A Very Long Blog

We have finished District Conference and Zone Conference, attended birthday parties and baptisms, released two returning sister missionaries and sent Elders to Lifou.

The District Conference with Elder Hamula was wonderful for the members as well as the missionaries. He stayed in New Caledonia for the missionary Zone Conference the next day. After meeting with the President of the Government of New Caledonia on Friday morning, we visited all of the chapels. As noted in a previous blog he was not satisfied with the completion of the new chapel to be dedicated in a few weeks. Several other of the buildings are in a state of disrepair that is also not acceptable. I was grateful to have had time to take him to each. He left us on Tuesday, and by Saturday physical facilities people from Tahiti as well as the Regional Architectural manager from New Zealand were on the ground for a week. They left with detailed plans for each building and a member called to lead the project getting ready for the dedication.

Saturday morning, at his request, we visited two families with the District President. The Nicholls family has just joined the Church and is preparing for next year's trip to the Temple to be joined as a family for eternity. He encouraged them through an interpreter and promised to be available to do the sealing. When, several days later, we got a request for the January date the District returns to the Temple, we began to understand that this good brother is serious.

Following lunch, we met as a district presidency with him and then with the Priesthood leaders of the District. Again, significant teaching about the importance of proclaiming the Gospel to all and providing the opportunity for each to receive the saving ordinances as taught by the Savior himself including baptism and receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost and taking of the sacrament in memory of Him. Followed, of course, by the Temple ordinances to bind us as families across the generations forever as taught by the Savior and recorded in the Gospel of Matthew.

For the missionaries, he observed that while the work is steady, he wanted to see more unity among us. Manifested by the way we sat together and sang together. He used as an example his experience as a General Authority arriving at least a half hour early for meetings and being physically as well as spiritually close to his brethren. Always teaching gently.

Pictures nearby will share his visits. By the time he left, we had a list of 'to-do's' including sending to him photos of all the buildings. 'Remember, Elder Mautz' we want to tell the story.' We also were drafting letters for his signature to President Gomes.

One final piece of advice to us. 'Just love them. They do what nobody else will do.'

Following Zone Conference Sister Mautz hosted a Sisters' Night at our home for the 8 sister missionaries with Sister Ostler, the Mission President's wife. They did a 'craft' designing and decorating the cover of a Book of Mormon. The obvious lesson was the ambiance created during the project as the sisters worked together.

The preceding evening, a Monday evening, we attended a baptism, the granddaughter of the District president, then scurried home where the zone leaders had rearranged our apartment to welcome all 26 missionaries to a home evening setting to view the presentation by President Uchtdorf to the missionaries in Fiji a few weeks ago. We learned more about respect than anything else that evening. The recording was tough, but understandable. Our next conference will be revealing.

Everyone was off to the airport by Wednesday noon and we started completing all there was to be done to prepare to put missionaries back on Lifou. The announcement meant closing an apartment here as we have kept the number of missionaries constant. It also meant preparing shipments of household goods like a refrigerator, stove, washing machine and bicycles by boat. Apartment to rent in Lifou, utilities to activate. And suddenly it was the day for them to leave. The boat departed at 8p well after dark, as you will see in the accompanying pictures. They stopped in Mare the next morning, early. The Elders took advantage of the stop to meet with the Branch President there, and then on to Lifou. Sister Mautz thought it was as hard as sending off two of her sons at once. They are doing well and working hard. And of course, a few transfers were necessary with a couple new zone leaders all pictured nearby.

At the end of the week, we were invited to Chenora Moutham's baptism and birthday party. In fact, the baptism was Monday evening in the middle of zone conference on her actual birthday. She is the granddaughter of President Moutham, the District President and lives with them. Her mother lives in Hawaii and is married to a brother from Tonga. They came, of course, as well as her aunt working in Dubai. Her uncle, a son of the Mouthams who serves as a counselor in the Branch Presidency in Riviere Salee, performed the baptism. Grandfather confirmed her.

Following this event the next Saturday was her birthday party. Largely a family event plus us. An early egg hunt, pinata and lots of food. We were, as usual, enthralled by the beautiful children, and lots of them. A few are pictured. It was a delightful day in warm, rainy weather. The Moutham's have lived in their home for 25 years, have enlarged it and worked hard on the yard (terrain en francais) so that it has bearing fruit trees including lechis and mangoes in the proper seasons. He follows the advice of the prophet.

And finally, two of our sister missionaries serving from New Caledonia in France have returned home this week. One served in Toulouse, the other in Paris. We enjoyed visits with each of them and their families as they were released. Particularly interesting was an update on the Paris Mission where I served 40 years ago. Two stakes now in Paris. However, Le Mans is still a branch. Faithful young women now returning home to work, go to school and keep moving forward in their lives following Christ's teachings as they have learned in the last 18 months.

We now move into a time of significant change in the mission in New Caledonia. At the end of this month, the Tahitian senior zone leader finishes his mission. At the end of April, 3 elders depart and another 3 at the end of June. In May and August we lose two sister missionaries. All being replaced with new missionaries. A very different landscape in a few months.

We close everyday tired and ready to sleep. But also profoundly grateful for the sacrifice of our Savior. And the blessing of preaching His Gospel to these wonderful people.