Go Ahead--Hike to the Top! Finish!

 Let’s get the COVID-19 update out of the way first.  Auckland NZ has gone back to Level 3 restrictions, and the rest of New Zealand is at Level 2.  One of our four mission zones is located in South Auckland, so the missionaries there are trying to work from home.  We had a taste of return to normalcy, but now we have a resurgence of the virus.

Our main purpose as missionaries is: “to invite others to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end”.  (Preach My Gospel, Page 1)  President Erekson, our mission president, keeps reminding us that this great work will continue to go forward amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.  How has it gone forward?  Our two assistants to the mission president, Elder Ili and Elder Kupu, related an experience they had one evening as they were preparing to go to a teaching appointment.  As they left their apartment, they realized that they'd left their keys in the apartment, and the apartment door was locked from the inside.  They didn't want to be late for their appointment, so they were praying that they could find a way to quickly get into the apartment.  They were able to do that and retrieve their keys.  As they headed to their car, a vehicle showed up on the street and they were given the opportunity to meet a family of 3 who had been going through some struggles, and accepted the elders' invitation to learn about the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Good timing--sometimes inconvenient things happen to slow us down for a reason.  These two missionaries found eleven new people to teach that week.  And this is just one of the little miracles taking place across our mission.  It fills our hearts with joy when we hear of our young missionaries' experiences of seeking, finding, and teaching.

Yesterday, we took the opportunity to hike the Hakarimata Trail in Ngaruawhia.  We had done a different part of the trail several months ago.  Many others had the same idea!  The trail includes 1400 stair steps.  As Elder Folland can attest, I am much slower doing "steep" than he is.  I finally convinced him to go ahead so he could enjoy the hike at his own pace.  We passed many people on the trail, and it was so enjoyable to greet them, and wish them a nice day, as well as enjoy their smiles and greetings.  At the midpoint of the hike, there is a small marker designating 700 steps.  There are inspirational quotes along the way from that midpoint that motivate one to keep going to reach the viewpoint.  I found those things very motivational!  I decided that I was going to go all the way to the top!  And I did!!

Elder Folland is a good example of always focusing on the main goal.  I'm a sightseer hiker.  I stop and take photos, and many times I don't hike the full course, and I'm usually okay with that.  But there is something to be said about setting a goal and stretching oneself to reach that goal.  "Be a Finisher".  I felt such satisfaction in committing to myself that I was going to hike to the viewpoint, and I was helped along the way by viewing my progress as the number of steps I'd taken had increased.  Elder Folland met me as he was coming down, and I convinced him to go back up with me and then come down together.  He was a gentleman and did so! :-)  This was such a great experience for me!  I have done lengthy hikes and canyoneering adventures in the past, but a hike that is total steep has always been a challenge for my Alabama sea level altitude heart and lungs!

Only 400 more steps to go!

As Elder Folland and I were continuing together to the viewpoint, two college students stopped to chat for a few minutes.  One of the young men asked where we were from.  We answered that we were from Utah, USA.  He said, "there are a lot of Mormons out there".  He remarked that he enjoys the clean comedy that originates there---such as Dry Bar and Studio C.  I asked if they were Christians, and they answered yes--they are Catholic.  I responded that it is so refreshing to see young people like them with such good values and morals.  We were holding up the other hikers on the steps, so they said good-bye.  It was such a pleasant interaction!  

We want to endure to the end!  We want to be finishers!  We hope that our friends and family know how much we love and appreciate you, and also, how much we learn from you!  Enjoy the coming days, even amidst political divison and upheaval, Covid-19 uncertainty, and personal challenges.  It's WHY we're here, experiencing this mortal life.  It's about PROGRESS!  IT'S NOT THE MOUNTAIN WE CONQUER, BUT OURSELVES.

Respectfully Yours,

Elder and Sister Folland