NEVER A DULL MOMENT!

It's Sunday morning and our church doesn't start until 1:30, so it's blog-time!  It has rained the past 2-3 days and the vegetation continues to grow and get even greener it seems.   The camp construction is moving along with several more cabins moved up, the pavilion has a roof on it, sewage system is in and the office building has been moved up from Church College (an old office building that needs refurbishing, but Pres. Sutcliffe has volunteered his family to do that - Yeah!  The house has been enough for us).  President Sutcliffe is the agent stake president over the camp and both he and his wife are barristers (attorneys).  We had a great response from volunteers initially, but with the change of seasons (darker earlier and more rainy) and it being rugby season (the kids play in the mornings and the dads in the afternoon) we have had a difficult time getting adequate workers.  There are 10,000 trees to plant, staking of trees, re-potting plants, fences to build, tons of mowing, trimming and cleanup.

10,000 plants to be planted soon

Plus we have an infestation of rabbits that are really enjoying those new little plants.  Don's arranging for someone to come rabbit hunting, which makes me sad because they are cute little bunny rabbits like we have for pets.  Don submitted a schedule to our area seventy who has sent it out to the 4 local stakes to handle like we do welfare assignments at home, so hopefully we will start getting more volunteers, because a lot has to happen by the Camp Tuhikaramea Grand Opening the end of October, a couple of weeks after we go home.  There is a couple from England that have submitted their papers that have asked to replace us, so we're hoping that will work out and that they don't have trouble with their visa's like we did, so they can arrive a couple of months early and help with all the final preparations. I do help with the outdoor jobs, especially when we have volunteer groups, but often I am inside doing the office stuff; responding to e-mails, making calls, typing up the history of the camp (used to be Maori land) and we also need to get the reservation system ready and complete a operations manual, plus doing lots of dirty laundry, etc. We have invited the members to submit ideas for a camp logo within the next couple of weeks to be used on signs, letterhead, camp uniforms, etc.  Hope we get some good response.

to be our camp office--a building salvaged from CCNZ (church college)

the roof will soon be on the large pavilion 

The first part of May was "Birthday Week," which includes several grandkids (Tyler, Evan & Lydia) plus Don's and then Mother's Day.  It was nice to skype with all the family and get some extra calls, etc.  The evening of Don's birthday we had a party at the camp house (our first social gathering here) and invited the other senior missionaries as well as the White's and Hamon's.  The Sisters helped with the food and we had soups, salads and cake and ice cream.  (They have really good ice cream here.)  Don is doing better after his fall, but he still needs to take medication for dizziness.  Hopefully that dissipates with time.  I think he holds the record on speeding tickets in the mission, well, at least for the senior missionaries.  I know some of those younger Elders have gotten a few.  He's never actually gotten pulled over; the infringements (as they call them) have all been recorded by camera and then mailed to the mission.  They are pretty picky, however.  This time he got 2 within a half hour in the same place, on his way and then on his way back.  It was for going 55 kilometers per hour in a 50 kph, which is like going 33 in a 30 mph in states.  They only give you a 3 kph leeway. Anyway, Elder Olsen has a reputation for his tickets and his love for sweets, especially chocolate and ice cream. You could have guessed on that last one.

Diezharn receiving a comforter from our grandchildren

On Mother's Day we had an enjoyable and unique program during Sacrament Meeting.  The Elder's Quorum had been assigned the program, and since there are only about 8 Elders, they all either spoke, sang or both. One guy played his guitar and sang a song about mothers written by his grandfather, which was sweet, but the one that got a lot of chuckles and rolling of eyes from his wife, was the fellow who said he thought his father-in-law was a thief when he first met him, because he had stolen the stars from the sky and put them in his daughter's eyes.  He then continued with listing all the nice things he and the kids were doing for his wife, starting with Mother's Day Eve; he complimented her and said  she really deserved a day all about her, but concluded with saying, "but they need to remember that when tomorrow comes, it back to being "all about me!"  After church we had the 2 Elders who come to our ward come to dinner.  One is from the SLC area and the other is from England, and he can really pack the food away.  For dessert I tried a new recipe that was in the grocery ad.  You cut up bananas in thirds, roll them in flour, dip them in a beaten egg to which you have added vanilla, then roll them in a mixture of half bread crumbs and coconut.  You then brown them in oil, turning them once and serve warm with vanilla ice cream and drizzle with either caramel sauce or maple syrup..  They loved it and Don and I as well.  I added the recipe so you could try it; cause it is heavenly.

Elders Lee and Reese waiting for dinner

At our monthly Family Home Evening at President and Sister Rudd's home Dr. Curtis and his wife spoke after dinner and then just visited and sang some songs or listened to some of the Maori missionaries sing some of the beautiful Maori songs.  Dr. Curtis is a obgyn from the SLC area who came here to teach at the hospital in Hamilton.  They were looking at this as a second honeymoon and thought they would have time to travel and just relax, but it ended up being like a mission for them and they have loved it and are planning to go home, complete some needed tasks and go on an official mission.

the kitchen in the farm house

our family room

Our Temple View Stake held it's annual Ball last weekend for older teens and adults and it was lovely.  They had live music, decorations and a stand-up dinner served in the RS room.  What we didn't know is that people don't start coming until about 45 minutes after starting time.  We got there about 8:10 and there were only 2 cars in the parking lot, so we thought we had gotten the location wrong.  We drove to the other closest church and it wasn't there either, so we called the other "Olsen" senior couple that were going to meet us there and they had gotten word to not go until 8:45 or 9:00.  Funny!  They played a lot of music from the 50's and 60's for the first hour and then served a delicious dinner in shifts (starting with seniors - there are some advantages) starting about 10 p.m. We left about 11 0'clock, along with lots of others and were told that they then stir it up with a little disco for the younger crowd for the next hour or so.  Don and I dance so infrequently it's not like riding a bike; once you learn you never forget; we have to learn all over again each time.  I'm not sure adage about riding bikes is true once your're over 65 either.  But we did enjoy the food and conversation.

We hope we're not boring you with some of this information, but this blog is also our journal , so - Warning! This may contain material that is only interesting to writers.

Last Saturday after Don had finished working with the few volunteers who came in the morning, we packed up and took a 3 day getaway up the Coromandel Peninsula and stayed with another senior couple, the Gordon's, also from Utah.

Elder and Sister Gordon

They are in a very similar situation as we were during the first third of our mission as they are only one of two couples serving a proselyting mission and are in an area that is quite removed. They have a very nice apartment in Whitianga with a balcony from which you can see the beach a half block away.  Saturday evening we just enjoyed going out to dinner and visiting.  We went to church with them on Sunday and it was reminiscent of our little branch in Matauri Bay, only they don't even have a branch; it is just called "a Sunday School."  Church is held aat the town hall, which they rent each week for $13.  With us and 5 other visitors they had 17, their biggest attendance so far.  After Sacrament Sister Gordon took the one little boy to the nursery where we could see them through a window.  There was a very nice spirit there and the few members did a great job of fellowshipping the couple of investigators who came.  It was Julie's first time at church and she called the Gordons the next day to tell them how much she enjoyed it.  She is an artist who does mostly sculptures (quite unique as you can see from a photo or two).

headstone at the entry of Julia's home

They made an appointment with her a few days later to teach her, but she brought a anti-Mormon brochure with her, so they spent a couple of hours correcting the false information therein.  After dinner on Sunday we visited a couple of less active middle age brothers who are both divorced and live just a quarter of a mile from each other but don't like each other.  So the Gordon's are going to have a hard time getting them both to come back to church at the same time, but hopefully the gospel will soften their hearts.  On Monday we visited a great museum and then the Lost Springs Spa (just to look) beautiful, famous and expensive.  Later Elder Gordon and Elder Olsen went to serve dinner for the needy at one of the local churches, while Sister Gordon and I dug for peppes at the beach (you have to do it as the tide is going out).  They are smaller than mussels and much better in our opinion.  We then went to a Lioness meeting just as the guys were getting home, so we didn't end up having dinner ( peppes) until 9:30.

a little hut to get out of  the sun--actually we're hunting for pepee's (a small mussel sheel) for dinner.

The Gordon's have joined the Lion's Club/Lionesses, along with getting involved with lots of other activities to help people develop a greater awareness and understanding of our church.  The Lioness meeting was quite similar to a RS presidency meeting - it was long and they were planning various service projects.  It differed as they were all older women, there was a little profanity here and there and not the same spirit, but if you aren't blessed to have the RS in your life, it's seemed like a pretty good alternative.Tuesday morning we took a walk on the beach (and I collected more sea shells) and then we headed home, stopping at Julie's art studio, for lunch and then in Morrinsville to do a little missionary work or was it more about fishing?  Don had met this young guy who works part time at a fishing shop where he bought his fishing license several months ago and they had made plans to go fishing together sometime.  Jonathon is a real nice guy and Don talked to him a little about the church.

white stocking thorough-bred colt

the statue that once stood on the CCNZ camppus

 A couple of months went by and then Don came across the card he had written his name down on and decided to call his name in to the mission home as a referral.  The Sister over referrals called back about a week later and said that the Sister missionaries in Morrinsville had visited Jonathon and given him a Book of Mormon, which he said he would read.  So we stopped by and visited with him, his wife and little girl and, as I am writing this, Don is on the phone with him planning a little fishing day trip.  I'm sure in addition to fishing, Elder Olsen will be doing a little missionary work as a fisher of men.  It's great to be able to do two things you love at the same time.

from the camp home window watching the hues change

 Love to you all!