Puzzles, Putts and Pavlovas

Thomsens were in town for a short time after Australia and we couldn't pass up an evening to just relax together. We brought out the BYU Stadium puzzle and m & m's and were entertained for hours.  Some of us more than others.  Jim actually hates puzzles. Janet's not particularly fond of them but was a good sport.  But Thomsens - they were intense!  Lots of laughing!

Every year in September the office sponsors a service day.  We were able to go to the Salvation Army sorting warehouse and found some very interesting items during the sorting process.  Service with friends and co-workers, the best! And Jim found an unexpected helping hand!

The senior missionary couples held their first progressive dinner and we offered to host part of the group.  Streeters, Bills, and Hales joined us for the first course of the night.  As luck and timing would have it, we had two extra guests show up to fix our doorknob.  But as the saying goes, "The show must go on!"  The repairmen were kind enough to join us for a blessing on the food.

My YSA friend, Shilo Kino, and I went to an Auckland University interfaith group gathering recently.  Jim and our intern, Landon, also came along but were turned away as only women were invited so they had a lot of time to kill waiting for us.  Three panelists representing the Mormon, Muslim and Presbyterian faiths spoke to the group. They shared thoughts on things that we, as women, have in common regardless of different faiths.  Melissa Inouye spoke of the different challenges she faces as a woman of faith.  To read more about this event click here.

Read Melissa's journey of faith here . It's powerful and speaks to those who are questioning their beliefs.

Melissa Inouye, sitting on the back row next to me, represented our faith as a panel member.

In a recent standup meeting with our Public Affairs Director, Rich Hunter, we gained a little more insight into his character. (wink).  His latest declaration --after seeing a photo one of our team members had posted on Pacific Mormon Newsroom of a 'very important person' here in the area office with the top of his head cut off -- was "I'd rather have a full bottle in front of me than have a full frontal lobotomy." We were already in a jovial mood so this just caused us to burst out laughing.  

JM - I had the opportunity to play golf with two wonderful people, Rich Hunter and Doug Matsumori, at Pupuke Golf Club. Lots of hills and too many strokes, but great fun!

Rich is the Pacific Area Director of Public Affairs for whom Shirley and I work and Doug is the Area Legal Counsel. I think it was the first time any of us had played since last Fall and our games showed it. 

I was astounded as I made two putts of 40 feet or longer! I'm grateful for gravity. Both were going fast enough that had they not dropped in the cup I would have had long putts coming back. On Facebook Rich dubbed me "Long Putt Maker". More accurately he should have dubbed me something like "User of All of His Luck in One Round".

Rich dubbed Doug "Long and Straight Down the Middle" and himself "George W. In the Bushes". I replied to Rich's self-dubbing by saying "Nix-on" that and renamed him Rich the Hunter of Balls. He had been very helpful to me, finding my ball several times.

We had a great time and, though my back paid a price, I'm sure we will do it again. Not sure why I continue to torture myself both physically and emotionally, but I do love the game.

One of the things we try to do in Public Affairs is provide opportunities for Church leaders to meet and establish relationships with opinion leaders in the area of their stewardship. 

We knew that Elder Cardon (1st Counselor in the Pacific Area Presidency) would be traveling to Tonga the weekend of October 14 and 15 and wanted to give him an opportunity to meet with Reverend 'Ahio, President of the Free Wesleyan (Methodist) Church in Tonga.

I had been working with the local Public Affairs team in Tonga to get a meeting set up. On the Wednesday prior to the trip I was told that Reverend 'Ahio would not be able to meet Elder Cardon. After all the effort that had been expended, I was very disappointed and felt that I had failed. I asked Sione Langi, in Tonga, to try one more time Thursday morning. 

Elder Cardon's secretary told me that I had until noon to get an appointment set up. At 11:00 a.m. I got a call from Sione telling me that Reverend 'Ahio had agreed to return to Tonga early to meet with Elder Cardon and, rather than meeting in an office or church building, he invited him to come to his home. Sione explained that in Tonga that was quite an honor.

I had done all that I could and had failed to get the meeting set up. Sione had likewise done all that he could and, after being told that a meeting could not be accommodated, finally at the last minute it all came together. When I told Elder Cardon about the meeting, I told him that I was sure that, because I had not been able to make it happen, the Lord had intervened to make it possible. We see this kind of divine assistance quite often in our Public Affairs efforts.

A very special senior missionary couple, Karen and Lynn Collins, live just two doors down from us. A special friendship has developed with them. Lynn served as a Bishop at the Utah State prison which was the basis for an immediate bond. Karen is very "crafty" so she and Shirley get along very well. Unfortunately (for us) they will soon be going home. We will miss them and the good times we have had together.

The family of BYU intern, Landon Jones, is visiting New Zealand. Our wonderful boss, Rich Hunter, invited us and our co-workers, Elder and Sister Pinson, all over to his house for Family Home Evening to meet Landon's parents. Shirley made a favorite New Zealand dessert, pavlova, for the occasion. It was DELICIOUS and the next day Shirley and I went on a diet. Either our clothes are shrinking or we are growing.

Our intern, Landon Jones, eyeing the Pavlovas

Apparently there is quite a lot of disagreement whether pavlova originated in Australia or New Zealand, but since we are here, we come down on the side of New Zealand. 

We enjoyed a great lesson by Rich and then played games with everyone. Rich and Laura are such gracious hosts! We love them and their wonderful family.

One day I decided to wear my tennis shoes to the office. Of course I carried my dress shoes but Shirley said that I was officially "old" for having worn my tennis shoes with my suit for the walk to the office. The walk was actually considerably more comfortable but I don't like having to carry my dress shoes so I guess I will shed my "old fogey" ways and become young again.

As we tried to find an appropriate gift to be given to all of the national Directors of Public Affairs at a seminar in Hamilton in January we thought we might be able to find something at the wood carver's. So one Friday morning we went with a group of senior missionaries to his home and shop about 30 minutes away. 

Jerius and Marcella are originally from Bethlehem in Palestine but moved to New Zealand over 20 years ago when the West Bank got too dangerous for their liking. They are very kind to the missionaries and the Seamons (who will be leaving in December) have become very close to them. Sister Seamons wanted to introduce some of the "newer" missionaries to Jerius and Marcella so the relationship with them would continue. 

They gave us a tour of their property.  We tasted tangy and sweet "loquats" for the first time. They have sheep and several lambs were born 40 days earlier so some of the sisters wanted to pet the lambs. Jerius herded all of the sheep into a corral and invited Sister Downs to try to catch one of the lambs. Of course she couldn't so Jerius caught one and picked it up for her to hold. Naturally all of the other sisters (including Shirley - amazingly) wanted to hold a lamb. I guess that mothering instinct even extends to animals.

Saturday morning (October 21) we drove about 45 minutes North to Sandspit to take the Royal Mail Run Cruise to Kawau Island with a large group of senior missionaries. The weather was a little cold, but we had a great time. 

The boat delivers passengers and their baggage along with the mail (which seemed to be more miscellaneous than postal items) to Kawau Island just a 30 minute boat ride from Sandspit. The island is large but only sparsely inhabited and it is only accessible by boat.  Interestingly, early tribes that occupied Kawau were notorious for their piracy and cannibalism.

 

We enjoyed watching the deliveries and about noon enjoyed a BBQ salmon lunch that was cooked and served onboard. After lunch the boat dropped us off at the Mansion House. It is a beautiful home that was originally owned by a copper mining company operating on the island. It was used by the mine's manager. However, one of the Governors of New Zealand, Sir George Grey, purchased it from the mining company in 1862 for a family vacation residence. He expanded it from 10 rooms to 30 and used it for a period of over 20 years before selling it. Now the home and the grounds belong to New Zealand and tours are permitted. It is a very nice home with beautiful period furniture and artwork. 

Checking out a Model A in Sanspit

After our cruise, along with many of the missionaries we ventured to Manakata for ice cream (so much of the diet). Manakata is a lovely little town where every Saturday morning they have a market. We went with the Pinsons to the market a few weeks ago and got an ice cream cone at the same place. It has fresh fruit mixed into the ice cream. Very good! 

 

They're everywhere!

After three days we left for Australia. We first flew into Brisbane and then drove down to Coolangatta (part of what is considered the Gold Coast) for a Pacific Area Public Affairs Seminar.  We met with our counterparts that are serving in Sydney and Melbourne, the Merrills and the Lloyds, and the Assistant Director of Public Affairs, Elder Robert J. Dudfield, for a few days.

Traveling for most of three weeks from Apia (Samoa) and Pago Pago (American Samoa) to Wellington (New Zealand) and Coolangatta and Sydney (Australia) was both exhilarating and exhausting. We felt like we were everywhere. As we entered the airport at Coolangatta a man looked at our missionary badges and told another close by, "They're everywhere!"

Beautiful Gold Coast in Coolangatta

The shrimp were huge.  Took up the whole plate. Tasted a little like lobster! Notice the eyes!

Kookaburra just outside our window.

Australian Outback Spectacular: We enjoyed a great evening with the group attending a a great show. We enjoyed outback food while donning our cowboy/girl hats. 

Love these hardworking, devoted missionaries and PA leader, Rob Dudfield.  Unfortunately Rich Hunter was home sick with a kidney stone.

For the three days we were there, names were drawn from a bowl determining who would present their previously prepared book report on a book that is applicable to Public Affairs. Books shared were Organize Tomorrow Today - Selk, The Color Code - Hartman, The Four Agreements - Ruiz, Crucial Conversations - Patterson, The Resilient Farmer - Avery,  212 Degrees - Parker  ,  When Helping Hurts - Fikkert & Corbett, The Outward Mindset - The Arbinger Institute,  I Will Lead You Along, The Life of Henry B. Eyring -  Eyring and Eaton, and Thank You for Being Late - Friedman.

As part of the seminar we discussed area outreach and now plan to arrange one Area Presidency member contact with a government leader each month.  Not an easy task because of their time limitations while they are traveling each weekend.

JM -  For two full days we were taught by Elder Robert Dudfield, an Area Seventy (center of back row with yellow shirt). Elder Dudfield is the Assistant Director of Public Affairs in the Pacific Area.
Suffering from a kidney stone, our Director, Rich Hunter, wasn't able to be with us. We missed him and his wisdom terribly, but we learned a great deal and got to meet and interact with our counterparts in Australia. That was a real blessing!

We stayed in a Crowne Plaza hotel a few blocks from the beach. Our room had a view of the ocean so there weren't many times (only when we were asleep) that we were in our room when we weren't gazing out at the beach.

Gold Coast sunrise

Three amigos enjoy a beach walk. Jim, Elder Pinson and Elder Thomsen

One morning we got up early and went for a walk on the beach. It is a beautiful white sand beach that stretches for miles in both directions. What a great way to start the day.

The Australian Outback Spectacular was really quite fun. Using horses, they told some of the history (mostly 20th century) of Australia. If you go, don't think you are going for the food, though.

We were saddened to leave beautiful Coolangatta and our new friends, but Wednesday afternoon it was time to catch a flight to Sydney. Paying our own way we spent two days and three nights in Sydney. Our room at the Sydney Marriott Harbor Hotel in Circle Quay had an opera house and partial harbor view. It was spectacular!

View outside our hotel window

We toured the opera house and purchased tickets for that night to a one person show there. That evening we walked to the opera house for the show. The atmosphere was wonderful as we walked along the harbor, passing sidewalk restaurants along the way.

Sydney Opera House

Harbour Bridge near Opera House

Bernadette Robinson performed impressions of many female singers like Judy Garland, Barbra Streisant, Patsy Kline, etc.  She had a wonderful voice and it was a very enjoyable evening.

Electronic Kiosk in the plaza walking towards the Opera House. Wonderful conversion stories are coming out of this production.

While in Sydney we took a ferry to Darling Harbour and walked to the market. The walk was interesting as we passed many very modern and architecturally interesting buildings. We bought a few things for the grand kids, but the market was mostly disappointing (poor quality of the merchandise).

Another day we took a ferry to Manly Beach while some of the others with whom we were traveling went to the zoo or Bondi Beach. Although it was a nice beach, the weather was chilly so we just walked along the sidewalk and enjoyed the view.

One day we walked through the Royal Botanic Gardens to Macquarie's chair. It was a lovely (but long) walk that would have been much shorter if we had found the shortcut on the way rather than on the way back.

It was nice to stay at the Marriott because we ran into several Americans. One family was headed to Hamilton, NZ, to pick up their daughter who had been serving in the visitors center. We learned that he is a dentist and had purchased his practice in Delta that had been owned by a friend of ours in Draper. He also knew Roger and Kay Stowell. Roger was my first boss when I worked at Salt Lake City Corporation. 

After enjoying Sydney for two days we headed home to a hoped-for recovery from our travels.

I am now referred to as "The lady that's married to the man with the striped socks". Jim may or may not take a little liberty in his sock selections.  Teehee!

As we are about to enter the fourth quarter of 2017, we are beginning to assess what we have accomplished in 2017 and establish plans and goals for 2018. We began that process with some internal discussions with our co-workers the Pinsons under the direction of Rich Hunter.

Among many other things, we decided we want to increase the number of unique visitors to our websites and increase the number of articles the media picks up from Mormon Newsroom NZ.
We also want to fight a bill introduced into Parliament in NZ to legalize assisted suicide. We are involved in declaring to the Parliament the Church's position on this.

Last Saturday in Hamilton we met with Tim MacIndoe, an Anglican and a member of Parliament, to discuss having LDS and Catholic youth present a bill to Parliament opposing euthanasia. Tim has agreed to lead the opposition.

We learned what is entailed in a bill going through Parliament and how we can have input into the process, including from first reading, public submissions, whole house committee, and so on.  As we met with him, we were impressed that Tim MacIndoe is a good friend of the Church and he shares many of the same values we do.

Traditional marriage is under attack in Australia. The Church has combined with several other faiths to oppose the legalization legalizing same sex marriage and Public Affairs is involved in that opposition as well.

We want to annually invite and then arrange for two members of the media from the Pacific to be hosted by the Church Public Affairs dept. to visit SLC, BYU, etc.

Our Public Affairs team in Samoa is still working hard on developing better relationships with Samoan villages that are not allowing religious freedom.  We're targeting 5 specific villages for 2018 and think we will make some progress there. All in all, when we left we felt that our time was put to good use there. We were all ears as we heard Elder Haleck speak at General Conference and shared an experience of a village chief in Samoa that had developed a good relationship with the Church recently.  It's exciting to see these relationships develop in the smaller islands.

Many of you know who  Brother James Hamula is.  He is a well-loved person here in the Pacific, having served here as Area President for three years. Something he said recently was so very applicable to each of us. "I want to be remembered as one who returned through grace." I echo those words.  So do I.