New Assignment

Sunday morning we took our monthly trip to Westport to speak in sacrament meeting. We had a wonderful Mothers Day morning with our friends from Westport. Following the meeting block we had our usual lunch with the branch members.
Every time we go to Westport there is a different look to the country side. Early mornings are the most beautiful, but there is no time for picture taking. The sun coming over the coastal hills does wonders to the view. This trip we found this water fall that we have not seen before as it only runs right after a storm. It was not there when we came back at 2:30 pm. The hills also had a covering of snow on them that was not there when we came back in the afternoon.
This is the Buller River at Westport. Farther up stream it is narrow, fast and beautiful. I understand movie, Lord of the rings canoe scene was made about 40 miles up stream. From there it flows through miles of gorge.
We took these pictures on the way home, but were disappointed that the snow had receded back to the mountain tops. They were so beautiful in the morning with the sun just coming up.
The ocean was still stirred up as we drove home.

Sunday evening we were invited to dinner at the Kinikini's. Elder Heywood on the right was on an exchange with our Seminary student, Poni, in the sweater vest. He is a most concientious young man. From left to right Atu Kinikini, Manui Langi, Louan Kinikini on the floor. The four other children are Manui's, Lesili, salisi, Hola, and Mele. Their father was out with Elder Vialeti teaching a Tongan investigator. Tim (Peki) Kinikini is in the white t-shirt. We were not able to stay long as we were having our first YSA fireside at our flat.

Above are our YSA young women who came for the fireside. We played via our computer and LDS.org Elder Davis A. Bednar's CES fireside from BYU Idaho. We did not have time to warm up the flat before they came so they are covered with our comforters. I hope the talk was not too far over their heads. Their English is conversational and not very sophisticated.
The flat behind us houses doctors for the local hospital on temporary assignment. The person using the flat when we first arrived had been using it for quite some time and had an old piano in the garage. When he stopped coming he did not want to take the piano with him so he offered it to anyone who wanted it. We finally had President Kinikini come and get it. The one at their house is in really bad shape. We will be happy to have a better piano to teach on. We are getting two more students this next week. I have no idea why my hand is on top of the piano.
Those big Tongan boys picked that thing up without any trouble. I got to stand by and watch.
Here is Taufa with his new Sister. That is going to be one spoiled little girl.

We had an interesting meeting Saturday evening for our branch PEC. The district president was here and gave training on a program from the Area Presidency. They have a big problem with locating lost members. They have developed a "Member Locator Kit" for each unit in New Zealand and Australia. During the next 3 months we are to make every effort outlined in the kit to find these people. After explaining the program via a video from the area presidency, we were given 20 minutes to come up with how and who was going to do the work. Guess who will be doing most of it. Elder and Sister Hoagland

They have this big problem because there are limited public ways to locate an individual. The phone book and voter registration. No census records, no dmv, nothing else. We have been given 53 names of people whose records were last in this branch. I guess we won't have to wonder how we are going to spend our time for the next three months. Since our branch covers nearly all the west part of the north island we have some that are quite a long distance away.