Entrances

We love to be walking near the ocean in the morning when the sun makes it’s entrance for the day.  

Every entrance is a bit different but they are all good, Rangitoto Island in sunshine or clouds.

When you exit one thing it usually means an entrance to another.  Our friend Azaa from Mongolia exits New Zealand and her English studies this week to make her entrance back home again to her husband and 2 daughters.  Our Tuesday night OT class's loss, Mongolia's definite gain.  Not of a Christian faith, she came through our door months ago just to listen to and practice English.  We LOVE Azaa!  

The entrance to our adventure at Howick Historical Village where we found lots of unique entrances…gates and doors from and to the past.

When the early European military defenders and their families (the “fencibles”) arrived in the 1800’s, the houses they were promised didn’t exist so many spent months or years in tents with pretty open and breezy entrances… 

then they moved up to huts... 

...and then to mud houses.  

The mud house entrances were a little more secure and less breezy but with dirt floors and leaky roofs it was still “camping” of sorts.

The citizens of Howick had to wait and endure for a time, but eventually they were able to build some nice homes, with great doors and rooms, and lots of long awaited conveniences and security.  

By then they had the latest in 1800’s NZ vehicles, a horse and buggy (Vance was feeling pretty confident with the reins, but couldn’t find reverse or the buttons for the heater).  

We were reminded of the other kind of gait…horses have good ones.

Howick Historical Village photo on display of Ireland during 1845-52 Great Potato Famine

  The majority of the European immigrants who came to Howick arrived between 1847 and 1852, in some of ten sailing ships. Over half of the Europeans immigrants who came to the region were the Irish who were looking for relief and a door out of the devastating Great Potato Famine. Most voyages took about 3 to 4 months. Conditions on board were usually quite good for the time, but one particular ship, the Clifton, was called the Ship of Sorrows because 46 people died during the voyage (most of them were children coming from the Irish potato famine).  

Names of cities, streets, and St.Patrick’s day celebrations in NZ attest to the Irish and their numbers and influence.

Through the gate and door and into the 1800's

Sometimes we have to open doors not just to new places but also new people.  Vance did, and met a family from Japan who lived in Tokyo near the Tachikawa Air Force Base where Vance lived when he was a little boy.  Small world. 

The gate entrance to the mill.

Door to the woodshed, hope you don't have to go there.

Entrance into the little Methodist Church in the village.  Catholic and Anglican congregations were also accommodated.  Church attendance was mandatory (the penalty for missing church twice was: No income, no pension money, no house or land, and you would be sent to the debtors’ prison)!

Now the church is a popular place for weddings.

The Old Schoolhouse

The top-of-the-line pen set in 1850

Vance waits at the entrance (exit) with our guide "Janet"

Janet with the Downs and Stosichs.

Cafe entrance from the old mirror

A quote from  The Sound of Music:"When God closes a door somewhere He opens a window." 

Here is one in a village home that works both ways, as its a door that doubles as a window.  

Along the fence near the gate a solitary flower changed the landscape.  Flowers do that so well.  

I need to be more like a flower.

1850 car park

Through the gate to the door of a familiar "out" building of the time.

Looking from one gate to another, the little Howick Church door.

Just inside the kitchen door

Before spring loaded gates, many used the “ball and chain” mechanism to keep the gate shut.  Howick sported some of these gates.  Maybe “balls and chains” keep other gates shut too. 

Glad these YSA wander through the doors at AIB and join us for devotionals, lunchsides and classes.  Above are the "girls" from Tuesday night class.

Lunchside speaker Arti Shardanand, served a mission in Minnesota with our friends President and Sister Gleed!  Small world. (THOTL more next week)

More lunchside crowd

Its nice after a long day to arrive at the entrance of your own home, your door home (#302A door to our little home/flat).  There’s no place like “home”…hopefully your earthly home, but definitely your heavenly home.

Many doors we take by ourselves.  This week family and friends on earth said goodbye to our good friend Mike Wilson who took the door “home” and made his entrance into the realms of heaven.  Heaven gained a great man.

web lds quote of the day

We talked in class this week of different entrances/gates/doors we find in our path.  Old familiar ones we sometimes need to close, and new unfamiliar ones we might need to open and step through. Sometimes what seems like a tragic or sad ending of sorts, may be just a new opportunity to take (or push us to take) a new door with something we need, or that needs us.

web quote

It takes faith to step into the unfamiliar that we can’t see just yet.  

web photo lds

Revelations 3 and 4 speaks of entrances and doors, both ones we open and ones opened for us to take.  Both take faith :

 “I have set before thee an open door”…

”a door in heaven was opened”, 

He is the One “that openeth, and no man shutteth, and shutteth and no man openeth.”, 

and He declares “Behold I stand at the door and knock, if any man hear my voice and open the door, I will come in…”

May you find faith and the good doors.

Love you, 

Vance and Louenda 

Elder and Sister Downs