Unto the Islands of the Sea

This quote was in the Auckland Mission office and I took a picture of it. They change the quote every week for the missionaries to see when they come in. This one really spoke to me.
This is the flower of the Pohutukawa tree. It usually only blooms at Christmas time. They call it their Christmas tree. I saw this on one of our walks this week on a small tree. It’s blooming out of season. It really is a different but beautiful kind of flower.
We went to the Matthew Cowley Pacific Church History Center on Friday for the day with Kate. It is in Hamilton. We got to see the temple there that is under renovation. It was raining most of the day so we didn’t get a picture of it.
This is also at the Matthew Cowley Center. The young sister missionary in this photo is waiting to be reassigned. She was serving in Australia and got sent home when the pandemic hit.
This picture is called The Savior in the Pacific. The children are wearing traditional dress of the various Pacific islands.
One more picture on the stairs. I loved those words on the wall. The Lord has not forgotten those in the isles of the sea. The Church is thriving in the Pacific. There’s a distribution center in the museum building and I bought the Saints 2 book!

I participated in a video call with the Samoa Mission to discuss the health of the missionaries. I talked to one of the mission presidents about his personal health. A sister missionary was knocked down by two dogs, which gave her some facial lacerations that required plastic surgery. I’m praying that the wound will heal without excessive scarring.   

We traveled to Hamilton, which is about 90 minutes south of Auckland. New Zealand sure is lovely…especially when you get outside the cities! We visited the Church History Museum near the temple there. The stories of the Pacific island Church pioneers are very compelling! No wonder the Church is so strong here! I was also able to meet the Hamilton Mission nurse, with whom I collaborate frequently regarding missionary health concerns.   

We had another video lesson with our Venezuelan “son” and his family who are living in Peru. A very good young man who is a member and who lives nearby also joined the lesson. My “son,” his wife and son plan to be baptized July 4. More prayers!    

It took about 3 weeks of working about 30 minutes per day (on my morning walks), but I finished memorizing the Proclamation on the Restoration of the Fullness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. What a beautiful, inspired document! The Spirit whispers to me that it is the inspired words of God! As I memorized it, my method was this: As I progressed, I would start at the last sentence I had memorized and say it aloud as I went for my morning walk. Then I would say the last 2 sentences aloud (from memory, looking at the text if I needed help), then the last 3, then the last 4, etc., working backward through the text. That worked well for me as it gave each sentence a lot of repetition. I’m curious: for those of who memorize long passages of poetry, scriptures or other material…what method works best for you?   

We had a nice discussion with the two widowed senior sister missionaries today. Some thoughts: When I was about 12, I was shocked to learn that my father didn’t know that the light from the moon was reflected from the sun…or maybe he was just making me feel good for knowing that. Anyway, sometimes the light from the moon is more “full” than other times. From Alma 5, the “light” we “shine” to those around us isn’t really our own light; it ultimately comes from Christ, Who is the Ultimate Source of all light and truth. I think He understands and is patient with me as I’m sometimes a better “reflector” of His light than at other times. That’s why He atoned for my sins…so that I can repent and strive to reflect more clearly His image in my countenance. I also read recently about thinking of Him by our side (like a faithful friend or mentor) as we pray: think of the love He would have in His eyes. What would He say to us? How would He say it? What words? What tone of voice? I love that thought!   

I solemnly proclaim that, by the power of the Father, Jesus rose again and gained the victory over death! Oh, sweet the joy this sentence gives!

Photo captions written by Faye. Post written by Carter.

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6 thoughts on “Unto the Islands of the Sea”

  1. Thoughts.
    1. I needed the quote on fear as I am afraid of eye surgery coming up. I don’t like sedation or going under-yeesh.
    2.Love the tie-dyed clothing! on the Children of the Islands painting.
    3. The flower reminds me of the fairy duster here in az.
    4. Silicone scar removal sheets do the best job of removing old and new scars..even keloid.
    5. I had to rem. soliloquies. They stuck in my mind when I acted it out.
    6. I never thought of where the moon got its light. I thought it was natural. So, why is it white and other colours? What is it reflecting?
    Kml

    • Hi, Kathy. Thanks for your comments.
      The moon is reflecting light from the sun. I’m not sure of everything that affects its color, but some of it depends on where it is in the sky. Like the sun, it tends to have a more red/orange color when it is closer to the horizon.

  3. Becca and I memorized The Living Christ a few years ago. It took us 3 months, we took one paragraph a week and there are 12 paragraphs. We’d review the paragraph from before and then work on ther next one. It’s hard work the older I get!

    I lived

    • Cool! Thanks for sharing your technique, Kristy!
      Do you know what I remember about you? You were REALLY good at jigsaw puzzles! Do you still do those?

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