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.