We arrived safely in New Zealand, and have had a very busy first week training with the incumbent senior missionary couple, the Pierce's.  They are wonderful!!  There is so much to learn and do!!!!  Thank goodness for the organizational skills of the Pierce's!  We have become good friends in a matter of days.

The mission office here in Hamilton is in the former church school.  It was renovated about 2 years ago, and it is beautiful.  The building also houses a museum of the Church in the Pacific and a distribution center.  It is a very lovely place to come to work each day.

We live in a temporary flat, which is very nice.  We've learned to call the living area the "lounge" and, of course, the apartment is called a flat.  The "slang" of the New Zealanders is great!  We're enjoying learning to pronounce the unique names.

 We have met a wonderful couple, Elder and Sister Parker, who work in  the museum.  Sister Parker was given a special assignment to interview former missionaries who served in New Zealand. She has traveled to Utah 29 times in order to fulfill this assignment.  She has compiled that history and her stories are amazing.  They invited us to dinner, and we were treated to quite a feast!  She also played the piano and sang for us--very lovely.  She told us that Matthew Cowley blessed her and gave her a name when she was a baby.  She has a very deep and abiding testimony of the gospel and an immense appreciation for the missionaries who brought the gospel to the Pacifice Isles.  When her children say she is the meanest mother, she comes back with "You were all married in the temple, weren't you?"  Haha!

We've enjoyed some great food--persimmons, feijoa, yummy chocolate (the Best!), and delicious ice cream.

We attended the ward today, and met more friendly, wonderful members of the Church.  The sacrament talks were given by two mothers who each have a young son with autism.  The talks were beautiful, with the themes being centered around understanding children with disabilities.  They each stressed the hardness of this challenge, but also the love and growth that come from dealing with their child's challenges.

We are putting our trust in the Lord to follow through with  this assignment in the office, knowing we will need His help.  There are so many detailed tasks to perform in our responsibilities, so we are depending on the Spirit to bring all things to our remembrance.  We're hoping that others will have patience with us and that we'll have patience with ourselves as we learn to fulfill all that is required.  Our first zone conference is Wednesday in the Tauranga Zone (which is the furtherest zone from the mission office).  We are looking forward to meeting the missionaries, inspecting vehicles, and helping feed the hungry group!

We think of our friends and family, and send our love to all!  We are so grateful to be instruments in the Lord's hands to help others partake of the blessings that our Father in Heaven has ready to give us if we but ask, and if we are willing to obey His commandments.  The gospel brings immense joy to us and our desire is to share those blessings with others.

Much love,
Elder and Sister Folland

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