Jack and I loved having our boys in New Zealand and showing them this beautiful country and the lovely people we have met. New Zealanders are so kind and will go out of their way to help you. They are very proud of their country…as they should be and love to share it with you.
We realize that our family will continue to change. We loved the short time we got to be together, to get away from our lives, our stresses, our responsibilities to get to be together and love each other again. We have the greatest boys. We loved sitting back and watching the wonderful adults they have become. Thanks guys, for coming to New Zealand to be together as a family.
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Fear and a suspension bridge
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Fear – It’s an interesting thing and as individual as each human being. Today we saw a suspension bridge. Jack suggested we try it. We had been traveling from Westport to Nelson, which is a beautiful drive but very windy. We were all ready for a break. Remember the bridge over the Virgin River in Zion when we were little? Similar but much higher and longer. This bridge was over the Buller Gorge, about 120 feet to the river. Pepper started over. Part way over he was annoyed that Rachelle was shaking the bridge behind him, wanted to turn back but couldn’t. Actually Rachelle wasn’t shaking the bridge at all, it was just how the bridge moved when someone was walking on it. (Although Rachelle had to admit to thinking about shaking the bridge, but didn’t.) I started over behind Rachelle and stopped to take a picture of either sides of the river and realized how difficult it was to keep still enough to take the pictures. At this point I looked back to see that Jack had only just started down the bridge. I turned back to check on him and he looked at me and said, “I could force myself to go over that bridge but I am old enough to say I don’t have to walk over that bridge. I think I will stay here.” As I got to the other side, Rachelle and Pepper were laughing because Pepper had been so freaked out. Something about, “Now you know how I felt flying thirteen hours over the ocean.” We all got back together on the other side and laughed about the experience. We all have things that frighten us and what scares one person may not scare another. I guess it comes down to accepting each others with our strong points and the weak ones as well. Gosh it’s nice to be with close family.
Fear – It’s an interesting thing and as individual as each human being. Today we saw a suspension bridge. Jack suggested we try it. We had been traveling from Westport to Nelson, which is a beautiful drive but very windy. We were all ready for a break. Remember the bridge over the Virgin River in Zion when we were little? Similar but much higher and longer. This bridge was over the Buller Gorge, about 120 feet to the river. Pepper started over. Part way over he was annoyed that Rachelle was shaking the bridge behind him, wanted to turn back but couldn’t. Actually Rachelle wasn’t shaking the bridge at all, it was just how the bridge moved when someone was walking on it. (Although Rachelle had to admit to thinking about shaking the bridge, but didn’t.) I started over behind Rachelle and stopped to take a picture of either sides of the river and realized how difficult it was to keep still enough to take the pictures. At this point I looked back to see that Jack had only just started down the bridge. I turned back to check on him and he looked at me and said, “I could force myself to go over that bridge but I am old enough to say I don’t have to walk over that bridge. I think I will stay here.” As I got to the other side, Rachelle and Pepper were laughing because Pepper had been so freaked out. Something about, “Now you know how I felt flying thirteen hours over the ocean.” We all got back together on the other side and laughed about the experience. We all have things that frighten us and what scares one person may not scare another. I guess it comes down to accepting each others with our strong points and the weak ones as well. Gosh it’s nice to be with close family.
A Day at the Temple
May 9, 2010
We spent Thursday, May 5th in the New Zealand temple. We were able to do 24 baptisms, 17 endowments, 12 sealing of couples, 8 sealing of children. It was an exhausting wonderful day. We also met some wonderful people. Here are a few of them:
Bro and Sister Kerioma from Timaru left their 8 children at home to spend three days at the temple. Bro Kerioma is with the ANZAC and has been the branch president for 9 years. They worked in the baptisry and were very kind.
Tina was a woman who worked in the lunchroom with Jack. Jack said she was a very kind soul. Each stake in New Zealand has two weeks a year where they come to the temple and bring the workers to staff it. They needed an extra man in the lunchroom, which is opened from 11:30 to 1:00.
I did the baptisms for the women and Jack did them for the men. A kind Maori man baptized me but could not pronounce my name. By the end we were both laughing. Afterward I told him how much I could relate to his pronunciation problems. Jack and I are trying to learn the names of the people in our ward and we go over the ward list on a regular basis as we try to train our mouths and brains around words and sounds we are not used to saying. Whittier doesn’t seem hard to us but I’m sure “Tuialii” isn’t hard for him (pronounced too-ee-ah-lee-ee). This gentleman was the former stake president in Christchurch. I wish I could remember his name. I probably couldn’t pronounce it.
We ended the day in the sealing room. We met Bro. Joyce who was a sealer, an elderly man. He is from Gisborne, about midway up the east coast of the North Island. He told us a special story and got emotional as he told it. When they were building the temple and excavating the east side, a skull was unearthed. They halted work and discovered an ancient Maori burial ground. They contacted the locate tribe and they came out. There were only a few bodies but they were re-buried down by the visitor’s center. The temple president talked to the “Maori gentleman” and said they would put a plaque up to commemorate the graves. But the “Maori gentleman” said, “What you are building on the hill will be sufficient.” Two things touched me: Bro. Joyce was touched because this man was not a member of the LDS faith and I was touched by the way Bro. Joyce referred to this man as a gentleman. That is not always the way the Maori are referenced.
Just a few of the many snap-shots of the day; you get to ask Pepper about the animals getting out of the barn.
We spent Thursday, May 5th in the New Zealand temple. We were able to do 24 baptisms, 17 endowments, 12 sealing of couples, 8 sealing of children. It was an exhausting wonderful day. We also met some wonderful people. Here are a few of them:
Bro and Sister Kerioma from Timaru left their 8 children at home to spend three days at the temple. Bro Kerioma is with the ANZAC and has been the branch president for 9 years. They worked in the baptisry and were very kind.
Tina was a woman who worked in the lunchroom with Jack. Jack said she was a very kind soul. Each stake in New Zealand has two weeks a year where they come to the temple and bring the workers to staff it. They needed an extra man in the lunchroom, which is opened from 11:30 to 1:00.
I did the baptisms for the women and Jack did them for the men. A kind Maori man baptized me but could not pronounce my name. By the end we were both laughing. Afterward I told him how much I could relate to his pronunciation problems. Jack and I are trying to learn the names of the people in our ward and we go over the ward list on a regular basis as we try to train our mouths and brains around words and sounds we are not used to saying. Whittier doesn’t seem hard to us but I’m sure “Tuialii” isn’t hard for him (pronounced too-ee-ah-lee-ee). This gentleman was the former stake president in Christchurch. I wish I could remember his name. I probably couldn’t pronounce it.
We ended the day in the sealing room. We met Bro. Joyce who was a sealer, an elderly man. He is from Gisborne, about midway up the east coast of the North Island. He told us a special story and got emotional as he told it. When they were building the temple and excavating the east side, a skull was unearthed. They halted work and discovered an ancient Maori burial ground. They contacted the locate tribe and they came out. There were only a few bodies but they were re-buried down by the visitor’s center. The temple president talked to the “Maori gentleman” and said they would put a plaque up to commemorate the graves. But the “Maori gentleman” said, “What you are building on the hill will be sufficient.” Two things touched me: Bro. Joyce was touched because this man was not a member of the LDS faith and I was touched by the way Bro. Joyce referred to this man as a gentleman. That is not always the way the Maori are referenced.
Just a few of the many snap-shots of the day; you get to ask Pepper about the animals getting out of the barn.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)