Breakfast, Auckland Time 3, Leavers Lasts, Transfers, and More!

Carlisles, Auntie Sandra, Wilcoxes, and Kreutzkamps

I'm not sure we could pack anything more into last week. We started the morning by packing for an overnight trip to Auckland.

The Kreutzkamps came to New Zealand to celebrate a birthday for a special Sister in the Te Horo Branch. We were unable to go to the party because of our presentation in Kaikohe. So, Auntie Sandra had a breakfast for the Kreutzkamps, the Carlisles, and us. Such Fun!  We had a wonderful time catching up and visiting with one another. Sandra had a couple of cousins that were also in the area for the birthday, so we got to meet them and enjoy their company as well.

Sisters Roberts, Kana, Watson,
LeBaron, Polton, and Jones

We headed over to the Sisters flat to do a final inspection since Sister Poulton was going home and to see if they needed us for any overflow luggage. Sister Jones came down from Kaikohe to ride with Sister Poulton. The flat looked good, and we only had to take one large suitcase and a laundry hamper for bedding. We dropped the luggage off at the flat the Sisters were staying at until Wednesday.

We headed to the Mission office where Sister Hurst rode with us to let us into their flat for the afternoon. Her husband came by, and they took off to finish their work for the day. I was able to do some HawkSoft work and to have a nice long video call with Sierra and Shonee. 

Tuesday was a long and busy day. We left the flat around 8:30 to go to the Temple for our session with all the missionaries who are going home. Most of them went home on Wednesday. A couple will go home closer to when we go home near the middle of December. It was a very special session to have so many missionaries in the Temple. The Spirit was very strong. 

After the Temple, we went to Denny's for lunch. Sister Allen asked each of the Sisters at our big table to share about a highlight of their mission. I don't know what President Allen asked the Elders to do. All of them gave very touching and spirit-filled stories of how they were able to touch someone’s life, or how the Spirit touched their life. We also enjoyed some funny stories too. 

After that we headed to a fresh fruit ice cream place near the mission office. I couldn’t help myself; I had to get salted caramel instead. LOL So Yummy. The fresh fruit cones looked amazing though. 

After we rested for about an hour at the Hurst's flat and then packed up our stuff to go home, we headed to President and Sister Allen's house for dinner and a testimony meeting.  can’t even begin to say what a wonderful experience that was. We had dinner with Elder and Sister Ward at our table. They are leaving in December too. Dinner was delicious as was the desert. The Testimonies were amazing. After lots of pictures, songs, hugs, and tears, we headed home. 

Wilcoxes, Elder Tumanuvao, and Carlisles

Wednesday morning brought our last DCM with the current District. We lost two missionaries from our Zone. We expected a lot more. We had a great meeting and spent time signing bye-bye books. I had Sister Carlisle sign mine as they won't be there next week. Their daughter and son-in-law are coming for a visit. We are hoping to connect with them the Monday we leave Whangarei for the last time.

The afternoon included getting an extra key made for the Zone Leaders flat and then having two different Comp Studies. The first one was with the Hikurangi Elders and then The Denby Sisters showed up for theirs. Normally they come on Tuesdays, but we were in Auckland, so we moved it to Wednesday. 

Not long after they left, we ate a quick dinner and then headed to the Chapel for Book of Mormon Reading. We got there early so I could print a 4-to-a-page flyer for the Elders. 

Very early Thursday morning we headed back to the Sisters' flat. We picked up two Sisters to ride with us, and the two other Sisters rode together to Auckland. It was Transfer day! Neither of the two that rode with us were authorized to drive. Transfers were an experience we hadn't really had before. It was chaotic, but very fun to see so many missionaries who had previously served in our area. We were able to say goodbye for the last time to many of them. I'm so glad we were able to do that. We were asked to hang around in case we needed to transport any missionaries to their flats, but as it turned out we were not needed. We got home in the afternoon. 

Sister Roberts

We rested up a bit, ate some dinner and then headed to the Stake Center for a short devotional where Teina was set apart as a full-time missionary in the Australia Sydney Mission. I was asked to lead the music, and thankfully, Merilene showed up so she was my pianist. It was a really lovely devotional. So many families and friends showed up to support Teina. 

Much of Friday was spent sorting, cleaning, and packing. We dropped off a bunch of stuff at the op shop. We also took care of cobwebs around the house, washed the car, and cleaned the microwave and oven. 

We had to house sit for the Zone Leaders for the Heat Pump repairman to show up. We were expecting him between 1 and 3. He showed up just before three. It looks like he is going to have to come back. It wasn't an easy fix. They may have trouble getting parts because the unit is so old. They may end up replacing it. After we left, we dropped a bunch of stuff off at the op shop (thrift store). 

Saturday ended up a little later than we had planned. We made our third trip to Auckland in a week. After we took care of laundry in the morning, we headed to Auckland for what we thought was a 1:00 Thanksgiving Senior Missionary Lunch. On our way through Whangarei, we got a text from Ben saying his grandfather was in the hospital and not doing very well. He asked if Elder Wilcox good give him a blessing. We turned around and went to the hospital. Ben wasn't there yet so we had to wait about 15 minutes. After he arrived, the doctor came in and told us what was going on. The news was actually better than expected. They thought he had several mini strokes, but it turned out that he had a couple of seizures instead. They think he may be able to go home by Sunday or Monday. After the doctor left, Elder Wilcox gave him a blessing. We were on our way shortly after that. 

I thought we were going to be pretty late for the Thanksgiving lunch, but when we got to the Chapel, the parking lot was empty. I texted a message to find out what it was supposed to be and was told we were at the right place, but the time was 4:00, not 1:00. I checked my emails and messages to see if I forgot about the time change and saw that the only message I had was 1:00. So, since we were early, we helped decorate with they got there at 2:00. 

I was surprised by how many people we didn’t know. Most of the people at the dinner work in the area offices. There were only a handful of missionaries that work in the mission office and no other missionaries from the North came down. We got to meet several new couples, so it turned out to be very fun after all. 

We got home about 2 hours later than we originally thought. It was still early enough to have a relaxing evening. 

Sunday was a bit emotional. We started with a Thanksgivagain video call with our family. It was fun to see everyone. They made breakfast this year. We got to talk to them before we went to Church this morning.

We were pulled out of Ward Council to meet with the Stake President. He expressed his love and appreciation for us and our service. He then released us from Ward Clerk and Seminary Teacher. He mentioned how much we not only helped the Ward, but we also helped the Stake. I hadn’t really thought about what we did in the Stake, but I guess we did something as we managed to get to know quite a few people throughout the Stake. We felt very loved and appreciated. 

Our Sacrament meeting was very nice. The talks were amazing. We had two primary children who gave AWESOME talks without the help of their parents. They were about 8 or 9. We also heard from Wini and Leona who gave beautiful talks about a talk by Elder Kevin G. Brown entitled “The Eternal Gift of Testimony.” They both chose the same talk and of course gave different perspectives. 

We participated in the 5th Sunday Forum by presenting the first 15 minutes to talk about Love, Share, Invite. We shared our Mission goal of 500 baptisms by the end of the year. We also talked about the Just Serve website that is finally coming to New Zealand. Brother Walker finished the forum by talking about the Giving Machine. It was a good meeting. 

After Church we had a Soup Sunday in the Cultural Hall. I briefly showed the new Ward Clerk and his Assistant Ward Clerk what I had done with the Share Drive. In particular I showed them the Sacrament Program worksheet and the Ward Council Agenda/Minutes. The Stake Clerk will train them in everything else. 

Later, we had the Otaika Valley Sisters over for dinner and Comp Study. They are in the South District, but with the Carlisles gone for the week, we wanted to invite them over so we can meet Sister Watson’s new companion. 

I hope you have a FANTASTIC week!!! Happy Thanksgiving and Merry Christmas!!!

All our Love,

Elder and Sister Wilcox

Birthday Boy, Inspections, Bishopric Dinner, and Final Family Name Assist Presentation

This week has been filled with lots of cleaning and service. We invited any missionaries over that wanted to help us clean our windows. We promised them breakfast. We got two companionships, and we all had a great time. They washed the windows, and we made them pancakes, eggs, hashbrowns, and bacon. It took us about an hour to do the breakfast and windows and then we had another couple of hours to eat and play games.  

After they left, we had our last monthly video call with MyLiege's family from New Zealand. I have to qualify it with "monthly" because Sean has been known to just call us up randomly at other times. LOL I also spent several hours of our P-Day catching up on some HawkSoft work that I had. I almost completed it but ran into a problem that I needed checked out in the US. Since it was Sunday there, I had to wait a day. While I was working on HawkSoft, Steve was wiping out all the drawers and cabinets in the Kitchen and then putting everything back in place nice and tidy. Everything looks so nice. 

Tuesday was Steve's birthday. It was kind of low key until dinner. I was able to finish HawkSoft after Darrin fixed whatever the problem was. I think it only took me an hour. I also prepared our Family Home Evening lesson for the family we teach every other week. Steve took care of the weeding outside and I washed all the windowsills in the house to go with our nice clean windows. 

After lunch, the Sister came over for Comp Study. We ready two more chapters in "Saints." We are all really enjoying reading this book together. I especially love the discussions we have after (sometimes during) each chapter.

The Carlisles invited us to go to dinner for Steve's birthday. We had a wonderful time. When we finished, we decided to go back to our place for birthday cake and games. However, just as we were getting close to our house, Sister Carlisle got a call from their neighbor telling them someone was breaking into their house. Their neighbor saw the guy and called the cops. So, we dropped them off at home instead of taking them to our house. Scary! I’m glad they caught the guy, and everything turned out all right. 

Over the last few months, Wednesdays have become our busiest day. We had a wonderful DCM meeting on Wednesday morning. We had delicious snacks and visits for a short time after DCM with both Districts.  When we got home, we cleaned out the bathroom drawers. Some stuff we will send to the op shop. We threw away some stuff. Some are ready for packing now, and some I am still using. We vacuumed the drawers before wiping them down. They are clean and shiny now. I had pushed that little task back day after day for over a week. I’m so glad it is finally done. 

About the time we finished that little (NOT) project, the Elders arrived for our weekly Comp Study. Again, Elder Hunter peppered us with lots of doctrinal questions. We did the best we could to answer them, and we had a good discussion about them. After they left, we made dinner and finished watching the second half of Follow Him. Then it was time to go to our Book of Mormon reading. Bishop had a meeting, so he didn’t make it. We only had Wini show up. We read the two Isaiah Chapters in 1 Nephi. We had quite a discussion about them. Isaiah can be difficult to understand sometimes. Next week we will read Nephi’s explanation of those chapters. 

We left right after words to head to the Snows house for our Family Home Evening. We had a good lesson on the Second Coming of Christ. We had a couple of different activities the kids got to be involved in, so that made it nice. I think they had fun.

We started Thursday early with flat inspections. Both flats were in really good shape. The Riverside Elders had a couple things to tweak while we were there, but they took care of it before we finished our inspection. Then we headed to the Hikurangi Elders to do their inspection. We couldn’t find any issues. It is so nice to have such great missionaries.

We made it home in time for our Mission SPF meeting. President and Sister Allen gave a very creative presentation on being accountable for their own actions. After SPF we waited for the Zone Leaders to come by for our Comp Study. After a while we contacted them to find out they forgot to tell us they couldn’t make it that day. 😢We probably won’t meet with them next week either because it is transfer day next Thursday. 

While I was working on other projects both administrative and around the house, Steve went shopping to pick up a few things. We noticed that morning that both flats needed something repaired. The Riverside flat needed a new heat lamp in the bathroom. The Hikurangi flat needed a new bracket to fix a door in the kitchen. He was able to take care of both repairs as well as pick up a few groceries that we need for our Bishopric Dinner Friday night. 

Friday was a long day with hard work, and lots of fun. We started by picking up the Carlisles to head over to the Ata Mahina flat near Bream Bay. We met up with the Hursts and the Roses from Auckland. We were right in the middle of rush hour traffic, so we ended up being later than we planned. I think the Hursts and the Roses got there earlier than planned, because a lot of the work was done. Most of the packing and loading furniture was done. We all jumped in to help where we could. While I was vacuuming that flat, I noticed some black marks on the walls where different things had rubbed against the walls. I asked Sister Hurst if the landlord was planning on painting as normal wear and tear. She said that it was our responsibility to take care of holes, patches, and things like black marks. I had Elder Wilcox take a paint chip from the wall, and then he and Elder Carlisle went back to Whangarei to the hardware store to get some paint blended. They do a really good job of matching the paint. 

They were gone a really long time. There was construction on the highway that caused traffic to be backed up in both directions. So, they were slow getting there as well as coming back. We had finished all the loading and cleaning. The Roses went back to Auckland. We sent the Hursts to get some lunch because they were going to be meeting with the landlord and officially close the flat. They were also going to be doing the painting. Sister Carlisle and I wanted for the men to get back. While we were looking for a route for Sister Carlisle to take a walk on the beach since we were so close, the guys showed up earlier than they thought. We took care of a few things, left the paint and our extra keys on the counter, called the Hursts to see if there was anything else they needed, and then headed to Waipu Cove to eat some lunch. It is a nice little restaurant with outdoor seating overlooking the beach. After lunch we walked down to the beach to enjoy it a little more. Sister Carlisle got her walk on the beach with Elder Carlisle, and Steve and I sat on a bench and just enjoyed the view. 

After we dropped the Carlisles off, we headed home to relax for a little while before getting dinner ready for our Bishopric dinner that night. Bishop and Darlene showed up first. They informed us that the Walkers were not going to make it because one of their horses died and they needed to bury it. While we waited for the Horsfords to arrive, we shared our family Nativity Video that Season made for us during COVID. Russell and Merilene arrived near the end of our video, so it was just in time for dinner. 

We had so much fun. We enjoyed a wonderful visit. After dinner we played a dice game called “Bank”. Then we enjoyed delicious desserts and more visiting. I think they stayed until 10:30 or so. It was such a wonderful night.

Saturday was a little more laid back. We did our normal housekeeping things with laundry, linen and general cleaning. I took care of a few things for our meetings on Sunday. We left around 1:30 to go to Kaikohe for the Stake Leadership meeting of their Stake Conference. They were the last Stake that I needed to do the presentation for. 

I was the first speaker. The presentation went off without a single glitch. Most of the leaders had never heard of the Family Name Assist tool in the LCR tab. It was received very well. After the meeting, we were invited to a light dinner in the High Council room between the leadership and adult sessions of the conference. We had an opportunity to talk to several people about the tool. After dinner, we headed home.

I love Sundays when we get together with our Ward Whanau (family) to partake of the Sacrament and worship our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Our Sacrament meeting consisted of a primary child giving his favorite scripture. He got shy, so mom gave it for him, but he got up there! We then heard from our two fulltime Elders, Elder Hunter and Elder Ihaka. I’m sure one of them is going to be transferred on Thursday. They said they thought they were both going to be transferred. I don’t think so. They both gave great talks. Our concluding speaker was Teina. He is going on a mission and leaves very soon. He will be going to Australia.

In Relief Society, we talked about Sister Tracy Browning’s General Conference talk entitled, “Tune Your Heart to Jesus Christ: The Sacred Gift of Primary Music.” It was a wonderful lesson as we shared what our favorite primary songs are and how they help to strengthen our testimonies. We talked about why primary music can be a powerful way for our children to learn the doctrines of the Church. 

We took care of a few administrative things before heading home and had a much-needed relaxing afternoon and evening.  

I hope you have a wonderful week!

All our Love,

Elder and Sister Wilcox

Two Tangis, Two Funerals, SPF Presentation, and Sacrament Talks

This may be a short weekly recap, even though it was a long week. We spent Monday through Wednesday involved with two tangis and two funerals. Roberta passed away on November 6th. Since they had to wait for some out-of-town families to arrive, the tangi wasn't held until Monday.  A Māori tangi (or tangihanga) is a traditional funeral ceremony that honors the deceased and supports the grieving whānau (family). It is one of the most sacred and significant customs in Māori culture. tangi typically lasts three days or more and is traditionally held a
t a marae (tribal meeting grounds), though it can also take place at homes or funeral parlors. Roberta's was held at the home of Sister Paratene.

We spent all Monday at her house helping out with the tangi. This one was only one day and a night. The casket is open, and friends and family come to pay their last respects. Food was brought so the visitors could have some kai (food). If it is at a marae, mattresses are laid around the coffin, and the family would stay there overnight. The body is rarely left alone from the time of death until burial. None of the family were staying overnight at Leona’s. We had people coming and going all day. 

Monday evening, we had a short service of sorts, where those who were there could share their thoughts and memories of the deceased to honor them. It was special tonight for a couple of reasons. Although Roberta was a long-time member of the Ward and beloved by all, her husband never joined the Church. He supported her in everything Roberta did in the Church. If you didn’t know he wasn’t a member, you would never guess. He is a member…he just doesn’t know it yet. Anyway, after everyone who wanted to share their memories and love for Roberta, her husband spoke up to thank everyone. He knew all the people there, but he said that he never knew how much his wife meant to our Ward and to the members there. He was truly grateful for how much everyone loved his wife and him also. 

The Bishop shared a few closing remarks and mentioned how much Mike and Roberta were true friends and partners with each other in all the did. He then told Mike how much Roberta wanted to be sealed to Mike for all eternity. Mike chuckled a little and said, “give me six months.” The rest of the group said they were going to hold him to that. It was very sweet. 

We had the opportunity just a few times to visit Roberta and Mike in their home. Roberta didn’t talk much, but Mike was fun to get to know. The thing that impressed me the most was how tenderly he took care of his sweet wife. She was pretty much bedridden, and he was so sweet to her. You could feel the love between them. The Ward is going to do everything they can to continue their relationship with Mike. They all love him too!

Tracey decided to stay overnight with Leona for the night. On Tuesday morning we were up early to make broccoli salad for Roberta's funeral. Then we headed to the Chapel to get things ready. I also printed all the programs and helped in the kitchen getting the food ready. 

There was a nice turnout. Mostly family and members and friends. Of course, we had members of the Ward show up too. The service was very nice with mostly family members and a few Ward members speaking. The shared memories of their time with Roberta were very sweet. We didn’t know her when she was healthy. We learned she was a feisty little thing and knew her mind. Everyone loved her. She knew how to get things done and she did it. It sounded like she was a force for good wherever she went. 

After the funeral services, we invited everyone to share some kai (food) with the family. Most of the people stayed and visited. It was very nice. 

After everyone had eaten we packed up some food for Roberta’s husband and her two sons. There were still a few things left that we packed up for Leona. 

Leona has been taking care of Dean for over 39 years. He was severely disabled, but she cared for him all that time. He was in a care facility, but she visited him every day and would spend the night with him whenever he was in the hospital. She would take him on outings with her and her four “children” when they were growing up. They are nieces and nephews that she has raised since they were babies. She never married and did this all on her own. 

Anyway, Dean passed away on the Sunday before the tangi for Roberta. Leona was committed to helping Mike during his time of grief at the loss of Roberta. Other than us, she did not let anyone know that she too was grieving. On Tuesday and Wednesday, Dean’s body lay in state in Leona's home for friends and family to come and pay their respects. We went over after Roberta’s funeral to take the leftover food for her to have for any guests that showed up. We stayed with her for a while until her nieces and nephews showed up. They stayed with her for a couple of days. She wasn’t alone during this time of loss. She is truly a gracious lady.

Wednesday started with DCM. We were a bit chattier than usual and had a good time. We especially had a fun role play at the end of our training. After our refreshments, we headed down the street to the funeral home for Dean’s funeral. 

He had such a beautiful service. Other than Leona, her nieces and nephews, and Brother Toi, we didn’t know anyone else. There were lots of current and past care givers for Dean. Many of his family showed up as well. Leona, her nieces and nephews, and a few care givers were the speakers. They all spoke of Dean’s laughter and the love that emanated from him. They talked about the many things they learned from him as they all cared for him in their own way. The four kids grew up with Dean. He was nearly twenty when they came to live with Leona. They were ages 3, 2, 1, and newborn. The kids told beautiful memories of their times with Dean. It was so full of love and laughter. 

The care givers also spoke of their love for Dean and the privilege they had of taking
care of him over the years. They mentioned how he would sometimes start laughing, which then caused everyone around him to start laughing. Again, I could feel the love they have for Dean. A few family members got up to share their thoughts and feelings too. They mostly expressed the gratitude to Leona and her children for giving Dean the love and whanau (family) they didn’t give him when they should have. They were grateful for the wonderful life Dean had with Leona’s Whanau. 

Elder Wilcox conducted the Funeral service and gave the closing remarks. He shared a scripture about how after Dean is resurrected, his body will be whole. He will see and stand and talk. He will be perfect.  After a short slide show presentation, I gave the closing prayer.

President and Sister Allen

We headed home for our Comp Study with the Hikurangi Elders. We tend to use some of our Comp Study time to do our mission correlation meeting. We have always done that with the Hikurangi Elders. It helps us keep on top of all our new friends and new members and se
e how we can help the missionaries. 

Not long after they left, we went to the Chapel for our Book of Mormon reading. The rain was coming down pretty hard, and we didn’t think we would get a very big turnout. As it turned out, the Bishop was the only one who came besides the Elders and us. We had a wonderful time reading chapters 17 and 18 of 1 Nephi. We read and talked about Nephi building the ship and the journey to the promised land. We were all glad we ventured out to read the Book of Mormon. 

Once we were home again, we had to finish our presentation for SPF on Thursday. We managed to get the PowerPoint portion done on Monday while we were at Leona’s house, but we still needed to figure out what we were going to say and to time our presentation. We did that Wednesday night. 

I started Thursday morning with our HawkSoft Anniversary Video Call with all those who started with HawkSoft in either November or December. I started on 29 December 2008, nearly 17 years ago. It was so fun to see so many friends I have worked with over the years. A few have been there longer than me, most were shorter, but all of them have been there for a while. 

Not long after that call was our Mission SPF meeting. We gave the presentation. We talked about the lives of President Henry B. Eyring and President D. Todd Christofferson. I think it turned out pretty well. We had lots of pictures, interesting facts, and some personal stories for each of them. 

The Zone Leaders showed up shortly after that for our weekly Comp Study with them.  We had a shorter time than usual because they had another appointment. They had several things they wanted to talk about, so we didn’t do a lot of scripture study with them. The mission wants the missionaries to present a small portion of the 5th Sunday Forum on our Mission Goal. They had some links and forms they had questions about, so I was able to help them out. Also, the Hika Elders will be in Punaruku on the 5th Sunday, so it looks like we will be doing the presentation in Hikurangi. 

Sister LeBaron

Later, we worked on our talks for Sacrament Meeting on Sunday. I wrote mine in such a way that I will be able to use most of it for the talks we give when we get home. 

We thought our Friday was going to be spent entirely at home. We had
kind of a lazy morning reminiscing about the past couple of weeks and then on our entire mission. I heard another ding on my phone and thought I had better look at my messages. Normally, the morning messages are a lot of missionaries wishing happy birthday to those missionaries that are having birthdays, so I don't stop and look at each of them as they come in. Since the dings had slowed down a bit, I thought I could catch up. There was a message from a sister telling me that Deborah was trying to get a hold of us and I hadn't answered. I had to go to our New Zealand phone to see Deborah's message. The message was to pick up Deborah and take her and her belongings to a temporary campground. Just as we were almost there, she texted that she had to run an errand, so we waited for her in the lobby of the hotel she was staying at. After we dropped her off at the campground, we headed home.  

Sister Julia Jones

Once home, I worked on some ACORD forms for HawkSoft and Steve packed some more of our stuff that we will not need over the next few weeks. I think we are in pretty good shape. Most of the stuff that is left is stuff we still need to use.

We actually stayed home all-day Saturday. I enjoyed my scripture study that morning reviewing President Nelson’s conference talk called “A New Normal.” He gave that talk toward the end of the COVID 19 Pandemic. I think the quote that impressed me the most was, “We live in a glorious age, foreseen by prophets for centuries. This is the dispensation when no spiritual blessing will be withheld from the righteous.” We do have an exciting future to look forward to.

We took care of several things around the house in preparation for our move. I spent much of the day getting caught up with a bunch of certifications that Darrin gave me to do for HawkSoft. I still have probably the same amount left that I hope to take care of on Monday. 

Sister Jones and Sister Polton

Before we were done for the day, we gave each other haircuts. That should be the last one we have to give each other before we leave.

Ward Council was good Sunday morning. I gave the training on record keeping and reports. I pulled much of it from Doctrine and Covenants 128:6-8 about recording ordinances in the Temple so the dead can be judged out of the books. Those books are the records we keep on earth.

Steve and I both gave talks in Sacrament meeting. I think they turned out well. We both spoke on Christlike service and related that to our missions. And of course, we talked about our love for the members of the Hikurangi Ward and how grateful we are for being able to serve here. 

After Church, we hung around for a little while taking care of things the Bishop asked us to do. After we got home, I started working on the recap and Steve made lunch. 

We were able to relax for the afternoon before we had an inspection Zoom meeting at 7:00. 

All Our Love,

Elder and Sister Wilcox

Auntie Sandra's Breakfast, Zone Conference, Bonfire, and Stake Conference

What a week. No wonder I'm so tired. 🤪 Monday morning started with our Missionary Breakfast at Auntie Sandra's house. As usual, she went all out. Lots of delicious food and cute decorations for a fun party atmosphere. It was Halloween themed. We almost missed it because I failed to look at my computer that morning. I was taking a break from computers. Hahaha Thankfully, Elder Wilcox checked Messenger and found Sister Carlisle's message reminding everyone of the breakfast. We scrambled to get ready and go! Such fun when we got there and there was still plenty of food left. 

We spent the day sorting and packing stuff we won't be using for the rest of the mission. We cleaned the hall closets and packed souvenirs, Knick Knacks, and some winter clothes. We will be taking a bunch of clothes to the op shop before we go to make room for all the souvenirs. Haha

About the time we were both worn out, it was time to get ready to go to the Carlisle's for dinner. They had two other friends over as well. We had a wonderful time visiting and playing a game of Bank. 

We did our normal Monday video call on Tuesday. It was a little too tricky to coordinate on Monday. They are busy working on getting the space over the garage turned back into a little apartment for Laila, Tyus and Roman before we get home. Douhet is positive everything will be done in time. 

We had Comp Study with the Denby Sisters in the afternoon. Later we arranged to pick up a car for one of our sisters. She is unable to drive, and we were moving her to another place. All her belongings were in her car. We had to take the car to our house to pick up sometime later. Coordinating everything was a bit tricky, but it all worked out. 

Wednesday was a pretty busy day. We had DCM in the morning. We went immediately with the Carlisles to shop for Zone Conference food. We managed to be back by 2:00 as we were expecting someone to pick up the car we picked up the day before. The Hika Elders showed up for Comp Study a little after that. Not long after they left the others showed up to pick up the car. We had a nice little visit before they headed back home.  Then it was time to head to the Chapel for our Book of Mormon reading group. I am really enjoying our group. We lose some and get some different each week. If we could get everyone in the same week, we might need a bigger room. LOL As soon as that was over, we headed to the Snows for our Family Home Evening lesson. The kids were amazing, and we had a great time with everyone. After ice cream bars for dessert, we headed home. 

We had SPF on Thursday morning. Sister Allen talked about Doctrine and Covenants 58. She specifically focused on verses 26 through 29. These verses talked about being anxiously engaged in a good cause and being wise servants. We, as a mission, are working on an annual goal of 500 baptisms for the year. We are in a doable range if we continue to work hard and remain anxiously engaged. We will sprint to the end! I’m sure we can do it with the Lord’s help. The mission has never had that many baptisms in one year!

I was able to put in an hour or so working on HawkSoft ACORD forms. After that, we spent the rest of the day working on food prep for Zone Conference. Cooking most of the food on Thursday makes for a much easier day on Friday.

Friday was Zone Conference. We went a little earlier this time because the mission brough back the Haka and they were doing it before conference instead of at the lunch break like before. I wanted to make this conference a little special since it is the last meal we will be making for them. We angled the tables instead of just straight lines. We also decorated the tables with Bird of Paradise. They looked nice. We finished all the prep work before they did the Haka. They moved our center tables out of the way to make room for the Haka. it wasn't disturbed too much. We got to stand up front with the other missionaries who are leaving to go home. Technically we weren't going to be standing up front until the December Zone Conference, but since Sister Allen isn't going to be here in December, she wanted us to be part of the leavers. I'm glad, because this was OUR Zone Conference. In December, we will be meeting with another two Zones in Auckland. We will be standing up again, but it won't be quite as personal as this one was. It was an unexpected treat for us. 

We had a meeting with a new caterer who will take over the meals starting in January. She will have a Senior Missionary liaison between the Mission and her. It should be much easier for everyone. 

We rested for a bit when we got home and then headed out to our annual Ward Bonfire. We were tired, but I'm glad we went. It was a lot of fun, and we got to visit more casually with Ward members than we do at Church. 

Saturday was a Baptism for a young girl in our Ward. After the Baptism, I created her Baptismal Certificate so she could take it home the same day. Since we had Stake Conference this weekend, she would have had to wait a week before she got the certificate. While I had the Bishop there, I briefly went over the Membership Audit with him and printed some reports for him to review. Then we grabbed a quick plate of food before heading to the hospital to give a blessing.  

After the blessing, we went to the Stake Center for the leadership session of Stake Conference. We made it just in time. The theme for conference was Matthew 22:36-39. First to love God and second to love our neighbor. All the talks were related to that. We also had people from Auckland to kick off the Just Serve program of the Church. It has been available in the States for several years but is new to New Zealand. Whangarei is one of the pilot Stakes for the program. 

After the leadership session, we headed to the car to grab a protein bar for "dinner." Then we headed back in the adult session. There were different speakers, but they focused on the same theme. As we were getting ready to go home, Sister Nygren came up and asked with we wanted to go to dinner with them. There were four senior couples at conference. We all headed down the street to a Thia restaurant. We ate there not long after we moved to Whangarei with President and Sister Allen. We had such a good time getting to know a new Missionary Couple that will be taking over the Wards place in Wellsford. Elder and Sister Nixon are from Nevada. She is going to supervise the Zone Conference lunches, at least until another couple takes over for us. We sat across from them and had fun getting to know them.  We also had the Nygrens and the Carlisles.

Sunday finished our Stake Conference. It was a wonderful session. We had a beautiful children’s choir. They did an amazing job.  We also heard from a couple of youth speakers who also did an amazing job. We learned about Patriarchal Blessings from our Stake Patriarch and staying on the Covenant Path from and delightful Sister who talked about her journey back to Church and with a goal of the Temple. We heard from our Stake Presidency and a counselor in our Mission Presidency. The talks were inspiring and engaging. It was a wonderful Stake Conference.

At home, I did my scripture study and then worked on the recap for the week. I took care of a few other things before finally settling down for a relaxing evening. 

All Our Love,

Elder and Sister Wilcox