Lock down: Tonight at 11:59 New Zealand will move from Alert Level 4 to Alert Level 3

Sister Lewis made me a mask to wear.  It will be my New Zealand COVID-19 souvenir

What does it mean to go to Level 3?  As I understand it, all people are still required to continue to maintain physical distancing of 6 feet.  Shopping services will remain the same:  grocery stores and pharmacies will be open as in Level 4.  Restaurants and bars will remain closed but the change is that some may offer drive thru services and take out options.

All people are required to remain in their “bubble” which is the people with whom they live.  However, with the change, your bubble may expand to close family/friends but must limit that extension to few people and the bubble is not to change once the bubble has been established.

People may fish from piers or docks keeping physical distancing.  There is to be no boating or water sports.  If a person is an experienced surfer, he/she may surf.  Everyone is to avoid any activity that may require emergency services.  We must not travel out of our local areas.

There are a few other restriction changes but essentially, there will not be much relaxation of the safety and health requirements by going to Level 3.

The country has been celebrating ANZAC Day over the weekend and Monday.  ANZAC Day in New Zealand is comparable to our Memorial Day in the USA.

From Wikipedia:  Anzac Day (/ˈænzæk/) is a national day of remembrance in Australia and New Zealand that broadly commemorates all Australians and New Zealanders "who served and died in all wars, conflicts, and peacekeeping operations" and "the contribution and suffering of all those who have served". Observed on 25 April each year, Anzac Day was originally devised to honour the members of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) who served in the Gallipoli Campaign, their first engagement in the First World War (1914–1918).”

In December, New Year’s Eve, I visited the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa in Wellington.  There was a large display in the museum where I learned a lot about the WWI and the Gallipoli Campaign.  Here are a few pictures from that display.

A dear friend here in Takapuna, Beth McBride, shared a family history moment with me this week.  With her permission, I want to share it with you as well.

Here is a copy of the email she sent to me:

“I have been reflecting a lot over this special weekend as we remember Anzac Day.
You are welcome to read the letter attached or not, but I felt to send it with some of my thoughts. It must be my age!!! 

I have been transcribing a book of McBride family history and came across a forgotten page that is very poignant.  A first cousin of mine, son of one of my grandfather's brothers was killed in action 1918. He was 22 years old, like so many, many young men that went to war.  

The letter was written to him by his uncle Will, who is probably my grandfather. It was written on the 25th April, not knowing that Andrew, his nephew, had died the day before on 24th April at the front line in France. The letter is very much of the times. Not how we would write today. I might call it "the olive oil letter”, although there is much more to it than just that.  

I have been reminded of the sacrifices that so many have made for peace and democracy, even their own lives. What an extraordinary 100 years it has been.  Here we are in 2020 facing extraordinary times again, yet we have so much in the lands of plenty we live in, thanks to those whom we remember, on Anzac Day particularly. 

I think it puts into perspective our needs vs our wants when we can perhaps at times feel deprived of a takeaway or cafe style cup of coffee (or chocolate!) because of a "lockdown". We have become so accustomed to getting what we want, now , and the variety is endless! 

I am learning (again!) that I need to simplify my life...I dont need lots of "things" ..just my family and friends, to show love and gratitude and to appreciate the peace we have . I learnt so much from my near death experience last year- I am reminded daily of being given "new life" and still I am learning about the important things and appreciating even more what I have.”

Copy of letter attached to email from Beth:

Letter to Andrew McBride on front line from his uncle "Will"
Woodleigh
Somerton Road
Cricklewood  N W 2
April 25 1918
Dear Andrew,  

I hope this will find you OK, notwithstanding the absence of news of your welfare or with the rate of horrors filed up in the daily.....one finds it difficult to muster up courage to scan the casualty lists. Anything is possible in such times and the old ones – including myself and others who are not blessed or cursed with varicose veins or other hope of exception- are likely to toe the line at home or abroad very soon.  

According to the newspapers the 45's will soon be requisitioned. Your uncle Bob fits into that category and after that the second row of "old beans" will take the plunge- then heaven hellp the Bosche.  

However the powers that be are very unlikely to dislocu..all business by calling up the greybeards unless absolutely necessary. I have no news of your father or mother so take it thay are all as well as the present system of rations will permit.  

Our sheet(?) anchor at home is olive oil. What we would do without olive oil & the staff of life otherwise war bread I shudder to contemplate.  

The only drawback is the cost- now 8/- (eight shillings!)  for imp....fruit.Shades of a tin of sardines. That ever I should live to see olive oil at such a price and none ...good even at half a quid a pint.  

The F...'s E...... is enjoying a visit. People prefer to go without such expensive lubrication.  

I only know one shop now in London where it is obtainable- a ....street off Leister Square  

When you can spare a moment from your duties of killing as many Germans as possible . let me have a note of reassurance that you are still alive and anything else the censor will permit. 

Your affectionate uncle   Will. 

I am blessed to live in a time when we can have so much.  I am grateful for those who have gone before us to prepare the way.  On this ANZAC Day celebration, I honor my ancestors who fought in wars and will honor them again on Memorial Day in May.

Here is an article and recipe for Anzac bikkies (cookies) from the New Zealand Herald.  You can buy these biscuits in any store or bakery.  I have been told that they won’t taste good though without the “golden syrup” which you can’t buy anywhere but here (or maybe in Australia)!

I have been asked to make a training video for the missionaries since we won’t be gathering in large groups for a while.  My assignment was to discuss the proper care and handling of food and food safety along with clean-up after meals and team work.  It was a little challenging trying to put together something that would be entertaining enough to keep interest while teaching some basic lessons.  It ended up being kind of fun.

I enlisted the help of Sister Lucas to record the video.  As we discussed what I would say, where I would stand, where she should stand to get the best view, etc, Sister Lucas volunteered to provide sound effects.  I told her that I didn’t think that would be helpful but….. See for yourself:

The finished product is too long to share in my blog but I hope you enjoyed this out-take.

The beach and flora has been outstanding this week.

On my walk to the beach, I passed this group of 3 men each sitting in their doorway
visiting with one another.  You may have to enlarge to see them.

Someone living on the beach opened their shed/garage that backs onto the beach to celebrate ANZAC Day.
On the fence you can see the “Lest We Forget” banner.

My favorite time to go to the beach is twilight.  Here you can see the moon and Venus.

I rarely see any sea life in the tide pools, but one evening this week we saw this beautiful star fish.

It was upside down and then turned over so we got to see both sides of the creature.

We ran into Elder and Sister Tanner on the beach.  Elder Tanner returned the

star fish to the ocean.  If I had left the video running just a moment longer you would

have seen that the little guy did in fact make it back to the open sea.

Here are a few random shots from the week.

In the top pic the tide is out and I am standing on the rocks.  In the bottom pic in the same
location, the tide is in.  It amazes me how high the ocean rises and ebbs with the tides.

Red, white, and blue in Mother Nature

Here are a few random shots from the week.

My beautiful Korean next door neighbor.

My neighbor’s husband is a gardener.  He has a garden on his patio and by his front door.
I am often gifted with peppers from the garden.

The Sky Tower in city center of Auckland has been lit in red the past few nights.  “SkyCity often
lights the Sky Tower for charities or community initiatives that it supports financially, to mark
national holidays, milestones or other celebrations or events or as a symbol of respect or solidarity.
Common colours include Red top with Poppy emblem projection – ANZAC Day”

I learned a new board game this week.  AZUL is challenging!

Elder and Sister Mayberry and Sister Lucas are fun people to be with
for games, movies, or just sharing thoughts and ideas.

My family “eats” dinner together by sharing dinner pictures on our family group text.  I was inspired by fajitas that Jim made one night so I had to post pics of my dinner:  fajitas and PB cookies made with just 3 ingredients:  sugar, PB and an egg.  NO FLOUR.  They are really simple to make and delicious to eat.

This one says it all…..

In our family home evening Monday night with the area seventies, we were given a list of questions from which we could choose two to answer and share with the others.  These are the two that I chose to answer:

What is something you tried once and will never ever try again?  Why?

My son, with whom I have traveled, likes to try local foods from each country we visit.  So I have had the opportunity to try many things like escargot in Paris and tabbouleh in Jordan.  I like to think I am an adventurous eater.  So far I have eaten only one food which I would never eat again.

When we were in San Diego (really foreign) Jim told me we were going to eat sea urchin at one meal.   Makes me gag just thinking about it.

It was the nastiest thing I have ever eaten.  I lack words to describe the taste!!  To make it worse, the spines were wriggling at me while we ate.  I only took one bite.  I am proud of myself that I didn’t immediately spit it out but I will never EVER eat sea urchin again!!

Have you had any special experiences with a General Authority of the Church you would like to share?

My parents met when they served together in the Spanish American Mission in the late 1930s.  They had a love for the Lamanite people.  My father especially worked hard to help the Lamanite people.  When I was a pre-teen/teen living in Las Vegas, my father worked with the church to help the Navajo people in Nevada and Utah.  He conversed at least a few times with Apostle Elder Spencer W Kimball who also loved the native people and had been given the charge by President George Albert Smith to watch over the interests of the indigenous people of the Americas and the Pacific Islands.

Just one of the things that Spencer Woolley Kimball helped to establish was the Lamanite Placement Program.  My parents served 5 missions to the Navajo and Zuni Indian Nations. They worked in the placement program at times.

With this in mind, when Kay, my husband to be and I had set a wedding date, Kay wanted it to be a momentous occasion.  Kay knew that Spencer W Kimball was a special person to my parents so he went to his best friend’s mother, Olive Woolley Coombs, to enlist her help with getting our marriage arranged.  Olive and Elder Kimball were cousins.

Kay told me that the conversation he overheard went like this:  “Spencer, this is Olive.  (They were cousins)  My son, she called Kay her son because he practically lived at her home, my son is getting married on Sept 1st in the SL Temple.  You will officiate at the marriage and sealing.  What time would you like to do this?”

We were married and sealed at 7:30 AM on Sept 1, 1967 by Elder Spencer Woolley Kimball.

This has been a wonderful week.  I love the missionaries.  I am honored to be serving this mission.

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