A few of my favorite things (June 10 blog)

Rain rain go away, Sister Petersen wants to go for a walk!!

I actually like walking in the rain but the rain here is strange.  It “mists” one minute, down pour-drenching rain coming from the side one minute and the next minute the sun is shining brightly.  Rather like Utah weather.  If you don’t like it, just wait a minute and it will change.

I walked to Countdown to get a few things I needed for a salad I was making.  It was sunny when I went into the store.  While shopping there was a down pour of rain.  As I looked up at the sky on my way back to my flat, I saw a most bright and vibrant rainbow.

I haven’t really been out a lot this week, not only because of the rain, but because I have been taking more calls.  There have been cold/sore throat/cough calls, injured ankles and knees, back pain, dog bite, rashes, flea bites, tooth ache, etc.  Not complaining and the missionaries in general are in pretty good health but there are a few here and there who need help.

On Wednesday evening our ward Relief Society had a get-to-know you party.  We were each to tell a little about ourselves and we were to bring a “favorite thing” that we could give away.  You would never guess that I took a chocolate candy bar.  After I introduced myself, I drew a name out of a jar and I gave my chocolate bar to a “new” friend.  I was gifted a book of crossword puzzles. 

We ate delicious snacks and enjoyed an evening getting better acquainted with our RS sisters.  The theme was “A few of my favorite things.”  Someone wrote words about ministering to be sung to the tune of “My Favorite Things” from the Sound of Music. 

Sunday afternoon I drove Sister Bunker to the New Zealand Auckland MTC.  She works in the area offices in education.  She specializes in speech therapy.  She needed to go to the MTC to help a couple of missionaries who were having difficulty learning English.  She was able to help them to know how to open their mouths and to form sounds of letters that were difficult for them because of their native languages.

While I waited, I was able to listen to a devotional from Provo MTC with Elder Jeffrey R. Holland as the speaker.

Two elders in front of the world map

As we were leaving, I took pictures of the site where the Auckland Temple will be built just outside and across the drive from the MTC.

This morning, Monday, (Sunday for you) I was invited by the sister training leaders to a Morningside.  I had never heard that term before.  It is a morning gathering similar to a fireside.  It was for sisters under the direction of the sister training leaders. Breakfast was served and then testimony bearing.  It was a spiritually moving experience for me.

This afternoon I took a walking boot to a missionary who had an ankle sprain.  Near to where I took the boot was a store called Martha’s Backyard.  I had heard a senior sister talking about it being a fun store to go to so I decided to check it out.  It is a store where items are imported from the States.  I was able to pick up a few things I hadn’t found at Countdown.  I have been thinking about chili verde.  At Martha’s I found chopped green chilies.  Guess I’ll have chili verde this week.  Mexican vanilla is a real treasure!  Also found Crystal Light.  I’m in Heaven!!!  I found things I didn’t buy but now I know where I can find them if I want them.

This evening was senior missionary family home evening.  I took broccoli salad for my part.  We had an assortment of salads, chips, pulled pork sandwiches, and several desserts.  We each took 4 minutes (there was a buzzer to time us) and told a family history story.  I was going to tell about my father and his missionary experiences and magic tricks.  Then yesterday talking to Sister Bunker, I told her about my father and his WWII Normandy experiences and she told me that I should share that story. 

Tonight, when I got there, I was prompted to tell about my 7^th great grandfather, Miles Morgan and his part in settling Springfield MA.  He was born in 1616 in Wales.  He came to American in 1636 aboard the ship “Mary” sailing out of Bristol into Boston. 

He joined the company of Sir William Pynchon in the colonization of western Massachusetts and was one of the founders of the city of Springfield.  He was a captain and hero in the King Philip Wars.  There is a statue of him in Court Square in the metro center of Springfield.

On the way to the FHE I couldn’t help but admire the beautiful clouds and sunset.

Someone said “let’s get a silly pic”   I thought I looked silly enough.

I am grateful for the opportunity to serve a mission.  The Lord blesses me daily.  Thank goodness for technology so that I can keep in touch with my family and friends whom I miss so much.  I am meeting and making new friends here and that makes me happy.  Serving the Lord and helping others brings indescribable joy. 

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

How Great Thou Art

The “common cold” season has hit!!  Sore throats, runny noses, coughs, some body aches, and even a few fevers have been the subjects about which I have doled out information this week.  Hopefully we will avoid the flu hitting us though as Sister Packard, my very great assistant, was diligent about seeing that everyone got flu vaccines and she accomplished this before I arrived.  I even went this week and got a flu shot too.  Even though I had one last fall, I am in “fall” and flu season again in the Southern Hemisphere.  Better safe than sorry.

I composed a letter sent out today to all of the missionaries reminding them to wash hands frequently to help avoid getting colds.  I gave them instructions on self-care if they do get a cold.  I told them how to make a salt-water gargle and I also gave instructions how to gargle.  As I’ve talked to missionaries this week, I was surprised many were not familiar with “gargling” so I did a wiki-how search and found step-by-step instructions on how to gargle.  Hopefully, this will help.

Example of a handout I sometimes send to missionaries

We had transfers and orientation of new missionaries on Wednesday.  Sister Packard and I interviewed the new missionaries to make sure we had all of their health information:  current vaccines, prescription medications they take, specific allergies or food requirements, etc.  It is a good way to get to know each missionary as they enter the field. 

Visas have been slow in coming so we had a few more missionaries arrive on Thursday and Friday as they couldn’t come until their visas cleared.  We held another orientation and interview with each new late arriving missionary on Friday.

I have talked to missionaries and answered health related questions every day.  It is good to get into the swing of things again. 

Saturday evening I was invited to go with a few senior couples who work in the area office to go to a concert presented by the BYU-Hawaii Concert Choir in Auckland.  I live in Takapuna which is a “suburb” so to speak of Auckland so it was my first venture into Auckland proper.  It was dark so I didn’t really get a good perspective of the city.  New adventures await!

Holy Trinity Cathedral in Auckland

The concert was enjoyable as was the company of my new friends.

My senior couple friends at the concert

Program of the concert

Choir in formal concert robes and for the second half of the program in their Hawaiian costumes

I haven’t ventured out much this week.  The transfers/orientation was in Favona, another suburb of Auckland about 30 minutes away.  I like to take these little jaunts.  This one took me in a direction I hadn’t gone before.  Eventually, I will get to know my mission area better.  The northern most boundary of my mission is about 4 hours north of me.  The southern boundary is about an hour plus south of me.  (Maybe this is repeat information.  I’m getting OLD and often repeat myself.)  Some sisters I visited with today told me that the area to the south is mostly Tongan and Samoan population and the area north is mostly “white.”  I didn’t ask what they meant by white but I assumed any nationality not Tongan or Samoan.

Norfolk Pines are commonly seen around the island.  I think they are beautiful. I’ve always been fond
of this tree but I’ve never seen them this large.  These trees are on  the grounds of the chapel where
transfers were held in Favona.  They are not really as big as many I’ve seen.

nfo from the net

Speaking of the sisters, I was able to visit with a companionship of sisters and spent a very pleasant couple of hours mid-day.  It was their P-day so I invited them to lunch.  We headed for sushi only to find the restaurant closed in honor of the Queen’s Birthday holiday.  Luckily, there was an ice cream store next door and it was open.

An array of frozen delicacies

My treat was a “Chocolate Peak”

Sister Keily on the left from Australia.  Sister Tetopata in the middle from Tahiti

Very sweet sisters welcomed me to the mission with a nice note and a flower.  Made me cry.  I know that surprises you since I seldom get teary. (NOT)

My plant identification app told me this is a flowering kale.  I used to see these plants in planters
along the streets of Manhattan.  Commonly used in flower beds in New York City.

I cleaned and vacuumed my flat this morning and did a little shopping at Countdown for a couple of items I needed for dinner tomorrow.  A single sister who works in the area office is joining me for dinner.  She must have gluten and dairy free food, so I needed a few things to accommodate her diet when I made dinner.

You must supply your own shopping bags here

Not the kind of “Trolley” you see in San Francisco

Last week I mentioned the wonderful vegetable and fruits I find here.  You can buy ½ head of celery. 
The celery heads are HUGE.  This is a half.  See how big it is!!!

I can find almost anything I want here.  They have a pretty good selection of foreign foods.  This is
the Mexican section.  I haven’t tried anything yet but I bought some taco seasoning I may try when
I want to make chili.  I can’t find any canned chilies though.  They have plenty of fresh capsicum
(bell peppers here) but not any of the hotter varieties.  I will look in a fruit/veggie market down the street.  Perhaps they will have hotter varieties.

Early in the week, I heard the hymn How Great Thou Art.  It is one of my favorite hymns.  I can’t sing it or hear it without tears.  At the concert on Saturday night, the choir sang an arrangement of the hymn that I had never heard before.  Once again, the words of the hymn touched my heart and made me love my Savior and my Heavenly Father even more.  The words of the second and third verses are particularly touching to me.  (I only added the words of the chorus after the first verse.) 

How Great Thou Art

O Lord, my God, when I in awesome wonder

Consider all the worlds Thy Hands have made

I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder

Thy power throughout the universe displayed

Chorus:  Then sings my soul, my Saviour God, to Thee

How great Thou art, how great Thou art

Then sings my soul, my Saviour God, to Thee

How great Thou art, how great Thou art

And when I think of God, His Son not sparing

Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in

That on the Cross, my burden gladly bearing

He bled and died to take away my sin

When Christ shall come with shout of acclamation

And lead me home, what joy shall fill my heart

Then I shall bow with humble adoration

And then proclaim, my God, how great Thou art

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

I wanted to know how many calories in this can of chili beans.
I had to find a converter for kJ to calories.

Converter for Kilojoules to Calories.  I’m getting an education.

I wanted to try crumpets.  I thought it looked a little like English muffins.  They are ok but
I’m not as fond of them as I thought I would be.  They are rather bland.  Dictionary description of
crumpet:  a thick, flat savory cake with a soft, porous texture, made from a yeast mixture cooked
on a griddle and eaten toasted and buttered.

Weet-Bix cereal.  Actually rather tasteless.  A bit like eating cardboard.  (Hope I’m not offending any
Weet-Bix fans out there.)  I’ll eat it all because I don’t want to waste it and it is whole grain, low sugar,
and a good source of fiber!

When I was at the Mission Office today, the secretary was replacing the stock of Books of Mormon.
I took pictures of all of them but only posted a few.  You can enlarge and see the books in numerous
different languages the Mission keeps in stock, plus the ones not shown. 
Sister Lewis, the secretary says we have books from Afrikans to Zulu.

One of the area senior couples went home.  Sister Lewis knows I like plants so I was bequeathed
a gorgeous house plant.  My plant identifying app says it is a loquat plant which actually
can grow into a fruiting tree.  Notice my meager basil plant on the opposite end of the table.

Flowers along my path

Since my lunch was a “Chocolate Peak” I thought I should have a salad for dinner.  Tasty!!

This Prius is always parked way out in the car park at Countdown.  I have almost tried to get
into it a couple of times.  Old habits are hard to break.  I noticed the license plate holder today. 
Thought you would get a giggle out of it.

Last but not least, I received the copy of the picture of our mission with President Nelson at his visit.
This is the picture taken for which we practiced getting onto and off the risers. I mentioned it last week in my post.