Thankful

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Nothing like 3 of the wonderful 6 1/2 grandkids to make Elder Downs thankful.

 Life is loaded with blessings, so much to be thankful for! 

So we ask ourselves “Why is not "Thankful" the name of the blog every week?” Well it is this week.

Chinese Christmas Choir at Mangere Market square

We are blessed and thankful to be able to serve a mission in New Zealand.

We are thankful that Christmas comes wherever you are in the world.

We are thankful that HE came. 

(We are Thankful Olivia shared her Christmas tree with us)

 We are thankful to serve with these humble loving New Zealanders who are also thankful that He came, and have great faith that He will come again.  We share their faith and love for Him in gatherings large... 

 or small.

 We are thankful for our colleagues at S & I (Seminaries and Institutes) and thankful we get to have a Thanksgiving/Christmas dinner together  (Cordis restaurant).

We are thankful for family, and for airplanes that can bring them closer to us.  We are thankful that Ali and Ben and their family flew safely here to share our newest little granddaughter Catharine (with sisters Adi and Gwynee) with us..bliss!!!
We are also thankful they brought their other grandpa and grandma Larsen too.  
And we are  thankful that we are on semester break so we can enjoy them.

 We are thankful that there are enough seashells on the beaches for Gwyneth and Adelaide, and for the masses to collect and discover  (and still an ocean of them left over).

 ...and even thankful there's enough for the big people to find too.

We are thankful for great friends here and there, and for fellow missionaries (like the Stosichs' who go home this week).  Friends are a wonderful thing to have and to be thankful for! 

We are thankful that the sunshine came out in time for a hike with family up One Tree Hill on an otherwise rainy day. 

We love the old Bing Crosby version of "Count Your Blessings Instead of Sheep"   

Shaunthesheepmovie web photo

We tried counting the sheep in the regular pasture at One Tree Hill but they were all gone 

so we worked on counting the blessings, what we are thankful for instead...when you do that it seems you never run out of things to count.

 We are thankful for museums that fill big and little minds with all of God's amazing creations like big Moa birds...

 ...and butterflies...and chances to pretend to be one.

 We are thankful for our new friends from Japan who think Elder Downs is the BFG (Big Friendly GIANT) and wanted to take pictures of him and his blonde granddaughters.  He's just a smidge taller than his new friends...

We are thankful for the rain that make New Zealand green...heaps of it.
We are also thankful that sometimes when big rain happens it catches you still inside so you don't wet or get swept down stream.

We are thankful for Blessings -and today for the Literal Baby BLESSING of little Catharine Golda Larsen.  Ali and Ben waited to bless her until both sets of grandparents could be there...so they came to New Zealand.  She was blessed in the Takapuna YSA 2nd ward.  We thought it might be a great object lesson to help get these "forever dating/hanging out" young people interested in marriage and families ... lol.

We are thankful to be grandparents.

We are thankful that the Lord keeps giving us THOTL (The Hand of the Lord) experiences.

 Two little girls wanted hula skirts at the local market.  Now, after some great conversations, the clerk who sold them to us, Judy, wants to come to church with us.  

Again this past week we have seen His Hand giving us guidance to be where someone was in need, direction-literal and spiritual, safety, breaks in the weather at just the right times, blessings of health, and even meeting old friends 7000 miles from home. 

 

Adi and Gwynee Larsen and Tucker Hatch

THOTL: A reunion for the Larsen's when they recognized David Hatch and his wife (who is a daughter to the Rowberry's serving here in NZ and visiting this wee) from their home ward in Murray Utah!

Another THOTL- Saw a familiar face in the congregation at church - Rich Jones (President and Sister Jones lived in our neighborhood years ago, they served as mission president in Atlanta Georgia from 1997-2000)!  Long story but they just happened to pick this ward to visit on their NZ trip...love it! 

Being Thankful

Being thankful doesn't usually bring you money, but it can make you rich.

Being thankful is not a weapon... but it can give people amazing power.

Being thankful probably won't change your outside circumstances...but it does wonders for attitude and the inside circumstances of your heart.

Being thankful may not give you great knowledge...but it can give you greater perspective. 

Being thankful doesn't restore eyesight..but it has the power to "heal the blind".

Being thankful is not a pill...but we've seen it save the depressed and downtrodden.

Being thankful is simple...but for many it seems to be very hard.

Being thankful, being grateful is actually a commandment and obedience brings great blessings.

Being thankful can replace hate with healing, and bring hope when life feels empty and lost. 

We have much to learn still about being more thankful, more grateful, and more vocal about our blessings, especially in being thankful for our Savior Jesus Christ and His amazing and infinite atonement.  It gives us great hope, and much to be thankful for. We pledge to keep trying.

We love you!

Vance and Louenda