Adventures in Paradise 74

Adventures in Paradise 74

Kia Orana everyone! Our excellent adventure continues with some last glimpses of people that we will miss. As we hurriedly gather “keep in touch” information from our friends, we are acutely aware that our relationship with them must change. We are buoyed up by the knowledge that we will see many of those we love in the distant or not so distant future. While I have never been a particularly technology-oriented person, it is now with profound gratitude that I embrace the blessings of modern communication. My new best friend, the computer will allow me to see the children as they grow. Through skype I will be able to hear my friends' voices and carry on instant conversations. I will be able to stay in touch and I am grateful. There was an old slogan that stated, “The Next Best Thing to Being There”, and through these inventions, I will truly find it the next best thing and this makes our departure just a little less painful.

As we enter the last few precious days here, our calendar is overflowing. We have had more invitations than we can possibly manage and we thought it fitting that in our last blog from Rarotonga, we should introduce you to a few more of our friends. Might I say  that this blog has also become one of my friends and I have been finding it difficult to say goodbye to it as well. I am touched that so many of you have  also said that you will miss it, so I have decided to continue writing as we go about the business of adjusting to life at home.  Perhaps Blackrock Bulletin may become more of a periodical than a weekly report. We shall see, but as always, you are free to hit the delete button at any time!

This last blog is dedicated to our final week on our rock and the faces we will not soon forget.

Ward will miss this booth at Saturday market. Our friends, Peka and Ben serve the most delicious fish!

We will miss these four young men. There have never been four missionaries leave from the same branch at the same time. It's a new Cook Island record!  Goodbye Elders!

I will miss crazy faces and laughter from sweet friends.

 

We will miss the Rongos working on their version of the Haka.

. We enjoyed the entertainment at our going-away party and will miss our talented friends.

We will miss Harmon and John. We met Harmon through our Bible class and he has been taking lessons with us. John is another story. He is one of Ward's best friends here and the two of them are dangerous together.

We will miss the children. Oh, how we will miss the children!

We will miss the George family. They were the first to invite us to a last Sunday supper.

We will miss the little group of friends who invited us to dinner. When schedules did not permit us to spend individual time with them, they combined forces and we had a community FHE dinner. Each person spoke during the evening of how we had played a part in their lives. It was a tearful, yet happy evening.

We will miss the opportunity for community dinners.

We will miss introducing American treats to the children. The treat of the day: Rootbeer floats!

There were only five people for floats. We went through ten cans of rootbeer and one and a half tubs of vanilla ice cream. Oh wait, Ward was eating too. That explains it!

We love this family and have a little announcement. Mom Debra, son James and daughter Shanece are being baptized tomorrow!!!



So, as always we are happy and still trying to work hard. We also have a baptism on Sunday morning!  We have loved and are loved and that makes it perfect. We are grateful for the expeiences of a lifetime and lifelong friends. We now are members of an even more extended family and couldn't be happier. But as always happens, we must turn to face other adventures and so we have one final thing to say.

We have missed you! See you soon!

Love, Ward and Susan                  Elder and Sister Belliston, serving in the Cooks