Elder and Sister Baxter in New Zealand: 26 April

Dear Followers,
We have decided to stay on the mission in New Zealand. What that looks like after quarantine is still not known. For now we hunker down.

For us in New Zealand, it is day 32 of the lockdown. Lockdown seems too harsh. Some have called it quarantine, isolation, lockdown. It has been so long now that we are used to it. I fear that when things loosen-up here and we have to get back to a more regular regimen will be the shock. But you all probably know a lot about these times of social isolation, social distancing.

New Zealand has four (4) levels of alert during this crisis. We have been in the most restrictive level for 32 days. However, the country will move down a notch - to - level three (3) next week. they have set a target of two weeks thereafter to move to Level 2 which will allow more freedoms.

So what have we been doing? We are still missionaries but greatly restricted. We do walk or ride our bicycles every day. In the going we still meet and converse with people (with the obligatory 2-meter separation). We have made some lovely contacts.

Here are some things we have and are doing:

Elder Baxter facilitates a Sabbath Day "Zoom" devotional for the local branch.
We expressed solidarity with our Kiwi allies on their ANZAC day. At one level it is like the US Veteran's Day or Memorial Day. More specifically, it is a day to honor the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps who served in the Gallipoli Campaign, their first engagement in the First World War. It was a costly defeat for the allies. Even though the country was still in Level 4 (Isolation mode) we stood at the end of our driveway at 6 AM on a very dark and cold morning. We tuned into a broadcast (while standing outside) sponsored by the local community which included a bugle solo and a bagpipe tribute to honor the fallen soldiers. To me, personally, it was a moving experience even though we could only detect one or two others on the street at that hour. There may have been more but it was too dark to see. What was special for me since coming to New Zealand was that we became friends with a very humble man in our branch who served in the Kiwi Army during the Vietnam War. He believes that his health was irreparably damaged by contact with Agent Orange. On another occasion I met a man who served in the Kiwi Army during the Gulf War. We have also become friends with a man who is currently serving in the Army at a base about 40 minutes south of us. These men heeded the call of their country to serve in conflicts to assist Americans. For that, they have my profound respect.
We have been making telephone and FB Messenger calls to local people, elderly, ill, or just alone, to check on them. We joined with the local Maori Tribe, Ngati Turangitukua, to check on families.
We have delivered meals, assisted people in dire situations, and offered comfort to those who have lost loved ones.
As I mentioned earlier, we do walks and bike rides. When we can, we wave at the people in their houses whom we know. We meet people on the trails who are walking their dogs.
We have a weekly call with the members of our Missionary District. That district consists of 4 elders (all pacific islanders) and two other senior couples like us. The mission has lost probably 150 young missionaries who were sent home to their native lands as a response to the COVID-19 crisis.

I want to give praise to the Prime Minister of New Zealand, Jacinda Ardern. She has shown leadership, rarely seen in the world today, as she leads her small country through this pandemic. We listen to her daily press briefings. She is actually speaking to the nation, not just the press corps. She speaks with candor and compassion. She and her government have decided to, in her words, "go hard and go early". Their decision was to, first, save lives and to second, preserve as much of the economy as possible by smashing the virus as soon as possible. Going hard means they have taken extreme measures to control their borders, keep people at home, close businesses and recreation. To date only 18 people have died. The following curve shows the growth and decline of new cases in New Zealand. This is, perhaps, one of the safest places in the world regarding the COVID pandemic.