For those of my readers who are fond of reading my reviews of nearly everything I encounter, it might seem a bit strange that such reviews have been rather silent recently, and for that I feel I must give at least some explanation. One of the struggles I faced during my travels this year that seems somewhat unusual to me is the combination of having many things to review, several perspectives to keep in mind, a sleep schedule that never seemed to work itself out, and some particularly unhelpful internet that hindered the time I did have when I was not busy doing other things or having to ration my internet to handle essential functions like checking into flights and so on. By the time I arrived in New Zealand I already had two hotels, restaurants, and flights to review, and most of that seems to have gotten buried underneath the things that needed to be done until there seemed to be no point in doing them at all.

Some of the reviews, unfortunately, presented particular difficulties. For example, how fair is it to review things where you happen to be heavily involved, especially where any comments and criticisms may seem particularly personal. New Zealand was a relatively small site at just a bit more than 100 people, some of whom we spent a lot of time with, and that influences how one views a feast. I was very fond of the time I spent around the other brethren, but at the same time it seemed as if at least some of the people who spoke could have used a bit of seasoning and training to organize their thoughts better and avoid rambling and going way overtime.

One faces a similar challenge in reviewing the various hotels and restaurants where we ate. I was generally fond of the places where ate, for example, but was more critical about the places where we stayed. Yet here it is intriguing to compare my perspective to that of the others who were traveling with me. For me, while the place where we stayed for the Feast had a great location and friendly staff and was excellent as far as things relating to customer service went, the facilities themselves were lacking. The wifi was simply awful, and that matters to me a lot, being someone nearly permanently connected to the internet (for better and worse), and very irritated at connections which would go up and down after mere seconds to minutes, much less staying on for long periods of time. For my stepfather, though, the place was absolutely wonderful, mainly because we were able to get a first-story room that allowed him to get in and out easily, and with his limited mobility that ease mattered more than internet he didn’t use. Sometimes venues and places are experienced very differently depending on who is involved, and it is worthwhile to give voice ot that, even if it makes one’s recounting of things more complicated as a result.

In general, there is one thing I would like to comment on, and thought to comment on at greater length, about the rather practical sense of the feast. Many of the festival messages (including my own) discussed practical matters about how the Feast of Tabernacles points to a better world for humanity–not just in abstract ways, but in ways like sleeping peacefully in one’s bed unafraid of violence and terror, having enough food to eat, and living under a government that actually cares about the lives and well-being of ordinary people as well as being able to serve effectively. The festival family day even, like last year in South Africa, even included a trip to a commercial farm, indicating the rather prosaic nature of the millennium as including prosperity on all levels relating to the ordinary population, rather than just elites. This is a trend I would enjoy seeing continue. There is something worthwhile about thinking what makes life better for all people, not just those people who fancy themselves to be future elites.