Cyclone Winston

Cyclone Winston, a category 5 cyclone hit the islands of Fiji on February 20, 2016.  It was the strongest tropical cyclone on record to make landfall over Fiji.  Most of the senior missionaries as well as many of the youth were all in the capital city, Suva for the re-dedication of the Fiji Temple.  President Henry B. Eyring and Elder Quentin L. Cook along with the entire Pacific Area Presidency had just arrived.  The cultural celebration that usually takes place before a temple dedication was significantly reduced in length and started an hour earlier due to a curfew being enforced because of the cyclone  The real miracle was that the storm didn't go over Suva, but turned and struck less populated areas on outer islands.  

The main path of the storm was across the main island's northern coastline and communities to the west.  Further north, the islands of Koro, Tavenui, and Vana Levu received the worst damage.  Sadly, 44 people were killed and thousands of homes were damaged or destroyed.  

On Sunday, February 21, the temple dedication went forward with a very small crowd due to government travel restrictions and blocked roads due to fallen trees.  Even with all the challenges, those in Fiji were thankful that many lives may have been spared because over 100 youth were in Suva for the temple dedication rather than at home in the outer islands where the eye of the cyclone passed over.

"We do not always have the option of choosing our situations in life, but we can respond with faith and trust in the Savior.  We can know that He knows and loves us and will be with us."  Elaine S. Dalton, Lessons from the Old Testament:  Lessons from Ruth and Hannah, April General Conference 2006

What is an Area Welfare Specialist?

Quite often we are asked: "What is an Area Welfare Specialist and what do you do?"  According to the description on the Internet - "Area Welfare Specialists support senior humanitarian missionaries as they develop and implement humanitarian projects."

On a typical day we go to the office (an 8 minute walk from our flat) between 7:30 and 8:00 am.  If it is raining there is a shuttle that will pick us up at the apartment building at 7:45.  Gary nearly always walks - the arthritis in Susan's feet determine if she will walk or ride.  Upon arrival at the office we turn on our computers to check emails and the humanitarian project database for new requests and updates. Each morning, Susan checks the United States Geological Survey website for earthquakes with a magnitude over 5.0 and tropical storms in the Pacific Area.  She then sends an email to the Area Welfare Manager and office staff. Everyone is made aware of any possible emergencies.  

Gary at his computer

Our Administrative Assistant, Luisa

On Mondays at 8:30 am there is a devotional for all church employees and missionaries.  It usually lasts about 15 to 20 minutes.  At 9:00 am we then meet with the Area Welfare Manager and our Administrative Assistant where we discuss plans for the week.

Gary, Luisa, and Hans

Tuesday through Friday the office work is similar if we are in New Zealand. We read and respond to emails, monitor earthquakes and storms, answer phone calls and help do our best to support our humanitarian couples and staff throughout the area.  

Once a month we attend the Area Welfare Counsel Meeting (AWCM) with a member of the Pacific Area Presidency, the Director for Temporal Affairs, ourselves, our Administrative Assistant, the Area Welfare Manager, the Self-Reliance Services Manager, and the Area Controller.  At this meeting we present, review and discuss humanitarian and welfare proposals for the Pacific Area.  It was just last week that we held our monthly AWCM.  Prior to the meeting, our humanitarian couples submit their requests to fund various humanitarian projects in their countries.  Gary looks over these requests, tweaks them if necessary and puts them into a power-point format which we present for review and discussion in the AWCM.  This month we had 17 projects submitted and also approved.  The project requests range from materials to help a village complete a water system, or providing school playground equipment to shipping donated school furniture to one of the poor island countries. Other examples could include equipment and supplies for humanitarian dental clinics or helping a poor subsistence agriculture village prepare their land to plant crops. Each project is reviewed on it's merits and either approved or returned for further development.  

When our couples submit their projects we suggest that they contain the following elements: 

1.  Have the support of the local priesthood.   

2.  The beneficiaries are involved in the project - its good to have "sweat equity" as part of the project.

3.  Have volunteers participate - include project recipients and volunteers from the Church and the community.  

4.  Do something so the community will grow and benefit from this project.  To the extent possible, they will be better able to respond themselves to meet future challenges.  

5.  We try to use "local solutions" to the problem.  If local solutions are used, the community will know how to maintain the project and hopefully fix future problems. 

After our meeting, we go back to our office and notify the couples that their projects have been approved (or need to be modified) and take care of other challenges and difficulties that may arise.  

Gary's main role is working with the couples, developing the larger projects, budgeting for the next year and  helping them solve problems as they arise.  

Susan's role is humanitarian blogger.  We request that the couples send us a short paragraph and pictures each month with their successes.  When all the reports are in, she puts together a newsletter.  The newsletters help the missionary couples see what the other couples are doing and hopefully spark ideas that they might consider in their own country.  It also gives the Area Presidency an overview of the work.  Here are just a few of the pictures she receives along with a short comment of what they are doing.

There you have it - what an Area Welfare Specialist does.  Since we are making this post on Sunday night we will start all over again tomorrow morning.  We enjoy the work we are engaged in, love exploring New Zealand on the weekends and are very happy with the life of a Area Welfare Specialist in New Zealand.  We are only missing one thing - our family.  

"No one has learned the meaning of living until he has surrendered his ego to the service of his fellow man." Thomas S. Monson, Service Bring Joy, New Era, October 2009

My Family 15 in 15

My Family 15 in 15

In February the Pacific Area Presidency invited everyone in the area to enter their 15 family names into familysearch.org and perform the temple ordinances in 2015.

The goal is to help members and friends to record 15 family names of direct ancestors in 2015. The challenge was given for all those in leadership positions in the stakes and districts throughout the Pacific Area to complete their 15 in 15. Once it was completed we were asked to share it on the My Family 15 in 15 FaceBook page.   What is my 15 you might ask?  That would be yourself, your parents, your grandparents, and your great grandparents.  That might seem like a simple task to some.  There are some challenges to many people on the various island of the pacific as the information has not been written down.  The family history in some cultures has always been shared just verbally.

We have been told that can we increase our faith in Jesus Christ and love for our family through submitting and performing temple ordinances for our family members who have passed on.   Not only will we have the eternal gratitude of our love ones, we will be bound together as families for the eternities to come.

Since coming to New Zealand we have worked on our family history.  In reviewing our records, it was discovered that we had made a mistake and overlooked one of Gary's grandfathers sisters.  We had the wrong person linked to his family.  Recently we were able to do her temple work and can testify to you that she was happy to be found.

We have also learned about different websites and apps to help in recording family information.  Our latest find was an app call Family Search Memories.  Here you are able to add photos, write stories and even record yourself or family members telling their memories and stories verbally.  Thus also preserving a recording of their voice for future generations.  We feel this is important.  As an example, our children were quite young when their grandparents died and so they don't have the memories that we have of our parents and grandparents.  We have decided to start writing and recording some of the memories we have of our parents and grandparents for our children and grandchildren.

Did you know that family history is a popular world-wide hobby.  It is reported as the number 2 hobby after gardening?    How are you doing on your family history?

"I believe that the Lord, through His servants..... is preparing many spirits to receive the gospel.   Our job is to search out our dead and then go to the temple and perform the sacred ordinances that will bring to those beyond the veil the same opportunities we have." Hastening the Work, Thomas S. Monson, Ensign June 2014

You might enjoy this youtube video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDDTDxakm0w&feature=youtu.be