All is well that ends well

In which is told and shown the tale of the purchase of 3 cars, explosions and tear gas and the trip to Bourail

At our last posting, we were learning how to purchase cars and feeling like the more we learned the more was yet to go. As of today we have completed the registration with the local government authorities. It turns out that mere volume of paper was the trick. In that world, 10 sheets of 'information' is better than one. Magically over last weekend, all was well.  The purchase orders sent us from Fiji drew chuckles from the dealers, but we have proceeded anyway with their interest. duh, they are selling cars after all. So on Wednesday, when we could get time to get there, we brought the bleu clair Renault home. A picture of Sister Mautz with Heavenly Father's new car is adjacent. She thought bleu clair was much nicer that battleship gris, the color of the last car. What we didn't know until we got it was the double sun roofs and the automatic transmission which allows Sister Mautz to drive now. As soon as she gets up courage to navigate a 'rond point' or I dent the car. Whichever comes first.

The second and third cars are Berlingos also pictured adjacent with Elders Livingston and Manning, both of machete fame. These are utilitarian cars with firm springs, modest creature comforts although with ac, and designed to handle much of what a missionary can give them. They are reasonably economical and are good for the bush country up north. A couple of them were pretty well worn out by the time we got here. The two we have just purchased were due in February when we were to have originally arrived. So the missionaries are glad to have them. We had to replace the old ones traded in with newer ones that lived nearby so that we could get them to the dealer without stopping the work. that meant that some sisters inherited cars driven by elders. 'Humph, smelled like elders' from one of the sisters. 'That car was so dirty we tried not to touch anything,' from another. We will have to learn to do better. 

We are now helping Fiji get through international money transfers. I can always cut a check if  I have to. (Not from our funds!)

So, on Thursday morning we are on the way to a doctor for a 7a appointment. (And no, I don't know who makes appointments for that hour of the morning or another doctor that takes them) We have picked up the missionaries needing to go to the doctor and are about 15 minutes away from our destination when our cell phone beeps, 'elder Mautz, we just heard some explosions and there is a lot of smoke rising from the airport near the mission office. We went outside to see what was going on and there were bonfires in the street and tear gas.' 'Well, Elder, go back inside your apartment and close the windows and door and stay there until we can get you out of there. And thanks for keeping us up to date. A call to the zone leaders got us help in evacuating the Elders and on getting a radio report as to what was going on.

This will be very familiar to those who have lived in France. Seems that the local airport workers of one of the unions was unhappy so they tried to take control of the local airport. Our office and one of the chapels is just across the street. ( and yes, it does make Sunday meetings a little noisy from time to time) so the professional military were out in force. there was some concern that one of the planes, perhaps with passengers aboard, might be the target of a potential high jacking so the gendarmes did a tour de force setting off explosives and tear gas. Hence the noise and odor our elders were encountering who live just a block away. Roads were barricaded and there were several truck loads of military in the area. The rest of Noumea was quite calm. We saw no evidence of anything until we tired to get to our offices a couple hours later and encountered blockades.  The zone leaders drove as close as they could get, walked in the rest of the way, got our two elders out of there and off to work elsewhere. So by the time we were done at the doctor, we had elders safely out of the way.  A quick call to the mission president kept him informed earned us instructions to keep the missionaries safe and away from trying to take pictures. By mid-afternoon, it was all cleared away. All that was left was the slight aroma of tear gas and the black stains of ash on the pavement where several bonfires had been built. Vive la Republique!  There are mornings, once in a while, when the day looks pretty clear. We always wonder what might happen.  Always does! Later that day we retrieved the aforementioned Berlingos. A happy ending to the day. The bed felt great that night!

Last Sunday we traveled north 2 hours to the northern most point in which we have missionaries, Bourail. The small branch is held together by two very faithful families with returned missionaries as parents and both fluent English speaking natives. And with two great missionaries, one of whom arrived with us.  The meeting location, also shown adjacent, reminds me of some of the small rented meeting places we had 40 years ago in the France Paris Mission.  The plan for the day was to attend church in the morning starting at 9a, dinner with the Branch president and his family and then a reactivation activity.

The President's wife is a returned missionary who lived in the US for 12+ years and only returned home when her job was terminated. She came home single and worried how she would ever marry. Reactivated her husband as part of a biking group, fell in love, he launched a successful business and here we are. She teaches English locally and is a delightful as is her husband. Faithful souls doing whatever it takes to bless their children with the fullness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We ate outside in the shade of a covered veranda while the breeze blew through and an occasional rain shower blew by. Very comfortable but certainly a long way from what she might have gotten used to in the US.   The second family is headed by a returned missionary.  A handsome native fellow with completely western features and skin as black as you could imagine. A striking man also a fluent English speaker who met his wife, from southern Utah, at BYU Hawaii. She moved to Bourail sight unseen with her new husband and has adapted.

After the meetings and dinner, we visited the family of the RS president. Very humble circumstances. She is a dear soul. Sister Mautz found the RS meeting, albeit small with 3 other sisters, had a great spirit about it with a well prepare lesson. (And she would know!) Her husband, also a member, has had trouble leaving his cigarettes behind to the point of virtually giving up. The effect on her grown children, some of whom are still at home, has been to be disrespectful of  their mother's Church and their father. So the two Elders, we, and the Branch President went for a visit. I felt strongly impressed to push hard on obeying the Word of Wisdom. All that is keeping him from the Temple and binding his family together forever. I am grateful for that guidance. He responded well. I offered him a Priesthood blessing from his Branch President which he accepted. We got a report 3 days after from the elders, who came down to take care of visa registration issues, that he was excited to be through the first 3 days, was already feeling better, and was anxious to move forward. I came to understand our Heavenly Father's love for each of his children a little better and to know that the worth of a souls is great.  It is humbling to know that He will respond to each, as they show love by keeping his commandments. We sat under a thatched roof next to a tin building with a plywood door and a mud floor. Warm embraces as we left. We are grateful to be here.

And as a side note, at dinner during conversation, we learned that one of the elders is the grandson of friends from our Bloomfield Hills, Michigan days, a great grandson of George and Lenore Romney. We enjoyed reminiscing just a little. His grandmother still lives in that ward.

By the time we inspected the elders' apartment, which was clean, and learned they need a stove with a working oven, it was later than we would have liked. We arrived home 2 1/2 hours later pretty tired from the day that started at 5a. Righteous weariness is a blessing.

And P-day news to end this entry. When we arrived here, we knew that part of the country's history was tied closely to the Allies'  war effort in the Pacific. I was curious to see just what might be left. A little more than I had thought. As the slide show adjacent shows, atop the highest hill in the City are some remnants of the Allied artillery that protected the harbor here. Apparently Noumea itself was hardly on the map before the war. The Allies drained swamps, built roads, airport and  11 hospitals on the island including one clinic still in use that is just down the street along the beach from where we are living. The island was apparently used as an r&r and recovery area for the troops in the Pacific. The artillery you see in the pictures covered the harbor and islands below. There are also remains of foundations for other guns with circle foundations 25 feet across with a steel rail running around the edge and a concrete/brick center which look like they might have been the base of a large gun that could rotate through 360 degrees. Only the foundation remains now.

The small clinic which by today' standards looks quite primitive is a series of several small metal-walled and roofed buildings. Still used as a clinic today. The allies built the hospitals, provided free medical care to the inhabitants of the island during the war and then left it all operational for them after the war.  Two of my uncles fought in the Pacific, and a 3rd, a doctor, was actually stationed here. 

Here are some random pictures taken of the missionaries on P-day giving each other haircuts.  There are also some pictures of island from the hillside where the cannons were.  If you are still reading, we hope you enjoy this update 

Shirley in New Caledonia and other minor points

You really have to be here to see this. But I am hopeful the accompanying pictures and the added verbiage will give you the idea. I also wanted to add just a little about our day to day living here. 

Our arrival here plunged Shirley into  language isolation. Just as her sons had predicted, the French she had been studying seemed far removed from the language she was hearing day to day. But she is undaunted and progressing. While I am out in the evenings for meetings with the District Presidency or the High Council, she digs in to her language study hard for several hours. I usually return 3 hours later and find her with head phones on repeating phrases. She is beginning to understand the native speakers picking up words or a phrase. Last Sunday, one of the speakers was particularly strong in his enunciation of each word. She got a great deal of it. So the vocabulary is coming also. Usually there is a good member eager to sit with her and help with translation. During Sunday School I can be with her also. She does find it a little frustrating when I turn from one of the members to her, continuing my French as if she should understand!

But even better is how she reaches out to the members with the French she has. Already we knows the universal greeting, particularly between sisters, is a kiss on each cheek. Ca va bien? and she is off as if a native. Love really does transcend everything else. 

She has fallen in love with the little children. And they all speak French so well! 

The missionaries already know not to mess with Sister Mautz. But also that she is their best ally. One of our responsibilities is to regularly inspect the apartments where they live. Young men are generally NOT known for their housekeeping abilities or cleanliness. So we visit the living quarters unannounced. (By the way, this is a long process taking us all over the island for the better part of a couple days) We have been pleasantly surprised generally with only one visit that was unacceptable. However, when she discovered a refrigerator with a door with broken hinges such that it simply fell open into your unsuspecting arms, she was on the phone to Fiji that very day. After researching the lease, we are off to buy a new one this week. The same with a front loading washing machine whose hinges had given way. Now she is the heroine. These elders have been living with this for some time. The result of not having a senior couple on the island for almost a year. 

For those of you who know her well, the shedding of hose and shoes for sandals might be just a little surprising. But practicality and comfort prevail in the end.

And finally, the question of cars. Upon arriving, we found that we were to purchase 3 new cars. These had been requisitioned since February when we were supposed to have arrived. Two are basic 5 passenger small repair truck like vehicles that the missionaries drive who are assigned to areas with vast walking distances.The 3rd was to replace a 4 year old vehicle that we drive to pick up missionaries arriving at the airport or departing. As well as the Mission President. The process of expending sacred, contributed funds of the church is the topic of another posting. Suffice it to say I don't have quite the authority I might have been used to in a prior career responsibility. The process starts with the authorization from the Church already completed with an expected price and trade in value for the used car. Perhaps a predecessor did this for us. In any case, it is interesting to take such a document to a dealer and then try to understand just how the bargaining process might work. We don't change brands here easily since dealers don't take any other brand but their own in trade and aren't expected to. And as soon as we have Church approval for purchase of the vehicles we start the labyrinthian process of getting them registered with the government. That process starts with the presentation to the dealer with a utility bill showing the address of the mission office since the Church is the owner. Only difficult since all those bills are paid in Tahiti! But we are learning and hope to finish all of this next week. Best of all is the color of the new vehicle we will drive. We are graduating from gun metal gray to robin's egg blue at the choice of the senior sister missionary on the island.

A few of you have asked of our living conditions. We are quite comfortable. Our apartment is on the 10th floor of a 16-story hotel-apartment residence. It has AC in the 2 bedrooms and a great view of the bay at the far south end of the island. Since the senior couples bear their own costs we have elected to have a little more space/comfort and be able to entertain groups of missionaries such as the sisters on the island during zone conference with our Mission President's wife. We have a washing machine in the apartment so laundry is reasonably easy to do. The kitchen is reasonable although we have supplemented with a few pots and pans etc.

Most important is the patisserie that is just around the corner so that we can have fresh croissants, pain au raisin or pain au chocolat each morning that we care to for breakfast. The French bread is almost as good as Paris. And the cheeses are wonderful. A piece of cheese, some fruit and some French bread and you have a great casse croute any time. 

Morning exercise frequently finds us walking along the beach sidewalk just a few steps away from our apartment with a fresh ocean breeze blowing in our faces either going out or returning home.

And we have found a hair dresser for Shirley. You can note the new do in the pictures.  I was a bit distressed over the cost of a haricut for me, almost double the US prices and was sharing this with one of the zone leaders as I inquired just where they got their haircuts. Some do it themselves, others by a companion. Neither an option here. However, Elder Huuti whom you met in an earlier posting took up the challenge immediately and said, 'Elder Mautz, tu peux leur dire que tu veux une coupe de cheveux, mais parce que tu n'as pas de cheveux, tu ne dois payer que la moitie.'   (Translation:  Elder Mautz, you can tell them you want a haircut, but since you don't have any hair,  you should only have to pay half.)  Good laughs all around.

We have two departing sister missionaries this next week.  A third left a week and a half ago.  At the last district meeting she wanted to record with her camera the mission song.  Shirley thought that was a good idea as well so we have added that to the posting as well.  The lighting didn't show up well, but it is the song we want you to hear.  

The translation goes like this:

Song of the Fiji Mission

We march in the service of our Lord

Endowed with power from on high

Armed with faith, let us preach His word

The Lord is near

We are working in the service of our God

with heart, strength, and might.

Always the extra mile, faithfully holding the rod

Let's go the extra mile, we are serving our God.

Faith is the power, and obedience the price.

Serve the Savior faithfully.

Love is the motive.  

The Spirit is the key for eternity.

We are working in the service of our God

with heart, strength, and might.

Always the extra mile, faithfully holding the rod.

Let's go the extra mile.

We are serving our God.

The following video is a view from our apartment on a Saturday afternoon. Note the speed of the sailboarder. The wind makes for quite the ride.

Here are some pictures from our visit to the Mont Dore Branch for Church today.  We hope you enjoy this weeks blog.

Since the last blog-zone conference and more

While we have been in New Caledonia these last few days, much has happened.  We have now attended three sacrament meetings having attended two in one day the first Sunday after our arrival and our first Fast Sunday just days ago.  We have learned how to go to the post office in the center of Noumea, how to add time on our cell phone, where to buy bus tickets and where to go to get permission to stay in New Caledonia for more than three months.  (After waiting all that time for a visa, we learned it was only good for three months and that if we didn't visit the police before a week we could be out on our ear).  Our mission President and his wife were here this past weekend for Zone Conference which we will write about later in the blog.  We took them to the airport this morning.  

We are loving our mission here.  Not sure if we mentioned that Carl has been called to be President Ostler's counselor so he is learning his duties here.  This will help the members and the mission president since he only comes every six weeks and since Carl can take care of temple recommends, setting apart and releasing missionaries from NC, it will free up time with the missionaries for the President.

We love the missionaries.  Great young men and women.  We are losing three of our sister missionaries this month.  One left with her parents this morning and the other two leave on the 18th.  We will miss them.  

I am going to let Carl finish the blog now.  He wants to tell you about the Zone leaders and Zone Conference.  I loved zone conference.  Elder Winget interpreted for me so I was able to understand the whole thing.  I really appreciated his service because I would have missed great training.  

Four Zone leaders teach and oversee the missionaries here in New Caledonia as part of the Fiji Suva Mission. These leaders are missionaries themselves who are quite experienced. They have already served over half of their missions so we will send them home in a few months. Among their responsibilities are to see to the safety of all the missionaries, assure that the teaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ by the missionaries is complete so that new members understand their covenants with their Heavenly Father, interviewing all who wish to become part of the Church here. They keep in contact at least daily by phone with each missionary team, exchange partners with the various teams regularly to train the missionaries and to help them with language and teaching techniques and to plan and conduct zone conferences when the Mission President comes every 6 weeks. We note that they have also spent quite a bit of time with us the first few days we were here helping us find our way around, teaching us all the things that we need to be doing with apartments, cars, incoming mail and supplies. They are delightful young men whose faith in their Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ burn brightly in their countenances.

Elder Aiho (pronounced I-sho) and Elder Amundsen are the senior zone leaders. Elder Aiho comes from Tahiti. His mother is a members as are a little brother and sister quite a bit younger. His plans after his mission are to become an accountant. You can imagine we have a few things to talk about! Elder Aiho is a great teacher and leads by example working hard. He recently had the privilege of helping an estranged son return to his family and be baptized. We admire his gentle yet powerful manner. Elder Amundsen is from Sandy, Utah. Played football in high school and come from strong family. He recently saw some great progress in speaking French s he taught a lesson at zone conference. These two have had our responsibilities since our predecessors left 9 months ago.

 

Elder Johnston and Elder Huuti both come from Tahiti. Elder Johnston's father is currently serving as a bishop in the Church there and his next younger sister has just been called to serve in the Temple Square Mission. He and Elder Aiho both finish in October. 

Elder Huuti is the only member in his family. He left behind a budding opportunity as a member of a company-sponsored rowing team to serve. He is a great teacher and leader. And you don't want to be on the other side of a volley ball net from him. 

We have just finished our first zone conference. President and Sister Ostler arrived Saturday morning and stayed for 5 days. We together attended a branch north of here. A delightful Fast and Testimony Service, Sunday School taught by an young elder in very credible French and then I left Sister Mautz and Sister Ostler without translators in Relief Society. They emerged proudly having shared their testimony (Shirley) and a spiritual thought in French. (Correction, Sister Ostler had her spiritual thought interpreted into French).

We enjoyed a meal en pleine aire after meetings before sending the Ostlers back to Noumea while we proceeded to the airport to receive a new missionary whose visa took longer than ours and who arrived from Chicago via LA and Auckland all in 36 hours.

Monday the President interviewed all of the missionaries in preparation for teaching them the next day. Tuesday we met together for a day of teaching and study led in part by our Mission President and his wife and in part by the Zone leaders who were well prepared. 

I sat in on one of these. Elders Johnston and Huuti compared medical doctors to the spiritual doctors that the missionaries are. To develop the theme they compared how one identifies a medical doctor and reminded the missionaries that they too must be identifiable by how they dress and act as well as by their badges! That discussion then moved into the healing that comes from faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and obeying his commandments in prayer, scripture study, and obedience which bring peace, hope, and joy. The tools of a spiritual doctor.

But the best part was watching these young missionaries interact with Sister Mautz, who is adopting them all as fast as she can. And they love having a warm embrace for the sisters and a great handshake for the Elders.. We feel their gratitude that we are here.

We also celebrated President Ostler's birthday with a surprise cake since it was that very day.

A most delightful, edifying experience for all of us.  Sorry for the length but we hope you will enjoy reading about our adventure.