Mata

This is Mata! She is part of the family with 15 kids. She is such a remarkable girl and a joy. She is just turning 21, and is getting ready to go on a mission. She teaches seminary every morning at 6:00 am. She has keys to the church (for seminary), and comes and opens the church at any time you need her. She is always there to support everything, and is the main clean up, set up, take down, all around help, for everything. She and Elder Neider have a fun teasing relationship. She always corrects him when he pronounces names wrong and then they joke back and forth. She has a beautiful voice and leads the singing at most meetings, and starts by singing the first few measures, so you have a pitch. She's a sweetheart and we love her!

Springtime in the park!

It rained almost all day Monday on our P-day, but just before dark, it cleared up, so we went over to the park, that is called the Domain, to go for a walk. It is the most beautiful park, with lots of huge trees over a hundred years old, and the most beautiful spring trees and flowers and flowering bushes. It was just beautiful! We took some pictures with us standing by the trees and bushes, so you could see how large things are. The big dark pink flowering bush, is an Azalea, one bush - which at home we only see little potted ones, because they winter kill. The beautiful flowers are Camellias, which always make me think of our Camille. I have a bush of them in my yard, that is just starting to bloom. The purple plant is also in our yard, and is a forget-me-not! We love the daffodils all growing in the grass - hundreds of them! We are loving springtime here.

Oreo cow!

This is a Galloway cow, commonly called an oreo cow! I saw this first, on our way to Christchurch, and Kenny didn't believe me, so the next time we went by, I had him stop - he was amazed too, so we took a picture and looked it up on the internet. They are beef cattle, and come from Scotland! We'd never seen such a cow. There was a whole herd of them.

Welcome to Tomas's family

Our friend Tomas came from Argentina a few months ago to find employment, (I posted pictures of his birthday party a few weeks ago) and his wife, Gezela and their two daughters just came this weekend, with nothing but their suitcases! Quite a leap of faith! They are just learning to speak English, and doing well. They are so lovely. It was Gezela's birthday yesterday, so they had a little party for her at Ede's house. They are staying with Ede's until they can get a place of their own. They played "pass the parcel" which is a variation of Aunt Rosie's pass around ball, where you unwrap each layer, only theirs had a lolly (sucker) and a note of something you had to do (like "act like a chicken"), in each layer. And of course we ate!!

Sister Wu and Sister Fetu'u

We love these sweet Sisters! They will be a great blessing to Ashburton!! Sister Wu is from Taiwan, and Sister Fetu'u is from Auckland, but originally from Tonga. They love their new apartment - they were dancing up and down and squealing! They loved the flowers and the tea towel, and the red bedspreads! Their reaction to the apartment was more than enough payment!

Sister Missionaries in Ashburton

At zone conference last week, President Kezerian told us that they were transfering our elders out of Ashburton and transfering 2 sister missionaries in! He ask us about the apartment, and we told him we didn't think it was acceptable for sisters, and he ask if we'd look around, and get something ready for them. So we went and re-evaluated the apartment, and looked at some others apartments and decided that it was "fixable". The neighbors there are 2 older ladies and a nice couple. Kenny was honestly inspired on Sunday and ask if we could get some people to help us clean it up - we never could have done it ourselves! 15 people came Monday morning and worked for hours, cleaning up the yard, and the apartment, washing windows, etc. We hauled a big trailer full of stuff off. We also have an electrician in the branch who came and spent hours fixing electrical problems and hung a new light fixture, and fixed the bathroom heater. Then Elder Neider and I went shopping and bought new bedding, new curtains, new desks and lights, ironing board, blinds for the kitchen window and of course a few flowers! Does this just sound like our "cup of tea", or what! Kenny fixing things and me shopping and fixing things up! In the meantime, we had the furniture and carpets professionally cleaned, and they looked good. After the elders left this morning, we went over and put everything together before the sisters came, with the help of two more ladies. When Sister Wu and Sister Fetu'u, got there and saw it, they were so thrilled, it was worth every minute and penny! (the mission paid for everything). I will add a picture of the sisters tomorrow. They are absolutely adorable and will be a great blessing to Ashburton. Fun week!

A great Sunday

Sunday was great. We started out with a baptism. During the program the mother told about the boy, Toetu, who was getting baptized. So sweet. She said he's quiet and shy, but when they told him that his older brother was going to baptize him, he seemed concerned. Even when they explained that he now had the priesthood and could do it, every day the little boy would ask about it, and seemed concerned. Finally, he said that the other boys had their dad's do it, and that's what he wanted, and so they said ok, and he was fine after that, and ready to be baptized. When they got into the water, the little boy looked nervous, but his dad was so gentle and calming for him. It was so sweet. This family have 15 children! The father's brother and his wife were killed in a car accident, and so they have adopted his 7 children, and they have 8 of their own. ONLY 11 are living at home right now - 1 is on missions and 2 are married, 1 more somewhere. This little mother is only 38 yrs old and the dad is 42. Quite a "plate" full! Can you imagine the grandkids they'll have!!

We had a Tongan high councelor speak, and he had 5 others with him who all bore their testimonies, and it was really good. Good for our "investigator" that we took with us!

After the 3 hrs of church, they pushed the chairs back and put tables up and had a luncheon and social. Everyone brings a "plate", and they ate and ate, and it was really a great time to be together! The Tongan visitors really enjoyed the food!

We took a picture of our seminary students that get up every morning and are at the church at 6;00 am, and then go to school. They are amazing and faithful young people.

This was such a happy weekend. This family has come a long way, in the time we have known them. The father was able to baptize, confirm his son, and bless his baby girl, and he and his wife both gave talks at the baptism, and he bore his testimony at sacrament meeting - all firsts for him! There was great support for them from the branch.

Branch President and Friend

This is a shot of our Branch President, and his friend. I love this picture because it shows them relaxed and enjoying each other!

This is Sister Virginia Johnston, wife of the former Branch President, and her son Hamish. They have had a rural postal business, that she has decided to sell since her husband passed away. They just got it sold. Hamish is going to medical school in Austrailia, but has been home helping his mother run the business and get it sold, for seven weeks. They are wonderful and lovely people. We had them come for dinner on Sunday. I told her I feel like she is the "Queen" of the branch! Everyone loves her and her husband so much. He was the Branch President for 9 years.

Springtime

It's springtime in Ashburton. The flowering trees are all in bloom, and the daffoldils are blooming and the green trees and bushes are all getting green. It's going to be beautiful. And the birds are singing! We have a lot of birds in the trees around our house, and they sing loud and often! It makes you smile! This is a tree that I look out my kitchen window and see. And the other trees and flowers are where we go for walks a block or so away. They plant the daffodils in the grass, and mow around them while they bloom, and then we guess, they will just mow them down when they are done.