Written by Carter. One of the missionaries had surgery on Monday. To preserve confidentiality, I will refer to the missionary as “they” or “them” and won’t give more details. Because it was in Auckland (and involved a complicated situation), Faye and I drove them to the surgery. They wanted me to be present when the doctors were talking to them before surgery. Faye and I waited in the waiting room during the surgery, which seems to have gone well. The missionary was in a fair amount of pain and was very tired after the surgery, so we brought them to our apartment to rest until their companion could be with them again. It was a blessing to serve them. “Mama Faye” did a great job “mothering” them!

We have been participating in lessons with Sarah, an amazing woman in her 30s who was so ready for baptism yesterday! Last Sunday, she said, “I don’t know how I’m going to make it through the next six days! I feel like I’m going to jump out of my skin because I’m so excited about being baptized!” She calls us her “Church parents”! How awesome is that?! (We will definitely be carryng a New Zealand “daughter” in our hearts when we come home!) She even asked me to baptize her! Sarah’s lessons have been at the church building and the missionaries have invited us to attend them. On Thursday, she invited us (and the missionaries) to her apartment so we could bless it to be a place where she can be protected both spiritually and physically. I felt guided by the Spirit as I was voice for that blessing. Experiences like these are yet another evidence that this is The Church of Jesus Christ, where His authority is dispersed to as many men who are willing to be obedient to His commandments and are authorized to exercise His priesthood in His name (rather than one or a few men who are leaders, as is the case in all/most other churches).

The baptismal service yesterday was very inspirational! Sarah was glowing before, during and after the service. One of the young missionaries confirmed her a member of the Church today and blessed her to receive the Holy Ghost. When I think of how her “countenance” was when we first met her a few weeks ago…compared with how it is now…it is truly miraculous to see that conversion, that transformation. What a privilege to have a front-row seat and to be a part of this experience! Jesus Christ can do miraculous things with people who are willing to turn their lives over to them.

A man in his 30s was also baptized yesterday. He is from Peru and is an engineer on the temple being built in Auckland. He helped build a temple in Peru and another in Chile…but just was not ready to join the Church at that time. Because I speak Spanish, the missionaries invited me to several of his lessons and I helped explain some of the more complex ideas to him in Spanish. It has also been a privilege to be a part of his conversion process.

On Friday, we had a phone interview about possibly being on the podcast, “Bereaved But Still Me.” A friend who lost her daughter to congenital heart disease and is involved with the podcast invited us. It was a good experience to talk to them, then for Faye and me to review the script for the actual podcast. We hope it will be useful for those who need/want to learn from our experiences. (It was also interesting to catch a glimpse of how podcasts are created. There was a lot of prep work going on behind the scenes!)

I did a Zoom training for the incoming president (and his wife) for the mission that includes Vanuatu/New Caledonia/Solomon Islands (island nations in the south Pacific). We covered the Church’s resources that are available to help them care for the missionaries’ physical and mental health. They sure seem like great folks…as mission leaders always are!

I have been reading the Book of Mormon over the phone with a lady from Mexico who lives in NZ with her husband and son and who wants to speak better English. She reads a verse aloud in Spanish (for comprehension), then again in English…and I help her with pronunciation and subtleties of the English language. I’m sure glad I learned English as a child! It sure seems hard to learn as an adult!

Yesterday, I called one of my former mission companions…from 39 years ago! It sure was good to hear his voice again! It was good to hear about him and his family. Serving as mission companions sure creates some lasting friendships!
One of the families who live in our apartment complex are from India and they practice Zoro-Astrianism. The man has shared several videos and articles with me about his religion. I shared a Book of Mormon with him and some other things about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Here are some things that I have read, heard and/or thought about recently:

• The great law of the Iriquois is that our most sacred duty is to think seven generations ahead when making any decision.
• Life is like a fitness center; growth is hard and is sometimes painful.
• Don’t cry because it’s over; smile because it happened.
• I like to think of God encouraging me with these words: “You don’t know everything, but you know enough. You are strong enough for this…because I am with you.”
• I listened to the audiobook of “The Boy Crisis,” which I recommend. In it, the author talks about “Hero Intelligence” vs “Health Intelligence.” Why are more men and boys dying from suicide? Could it have something to do with society rewarding boys for developing “Hero Intelligence,” at the expense of their “Health Intelligence”?
• As I read in the scriptures about adversity, I wondered: How did the righteous/believing women and children being burned bless their righteous surviving men who were cast out of Ammonihah before this atrocity was committed against their loved ones (Alma 14)? I don’t think the scriptures comment on that, but I believe God blessed in some way for their faithfulness amidst affliction. Thinking about this caused me to ask myself this question: How have I been blessed because of Ashton suicide? I will give that some thought and write what comes to my mind and heart, then share as appropriate.

I haven’t written as much lately partly because I went through a “rough patch” for a couple of months. I am working on a letter with more details about that; I hope to send it out this week — for those who are interested. Overall, I think my grief is improving. One measure of that observation is this: Last year, we went to a party at a local family’s house, celebrating the signing of the Waitangi Treaty between the British and the Maori in 1840. It was about a week after the anniversary of Ashton’s death. When I’m feeling low, it’s hard for me to be around people for very long; after about an hour last year, I was ready to go home. This year, we went to the same party…and I was still feeling good after being there for two hours! I commented to Faye on the way home about how much better my “party stamina” was this year! What a blessing!

I love yous all! (This is how people from Tonga and Samoa commonly say “you” when several people are included.)