A view of Auckland from the 1076 ft tall Sky Tower 

On Monday we learned that Elder Vakaudekoro (Fiji) and Elder Wilding (USA) were being transferred  from Wellsford  to South Auckland this week. The mission was anticipating 20 new missionaries to arrive this week , but due to Visa problems, only 8 missionaries will arrive...so for the next 6 weeks we will have a set of Elders splitting their time between Bream Bay and Wellsford.

We loaded up the car with Elder Salmon and his luggage and headed down to Auckland to drop him off with the assistants to the president. He will be working his final 3 weeks in Auckland and then head home to the US

We met up with other Senior Missionaries in Takapuna for our monthly FHE. 

The evening had a 4th of July theme. We ate, played games and sang patriotic songs. Elder and Sister Kopp will be going home to Switzerland in a few weeks, they have been serving as self-reliance missionaries for the past 18 months in Auckland. 

We spent the night in Takapuna at Sister Petersen's flat. Tuesday morning we went to "Martha's Backyard"....a store that imports "real " American items that you can't buy in other New Zealand stores.

We stocked up on Habanero sauce, green chilies, Crystal Light,  chocolate chips and of course...  American candy for Lisa! We then went to the Sky tower in Auckland with Sister Petersen and wandered around until our reservation time for lunch on the 52nd floor. We saw a winter snow globe with a long line of children waiting to have their pictures taken inside of it. 

 We saw people bungee jumping off the top of the sky tower...

And then we had a lovely lunch with a 360 degree view of the city as the restaurant revolved.

We dropped Sister Petersen off at her flat in Takapuna and then made our way north through the 5:00 traffic congestion back to Wellsford.
The next few days we were able to visit and share messages with Campbell, Ezra, and with the Ferrall family.
On Friday Lisa made a coffee cake for her sewing group.
Lisa also finished a small quilt for our next door neighbor's little boy and took it to him. Thomas is 5 years old, nearly blind and confined to a wheel chair most of the time.

On Saturday we attended an activity in Ruakaka with the 3 Branches in our area. Dargaville , Bream Bay and Wellsford. The Samoan and Tongan members prepared an "Umu"....hot rocks, with trays of chicken, pork, wild turkey, bananas, coconuts and other food covered with banana leaves to cook.

We ate way too much! There were several things that were very different....like the wild turkey, duck, the bananas cooked right on the rocks and then some raw fish too.







The Elders sang for us

and some children from Dargaville performed.

On Sunday morning we traveled to Dargaville for the Branch Council meeting, followed by Sacrament  meeting and Priesthood. Lisa was able to assist the Primary president with the children in Primary.
Following the meetings we had a baptismal service for President Lisiate's son Tevita.

After the baptism we attended another shared meal !

We have found the New Zealanders do like to eat! We are trying to be careful, but more exercise may be in order!

We have been enjoying the Come Follow Me study program. In Acts 3, in the story of the lame man, we read, "And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said, Look on us."
Peter had the lame man look up.
We need to look up, not down or sideways.
Elder Carl B. Cook said:
"If we exercise our faith and look up to God for help, we will not be overwhelmed with the burdens of life. We will not feel incapable of doing what we are called to do or need to do. We will be strengthened, and our lives will be filled with peace and joy."