Remembering.

Can't believe it has been a month since I last posted something.  This month has just flown by.  Thanksgiving has passed and it wasn't quite the same even though we had a lovely meal with the Sr. missionaries from the north island at the mission office.  We are at home right now getting some things together for our baptism today.  We are really excited about this one.  We have told you about this man that Ken met at the op-shop.  He has done everything he has been asked to do in order to be ready for baptism.  It hasn't been easy for him because he has many challenges but in a way, it has seemed easy.

When we first met him, he told us that he kept asking his partner, "What would Joseph Smith do?" with a very smart alecky attitude.  Well, we told him what Joseph Smith would do and he has followed our requests.  He has since left his partner and given up smoking and coffee.  He seems so much more at peace with himself.  When we first met him, he would pace and act quite agitated sometimes.  He has stopped that too and is so much happier.  His son will be baptised by him tomorrow.  It is pretty amazing to watch such a change in someone's life.

We spent last weekend in Masterton on the North Island.  Ken's great grandfather served there for 3 years starting in 1895.  We were able to find the Marae that we had a picture of.  It is in Dannevirke and so we weren't able to see it but we were able to visit two others, the first two units of the church in New Zealand which grandpa would probably have attended.  We visited one at length and heard lots of history from it.  The other, named Te Ore Ore, was near where he lived but there was a funeral taking place there so we were unable to go to that one except from afar.  There are very strict codes of behavior surrounding activities being hosted at the Maraes.  You must be invited to go on the property and you do not enter unless given permission.

We spent one morning inspecting the original carvings from the Te Ore Ore Marae.  The lady whose grandfather carved them now has them in her possession and is restoring them.  It was amazing to hear the story of them and what they mean.  There were a lot of church teachings incorporated into them.  The Maraes have now become Maori cultural sites and there is no church directly connected with them as it was in the past.  The two we visited were originally constructed as units of the church.

We gave a little fireside at the Featherstone Branch buidling which included everyone from Masterton to Featherstone.  The Masterton church is under renovation because of the earthquakes.  It was very interesting to meet some of the people there and to find them connected to some of the pictures we had with us.  It was so interesting to learn more about the area and what grandpa might have done.  Most of all, it was wonderful to see where he may have walked and remember through someone else' eyes, days gone by.  It is a trip we will not soon forget.