New Arrivals and Thanksgiving

We warmly welcome Sister Meister from Phoenix, Arizona and Elder and Sister Farns from American Fork, Utah.  Sister Meister has been serving in the Spokane, Washington mission while waiting to get her visa to come to New Zealand. She is a recent convert to the church herself. She was baptized in June of 2010. Elder Farnes served in the Auckland, New Zealand Mission as a young man. He recently retired from Alpine School District were he worked as a speech-language pathologist. He and  Sister Farnes are the parents of four children and have 12 grandchildren. Sister Farnes joined the church before marrying her husband. She has a wonderful conversion story that you all need to hear. She was a clinical and food microbiologist and is now serving with her husband as a missionary in the Hawke's Bay Zone.

We had a lovely Thanksgiving Day feast at the Mission Home with our North Island Senior Couples. (All except the Hirschi's who were having Thanksgiving with the missionaries up north) Sister Chesley and Elder Chesley arrived in the mission this past week also. They come from Bremerton, Washington but lived and worked in California. Elder Chesley is a retired builder and teacher. He and Sister Chesley have raised 7 children. Before raising their children in the home, Sister Chesley taught elementary school. Sister Overton and Elder Overton are serving as Family History Missionaries. Sister Patchett and Elder Patchett are serving in Foxton and President Kezerian serves everywhere in the Wellington New Zealand Mission. We have a hard time keeping track of him.

Elder and Sister McVey serve as Family History Missionaries. Elder and Sister Brazzeal are our office missionaries. John, Jodi and Crystal Upchurch are our moral and medical support. (Jodi is President Kezerian's sister) Elder and Sister Farnes will be serving in the Hastings and Flaxmere Stakes.

Christchurch Zone

 Elder Armstrong started playing and Elder Taelega started singing. . . . .

 . . . .pretty soon we had a whole choir. It was great!

 Elder Christensen, Elder Armstrong, Elder Taelega and Elder Heindricks.

 Looking down the coastline in Christchurch.

Southland Zone

 All of our sister are great missionaries. Sister Palmer, Sister Tito, Sister Hemi and Sister Fafai shared some of their methods and ideas to teach different principles.

 Elder and Sister Risenmay put on a real Thanksgiving Day feast for the Southland Zone.

 Elder Levin demonstrated how olives are to be eaten.

 What a spread!

Elder Finau, Elder Ames, Elder Sciciuna, Elder Aiono, Elder Sayers, Sister Kezerian, President Kezerian, Sister Hemi, Elder Flakemore, Sister Fafai, Elder Skewes, Sister Palmer, Sister Tito, Elder Risenmay, Sister Risenmay. Front: Elder Eneri, Elder Rollins and Elder Levin. Notice the green ties!

Pacific Area Mission President's Seminar

 This year the Mission President's Seminar was held in Gold Coast, Australia. There were 13 Mission Presidents and their wives, the Area Presidency, our In-field Representative, Area Medical Advisor, director for Temporal Affairs, the New Zealand Missionary Training Centre President and Executive Secretaries.

 The Australian Flag

 There was a break out session for all of the wives in which we received wonderful counsel from Sister Hamula, Sister Pearson and Sister Watson. We all felt motivated to take our missions to the next level.

 While in Australia we meet members of Elder Tukukino's family

 At the conclusion of the seminar we were able to attend the Brisbane Temple.

 Down-town Brisbane.

As at every temple the grounds were beautiful. Attending the temple helped all of us to really gain the vision of what we need to accomplish in our sacred callings. We know we will see more miracles in the mission as each and every missionary comes to understand the reality of revelation and sees and feels more perfectly their duty and what the Lord requires of them.

Taranaki

 While visiting in New Plymouth we saw some amazing cathedrals.

 There are so many different denominations in New Zealand. This is a good sign that there are many who are truly wanting religion in their lives. This church was built in 1846.

 There are often graveyards next to the cathedrals.

Rugby signs are still prominent throughout all the host cities in New Zealand.