Transfer week!

Kia Ora everyone!!

There have been times in the last 18 months where I have wanted to be transferred from an area just to keep things fresh. Now in my last little while here in the NZHM, I don't want to leave this area any time soon. While I have not gotten transfer news yet, in my weekly letter to President Rudd, he hinted that I will probably be staying (Fingers crossed). That said, I will go happily if I am called to another area. 

Other then a few door slams we had a pretty amazing week! We got a new Branch Mission Leader, Brother Whitehead (He used to be 1st Counselor in the Branch Presidency) who is the man!. We now have a new 1st Counselor in the BP, Brother Napia and a new Elders Quorum President, Brother Sands! We had a meeting with all of the Branch Leaders and discussed changes that will be made under the new leadership. We are all definitely looking forward to these new callings as our new BML has hit the ground sprinting with his new calling!

We did a lot of service this week preparing the members and non-members for the upcoming winter season with firewood (yes, it does get kinda cold here. Also no-one has central heating so they all use fireplaces LOL). I have had to brush up on my High School Spanish because one of our LA ladies here in Paeroa is Chilean and she doesn't speak much english so I have to 'translate' for Elder Finau when we go over there to do service, She also makes the meanest hispanic food so that is payment enough :).

Also our Mission President finishes on the 1st of July so if you ever see Charles Rudd around, give him some love! He deserves a break from us hahahaha :) 

Arohanui, Elder Mitchell 

Another Week in Paradise

Kia Ora everyone!

This was actually a fairly good week! Aside from all of the driving we have done we managed to see all of the people that we had planned to see during weekly planning. Monday was spent mostly just exercising and playing touch with the Youth here in Paeroa. Tuesday was my DL calls since we no longer have District Meetings because the sisters live 3 hours away so I just call them and give them a spiritual thought to lift their spirits. Wednesday was our Kerepehi and Ngatea day so we ended up in service clothes splitting wood at around 3 and spent the rest of the day delivering it to members and non-members in the area. 

Thursday we had to drive to Hamilton for Elder Finau's tooth so that took basically all day and at the end they forgot to take out one of the wires that they put in so we had go back again on Friday which took most of Friday as well. Saturday our Branch activity got cancelled so we were pretty disappointed with that but we were able to visit Whangamata (Paradise) which was mean because it was a beautiful day. Sunday was spent in meetings with the Branch Presidency, With our recent converts, and helping out our Second Counselor with his computer because he doesn't know how to use a mac. Lol. 

Anyway that was my week!

Arohanui!

Elder Mitchell 

May 15-Mother's Day Skype

Sorry didn't get much time to email today....

After my last Mother's day skype that may or may not have made me trunky. We went out and got to work, at least that's what we wanted to do. We worked fairly hard through Tuesday and Wednesday and were able to see all of the people that we needed to see but our success was short-lived.

On Thursday I woke up with a sore eye so I had my companion drive us to Hamilton for his dentist appointment (Root canal, fun right?). I ended up having to drive home but basically with only one eye. The next morning my eye was killing me so I went and waited at the doctors office for 3 hours (the joys of socialized medicine) before they would help me. They told me it was Bacterial Conjunctivitis and gave me an ointment to put on my eye for a couple of days. My eye has gotten much better but it has made my right eye really sensitive to light so I have been getting mean headaches for the past couple days. 

Sunday was pretty good but one of the Tongan Families invited us over for dinner and when we got there they would not let us leave because they boxed our car in with all of their cars. So we walked to a house down the street and taught a lesson before calling it a night. 

And that's my week!!! 

Elder Mitchell

Sorry no pics of my eye, it was really red and looked pretty painful.