Adventures in Paradise 20

Adventures in Paradise 20

Kia orana, everyone! Our excellent adventure continues with a special invitation! In addition to our first baptism, which was held last Saturday morning, we enjoyed hosting our first wedding here at the mission home. Two of our favorite people chose to be married and we would like to share their wedding day with all of you.

You are cordially invited to attend the marriage of

Judith and Tai

Saturday, 19 February, 2011

Ceremony to be performed on the beach at Blackrock

4:00 p.m.

Reception and Kai Kai to Follow

Avarua Branch Cultural Hall

Avarua. Cook Islands

Please join us for this happy event

Kai Kai catered by good friends

Flowers furnished by mother nature

Wedding Cake by Belliston Bakery

Wedding clothes fashioned by:

Williams and Belliston Clothing Inc.

Officiant: President Lowry

Emcee: Danny Mataroa

Weather provided courtesy of the Cook Islands

Judith being escorted down the isle by her father.

Tai grinning while waiting for his bride.

President Lowry and Tai enjoying the view.

Judith and Tai make a handsome couple!

Saying "I do"

Finally! We are married!

A simple expression of love.

Friends and family enjoy the afternoon and our beach.

Our friend, Danny Mataroa introducing the new Mr. and Mrs. Pemberton.

The head baker at the Belliston Bakery.

The head baker with the company's first wedding cake! Fresh orchids were supplied by a neighbor.

(Baking hint: When standard baking supplies are lacking, learn to be creative. The cake layers are anchored by orange pvc pipe to prevent slippage)

Parents of the bride flew in from Mangaia, another island in the Cook Island Chain.

Danny and the band get the party started

The cake table

The bride and groom enter with their children. Notice, they have changed clothes.The eis (leis) were hand made by friends. The green eis (leis) are called Maile or Ti Leaf Leis.

Tai and Judith at the head table.  A brilliant tivaivai quilt makes a beautiful  background.

The first dance

Tai gave a sweet speech about how much his life had changed in the past year.

Tai and Judith's daughter, Leeann. We are best friends and I am going to keep her!

Good friends

Tai and Judith hope that you have enjoyed their wedding. Ward and I were thrilled to be part of the planning and the festivities. We have grown to love this family and wish them every happiness. They are planning to be sealed in the New Zealand temple in March of 2012 and we hope to participate in those preparations as well.

As always, we are happy and trying to work hard. Life is good here and we are looking forward to new adventures.  We hope that you all are having a few adventures of your own. As always, we would love to hear from you. As senior (you know how much I dislike that term) missionaries, we are encouraged to take advantage of our beach and the ocean. Ward vowed that he would not go in the water until he had "his" first baptism. So...........................

As the sun sinks slowing into the west (that would be left in this photo) our happy snorkeler is headed into the water for the first time!

Ka kite for now and love from Ward and Susan   Elder and Sister Belliston, serving in the Cook Islands

Adventures in Paradise 19

ADVENTURES IN PARADISE 19

Kia orana, everyone! Our excellent adventure continues with a focus on change. I have long been a fan of  “makeover” stories. I love  before and after situations.  A plain Jane is turned into a beauty queen; a disorganized home becomes the epitome of organization; a house, totally lacking in charm becomes a showplace with the artful rearrangement of furniture and the addition a few well-chosen accessories. I have always loved the magic of the reveal. The juxtaposition of the old with the new and the potential for improvement is all great theater to me and I can’t seem to get enough. My friends know that it is a good thing that I do not have cable, as I might become addicted to Home and Garden Chanel. I thoroughly enjoy watching transformation.

We are observing a different sort of  transformation here on our little island. I have noticed lately, that the trees have fewer blossoms, and that some leaves are starting to disappear. The evenings are cooler and the waves are higher as they wash up on our beach. It is quieter during the day, as the children are back in school and the moon is rising and setting in a different place in the sky. Fall is coming. I would not have thought that there would be so much noticeable difference in the tropics, but there is and it is tangeable. I am learning that like home, there are four distinct seasons here. I know the island well enough now, to recognize the change.

Many of you may have already guessed that this discourse on change would eventually focus on the change that we have seen in some of the people we are privileged to know. Unlike the magic of before and after, where one is not privy to all of the work involved in the process of changing, we have had a front row seat, as it were, while watching people alter their lives and redirect their focus. Where is it obvious when you enter a room that the furniture may have been rearranged, it is not always so easy to recognize the rearrangement of priorities in someone’s life.  A gifted make-up artist can create an aura of physical beauty, while a change of heart or mind may be missed if one is not paying attention. The weight loss show. “The Biggest Loser”, features contestants pumping iron and participating in physical challenges, while, here on Rarotonga, many of the people that we know have been engaging in spiritual exercise. Perhaps I should create a “made for TV” spiritual reality show. What shall we call it? What about, “Extreme Makeover-Spiritual Edition”, or  “The Biggest Winner” , or “ You Bet Your Life” or even “Wipe-out” where if the contestant “falls”, he has to go back and repeat that part of the course again and this time get it right! Well, it’s a thought……….

We know people here who are happier and more peaceful than they have ever been. We have seen families become closer and parents show more concern for each other. We have seen young people decide that it’s ok not to choose to follow friends who are headed in the wrong direction. We have seen people change their direction when it wasn’t easy. We have seen people become stronger, wiser and redirected. This is more entertaining and certainly more satisfying than any reality show that I have ever tuned into.

Marisha , a mother of four, arrived from Fiji and started lessons with us because her mother insisted on it. Marisha did not want to talk to us and it showed. She was sullen and quiet and often missed her appointments. Somewhere along the way, Marisha experienced a change of heart, and although we didn’t see the whole quiet process that went on inside, we could clearly see the result on the outside. She is happy and peaceful. She is being baptized March 5!

My seventeen year-old cooking partner has transformed herself from an unhappy, frowning  teen with no direction to one who will get up early and walk a mile or so to early-morning seminary, because she loves what she is learning. While we cooked, I would talk to Alisha about how valuable her life was and that I didn’t want to see her waste it by making “dating” decisions that would alter her future forever. While we baked bread we talked about how important she was to her Heavenly Father and how He expected her to respect herself and demand respect from the young men she would meet. She is being baptized, along with her brother, John, next month and has plans to begin courses in Australia after graduation. She is excited about her future and her smile says it all.  

It occurs to me that Ward and I might be changing as well. Learning is a lifelong process and we are excited to have the opportunity to explore a new culture. We understand a little Maori now and can even pronounce most names correctly. We have learned a Maori saying that puts the island attitude into perspective

Kia pukuru o nga vaevae

Kia mokora o kaki

Let your feet be like that of a breadfruit tree

And your neck like that of a duck

This suggests that we should learn to be strong and planted, like the breadfruit tree, whose roots run deep so that it can withstand strong winds, but still be flexible to accept and adapt to change when necessary.

As always, we are happy and trying to work hard.  We always appreciate the e-mails and communications that we receive from all of you and hope that that does not change! We love and miss you all and that won’t change either! I did realize that I now spend more time deciding what flower to put in my hair that what I am going to wear! Lovely!

Love, Ward and Susan           Elder and Sister Belliston, serving in the Cook Islands

Friends surprised us with a surprise party for Ward's big day.

Don't tell anyone, but he is 70! 

David and Isabel Akanoa and grandson at the surprise party

Taina and Tariu, who planned the party, with Taina's Auntie

What was I thinking.....giving a 7 year old, whoops ,70 year-old a drum set?

The little drummer boy with his birthday gifts. They were all hand-made. A drum called a Pate, a new tie and a hand-woven fan. The fan was made by an 88-year old. Lovely!

Both Ward and Stella have the same birthday. Stella's daughter, Elizabeth helps blow out the candles

Ward and Stella's birthday dinner. You see Stella's mother who made the fan.

This is the home of the Queen's represenative in Rarotonga

This mountain home is powered by the windmill

I spoke about Alisha in this blog. She is in front of her home with three of her five brothers 

Adventures in Paradise 18

Adventures in Paradise 18

Kia orana, everyone! Our excellent adventure continues with some observations about respect. I had a brilliant idea for this blog. I was going to announce the First Annual Rarotongan Parade of Homes. My idea was to photograph homes on the island and show them as if they were listed for sale. There would be descriptive phrases such as “Fixer-Upper’, “Open Floor Plan”, or “Handyman Special”. This blog would be funny and clever and totally tongue-in-cheek. With my creative juices flowing, I somehow missed the point that these were homes of people that I loved. Although I had meant no disrespect, it would have been disrespectful, none the less. While it’s quite probable that no one here would ever have seen the blog, I would always know that I had created laughs at someone else’s expense and that was not the respectful thing to do. To tell the truth, I am still learning. I have decided to go ahead with the home tour, but this time, hopefully, you will appreciate the one phrase that

 I have decided to use:

Be It Ever So Humble, There Is No Place Like Home

Levi Anderson at home with his best friends

Aissacs home smells like ripe mangos right now.

The John brothers home from school.

This is home for two people.

Bernadette's home is made from coconut palm logs.

President and Sister Cummings in their mountaintop home.

This home is empty and if I were to stay, I would want to live here.

Or mabey I would choose this home simply for the color scheme. Charming.

This home has it's own creative name

The Aratangi's always treat us like honored guests when we visit their home. 

The Kumars moved to this home so that they could save money to send to their children in Fiji.

The Lowrys have raised ten children in this home.

Another mountainside home with great views.

The owner of this home loves purple. No surprise there!

Charlee loves her Swiss Family Robinson home.

I remember our neighbor, Ted Kimball, mentioning that even the most humble home in our neighborhood would be considered a palace by ninety percent of the world's population. I have thought  about that comment often since I have been on this island and I believe that Ted is correct. What I would add is that I would hope that we are all as happy in our homes as the people that you have seen in the photos. So, as our home tour ends, please know that should you visit any one of these families, you would find a gracious welcome awaiting you.  That is just the way it is.  

As always,we are happy and trying to work hard.  We are grateful for our new friends who have made us feel like home.  We are also grateful for all of you who have made us feel the same way  when we have spent time in your homes.  We have found that home can be where ever one is at the moment. Happy Valentines day and I just might mention that our home is going to have a family member who is entering a whole new decade next week. Name supplied upon request.

Love, Ward and Susan          Elder and Sister Belliston serving in the Cook Islands

Adventures in Paradise 17

Adventures in Paradise 17

Kia orana, everyone! Our excellent adventure continues with a true confession. Some may find this revelation shocking, even unbelievable, but I do not care for Oprah Winfrey! There, it is said. It is out in the open. Do I still have readers?  I find that Oprah is just too much for me. There are too many magazine covers, too many reports of favorite things, too many book suggestions, too much hype surrounding her life. It is not to my taste, but then, that may just be me. I will, however, say that one thing I have appreciated about Miss Winfrey is her idea of creating a “Gratitude Journal”. This is a personal compilation of things for which one is grateful.  On this one point, Oprah and I agree. Life is full of reasons to be grateful.

Many of us are grateful that we are not in someone else’s shoes. We are grateful that life is not worse than it is at a certain point in time. We are grateful that a particular thing has not happened to us. We find gratitude by comparing ourselves to others. I am just now learning to be grateful simply for the way things are at the moment. I am grateful that the good people here are teaching me by their example. In all honesty, I will admit to being a slow learner at times.

Today, in our weekly mission meeting, we were speaking about a family who has very little by my standards. We have mentioned them before. They live on a hill that is not accessible by any vehicle and their family of eleven has only two motor scooters. We learned today, that this home was a gift to them for as long as they needed it. Years ago, in Fiji, this family was very kind to an old man and in gratitude, that man’s family made this house available to the Fimone family. When I expressed my surprise and concern that the house had neither water nor electricity, our wise friend quietly, but firmly informed me that this is enough and the family is grateful. Actually, there is water if it rains, so this family is also grateful for any rainstorm.

Marisha Fimone, who is taking lessons with us said that she was unable to read in the evenings because the family was out of candles! This was said very casually, and without any reference to the total lack of electricity at home. She simply stated that she would be grateful that there would be new candles that evening. Marisha is also grateful for the “lightness” that has entered her life as she has made changes and left old habits behind her.

We are grateful and overwhelmed by the many calls we receive each day from people concerned about the progress of our friend who had surgery last week. He has been moved out of the hospital and is now staying at the donated house that we mentioned last week. When I mentioned to the owner that this was a generous thing to do, she simply said that she was grateful to be able to help. Another phone call involved a woman who said that when she was visiting New Zealand, she heard that carrot juice was very helpful in a patient’s recovery. She said that she would be grateful to know if the patient and his caretakers would allow this. She was going out that afternoon to purchase a juicer for the sole purpose of making carrot juice for our friend!

An eighteen-year old young man is grateful to his family for their support. This young man loves to cook and is one of only five international students accepted in Chef Gordon Ramsey’s (Hell’s Kitchen) cooking school in London. The Ramsey scholarship only supplies half of the year’s tuition. This young mans family sold their business and have helped Junior open his own restaurant. It is hoped that this restaurant will supply the rest of the tuition. The father and mother will continue running the restaurant while Junior is in London. For now this “boy” is grateful that he is healthy and is able to work from 7am to 1am every day! He is grateful for the opportunity to make the dream of owning his own four-star restaurant a reality. He is grateful for proud parents who taught him the value of work by setting a good example.

Last Saturday, I hosted forty young women and their leaders at an open house, here at the mission home. I am grateful for the opportunity to be able to work with young people, as I really do miss teaching. We provided a sewing project and a cooking project with the opportunity to sign up for future classes. I was grateful (and tired) that a 1-4 pm open house was still going strong at 6:30. I smiled when the girls remarked that the house smelled like America! I was grateful that the water pump was replaced that morning and we actually had water! I was grateful that I had enough food.  We made eight batches of mini pizzas, with about sixteen pizzas to the batch. You can do the math on that one! I am grateful that Ward only did his “Little Grass Shack” dance once during the afternoon! I am grateful that I found a sewing machine in the closet. I am grateful it is over and I can relax now…………well, I guess that a change is as good as a rest. I am grateful for the chance to move on to something else.

Ward and I are grateful for the little miracles that we have witnessed. We are grateful to have been taught by three General Authorities in the last week. We are grateful that this little island and its people are remembered and appreciated for who they are. We are grateful for the lessons that we are learning here and the opportunity to serve. We are so grateful for the tender mercies  and touching events that we have experienced. We are grateful for our friends and family who have been so good about keeping in touch. We cannot tell you how much we appreciate your messages. Can you believe that we are entering our fifth month?  In the beginning, I was grateful that time was passing, now I am alarmed by just how quickly it is moving.

As always, we are happy and trying to work hard. We hope that you are grateful for the way things are in your lives at this moment. Thank you Oprah for the inspiration, I am grateful for the idea for this blog!

Love, Ward and Susan            Elder and Sister Belliston serving in the Cook Islands

Our beautiful young women enjoying the open house

Cooking class at the open house 

The open house buffet table. The empty space is for the pizzas. Pork and plum sauce sandwiches, fresh pineapple, deviled eggs, cheeseball and crackers, hot rolls and jam, chocolate parfait cookies, banana bread and chocolate cupcakes with sprinkles. There were no leftovers! If you didn't do the math on the pizzas, we made 128! Where did they go????

Sweet baby Tehani O-hiva in her backyard. What a view!!!!

Ward "picking" flowers for the open house. We are on our friends property.

At the florists for a boquet. It's all free! 

Clifton with his version of snowmen......stonemen! This is our beach!!

Waiting to greet Elders Hamula and Costa

A warm welcome for Elder and Sister Nielson. I was off having fun at the dentist.

Elder and Sister Nielson in our backyard

Elder Hamula and Elder and Sister Costa. The eis (leis) were all made by the women who met them at the airport. Beautiful!