A baptism, a zone conference, Mothers' and Fathers' Day continues

We are on the other side of our second Zone conference since our last posting. The weeks are full and slip by quickly.  Weekly tasks such as getting bank cards for the new missionaries so that they can access their bank accounts (try 3 different trips having had to pull the new missionaries in from their work an hour away) and monthly living allowance, getting them registered with the government, reporting on the week's financial activities to our supervising area, teaching with the missionaries when invited. All seems to fill up more time than we expect. We have taken to carrying our lunch to the office when we go as we are always there longer than we expect. But the office administration part of our assignment is bountifully interspersed with wonderful opportunities with the members, baptisms, teaching and training.

Our Mission President and his wife arrived on Wednesday a week ago. With them came Elder and Sister Bohman, who are about to complete an assignment as the Mission nurse and the finance man for the MIssion in Fiji. We enjoyed some great experiences together while they were here as reported below. But we should note how grateful we are to be in New Caledonia. They arrived eager to do some shopping for everything from sandals for the sister missionaries to tubes for bicycle tires for the Elders in Fiji. Such things are rare in Fiji. So built into the week they were here was shopping. Sister Mautz can now navigate downtown Noumea with ease in her car with automatic transmission. We are grateful for that. She would go one direction with Sister Ostler and the Bohmans, while I went another with President Ostler. 

While President and Sister Ostler were busy interviewing the missionaries we had a chance to visit with the Bohmans.  We had met them when we arrived in Fiji just before coming to New Caledonia.  We knew we would be very good friends if we had a chance.  The chance came this trip.  They shared lots of experiences from their time in Fiji.  Elder Bohman really is the do it all man in the mission for Fiji.  He takes care of whatever needs to be done with the vehicles of the mission, he delivers appliances to the flats, he deals with the missionaries who roll their truck and missionaries who think that taking a knife to the ice in the freezing compartment is the easiest way to get rid of the excess.

Sister Bohman shared experiences of the illnesses endured by the missionaries in Fiji. Untreated bug bites get infected, splinters inflame. Arms swell. We are happy to miss all of that. As for the most part, the missionaries here on New Caledonia are pretty healthy and smart.  After their visit we became even more grateful to be serving on our little island where we don't have to filter our water or worry too much about the food we eat.  Overeating is the challenge. 

Last Saturday we participated in the baptism of a sister, the wife of a -re-activated young man in one of the branches here in the city. A tender experience She is an educated woman, a school teacher. He is the recently re-activated son of a family whose parents are just finishing an assignment as the mission president in Madagascar. She shared a strong testimony of the Book of Mormon. It was clear she had studied it and the Bible extensively before taking this step and was very happy. As she noted in her remarks after being baptized, she was grateful now for the opportunity to plan for an eternal family as she and her husband prepare to go to the Temple. 

Saturday evening, Sister Mautz hosted a 'sisters' night' with the Mission President's wife and the Mission nurse for the sister missionaries. We brethren were 'banished' to yet another 'Fetes des Mamans' in another branch.

Monday was a busy day as we attended a picnic with all of the missionaries and President and Sister Ostler. Pictures and videos accompany. One of the challenges of the missionary work here for our Mission President is that he is 1000 miles away and has broad responsibilities with other missionaries also great distances away from him. In his first year he has traveled 50K air miles. He also presides over several districts of Church members because their numbers aren't quite strong enough to be a Stake. He is just completing his first year. The goal of this conference was to allow him a little more time with these good missionaries. Hence the p-day picnic. In the planning with the zone leaders, we accepted the responsibility for food for the picnic. Ham, cheese and turkey sub sandwiches on baguettes, an apple, chips and desserts brought largely by the missionaries made a very adequate menu. Took a while to make all of that, and I was glad to have help from Elder Bohman while Sister Mautz led a shopping expedition with the visiting sisters.  The Zone Leaders planned and provided games followed by the inevitable touch football game and some volleyball. As Sister Ostler noted in greeting the missionaries in p-day clothes, 'You look like regular young people.' The contrast next day at Zone conference in white shirts and ties was striking.

Because the Bohmans were leaving the mission shortly, the zone leaders had arranged for us to join a couple families for family home evening Monday evening. We were all a bit tired and sun burned. but off we went to a delightful evening. A family with younger as well as teen age children. We sang an opening hymn, had a lesson, played a game involving tying two neckties, in simple fashion and another more complicated, while each tried not to have both ties arrive on his/her lap at the same time. Lots of yelling and screaming. And for you scouts, we learned to tie a bowline which in French is called 'un noeud de chaise.' A chair knot because it makes a fixed loop which can be sat in when hung from  a branch. And we are half way around the world. Family Home Evening is for everybody! The highlight of the evening, however, was the testimonies we were invited to share. Sister Mautz's was entirely in French. She is making steady progress in spite of being an impatient student.

This Zone Conference focused on teaching techniques to help the missionaries help 'friends of the Church' better understand the Gospel of Jesus Christ as they study the Scriptures. We did some role playing as well as some specific teaching by the Zone Leaders, our Mission President and his wife. And during their time here, they also interview all of the young missionaries. Quite a busy time for them. And then suddenly they were off early Wednesday morning. An 8a flight an hour away which meant we were up at 4:30a for a ride to the airport. Time to catch up on sleep, work at the office and to begin preparing for the week ahead with leadership training, Sabbath, and yet more Fathers' Day celebration.