis. K. loved it. She made a green salad and a carrot cake to go with it.

Here, Sis. Sorensen and Sis. Nessen getting more garden detritus into the undersized trash can, a common activity among missionaries helping Sis. K with her large yard. We had to end up taking the fish and chips wrappers and box home to put in our own trash can, which we didn't mind.

I am still practicing weaving with Harakeke. This kete is a lot better than my earlier efforts, but still not much to brag about. I will put music in it since it will fit the A4 sheets sideways. We will be singing the beautiful song "Gethsemane" again on Easter Sunday.

A little basket I made to put stuff in on the dresser next to the bed. Elder Rooks took a spill and hit his forehead on his side dresser, so we took a few days off for the colorful under-eye bruise to clear up.

He spends days like this transcribing headstones for Billiongraves. There are several requests for headstone pictures for the Rotorua Cemetery and Crematorium, so the next time we go, we will attempt to locate these few requests among the 12,000 memorials for individuals buried there.

Saturday Market on Easter weekend was busier than I've ever seen it. Lots of people from all over. I heard Chinese, French, Indian, and Dutch, I think.  We visited Grandma Lolo and kept on going, since we had a delivery of unused clothing to make to the Salvation Army.

Elder Rooks wore his Aviator sunglasses and you hardly noticed the bandage. He keeps telling everyone I gave him a punch in the eye.

I checked the Cutz 4 You in case I could get a haircut, but it was completely full of people so we passed it by.

These two ladies saw us looking at the phone gps for directions and helpfully gave us some, which almost got us to the right place. We had to look at the phone again for the last bit.

The Salvation Army was closed for Easter Weekend, which we hadn't thought of. So we gave the bag to a homeless lady on the sidewalk next to her trolley full of blankets and clothing, along with several other people in the same situation. She said she would take care of it for us. We hope she found something useful.

Second hand stores in New Zealand are called op shops, or Opportunity Shops, like this one at Saint Luke's Anglican Church. It was closed for Easter Weekend as well.

Ms. Pukeko seems to have dragged Mr. Pukeko off somewhere, since we haven't seen or heard from either of them for several days. We suppose they are nesting near another geothermal stream.

An Apostle of the Lord

 This week we were privileged to go to Auckland to attend a Senior Missionary Devotional with Elder Rasband of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Later-day Saints. 

We also had members of the Fairy Springs Ward over to our house for dinner and viewing the Worldwide Relief Society Devotional and Testimony Meeting; a surprise district missionary council with President and Sister Nikoia; we visited a number of people, had the Mylers over for dinner, and visited more people.

A shot of the moon over Rotorua on our way home from the chapel

We had our usual Sunday group over for the Relief Society Devotional. We always have some sort of Share Kai, which among the Maori means "creating spaces of belonging where we can connect around the table, share about ourselves and learn about others." (https://www.sharekai.nz/)

The Relief Society Devotional we watched together

Monday morning, Elder and Sister Pickett picked us up for the drive to Auckland. They drove 3-1/2 hours from Gisborne and stayed in Tauranga Sunday night, then drove an hour to Rotorua, and then drove with us the three hours to Auckland. Sis. Pickett is the mission nurse, and they put many miles on their vehicles.

The day was clear and beautiful. It was so nice to have two-lane highways, even if there was a lot of traffic

The Auckland Temple under construction, from the Great South Road. Stone cladding is in place except for around the steeple, and stained glass is being installed. The temple should be completed this year. A new temple has been announced for Wellington.

The Redoubt Stake Center on Kerrs Road in Wiri, Auckland, where our devotional was to take place

There were forty or more senior missionary couples from the Auckland and Hamilton missions at the meeting. We heard several speakers and musical numbers, and then Elder Rasband, of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, spoke to us as part of his Pacific ministry to Australia, New Zealand, Samoa, Fiji, and Papua, New Guinea. Highlights of this trip can be read about here:
Ronald A. Rasband Pacific Ministry

Since his October 2023 General Conference address "How Great Will Be Your Joy," encouraging more senior members of the Church to become missionaries, Elder Rasband said the number of senior missionaries has doubled. "But we need more!" he reminded us.

He ended by answering a number of questions from the audience, including one about the Lord's promises to families back home. "These wonderful senior missionaries are setting an example," he said. "Get ready for the blessings. The Lord is going to bless your family from generation to generation."

We all lined up to shake his hand. He was interested in knowing what part of New Zealand we were serving in. It was a meeting to remember.

In the cultural hall for refreshments following the meeting, we sat down next to Elder Todd and Sister Keely Gregory, serving in Raglan, Waikato. They look too young to me to be senior missionaries. Or maybe it is that we are just a shade too old.

Elder and Sister Gregory are from Meridian, Idaho. When I told them I had two sons living in Meridian, Elder Gregory enthusiastically admitted that Conrad Kennington and his family lived in their ward, and that they were a great family. I could only admit it was true.

Then Sister Truman from the Auckland mission found Elder Rooks, saying his profile looked exactly like the profile of one of her best friends, Aimee McClellan, who is his daughter. Aimee and her husband Tony are good friends with Dan Truman, keyboard and piano player of the country band Diamond Rio.

On the way home from Auckland. Sister Pickett and I were shouting directions at patient Elder Pickett from the maps on our cell phones, which kept giving us wrong "shortcuts," so we abandoned Google Maps and went with the road signs, Highway 1 South. This strategy got us on the right road.

We stopped at Temple View in Hamilton to pick up a car for one of the elders' companionships in Tauranga. The mission fleet needs to be kept up-to-date and is in a constant state of change.

On Tuesday, President Nikoia was giving interviews to the districts in Rotorua, Taupo and Tokoroa, so we joined them for an impromptu meeting. We roped the missionaries (especially Sister Donaldson,, since we need a soprano) to sing with us on Sunday for the Rotorua Stake Easter Musical Fireside.

We visited Eddie and Margy Barber, since Margy is recovering from strep throat. We brought dinner in the Doterra box, and Eddie is filling it back up with tomatoes and blocky green capsicums out of his garden

Thursday we invited the Myler family over for dinner. The four boys devoured the brisket and mashed potatoes. They are having a great year-long experience in Rotorua while Conrad, the father, is an anesthesiologist in the Rotorua Hospital.

While Elder Rooks was washing lots of dishes (bless him,) the boys played games while Rebekah and Conrad and I went up to the chapel to practice a Kenneth Cope song they were asked to sing for the Musical Fireside. They both have amazing voices.

On Friday, we visited Wiki, who lives off of Sunset Road with her family. She is doing pretty well in her recovery but still gets fatigued in the evenings. We invited her and Robbie Khan to lunch in the coming week.

We also visited Chris K.'s home, where Elder Rooks moved her refrigerator so she could clean behind it, and let her know that the squeak in the kitchen  wasn't the linoleum floor, but the wooden table scraping the wall. He moved the table and the squeak was gone. She was extremely grateful for this help, and was glad she hadn't called someone to fix the floor. 

I helped out by eating some spinach quiche she had made.

We took a walk past the aquatic center and saw several buses of students from around the area who had been at a noisy swimming meet. This bus was filling up with students from Gizzy

The afternoon clouds were beautiful

Friday night we went to another song practice with the elders and sisters. They have a Sports Night every Friday, and there was a good group playing basketball and eating pizza.

This is my darling younger sister Laurel, who was diagnosed with stage four triple negative breast cancer. It is inoperable and does not respond to most treatments, so she has decided to try alternatives to chemotherapy, including a juicing diet, water fasting, and supplements. Her husband Michael is her constant caretaker. So far her spirits are high and we are hopeful for her with prayers and fasting.

I sent her a pair of greenstone Maori Roimata earrings like the ones I wear.

This is the card that came with the earrings

I think this is Mr. Pukeko's female admirer, although I'm not sure. She looks like she is in stalking mode. 

A friend was asking what the shrieking sounded like, and I was able to record quite a bit of it, although you can't see the birds. They seem to be living next to the geothermal stream on the other side of the fence in our back yard. This is my view when I sit at my computer. It is hard to concentrate when there is a lot of  swamp chicken racket.

The pukekos shrieking is for you, Ross-Ann!

Serendipitous

Serendipitous: (adjective) "occurring or discovered by chance in a happy or beneficial way." (Oxford Languages Dictionary) Or, perhaps a better phrase would be Tender Mercies. Psalms 145:9: "The Lord is good to all, and his tender mercies are over all his works."

This week we had a surprise dinner with five unexpected guests on Tuesday night; we took a Wednesday shift at the Family History Library, had piano lessons with Mary, and visited friends on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. 

The tender mercies were a result of taking walks to restore Elder Rooks' Achilles tendon to full functioning. There is no pain and he is walking without much of a limp, which is a great relief to him, since he is looking forward to golfing again.

Saturday night we walked to the other side of the geothermal pond next to St. Faith's Anglican church.

On one of our walks, we revisited the scented garden. Right now the begonias are loving the cooler weather which has come with the autumn rains. I am having to put on socks in the mornings because it isn't 80 degrees anymore.

Chartreuse and green shrubs at the scented garden

A Whirling Butterflies (gaura) plant and a Japanese maple

Elder Rooks thinks this is eerie enough for Halloween

I think these are tōtara trees, podocarps endemic to New Zealand. This is a commercially planted softwood tree used in making furniture, doors & windows, etc. and will eventually grow to 25 meters

More tōtaras. (I think.) We recognized the name because it is the street we turn onto in order to go to the LDS church building in Rotorua.

Manuka shrubs in bloom, where the famous manuka honey comes from. It must take a lot of bees and a lot of manuka shrubs.

It was a gorgeous Saturday evening after a day of steady rain, so we walked across Lake Road to Ariariterangi Street. In the picture above, you can see three residences each with carports and one narrow access lane that doesn't allow turning anywhere. You can only back down the lane. This is a common configuration. Kiwis are masters at backing their cars out of any tight spot. 

Elder Rooks saw something on the road across from  House Number 42, next to the speed bump. It was a Samsung phone with a crack in one corner.

It was fortunately unlocked, and actually working. The most recent phone call, to "My Sunshine," had happened only ten minutes ago. There were many calls to "My Sunshine." So we called "My Sunshine" and the girl who answered said the phone was hers, and it must have fallen off the top of the car, and could we take it to her Auntie's doorstep who lived at Number 50? And was she ever happy and grateful!

Auntie's doorstep. She asked that we leave our contact information with it, which we did, after many Thank Yous! And You're Welcomes! 

Serendipity, I say. A tender mercy for her.

Then we wandered down another road and saw a geothermal stream against a backdrop of beautiful clouds

 Handsome young athletes walking toward their marae from a practice area

We hadn't seen this marae before. It has an Anglican cross and may be related to St. Faith's

It even had the requisite Purple Swamp Hen

Elder Rooks being goofy

On the way back we went down a few streets looking for Lake Road, and found ourselves in front of Karla's house. She was at home, and gave us mugs of hot chocolate, because we like mugs of hot chocolate.

She said she had been thinking about us because she had just gotten a recommend from her bishop to return to the temple in Hamilton, where she had been that day. She wanted to invite us to go with her again, so we made an appointment for April 5th.

A serendipitous and very tender mercy.

In this picture there are two pukekos. We think our bachelor Mr. Pukeko is playing coy, because Ms. Pukeko seems to be running after him instead of the other way around. We will see if this develops into something serious, unless possibly Mr. Pukeko has been a bachelor for too long.

Having Ms. Pukeko hanging around may explain the unusually high-pitched shrieking we have been hearing lately.