New Zealand: THE FINAL CHAPTER!

Seriously... this is it!

Auckland
After parting ways with the Shipleys and my dad, Dan and I spent six days in Auckland, where Dan served his Samoan-speaking mission back in 2000-2002. It's been eight years since Dan has been back, but whenever he has told me about his mission, I've always known how special it is to him. I mean, every RM says their mission is the best. But Dan insists, "No, really. It's the best mission on earth!" There was even a sign posted on the church bulletin, so I guess it must be true!

Dan was a little ill-prepared to find the Samoan friends and family he had promised to visit again someday. In fact, they had never even emailed in all this time and had no idea Dan (Elder Tifa) was in the country! Our first day in Auckland felt like a scavenger hunt. We searched all over the Internet: Google, facebook, Bebo... trying to find any information on a special missionary companion named Kelli Faiese. It wasn't looking promising. We prayed together, and I continued to pray in my heart that we'd be able to somehow find him. While wandering the mall, we decided to grab some lunch when Dan ran into a Samoan missionary and made conversation. Turns out, this new missionary thought he might be able to help us find Faiese! Dan bought the four missionaries lunch and stuffed their pockets with money (as was customary when he served there) and we promised to stop by their apartment that evening. In the meantime, we drove all around and talked to various people, still trying to find Faiese.

That night, the elders asked how our day was. Just after I finished babbling in detail about the different leads we had found and how we thought we had a contact for someone who probably knew where Faiese was, the elder said, "I have his number. Do you want it?"

WHAT?? Dan and I were ecstatic, and I listened happily while Dan spoke Samoan on the phone with his friend who lived only ten minutes from our hotel. The reunion the next day was sweet:

  Eight years later and exactly the same... OK, maybe not exactly.

Faiese played a key role in Dan's mission experience. He taught Dan how to speak Samoan and the true essence of being an effective missionary and friend. I was so happy to finally meet this man I've heard so much about, as well as his wonderful wife, Lisa. We had fun spending a couple days with them talking, shopping and eating KFC: Dan's missionary life-line to the U.S.! Apparently, they ate there ALL THE TIME. On our last day in New Zealand, KFC (of all places) was Dan's choice for lunch. I could only shake my head and enjoy the grease. Faiese and Lisa were so good to us! We can't wait until they visit us in Las Vegas in a couple years.



Faiese kept this box of Dan's letters and pictures because Dan didn't have enough room in his suitcase when he returned home from his mission. Faiese promised to keep it and return it when Dan fulfilled his promise to visit New Zealand... He kept it all these years, moving it with him everywhere he went, even Australia!

Dan took me to Piha beach, just to take a look at the black sand. It was gorgeous!

Bishop Lui and his family had us over for dinner one day for my first "Samoan feed". Samoan food is different and probably not a favorite, but I was excited to try new dishes. Dan said my willingness to "eat like a Samoan" (and not be picky) won me a lot of brownie-points over the next few days. That's one trait I'm quite proud of!

One of my favorite evenings was singing Samoan hymns with the Lui family. We sang A Capella and the first one was Taumafai. As every one's voices blended in harmony, Dan and I wanted to cry, but we also didn't want to stop singing. I've never heard Taumafai sung like that, with pure Samoan voices and words filling the room with all the parts. So beautiful, with an instant call to the Spirit. We sang for quite a while, me doing my best to pronounce the words (which I was told I did a good job with. I'm grateful Dan helped me with the pronunciation at the airport.) Since many of the hymns are similar in melody to English hymns, I was able to naturally sing harmony while focusing on reading the words. Singing helped me instantly connect with this family in ways I may not otherwise have been able to. Listening to Dan belt out in Samoan is always a treat, too. Now I understand why he used to memorize the hymns so he could just close his eyes during sacrament meeting and listen to the voices. I will never forget that night.

Taisau was another friend Dan was so thrilled to find. Dan was so sad and feeling a little depressed when he heard Taisau moved to Australia. Fortunately, he was in town for just a couple more weeks before he and his entire family moved to Australia for good. We found him just in time! This family took great care of Dan and the other missionaries. The love they have for him still was so apparent! They were kind to often speak in English for my sake, but I actually really loved hearing Dan speak Samoan. Truly, he was in his element. While he criticized himself, everyone else commended him on his ability to still speak like a Samoan.

They all said Dan's personality hasn't changed a bit--especially his love for the children. He enjoyed teasing and playing with them all. I told everyone he is well loved by all kids in America, as well.

More Samoan feeds! Taro with coconut milk is a staple, eaten with side-dishes such as "buttered-fish" (sounds sketchy but actually really good!) and "sioposui" (chop-suey) noodles. The BBQ-ed meats were all delicious, too.

Koko-Samoa! Their version of hot chocolate. I've never seen Dan eat so much food (which is how one shows gratitude for the time and effort spent cooking for guests, and missionaries in particular), as well as drink so much Koko! It's made from  natural, ground coco-beans so it almost has a hint of coffee bean flavor and is a touch bitter. But there was something about it that was very soothing and comforting, so we sat around for hours drinking that stuff with biscuits and crackers.

We spent much time with Taisau and his family. They were so kind to give us some beautiful wood carvings and crafts from his family's village in Samoa. Absolutely amazing, quality work! One thing I learned very quickly: Samoans are very generous and willing to give you anything you might accidentally hint that you like. Dan had to quiet my innocent compliments a couple times before he explained why I needed to stop sharing my opinions on their belongings!

The Siva
A siva is the Samoan word for "dance". There were two sivas happening on the same night from two different wards Dan served in. We crashed both of them so Dan could run into more families. People were so excited to see him!

Multiple families contributed to our attire that night, giving us lava-lavas, the shirt, necklaces, earrings, bracelet... such sweet people! (P.S. I really popped while in New Zealand! I think i was partially bloated, though, because after a few days of being home, my belly seemed to go down a bit. But it's growing!)

Sister Lui and me

Bishop Lui and Dan

Taisau and his beautiful daughter!

After a night of dancing and awards to celebrate the New Year, everyone was going crazy for the camera and wanted their picture taken! This originally started as a picture of four people, and then every second that passed, more and more people were jumping into the shot until I was standing at the back of the room, laughing and snapping away!

The kids are so cute!

It was a very eye-opening experience for me to see Dan return to a land he loves so much, and to be embraced by people who have never forgotten him. I truly understand better how the Samoans view missionaries: They are honored messengers from God, who are revered and respected at the greatest level by Samoans. They fight over feeding them, taking care of them, building relationships with them... so much that eight years later, they laughed and literally cried at the sight of one "Elder Tifa!" the "White Samoan", also known as "Tautala So'o", which means, "Never stops talking!" He really was  the center of attention, always, with his mouth constantly moving. I thought he was pretty funny in English, but apparently, he's a riot in Samoan! I did have to tell him when he tried to explain jokes to me that the humor definitely got lost in the translation.

I don't know why, but it was really attractive to see and hear Dan speak and behave like a Samoan. I was so proud to watch people's eyebrows rise in shock to hear him speak. At the airport, a group of fifteen Samoan kids crowded around him when he replied to a question in Samoan. They lined up to shake his hand and exchange a word and giddy smiles. What a special place New Zealand is.

When Ty passed away, I didn't care about New Zealand anymore. I didn't care if getting pregnant right away ruined the trip. It would not be the same, anyway... but now, I am so grateful we were able to go and experience a beach paradise, and a beautiful culture, and remember a mission experience. We were also able to share Ty's story with so many people. We brought his picture with us to each home and explained about our son. We even watched his video on New Year's Eve with Taisau's family, allowing them to see just a peek of the kind of father "Elder Tifa" turned into. In these small ways, Ty was with us the entire trip.

I'm grateful for this baby growing in my belly, (19 weeks here!) and for the hope she brings me.

Thanks, Dan, for an amazing vacation and experience! Someday, we'll be back.