Summer is in full season. Warm to hot days, balmy evenings. Since our last entry, we have welcomed a new missionary. Home evenings with member families are always a treat. In the meantime, preparations for opening the Loyalty islands has proceeded as well as the start of District Conference activities
With only eight sister missionaries in New Caledonia, the arrival of a new sister is an event. In this case, Sister Hurst was supposed to have arrived in late December as we were sending two other sisters home. However, visa problems delayed her for 6 weeks. She has arrived now and is being trained by Sister Leavitt whose arrival we remember just a few months ago. Or can it a be 8 months ago already. They are blessed with some great families to teach and prepare to make covenants with Heavenly Father through baptism. Readers will remember over the last couple entries local sisters serving 'mini-missions' that have helped train them for full time missions as well as filling the gap until Sister Hurst arrived. Pictures nearby introduce Sister Hurst, her companion and the other sisters.
The Tama family invited us for a family home evening. He is the elders' Quorum President in the Mont Dore Branch, a great leader and loving father and husband according to his wife. We began with a hymn and a prayer. A short lesson from the senior couple and then great fun playing some games. All before sitting down to a dinner bountifully provided. We find that we have to prepare these good families that we don't eat quite the quantities that the young elders consume. Otherwise they over-prepare and are disappointed at our disciplined appetites! The family was delightful. We watched a father and Priesthood holder preside in his home directing the evening. Children each had parts in the family home evening including leading the singing and giving a scriptural passage before the lesson. His young sons loved being with their Dad. His wife glowed as he carried out his responsibilities.
From earlier pictures on the blog, readers will have seen the beaches of Noumea. Shown nearby are additional sites of the local harbors for pleasure craft, sail and motor boats. These boats are large enough to take on some of the heavy water and weather coming off the ocean. Popular among them are 30 foot catamarans that allow the owner to live aboard for an extended period of time. Near these harbor is a traffic circle, or 'rond-point' with a large anchor from a ship long gone. This area of town also has a couple older homes, now refurbished, that go back to Noumea's days of shipping and exploration.
We have just started a weekend of District Conference with Elder James Hamula of the 70, also a counselor in our Area Presidency, presiding. He arrived Thursday evening. On our way home from the airport with him, we got a call from the President of new Caledonia's office telling us we would be able to see him the following morning at 10a. A pleasant surprise. We prepared over dinner with the District President that evening and had a delightful, genuine meeting the next day. he was very interested in the Church's relief efforts for disasters including the recent announcement of housing donations. New Caledonia itself had just contributed 9M CPF's for Haiti's relief. President Hamula invited him to the dedication of the Mont Dore chapel next month where he, President Gomez, will speak. A glorious experience to watch and translate these proceedings as the Lord's hand worked quietly to arrange so much to bless his Saints here.
Because of the way flights are arranged in and out of New Caledonia, President Hamula arrived an evening and a day earlier than our mission President which has given us a unique opportunity to be his hosts. President Hamula served as the mission President in the Washington D. C. South mission some fifteen years ago, but still remembered Elder Mautz, who was serving on the high council back then. We have had delightful visits with him over meals and traveling to meetings and visiting chapels. I think we have no idea the sacrifice families make when they are called to positions like President Hamula and other general authorities. When the Savior says, leave your net and follow me, we think Elder Hamula and his family did just that. It is very humbling.
More on District and Zone Conference and visits with President Gomez in coming blogs. We are blessed to be here.
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