June Thoughts and Adventures

Thoughts from Larry:

I remain adequately busy. My missionary clients and consults are invariably interesting and often serious. In the last two weeks, I have been consulted on or worked with missionaries serving in many locations, including Japan, Kiribati, Fiji, NZ, Philippines, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Vanuatu, Cambodia, Tahiti, Australia, and Taiwan. They have come on their missions from all parts of the world. I now also do some mental health training with all the missionaries in the NZ Missionary Training Center every three weeks. People consult with me when the diagnosis is confusing, medications seem to be needed, or something "bizarre" is going on with a missionary. 

Our grandson Adam Richards stayed with us for two weeks. We took a lovely hike together almost every day. What a delight it was to have him with us! The astonishing thing was that the weather was cool and sunny almost the whole time. It only rained at night. Adam taught us some great word games, and I taught him my father's favorite two-person card game, which he called "High, Low, Game." It’s the first time I have played that game in many years!

Adventures:

7 June - The senior missionaries went to Howick Historical Village in Auckland as a zone activity. We had fun churning butter, making beeswax candles, and learning about the early British settlers in this area.

10 June - We made delightful Australian friends, Ian and Linda Carroll, when we served missions together in Germany. Imagine our surprise when we met Ian's sister Penny and her husband Grant Owen, who are serving here in the Area Office. The Carrolls came for a visit from Australia, and all six of us had fun together. In the picture, from left to right, are the Carrolls, Owens, and Deweys. 

13 June - Adam arrived! His suitcase had been badly damaged, so we waited at the baggage office while his claim was processed. The sign lists several airline companies that we hadn't seen in other airports. How many do you know?

18 June - We took Adam south to see some tourist areas (our first trip past Hamilton). First stop - Hobbiton! All but one person on our guided tour were Lord of the Rings fans. Our guide knew tons of details about finding the location, building the road into the set, etc., etc. It was such a great Hobbit nerd experience! The land is beautiful, and the sky was blue that day.

19 June - We traveled south to Rotorua, where we spent the next two days. Rotorua is known for its geysers, hot springs, mud baths, and Māori culture. We started the day with a hike in a redwood forest. The redwoods were brought from California and grow well here. Then we went to Te Puia, a tourist attraction on Māori land, with geysers, a Māori craft workshop, and a kiwi restoration program. We got to go into a dark building and actually see kiwis up close (they are nocturnal). In the evening, we attended a hangi (traditional underground oven) dinner and cultural program at Mitai Māori Village, another tourist attraction. It was a full, educational day amid natural wonders.

20 June - We hiked around Blue Lake outside of Rotorua and enjoyed some more scenery.

21 June - On our way back home to Takapuna, we visited the Hamilton Gardens, which we had heard good things about. We discovered that it includes 18 enclosed gardens, each representing a different time and culture--from ancient Egypt to China, Japan, Italy, and Māori. Even though it is winter, it was fascinating and beautiful. We took so many pictures! This was the last section we visited--the surrealist garden.

28 June - Adam left on the 27th to fly to his next family adventure in Alaska. On Saturday, we went to "Last Night of the Proms," an Auckland Symphony Orchestra concert that our friends the Owens had organized. I expected a mix of classical and pop music. The reality was way beyond that! This is a British tradition, and the attendees wore British costumes, waved English flags, and brought noise-makers. We enjoyed the orchestra, choir, bagpipers, highland dancers, and a talented soloist. We sang "God Save the King" and the New Zealand national anthem (which is beautiful). At the end, balloons and streamers were released and bounced around the audience. It was a new, very fun cultural experience for us.

In conclusion - back to our real purpose for coming to New Zealand:

Even though I've highlighted the fun things we did in June, we don't ever forget that we are here to serve the Lord Jesus Christ and our Father in Heaven. I will close with a poster I found online that illustrates a favorite scripture.