Cache's First Full Week in New Zealand

Hello correspondents! 

There has not been too much happening. Just kidding. There had been quite a bit of stuff happening. We had another Baptism on Saturday. Her name was Caroline. She is a 60 or 70 something year old Maori lady. She is a little hard of hearing, and I don't recall if I wrote about her last week. Anywho, I'll just tell about her. She lives with a recent convert, Rosalie. Rosalie was baptized a year ago last Monday. She has been a huge support for Caroline. Rosalie and Caroline work at the NGA (Ngaruawahia) High School. 

Which is actually not called a High School. I think it's called Course or College or something. That's another thing. College and University are not the same thing here. So, I have to tell people that I went to Uni or University before my mission so they know what I am talking about. College for them is like Junior and Senior year of High School for us. 

Anyways, back on the subject. They are basically the Janitorial staff there. Rosalie ran into the missionaries, and wasn't interested. But then something changed, and she actually went looking for the missionaries. They hadn't been in contact for a while because she had moved. So now, she was super keen on the gospel. She was baptized shortly after. 

Caroline wasn't interested either. She belonged to a belief called Ratena. Or something like that. They believe in God and Jesus Christ, but they believe in a great man named Ratena who helped bring NZ to a greater standing or something like that. He inspired a lot of people and gained a lot of followers. 

Most people here do not go to a church. They are just good people. Our calling as missionaries is to find those who will receive the gospel, and who might've already accepted it, expect they knew not where to find it. Anyways, a lot of people are willing to hear our message, but don't really want to change. 

Caroline was in the hospital for a while, and actually "died" for a little bit until the machines and doctors brought her back. She believes that the people of Ratena brought her back. When Caroline finally became interested in the gospel long before I got here, she agreed to be baptized, but she said that she was going to have to thank the people of Ratena on a special day, January 25. It's special because it is a big day for the followers of Ratena (I don't know why), and because it's her birthday. Anyways, the missionaries kept trying to get her to be baptized.

Shortly before I came, she went to the VC (Visitor Center for the Hamilton temple) and really felt the spirit, and set herself for baptism. During Taylor's baptism, she again felt the witness that she needed to be baptized, and again committed herself to baptism. She had a few problems though. She has been a smoker for a very long time, and she drinks coffee. So, after a long time, the Wednesday before last Saturday (the day she was baptized), she gave us her cigarettes and her coffee she traded us for Milo (Milo is a New Zealand style of Hot Chocolate that is about a bajillion times better that American Hot Cocoa.) that we gave her. So, she gave up smoking and coffee cold turkey, and was baptized.

Oh. If you have sent me a letter, I have not yet received it. I am speaking Specifically to my family and to Bethany. I only have a few opportunities to get mail from the Zone Leaders, who get it from the Mission office in Auckland. So, it might be 2 weeks or so before I get mail from you guys, primarily because it takes forever to get to NZ in the first place, and because it takes forever to get to Ngaruawahia from Auckland. So don't despair. I will write everyone back that sends me a letter. Unless it's family. Then I'll just email you. Because that's so much easier, and my hand won't cramp up. ;-)

Every morning, with our Ward Mission leader, Bro. Waters, and others, we do an hour work out. Today it was boxing stuff. That's the only time I can punch my companion and not get sent home for it. ;-) Another day, it's ab workouts, and other days it's other things. It's pretty good.

I've attached some pictures, and I will explain the pictures that I sent last week and this week.

Last week:

1. Picture with other guys in suits: my district as we stepped out of the terminal into NZ Airport. From left to Right: E. Reese (my MTC comp), E. Niederer (Needer, the more Er's that a person had on their name, the poorer they were in the town that his ancestors lived in), E. Hirsche (went on his mission to NZ, but got sent home because of a very serious sickness, almost cancerous. But now he's back out, which is all that matters.), E. Smith (from Canada, eh?), E. Loffhagen (from the U.K. We like to immitate his accent and get him to immitate ours.), and myself.

2. Pink colored computer screens looking like NASA's Houston or something: The TV screens on the backs of all the seats on the flight to NZ. We couldn't watch TV! Lol... It was difficult.

3. The white circle with a red outline with 100 written in it: a speed limit sign. In km/hr.

4. Sheep: Well, pretty self explanatory. They are sheep. There are so many of them here. Oh! They have lamb burgers at McDonalds here! I have yet to try one. I wonder if they are good or not. :-)

5. Exit sign: Things are in km.

This week:

1. The elders going to Portland, Oregon in my district. 

2. The elders going to Auckland, New Zealand in my district.

3. All of the elders in my district.

I'll send more pictures, but I am limited, so I'm lazy. ;-)

Hmmm... what else... 

I had the opportunity to fix our neighbor's computer. She's been in Perth, Australia for the past few weeks. They give about a quarter of their house to us missionaries in Ngaruawahia. Anyways, She got home, and found out that something was wrong with her computer. She didn't know it was a virus, but she asked my companion and I if either of us knew computers. I replied that I did. I proceeded to work on her computer, and I shortly found out that it was a virus very much like the virus I fixed on my computer. So it was an easy fix because I had done it before. She told us that she had prayed that morning to get helped, because getting it fixed by a technician is rather expensive. 

You think it's expensive in the USA? Holy Smokes. Everything is more expensive here. Except for Kiwis. Kiwis are much cheaper here. I like Kiwis, so that ends up working out pretty well for me. :-)

We eat so much here. It's crazy. The members, especially the ones that are Polynesian, love food, and expect you to eat heaps. So, I'm getting fat.

I'll try to get some pictures of missionaries and of my investigators, but I might forget. I keep forgetting to do it. Whoops. :-)

With lots of love and stuff,

E. Staheli

P.S. Mom, send me pictures of the family. I think I might've already said that in an earlier email, but this is a safe guard or whatever. :-)