Missionary Breakfast, Visit from the Healeys, Seminary, DCM, FHE, and Family Name Assist

We had transfers the previous week, so Monday morning we had our District over for breakfast. We only have one new missionary this transfer in our District. South District has two new missionaries. We somehow managed to have nearly all the food prepared before everyone got here so we actually got to sit down with them and eat together. We have such a wonderful group of missionaries. We just love it. After breakfast, we played a few getting-to-know-you games that invited a lot of laughs. Then everyone headed out to take care of all their p-day activities.

After that, we had a nice video call with Douhet. Audrey and Kinzley are now at BYU Idaho. Alyson and her new husband, Sam, are living in Hawaii. Griffyn is the only one home. Of course, Laila, Tyus, and Roman are living right next door in our house. He gave us a nice report on everyone and how they are settling into the new school year. Kylee is teaching 4th grade this year. Douhet is still teaching Seminary. Griffyn is a junior this year. I can’t believe they are all growing so fast. We have been gone a LONG time. 

Tuesday morning started with Early Morning Seminary. Elder Ihaka and our new missionary, Elder Hunter taught our lesson. They did a GREAT job. We talked about how Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ love us even when we are not doing what we should be doing. Verse 9 of Doctrine and Covenants 101 says,

“Verily I say unto you, notwithstanding their sins, my bowels are filled with compassion towards them. I will not utterly cast them off; and in the day of wrath I will remember mercy.”

I love how it says, “notwithstanding [our] sins,” He still shows compassion and mercy to us. That gives me great comfort.  Of course, He wants us to follow Him and keep His commandments, but we are imperfect people, and we still commit sins. He loves still!!!

Later, we had the Riverside Elders over for Comp Study. We all shared some highlights from our scripture study before we read Mosiah 3 about the Atonement of Christ. It was a wonderful discussion.

Later, Elder and Sister Healey arrived. They stayed with us for several days so they could visit the Institute classes in Whangarei and Kaikohe. We had a lot of fun that first night. They took us out to dinner at a BBQ Rib place. After dinner we went back home and had ice cream and played games. Elder Wilcox also made some Lemon Bars for DCM on Wednesday.

The Healeys brought us some homemade bread as a thank you. So, Wednesday we sliced it up and had toasted sour dough bread for breakfast. It was so good. We visited for a while before it was time for us to go to DCM, and they took off exploring for the day. 

They brought several boxes up from Auckland for our missionaries, so we distributed them at DCM. Elder Ihaka did a fantastic job as our new DL. I was very impressed with how he ran our meeting. He specifically commented on the fact that DCM is a "council" meeting, and he wants us to council together. He moved the tables into a rectangle shape instead of a U shape the way it normally is. Accountability and our training we are done very well. 

The South District was at the Stake Center for their DCM, so we were able to all have refreshments together. We were able to meet the new Elders, so that was nice. We also had visitors from our APs from Auckland. It was a very good DCM morning.

The Hikurangi Elders came over for Comp Study later in the day. The Healeys showed up just as we were finishing. Elder Wilcox and the Elders went over to visit Ben for a little while before dinner. I worked on dinner and the Healeys showered and got ready for their Institute class. We decided to have breakfast for dinner. We still had some leftover waffles and hash browns. I fried up some more bacon and eggs and we were all set.  

The Healeys graciously did the dishes so we could head to Church for our new Book of Mormon Reading group. Unfortunately, no one showed up. We will try again next week. It was kind of short notice this week. After that, we headed to the Snows for Family Home Evening. Our lesson was how Heavenly Father and Jesus can turn our trials into blessings. We watched a cute little video about a girl who broke her leg and how her friends helped to cheer her up. She also received a blessing to help her feel better and heal quicker. After the lesson, the kids were horsing around and the little one got bumped. It was an accident, but she felt bad. Her older sister let her give Elder Wilcox his ice cream cone and that helped make the little one happy. We were able to explain how that is one way Jesus helped her help her little sister feel better when she had a boo-boo. 

Thursday started with our Early Morning Seminary class. Our lesson was on Love, Share, and Invite. Towards the end of the lesson, I divided the class into two groups and gave them each a Role Play experience. They seemed to have fun doing it and hopefully they got the message we were trying to make. 

When we got home, Sister Paratene asked if Elder Wilcox could give her a blessing. We all visited with the Healeys for a while before they went out exploring again and Steve gave Leona the blessing. After she left, we watched our Mission SPF meeting. Then the Zone Leaders came over for Comp Study.  As usual, we had a wonderful discussion with them and then fed them lunch to celebrate Elder Mabaso’s birthday.

The rest of the day I worked on the computer in various capacities. The Healeys picked up pizza and salad on their way back to our flat, so we had that for dinner before they headed to Kaikohe for another Institute class.

The Healeys left Friday morning to head back to Auckland. We had so much fun with them. We are headed to Auckland Saturday morning and the Healeys had already invited us to dinner. LOL

I spent most of the day preparing for the two training meetings scheduled for Saturday and Sunday. That included a phone call to Salt Lake City to get some questions answered about how the Family History Consultants can use the Family Name Assist tool. I learned a lot that was very beneficial to my training presentation. I also worked on HawkSoft. Darrin sent me two projects. I had a couple of certifications to do and a new batch of ACORD forms. I managed to get most of it done. I will have to finish the ACORD forms on Monday.

Saturday was a long day. We were up very early to head to Auckland for the Family Name Assist training in the Henderson Stake. This time it was a group of Stake and Ward Family History Consultants. They had lots of questions after the presentation. It was well received. We talked to several people after the training for about a half an hour. I was very pleased.

After the training, we headed to downtown Auckland to attend the Wētā Workshop Unleashed tour. They make props for movies such as The Lord of the Rings and Dark Crystal and many more. It was a 90-minute tour and was very fun. They showed us all aspects of moving making, especially with special effects involved.

After our tour, we headed to the Mission Office to drop off a wallet one of the APs left when they were visiting Whangarei. Then we headed to the apartment complex where we were staying for the night. We stayed with the Warwoods again. They are so nice to let us stay with them. The Healeys contacted the Warwoods to plan a dinner for us. We had such a fun time together. After the Healeys went home, we watched a movie with the Warwoods, talked afterwards and then headed to bed.

It was nice to visit the Takapuna Ward again on Sunday morning. We were there a few weeks previous with the Garners for their farewell talk. A couple of people remembered us from before. We enjoyed our meetings. The Warwoods are assigned to a different Ward, so they left earlier than we did. They gave us a spare key and gate key so we could get out and back in again.

When we got back to their flat, we packed up everything and loaded the car. Then I settled down to work on my recap. I was nice to finish it before 2:00. Kea sent the notes from Ward Council, so I was able to take care of that today too.

After a delicious waffle dinner, it was time to go to our last Family Name Assist training for the immediate future. We have one more scheduled in November. This time the training was for the Bishops in the Henderson Stake. We thought we were doing Bishops a few weeks before, but it turned out to be the Stake Council only. Anyway, the Stake President asked if we could come back another time and do the Bishops. Our training went well, and we headed home right after we finished. The Bishops stayed for further training. It was nice to be home.

All our Love,

Elder and Sister Wilcox

Dinner, Transfers, Song Fest Choir, and Stake Leadership Meeting

Elder Na Nongkai and Elder Ihaka

On Monday, we were grateful for a slower start after a full weekend. Steve helped Ben pick up his mum’s car and get it to his place, while I handled a few computer tasks. I balanced our bank account and contacted the Financial Missionary about a confusing bill from our landlord. Two different people had gotten involved, which led to multiple calls, but thankfully it was resolved. I also sent emails to the last three Stakes we hoped to train before our mission ends. It’s a project I feel strongly about finishing, especially since it’s unlikely another missionary couple will be assigned to it.

Later in the day, we enjoyed a relaxing afternoon watching the Follow Him podcast. That evening, we had a wonderful dinner with Bo and Marama Davis. They’re in our Personal Finances class and our Ward, but we rarely see them at Church due to their Stake callings. Bo serves on the High Council and Marama is in the Stake Primary Presidency, so they’re often assigned elsewhere. It was refreshing to sit and visit with them in a more personal setting.

On Tuesday, we began with Early Morning Seminary. The Elders taught a lesson on Section 97 and the building of the Kirtland Temple. The class went well, and it was nice to see the students engaged. Afterward, the Riverside Elders joined us for Comp Study, and we had a rich discussion covering highlights from our recent studies. Over lunch, we finished watching the Follow Him episode, and I began preparing Thursday’s Seminary lesson.

I also checked in with our Personal Finances class to see how everyone was doing with their commitments. In the evening, I prepped snacks for both our Ward Family Fun Night and the next day’s DCM, while Steve handled dinner. Unfortunately, no one showed up for the Ward activity, so we came home a little disappointed. Later, we joined a Mission Zoom call, followed by a Zone Leaders call announcing transfers. We learned that we were only losing three missionaries—Elders Riese, Derrick, and Na Nongkai. Elder Ihaka would be the new DL for the North District, and Elder Phipps for the South.

On Wednesday, we held our final DCM of the transfer. It was bittersweet, especially since the South District met in Bream Bay and we didn’t get to say goodbye to Elders Riese and Derrick. Elder Na Nongkai, who was the only one leaving our District, gave a beautiful training on inviting the Holy Ghost into our teaching. After sharing thoughts, each of us chose a word that captured the spirit of the discussion and created acronyms. My favorite was Elder Ihaka’s: C.H.O.I.C.E.—Charity, Humility, Obedience, Integrity, Compassion, Empathy.

After DCM, we enjoyed apple crisp from Sister Carlisle and the healthy snacks I brought. We exchanged notebook messages with Elder Na Nongkai, who had grown so much during his time with us. I knew he would thrive in his next assignment. That afternoon, I finished Seminary prep and took care of a few Sunday tasks, including an hour of HawkSoft work. In the evening, we attended Song Fest Choir practice. We were preparing “Pearly Shells” with the Primary children dancing the hula, along with Samoan and Tongan thanksgiving songs. Elder Wilcox and I didn’t do too bad. 🎶

On Thursday, we started the day with Early Morning Seminary. We had nine students, and the lesson focused on developing a Growth Mindset through faith in Jesus Christ. We discussed how a Growth Mindset helps us turn stumbling blocks into steppingstones, while a Fixed Mindset convinces us that challenges are too hard or impossible. The students responded well to the discussion and activities, and it felt like a meaningful start to the day.

After returning home, the Zone Leaders joined us for Comp Study. We shared ideas for preparing spiritually for General Conference and discussed different ways the Spirit speaks to us. It was a rich and uplifting conversation. Later, I spent time working on Family History—a rare treat lately—and began outlining next week’s Seminary lesson. I wanted to make sure I included General Conference highlights, so I wouldn’t forget to add them next week. I’m giving the students three ways to prepare for Conference each week leading up to it.

In the afternoon, Elder Ihaka stopped by with his new companion, Elder Hunter. He had served in Kaikohe about a year ago and had recently been in Central Auckland. I think he and Elder Ihaka will make a great team. That evening, we attended the Stake Leadership meeting, which included a presentation on self-reliance. Whangarei is piloting a food services program to help leaders administer support more efficiently—similar to the Bishop’s Storehouse in the States. We also discussed D&C 90:11, one of my favorite scriptures, about hearing the Gospel in one’s own language. The Stake plans to implement a team of interpreters, and we shared insights from our time with Global Interpretation. There’s a wonderful training tool available, and I’m excited to see it used across Wards, Branches, and Stakes.

On Friday, we had a laid-back but productive day. I focused on preparations for Sunday, starting with updates to the Ward Council Agenda and Sacrament Program. Several people had sent in changes, so I made sure everything was current and ready to go. I also checked in with our Personal Finances Group to see how everyone was doing and offer support where needed.

Much of the day was spent refining the Ward Skills Assessment Form, which we plan to present at Ward Council. It ties directly into the Self-Reliance training from the Stake meeting the night before. I’m hopeful it will help leaders better match members to service opportunities and empower them to grow. Before wrapping up the day, I took care of our bills—one of those small but necessary tasks that always feels good to complete.

On Saturday, we moved into final prep mode for Sunday. I finalized the Ward Council Agenda and Sacrament Program and spent a good portion of the day organizing our Google Drive documents for when we leave. I converted the Ward Skills Assessment Form into a Google Form, which I’ll present at Ward Council. It’s satisfying to see it come together in a way that future leaders can easily use and adapt.

We received a call from President Allen in the morning. He let us know that Zone activities are discouraged in the Mission and asked us to change our Monday breakfast to District-only. I felt a little sad, but we’ll follow the mission rules. I contacted Sister Ward to see if she would host a breakfast for the South District, and she kindly agreed to take care of it.

Later in the day, I worked on my Seminary lesson for next week. With house guests arriving soon, I wasn’t sure how much time I’d have later, so I wanted to get ahead. I’m actually excited about the lesson—I came up with a couple of role play ideas that I think the kids will enjoy. We ended the day by giving each other haircuts. We were both looking a little shaggy, and it felt good to clean up. 🤣

On Sunday, the day began with Ward Council, where I used our new Ward laptop to take notes and lead a training on the Google Shared Drive I had created for the Ward. I was grateful not to have to use my personal laptop. Unfortunately, I ran into a hiccup with the Chromebook—it wouldn’t connect properly to the monitor. I ended up using the laptop to demonstrate the Shared Drive and brought the Chromebook home to troubleshoot the issue later. Despite the tech challenge, the discussion in Ward Council was productive and well received.

Fast and Testimony meeting was especially uplifting. The Spirit was strong, and I loved hearing the heartfelt testimonies that were shared. A surprise came during Sunday School when we realized the assigned teacher had to work and wasn’t present. No one seemed to know ahead of time, so when class was about to begin, I stepped in and taught the lesson. It turned out to be a sweet experience. Relying on the Spirit made all the difference, and the class flowed naturally.

Our Personal Finances class went well too. We talked about how to protect our family from hardship. We are to council and plan this week what we will do if unexpected hardships occur. We especially want to have an emergency fund in place and make sure we are out of debt. Those are some of the things the class has been working on over the last several weeks. 

All Our Love,

Elder and Sister Wilcox

Senior Activity, Granddaughter Mission Call, Flat Inspections, Seminary, and Family Name Assist

Monday started off with a fun Senior Activity. We picked up the Carlisles and headed North to Kaikohe for lunch and a soak in some hot thermal pools.  It is always fun to get together with our other Senior Couples up North. We managed to see all of that, just not all at the same time. Our core group was Michaelsons (they organized it - Kaitaia), Nygrens (Dargaville), Bowens (Kerikeri), Carlisles (Pipiwai), and Wilcoxes (Hikurangi). The Nelsons (Kaikohe) joined us for lunch, and the Wards (Wellsford) joined us for the thermal pools. Lunch was delicious. We enjoyed visiting with one another. 

After lunch, we headed to Ngawha Springs to enjoy the Nga Puna Pools. They are natural hot springs. The sulfur smell wasn’t so hot, but we got used to it and it didn’t bother us. They have two sets of pools. One set has 16 different pools that range in temperature from about 18oC (64oF) to 47oC (116oF). The other set is smaller with only 8 pools that temperature from about 21oC (70oF) to 40oC (104oF). We went to the smaller set because the big one was closed that day. We went in the 40oC pool for most of the time we were there. Then we moved to a little cooler one (not sure what that temperature was.) The water was muddy looking, but it felt so good. The first pool had a wooden plank floor so that was nice. The other one had a mud floor. It was fun to dig my toes into the mud. The deeper you dug the hotter the mud got. They had benches in the pools to sit on. 

Tuesday was Early Morning Seminary. I had received two notifications the night before. One from Sister Paratene telling me she was not going to make it and if I could cover for her. The Elders were supposed to teach so I didn't think anything of it. We had to be there anyway. I started to glance over the lesson so I would know what they would be talking about. I then contacted the Elders to remind them of Seminary. They responded with they weren't going to make it because one of them was sick. This was at almost 9:00pm. So, I scrambled to put together a full lesson before going to bed. In the morning it all worked out. 

After Seminary, we had a fairly busy day. I prepared a fun FHE lesson for the family we teach every other Wednesday. I also prepared my regular Seminary Lesson for my Thursday class. We had a nice Comp Study with the Riverside Elders. After that, the Sisters showed up so Sister Roylance could use my phone to call BYU I. Unfortunately, it was after hours when she ran into some technical difficulties. We put it off until Wednesday to try again earlier in the day.

After they left, we had our normal Monday video call with Sierra on Tuesday because of the Senior Activity. They are planning a hiking trip with Alena over Labor Day weekend. She shared a couple of cool experiences she had running into different people. She had a visitor at her work who was from New Zealand.  Then she ran into someone, who after talking for a while they found out the man help direct MyLiege at Oregon City High School when she played in Steel Magnolias. It is a small world!

After that call, we had another call with Season's family so we could watch Brooklyn open her mission call. She has been called to the Philippines San Pablo Mission and reports to the MTC on January 10. We are so very excited for her. 

Wednesday was a little slower. We had a nice DCM. Elder Na Nongkai was a trooper. Even though he didn't feel well, he fulfilled his responsibility as our District Leader. He gave a very good training. Normally, he and Elder Ihaka would come over later in the day for Comp Study, but with him being sick, we postponed it until Friday.

We spent the afternoon working on various things that needed to be done, like preparing for flat inspections, researching possible caterers to do future Zone Conference Lunches, and putting out the Ward Council Minutes after Kea sent them to me. We missed the previous week's Ward Council meeting since we were doing a training at the Henderson Stake in the Auckland area. 

Later that evening we went to the Snow's hours for our Family Home Evening. I think everyone had a good time. 

Thursday was a busy day. We started with Early Morning Seminary. We had two visitors from Auckland for a total of 11 students! I think the lesson went well. I had several interactive segments, so it kept everyone busy. For the most part, everyone participated.

After Seminary, we headed to the Murdoch Crescent flat to do an inspection. We were so impressed with our Elders. That flat was the cleanest we have ever seen it. When we finished there, we headed to the Hikurangi flat. It was also very clean.  Both sets of Elders received 125 points. 

Our SPF lesson kind of matched the theme of our DCM training. President and Sister Allen taught the need to simplify our message. President Allen is a heart doctor. He asked an Elder to explain to the group what he had just told him about a heart patient using medical terms. Of course, the Elder was very vague that basically said the 65-year-old man was sick and got help. President Allen then told him the same condition using more common terms and asked the Elder to tell us what his said. The Elder was able to give a somewhat detailed explanation about the man and what the procedure was going to be to help the man to make him feel better. It was night and day difference on understanding what was being said. Sometimes our unique Church language makes it difficult for our friends to understand what we are trying to teach them. We need to use more common words that both parties understand. 

Later we had our Comp Study with the Zone Leaders. Once again, we had a wonderful discussion. We talked a lot about how we have so many things we can study and learn. It is a lifetime pursuit. It is exciting to learn new things and to share what we learn with others. That way each is strengthened and edified…especially with the Holy Ghost is present. It was a great discussion. 

Friday was filled with doing things to help others. After several failed attempts for Sister Roylance to connect with BUY I, we met her at the Stake Center Friday morning to see we would be early enough for her to reach someone. Eureka! It worked!!! She used my phone and my laptop and was able to take care of whatever it was she needed to do. 

From there we headed to the Murdoch Crescent flat to install a toilet paper roll holder since theirs has not been on the wall for who knows how long. We were sad to see that the flat was NOT in the beautiful condition it had been the day before when we did our inspection. I sent them pictures along with a crying emoji to say how disappointed we were. Hopefully they have got the point that it should be clean WHENEVER they leave their flat. 

From there, we headed to Hikurangi. Elder Wilcox dropped me off at the Chapel and he headed to the Hika flat so could fix a few things. For one thing, he wrapped the wood stove in saran wrap to remove any temptation from the Elders to light a fire. The Elders we have now had no problems, but one of the first Elders in the flat had to light paper in there even though they were told NOT TO TOUCH IT! This should eliminate the temptation from future Elders. 

I spent the bulk of the rest of the day setting up the new Chromebook that was delivered to our Ward to replace the OOOOLLLLDDDD computer we had. It used to take 15 minutes to boot up. I am not exaggerating! The Chromebook is quick!!! We had to “donate” our HDMI to HDMI cable so we could connect the bigger monitor to the Chromebook. That was one of the last things we did. We will go to buy another one tomorrow to replace ours. I’m quite happy with the setup We now have two screens since we have the laptop screen as well as the bigger monitor. I’m also happy as I will be able to use the Chromebook to take the notes for Ward Council instead of my personal laptop. 

We spent Saturday morning trying to get our "weekend" things done, like laundry, before we packed and headed to Auckland. I finalized the Ward Council Agenda and the Sacrament Program so I could print them and drop them off at the Bishop’s house. I wanted to make sure we could see him so we could explain the new laptop in the clerk’s office. I assured him we would be back on Sunday when Church started at 10:00.

We had a nice drive to Auckland. We were early enough that we avoided traffic. We got to our hotel early enough to get settled in and relax a bit before we had to go out again. Then we headed to the Mission office to pick up a couple of mattress pads. We ran into a few little problems when we got in the car. 

I pulled up the GPS so we could figure out how to get from our hotel to the office. We no sooner started driving when we heard “GPS Signal Lost.” We didn’t know which way we were supposed to go. From what the map looked like, we went straight. By the time the GPS came back up, we discovered we were going the exact opposite direction. We lost GPS several more times in the city, which caused further mishaps with missed turns or wrong turns. We turned our 15-minute trip to 30 minutes, before we finally arrived. I felt bad because Elder and Sister Hurst were waiting for us. They explained they had the same GPS problems when they went to Dargaville, so they were very understanding. LOL

Following our office trip, we headed to a restaurant not too fa
r from the office to meet a friend of ours from our Salt Lake City Mission. Kendrick works for the Music Department in Translation. He came to New Zealand to work on the Tongan translations of the new hymns. He was able to bring his wife with him. We had a wonderful dinner with both of them. We had a great day. Luckily, our GPS sent us back to our hotel with no problems. 😉

Sunday dawned at 5:30am. Since we stayed overnight near the Mt. Roskill Stake Center, we didn’t have a very long trip to our training meeting. We didn’t have to get up nearly as early as we would have if we had driven from home. 5:30am is still early, but a lot better than 3:30am. LOL

Our training went very well. The Spirit was very strong in the room. It was just the Stake President and 5 Bishops. They were very receptive to the training. One of the Bishops had already used the Family Name Assist, but the others had not heard of it. After the training, I sent them a copy of the PowerPoint presentation so they can share it with their Ward Councils. 

As soon as the training was over, we were excused and headed immediately back to Hikurangi. We pulled into the Chapel car park 1 minute before 10. We walked in during the opening song. I have to admit, I was a bit concerned. Saturday evening at 7:20, we received a chat message from our organist saying she wasn’t going to be there and asked if one of the other players could help out. I saw the message after 9. No one else responded. She said she would contact Sister Paratene since she thought she was going to lead the music. I expected to be back in time to lead the music. I’m glad she contacted Sister Paratene. 

We heard the music and then saw Sister Horsford playing the organ. All was good! We slipped in and enjoyed our meeting. Our speakers were great. We heard from two primary youths who did a great job. The mother of one of the youths spoke also. Brother Walker was conducting and invited all the brethren up to sing the intermediate song. Since the next speaker was not there, Brother Walker gave his talk as the “concluding” speaker. He then invited the rest of the Bishopric to speak to us also to finish out the time. It was great!

After Church, we had our Soup Sunday. We didn’t hang around for too long. We swapped out the HDMI cable with the one we bought. After mingling for a bit, we headed home. We unpacked and finished preparing for the Personal Finances class for later that day. 

After class, settled down and rest!

All Our Love,

Elder and Sister Wilcox

Seminary, Comp Studies, Farewell Dinner, Google Drive, and Family Name Assist Training

Grandma and Andrew

On Monday, we actually had a p-day, well at least for part of the day. We didn't go anywhere or actually do anything, but we did relax.

We woke up at 5:00am so we could watch our Stake Conference back home. Our grandson, Karsten was speaking, and we wanted to see him. Halfway through the first speaker, the Internet went out in the Stake Center. We lost sound and picture. Since there were a number of people on Zoom, that connection stayed open and we were able to chat about losing sound and picture. We didn't know what happened. 

After the first speaker, the choir sang a song. The sound came back on at that time. They never did get the Internet back so they connected a cell phone to the Zoom meeting and put it on the podium so we could hear what was going on. It worked pretty well, although we would have liked to see who was speaking.

Comp Study with Elders Phipps and Na Nongkai

Karsten did a great job. I expected him to talk about Youth Conference or Young Men's Camp, since he had some leadership roles in both activities. Instead, he talked about his relationship with his Heavenly Father and the things he learned through scripture study. He is definitely preparing to serve a mission, just as soon as he graduates from High School this coming school year. 

We had a very nice video call with MyLiege's family. We got to see our newest great grandson. He was wide awake. It even looked like he gave us a smile!!! LOL Ruthie was there too. She is talking so good. She said, “I love you, GG.” It made my day. Of course, Alyx had to feed her the words, but I’ll take what I can get. Alyx received her Patriarchal Blessing on Sunday. We had a wonderful talk about how to read and study these blessings throughout our lives. 

Tuesday morning started with Early Morning Seminary. The Elders taught the lesson on the blessings in Section 89, The Word of Wisdom. I couldn't help but share my Word of Wisdom Math.

3 Don’ts (no alcohol, tobacco, or hot drinks)

+ 5 Do’s (herbs, grains, fruits, meat sparingly, with prudence and thanksgiving)

___________________________________________________________________

= 8 Blessings (health in the navel, marrow in the bones, wisdom, great treasures of knowledge, hidden treasures, run and not be weary, walk and not faint, and destroying angel will pass you by)

We had a wonderful Comp Study with the Riverside Elders. After we shared highlights from our personal studies, we talked about sections 89 and 90 in the Doctrine and Covenants. After lunch, I spent the rest of the day working on my Seminary lesson for Thursday.

Wednesday was filled with a wonderful DCM followed by another Comp Study, this time with the Hikurangi Elders. Elder Na Nongkai did a great training on how to be an effective missionary. I love how the missionaries are there to support one another. They always are willing to share different things they have done to help their friends progress. Several of the missionaries had questions on “what to do when….” And the other missionaries had great ideas for them to try. We are working hard as a mission to meet our mission goal of 81 baptisms for this transfer.

Our Comp Study was actually with one Hika Elder and one Riverside Elder. They were on splits. Elder Phipps got a double dose of us. 🤣After we did our study, we talked with Elder Na Nongkai about people they have been visiting. They found at least six families who had moved out of the Ward. I was able to clean up the Ward list after they left.

Thursday morning started with Early Morning Seminary again. I had 9 students, which was awesome. It makes breaking into groups work so much better. They all worked together and gave great answers. I felt energy that morning. It was nice.

After Seminary, I made brownies for the Farewell Dinner we were going to in Auckland that night. For some reason they didn't turn out very well, so we ended up buying something to take. After I took the brownies out of the oven, it was time for SPF. Sister Allen talked about the blessings we find in Section 89, The Word of Wisdom.

Shortly after that, the Zone Leaders showed up for our last Comp Study for the week. They were still on splits, so we actually had our other Hika Elder join us along with Elder O'Riordan. As usual, we had a great discussion. Since we finished at lunch time, Elder Wilcox invited them to stay for lunch. We continued our discussion. We love our missionaries so much.

After they left, I made a goodbye card for the Garners, who will be living in a week or so. Actually, three senior couples are leaving very soon. Because of the Garners, we decided to make the trip to Auckland for the dinner. We had a very fun night. The food was good, the games were fun, and of course, the friendship and fellowship were great. We don't normally get to enjoy the events they do in Auckland because of the distance, but we decided we had to go! I'm so glad we went.

We spent Friday doing some different things. We have a baptism coming up next week in the Te Horo Branch. The Elders and the Carlisles were looking for some baptismal clothing and wondered if Hikurangi had any they could borrow. I knew we had some but know who knew what we actually had. I chatted the Bishop to see if Te Horo could borrow some if we had the right size. He said yes. I then asked if we could organize what we had.

The Bishop had a stash in his cupboard in his office. The Relief Society had another stash in their cupboard. Still, no one knew all of what we had. So, we went to the Chapel to see if we could get it organized and all in one place. The Relief Society suggested we put the clothing in the cupboard in the room opposite the Bishop’s office. We will get a lock for the cupboard as they were removed some time ago when the Stake Center reopened and the other wards all left.

We sorted everything we had and found we actually have quite a bit. I made a chart of what we had, sizes and quantities. Then we put everything neatly in the cupboard and labeled the shelves. Before we finished, we got a chat from the Sisters in the Otaika Ward asking if they could borrow a medium jumpsuit for a baptism they were having that night. Since that was the same as the one we borrowed for the Te Horo Branch, we figured it would work. The Sisters had seen our messages in the Chat group about it, which is why they asked us. We arranged for Sister Carlisle to take the jumpsuit after the baptism and have it ready for their baptism next week. We will get it back after that.

I spent most of the day on Saturday setting up a new shared drive for our Ward. Since our mission will be ending in December, we felt we needed to make the transition for the next Ward Clerk easy. We tried setting that up when we first got here, but because Google sheets don't do all the things that Excel can do, I chose to use Excel for everything I was doing. However, so things can be shared from one leader to another, I felt it was time to move everything over to Google Drive. I created a "user" that is not tied to anyone in the Ward. That makes it easier to make sure it is only Ward data in the drive. I managed to move nearly everything over to the new drive into the various folders. I also made sure that I have security in place that only Bishopric members can see the data in the Bishopric folder, while other folders are accessible to all the leaders. I'm hoping to have it all sorted out by next week so I can share it with the leadership team.

Once I got the documents and spreadsheets moved over, I had to do some tweaking to make them work right. One of the things Google Sheets doesn't do is run macros. That was one of the reasons I used Excel in the first place. I had automated several features in my documents that now have to be done manually. I added a notes page to hopefully make it easier to do what I had previously automated.

I also created an inventory list and checkout sheet for all the baptismal clothing we organized the day before. I then sent Elder Wilcox to tape the sheets up inside the cabinet where the clothing now resides. He then did some grocery shopping on his way home. I sent him out again, after he got home to drop off the Sacrament program and the Ward Council agenda to the Bishop's house since we had to go back to Auckland Sunday morning and were going to miss Church in our Ward.

We were up at 4:00am Sunday morning so we could be at the Henderson Stake Center by 7:30 for a training meeting for the Family Name Assist tool. We got to catch the last part of a Sister Missionary giving the report of her mission to the High Council. From what the Stake President said, she left a very shy girl and came back a strong, and confident young woman. We were very impressed with the portion of the report we heard. 

Our training went well, and we had a nice little discussion after. Then the Stake President followed us out the door. He said that meeting was his High Council and Auxiliary Presidents. He invited us back next month to meet with his Bishops. That meeting will be on a Sunday afternoon. I was sure I mentioned we wanted the Bishops there for the training meeting when we scheduled it, but that’s OK. We will be happy to go back. 

After the meeting, we headed to the Takapuna building for Sacrament Meeting. That is the same building that the Mission Office is in. The Garners attended that Ward, so we got to be with them one last time. Elder Garner was speaking and both of them put on a musical presentation with Sister Garner playing “Master the Tempest is Raging” and Elder Garner reading a beautiful script to the music. He then gave his talk after that. I think that really is the last time we will get to say goodbye to the Garners. 😢

After Sacrament Meeting, we met Elder Farrell in the foyer so he could give us a laptop that needs to go up north. Since we are having a Senior Activity on Monday, we passed it off at that time. We took some pictures, gave some hugs and then headed home. 

We got home in time for lunch, working on my weekly recap, and final preparations for our Personal Finances class before everyone arrived for class. It had been a long day, but a very good day!

All our Love,

Elder and Sister Wilcox

Seminary, DCM, Comp Study, Service Project,  Zone Conference, and New Great Grandson  

New Great Grandson

Monday ended up being busier than originally planned. We had two family calls as we missed Douhet last week. We caught up on Alyson's wedding on our call with Douhet. And we caught up with Season's boys about Youth Conference and Young Men's Camp. It was wonderful to hear all about the leadership opportunities that Karsten had at both Youth Conference and Young Men's Camp. Both were great calls.

Next, we headed over to Peggy's house where I mended several pairs of pants for two Elders. I hope I'm done for a while now. 

I tweaked the Personal Finances Bank Register Spreadsheet for our class members and then emailed it out to everyone. I think each member has started using it. I hope it helps them as much as it has helped me over the years. 

Elder Ihaka

I spent the rest of Monday working on the New Convert Initiative. We are no longer tracking the data we used to try and gather. Gathering the data was proving very difficult in the entire Pacific Area. The leadership has decided to focus on training on the Family Name Assist tool instead. I only have six more Stakes to train.

Tuesday started early with Seminary. The Elders taught the portion of Section 88 about the Plan of Love, or more commonly referred to as the Plan of Salvation. They did a very good job and showed us a nice graphic that shows the whole plan and spells out Love. They said they like to use that graphic with teaching children. They also have a wooden carving of Jesus Christ that has magnetic pieces that also spell out the Plan that they use for others. It is really cool. 

Later, we had our Comp Study with the Riverside Elders.  Once again, we decided to share our highlights from our personal study. Both Elders shared their thoughts on why we have a living prophet today. They had plans to teach that lesson with a friend later in the week. 

After the Elders left, we got on the road to go to the Temple. We wanted to get there before the distribution center closed at 2:00 so I could pick up some new garments. We made it in time; however, they don’t have the new garments yet. Hopefully in the next couple of weeks. We headed to the mission office to see if we could meet Elder and Sister Hurst. They were out, learning their new responsibilities. We hung around for a little while to see if we could visit Sister Garner, but she was out as well. We headed back to the Temple for our Sealing appointment. We had to wait a little while, so we ate our dinner before heading into the Temple. 

We had a very nice Sealing session. I got almost all of my sealings done. I only have three couples that we couldn’t finish. It is wonderful to seal those families together. We were able to seal 6 marriages and about 7 children to their parents. The spirit was very strong at the Temple. 

Wednesday was filled with DCM, watching the second half of Follow Him while we ate our lunch, preparing my Seminary lesson for Thursday's lesson, and another Comp Study, this time with the Hikurangi Elders. We talked about blessings, both the kinds of blessings we receive from Heavenly Father, as well as the priesthood blessings the Elders give periodically. It was a really good discussion. 

We finished the day with our Family Home Evening lesson at a member's home. He has his four little ones every other week and we do a FHE with them on those weeks. 

Thursday was very busy. It started with my Seminary lesson. We talked about "Seek Learning by Study and Faith." I think the lesson and discussion went well. We met up with the Seminary and Institute supervisor from Auckland and had a nice discussion with him. 

The Croshaws

Once home, I started on the Cowboy Bean Soup for Zone Conference on Friday. I finished the preparations around dinner time and then let it slow cook overnight. It turned out to be so yummy. After that we had SPF. After lunch, we headed over to Deborah's house to help with the packing. She has to move on Monday. We met her daughter who had come from Auckland for several days to help. She is very organized and really got a lot accomplished while she was there. The shed and garage were nearly done. Most of the house was packed up. There was still quite a bit to do in the kitchen, so that is where we worked. I think all that is left is a single box, maybe two, of things she is still using. After we got home, I finished the soup prep and made a double batch of brownies. 

Friday was a wonderful day at Zone Conference. I love getting to meet with our missionaries and our Seniors. Our Soup and Salad was a huge success. We received so many compliments for both the junior and senior missionaries. We were able to be part of most of the conference. Cleaning up was quick and we had lots of help with setting up. 

The Croshaws gave an awesome training in the opening hour about the Surrender Process. Basically, it is how we surrender our will to the Lord’s will. The scripture foundation is Mosiah 3:19 – “For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father.” 

They came up with six steps guaranteed to work if you are willing to do it.

The Shaws

1. Pause and Breathe. (Count to 4 and breathe in. Then count to 8 and breathe out. Do this 3 times.)
2. Write it down. Whatever is frustrating you, causing you to have negative feelings, especially things you can’t control. Write it on a piece of paper. Then tear it out and rip it up into little pieces and throw it away.
3. Speak it. Tell someone you trust. You are not to complain about it, just say you are turning this frustration or angry feeling or whatever it is over to the Lord. That helps make you accountable.
4. Pray it. Take it to the Lord. Lay it at His feet. Turn it over to Him to bear.
5. Ask for the next right step. In your prayer, ask for what you need to do next to rid yourself of the problem. 
6. Do it. Proverbs 3 5-6 says, “…And he shall direct thy paths…” Let the Lord help you put off the natural man. Submit yourself to Him and He will guide you back to Him.
   

The Northland Seniors had a nice meeting with the Garners and the Hursts. Elder and Sister Hurst will be taking the Garners place when they go home in a couple of weeks. We are going to miss them so much. We look forward to working with the Hursts and I know we will grow to love them too.

Elder Garner

This transfer we are losing three Senior Couples. The Garners, the Shaws and the Croshaws. They are all in Auckland, but we did have occasion to work with all of them from time to time. They will all be greatly missed. They each shared their testimonies at the close of our conference. It was so touching to hear the missionaries, with their beautiful voices, sing to these three beautiful Senior Couples. I have to admit, I cried. 

By the time we got home, we had news of our newest addition to our family. Andrew Washington Hawkins was born on August 14th, but for us he was born on August 15th. LOL Everyone is doing well.

We stayed home all day. Well, I stayed home. Elder Wilcox went grocery shopping. I wanted to rest all day but still managed to find things that kept me busy most of the day. I had to prepare things for Sunday like the Ward Council Agenda and the Sacrament Program. We also prepared for our Personal Finances lesson on Sunday. I even did a couple hours of work on HawkSoft.

Sister Garner

And the best part of the day was having Comp Study with the Zone Leaders. We covered the same things we covered in Seminary on Thursday. We had a much different discussion. It was all good.

We stayed home all day on Saturday. Well, I stayed home. Elder Wilcox went grocery shopping. I wanted to rest all day, but still managed to find things that kept me busy most of the day. I had to prepare things for Sunday like the Ward Council Agenda and the Sacrament Program. We also prepared for our Personal Finances lesson on Sunday. I even did a couple hours of work on HawkSoft. 

And the best part of the day was having Comp Study with the Zone Leaders. We covered the same things we covered in Seminary on Thursday. We had a much different discussion. It was all good.

I love Sundays. I always have. I love fellowshipping with the Saints. I love the talks. I love the lessons. I love our Personal Finances class. And I love our quiet evening together.

Sister Carlisle on Piano and Elder Carlisle on the Cello

I was a little worried about being on my feet Sunday because I really wacked my little toe on Saturday on the base of our shower. Basically, I kicked the tile covered cement REALLY hard. My little toe is swollen and black and blue all around the toe. I could hardly walk on it Saturday, which is partly why I didn’t go anywhere that day.

I wondered what shoes I could wear without squeezing my toe. Steve and I tried to think of wrapping it and then putting a plastic bag around it so it wouldn’t get wet in the rain. He suggested a brace or taping it. I finally said we would figure something out in the morning. 

Well, Sunday morning I went to the closet and decided my normal black shoes might work. They are wider than any of my other shoes. I put some black socks on and eased my foot into the shoe, and it didn’t hurt. I mainly walked on the inside of my foot, and it all worked out. Occasionally, I would get a little twinge of pain, but for the most part it was just a constant dull pain that wasn’t too bad. I managed to walk around the Church as much as I usually do. I was glad to put my slippers on when I got home. 

Our meetings were great. Our speakers had the Spirit with them, and we all felt it. I went into the Youth Sunday School class as the Second Adult. Charlotta gave a great lesson and had a couple of very fun activities for the youth. I think they all enjoyed it. To top it off, she made blueberry muffins! 

After we got home, I worked on my weekly recap and then got ready for our Personal Finances lesson. I sure enjoy our group. We are all learning so much. Finally, it was time to have a quiet evening together.

All our Love,

Elder and Sister Wilcox