Written by Carter. Faye and I traveled to the Coromandel Peninsula, about 2.5 hours from where we live. There is some stunning scenery there — including Cathedral Cove, from the Windows 10 lock-screen photo. I hiked down to it one day and took some photos. The next day, we saw it from the ocean, when we went on a glass-bottomed boat. It’s beautiful from any angle. The boat tour allowed us to see a lot of fish (especially red snapper) and the rocks and kelp on the sea floor (when it was shallow enough).

While in that area, we met Phil and Joan MacEachen. They are from the US. Joan is a physician who worked in Whiteriver, AZ, several years after we were there. She is retired from her US practice and has worked in NZ for six months of the year for the past seven years. They usually return to the US the other six months…but will stay longer this time because of the pandemic. Another doctor we both knew introduced us. Phil and Joan gave us some tips on where to visit while we were there.

While driving on a gravel road over a small mountain, we saw a pheasant and a beautiful hawk! New Zealand continues to amaze me with its beauty!

I’m “training” to hike Rincon Peak with Ralph and Andy on October 21. Others are welcome to join us, if you’d like. The hike is 16 miles round-trip (or “return,” as they say in NZ), with elevation gain of 4200 feet from Happy Valley. My goal is to walk 1 mile further each week until I have walked 16 miles…on relatively-flat terrain. Once I have the mileage down, I’ll work on increasing the grade of the terrain. Yesterday, I hiked 8 miles along the coast. I figured I’d “drink in” as much of this beautiful scenery as I can…since we will return home in a few weeks. It was a beautiful day for hiking!
This Friday is Ashton’s 29th birthday. A friend reminded me of Ashton’s quiet and subtle sense of humor. If you feel comfortable doing so, can you please share a story (or several) where you saw Ashton’s sense of humor…as a way to remember him on his birthday? And please feel free to spread the word! You can send it to this email address or post it on my Facebook wall.

I’ve enjoyed watching several videos on The Saints app. One is on dealing with death (including suicides of loved ones), reminding me that, even in my darkest moments (like the Friday of Christ’s Crucifixion for His disciples), I can always hold onto the hope that “Sunday will come.” Another reminded me that “…Jesus Christ is real and that, through Him, things can be OK again…and better than [I] ever imagined they could be.” What comfort, peace and healing that thought brings to my broken heart! My favorite word right now is “hope.” Hope in Christ. Another told about a recovering meth addict who prayed and asked God to tell him what he needed to do…and promised that he would do it. At the moment he said those words, he felt light and love and warmth. The thing he felt God wanted him to do was to “keep trying.” What a simple and beautiful thought: that, through Christ, my feeble efforts are enough. He just wants me to keep trying.

Some other beautiful thoughts I’ve heard, read and had this week:

• My first name is “John,” which means “God is gracious.” He surely is!
• A man who is dyslexic thought he was “dumb” when he was in school. With time and maturity, he recognized his talents in other areas. God needs me to be the best me I can be. We are all better at some things than others; for that reason, we need each other.
• “Be of good cheer!” What a beautiful reminder amidst dark and difficult times!
• When I was praying about a concern I had, I felt like God reminded me, “Wait. I will take care of you.” Another time, I asked (in prayer) if there was anything He wanted me to know or do? The answer: “I love you.” Wow! I knew that…but it was such a treat for Him to remind me of that again! I don’t think I could hear that too much or too often!
• “[Jesus] is always the answer.” I have found that to be true in my life.

Kia kaha o te mahi o te rongopai.  (Our friend Valda — whose mother was Maori — taught me this phrase. It means, “Be strong in the work of the gospel.”)

Written by Carter. I very much enjoyed watching General Conference and have enjoyed “digesting” the talks one at a time since then.  As I thought and prayed how to approach “internalizing” the general conference teachings, I realized that my approach is so “Carter”! Our children say I’m “predictable” — and I guess I am. I’m grateful for a loving Heavenly Father, Who gives me guidance that fits so well into my personality and “season” of life!
Easter was wonderful. I’m grateful for the witness from the Holy Ghost to my spirit that Jesus has indeed risen from the dead! What a beautiful thought that is! I’ve written some very personal thoughts on that topic…and hope to share some of that in the future.

I sure have enjoyed watching the first three episodes of Season 2 of The Chosen. I’m grateful for everyone who has helped that project move forward. It has helped me see the New Testament and Jesus Christ from a different perspective. I feel closer to Christ because of it.

We attended “Pasifika,” (I think it’s spelled that way because of how they use certain letters of the alphabet in some Pacific languages). It was a celebration of the different Pacific islands: their peoples, dances, foods, etc. I spent a lot of time in an exhibit where they shared a theory about how New Zealand was discovered by people from Hawaiki: that they followed the migration of flocks of godwits, birds that migrate from Alaska to NZ every September — up to 7,000 miles of it without stopping! They also showed how the ancient mariners used the stars to navigate.
The area presidency held a devotional where they shared some of their insights from General Conference. It was enlightening to try to see things through their eyes. A couple of highlights:

• “When a prophet quotes another prophet …or a scripture …pay special attention!”
• “The Book of Moroni [in the Book of Mormon] is mostly the story of a single adult.”
• Because of COVID, the total number of baptisms in the world went down in 2020. However, in the Pacífic Area, the number of baptism per missionary actually increased in 2020!
• They showed a video clip of a woman who was feeling bitter about her recent divorce. She felt her ex-husband should have to “pay” for his poor choices. She received the impression, “I have already paid that price; would you have it paid twice?” That clip helped me look at forgiveness with a different perspective.

I met today with a man from India who was interested in learning more about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We had an interesting conversation. He had many questions. I gave him a copy of the Book of Mormon, which he said he would read.

I learned to meditate several years ago. It has been helpful, but I didn’t find it to be a “spiritual” practice, per se. Thinking of Pres. Oaks’ talk from several years ago, when he mentioned that there are things that are “good, better and best” — and that God wants us to look for the “best” in life — I have been looking for a “better” (or “best”) way to meditate, focusing upon God and Christ. This has been an enlightening process.

We had a new member lesson with Sarah and a young couple from Brazil who are members of the Church. It was on the Plan of Salvation. The Spirit was present. I’m grateful for God’s perfect plan for His children!

We are praying that the way will be opened for us to visit Fiji on the way home from our mission in June. We understand that this is “impossible,” but we are asking anyway. I told Faye this morning that “God could do that before breakfast…if it were His will.” I confess that I want to do that to help heal from Ashton’s suicide…but I wonder if there is some good that we can also do for others there during this process?

Look at the last part of this video about President Nelson’s first three years of ministry as God’s living prophet. It’s the part where the members in Fiji sang at the end of a meeting when he was there. They are singing the Fijian farewell song. I like to imagine Ashton singing the bass part in that song. Made me cry!

One of the speakers in church meetings today shared this quote: “New beginnings are sometimes disguised as painful endings.” I love that thought! When I heard of a challenge a friend was facing, I said to Faye, “I wonder how God will consecrate this affliction for their gain?”