Adventures in Paradise Volume 2 #62

Kia ora! Our excellent adventure continues with a reminder to be grateful. Last Thursday, we came home to find that our electricity was off. As it turns out, a young driver had lost control rounding a tight curve on our New Zealand roads. It was wet and slippery and the young man, having missed the turn, hit a power pole. Seven hundred of our rural neighbors were affected and we quickly realized that having no electricity in the country is far more inconvenient than experiencing the same situation in an urban area. Not only could we not turn on lights, stoves, computers and other items, we also could not turn on the water!

In the country, where everyone depends on water from tanks (which must be filled by rain water) there are extra concerns regarding its use during a power outage. The owners left us detailed instructions on what to do and they were daunting. “Don’t run water as there is a risk of emptying the pressure tank in the attic and causing an airlock. During an outage we flush the toilet using a bucket and the spring water. If an airlock were to occur, cold water runs but the hot water doesn’t. The problem is solved by putting water down the “exhaust” pipe of the kitchen hot water cylinder. We run a hose from the spring water tap up to the pipe on the roof (preferably get one of our sons to do it).”

Not wanting to experience the frightening prospect of an airlock, we hoped for a speedy remedy to the power problem.  In the meantime we began a lengthy conversation about all the things that we take for granted. Certainly in this case, we realized that we had not fully appreciated what a blessing it is to always have water. We were reminded how we simply expect to turn on a tap or flip a switch without thinking twice about the miracle it really is. We thought of those who do not have the luxury of that immediate response and decided to be more thankful. And in that moment, we determined to be more patient with life’s little inconveniences.

In pondering this, we realized that there are so many moments in life when we may forget to be grateful. Do we take the love of family for granted because we simply expect that that love will always be there? Do we fully appreciate that we have the freedom to choose; that we have enough food to eat or a place to call home? It may seem a little thing, but I am missing the change of seasons that I have known at home and will appreciate them all the more, having not experienced them for two years. Our lives are full and the next time I turn on a faucet, I have determined to be more grateful.

As Easter approaches, I find myself ruminating on the sacrifice of my Savior and the ultimate gift he gave us all. His suffering went beyond what most us of are neither able to comprehend nor possibly fully appreciate. I am reminding myself to not take His sacrifice for granted. It is truly the gift that keeps on giving. We all have been promised immortality and He told us that he is the “Living Water” and to me, this is the ultimate analogy. We know that our bodies cannot live without water and Christ is telling us that we cannot live without Him either.

As always, we are happy and trying to work hard. We wish you all a Happy Easter and hope that a sense of renewal and gratitude will be with you this Sunday. While we are not homesick, we are now allowing ourselves the opportunity to look forward to seeing you all again.

Love, Ward and Susan      Elder and Sister Belliston, serving in Gisborne, New Zealand 

Adventures in Paradise Volume 2 #61

Kia ora! Our excellent adventure continues thoughts of another looming adventure. Ward’s father always used to ask, “Are you traveling or going somewhere” and that is the way we are beginning to feel as we hold plane tickets in our hands. We are definitely traveling as we have mixed feelings about leaving New Zealand in five weeks. But the reality is that before arriving in Utah, we are going somewhere and we are beyond excited.

The truth is that as much as we will immediately miss those whom we love on this island, we have been missing others on another island for several years. It’s a tender time for us and we have been reminded, once again, just how difficult it is to move on. When we left the Cooks four years ago, our friends told us that you never say good-bye; rather you simply say see you later. That phrase is turning into a reality as we now also possess plane tickets to Rarotonga. After leaving New Zealand April 27, we will be flying to spend a few days with our Cook Island friends and that excitement is helping to temper, if just a bit, the sadness we feel as we anticipate leaving our home here in Gisborne.

I have always said that I wished to live in another country long enough so as not to feel like a tourist. To be honest, I rather fancied myself in the South of France wearing a beret and enjoying a baguette, or somewhere in the Italian countryside riding an old bicycle with a basket of fresh herbs attached to the handlebars. I wanted to soak up the culture and hoped to learn a little of the language. Never did I ever entertain the idea of living in Polynesia. Not ever. That was not even on my radar, yet here I am tearfully facing the prospects of leaving dear friends while at the same time anticipating reconnecting with others. That is what a mission will do to you and you may view this as either an enticement or a warning! You will never be the same, nor would you want to be.

Not being the same is the reason why, after having been away from family and friends for a year and a half, we have decided to postpone our homecoming just a bit longer. We know that we will absolutely return home, but we are not so clear on when or if it would be possible to return to the Cooks, or to New Zealand for that matter, so we have created our opportunity by adding an extra week to our return date. We have dear friends who have promised to meet us at the airport, a generous offer of lodging, and children who have grown up while we weren’t looking. We are approaching our reunion with tender feelings and deep emotion.

So, the woman who once imagined herself sporting a beret and savoring a baguette, has enjoyed wearing floral head eis instead. That loaf of bread has been replaced by the traditional and delicious fresh savory pies of New Zealand and by mangos and Banana Poke in the Cooks. Cycling in Italy has been substituted with vaka (canoe) paddling lessons in the rivers of Gisborne and if I wanted anything fresh, I only had to go as far as our orchard, where mandarins, oranges, grapes, peaches and apples were found in abundance. Did you know that there is even a fruit called a Lemonade, which tastes exactly like its name?  I even learned that Rocket is an excellent salad greens base for a tossed salad. My French and Italian are non-existent but my understanding of Maori has increased dramatically and with that increase has come an appreciation for the culture and traditions of both islands. To be honest, I still love Europe and its history, but it will never feel like home. The islands where we have learned to live and love is home.

As always, we are happy and trying to work hard. We are grateful for the experiences that have been the fabric of our lives here. We cherish the relationships that we have formed and find it difficult to count our tenure here in terms of weeks or days. We will return here someday and we are grateful for the blessing of social media where we are only a mouse click away from our new forever friends. We are also grateful for your support over the years, and most especially while we have been away from you these last months. We are so excited to see your faces and renew relationships. It all just has to wait, however, as we take a side trip to another place where loved ones are waiting.

Love, Ward and Susan      Elder and Sister Belliston, serving in Gisborne, New Zealand

 

 

We hope you enjoy our sentimental journey back to the Cooks

 



Luna is now going on seven. Where did the time go? We can't wait to see her!

 

 

Ake was our first baptism in the Cooks. She was single at the time. Now she lives in Auckland with her husband and two beautiful daughters. She is in the Relief Society presidency. We have loved being able to visit with them while we have been in New Zealand. 

 

This is family transport in the Cooks! We love and miss Gus and Elizabeth and their girls. They have since had another daughter and we are not sure where they will put her! 

 

Tere and Mumsy with baby Belliston. Belliston is now almost five and we can't wait to hug him!

 

 

I taught this little family to say " See ya later alligator."

 

 

Luanne used to call me Sistabelliston as if it were all one word. I hope she remembers us, if even a little bit. We have not forgotten her.

 

Chad was our very last baptism.  We love and miss this family.

 

We can't wait to be greeted by our friends. This, I think, is the sweetest way to say hello

 

There were very tender moments during baptisms at the beach

 

 

 Ward looking pretty native in a shirt made for him by a local. You could see him coming for miles!

 

 

This was our backyard in the Cooks. In the background you can see Blackrock. That is why our blog is called the Blackrock Bulletin. 

 

Jake Numanga has greeted incoming international passengers every day for over thirty years. His singing and uke playing is legendary and he was recently named a national treasure. We can't wait to see his perform at the terminal. And to call out, "Hey Jake!"

 

 

The Georges sell the best fish at Saturday market and we hear that they will have a plate waiting for Ward. Actually, Ward told them he was coming so that they could be prepared!

    

 

  

  We last saw Ina Price and her husband, Larry in Salt Lake just before we left for New Zealand. They were serving their second family history mission. They are home in the Cooks now and we look forward to spending some quality time with them!

 

 



We have missed the beautiful sunsets in Raro and plan to spend every evening basking in their beauty. It is beyond peaceful.

Adventures in Paradise Volume 2 #60

Kia ora! Our excellent adventure continues with some thoughts on the words we use and the ways in which we choose to use them. From our perspective, while living over ten thousand miles from America, we are becoming alarmed by the increasing intensity of the rhetoric being displayed as the political process plays itself out across the country.

At first I found it curious that more of our Maori friends were asking about what they considered to be the mean-spirited tone of the debates than were our Kiwi friends. But as I spoke with them, it became clear that the Maori people possess a much different attitude towards their language and the rules that govern its use. There seems to be a much higher law concerning verbal interaction in the Maori culture and that difference is one of the reasons that our friends here are so mystified by the behavior displayed by some of the American candidates.

One of my Maori friends explained to me that in their language there is no profanity. The worst thing that you can say to a person is that you want to boil their head! In that culture, the Maori believe that the embodiment of the true person is centered in that person’s head. If you were to boil that particular body part, you would in essence, dilute their identity, their sense of self and their personal power. It is truly a fate worse than death, although death would certainly be the result. But that threat is hardly ever made, because it is prevented by other rules of conduct within the community. We have spoken before about Maraes and the special place that they hold in the lives of native New Zealanders. Those buildings were the center of the community and were used for everything from religious observances to public meetings to funerals. The buildings were considered sacred and treated with great respect. Even today, an outsider must be formally invited onto the Marae by a member of that particular community. One cannot simply walk in without an invitation and expect to be welcomed.

The traditional code of behavior prohibits any arguing or derogatory conversation once one enters the building. You may disagree with anyone you choose outside, but the moment you enter the Marae, proper conduct is expected. The Maroi have such a distaste for public displays of bad behavior that currently most meetings concerning land management or those having to do with treaty discussions are all conducted in Maori specifically because there is no way to express profanity in that language. The aim is to stay level-headed and respectful. I was struck by the civility of these decisions and found myself desperately wishing that we Americans could somehow adopt the same tone in our behavior. Can you imagine the atmosphere in political or religious debates if the participants were held to Maroi standards of interaction? That is a movement that I could certainly get behind and I would vote for that idea without a moments hesitation!

Another curious aspect of the Maori language is that it has fewer superlatives than does English. When ever I hear a Maori speak in their language or sing one of their beautiful songs, I have noticed that often the same word was repeated two or three times within the same sentence or stanza. When asked, a friend explained that instead of using a superlative as a description, the word was simply repeated for emphasis. That repetition relays to the listener the esteem in which the object or person is held. It seems a very simple concept, but when you think of it, the idea of respectful repetition can engender a whole new way of expressing love or admiration. I have been experimenting with this concept in the past few days and I have found it touching to experience the tender feelings that come by simply repeating the same word or name two or three times. I will leave it to you to insert any word you wish should you think to try the same experiment, but I think that you will find that this simple change can carry with it great impact.

The lessons on respect and civility that I have learned from my sweet friends here in New Zealand, will stay with me for a lifetime. Do I wish that the ongoing drama that has become our political process would adapt some of the attitudes that prevail here? Yes, of course I do! It would be so refreshing to see candidates express differing opinions without trading insults, but for now, it just seems to be the way it is. Last week, my blog centered around the difference that one person can make. While we may not be in a position to encourage positive change in the political arena at this moment, we can take steps to encourage respectful behavior within our own spheres of influence. One person who chooses to behave in a positive and restrained manner towards others, just may leave a lasting legacy with those who will be our future leaders. In the meantime, our interaction with others need not resemble the child-like behavior that we are being subjected to at the moment.

As always, we are happy and trying to work hard. We value the lessons that we have learned here in the last 17 months and look forward to the time when we again will be positively influenced by the examples that you set for us at home. If I were to just close by saying, “Home, Home, Home”, I am certain that you would understand how much we have missed it and you.

Love Ward and Susan      Elder and Sister Belliston, serving in Gisborne, New Zealand

 

 

 

We thought that you might enjoy a little tour of some of the Maraes in our area. You might notice that the color scheme is always the same and the intricate carvings are stunning.