Elder Scirkovich

When we first arrived in New Zealand we were introduced to everyone at the area office.  (Of course this was on the same day as we arrived; how many names do you think we remembered?)  As we left one office Susan noticed the name on the door and had to back-track and ask if this Norman Scirkovich was any relation to Elder Scirkovich serving in the Adriatic North Mission.  He replied that he was his father.  We told him that we had just returned from that mission last November and we knew his son.  He told us that his son would be home in November.  November has now arrived and Elder Scirkovich returned home on Thursday.  Last night we were invited to the Scirkovich home for a get together.  It was great to see him and talk about places we both had served and of all our mutual friends.  It is a small world when you get church members together.

After the fact we realize that we should have taken a picture of him and his parents.  We'll try to do that next time.  The only other picture we got was of the sister missionaries who helped with the container for our needy Samoa school project.  In fact there were at least three other people at the Scirkovich home that had helped with the school project.  We are happy that Elder Scirkovich lives in the same stake as we do now.

"Missionaries in their late teens or early 20s are young in ways of the world,  but they are blessed with gifts - such as the power of the Holy Spirit, the love of God and testimonies of the truth - that makes them powerful ambassadors for the Lord"  Russell M. Nelson "Ask the Missionaries"  October 2012

Thanksgiving

Saturday, November 22, 2014 was a busy day for us.  It was also the anniversary of our arrival in New Zealand.  We have already been here over 2 months.  When you look at it that way, it makes you wonder if we can accomplish all that we have come here to do.  We now have less than 15 1/2 months to do it in.

In the afternoon we went to the Area Office where we joined 44 others for a Thanksgiving dinner.  They don't celebrate Thanksgiving in New Zealand.  But most of the couples are from America, so we did it up big time.  

Susan was on the committee to help decorate, and with a little help from "Pinterest, Martha (Stewart) Egan" and our daughters things turned out pretty well.  Everyone brought their own plates and utensils, so it was more like a "homestyle dinner" rather than a paper plate and plastic utensil affair.  We had 8 tables in which different sisters volunteered to create the centerpieces.  

We had real turkeys.  Elder Haleck's wife brought cranberry jelly and pumpkin pie filling and some cute plates for the pie from the USA when she went home for General Conference.  She also brought back some fall leaf pattern napkins.  Because New Zealand is just going into summer, there were no fall leaves to use for decorations.  There was however tons of greenery, some of which we put to use.  We each paid some money for the turkeys as they are quite pricey here - Nearly $200.00 NZD for a 7 kg (15 lbs) fowl. We had three of those wonderful birds and then each couple also brought an additional dish (Sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, salad) or they made a pie.  There was plenty to eat.

Thankful Tree

 
Elder and Sister Broberg (Family History) are going home the first week of December.  Four of their five children came to pick up their Mom and Dad.  The children's spouses volunteered to stay home with their children while they came to pick up their parents.  They had just arrived Saturday morning, the day of our Thanksgiving Day dinner.  Monday morning they had an extensive travel itinerary which included the Temple in Hamilton, Hobbitton, and the Coromandel - all terrific New Zealand holiday sites.

We also had some activites.  One of the couples had received some muscial chimes.  Each person was given a chime and shown how to play it.  We sang a few Thanksgiving songs.  A great time was had by all.  

"Come to God's own temple, come; Raise the song of harvest home."

Christian Kindness

On Saturday, November 22nd, we visited the Northcross Intermediate School in Brown's Bay, Auckland, New Zealand.  A group had contacted the church to help them ship a container of donated school furniture and supplies from Auckland, New Zealand to Apia, Samoa.  The Auckland Harbour Stake in partnership with the Northcross Intermediate School Board of Trustees joined together and collected school furniture, books and materials to the Tuanui School in Apia, Samoa. The goods supplied will be used by both LDS and non-LDS students in Samoa.  The day we visited we were joined by students, their parents, and six young missionaries to finish loading a 20 foot container.  

The container was shipped on Wednesday, Nov 26.  When it arrives in Samoa we will have to post some more pictures.

"There is power in our love for God and for His children, and when that love is tangibly manifest in millions of acts of Christian kindness, it will sweeten and nourish the world with the life-sustaining nectar of faith, hope, and charity."  M. Russel Ballard, October 2012

Etas and Prema

After our arrival in Vanuatu, Elder and Sister Larsen drove us past a plot of land near the airport where about 400 people had recently been evicted.  The land technically did not belong to them - they lived there illegally.  The government had warned them that they would have to move by a certain date, but to where?  When the notice date came all of their homes were bulldozed.

These people were given some land above another community called Etas.  With the addition of another 400 people to the "Etas" area the need for clean water escalated.  Clean water was one of the main concerns the mission president had when we meet with him.

When visited the community of Etas, the displaced people were clearing the land for the 400 new residents.  There are possibilities and a real need for a additional clean water in Etas.  We also visited a small locally built children's school in Etas as well.



Talking with the chief of displaced people





Land being cleared



New water tanks and beginning of homes 



Planting crops

 



School in Etas - red school bell is on the side of the building



Inside the school



 

Home in Etas

Another home

Children at play

After Etas we went to visit a community called Prema.  There had been a drought in Vanuatu.   In October it rained.  They received more rain than they needed. The river rose and flooded the community of Prema.  As part of an emergency response project the church provided fund to purchase blankets and mosquito nets.  We visited Prema and learned that the supplies had arrived and were at the dock waiting to clear customs.

 



Walking into Prema



Susan and villagers



Home in Prema  







Children playing in the river



Child on an abandoned wave runner

As we took the picture another jumped in to have his picture as well  

Newest young woman of Black Sands branch

 

 

 





"The Lord is in the details of our lives."

The purpose of our trip to Vanuatu was to organize things for the humanitarian missionary couple who will arrive there in March 2015.  There was a previous couple in Vanuatu, but due to health problems they went home early (August 2013).  They had started the work for a wheelchair distribution and training project as well as a few clean water projects.

We began the process of multiple meetings on Monday morning.  In developing countries, things often take much longer than they would at home.  It took us until Friday to be able to meet with all the parties we needed to meet with, including key people at the central hospital and the Vanuatu Society for Disabled People.

There is no doubt that the Lord is mindful of the work in Vanuatu.  Wednesday we went to the hospital to talk to someone about a shipment of wheelchairs which will arrive in March.  We waited for over a half hour and we were sent away to come back the next day.  As we walked out of the hospital we met President Gila, who is the branch president of the Black Sands Branch.  We talked with him for a few minutes and asked he knew a "Tom", a person at the "disability society" - Yes, he knew him and he also knew where his office was located.  President Gila went with us to his office, which we wouldn't have found on our own.  Tom, the person at the "disability society" was the very person we needed and the consignee for the wheelchair shipment.  There is no question in our minds that the Lord put President Gila right there at that specific time to help us.  He was an answer to our prayers.

President Gila

When we arrived at his office Tom was not there, but we were told to come back the following day.  On Thursday we first went back to the hospital at 9:00 AM and were told that we needed to come back at 2:00 PM.  We then went to our next meeting to see Tom.  When we arrived at the Vanuatu Society of Disabled People, a film crew was there, but Tom was not.  They told us to go to another location somewhere across town.  After driving around and around, we finally found the place "Wan Smolbag" (One Small Bag) but we did not find Tom.  However we found two members of the church that Sister Duke knew.  After chatting with them for a few minutes they made some inquiries about Tom for us and found out that he was not there anymore.   Wan Smolbag is an organization that uses community theatre to convey messages about health issues.  After lunch we went back to the hospital for our 2:00 PM appointment and were told to come back the next morning.  We went back to the Mission Office a bit weary as nothing seemed to be working.  Susan had the impression to call Tom's office and see if we might be able to set up an appointment.  The person who answered the phone was Tom!  We went back to his office right then to meet him.  The film crew was still there, but they allowed us to slip in past all the equipment and we had a wonderful meeting with Tom.

Tom Toswel

Friday morning we went back to the hospital.  Our expectations were not extremely high as this was now our fourth time to try to meet with the right person.  We were delighted when we were able to meet with Dr. Richard Leona, a surgeon and the hospital administrator.  We discussed the wheelchair shipment and accompanying training program.  He was very excited especially about the opportunity to have local people trained in wheelchair fitting.  We had a good meeting with Dr. Leona and feel confident that he will be an excellent contact person for the new couple.

Dr. Leona

We close this post with a quote from President Monson "Consider the Blessings" October 2012.  "Our Heavenly Father is aware of our needs and will help us as we call upon Him for assistance.  I believe that no concern of ours is too small or insignificant.  The Lord is in the details of our lives."