Written by Carter. Note: this should have been posted August 9. However, I couldn’t get the photos to upload…and I didn’t get around to fixing it…so will post today without photos. Tomorrow I will post Faye’s letter from this week …and mine the next day.

Faye and I celebrated our 37th wedding anniversary on Tuesday by traveling with a couple from our ward to Piha, where there is black sand on the beach — from the high iron content in the volcanic rock there. It was beautiful! There were a lot of people surfing there; it’s winter, so the water is cold and they were wearing wetsuits. Surfing looks fun, but it looks like it would take a lot of work to become proficient at it!   

I think I’ve mentioned previously that I’ve been doing “Man-Flow Yoga” since about November 2019. For the past 3 months, I’ve been doing the “Bulletproof Your Shoulders” program, which takes about 30 minutes per day. I’ve had left shoulder pain with certain movements for the past 5 years. I had been to a specialist and tried the exercises he gave me — without much benefit. I’ve also tried several other approaches. Well…this yoga program seems to have done the trick with that pain! Yea for yoga (or at least this type for my shoulder)!

My sister, Janice, called me for my birthday this week. We had a nice conversation where we got caught up on each other’s families. I especially appreciated her asking how I was doing with Ashton’s death. I’m not sure why that meant so much, but it did. I read something this week that rang true with me: something about not looking for sympathy when someone mentions their deceased loved one; it’s just that their memory is the only thing that’s still alive on this earth. It lifts me so much to know that others remember Ashton, also.

We celebrated one of the other senior missionaries’ birthdays with 3 other couples last night. Again, it’s wonderful to have such good (and fun!) people with whom to associate!

I participated in a mission health council (MHC) with the Tahiti mission president and his wife. They are local members and he is a Church employee. They are serving on an interim basis until the new president can arrive from the US. I also participated in another MHC with the Samoa mission. I also spoke with the Marshall Islands/Kiribati mission president. It sounds like the conditions there are quite primitive — conditions accentuated by the current pandemic. I commented, “I hope you are keeping a good journal! You are making history there!” I would not be surprised to read stories in future histories of the Church about how missionaries, members and leaders have adapted to the pandemic. Stories from these outlying areas will probably be among them.       

I testify that the Book of Mormon teaches of life’s purpose and explains the doctrine of Christ, which is central to that purpose. I believe that with all my heart.