Carter with some men at our ward Christmas party at Long Bay Beach. They are making Samoan Cocoa, made with real crushed cocoa beans. It’s a little bitter with some chunks of the beans. They add a little bit of sugar. The one in the reddish hat is razzing the man stirring the cocoa.
First section written by Faye: We had a sweet Sunday today. We got up earlier than usual because Bishop asked us to attend their ward council meeting, which started at 7, to help with the ward emergency plan. It was good to see how they worked together and hear and feel the bishops mantel for the ward. He’s a good man. Those people can laugh and joke around. They are fun!
Our friend Valda came to church today! We are wondering if we were sent to this ward just for her, to bring her back to Christ. She seems to respond well to couples from the US who wear the missionary name tags. I think it’s because she used to work with Elder Loren C Dunn when he lived here. She talks about him and his wife ALL THE TIME. The other members couldn’t get anywhere with her, but we have always felt welcome whenever we visit her. She is 83 and is trying to get her life in order for when she dies. She stayed for both meetings & choir practice. She said she felt really good being at church and taking the sacrament again. She wants to come back next Sunday. I sure love her. She is trying to show her love for God by the little things she can do. I had a good conversation with her about that a few weeks ago. God will know she is willing and doing her best with all the struggles she has had in her life.
There’s a Spanish speaking sister that moved into our ward this week and she attended our ward for the first time today. She just joined the church 4 months ago. Her name is Susana Jimenez. We took her and her 10 year old son to the ward Christmas party at Long Bay beach yesterday. She has been in NZ for 2 years now. She’s from Monterey, Mexico. Her English is about like my Spanish, we can understand better than we speak. She is trying to learn English so she can get a job in her field which is accounting. She’s a great lady and the ward members have embraced her. The way they introduced her was, “We have a new member of our ward that speaks Spanish!”
That’s one thing about NZ that I really love. There are so many languages spoken here. The NZ people are so welcoming to everyone. There are 2 Brazilian families in our ward, some Filipino families, Asian, tons of Polynesian and of course Maori. There are lots of Indian people here too.
It’s starting to get hot here. It’s hot when it gets in the 70’s. We got the fans our of our storage unit. The Christmas season is under way. I attended a stake Christmas concert Sunday night. The music of Christmas makes it Christmas for me. There are some talented musicians here. The sisters and I got together and made angels out of shells. I also made a miniature nativity. It was fun! I felt like an Activity Day girl! So fun to do some crafting.
Second section written by Carter:
We had some nice video conversations this week with our children & grandchildren. I sure do love them!
Several people recently have commented on how their lives have been blessed because of the pandemic. One older man said this: “I’m grateful for being in a pandemic lockdown with my wife. We have had a lot of fun together!” A young wife and mother also commented on how she and her husband had gotten closer than ever as they spent time together during the lockdown. A sister bore her testimony today, mentioning that she has returned to Church activity largely because of the pandemic, which allowed her to choose to “settle down” and re-evaluate her priorities.
This week, I fell in love with President Oaks’ talk, Love Your Enemies. I especially love this thought: It is possible to obey and seek to improve our nation’s laws and also to love my adversaries and my enemies. While not easy, it is possible with the help of my Lord, Jesus Christ.
Yesterday I called a 90-year-old widow from our church congregation St. David, AZ. I was getting Facebook messages from her that made me concerned that her account had been hacked…and it had; she had taken care of that when I called her, but we then had a nice conversation. She’s still quite physically active: walking outside when weather permits and riding her stationary bicycle inside the other days. Good for her! She’s one of my heroes!
For some reason, I was struck by the scriptures that clarify that my cleansing is made possible by the Atonement of Christ, but the actual cleansing and refining is done by the Holy Ghost…as I allow Him into my heart to do that. I knew that…but that concept especially resonated with me this week. I love it when the Holy Ghost teaches me like that!
As I was reading 3 Nephi 18:10, which says, “…and this [partaking the sacrament] doth witness unto the Father that ye are willing to do that which I have commanded you,” I had this thought: That small act of eating a small piece of bread and drinking a small cup of water is symbolic of my willingness to keep Christ’s commandments. My willingness can start small and then grow. Paraphrasing: “I am willing; Lord, help Thou my unwillingness.”
Our bishop is from Tonga, where he taught high school. When he immigrated to New Zealand, he did not have the English skills nor NZ teaching credentials to continue that same job here. He learned how to weld and now owns a fabrication business. He shared this experience in ward council today as an example of striving to be flexible in our career paths. The context was a discussion about a sister from Mexico who was an accountant there, but cannot find that kind of work here because she lacks adequate English proficiency. The ward leaders want to help her find work, but it may not be in the same field as when she lived in Mexico. Right now, she is cleaning a gym because her husband lost his IT job during the pandemic.
As I have accepted President Nelson’s invitation to search the scriptures for what the Lord has promised He will do for covenant Israel, this scripture in Jeremiah 24:7 touched me: “And I will give them an heart to know me, that I am the Lord: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God: for they shall return unto me with their whole heart.” How does this apply to me personally? One thought is that God will work upon me so that I will want to return to Him (repent) after I have sinned — as all mortals have and do and will. I love that thought! I would also love to hear some of your favorite promises from the Lord to His covenant Israel.
I humbly testify that Christ’s New Testament Church was restored in 1830 through the Prophet, Joseph Smith. As a young man prior to this restoration, Joseph had searched for the truth; like many of us today, he wanted to know God’s will and his standing before his Creator. His searching led him to the Bible, which encouraged him to ask of God. When Joseph did kneel in humble prayer, God, the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ did in reality visit him and speak to him. They called Joseph to be Their instrument in the promised latter-day restoration of all things. Once again, there was a prophet upon the earth who could authoritatively speak in the name of God because he was called personally by God. Other heavenly messengers also personally visited Joseph and restored Christ’s ancient priesthood, which was necessary to organize Christ’s Church again upon the earth. That same priesthood authority is possessed today in a living prophet named Russell M. Nelson. The main purpose of this priesthood and this Church is to prepare the world for the Second Coming of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.