Comp Study, Book of Mormon, and Rainbow Falls

We called Griffyn on Monday to celebrate his birthday on Sunday back home. It was fun to talk with him. It looks like he will be driving when we get home! Before we left on our first mission, he was barely in Young Men.  Not long after that, we had our video call with MyLiege's family. All three girls were home, so we got to talk to each of them. Alyx sang her audition piece for us. Elle got contacts and looks more like Anna every time we see her.  Anna is still working on her mission preparation.  She and Sean just took a trip to New York last week. They had a great time. 

Tuesday was very low-key. We had comp study with the Riverside Elders. Part of our discussion included section 107 of the Doctrine and Covenants. It is all about the Priesthood. We had a very good discussion. After lunch, Steve did some shopping, and I worked on HawkSoft.

Wednesday was a little busier. I helped Leona with an automatic payment adjustment she needed to make. I think she will be fine in the future, should the need arise again. DCM turned out very well. The Zone Leaders went to the South District meeting and the STLs (Sister Training Leaders) came to our meeting. The Sisters also happen to be part of the Social Media team in the Mission. They filmed a short little video after DCM with all the missionaries in the Zone. I think it turned out cute. They staged Elder Carlisle on his knee holding a piece of paper in front of him facing Sister Carlisle. All the rest of the missionaries were gathered around Sister Carlisle looking very happy and excited. We were jumping and making noise. Sister Carlisle looked the happiest of all. The video camera showed us all very excited and then panned around until it focused on the piece of paper Elder Carlisle was holding. It said, “Will you go to Church with me?” It was perfect! 

After lunch the Hikurangi Elders came over to do comp study. We had a great discussion about section 107 of the Doctrine and Covenants again. Elder Hunter had lots of questions. I very much enjoy our Comp Studies with the Missionaries.

I worked on a little Family History in the afternoon. I also made certificates for our Personal Finance class. Sunday is our last class. 

After dinner it was time to go to our Book of Mormon Reading Group. We had 5 people tonight plus the Elders and us. We had a wonderful reading and discussion. I think everyone enjoyed the group.

We had a wonderful Mission SPF meeting on Thursday morning. Sister Allen talked about excuses and how detrimental they can be for us. We need to take responsibility for our own actions or inactions. 

The Zone Leaders came over after SPF for our weekly Comp Study. We talked about the Priesthood and the Second Coming. It is fun to share scriptures and insights with each other. They are doing such an awesome job with our Zone. We love them!

After lunch, we headed over to Peggy’s flat so I could borrow her sewing machine again. We received a pair of pants from Elder Tumanuvao on Tuesday that needed hemming.  Thursday, Elder Mabaso asked if I could fix a seam that had ripped out of a pair of his pants. Peggy is so nice to let me borrow her machine. We had a very nice visit with them as well. We don’t get to see them very often in our ward because they both hold Stake Callings. Her husband, Steve is the Stake Clerk and Peggy is the Stake Primary President. They are in the middle of all the Primary Programs. It is always nice when they can attend our ward. 

When we got home, Elder Wilcox worked on sending out reminders for talks and prayers for Sunday. I updated the program and also worked on the Ward Council Agenda. I checked in with our Personal Finances Group. I also worked on our bills.

On Friday, we did some sightseeing. We realized that we haven’t been able to get out much except when we have had Senior Activities. We thought it might be good to see some of the sights around the North Island that we haven’t seen yet. 

We headed up north to Kerikeri to a place called Rainbow Falls. It was a very short walk from the car to the first look out point. The falls are beautiful. We could have walked back to the car and called it good, but since it was such a short walk, we decided to go a little further down the trail. There were several people at that next lookout point. As we got closer, we figured out why it is called Rainbow Falls. We stood much closer to the actual falls. The weather was perfect and the sun was shining. Looking down into the pool of water we could see a beautiful rainbow that stretched quite a way across the water. It was very bright near the falls, and lighter the further away it got. We met a nice couple there who live in a retirement community right next door to the falls. They say there are no signs that tell you where to see the rainbow and many people never see it. We were lucky. It had been raining all week, and the rainbow was not very visible. Today, we had sunshine and moderate temperatures. It was beautiful. 

After we left those falls, we drove to several other places in the north and also a little south of Whangarei. It was a very nice, relaxing day to see some of the many beauties of New Zealand.

Saturday was a preparation day for us. We took care of things around the house. Changed linen, did laundry, cleaned the house, etc. We also made a slow cooked soup for our Soup Sunday after Church. We did some preparation for our last Personal Finances class as well. 

I had several things to take care of for the Ward. We even set our clocks ahead for Daylight Savings. I even had some time to do a couple of certifications for Darrin. 

Later the STLs (Sister Training Leaders) came over to use our Wi-Fi. They are also the social media Sisters up north. They are the ones who made that cute video with the Carlisles on Wednesday. They had a few things to upload for that part of their calling.

We started Sunday with Ward Council. We had a good discussion on several topics. I love the opportunity to greet people when they come to Church. I hope that is the calling I get when we go home. 

Our Sacrament meeting felt very special. Our little primary girl was a little too shy to speak, so her mum gave her little talk. Next, we heard from last minute speaker we got on Thursday evening after the assigned speaker ended up in the hospital. He did a great job and shared stories of miracles, including his when he was severely injured and should have been paralyzed. After much therapy and surgery, he was able to walk again and even play rugby again. However, after he broke his arm playing rugby, he gave up the sport. Someone was trying to tell him something. 

Charlotta gave our next talk. She did a marvelous job. She talked about the difference between unity and uniformity. We want and need unity. We can all have different ideas but still have the same goals or purpose. Christ shared many times “that they may be one.” Uniformity, on the other hand, it trying to make everyone do the same thing the same way. It was an excellent talk that encouraged compassion. She said:

Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf said:

“Love is the power that initiates friendship, tolerance, civility, and respect. It is the source that overcomes divisiveness and hate.”

Love is central to our discipleship. It’s not optional.

Love is Active, Not Just a Feeling 

We had a wonderful Relief Society lesson. We talked about the General Conference talk by Elder Stone called, “Charity—a Sign of True Discipleship.” We discussed how we can be better Disciples of Jesus Christ and implement Charity more fully into our lives. We even talked about several things we can do as a Relief Society to help strengthen our Ward. It was really good.  After Church we had our Soup Sunday. The food and fellowship were really good. 

Then, at 3:00, we had our last Personal Finances class. We really enjoyed this class, and I think everyone else did too. We have learned many things that can help our financial planning now and in the future. I made certificates for each class member. We also made Pineapple Upside-Down Cake to celebrate. It was a wonderful day! 

All our Love,

Elder and Sister Wilcox

Early Morning Seminary, Comp Study, Auckland, Two Zone Conferences, Temple, and Song Fest

We started our week off teaching Seminary on Monday Morning. Leona had to work so we helped her out. We had a good lesson and good participation.  The rest of the day involved scripture study and family video calls. 

We enjoyed checking in with Season's family. The boys started school and are doing good. Garren was nervous to start high school. Season helped him by talking to him and listening to his concerns. The next week he started school, and it turned out much better than he expected. Since then, it has been great. Seminary turned out better than expected as well. Karsten is a senior this year. Apparently, he has been doing a lot of speaking assignments in Church in different Wards. That is good. He gave a really good talk at Stake Conference a few weeks ago. Now it is being sought after. LOL

Sister Brough saying
goodbye to her
trainer, Sister Jones

A little later, we got a call from Sean wondering why we hadn't called them. We figured out what happened. Sunday was the last day of the month. Monday was the first day of the next month. We make the calls on Monday so we can talk to our family on Sunday. We call one of our kids each week. I sent out calendar reminders at the beginning of our mission based on our Mondays. So, instead of being the third Sunday for them, it showed up on the second Sunday, but our third Monday. 🤪 We visited with them anyway. Before our call ended, MyLiege asked if we would still have our "regular" call next week. Hahaha.  We said yes!!! It was nice to talk to all the girls. We also got to see Andrew and Ruthie. That is ALWAYS special.

Tuesday morning started with Seminary again. This time the Elders gave the lesson.  They did an object lesson to start things off. Each person was blindfolded and given a putting golf club. A cup was put against the wall, and we had to try and hit the ball in the cup without being able to see. I had a very lucky shot and was the only one who got it in the cup. Next, we did it without the blindfold. Most of us still did not make it in the cup but were at least closer to it. One of our students got it in the cup. I didn’t even come close. LOL

They related this to how it is sometimes hard in life when we can’t see where we are going. When we have our eye focused on the Savior, it is easier to see where you want to go. The rest of the lesson was about the hardships that many of the Saints experienced when they were being persecuted in the early years of the Church. They held fast to their testimony of Jesus Christ and that helped them get through the hard times. That is so true. If we focus our lives on Jesus Christ, we will find much more joy and happiness, even when we have trials.

Because of several different factors, our DCM meeting was changed from Wednesday to Tuesday this week. After Seminary, we got our snacks ready for our DCM meeting. We had a wonderful DCM and a great training about using the Book of Mormon in our teaching. We also had an introduction before DCM started by a member telling us what we will be doing for the Restoration Devotional on Sunday Evening. It sounds like it is going to be good. I’m very excited about attending. 

After DCM, I took care of some administrative things. We also had Comp Study with the Riverside Elders. It turned out some of our scripture highlights focused on similar themes. That is looking for the positive instead of focusing on the negative. It went along with our Seminary lesson that morning.

Elder and Sister Higgins

We spent most of Wednesday doing prep work for Zone Conference and Seminary lesson prep. We also had another Comp Study with the Hikurangi Elders. We talked about the things we were studying for Zone Conference. We had a nice discussion. It worked out well for me since I had been studying that material that morning. We fed them lunch and talked about Temples during lunch. 

I prepared my Seminary lesson after the Elders left. It was our last lesson for this term. We have a two-week break and then come back for two more weeks before the end of the year. I wanted to make this lesson special. I sent Elder Wilcox out to buy some sweet rolls or something for a treat for the class. I also planned a fun activity for our class. 

Thursday was our 54th Wedding Anniversary! How did we celebrate? We served!!! We started with Early Morning Seminary. We talked about integrity and honesty, especially in school. After we read and discussed several scriptures, we decided to put one of the students on trial to see if there was enough evidence to convict them of being honest and full of integrity at school. I had nine students and made sure everyone had a part. We had a judge, prosecutor, defense attorney, defendant, and 5 witnesses. Each witness reported seeing something that showed the defendant didn’t cheat, or share answers, or sluff on a group project, etc. Then the defendant took the stand and shared several quotes from General Authorities about integrity and honesty and confessed that they try to live that way. In the end, the Judge convicted the defendant of being a disciple of Jesus Christ. After our trial, I asked them to seriously consider how they would fair if they were put on trial for being a disciple of Jesus Christ. 

As soon as Seminary was over, we headed to Auckland for our Zone Conference. They moved the north conference from Friday to Thursday to accommodate all the travel time for the missionaries in the northland. They had to be in Auckland on Wednesday for a missionary council meeting with Elder and Sister Higgins as well as President and Sister Allen for the Mission Tour. Rather than have them go back on Thursday, only to return on Friday it was decided to just switch our Zone Conference to Thursday. That way they could stay overnight with other missionaries and go home on Thursday. The other thing they changed was starting at 10:00am rather than 10:30. Consequently, we were a few minutes late before we arrived. They were just finishing the prayer when we walked into the building, so we didn't really miss anything.

Everything about Conference was great. I loved the three 3-minute talks given by three missionaries who were just called up to speak in the meeting. They were all supposed to be prepared to speak. All three talks were great. We heard beautiful musical numbers, and we heard wonderful training from President and Sister Allen as well as Elder and Sister Higgins. We had a delicious lunch and met a new Senior Couple who will be taking over for Elder and Sister Michaelson. They leave in about a month. We sat with the new couple (Elder and Sister Holmes), the Carlisles, and the Michaelsons. It was great getting to know everyone better.  After group pictures, we headed by for the closing session. 

We heard beautiful testimonies from the leaving missionaries. They are always so touching. We have quite a few who will be leaving.  We had a couple of musical numbers and then closing remarks from Elder and Sister Higgins again. I think we ended around 4:30. After the closing prayer, we sang our farewell songs to the departing missionaries as we all greeted each one to say goodbye. Several people brought candy leis to place on the departing missionaries. I always cry at this part of conference.  Several of our previous missionaries are going home as well as Elder and Sister Michaelson. I’m happy for them, but I’m also going to miss them a lot. 

On Friday we attended the South Zone Conference. It was basically a repeat of Thursday's conference. We heard from three different missionaries. They all spoke in their native languages of Tongan, Samoan, and probably Mandarin. One of the Elders sang a musical number that was so beautiful. I can’t believe his voice. Elder Higgins teased him after he finished saying he wanted to be his manager and make a million dollars with him. It was funny.

We had a different set of missionaries going home from the South area. We knew a couple of them. It was very fun to see so many of our missionaries who used to serve in Whangarei. It was so worth going. 

We ended around 4:30 again, but with Friday night traffic it took over an hour to get back to our temporary flat. We had to pick up some laundry soap so we could wash the sheets and towels before we went home on Saturday.

Saturday had been another long day. We were up pretty early for our 8:30 Temple appointment that morning. Our session was completely full. I’m so glad we were already in Auckland and didn’t have to get up at 4 to get there in time. 6 was early enough. It felt really good to be in the Temple. I think I really needed the peace that I always feel there. Things have been a bit hectic lately.   

We headed back to our temporary flat after the Temple so we could finish cleaning it. We washed the towels and sheets that we used and put them back on the bed or in the cupboard before we left. Our flat was very nice, and we were so happy to be able to use it.

We headed back to Whangarei but had to head straight to Hikurangi for our Song Fest activity that started at 4:00pm. I had to run a report for the Missionaries before the activity, so I was hoping to get their early. We were only 15 minutes early, but it was enough.  

We invited the Te Horo Branch and Punaruku Ward to join us. Everyone did such a great job. We had all kinds of numbers from solos, duets, and line dancing. We had a piano and cello duet by Elder and Sister Carlisle and hula dancing and choral numbers by the Hikurangi Ward. Punaruku did several songs including a medley of popular song tunes with fun words about their Ward. It was great. Elder Wilcox finished the night with one of his weird songs that made everyone laugh. It was a song by Johnny Cash called “Dirty Old Egg Sucking Dog.” We were so tired, we didn't hang around very long before we went home. We still had laundry to do before going to bed.

Sunday was another busy day. Church was great. We had two delightful primary girls give the best talks that morning. They only had to share a scripture, but both girls gave regular talks. They are both 8 years old. One of the girls gave her talk in Māori and then interpreted it into English for the rest of us. We also heard great talks from a sister in our ward and our high council speaker. 

Our primary kids took over the Chapel the second hour in preparation for the Primary Program, so our Sunday School class met in the Primary room. I liked it better than the Chapel. It was much more intimate. We talked about sections 97 through 103. We especially talked about how much the Lord loves us, notwithstanding our sins, He still extends His mercy. 

Elder Wilcox had another meeting after Church, so I worked on some things like the Ward Council Minutes. 

It was later than usual after we got home. Since we had a devotional that night, we decided to have a late lunch/early dinner. Shortly after that, it was time for our Personal Finances Class. I sure love our class. We have so much fun together and we learn things too. 

Not long after our class, we headed to the Stake Center for the Restoration Devotional. All the missionaries had a breakout room where they presented different people that were important in the restoration of the Gospel. They all did a great job. The final piece took place in the Chapel, where Elder Ihaka and Elder Hunter presented the First Vision. I enjoyed the devotional very much.

All our Love,

Elder and Sister Wilcox

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