Senior Activity, Last Seminary Lessons, Transfers, BOM Reading, Seminary Breakfast, and Temples 

It has been a busy and fun filled week. Monday started with prepping for our dinner with the Reads. Then we headed to Wellsford for our Senior Activity. We left a little early so we could pick up some supplies to repair a wall at the Russell Road flat after the activity. We had a wonderful lunch with lots of visiting. It was the last time we would all be together with Elder and Sister Michaelson. They go home in a week or so. We left a little early so we could go patch the wall at the flat we were closing. The rest of the group headed to the beach to collect seashells. 

Eric 1st place, Sharon 2nd Place,
Sister Wilcox 3rd Place

Steve dropped me off at home so I could make dinner for our guests, and he went to the flat to put the first layer of the patch on the hole. He got home just in time to help with a few things left to do for dinner. Michael, Sharon, and Sharon's Dad Eric arrived just as everything finished cooking. Michael and Sharon were in Australia for 10 days visiting their daughter and her family. We checked in on Eric a few times during the time they were away. We wanted to hear all about their trip and also repay them for the several dinners they had us over for. We had a wonderful visit during dinner, and everyone loved our “American” meal. After dinner, we played a fun game called “Bank”. Of course, we continued talking and sharing. It was a very fun evening. 

Tuesday, we went to early morning Seminary. The Elders taught the lesson on Tithing. We went straight from there out to the Russell Road flat so Steve could put another layer on the patch on the wall. Then we headed back home to be ready for our Comp Study with the Riverside Elders.  We discussed General Conference talks today. I couldn’t believe how many we talked about without even having to look up their talks. We managed to get the speakers right and covered the main focus of their talks. It is always hard to choose a favorite talk when they are all so good. 

I worked on my Thursday Seminary Lesson prep before it was time to go back to Russell Road to sand, paint and turn the key in. After we got home, I spent an hour or so working on ACORD forms for HawkSoft. 

Elder O'Riordan with the Carlisles

We had our last DCM meeting with the current District. Between transfers and one missionary going home, we lost a total of 5 out of our 12 missionaries. The only companionship that remained the same was Hikurangi. We combined our DCM with the South District so that was nice. We ended our meeting with testimonies from the missionaries that were leaving. Then we had our snacks and signed bye-bye books before it was time to go. 

Elder Mabaso
Elder O'Riordan

After lunch and the first half of the Follow Him podcast, the Hika Elders arrived for Comp Study. We talked about General Conference and then it kind of morphed into life. We had a wonderful visit. Later we headed to the Chapel for our Book of Mormon Reading group. We had another couple show up so that was nice. We had a wonderful discussion about Lehi's Vision of the Tree of Life. We talked about how we can apply what we learn to our lives. 

We had our last early morning Seminary class on Thursday morning. We had six kids show up. I was hoping for more since it was our last class. Our lesson was on how to share the Book of Mormon. I invited the Elders to help do the last part of the lesson. They did a role play to demonstrate how they share the Book of Mormon. Then I had the two students they presented it to be the missionaries and they then shared the Book of Mormon with two other students. They did a really good job, and I think they had fun. We gave them each a copy of the Book of Mormon and asked them to give it to a friend. I also asked for a commitment from them to read the Book of Mormon and find out for themselves if it is true. They all said they would. 🤞

I spent the rest of the day prepping for Sunday with the Ward Council Agenda and the Sacrament Program because we were gone both Friday and Saturday. I also finished the ACORD forms for HawkSoft. Lastly, I finalized plans for two Temple trips in the next few weeks. Both involve the Hamilton Temple. I had to make overnight plans since both appointments are fairly early in the morning for doing a 4-hour drive beforehand. 

On Friday morning, we went to a Seminary Breakfast for our Hikurangi Seminary. We met at a local cafe for a nice enjoyable breakfast. After eating and visiting for a while, we headed home. We took care of laundry and packing. I also fixed a few minor issues with the ACORD forms. And I had a video call with Sean about a project we started last July. We are finally getting around to finishing it. After lunch and the second half of Follow Him, we headed down to Hamilton. We made great time until we got to Auckland, then we hit traffic. It took us at least an extra hour to get to our B&B. We have the Bridal Suite. We have beautiful views on both sides of the room. It is nice to see our friends one last time before we go home. 

Elder Phipps
and Wilcoxes

Saturday was filled with both the Hamilton Temple and the Auckland Temple. We started with a delicious breakfast at our B&B. We had a very nice visit with several guests in addition to the owners of the B&B. I think that is probably the last time we will stay there. It has been a highlight of our time in New Zealand. 

We made it to the Temple in plenty of time before the Endowment session for Teina. We had about 15 people from our Ward there to support him. It was wonderful to see so many there. I loved sitting in my row with several other sisters that I love so very much. We had a very nice session, and it was great to greet everyone in the Celestial Room. Usually when we go to the Temple we don't know anyone else. It was a real treat to see so many Whanau (family). 

After a short visit, we headed to the Auckland Temple. I had previously made appointments at the Auckland Temple to do sealings and an endowment. When we were asked to go to Teina's endowment session, I thought I might have to cancel our Auckland appointments. But when I checked the times, I realized we could do both. It was actually pretty great to be at two different Temples in one day. We managed to get all our sealing names done. I was so happy about that. We also did two endowments each so that was great too. After that, we headed home and made it just before 7:00 so it wasn't even too late. 

We had a really good Ward Council Sunday morning. In General Conference Elder Jackson gave a talk in a Saturday session entitled "Remembering the Sheep". Elder Wilcox pulled a part out of the talk to use in his training for Ward Council and tied it to the Ministering Training in the General handbook. I think it really set the tone for our Ward Council. Bishop has been moving more and more to focus on individuals in our meeting and that is exactly what we did today. We could really feel the Spirit. 

We had a nice increase in our attendance. With the realignment a couple of weeks ago, we had many members show up as well as several guests. It was very nice to see the Chapel full. Our talks were very good. Rita is 4 years old. I love watching her in Church. She usually sits in the row across from us. She gave a talk in Māori about Temples. Even though I didn’t understand a word she said, the Spirit was strong. She spoke clearly and with great confidence. I just love her. Her oldest sister also gave a wonderful talk about how Education is for Eternity. I have always been impressed with her. She is preparing for a mission soon. I enjoyed having her in Seminary last year. We also heard from another sister who talked about Elder Uchtdorf’s General Conference talk. She did a great job too. And we had a very full class for Sunday School. It was AWESOME!

Have a GREAT Week!

All our Love,

Elder and Sister Wilcox