Staying in Christchurch!

Hello Everyone,
SOOOOO... this week is Transfers!!!!1 AAAAAND... I am staying in Christchurch. So by the end of this transfer I will have been here for 8 months hahaha. Time has gone really fast here! It is crazy!
One of the Sister Training Leaders left a few days early to get ready for school, so her companion is staying with us for the time being.

So this week wasn't too busy for us, in fact I am a bit down about the work here. It feels like we are hitting lots of dead ends, and there isn't anyone to teach and the people we are kind of teaching are not progressing. It's tough, but that happens on the mission I guess.
I'm also feeling sad because one of my favorite families, the TePuke's are moving to Australia. I hate saying goodbye!

Anyway! This week's highlight for me was being able to offer some service at a memorial service. A lady in our ward, her father passed away unexpectedly from a heart attack. They are a hard out Maori family so the memorial was very cultural! After the service as the body was being carried out of the chapel and put into the car, the grandsons and a few others did a haka. It was SO powerful and hakas always make me cry, which this one especially did because they did it with such heart and emotion, even as tears were rolling down their cheeks, they were able to channel their inner culture and do this amazing thing for someone they loved a lot. I love the culture here. As the body was being driven away, his wife, did a special goodbye haka for him which had me all emotional again. It was such a beautiful thing to witness.

I have to go now! Love you all! Have an amazing week!

Love, Sister Golden