Carter’s been monitoring a senior missionary in Kiribati that has not been well. He died a week ago. He and his wife are from Tonga and the Tongan government wouldn’t let them come back home because of Covid, even though there was no Covid on Kiribati or Tonga. He’s been in the hospital there with limited medical care. They did the best they could. I’m so sad for his wife. She can’t get back to Tonga either. She doesn’t know the Kiribati language. He served a mission there as a young man and wanted to go back and show his wife where he served. They have been serving there since August of last year. Now the people there are serving her. We continue to pray for them. We learned that the church is working on flying his body back to Tonga. I hope that can happen.

It’s interesting that it’s the looking back on something when I realize the blessing:

New Zealand is having a 2nd wave of COVID and I have been struggling with another lockdown and not being able to be there for Jacob and Gracia’s first baby. A few weeks ago on an especially hard day, I had been looking at YouTube videos on how to make masks. I didn’t have any plans to make anything, I was just interested in watching how they were made. Then the words President Hinckley’s father told him came into my mind, “Forget yourself and go to work!” So….I started making masks. All kinds. All flavors. I tried lots of different patterns. I used whatever fabric I had and it was fun. I spent almost a whole week making them. Our kitchen table had barely enough room to eat on because of Carter’s jigsaw puzzle and my sewing machine but we managed. Carter was my cheerleader and oood and awed at each one I made. We can only use so many masks so I’ve started giving some away to the other missionaries and I’m going to see if some of my neighbors want any. We haven’t really needed masks yet, but with this 2nd lockdown New Zealand is starting to require them when we are out in public.

I’m out of fabric and elastic now so the mask making has halted until the stores open again but it was a fun time! My brain and my hands were busy and it got me out of my selfish inward thinking.

I wonder how many people have been helped by those words from President Hinckley’s father. I sure am grateful for them.

Carter learned about writing Haiku as a form of healing. Basically it’s counting syllables on 3 lines… 5, 7 & 5.  It has required some time and thought for me. Here are some I’ve written: 

Heaven sent grand boy
Wish I could partake at the
Family table

Did Ashton send him?
Tutored with an uncle’s love
Eternal nephew

I read an article by Elder Bednar about how their life is different with Covid here. One of the things he mentioned is that they cut each other’s hair now. He says, “The hair cuts she gives me are so much better than the ones I give her!” It made me remember that we gave each other hair cuts last week. Carter trimmed my hair in the back where I can’t reach. I coached him and he did a great job! I told him his dad would be proud. I think he would graduate with honors….if he could ever get into barber school.  

I’m grateful for the mercies of God in giving all his children a chance to come unto Him, whether in this life on earth or in the spirit world.

Oceans of love,    Faye

***No pictures this week, but Jacob has been sending us a Marco Polo almost each night this past week with a little video of Jacob Antonio before they put him to bed. They say he’s a good sleeper for a newborn. They are in love with him and so are we.