Dear Friends,
As you may have read, New Zealand has scored a victory in this bout with COVID-19. The virus seems to have been eliminated from the general population. What that means for us is that we are now free to move about and do the things we did before the arrival of the virus - with a few exceptions. We won't be going to any large rock concerts in the near future (not that we would have done so anyway). The country's inbound border is still closed to anyone not holding a New Zealand passport. Anyone who arrives must remain in isolation in a government-specified hotel where they are tested and monitored for 14 days.
We went to our first sacrament meeting in almost three months. The church members here were dearly wanting to return to church. Their reactions were mixed. Some had taken up their old social behaviors such as hugging, kissing, handshaking, and so forth. Others maintained their cautions distance. We had about 40 members in attendance - that is about 10 to 15 more than usual.
The photos below show some of the activities since our "lockdown" has ended. At one point there were no junior missionaries within 3 hours of us. Now that the country has relaxed the travel and movement restrictions, the junior missionaries are being re-assigned to the field. So far, the missionary force is from those who could not go home and those New Zealand citizens who were sent home from other countries. You can see a photo of those in our region below.
We have been introduced to the FEIJOA fruit. It is grown ornamentally all over town. It is nearing the end of its fruiting season. It looks like an slender kiwi fruit but without the fuzz. It has a taste like a strawberry but with a tartness. People bring it in bags for others to take home - much like zucchinis in July in the USA. Ruth Ann made some freezer jam from them. It tastes remarkably like strawberry jam but a little more tart. It was delicious. I would grow in Kentucky, but i doubt it can survive that climate.
Ruth Ann and I have been volunteering at the local Hospice Opportunity Shop (second-hand goods store). They asked if we would deliver some letters to local addresses. The photo below shows Sister Baxter delivering a letter into a "letter box". Normally we work one 3-hour shift on Saturday afternoon.
We will update you again - soon.
 |
First Sunday back at Church
|
 |
| Walking around the town of Turangi |
 |
| Delivering letters for Hospice |
 |
| Our winter attire - Kiwi style. |
 |
| Inside our house. The top number is the temperature (Celsius) in the attic. The bottom number is the temperature in the hallway . 0 C = 32 F, 7 C = 44 F |
 |
| We now have junior missionaries back in Taupo. |
 |
| Trees are always interesting. This one is a Eucalyptus or gum tree, imported from Australia. |
 |
| Sunsets were gorgeous this Autumn. |
 |
| It does get frosty here. |
 |
| Feijoa - We have become fans. |
 |
| This is our current District/Zone as of June 2020. They are wonderful. |
