Written by Carter.
Yesterday was New Zealand’s national election. Jacinda Ardern was re-elected prime minister; she is very popular here. Her father is the twin brother of Elder Ian Ardern, our area president. She was raised in the Church, but does not actively participate currently. She seems to maintain a lot of her wholesome upbringing, however.

We had an activity at the area office with the other senior missionaries Monday evening. Elder and Sister Ardern were our guests: they both spoke briefly, then opened it up for questions and answers. I asked what helped them maintain a strong marriage. She responded that praying together from the earliest days of their marriage has helped greatly. He said to remember three, three-word phrases: “Let us pray,” “Can I help?” and “I love you.” How simple, yet profound!

Tuesday morning, I attended a devotional where the area presidency updated the area employees and missionaries on the status of the area…and their vision for moving forward the Lord’s work. It was very inspiring! A factoid that stuck with me: NZ’s population is about 20% Maori and Polynesian, 80% European and other ethnic groups. Conversely, Church membership is just the opposite: 80% Maori and Polynesian, 20% everyone else.

For some reason, I started listening to poetry: there is some really good stuff out there. My favorite collections (so far) are The Complete Collection of Emily Dickinson’s Poems and 101 Famous Poems by Roy C. Cook. My favorite poem (so far) is “Home,” by Edgar A. Guest. My favorite paragraph in that poem is this:

Ye've got t' weep t' make it home, ye've got t' sit an' sigh
An' watch beside a loved one's bed, an' know that Death is nigh; 
An' in the stillness o' the night t' see Death's angel come,
An' close the eyes o' her that smiled, an' leave her sweet voice dumb. 
Fer these are scenes that grip the heart, an' when yer tears are dried,
Ye find the home is dearer than it was, an' sanctified; 
An' tuggin' at ye always are the pleasant memories
O' her that was an' is no more -- ye can't escape from these.

Many times in the past… we’ve wondered if we should move to a new house, a new town, a new life. But we never felt like we should when it came right down to it. We have a lot of good memories in that home, that far outweigh the weeping part. After reading this poem, we are reminded that this is our home and we love it. It is sanctified from what we experienced with Ashton. We feel like we have made the right decision to stay. We also feel like it’s a significant part of our healing to realize that.

I accompanied the sister missionary I mentioned last week (who had a keloid/large scar related to a dog bite) to a doctor’s appointment. The plan is to administer low-dose radiation to the incision if/when the keloid is cut out — to prevent it from recurring. The appointment went well. Rather than drive, I rode the bus and had a beautiful view of the city, without the distractions of other cars, where to turn, etc. I had a nice, brief visit with the young man sitting next to me. I told him I could have driven, but decided to ride the bus, “…to sit next to you, I guess.” He chuckled at hearing that. I don’t know if anything will come of that interaction, but I hope to have left a good impression as I tried to represent Jesus Christ.

I have enjoyed following President Nelson’s invitation to “…make a list of all that the Lord has promised He will do for covenant Israel,” remembering that one of the meanings of the name “Israel” is “Let God prevail.” I pray that I will trust God and let Him prevail in my life. I pray that I can help Him find others who are also willing to let Him prevail in their lives.

I’m trying a different approach to help me learn from General Conference: In the past, I may have “sprinted” for several weeks after Conference, wanting to learn and implement as much as I could as quickly as I could. It worked pretty well, but I may have run out of enthusiasm at times. This time, I’m going to try to be more patient with myself, making it more of a “marathon,” giving myself time to adequately digest/relish/savor/absorb each talk (maybe several times) before moving to the next talk. I pray that the Holy Ghost will guide me to know the next small step the Lord would have me take to repent and become more like Him, through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. If any of you would like to share with me what you have found helpful to make the most of General Conference, I would greatly appreciate it.

With reverence and gratitude, I invite all to know—as I do—that the heavens are open. God lives. He has heard and answered my sincere prayers; He will hear and answer yours, as well.