Mother and Son Make The World Their Classroom for a School Year: January 25, 2015 (Queenstown, NZ)

We woke up and headed to church, grabbing a fast breakfast in the restaurant at the Rees Hotel. Today was a big day for the Branch with it’s Branch Conference and having members from the Branch that live several hours away. The missionaries were standing in the street which was good since the church was easy to miss in a residential neighborhood. Sam was able to pass the Sacrament again.The speakers and the theme of the meeting was “back to basics” and encouraging their branch members to focus this year on prayer and scripture study and being reminded of the blessings that come when we communicate with our loving Heavenly Father in a meaningful way and study the scriptures with a desire to draw closer to the Father and his Son Jesus Christ. I can personally testify to the feeling of peace and calm that comes when each day whether at home or on the road we read the scriptures and pray together and on our own. We have greater love for each other and more peaceful feelings.

It was a nice meeting followed by Sunday School study of the New Testament and being reminded of Christ’s example as we read from Matthew- even he who was perfect set a perfect example in all things by being baptized and living his teachings and his great commandment of Love One Another. Following church there was a lunch for all the members since so many people were visiting for the Branch Conference and for Devin #Supertramp Fireside. Really fun to feel part of a community here and what a blessing to be able to worship with a community of people with the same values and goals throughout the world. www.mormon.org

After lunch we came back to the hotel and got caught up on things while Sam worked on his homework for his lesson today with April. He got caught up on his blog last night and then had a bunch of math to do today. Hard week to get anything since we were so busy with our adventures and out of cell, email and technology this week on the Track.

Tonight’s fireside was great. Devin Graham with Team Supertramp was giving a fireside in Queenstown. He makes all the adrenaline videos and has become a YouTube sensation. https://www.youtube.com/user/devinsupertramp. He is from Utah and so it was so strange that we ran into him at Melford Sound the other day and then that we were able to hear him speak here in Queenstown. He and Parker, one of the guys that does a lot of the filming as well, spoke to us. They are all members of the LDS Church and they showed their “Best-of” video to get the night started. Their message was basically be true to you. Be true to your standards, your beliefs, and to your passions. All 4 of the guys that work and film together all quit their jobs and started following their passions and became videographers, and have become a huge sensation and are being hired by companies all over the world to make films. New Zealand travel tourism is here paying for their whole trip and helicopters, boats etc so they can make films about New Zealand. They post one a week on Youtube and their films are just awesome. They spoke about how they haven’t compromised their standards while doing this, even when they have had to turn down opportunities, and as a result they have received more gigs because they are clean, exciting, family friendly films. They haven’t had to give into the world of sex appeal. Their standards are challenged nearly every day and as they have been true to their standards and their passion they have been blessed and even more successful. It was an inspiriing message of being true to you, all of you, and that when we follow our passions, we will be successful. And through our success we can inspire and lift others.