When I was first assigned it was to Lower Hutt as the junior companion to Arthur Elledge. Elder Elledge had served a mission to New Zealand as a young teenager who had just recently joined the Church. He said that he was shipped up north where they only spoke Maori. He knew neither the language nor the Gospel and he said that he had a miserable time and felt that his mission was a failure. So he had always wanted to return to New Zealand and serve again. He and his wife had several daughters (5 or 6?) as well as a younger adopted daughter. When all but the youngest daughter were raised and out of the home, Elder Elledge's wife encouraged him to return to New Zealand while she stayed home with their youngest and she supported him teaching school. He was fluent in the Maori language and often as we rode the streets on our bicycles he would shout out to men working on the rail lines or the streets and greet them in Maori. He was a great missionary! When President Ballif returned home, President Robert L. Simpson came to take his place in the North Mission and President Alex Anderson came to take his place in the South Mission. I was called to Auckland by President Robert L Simpson to serve as 2nd Counsellor in the Mission. I had the wonderful opportunity to travel the mission with President Simpson as he visited all the branches and districts. You can't believe the kai that was served us everywhere we went. The Saints, especially the Maoris, were really excited to see President Simpson since he had served among them as a young missionary under President Matthew Cowley and spoke their language fluently.
My wife Carole and I had the wonderful opportunity to return to New Zealand as Senior Couple Missionaries. We served for three months in the Mission Office and then twenty months in Queenstown. Our first mission president was President Staples and our last mission president was President Finnigan. We had a wonderful experience!!!!
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