Elder and Sister Baxter in New Zealand: Missionaries

We were just visiting a family here in Turangi today, not far from our apartment. As we approached the gate we met one of the family members; he greeted us and invited us to wait by the gate while someone put away the dog. He said to the woman of the house: "The Elders are here". We are known as "The Elders" everywhere we go. At first it seemed inappropriate for Sister Baxter to be called one of "The Elders". However, that is the common view of us. We asked ourselves why is this?

First, I think Missionaries from The Church of Jesus Christ have been here for a long, long time. I know that because we received a phone call from a couple who have just been called to serve in this mission and the husband served in this town in the 1980's. This is a small town, about 3000 and the physical size of the town (or towne as they write it) is just over 1 square mile in size. Most people have been seeing missionaries walking, riding, and driving around town and they know who we are. In fact, the family we visited said they followed us while we drove from Taupo yesterday. Initially they knew we were from "out of town" because no self-respecting kiwi driver would use the brakes while driving around the hair-pin curves on the road that parallels the lake shore (more on that later). They then recognized the car we drove because it looked just like another missionary car in a different city. The brother said he was "cracking up" when he realized it was us.

Second, they don't think there is a gender distinction with the term: "Elder". To them, the title represents any badge-wearing missionary from The Church. We are OK with that. It's an exclusive club.

We mentioned "driving". It is a challenge. We find the roads are winding, narrow, and the drivers tend to go very fast ... kind of like Kentucky ;-). There are relatively few miles of what we would call "freeways". So most roads are two lane with occasional passing lanes. We are often horrified that people will pass vehicles - even big tandem-trailer rigs with a line of cars behind then. They will pass on blind curves, wet roads, even cars doing the speed limit. We did learn that there is a driving rule that says "If you are travelling slower than the speed limit and there are vehicles following you, you must pull over as soon as it is safe to let following vehicles pass." So we are pulling over occasionally.

We have been supporting, interacting, meeting, teaching, assisting, and generally spending significant time with the young missionaries. We have no reservations saying that they are truly amazing. They have seemingly boundless energy on their P-Days. When teaching, they are confident, spiritual, and hard-working. They are teaching us a great deal about this generation of Saints. Surely President Nelson is correct when he said: "They are the children whom God chose to be part of His battalion during this great climax in the longstanding battle between good and evil—between truth and error. ... They loved the Lord so much that they promised to defend His name and gospel during this world’s tumultuous winding-up scenes. One thing is certain: They are of the House of Israel and they have been sent here to help gather God’s elect."

The ratio of sisters to elders is about 1/3 in this mission. The number of non-american missionaries is significant. Many are of Polynesian descent. They come from Australia, New Zealand, Philippines, and "The Islands" as they are called. To a missionary, we have grown to love them, enjoy being with them, and they give us energy and vitality.