Kia Ngawari ( Be loving, be humble, and kind)

JM: We made our second trip to Whangarei, a lovely town just two hours North of Takapuna. We took one of the Area Office vans because seven of us were going (McGuires, Junior and Muriel Samuela [the Directors of Public Affairs for the Auckland Coordinating Council], Shilo Kino [one of three young single adults on the Auckland media team], Anthony Butters [another YSA, known as "Steven Spielberg" because he is the videographer] and Matthew Krull [the third YSA].

The Whangarei Stake public affairs team is newly called and is being trained and supported by the Auckland team. The Stake had invited the head of the New Zealand First Party, Winston Peters, member of Parliament, to speak about qualities of leadership and asked for help with the event. Mr. Peters is a seasoned politician who lives in the Whangarei area.

Samuelas brought their media team to train the media specialists on the Whangarei team.  Newly called Sid and Colleen Going (past President and Matron of the Hamilton New Zealand Temple) from the Kaikohe Stake were invited to attend so they could see how a major event is planned and executed. A major event with three or four MPs (Members of Parliament) is being planned for Kaikohe in a few short months.

Junior and Sid Going (right - celebrated former All-Blacks Rugby Star)

 
Muriel, Junior, Shirley, Jim, Shilo, Matt and Anthony (left to right) enjoying dinner in downtown Whangarei. This is a really fun group (and they are the best in the Pacific at what we do) and we are lucky they are happy to have us come along with them! The food was good, too.

(above) Jim and Junior enjoying watching Anthony, Shilo and Matt take b-roll (background video footage) for later use.

Because New Zealand celebrates the birthday of the Queen of England, we had a three-day weekend and decided to go to the Coromandel Peninsula. It was about a 2 1/2 hour drive with about the last hour on winding mountain roads.
 

Aah, the beauty of Hahei right outside the window of our room at "The Church". We stayed in an individual cabin-like building that was a little rustic but actually quite fun.

Hahei is just a short drive from the parking lot from which you depart on the 45 minute walk to Cathedral Cove. Because it is off season most of the restaurants were closed and the water taxi that takes people to Cathedral Cove was not running so we enjoyed hiking down to and back up from the cove.

The scenery on the way down to the cove was striking. Things grow anywhere here in New Zealand, including around and on top of rocks! No sprinkling systems needed.

Once down to the cove the scene was breathtaking. Shirley thinks it should be the eighth wonder of the world. It is so expansive that, with the lens we have, it wasn't possible to take pictures that do it justice. At one end of the beach there is a passageway through the cliff that provides access to the beach on the other side. At the other end of the beach is a waterfall.

It was so stunningly beautiful that we didn't want to leave.

Sunday we drove 1 1/2 hours to church in Paeroa. The meetinghouse locator on lds.org said that was the meetinghouse closest to Hahei. Once there we learned that there were two closer, one in Coromandel, about an hour away from Hahei, and the other in Whitianga about 40 minutes away. Oh well, the drive was gorgeous!

We arose early Monday to go to Hotwater Beach before checkout at 10:00 a.m. Not really knowing what to expect, we were not well prepared for what we found.

There is a section of beach only about 50 yards long where there is hot water below the surface. People bring shovels, dig down about 12" to 18" and create their own "hot tub". Because we weren't properly dressed to sit or lie down in the hot water, we just stood in a portion of a "hot tub" built by someone kind enough to allow us to try it. The water was so hot that my feet were bright red when I got out.

SM:  We say it over and over but we just love our mission and what we are doing here.  And it doesn't hurt that we get to be in the shadows of what takes place here as beloved prophets and apostles come and visit.  Such was the case last week in Hamilton for the dedication of the Temple View project.

We were there early to take photos, videos, get interviews, and write articles for Mormon Newsroom Pacific, help government officials feel welcome, etc., and were able to stay in an empty home there, along with Paesha, our intern, and the Pinsons.  The home didn't have wifi so we asked around and found a stake center that we could use.  The next day we were invited to a member's home to sit around their table and work.  We were grateful for their kind offer.

What an amazing thing the Church is doing here in NZ. The MAGNIFICENT Stake Center (reminds me of a concert hall), Wendell B. Mendenhall Library, Legacy Park, and several other surrounding buildings were dedicated last weekend. We had been planning for this and the Cultural Celebration for months and came to Hamilton for four days to prepare for and participate in those events.  Pres. Eyring, Elder Andersen of the Twelve, and Bishop Davies were here for the events.  We had quite a few government officials attend one or both events.  They couldn't help but feel the powerful Spirit that permeated that beautiful place. 

Before the dedication

This photo (below) shows Jim entering the newly remodeled and expanded Wendell B. Mendenhall Library which also houses the Matthew Cowley Pacific Church History Centre.  Also inside is a lecture theater, mission office, family history centre, archives storage, etc.

Wendell B. Mendenhall Library

Below,  Jim is interviewing Scott and Jennifer Smith. Jennifer is the great-grandaughter of Matthew Cowley.  I have great admiration for that great missionary who, at age 17, came to NZ.  He learned the Maori language in what is now called the "Matiu Kauri Grove" in Tauranga.  He would go to this secluded spot for long periods of time to pray and search the scriptures.  It was there that he plead for divine assistance in learning the language.  He was there for 5 years and he and his message were warmly embraced by the people.  He later returned as mission president.  His favorite and often recited motto was "Kia Ngawari" which means to "be loving, humble and kind."  Words which all would benefit from following.

It looks like we will soon be headed to American Samoa to work with the National Director of Public Affairs and his team and offer our assistance.  Looking forward to meeting Kahlilimoku Hunt.  We may also stop in Samoa on our return for a few days.  Many villages there are still not accepting of the missionaries and the precious truths they bring with them.  To you, dear family and friends, we invite you to continue in your prayers to ask that the Lord's work will continue; that barriers will be removed and that His word will be embraced throughout the world.  (and particularly here in the Pacific).  We pray daily that we can contribute in some way to this "most worthy" cause.

JM:  I feel so blessed to have my eternal companion as my senior missionary companion.  We have always loved each other but that love has grown even stronger as we have served together on our mission.  We thank the Lord for His blessings showered down upon us and our family as we serve.  We see His hand manifested.  Truly miraculous things are happening in our lives and the lives of our loved ones. We need to recognize them and never forget His blessings.

If you have your health and the financial means to do it, choose to serve a mission. The Mission President here, President Bali, is fond of saying that he and the young missionaries throughout the   world accepted the call to serve but senior missionaries asked to serve.  You will not regret it if you ask to serve.

I love the Lord and His Gospel.

Watch this short video from our intern here, Paesha Tuttle, of the recent events in Temple View.

https://youtu.be/2sbRYTWvTfk