Haere ra Aotearoa (Goodbye New Zealand)

Our last week consisted of training the Maughans, a week long of goodbyes and parties and a nasty cold.

We spent a delightful weekend showing the Maughans some of New Zealand. We took them to church on Sunday at the Takapuna Ward and then went back to the apartment for a late lunch/dinner.

Dave and Gary with Rangitoto in the background

Dave and Anne Maughan and Susan

Monday we began training with the usual Monday morning devotional.  After the devotional we had a staff meeting with Hans and Luisa.  By the time we were finished with our staff meeting it was time for lunch at one of our favourite lunch places - Habitual Fix.  They serve sandwiches, salads, and wraps.  After lunch the Maughans went to the mission office to meet the mission president, President Balli.

By 3:00pm, Gary commented that he needed to go back to the hotel as he was not feeling well.  He went to bed and Susan went for one of her last walks on Takapuna Beach.

Tuesday we worked on the computers.  Susan went to lunch with some of the office staff.  Upon returning she took Sister Maughan to train her in "shopping" in the town of Devonport.  They rode the bus down and back.  After returning from Devonport, Susan learned that Gary had gone back to the hotel.  When she got to the hotel, she learned that he had been in bed all afternoon.  In fact, he slept till the next day.  While Gary was resting, Susan and the Maughans went to the local Internet store in the mall to see about transferring her Sim card and the Internet service into the Maughans' name.  They then returned to the apartment and Susan did some more packing.  Most of our things were packed, but we did not pack the clothes we would be wearing every day.

Wednesday we had our exit interview luncheon with the Area Presidency, minus Elder and Sister Pearson, as they were in Australia.  We had gone to dinner with them on Wednesday night the 2nd of March.  Our luncheon was wonderful.  Elder and Sister Seamons (Executive Secretary to the Area Presidency)  did a great job with the meal and decorations.  After lunch Gary again went back to the hotel to bed.  Susan stopped at an Asian restaurant later that evening and got him some hot and sour soup for dinner that he said helped.  This was the only illness he had on our entire mission.

Sister Seamon, Sister Debbie Buckner, Brent Buckner, Elder S. Gifford Nielsen, Sister Peggy Haleck, Elder O. Vincent Haleck, Susan (with her eyes closed) and Gary

Thursday our department together with the self-reliance department planned a potluck lunch as a goodbye to us and a celebration of the birthdays of Hans Sorensen on the 13th and Luisa Valifale on the 17th.   We then spent the rest of the day turning the reigns over to the Maughans - we even changed out our picture on the map.

Our little welfare corner - Luisa, Gary, Elder Maughan, Susan. and Sister Maughan

Gary and Elder Bennett

Sister Susan Preator and Sister Arendje Whidden

Sister Preator is Susan's third cousin.  They were both Susan Wakefield growing up

Susan and Sister Nada Spencer 

Renee Solomon, Susan and Sister Spencer

Changing the photo on the map

Thursday night we had to get serious about packing.  Somehow the same clothes that we had brought to New Zealand had multiplied and we left many things behind.  Clothes, hair products, you name it we left it.  We each had two large bags, one carry-on and our backpacks.  There were lots of things we thought we would take home, but they found a new home in New Zealand.  Friday was just a series of goodbyes - we have made some wonderful friends here in the Pacific Area and we already miss them terribly.  

Luisa,  Susan, June Anderson, Arendje

Luisa and Susan

Gary, Susan and Hans

About 3:30pm we did our final hugs and farewells as Elder and Sister Whidden were taking us to the airport.  (The Maughans were still learning how to navigate on the left).

We arrived at the airport about 5:00pm, checked in and went to the Lounge to wait for our flight to board.  It was to be a "very long" night.

"Real friends never pull you down, they always lift."  Russell M. Nelson, "The Power Within Us."

Cyclone Pam

Jac and Sara's arrival

Trip to temple before Gary's departure

Our daughter Sara and son-in-law Jac arrived last Sunday ready to spend some time with both us of,  see beautiful New Zealand and participate in cultural events and activities offered by this country.  We had plans ready and had arranged to take few days off of work to enjoy the country.  However even the best laid plans can sometimes be derailed by mother nature.  Last weekend, a category 5 storm (Cyclone Pam) hit the island nation of Vanuatu resulting in a major emergency for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and for the people and government of Vanuatu.  With Gary's background and experience he was asked to travel to Vanuatu and help assess the situation and recommend how the Church might provide aid in this disaster.  Commercial flights to Vanuatu resumed on Wednesday March 18 and Gary left with two others from the Pacific Area Office to Port Vila, Vanuatu.  Here is what he reported when he returned to New Zealand on Saturday, March 21:

"We arrived the afternoon of Wednesday 18 March at approximately 4 PM and left on Saturday 21 March at 7 AM.  The Vanuatu government has imposed a dawn to dusk (6 PM to 6 AM) curfew so we had two full days to make our assessment and evaluation.  Our first impression comparing Port Vila and Efate to a previous trip in November 2014 was that it “looked like winter”.  The leaves were off the trees and there were small fires and smoke everywhere.  After landing and driving to our hotel accommodation, our general impression was that damages, although significant, were not as bad as expected.  All missionaries are safe and accounted for.  Members on the island of Efate (Port Vila) along with their counterparts in the community are working hard to rebuild their homes and lives.  There were 200-300 living temporarily in Church buildings at night and working hard during the day to piece together the remnants of their homes.  People are going back to their homes and property as quickly as possible.  Church buildings withstood the cyclone quite well.  We visited 5 meetinghouses and the mission home.  The four Church-constructed meetinghouses and the mission home had minor damage, but were very functional.  One “bush-chapel” we visited will need to be rebuilt.  Church members and people in the community are generally positive, happy and working hard to piece their lives back together.  Food and supplies are available in Port Vila, but outside of the city where people depend upon agriculture and their gardens to feed themselves, there is only food on the ground and in the ground for the next week or possibly two.  The immediate to mid-term needs outside the city are for the basics:  food, water and shelter.  Agricultural help will be needed long-term."

Overview upon arrival

The Team - Hans, Elder and Sister Leben, Gary, and Garrick

Rebuilding

Remains of a meetinghouse

Elder and Sister Leben viewing remains of a village school

The school before the storm

Replacing the roof 

Food to be distributed

Helping hands ready to deliver food

Quoting Gary, "Overall, it was a wonderful experience.  People of Vanuatu, after losing almost all their possessions were positive, happy and working hard to restore their lives.  If you listened carefully you could hear in the background the sound of chainsaws, children playing and people laughing as the worked together.  I had the feeling that I was where I was suppose to be when I was suppose to be there."  As said by a great prophet from the Book of Mormon:  "When you are in the service of your fellow beings, you are only in the service of your God."  

Fiji Welfare Conference

This last week we flew to Nadi, Fiji to host a Welfare Conference.  Attending were the  humanitarian missionary couples and the country welfare mangers for each country in the Pacific area.  I guess we should say, for most of our countries.  The couples from the Marshall Islands and Solomon Islands were unable to attend.

All at the conference received a review of basic welfare and humanitarian principles.  The 2015 Pacific Area Focus (diabetes prevention and treatment) was discussed.  Everyone received more detailed instructions on how to use the Church database program to develop, record and monitor humanitarian projects.  We learned about the Food Initiative (gardening) pilot programs currently under development in Samoa and Kiribati.  We even learned how one couple teaches the community to save their seeds for replanting.   The evaluation forms which were completed by conference attendees gave positive reviews and a great time was had by all.

The group photo will be posted at a later date when we receive it from our photographer (Elder Roth).

Here are a few photos of those who attended, minus Elder Adolf Johansson, who snuck out before we could get his picture.

Brent and Debbie Buckner, Director of Temporal Affairs

Hans Sorensen, Area Welfare Manager

Luisa Vaifale, Administrative Assistant

Elder and Sister Winters, Area Welfare Specialists

Jackson Yee, County Welfare Manager, Fiji

Frank and Susan Stanford, Assistant County Welfare Manager, Fiji

Elder and Sister Roth, Fiji

Elder and Sister Lata, Samoa

Elder Fata, Area  Seventy and County Welfare Manager, Samoa

Brett Macdonald and Sam Williams, Garden Specialists, Samoa

Elder and Sister Waldron, Humanitarian/Self-Reliance, Kiribati

Burentia Kaiea, Country Welfare Manager, Kiribati

Eddie Alembo, Country Welfare Manager, Papua New Guinea

Ana Ika, Country Welfare Manager, Tonga

Sister and Elder Murdock, Tonga

We were priveledged to visit Port Denarau, Fiji where we met several Church members who recognized us because of our Latter-Day Saint Charities shirts.    The Port was lovely and the fish was tasty.

Flame Tree

Port Denarau

A few small boats

This just in from Elder Roth - our group photo

"Welfare services is not just a program; it is the gospel in action.  Its principles are the principles of the gospel.  It is the Christian rule in temporal affairs."  Marion G Romney