I’m a “wash and go” type of gal!

Thursday I gave up on trying to grow out my hair.  It was getting to the point of major unruliness.  People suggested I use gels or other types of hair control products but I long ago realized that I don’t like to take the time to apply products, blow dry, and style my hair.  I like to wash, towel dry, and be on my way.  I am spoiled.  I must admit that I liked the way my hair curled and I received compliments on the curliness and color but I couldn’t do it any longer so…

The “new” me

It has been almost hectic this week!   We had zone conference on Tuesday in South Auckland. That’s a 30+ minute drive each way depending on traffic.  It was a great conference though. 

Some of the hugs I enjoyed.   Sister To’a

Sisters Vea and Malimali

Our mission president and his companion, President and Sister Walker, will be finishing their mission tomorrow, 30 June.    This was their last conference.  They will be missed.

Farewell haka

   

I had doctors’ appointments with 3 different missionaries on different days and tons of calls and texts.  The cold/flu season has hit so I am giving advice in my sleep: 

Cold treatment

For your sore throat dissolve 1/2 teaspoon salt in 1 cup warm water, gargle and spit out.  Do this after every meal and at bedtime. This will help your cough too.  

Increase you fluid intake. Drink more water.  Cover your face with your arm when you sneeze or cough. Wash hands frequently.  

You may take 2 ibuprofen with food and a large glass of water every 4-5 hours. If you have paracetamol you may take that as well.  

Cold medicine like DayQuil/NyQuil or Codral or Lemsip will help you to feel better.  These medicines already contain paracetamol so do not take extra paracetamol. Only take the cold medicine.   

I have similar “pre-recorded” instructions for coughs and nausea/vomiting.  It saves time to have these instructions in my phone notes so I can copy and paste text messages to missionaries in need of help.

I have enjoyed my beach walks as always although many days this week it has been “walking in the rain.” 

Tuesday morning had to walk early at 6:00 A.M. to be back in time for zone conference.
Pretty dark at that time of day.

When the sea is churned up it creates a lot of foam

Saturday I went to the Wood Carver with 2 other senior couples and Sister Lucas.  All of the senior missionaries in the area since I arrived a year ago have raved about how interesting it was to go to this place.  The wood carver, Jiries Giacaman and his wife Marcelle, are from Bethlehem where he grew up and learned the art of wood carving.  Now he lives in New Zealand and has opened a shop where you can buy his products.  His tour includes his work shop as well as the store.  They are very pleasant people.  It was a fun experience. 

While we watched, Jiries carved out a kiwi.  Here he is penciling in the outline of the bird

Here he uses the band saw to cut out the rough shape from the block of wood

The “rough cut” kiwi

Here he uses a foredom rotary tool to smooth out the kiwi

Since I have been to Bethlehem and purchased a Nativity there, I was not really that excited to go but I am glad I went.  The New Zealand woods that Jiries uses make lovely bowls, ornaments, and various souvenirs along with the Nativity sets.

My purchase of the day was a beautiful bowl.  I love the color and grain of the kauri root.

Being in this wood shop and seeing the tools and smelling the wood and saw dust made me think of Kay, my husband, and how much he would have loved this little tour.  He so enjoyed woodworking and was skilled at it too!

Whenever I see plants growing in/out of rocks or walls or any hard, unlikely place for growth,
I can’t help but admire the tenacity of the plant.

Those roots growing into that hard, unyielding spot feed the plant.

I have to stop and contemplate what my roots are like.  What is feeding me?
What makes me grow and develop?  Good food for thought.  How about you?

MISC pictures I wanted to share:

My sister sent these pictures to me.  I’m so old I don’t even remember the dress that
my sister says was one of her favorites that I wore.  I was probably 16ish in this picture.

Pictures of my first four children:  Katie holding baby Jake.  Rex and Kristin with our dog Zeke.

Deanne number six child was probably 4ish in this picture.

Dinner:  salmon, kumara (sweet potato), green beans

I saw these vegetables in the grocery store but didn’t know what it was so I asked a lady.
She told me that it is New Zealand yams.

Oxalis tuberosa is a perennial herbaceous plant that overwinters as underground stem tubers. These tubers are known as uqa in Quechua, oca in Spanish, New Zealand yam and a number of other alternative names. The plant was brought into cultivation in the central and southern Andes for its tubers, which are used as a root vegetable. The plant is not known in the wild, but populations of wild Oxalis species that bear smaller tubers are known from four areas of the central Andean region. Oca was introduced to Europe in 1830 as a competitor to the potato, and to New Zealand as early as 1860.

In New Zealand, oca has become a popular table vegetable and is simply called yam or New Zealand yam (although not a true yam). It is available in a range of colours, including yellow, orange, pink, apricot, and the traditional red.   

My brother sent this one to me.  Gotta love it!!

I pray that during this next week you will be healthy, safe and happy.

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

It’s been a go-go-go week!!

We received the last of our incoming missionaries on Tuesday.  Before lunch while waiting for the flights of the last two incoming, I interviewed the missionaries for health histories.  After lunch when all 7 had arrived, I presented my part of the orientation before rushing off to go with a missionary to a doctor’s appointment.  Luckily it wasn’t too far away.

Wednesday afternoon I went with another missionary to a doctor’s appointment in South Auckland.  The drive home was slow going as I was in rush hour. 

All week I was planning my presentation for zone conference.  I finished the final preparations on Thursday.  Friday morning 6:30 I left Takapuna to drive to Whangarei.  I invited Sister Lucas to ride with me and to tour Northland over the weekend.

Sisters Lucas and Abaya

Lunch at zone conference

I did my presentation about nutrition and the way the digestive system works.
We have had some problems with constipation so I wanted to focus on
the importance of adding fiber with fruits, vegetables and whole grains.

After the zone conference, we drove about 45 minutes north to the Kawiti Glow Worm Caves.  I have been there several times, as I have reported in the past, but it never gets old and Sister Lucas had never been there.  For some reason, the stalactites and stalagmites and the ribbons of mineral formations were particularly beautiful this time.  Maybe I just noticed it more.  There were only four of us in the tour group so the guide took it slowly and explained in greater detail than some guides that I have had there.  Unfortunately, no picture taking is allowed in the cave.  The glowing worms on the roof and some on the walls of the cave make it appear that you are looking into the sky and the Milky Way.  Stunning!!

Three or four times I have been there, I have gone in and out the same opening but last time and this time, we went clear through the cave to an opening at the back of the cave.  There is a trail that winds through the bush over the mountain.  It had been a rainy day but was not raining as we walked the path.  The green always looks more green and lush after a rain.

Our guide through the caves was Harry

Silver leaf fern

The moss covered boulders were amazing

From the cave we drove about 30 minutes north to Paihia in the Bay of Islands where we stayed the night.  We went for a walk along the beach before eating dinner which Sister Lucas brought with us.  She had a delicious chicken soup, crackers, cheese, hummus and fruit.

Saturday morning we went to the Waitangi Treaty Grounds where the treaty was signed.  Briefly here is a description:    “The Treaty of Waitangi is New Zealand’s founding document. It takes its name from the place in the Bay of Islands where it was first signed, on 6 February 1840. This day is now a public holiday in New Zealand. The Treaty is an agreement, in Māori and English, that was made between the British Crown and about 540 Māori rangatira (chiefs).”

If you are interested in reading a little more, you may do so here.

The visit to the grounds included a guided tour and cultural show.

View from the treaty grounds

Our guide in front of the Marae explaining the cultural program.
“The marae (meeting grounds) is the focal point of Māori communities throughout New Zealand.

A marae is a fenced-in complex of carved buildings and grounds that belongs to a particular iwi (tribe),
hapū (sub tribe) or whānau (family). Māori people see their marae as tūrangawaewae - their place to
stand and belong. Marae are used for meetings, celebrations, funerals, educational workshops
and other important tribal events.

A marae incorporates a carved meeting house (wharenui) with an open space in front.”

The Treaty House where the actual treaty was translated into Maori.

We toured another museum before going back to Paihia to have lunch.  We ate fish and chips at jfc Restaurant and it was so delicious!!

After leaving Waitangi, we drove northwest over the mountains to Kaitaia where we stayed the night.  Before turning in, we walked a small portion of 90 Mile Beach to watch the sunset over the Tasman Sea.

Sunday morning we went to Sacrament Meeting in Kaitaia before driving an hour and a half north to Cape Reinga.

Beautiful rainbow along the way

I enjoy going back to the Cape as often as I can.  It is spiritual ground for the Maori people.

“Cape Reinga /riˈæŋə/ (Māori: Te Rerenga Wairua) is the northwesternmost tip of the Aupouri Peninsula, at the northern end of the North Island of New Zealand. Cape Reinga is more than 100 km north of the nearest small town of Kaitaia. State Highway 1 extends all the way to the cape, but until 2010 was unsealed gravel road for the last 19 km. Suitable vehicles can also travel much of the way via Ninety Mile Beach and Kauaeparaoa Stream (Te Paki Stream) stream bed. 

The 'Te Rerenga Wairua' component of the name in Māori language means the leaping-off place of spirits. The 'Reinga' part of the name is the Māori language word meaning the underworld. Both refer to the Māori belief that the cape is the point where the spirits of the dead enter the underworld.” 

You may read more about here.

No matter how often I go there, I see something new or different each time.  The plants are different.  The colors of the sky and clouds are different.  The sea/ocean is always gorgeous.

The roads going and coming are very curvy/windy for kilometers.  You often see yourself coming and going.  Because of the roads, the rain, and distance, we didn’t arrive back to Takapuna until close to 7:30 P.M.  It was a great week end.

Today as I was looking for pictures of the “men” (husband, sons, brother) in my life I came across this picture taken for my senior high school year book.  I couldn’t help but compare that picture to me now. 

I think that throughout my life, I have found that I am constantly comparing myself to others.  In high school, I wasn’t as popular, “cute”, smart, etc. as the girl sitting next to me.

As I began to go to nursing school, I had the same feelings that I wasn’t as good a student as my companions.  Working in the hospital, I wasn’t as efficient, pro-active, etc. as the nurse across from me.  As a mother, I didn’t take my sons and daughters to dance lessons, music lessons, baseball, soccer like other mothers.  My neighbor’s house was always neat and tidy while mine was not.  I could go on and on and on.

Then I thought of others to whom I’ve spoken who have voiced the similar thoughts.  Missionaries often feel this way when they compare themselves to other missionaries.

This started me thinking about a great BYU speech that I read last week.  It was given by J. B. Haws on  May 7,  2019 and titled Wrestling with Comparisons.  He begins the speech by acknowledging that he really did not want to speak.  In fact he begged out of it and then felt guilty enough about it that he told them he would speak.  Problem was that he didn’t know what to speak about.  Besides how could he speak and be as good/great as all the previous speakers at BYU Devotionals. 

He says: 

“But I still did not know what I was going to say. I just could not shake the feeling of how good past devotionals have been or the feeling of wondering if I could measure up. This might be my one shot, I thought—on the off chance, of course, that the Studio C thing does not pan out. What would people think? What if the best thing my family members could say to me afterward would be, “Hey, I loved how the BYUtv makeup artist did a good job of making your eyebrows look smaller”? How would my devotional talk compare in the field of BYU devotional talks? And, in a flash of recognition, I was suddenly pulled up short. There it was. That was it. I needed to spend some time wrestling to the ground this vexatious tendency to compare. 

This tendency to compare is something that I think about all the time because I do it all the time. But even that statement is a bit misleading. Saying, “I do it all the time,” is like saying, “I breathe all the time.” It just happens without me thinking about it. It can almost feel ¬reflexive—almost natural. And that is the point. That is why it is so vexatious. We know from Mosiah 3 that when we are left to our “natural” state, we struggle to “[yield] to the enticings of the Holy Spirit.” We are not where God wants us to be, and we are not what He knows we can be. We are in opposition to Him, at cross-purposes to His plan. But also, because these comparisons seem to happen so naturally, I hope that we all feel like fellow travelers on this road.”

Brother Haws caused me to stop and think.  The talk is too long and I would not be able to give you even a small measure of what Brother Haws delivers.  He is humorous, spiritual, and tells stories and examples that will help you.  Please, I encourage you to listen to the talk.  Brother Haws delivers it in such a way that it really will touch your heart. 

He concludes:

 “So, I say this to you and I say this to me: Let’s all find a mirror. Let’s look at ourselves. Let’s see as we are seen. Let’s repeat, “My contest is not with anyone else; my contest is with myself. The race is against sin, not against each other.” Then we must pray with all the energy of heart to be filled with the pure love of Christ, of Him who is “the author and finisher of our faith.”  We must refuse to let lies “interrupt [our] rejoicings” over the truths that are deeper and more convincing than the falsehoods of comparisons. And then we must walk out the door, forget ourselves, and start concentrating on others.”

I hope you might read, or as I said, listen to his talk, Wrestling with Comparisons.

I wish all of the men in my life a Happy Father’s Day.  I am blessed to have wonderful family and friends who are fathers and father figures.  I love you all.

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