Dad's Mission Journal

After three short months in Levin I’m now on my way to a place just out of Waiwhetu called Wainuiomata.  It’s been a wonderful two months with its share of trouble and sorrow but also a great degree of happiness and joy.  I’ll long remember Levin as being the place that I started on this great calling firm.
As I look back to the day of my arrival in New Zealand I think of how beautiful it looked as we flew from Auckland to Wellington with the ground wet from rain and the green farms laid out so neat.  The flight down was nice and as we came in over Wellington I remember how the colors of the houses on the hill and around the water made a beautiful picture.  There are so many different shades of orange, red and yellow.  There to meet us at the airport was the Mission Pres., 2nd counselor, and sec.  After a wild ride around town, on the wrong side of the road(left) we completed the routines of registering etc.  And then it was on to the mission home in town.  The two days there were wonderful but cold and wet.  This, I found out later, was the way it was to be for the next three months of Kiwi winter.  After a day of instruction we went to the dock where we put Elder Rule on the boat for Christ Church, then home to bed.  Next morning we were up early and praying to catch the 8:00 AM train north.  Elder Spendlove going to Hastings and I to Levin.
Upon arriving in Levin I was met by Pres. Markhorn and Elder Thatcher who advised me that my companion wouldn’t be in until later that afternoon.  They then took me over to sister Wi’s Where we went to stay until we could find permanent R&B.  We then went up to the chapel a converted house, where we met the Zone & District Leader who were down from Palmerston.  I guess fear and doubts were showing through because my lack of enthusiasm had my District Leader quite concerned. He kept telling me to smile.  Later that day we went to the depot where we met my first companion Elder Raybould.  Here was an Elder that really had a testimony of the gospel, something that was really going to help me in the next two months.  Never will I forget those next two weeks as Elder Raybould started out together, the study classes at 6:00 in the morning, with the weather so cold I couldn’t concentrate on my lessons, getting used to riding a bike all day and learning to like tracting.  It was really a struggle to get from one house to another, but after a few experiences with “odd balls” I began to look forward to meeting the unknown behind each door.  I remember one case where on old lady (80) sat down in front of her door and talked for an hour and wouldn’t let us out.  I was beginning to think we’d have to move her body.  Then the “Witch of Angore”, when we knocked on the door she threw open the door and there she stood with her long gray hair hanging in her face and I didn’t know whether to go in or run when she said, “Come in and meet the Witch of Angore,” but we went in and found her to be a very nice lady and quite a “nut.”
We finally found R&B with a very nice young couple who had a little girl with the biggest set of lungs on her I’ve ever heard but the fact we had a heater here made things more bearable.  We met some wonderful people Elder Raybould and I; Four of whom Elder Doezie and I would later baptize.  One particular woman, Mrs Bactlolt(48 Kowie) was I guess one of the nicest women I’ve ever met.   She wasn’t a religious woman but because she was such a wonderful woman she listened to all we had to say.  She also knitted me a sweater which was very much appreciated during the cold weather.
Elder Raybould and I got along very well and taught me a lot big lesson in faith in the Lord and Holy Ghost will never be forgotten.  We never had a baptism while we were together but the work we done eventually led to four of our conversions.  Then the day came after being together two short mouths that Elder Raybould received notice to move to Wellington where he would labor in the mission home—Kia Kaha Ahoa-
My new companion Elder Doezie was almost completely the opposite of Elder Raybould.  He was outspoken and one who liked to let you know what was on his mind and was, in many ways, like myself.  I found out later that he had been in Anchorage Alaska at the same time I was up there and he knew a few of the people I knew so we had a lot to talk about those first few days.  I wasn’t felling very good the day Elder Doezie got in, flu I guess, and so I went home and got in bed.  I don’t think that made a very good impression on him but he didn’t say anything at the time.  The first few days with Elder Doezie were very trying because I wasn’t feeling good and had a hard time acting enthused about the work.  Finally Elder Doezie couldn’t continue himself any longer and we had quite an argument.  After we talked it out and settled our differences things went well for the next month and we had some wonderful experiences together.  One not so wonderful experience happened one day when we were visiting an old man by the request of the woman that was taking care of him.  The woman asked us if we would come back and have tea (dinner) with them the next Monday night.  We thought with the old man there it would be alright so we said ok.  When we came back the next Monday we were quite surprised to find that the old man had been called away because of a death in the family.  We would have cancelled the dinner date but she had it all ready so what could we do?  We went in.  When she showed us to the dining room we found the room dimly lit and candles on the table.  We ate and got out of there.  This same woman later asked us if she could be baptized when we said yes she then asked how soon.  We told her she could be baptized anytime she wanted to.  She said, “The sooner, the better.”  We said, “How about tonight.”  That was fine with her so we went out and started to make arrangements.  We were in the process of getting someone to go up with her when who should we run into but the Mission Pres., his wife and two of his counselors.  They called us over and asked us about the baptism we had for that night.  They’d found out from the other Elders.  We told them what the situation was and when they found out that she hadn’t had the discussions they just about croaked.  After about 30 min. of chastisement they told us to go ahead with the baptism but to teach her afterwards.
Elder Doezie and I met some wonderful people but didn’t have too much success in giving the discussions to them, seemed like they were more interested in us than the church.  Although we didn’t give many discussions there we gave counted, became while we were together we made “Golden Missionaries” and baptized five wonderful people.
Things in Levin were starting to get slow, we were wasting a lot of time and not getting very many call backs and our tracting area was just about gone so we weren’t doing much tracting making it hard to find something to keep ourselves buys at.  I had felt ever since our meeting with the mission Pres. that Elder Doezie and I wouldn’t be together long.  On the 18th of Sept as we were having study class I had a feeling that this was the day so I remarked to Elder Doezie that I had a feeling I was going to get a shift today.  That statement turned out to be quite prophetic because when we came in later that day I had a letter calling me to Wainuiomata.  We spent the next two days saying goodbyes and taking care of business and then after almost missing my train, I was off on my way to meet my new companion and the challenges that lay ahead in Wainui.  The lesson I learned from Elder Doezie was tolerance keeping petty differences from interfering with the work and getting along with my companions.  May I never forget it.
It was a beautiful ride down from Levin.  Upon arriving in Wellington I was met by my Zone Leader Elder Gabbites.  He took me to the mission home in town where I had a wonderful chat with Elder Raybould and met my new companion Elder Carper.  Elder Carper had been in Wainuiomata for a week but he had to have an operation so was pulled out.  He’s from a small town in Oregon called Cove.  He’s a convert to the church and has a great testimony.  I’m sure it is going to be a wonderful experience laboring with him here in Wainui.
Tomorrow is my anniversary.  Five months in New Zealand.  The time has really flown by and it’s hard to believe that in one more month I will have completed a fourth of my mission.  It worries me just a bit because there’s so much to learn and so much to be done and it seems as though time marches on and I never get as much done as I should.
I’ve been in Wainui for six weeks now and although we have met many people and had some wonderful experiences we have yet to get a convert from here.  The people of Wainui are about the busiest people I’ve ever seen.  Most of the men work overtime every day and most of the weekend and when they do get free time they are fixing up the yard or working on the house.  The lack of time I think is one reason the people won’t’ stop to listen to what we have and also the fact that the J.W., S.D.A and various others including of course the Elders before us have been to almost every house at least once and sometimes more has got the people used to shutting doors in our face or just not answering the door at all.  Since coming here we have only given three discussions two were to the Kerrs and one to the Tofts.
The Elders before had left a lot of people they had been working with, so when we started out we began by calling on these people to find out how much the elders had given them.  One of the first we met was a woman by the name of Janette Kerr.  Mrs. Kerr is a very nice looking lady and very friendly and easy to talk to.  When we knocked on her door she greeted us and invited us in as if she had been expecting us. She told us that she was very interested and that she hadn’t had the opportunity to talk with the Elders before because she was going into the hospital when they called.  She said that she had been thinking of contacting the Elders now that she was out.  We had a talk with her and left “the Mormon Story” and made an appointment to come back.  We later called back and me t her husband and made an appointment for the film.  We came back and spent the evening showing each other slides we then finished with the “What is a Mormon” film and made an appointment for the first discussion.  They were as “keen” as ever and we were really thrilled over this “Golden” family we had found.  They had invited us to tea so we decided to give them the first discussion that night after tea.  It was a beautiful dinner and we all enjoyed it very much after tea we gave the discussion and they followed it very good.  He was taking notes which made us a bit nervous but all went well and they agreed to the baptismal date and to attend church that Sunday.  Sunday they were there with their kids and after the service had started the chorister called Mr. Kerr up to play for the practice song he seemed to take it well so we pulled through that one.  When we went to class there were a few members in the investigators class and with the teachers asking questions and the members giving the answers it sounded as though it was all put on for the benefit of the Kerrs.  I wondered if they would get that feeling and we later found out that they did.  All in all they seemed to like it alright and we continued our discussions.  After the second we followed up daily and Mrs. Kerr was great.  She was praying and she was getting a strong testimony when one day, quite unexpectedly it all fell through and it seems that our work was in vain.  They had read in the time mag. About the situation of the negro in the church and he being very strong against any type of discrimination felt that  that was what the church was doing.  We talk for two hours with no results.  The S.E. came over and talked for an hour but she couldn’t see it as being a commandment of God.  We still visit them periodically but don’t discuss it much.  We’re hoping she will eventually come to the point where it isn’t such a big issue with her.
The Tofts weren’t very “keen” to start with and although they enjoyed the discussion they weren’t prepared to keep the commitments and when we called back to give them the second he said he was too busy and that he wasn’t really interested anyway so we dropped them.
The work here is hard in the sense that it’s hard to keep busy and find people to visit.  We can only tract ten or fifteen people a day and that only takes an hour or two but we always manage to find something to keep us going.
The other day we went by the Mcleod’s and got permission from Mrs. Mcleod to teach and baptize her children.  She has three that are attending church and enjoy it very much.  They’re wound up children and very well behaved and will be very easy to teach because they are “keenly” interested in religion.  We found another family that is interested and we have started to teach them.  Gregary, the husband is somewhat of a looser and a little mixed up on religion but they will be baptized also we finally gave the first discussion to Mr. Minhannick after trying for two months.  We kept making apps. And every time we went around he was out so we finally asked him if he wanted to be baptized and she said yes so we told him he would have to have the lessons and he agreed.  He’s Maori and very shy and slow so it was quite hard getting through to him but he agreed to all the commitments and will be baptized on the 7 Dec.  Firday we had a zone meeting that was very good and as usual very uplifting.  The talks were on “attitude” and after we got home we decided we would change our attitude and it really helped.  The next day we went out with the idea that we would get five callbacks, place two Mormon Stories and find a Golden family and we done every one of them.  The area really seems to be opening up to us and I’m sure we’ll baptize many people while here.