Once

 There are lots of good things in our lives that happen just once.
Each unique sunset  (this one just across from our flat) is never exactly duplicated,
it just happens once.   

Kenau Taranaki and Ana Saulala  had a "once" kind of day this week...they got married. 

Then they headed off to Fiji to get sealed in the temple.  

 These past two years have been full of many “once’s:

"Once we..." lived in a place with fresh ocean air, walked daily on the beach, 

tried new food and saw new places, met new people,
wore missionary badges and taught the words of Christ, 

and we got to see the world from a different place and perspective.

Once we lived by the Ocean

We will miss being able to start our day with a walk on the beach. 

We will remember all the "once's" we saw and felt and breathed in on those walks.

 On our walk this week we met a sand dollar who also did a "once" thing that we're sure 

he hopes doesn't happen again, he got stranded on the beach.  

So we had him smile for a photo and then helped him back into a safer place for sand dollars

...the water. 

Sometimes just seeing things even once 

imprints nice memories and pictures and feelings

inside.

Once we knew, and loved, and ate food with, and hung out with awesome Kiwi YSA's

 Another once-in-a-lifetime for us has been the chance to work with great 

Kiwi's - Samoan, Tongan, Chinese, Brazilian, Filipino, Fijian...

  Maori, Niuean, and heaps more YSA from all over the world...Ethan, Sela and Losa here
are just a few.

 We got to try some things once and some things more than once.

Once was fun but probably enough for the kina, and octopus.

Some food we get more than once...here we are doing our weekly run to Domino's 

with Awa and Boomer for the YSA's beloved pizza. 

Dominos pizza here tastes a bit close to pizza at home 

and for YSA its part of a "once a week" diet.  

The chef at the University cafe next door said he could make us some minestrone soup
for one of our devotional lunches.  This was the "minestrone" soup ?????
It had a very spicy curry taste.  Definitely a "once".

 This lovely YSA's name is just that...Lovely.  She is a gem and one of a kind!

This week was a small gathering for our "Oodles of Noodles", where we see if we can find answers to their questions in the scriptures or words of prophets....while eating noodles of course.

Once we got to work with positive, happy people like Phillip Skeen and Leeanne Krull  (and Tafi Taotua our first year)         

 A sweet "once" moment happened when this cute Skeen family (watching a DVD we gave them) stopped by with parting gifts.   They gave us 2 priceless Tongan gifts, an incredible tapa cloth and a tapa painting.

 The tapa cloth is made from the bark of mulberry trees.   The process includes stripping the bark, separating the inner bark and drying it in the sun, then soaking it and beating it into paper.  A huge long process with many more steps, then they paint it.  What a gift!!!

This painting is on tapa also and done by and amazing tapa artist Tevita Pola'apau.  

It is actually 3 dimensional.  Never seen anything like it!  

We are definitely seeing the world differently than before with each new "once-in-a-lifetime"  thing, or person, or opportunity.

A Once-in-a-lifetime Prophet's Visit

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 But one of the great highlights of these “once” opportunities of our mission had to be this past week watching the people of the Pacific and here in New Zealand treasure and embrace a visit from the Lord’s prophet, President Russell M. Nelson.  
 For these people it may very possibly be just “once”.

  The missionaries at the special missionary devotional who prayed and prayed 

for something like this were so humble and in awe, 

especially as they got to shake the prophet's hand and get a photo with him.

 It was a “once” kind of experience to see how they then flocked to be in the same arena later that night with him as he and his wife (and others) taught a sweet message from God just special for this people.  We will forever rethink the many times (and future opportunities) we have had and will have to see, in person, a prophet.

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 He announced the location for the new Auckland New Zealand Temple in his evening talk,, as the very spot we had met with him earlier for the missionary devotional.  Pretty sweet!

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His words can be recorded and carry a wonderful message…but everyone seemed to agree that as powerful as the words were, the feeling was far greater.  We felt much like it says in 3 Nephi 17:17 speaking of the Savior and His words:

…”no tongue can speak, neither can be written by any man…the joy which filled our souls…” (and 19:32-34) “And the multitude did hear and do bear record; and their hearts were open and they did understand with their hearts…Nevertheless, so great and marvelous were the words…that they cannot be written.”  

When the spirit takes some wonderful words of knowledge and moves them into our hearts, 

we begin to understand things we often can’t express.  

That seemed to be the case for many as they listened

to a prophet and his wife speak the words of God.  

 It’s those kinds of things we seek and need to feel often, not just “once” in a lifetime. 

Missions are a great place to experience that.

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The greatest things we have seen, felt and come to understand 

have to do with the reality of the love and mission of the Savior.

 A dear hymn speaks of things that happened to fulfill that mission "once" when 

He was upon the earth.

                Jesus, once of humble birth, now in glory comes to earth.
                Once he suffered grief and pain; now he comes on earth to reign.

                Once a meek and lowly Lamb, now the Lord, the great I Am.
                Once upon the cross he bowed, now his chariot is the cloud.
  
                Once forsaken, left alone, now exalted to a throne.
                Once all things he meekly bore, but he now will bear no more.

 His Atonement, born for us, was a "once" thing for Him, 

it only needed to happen once.

But completed perfectly, it offers to those who choose him

 a gift of help and healing and hope that goes on and on,

Once He becomes the central focus of our lives, 

we can come to know and understand 

more than words can express.

Of that we testify! 

Love,

Elder and Sister Downs

Vance and Louenda