BARKING DOGS AND LOLLIES

Last Monday for our p-day we drove to the westcoast to a town called Opononi.  We have a branch there and the Elders told us in their opinion it was one of the most beautiful places in the north.  After driving along the beach, taking a hike in the sand and clicking a few pictures we concluded that it wasn't any more notable than the Bay of Islands where we live and Matauri Bay where we have a small struggling branch that we share our time in supporting.

Beach at Opononi on the westcoast

Matauri Bay looking from the ridge above the beach

Going south along the westcoast we entered Waipoua forest preserve to view the largest tree remaining in New Zealand, the Kauri tree.  This tree is over 2000 years old and it has a mammoth trunk.  Though not as tall as the redwoods in california, this is still a mighty tree with the trunk exceeding 45 feet in circumference.

huge trunk of the Kauri tree

Just under 200 feet tall
 

On Tuesday we attended the district meeting in Kaikohe.  Sister Olsen just loves to feed the Elders when ever we get together which makes for a positive and upbeat meeting. She doesn't let them indulge until the meeting is finished.                                                                                                                                 

Elder Dauniki makes sure nothing is left

We were able to teach Amelia another lesson and we were really quite surpized that she has been reading 
the Book of Mormon.  We also had dinner and family home evening with the Harris family in an effort to fellowship them as they return to activity.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                
Wednesday we spent working in Matauri Bay and were able to teach two investigators in the afternoon.  One was positive and the other was negative and we won't be returning to her place.  It was late that night when we returned to Kerikeri and we were lucky to find an open restarurant on the outskirts of town by the name of Chang Siam,  What a real find, we loved this place and the food was wonderful.                  
Thursday, our son Cody sent us a KSL news clip about Brent and Elsie Anderson saving some guy who fell over a wall in Zion National Park, a very dramatic incident that Brent and Elsie would rather have had been kept quiet.  It seems that their daughter in St George contacted KSL without them knowing about it;

We took most of the afternoon trying to find 2-3 inactive families.  Even with our "Garmin" we succeded in finding only one home.  On our record it stated, call before coming.  The phone service was on the blink so we thought we would contact them directly.  When we pulled up to the house we realized why one should call first.  There were four roving, angry pit bulls in the yard.  We didn't dare get out of the car!  Back in town we visited an elderly brother Vandenberg, who was from Holland, and was a 12 year old boy during the war.  Our thought was to cheer him up, but after a hard day we were the ones who were cheered up.

We have had some fun visiting some of the less active as well as active member living way out in the country.  We went to Kaeo on friday and visited Neta Raphia, an 87 yearold widow who is spry and active.  She gave us a bottle of freshly canned peaches that she had grown and prepared herself.  She gave us some lollies for the road home.  She loved the church and told of the time when President Heber J. Grant and David O. McKay visited their home.  We visited a sister Judith Donaldson who didn't waste any time telling us she had quit the Mormon Church and was no a Born Again Christian.  She felt it was so much easier to just profess a belief in the Savior and not have to put up with all that other stuff.              

On Saturday we finally received a small clothes drier for our flat.  Its better than hanging clothes outside in this damp atomsphere.  Saturday and Sunday was Kaikohe Stake Conference.  Elder Cower and Elder Pearson were the visiting authorities.  They called a new Stake Presidency and gave some marvelous instructions for the rest of us.  Sister Williams and her son stayed at our flat on Saturday night since she couldn't afford the petrol to go home for the night and return on Sunday,  She was very helpful in giving us the latest information concerining the less active members in the branch.                                                                                                                                                       

Fall in June (sweetgum tree)

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