Families can be together forever.

52 years ago on September 1, 1967, in the Salt Lake Temple, I knelt across the alter from my husband to be, Reed Kay Petersen, and looked into his eyes and held his hands as Elder Spencer W. Kimball sealed us together to an eternal companionship.  We had 46 years together on this earth before our temporary separation.  I still feel my hand in his and know that he is not far away.

As I’ve contemplated that day in my life and the home and family that we created together, I feel I lack words adequate to express my feelings.  I looked through the teachings of Elder, and later President Kimball to bring a remembrance of the things he taught us on that important day in my life.

From the First Presidency Message in the March 1977 Ensign I read these words.  It reminds me of the close bond that Kay and I had when first married and how that bond has grown and keeps growing.

“Honorable, happy, and successful marriage is surely the principal goal of every normal person. Marriage is perhaps the most vital of all the decisions and has the most far-reaching effects, for it has to do not only with immediate happiness, but also with eternal joys. It affects not only the two people involved, but also their families and particularly their children and their children’s children down through the many generations.

In selecting a companion for life and for eternity, certainly the most careful planning and thinking and praying and fasting should be done.  In true marriage there must be a union of minds as well as of hearts. Emotions must not wholly determine decisions, but the mind and the heart, strengthened by fasting and prayer and serious consideration, will give one a maximum chance of marital happiness. It brings with it sacrifice, sharing, and a demand for great selflessness. 

Many of the TV screen shows and stories of fiction end with marriage: “They lived happily ever after.” We have come to realize that the mere performance of a ceremony does not bring happiness and a successful marriage. Happiness does not come by pressing a button, as does the electric light; happiness is a state of mind and comes from within. It must be earned. It cannot be purchased with money; it cannot be taken for nothing.”

My earthly life with Kay brought me true happiness, love and growth.  I learned so much as a new wife, a new mother, and a new grandmother.  I am still learning and looking forward to a reunion with Kay and continued growth and learning and love.

What a gift I have been given by being united in eternal marriage with Reed Kay Petersen.  I am proud to be his wife.  I am proud of our family and the close relationship that we have with one another.  We are an eternal family.

I have had a fairly routine week here in Takapuna/Auckland.  I accompanied missionaries on three of the days to appointments to make sure that the insurance/payments went smoothly.  I also help get sister missionaries to appointments who don’t have cars.  I went to an appointment with a missionary only to find out that I had missed the scheduled appointment by a day.  I don’t know how I did that but we will try it again next week.

I met a trio of sisters to celebrate one of them having a birthday.  They were following me in their car to a restaurant when they got stopped at a light.  The street was busy so I pulled to the side of the street aiming for a driveway to get further off the road to wait for them.  I misjudged the curb and hit it in just the wrong way popping my tire. (I was so embarrassed and in a new car with less than a 1000 km!!)   I really have had little trouble driving on the left side of the road but I do occasionally misjudge how close the curb is on the left side when parking.  Lesson learned.

The sisters passed me by before realizing that I was stopped so they made a U-turn to come back to help me.  They got the jack under the frame and lifted the car only to discover that none of us were strong enough to loosen the lug nuts.  Luckily a kind Samaritan came to the rescue.  He was very gentlemanly.

We made it to our destination to get taro which was Sister Ravonokula’s desire for her birthday lunch.  She along with the other 2 had butter chicken but I chose lamb with vegetables in coconut cream.  Tasty!

Sister Ravonokula, Rarotoga, Rich

Another day I was blessed to have lunch with Elders Ah Kam and Keil

On Saturday, Elder and Sister Wright invited me to go with them to see the gannet colony at Muriwai.  Elder and Sister Lewis and Elder and Sister Packard also came along in the mission van, which is the vehicle that the Wrights drive, so we could all ride together.

You may learn about Muriwai or the gannet colony at Muriwai 

The weather cooperated with no rain.  It was windy but not too cold.  At least I wasn’t cold.  I have a lot of pictures of that trip.  It is close to Auckland so it didn’t take long to get there and back.

We walked through a forested area to get to the lookout over the gannet colony.

Elder Wright climbing in the trees.

Informational signs along the pathway

About 1,200 pairs of gannets nest here from August to March each year.
Learn about the gannet bird.  

On our way back to the van, we watched a man preparing his gear for paragliding.  From an article about paragliding:   “Paragliding is the closest humans can get to the feeling of flying like a bird. It is a fun, safe way to experience flight in its simplest form. You simply lay out a wing on a hillside or mountain, inflate it over your head like a kite, run a few steps and before you know it you've stepped off into the sky! Once in the air, a pilot is able to maintain and even gain altitude using lifting air currents and thermals. Landing a paraglider is extremely easy. A pilot simply steers it into the landing area, and glides down for a very gentle touch down back on to earth.”

After viewing the gannet colony we drove down to the beach which is on the Tasman Sea.  The black sand gives a totally different color to the water and sky.  It seems to make the sky and sea bluer in appearance.  Maybe it is the contrast between the black sand and the blue.  The sand is fine and barely gritty. 

You may read about the Tasman Sea.

Beach finds.  The sand is sparkly and looks like it is flecked with gold. 

One of the more beautiful and interesting things we saw washed up on the beach was this jellyfish.
A passerby told us it was a Blue Bottle Jellyfish.  I found out in reading about it that it is
also known as a Man of War jellyfish.  You may read about it here.

This reminds me of the big rock at Cannon Beach in Oregon

Before heading home we stopped at a little restaurant close to the beach.
I had roasted vegetable pie and salad.

Open fields between Muriwai and Auckland.  Many had cows, a few horses, and these sheep.

We have a measles outbreak here in New Zealand with the focal area of outbreak in South Auckland.  I was alerted that we needed to make sure that our missionaries are all properly vaccinated.  I spent all Friday evening and Saturday after I got home from Muriwai going through each missionary’s health record.  Unfortunately, we have 26 missionaries currently serving who have no record of ever receiving a MMR vaccine.  Two vaccine injections are needed to be fully covered.  We have 19 missionaries who have only received 1 vaccination.  My work for this next week will be to get vaccinations for these 45 missionaries!

I have them divided into areas by clinics where I can send them.  Tomorrow I will call the clinics to see if I can make arrangements for them to come in and then I will begin making calls to missionaries informing them when and where to go.  Hopefully I can report next week that my MMR mission has been accomplished.

It was my mother’s birthday August 28th.  She would have been 102 years old.  I am blessed to have been born of goodly parents.  My mother was an example of good works and had a love of the Gospel.  She taught me much by word and by example.  She had a stubborn side but I blame that on her Danish/Swedish heritage.  That stubbornness helped her to be the person she was with her huge heart of gold and sense of humor.

This picture of my mother, Hazel Terry, gives you a little insight into
the character that she was.  She liked to have fun!

Sunday here in Auckland was Father’s Day.  I was a little surprised when I got to church to find out it was not fast Sunday but now I have enjoyed  Father’s Day twice this year.  I celebrated my mother’s birthday and my father as well.  Father's Day in New Zealand

It has been a wonderful week.  I enjoy hearing from my family and friends and I thank you for your support and encouragement. 

I love my Savior and I love you my family and friends.

MISC PICTURES

Banana tree on my walk through the wetlands reserve between my flat and the mission office

Last week I talked about trees with air roots.  This tree is close to my flat.
I think it has interesting air roots growing from the trunk.