Travel Journal: Sabbath in Auckland, New Zealand

By Jim Franks

Friday, April 10, 2014, was an amazing day in Auckland! Prince William and his wife, Kate, were in town. In fact, they were not just in town, they were at the Auckland Harbour about two blocks from our hotel. We walked down to the harbor and joined the large crowds gathered on boats and on the wharf. There were so many people that we really couldn’t get a clear view of the couple, but we can always say that we were there when they sailed out of Auckland Harbour, truly a unique experience.

We spent most of the remainder of the day Friday catching up on email and preparing for the Sabbath, the Passover and the first day of Unleavened Bread. A lot will happen over a period of about 72 hours. Sharron and I are looking forward to meeting the members at services tomorrow. We had a nice Sabbath dinner on Friday evening with the elders in New Zealand: Art Verschoor, André and Elize van Belkum, and Jeff Caudle.

Sabbath services in Auckland

Sabbath morning was a time of preparation for the afternoon sermon. I took my sermon from the final prayer that Christ gave in the garden on the night of the Passover. In Luke 22:42 we read where Christ prayed that the Father would take the “cup” away from Him, but He added “not My will, but Yours, be done.” This is the essence of Christianity and the central theme of the Passover. It is one lesson that we must repeat regularly. The model prayer that Christ gave in Matthew 6 contains the phrase “Your will be done.” If we have the mind of Christ (Philippians 2:5), we will always seek to follow God’s will and not our own.

For services, we met downtown near our hotel with 60 or so brethren. In addition to those who were present, we had more than 100 on the webcast. The members in New Zealand are spread from Auckland, at the top of the North Island, to Stewart Island at the very tip of the South Island. Although New Zealand is not a large country, there is quite a distance from the north to the south. The only weekly service is held in Auckland. Since many members are unable to make the long trip each Sabbath, they use the webcast to stay in touch with their New Zealand brethren.

The congregation in Auckland is composed of 10 different nationalities. The Tongans compose one of the largest groups, followed by the Fijians and the Filipinos. Others are from Africa and the U.K., and a few are actually native New Zealanders. The blend of island people makes for a very warm and friendly group of brethren.

After services, we were treated to a fine buffet dinner catered by a local company. We enjoyed lamb and chicken, along with potatoes, yams and other vegetables. It was very good, and there was plenty for everyone. After the meal and after the Sabbath, we were entertained by dancing and singing. One of the more interesting performances was a group singing the hymn “As the Deer” in six different languages, beginning with English.

At the conclusion of the entertainment, the Tongan members presented Sharron and me, along with André and Elize, with a special gift. It was a native plaque that we will add to our collection of memorabilia from around the world.

Interviewing our elder from Tonga

Two guests at services were Heamasi Ta’ufo’ou and his wife, Kelela, from Tonga. He is an elder in the Church of God, a Worldwide Association, but lives in Tonga where we do not have a congregation. Heamasi and Kelela travel to New Zealand for the holy days and other special occasions. While in New Zealand, Heamasi conducts special Bible studies in the Tongan language for the local brethren.

On this trip he came for the Passover and also to see us while we were in the country. It was a great pleasure getting acquainted with both of them. We actually met some years ago while they were in the Cincinnati area for a ministerial conference, but we haven’t seen each other in more than 10 years.

Mr. and Mrs. Ta’ufo’ou have quite a story to tell about the history of the Church in Tonga and the South Pacific. I recorded an interview with the two of them that I plan to show on In Accord when I return to the U.S.

It was truly an inspiring day. I very much enjoyed having the opportunity to meet and fellowship with so many brethren. After spending the day and enjoying a meal with everyone, we really feel like we know them! Tomorrow night we will be observing the Passover, followed by the Night to Be Much Observed and the first day of Unleavened Bread. We have one free day scheduled for touring on Monday.

I plan to write one more journal entry before we head for home on Wednesday afternoon. I hope you are enjoying reading about our trip. I can assure you that we are enjoying it immensely!

From Auckland, New Zealand,

Jim Franks