Sunday, June 27, 2010
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
WHAT HAPPENED TO FATHERS’ DAY?
JUNE 21, 2010 Monday
This morning we called Sam, and he picked up the phone and said, “Happy Fathers’ Day from the United States.” What a surprise! We’d forgotten all about it. We had a good chat with him. He’s at Travis AFB getting lasik surgery this week. I also talked to Marjorie. She’s in the rehab center and doing well. We called Jamie for her birthday, and she said Jared is going to work for half a day on Monday over there, so he must be feeling pretty good.
Tonight we had Family Home Evening here. I made cinnamon rolls, and Sister Robinson brought juice and some little meat pies and sausage rolls that were pretty good. She had just bought them at the store. It was to start at 6:30, and Raphael, one of our aboriginal members, showed up at 4:30 announcing he was “a little bit early.” So he came in and had dinner with us. I was just finishing up stuff for the lesson, so Orson set out stuff for sandwiches. We got a chance to ask him about some of the aboriginal culture that was interesting. Before the white folks came, aboriginals would put a person’s dead body up high on a framework like a tall bed. They would leave the body there. Now they have to bury bodies in cemeteries because he said, “No one would like the stink.” Before, they would just pack up and leave the area.
There’s a young kid, Caleb, who’s 13 or so, who lives in the neighborhood and was friends with the elders. He dropped by this afternoon, so we invited him to FHE. He came back at 5:30. He and Raphael (Raffey for short) entertained each other with a deck of cards for a while. Then we put in a Living Scriptures video of “Nephi & the Brass Plates.” Raffey seemed to enjoy it. Caleb kept on messing around with the cards. Sister Eastland showed up. We were surprised because she’d told us she probably wouldn’t come when we took her the invitation last night. Carolyn Shires, a Beehive, who lives in the area, came and also the Robinsons. So we had 10 of us here.
I gave a lesson from the FHE manual, “Commandments, A Gift from a Loving Father.” Orson had made a game of the names of the presidents of the church and when they had served. Then we ate. Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. We’d printed some assignments (opening prayer, scripture, etc.) on some balloons and had folks pull them out of a box. Caleb ended up with the closing prayer. He chose not to do that—not surprising since he’s never heard the lessons or been to church. But, we can count tonight as a “Lesson with Member Present” because he came. It’s kind of funny how you become very aware of that kind of stuff after you’ve been out a while. It turned out to be a fun night, and I sure am tired.
This morning we called Sam, and he picked up the phone and said, “Happy Fathers’ Day from the United States.” What a surprise! We’d forgotten all about it. We had a good chat with him. He’s at Travis AFB getting lasik surgery this week. I also talked to Marjorie. She’s in the rehab center and doing well. We called Jamie for her birthday, and she said Jared is going to work for half a day on Monday over there, so he must be feeling pretty good.
Tonight we had Family Home Evening here. I made cinnamon rolls, and Sister Robinson brought juice and some little meat pies and sausage rolls that were pretty good. She had just bought them at the store. It was to start at 6:30, and Raphael, one of our aboriginal members, showed up at 4:30 announcing he was “a little bit early.” So he came in and had dinner with us. I was just finishing up stuff for the lesson, so Orson set out stuff for sandwiches. We got a chance to ask him about some of the aboriginal culture that was interesting. Before the white folks came, aboriginals would put a person’s dead body up high on a framework like a tall bed. They would leave the body there. Now they have to bury bodies in cemeteries because he said, “No one would like the stink.” Before, they would just pack up and leave the area.
There’s a young kid, Caleb, who’s 13 or so, who lives in the neighborhood and was friends with the elders. He dropped by this afternoon, so we invited him to FHE. He came back at 5:30. He and Raphael (Raffey for short) entertained each other with a deck of cards for a while. Then we put in a Living Scriptures video of “Nephi & the Brass Plates.” Raffey seemed to enjoy it. Caleb kept on messing around with the cards. Sister Eastland showed up. We were surprised because she’d told us she probably wouldn’t come when we took her the invitation last night. Carolyn Shires, a Beehive, who lives in the area, came and also the Robinsons. So we had 10 of us here.
I gave a lesson from the FHE manual, “Commandments, A Gift from a Loving Father.” Orson had made a game of the names of the presidents of the church and when they had served. Then we ate. Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. We’d printed some assignments (opening prayer, scripture, etc.) on some balloons and had folks pull them out of a box. Caleb ended up with the closing prayer. He chose not to do that—not surprising since he’s never heard the lessons or been to church. But, we can count tonight as a “Lesson with Member Present” because he came. It’s kind of funny how you become very aware of that kind of stuff after you’ve been out a while. It turned out to be a fun night, and I sure am tired.
ICE CREAM SUNDAY
JUNE 20, 2010 Sunday
ICE CREAM SUNDAY
Today we spoke in Sacrament Meeting. I had prepared a talk about service, and Orson spoke about the scriptures and used Elder Christofferson’s April conference talk as the basis. It seemed very strange to be standing at a pulpit giving a talk to 11 people, 3 of who were young kids, 2 teenagers, 2 indigenous brethren, an elderly sister, and 3 “just regular” adults. It was a different feeling because you could see everyone’s individual reaction and wonder how they were receiving what you were saying. Another thing I’ve noticed about a small branch: just when you get the sacrament and begin to ponder its significance in your life during the past and coming weeks, it’s over. It doesn’t take long to pass to very few people. I need to concentrate more on pondering the sacrament before I get to church, not think I can do that during the sacrament service itself.
Today was “Ice Cream Sunday.” It’s a tradition that on the Sunday after Fast Sunday someone brings ice cream, cones, & cups so folks can enjoy a few minutes of socialization after church. It’s a great idea, especially when you are ready for lunch.
Julia Eastland came today for the first time. She’s a sister from Perth who came 8 months ago to help her daughter through some emotional problems and is still here. She’s probably in her mid 70’s and very sharp gospel-wise. When she was young, her dad was the oldest branch president in the church; he was in his 90’s. We were happy we had been able to contact her and give her directions to the church. Our sharp young man who contacted us yesterday didn’t come. Such are the disappointments of missionary work. This afternoon we took some invitations around to Family Home Evening that we are holding at our house tomorrow night.
ICE CREAM SUNDAY
Today we spoke in Sacrament Meeting. I had prepared a talk about service, and Orson spoke about the scriptures and used Elder Christofferson’s April conference talk as the basis. It seemed very strange to be standing at a pulpit giving a talk to 11 people, 3 of who were young kids, 2 teenagers, 2 indigenous brethren, an elderly sister, and 3 “just regular” adults. It was a different feeling because you could see everyone’s individual reaction and wonder how they were receiving what you were saying. Another thing I’ve noticed about a small branch: just when you get the sacrament and begin to ponder its significance in your life during the past and coming weeks, it’s over. It doesn’t take long to pass to very few people. I need to concentrate more on pondering the sacrament before I get to church, not think I can do that during the sacrament service itself.
Today was “Ice Cream Sunday.” It’s a tradition that on the Sunday after Fast Sunday someone brings ice cream, cones, & cups so folks can enjoy a few minutes of socialization after church. It’s a great idea, especially when you are ready for lunch.
Julia Eastland came today for the first time. She’s a sister from Perth who came 8 months ago to help her daughter through some emotional problems and is still here. She’s probably in her mid 70’s and very sharp gospel-wise. When she was young, her dad was the oldest branch president in the church; he was in his 90’s. We were happy we had been able to contact her and give her directions to the church. Our sharp young man who contacted us yesterday didn’t come. Such are the disappointments of missionary work. This afternoon we took some invitations around to Family Home Evening that we are holding at our house tomorrow night.
WE WERE CONTACTED. TWICE!
JUNE 19, 2010 Saturday
This morning we visited the “Courtyard Market.” There’s a big old house near the town area that was built as the headquarters for the cable company in the early 1900’s. Broome has now taken the building as its courthouse. The property around it is large and has lots of mature trees of all kinds on it. Every Saturday during the tourist season, a market is held similar to a farmer’s market. The biggest difference was the lack of fruits and vegetables. The majority of the stands were craft type stuff with paintings, t-shirts, jewelry, etc. There were two aborigine men on opposite sides of the courthouse playing didgeridoos with their hats out so folks could toss in coins. And then the cutest thing: a girl of 12 or so was playing her flute with a dish in front of her. I guess if there isn’t a youth symphony to play in, you can always perform at the market. One lady had a booth with handpainted t-shirts and also some puppies in a plastic container with high sides so they couldn’t get out. They would whine and bark until someone paid attention to them. I’m not sure if she was trying to get rid of them or if she brought them along to attract people to her booth.
We did some contacting there and then went to the grocery store to pick up supplies for cinnamon rolls for Family Home Evening. While I was shopping, a fellow came up to Orson and started talking to him. Rod’s familiar with the church and has played basketball here with the elders at times. He and Orson had a great conversation about the lecture we went to the other night.
After lunch, we stopped at the other shopping center in town to find a basket for some of our kitchen things. As we were walking there, a young man rushed out of a coffee place and asked if we were Seventh Day Adventists. He’d seen our badges and wanted to know who we were. He’s here in Broome volunteering at Notre Dame University, but he’s not Catholic. We talked to him, and he agreed that we should have apostles and prophets. He gave us his name and phone number. We explained where church was and that it’s a lay ministry. We may see him tomorrow. If not, we will call him for sure.
Tonight, our neighbor across the street had her 70th birthday party. She had invited us over with a warning that there would be lots of drinking. Oh my word! That was an understatement! We stayed long enough to eat some emu curry (dark meat, kind of like beef) and some crocodile (white, but tough). They’d also roasted a pig. We were just happy to leave. Thank heavens for the Gospel!!! Jello, punch, and cookies aren’t all bad!
This morning we visited the “Courtyard Market.” There’s a big old house near the town area that was built as the headquarters for the cable company in the early 1900’s. Broome has now taken the building as its courthouse. The property around it is large and has lots of mature trees of all kinds on it. Every Saturday during the tourist season, a market is held similar to a farmer’s market. The biggest difference was the lack of fruits and vegetables. The majority of the stands were craft type stuff with paintings, t-shirts, jewelry, etc. There were two aborigine men on opposite sides of the courthouse playing didgeridoos with their hats out so folks could toss in coins. And then the cutest thing: a girl of 12 or so was playing her flute with a dish in front of her. I guess if there isn’t a youth symphony to play in, you can always perform at the market. One lady had a booth with handpainted t-shirts and also some puppies in a plastic container with high sides so they couldn’t get out. They would whine and bark until someone paid attention to them. I’m not sure if she was trying to get rid of them or if she brought them along to attract people to her booth.
We did some contacting there and then went to the grocery store to pick up supplies for cinnamon rolls for Family Home Evening. While I was shopping, a fellow came up to Orson and started talking to him. Rod’s familiar with the church and has played basketball here with the elders at times. He and Orson had a great conversation about the lecture we went to the other night.
After lunch, we stopped at the other shopping center in town to find a basket for some of our kitchen things. As we were walking there, a young man rushed out of a coffee place and asked if we were Seventh Day Adventists. He’d seen our badges and wanted to know who we were. He’s here in Broome volunteering at Notre Dame University, but he’s not Catholic. We talked to him, and he agreed that we should have apostles and prophets. He gave us his name and phone number. We explained where church was and that it’s a lay ministry. We may see him tomorrow. If not, we will call him for sure.
Tonight, our neighbor across the street had her 70th birthday party. She had invited us over with a warning that there would be lots of drinking. Oh my word! That was an understatement! We stayed long enough to eat some emu curry (dark meat, kind of like beef) and some crocodile (white, but tough). They’d also roasted a pig. We were just happy to leave. Thank heavens for the Gospel!!! Jello, punch, and cookies aren’t all bad!
OPPOSITES
JUNE 15, 2010 THURSDAY
While we were still in Jandakot after we’d told people we were moving to Broome, Angela Margraf gave us 2 people to look up after we got up here. Today we did it.
First were the Shirleys, Camalee and Chey. They own an optical shop up here and have 3 children. Angela told us that they were children of a good friend of hers in Canberra. She said they were inactive. They weren’t on the ward list, so that let us know that they were “hiding” from the church up here. It’s very easy to do when you aren’t in one of the population centers like, Utah or Idaho. So we dropped by their shop today. Chey, (pronounced Shay), greeted us as if he had no clue who we were even though our dress and name tags are a dead giveaway. We told him that Angela had told us about them, and he acknowledged that he knew who she was. We chatted a bit about how long they’d been in Broome, how many kids, where they’d been before Broome, etc. Finally, I just flat out asked him if he was a member. His wife, Camalee, had come to the front of the shop by then but was also playing innocent. He admitted that he was. Orson asked him something that made him admit he’d even served a mission, but that their falling away had been “somewhat of a journey.” He wouldn’t explain that. Most of his family is active in the church, and he gets encouragement from his mum to return. He pretty much told us that we would be wasting our time with them. Something came up about Orson’s earlier mission, and it turned out that Camalee’s mum had served in the same mission at the same time as Orson. He couldn’t remember her, Sister Fielding. When we left, we left it that we wouldn’t “bother” them, but that we would drop by once in a while just to make sure that they were okay. They agreed to that. I mentioned that we were starting a Family Home Evening next week, but he declined to bring his kids. I kind of think the whole inactivity thing is more his idea than hers.
The other person Angela knows is Julia Eastland. She’s an older sister who lived in the Jandakot Ward. She moved up here 8 months ago because her daughter was having problems with depression, and she wanted to help her. She, too, wasn’t on the ward roster or in the phone book. We called Angela who got Julia’s phone # for us. Orson called her tonight, and she was thrilled to hear from someone in the church up here. There is really nothing publicity wise that would make it easy for someone to find the church up here. The phone for our house is listed under the church in one phone book but not in the other. There’s a list of Christian churches at the Visitor Information Center, but, of course, our church isn’t included in that. We are planning to make our own little flyer and see if we can post it in a few places around town. Anyway, Julia talked for a long time. She lives with her daughter and her daughter’s “partner,” which is a nice way of saying her “live-in” boyfriend. Julia doesn’t want to be a bother to anyone so she hasn’t tried to get them to help her find the church. Other than a triangular cardboard sign we put on the corner where you turn in to church on Sunday, there isn’t any way she could have found it without directions; and she’d have had to drive by during the 2 hours that is out to have seen it. She’s planning to come to church on Sunday.
We also delivered some more bread that we picked up yesterday to some more members, then we drove down to Cable Beach and gave some to folks who looked like they were traveling through. We met some interesting folks who were very appreciative of the bread.
I got on the branch computer to try to get the visiting teaching and RS records tonight. Obviously, no one has used it that knew how to do much on the MLS program. There is one visiting teaching district with 14 sisters on it with two different sisters listed as visiting teachers. One sister had 4 to visit and the other had 10. There are twenty RS sisters in the ward, and 4 YW. Four of the RS sisters live in Derby which is a town about 2 hours away. Another lives in a town about 8 hours away—we may not visit her. Orson and I will visit the ones in Derby. I’ll talk to Karen and Renee about their visiting teaching assignments and see what gives. I know the president (me, now) is partner to both of them. We’ll see how it goes.
While we were still in Jandakot after we’d told people we were moving to Broome, Angela Margraf gave us 2 people to look up after we got up here. Today we did it.
First were the Shirleys, Camalee and Chey. They own an optical shop up here and have 3 children. Angela told us that they were children of a good friend of hers in Canberra. She said they were inactive. They weren’t on the ward list, so that let us know that they were “hiding” from the church up here. It’s very easy to do when you aren’t in one of the population centers like, Utah or Idaho. So we dropped by their shop today. Chey, (pronounced Shay), greeted us as if he had no clue who we were even though our dress and name tags are a dead giveaway. We told him that Angela had told us about them, and he acknowledged that he knew who she was. We chatted a bit about how long they’d been in Broome, how many kids, where they’d been before Broome, etc. Finally, I just flat out asked him if he was a member. His wife, Camalee, had come to the front of the shop by then but was also playing innocent. He admitted that he was. Orson asked him something that made him admit he’d even served a mission, but that their falling away had been “somewhat of a journey.” He wouldn’t explain that. Most of his family is active in the church, and he gets encouragement from his mum to return. He pretty much told us that we would be wasting our time with them. Something came up about Orson’s earlier mission, and it turned out that Camalee’s mum had served in the same mission at the same time as Orson. He couldn’t remember her, Sister Fielding. When we left, we left it that we wouldn’t “bother” them, but that we would drop by once in a while just to make sure that they were okay. They agreed to that. I mentioned that we were starting a Family Home Evening next week, but he declined to bring his kids. I kind of think the whole inactivity thing is more his idea than hers.
The other person Angela knows is Julia Eastland. She’s an older sister who lived in the Jandakot Ward. She moved up here 8 months ago because her daughter was having problems with depression, and she wanted to help her. She, too, wasn’t on the ward roster or in the phone book. We called Angela who got Julia’s phone # for us. Orson called her tonight, and she was thrilled to hear from someone in the church up here. There is really nothing publicity wise that would make it easy for someone to find the church up here. The phone for our house is listed under the church in one phone book but not in the other. There’s a list of Christian churches at the Visitor Information Center, but, of course, our church isn’t included in that. We are planning to make our own little flyer and see if we can post it in a few places around town. Anyway, Julia talked for a long time. She lives with her daughter and her daughter’s “partner,” which is a nice way of saying her “live-in” boyfriend. Julia doesn’t want to be a bother to anyone so she hasn’t tried to get them to help her find the church. Other than a triangular cardboard sign we put on the corner where you turn in to church on Sunday, there isn’t any way she could have found it without directions; and she’d have had to drive by during the 2 hours that is out to have seen it. She’s planning to come to church on Sunday.
We also delivered some more bread that we picked up yesterday to some more members, then we drove down to Cable Beach and gave some to folks who looked like they were traveling through. We met some interesting folks who were very appreciative of the bread.
I got on the branch computer to try to get the visiting teaching and RS records tonight. Obviously, no one has used it that knew how to do much on the MLS program. There is one visiting teaching district with 14 sisters on it with two different sisters listed as visiting teachers. One sister had 4 to visit and the other had 10. There are twenty RS sisters in the ward, and 4 YW. Four of the RS sisters live in Derby which is a town about 2 hours away. Another lives in a town about 8 hours away—we may not visit her. Orson and I will visit the ones in Derby. I’ll talk to Karen and Renee about their visiting teaching assignments and see what gives. I know the president (me, now) is partner to both of them. We’ll see how it goes.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
A Double Whammy
JUNE 15, 2010
Tonight we had dinner with the Robinsons again. President Robinson wanted to talk to us about the branch and what he wanted us to do while we are here. We have kind of been waiting to see what he expected of us and what we could do. Now we know. Orson will act as first counselor in the presidency, and I will be the Relief Society president. I’d already heard that was sort of the traditional assignments for the missionary couples. But then he added, “And I’d like you to be the Young Women president also.” THAT was unexpected. Sister Crawford, the sister who was here with her husband last, had mentioned that she had started to do some stuff with the teenage girls. President Madison said that he’d asked every sister who had been here to try to do stuff with the girls and that Sister Crawford was the only one who had. But she had only done it once right at the end of the time they were here. She had sent a Book of Mormon reader and a set of gospel art pictures for the Rollason girls and a Book of Mormon reader for Carolyn Shires. It was like magic when we delivered them. The girls’ eyes lit up like Christmas trees when we mentioned Sister Crawford and that she’d sent them the books. If we can work and strengthen these girls, it will be a wonderful thing. Pretty much their parents are alcoholics and pot heads. If the church can hang onto them, it will be their only hope for a decent life. About the only thing the RS presidents have done is visiting teaching. Since we don’t have a separate RS on Sunday, I hope to plan a monthly evening activity. Sister Wylde and Sister Robinson both need some unstructured time with other women in the church. Also, Orson and I have been asked to talk in church on Sunday. We will also be teaching the “Combined RS and Priesthood Class” on a rotating basis with President Robinson. He gave us the “go-ahead“ to start a Family Home Evening here at the house.
We found a couple of inactive members yesterday. Diane Robinson lives out in the “boonies” on a lane that isn’t paved in a house that looks like it’s made of cinder blocks. We didn’t go in; she stood and talked to us at the gate. She works construction and isn’t home very often. We were blessed to catch her. Also we found Danielle Horton. She was cold when she first opened the door, but she warmed up to us after a bit. Her mum is active on the east coast and is coming to visit for 3 weeks. That should be a good influence.
Tonight we had dinner with the Robinsons again. President Robinson wanted to talk to us about the branch and what he wanted us to do while we are here. We have kind of been waiting to see what he expected of us and what we could do. Now we know. Orson will act as first counselor in the presidency, and I will be the Relief Society president. I’d already heard that was sort of the traditional assignments for the missionary couples. But then he added, “And I’d like you to be the Young Women president also.” THAT was unexpected. Sister Crawford, the sister who was here with her husband last, had mentioned that she had started to do some stuff with the teenage girls. President Madison said that he’d asked every sister who had been here to try to do stuff with the girls and that Sister Crawford was the only one who had. But she had only done it once right at the end of the time they were here. She had sent a Book of Mormon reader and a set of gospel art pictures for the Rollason girls and a Book of Mormon reader for Carolyn Shires. It was like magic when we delivered them. The girls’ eyes lit up like Christmas trees when we mentioned Sister Crawford and that she’d sent them the books. If we can work and strengthen these girls, it will be a wonderful thing. Pretty much their parents are alcoholics and pot heads. If the church can hang onto them, it will be their only hope for a decent life. About the only thing the RS presidents have done is visiting teaching. Since we don’t have a separate RS on Sunday, I hope to plan a monthly evening activity. Sister Wylde and Sister Robinson both need some unstructured time with other women in the church. Also, Orson and I have been asked to talk in church on Sunday. We will also be teaching the “Combined RS and Priesthood Class” on a rotating basis with President Robinson. He gave us the “go-ahead“ to start a Family Home Evening here at the house.
We found a couple of inactive members yesterday. Diane Robinson lives out in the “boonies” on a lane that isn’t paved in a house that looks like it’s made of cinder blocks. We didn’t go in; she stood and talked to us at the gate. She works construction and isn’t home very often. We were blessed to catch her. Also we found Danielle Horton. She was cold when she first opened the door, but she warmed up to us after a bit. Her mum is active on the east coast and is coming to visit for 3 weeks. That should be a good influence.
Big Dark Eyes
JUNE 12, 2010 Saturday
To the tune of “Popcorn Popping:” “I looked in the toilet and what did I see? Big dark eyes looking back at me.” Thank heavens the elders has warned us.
Today we drove back from Port Hedland. It was seven uneventful hours just like the trip down there had been. We listened to some General Conference CDs from 2001 that were in the bookcase here at the house. It was the conference right after September 11. It was interesting to hear references to what had happened and reflect back. It’s hard to believe it’s approaching 9 years already.
After we unloaded the car, we drove to the gas station to fill the tank. The church paid for our gas for the trip so we needed to get the tank filled again to know how much we spent on gas. Then we drove to Roebuck Estates to see if we could find a member there. Afterwards, the sun was just starting to set so we drove over to Cable Beach by the resort of the same name. All along the sidewalk above the cliffs down to the beach, people were lined up to watch the sunset. There were quite a few clouds that had barely started to light up when we got there. Sunset was incredible. We took a ton of pictures. A boat with three sails on it was out in the bay, and we got a picture of it in the line of reflection from the sun across the water. Up the beach a ways we could see people on their camels. It’s a tourist thing that people pay for to ride camels down the beach at sunset. It’s really quite picturesque in the photos we’ve seen.
We came home, and I went into the bathroom. I glanced in the toilet, and there was a green frog looking back at me. The elders had warned us about him only we thought he’d be just a little guy. Nope! His body was about the size of a small apple. We took his picture and then flushed. That was the end of that (until next time).
To the tune of “Popcorn Popping:” “I looked in the toilet and what did I see? Big dark eyes looking back at me.” Thank heavens the elders has warned us.
Today we drove back from Port Hedland. It was seven uneventful hours just like the trip down there had been. We listened to some General Conference CDs from 2001 that were in the bookcase here at the house. It was the conference right after September 11. It was interesting to hear references to what had happened and reflect back. It’s hard to believe it’s approaching 9 years already.
After we unloaded the car, we drove to the gas station to fill the tank. The church paid for our gas for the trip so we needed to get the tank filled again to know how much we spent on gas. Then we drove to Roebuck Estates to see if we could find a member there. Afterwards, the sun was just starting to set so we drove over to Cable Beach by the resort of the same name. All along the sidewalk above the cliffs down to the beach, people were lined up to watch the sunset. There were quite a few clouds that had barely started to light up when we got there. Sunset was incredible. We took a ton of pictures. A boat with three sails on it was out in the bay, and we got a picture of it in the line of reflection from the sun across the water. Up the beach a ways we could see people on their camels. It’s a tourist thing that people pay for to ride camels down the beach at sunset. It’s really quite picturesque in the photos we’ve seen.
We came home, and I went into the bathroom. I glanced in the toilet, and there was a green frog looking back at me. The elders had warned us about him only we thought he’d be just a little guy. Nope! His body was about the size of a small apple. We took his picture and then flushed. That was the end of that (until next time).
Whoops! It's District Conference
JUNE 11, 2010 Friday
I learned today that if there are only 3 companionships the conference is called a district conference. Broome, Port Hedland, and Karratha each have one set of missionaries. So President Maurer, his wife, and the AP’s brought the total in the conference to 10. We met IN the chapel of the tiny building here in Port Hedland. The building consisted of a combination kitchen/library, the font room, and the restrooms. The chapel had plastic chairs that could be hooked together at the arms. There were 4 tables we set up to sit at facing each other and a small white board that was used to project the power point stuff that was presented. It was much more casual than the first zone conference we attended the day after we flew in to Australia, but the spirit was good and we learned a lot. President Maurer focused on baptism, Sister Maurer on the Holy Ghost, and the APs talked about preparing lesson plans. For lunch the sisters in the branch had provided pumpkin soup and 4 kinds of sandwiches. (I wasn’t the only American who didn’t eat the pumpkin soup.) Dessert was a “Lamington” and vanilla ice cream. A Lamington is a two inch square piece of white cake about the texture of pound cake covered with a thin layer of chocolate on all 6 sides and rolled in cocoanut.
The Maurers are staying at the same hotel we are so we ate dinner with them tonight. This is their last trip up here since they will be home in Brisbane for the next 6-week cycle. They’ve done so much and worked so hard. The schedule of a mission president and his wife is a killer!
I learned today that if there are only 3 companionships the conference is called a district conference. Broome, Port Hedland, and Karratha each have one set of missionaries. So President Maurer, his wife, and the AP’s brought the total in the conference to 10. We met IN the chapel of the tiny building here in Port Hedland. The building consisted of a combination kitchen/library, the font room, and the restrooms. The chapel had plastic chairs that could be hooked together at the arms. There were 4 tables we set up to sit at facing each other and a small white board that was used to project the power point stuff that was presented. It was much more casual than the first zone conference we attended the day after we flew in to Australia, but the spirit was good and we learned a lot. President Maurer focused on baptism, Sister Maurer on the Holy Ghost, and the APs talked about preparing lesson plans. For lunch the sisters in the branch had provided pumpkin soup and 4 kinds of sandwiches. (I wasn’t the only American who didn’t eat the pumpkin soup.) Dessert was a “Lamington” and vanilla ice cream. A Lamington is a two inch square piece of white cake about the texture of pound cake covered with a thin layer of chocolate on all 6 sides and rolled in cocoanut.
The Maurers are staying at the same hotel we are so we ate dinner with them tonight. This is their last trip up here since they will be home in Brisbane for the next 6-week cycle. They’ve done so much and worked so hard. The schedule of a mission president and his wife is a killer!
Zone Conference
JUNE 10, 2010
Zone Conference, here we come! We got away from the house by 9 am this morning. Stopped for gas in Broome to make sure the tank was full. Gas stations aren’t very frequent outside the cities. We drove 320 km before we came to the first “road station.” The first “rest area” equipped with restrooms was 210 km from Broome. There was overnight camping there also, but there wasn’t any water provided. We took pictures of the “restroom.” It was made of the heavy corrugated metal that is used for houses here in the north on a cement pad. The throne was just a cement cylinder. No seat, no lid, no paper, nothing. Good thing I had Kleenex in the car! Once we got outside of Broome, it was “bush” on both sides for a long ways. We saw a small wallaby by the side of the road and several more squashed on the road just like deer and rabbits at home. The “bush” consists of trees about the size and shape of scrub oak. It’s not dense, and there isn’t a whole lot of underbrush. Just grasses. Then there are the plains—long stretches of mostly flat where you can see for miles. It’s grassy, and there are skinny cattle grazing, some behind fences and others free to roam the countryside and road. The road is a two lane highway. It was very smooth, no chuckholes, I guess because it doesn’t freeze and thaw here. However, off and on the whole way south, there were signs denoting “Flood Area.” These were where there were mild, long low spots. I guess when it rains it covers the road. In those areas there were posts about 2-2.5 feet tall with reflectors at the top along both sides of the road so that you could still see where the road is when it’s flooded. We saw lots of brown hawks soaring around looking for lunch.
When we pulled up to the first roadhouse, people were eating out of the trunk of their car. Walking around, hoping for treats were about 10 peacocks. They were just like the squirrels or seagulls we are used to at home. There were even two white ones. There were more hanging around a picnic table near the store where more people were eating. They didn’t let you approach them—mostly they stayed two feet or so away. I bent over and held out my hand to see if one would come up thinking I had something to eat, but I was totally ignored. There were 2 more roadhouses before we made it to Port Hedland but no more peacocks. We made it on one tank of gas but just barely. Gas in Broome is around $1.33/litre. At the roadhouses, they wanted $1.61/litre. We wandered into Port Hedland, and there was a huge pile of salt. It looked just like the big slag piles near Kennecott. It is a Rio Tinto Salt Mining operation. We finally found the library since we hadn’t seen anything else that might help us and went in to see if there was a map. The nicest lady was working there. She explained that our motel was in South Hedland, about 15 km farther south. She then copied the phone book map for us, took us outside after giving me a paper “to scribble” on, and gave us the most detailed instructions to our motel we could have ever been given. On the way down we had been listening to “Sunshine for Missionaries,” a CD we’d found at the house. In it was the story of a mission president who failed to contact a man sitting next to him at a McDonalds. The librarian was such a cute lady. So Orson talked to her about why we were here and that we’d like to come over and explain to her about the church and she said, “Sure.” So, the Port Hedland elders have a contact. She’s from South Africa and has only been here 4 years. They moved here because her husband got a job here. She has a daughter around 8 years old names Anna Marie.
We found our motel. It’s definitely not fancy, but it’s clean, and all 3 meals are included! It seems to be set up for the guys who live away from their families while working in the mines. Dinner had a nice variety. It was a buffet with 4 entrees, tandoori chicken, pork chop, spaghetti & meatballs, some kind of corned beef loaf, plus s two kinds of potatoes, two kinds of rice, creamed cauliflower, steamed broccoli, 3 desserts plus ice cream, sherbet, and toppings. Also there was a small salad bar. Breakfast is served between 4:30 am and 8 am. They don’t serve lunch but have stuff there at breakfast so we can pack a lunch. Like I said, I think it’s some kind of package deal for the men working in the mines away from their families. Port Hedland is a huge port where all kinds of minerals are exported. We took an old bicycle that had been in our house over to the Port Hedland elders here. They have 2 bicycles but no car. One of the bikes isn’t in too good of shape, so they are hoping to cannibalize one of the bikes to create another good bike. They are Elders Boaden, from Queensland, and Elder Nichols, from Lindon, Utah. Cute guys but they keep a messy front room.
Zone Conference, here we come! We got away from the house by 9 am this morning. Stopped for gas in Broome to make sure the tank was full. Gas stations aren’t very frequent outside the cities. We drove 320 km before we came to the first “road station.” The first “rest area” equipped with restrooms was 210 km from Broome. There was overnight camping there also, but there wasn’t any water provided. We took pictures of the “restroom.” It was made of the heavy corrugated metal that is used for houses here in the north on a cement pad. The throne was just a cement cylinder. No seat, no lid, no paper, nothing. Good thing I had Kleenex in the car! Once we got outside of Broome, it was “bush” on both sides for a long ways. We saw a small wallaby by the side of the road and several more squashed on the road just like deer and rabbits at home. The “bush” consists of trees about the size and shape of scrub oak. It’s not dense, and there isn’t a whole lot of underbrush. Just grasses. Then there are the plains—long stretches of mostly flat where you can see for miles. It’s grassy, and there are skinny cattle grazing, some behind fences and others free to roam the countryside and road. The road is a two lane highway. It was very smooth, no chuckholes, I guess because it doesn’t freeze and thaw here. However, off and on the whole way south, there were signs denoting “Flood Area.” These were where there were mild, long low spots. I guess when it rains it covers the road. In those areas there were posts about 2-2.5 feet tall with reflectors at the top along both sides of the road so that you could still see where the road is when it’s flooded. We saw lots of brown hawks soaring around looking for lunch.
When we pulled up to the first roadhouse, people were eating out of the trunk of their car. Walking around, hoping for treats were about 10 peacocks. They were just like the squirrels or seagulls we are used to at home. There were even two white ones. There were more hanging around a picnic table near the store where more people were eating. They didn’t let you approach them—mostly they stayed two feet or so away. I bent over and held out my hand to see if one would come up thinking I had something to eat, but I was totally ignored. There were 2 more roadhouses before we made it to Port Hedland but no more peacocks. We made it on one tank of gas but just barely. Gas in Broome is around $1.33/litre. At the roadhouses, they wanted $1.61/litre. We wandered into Port Hedland, and there was a huge pile of salt. It looked just like the big slag piles near Kennecott. It is a Rio Tinto Salt Mining operation. We finally found the library since we hadn’t seen anything else that might help us and went in to see if there was a map. The nicest lady was working there. She explained that our motel was in South Hedland, about 15 km farther south. She then copied the phone book map for us, took us outside after giving me a paper “to scribble” on, and gave us the most detailed instructions to our motel we could have ever been given. On the way down we had been listening to “Sunshine for Missionaries,” a CD we’d found at the house. In it was the story of a mission president who failed to contact a man sitting next to him at a McDonalds. The librarian was such a cute lady. So Orson talked to her about why we were here and that we’d like to come over and explain to her about the church and she said, “Sure.” So, the Port Hedland elders have a contact. She’s from South Africa and has only been here 4 years. They moved here because her husband got a job here. She has a daughter around 8 years old names Anna Marie.
We found our motel. It’s definitely not fancy, but it’s clean, and all 3 meals are included! It seems to be set up for the guys who live away from their families while working in the mines. Dinner had a nice variety. It was a buffet with 4 entrees, tandoori chicken, pork chop, spaghetti & meatballs, some kind of corned beef loaf, plus s two kinds of potatoes, two kinds of rice, creamed cauliflower, steamed broccoli, 3 desserts plus ice cream, sherbet, and toppings. Also there was a small salad bar. Breakfast is served between 4:30 am and 8 am. They don’t serve lunch but have stuff there at breakfast so we can pack a lunch. Like I said, I think it’s some kind of package deal for the men working in the mines away from their families. Port Hedland is a huge port where all kinds of minerals are exported. We took an old bicycle that had been in our house over to the Port Hedland elders here. They have 2 bicycles but no car. One of the bikes isn’t in too good of shape, so they are hoping to cannibalize one of the bikes to create another good bike. They are Elders Boaden, from Queensland, and Elder Nichols, from Lindon, Utah. Cute guys but they keep a messy front room.
The Bread Run
JUNE 9, 2010
There’s a bakery in town named Brumby’s. Its motto is, “Baked Today.” So at the end of each day, rather than just throw out what wasn’t purchased, they let different charitable groups come in and take the bread. Wednesday is our day. There we were at 4 pm with 3 huge heavy plastic shopping bags at Brumby’s. There was a really nice woman from the Red Cross there with a shopping basket. The Red Cross serves a breakfast every morning to the kids at the elementary school. So she got to go in first and take all the sliced bread, then we went in and took about 30 or more loaves of all kinds of bread: sourdough, white, wheat, multigrain, Turkish, French, baguettes. Then we filled another bag with rolls of every kind you could imagine plus croissants and bagels. They also had some pre-bagged rolls of some types. None of the bread was in bags. We came home and took out a couple of loaves of bread for us plus the croissants. Then we took off to deliver bread to some of the members who need help. Since we are brand new in town and haven’t met the members and didn’t know where they lived, it was a pretty slow process. Sister Robinson, the branch president’s wife, had given us a list of about 12 families we should try to see. It was kind of fun. We met a couple of ladies we hadn’t met before. Then it started getting dark, and we still had half the bread left. We had only gone to about half the names on the list. Since it’s a bear hunting for addresses and finding streets that you have no clue where they are, we headed to a small beach area we had driven past earlier in the day. There had been several vans there that looked like they might be camping. We found a group of 3 vans filled with young adult age kids from France. They were thrilled to get free bread. One girl, who turned out to be German and had somehow hooked up with the group, came up to me and said, “After 7 months in Australia, this is the nicest thing anybody has every done.” We told her we were with the Mormons and were happy to help. We drove to another area but didn’t see anymore folks to donate to, so we came home. We still have a bunch of bread. We’ll probably go back to the park in the morning where the transient aborigines hang out and give them the rest before we leave for Port Hedland.
Note of interest: The reason we were picking up the bread at 4 is because all shops in the shopping centers close by 5 pm. I guess the baker closes at 4 so he can be home by 5 also. Only entertainment venues and restaurants stay open past 5 pm. It’s really kind of a good thing because all the workers get to spend the evening with their families or at the soccer fields.
There’s a bakery in town named Brumby’s. Its motto is, “Baked Today.” So at the end of each day, rather than just throw out what wasn’t purchased, they let different charitable groups come in and take the bread. Wednesday is our day. There we were at 4 pm with 3 huge heavy plastic shopping bags at Brumby’s. There was a really nice woman from the Red Cross there with a shopping basket. The Red Cross serves a breakfast every morning to the kids at the elementary school. So she got to go in first and take all the sliced bread, then we went in and took about 30 or more loaves of all kinds of bread: sourdough, white, wheat, multigrain, Turkish, French, baguettes. Then we filled another bag with rolls of every kind you could imagine plus croissants and bagels. They also had some pre-bagged rolls of some types. None of the bread was in bags. We came home and took out a couple of loaves of bread for us plus the croissants. Then we took off to deliver bread to some of the members who need help. Since we are brand new in town and haven’t met the members and didn’t know where they lived, it was a pretty slow process. Sister Robinson, the branch president’s wife, had given us a list of about 12 families we should try to see. It was kind of fun. We met a couple of ladies we hadn’t met before. Then it started getting dark, and we still had half the bread left. We had only gone to about half the names on the list. Since it’s a bear hunting for addresses and finding streets that you have no clue where they are, we headed to a small beach area we had driven past earlier in the day. There had been several vans there that looked like they might be camping. We found a group of 3 vans filled with young adult age kids from France. They were thrilled to get free bread. One girl, who turned out to be German and had somehow hooked up with the group, came up to me and said, “After 7 months in Australia, this is the nicest thing anybody has every done.” We told her we were with the Mormons and were happy to help. We drove to another area but didn’t see anymore folks to donate to, so we came home. We still have a bunch of bread. We’ll probably go back to the park in the morning where the transient aborigines hang out and give them the rest before we leave for Port Hedland.
Note of interest: The reason we were picking up the bread at 4 is because all shops in the shopping centers close by 5 pm. I guess the baker closes at 4 so he can be home by 5 also. Only entertainment venues and restaurants stay open past 5 pm. It’s really kind of a good thing because all the workers get to spend the evening with their families or at the soccer fields.
Friday, June 4, 2010
The map at the MTC
We didn't get this sent while we were still in the MTC so this is a little late to post, but wanted to show everyone that we knew where we were headed.
City Contacting
May 13, 2010 Thursday
We had a new experience today. We went “city contacting.” It’s when a group of missionaries meet in the busiest part of Perth and contact people on the street for a couple of hours. We showed up along with 12 other missionaries. The leaders had brought a box of pass along cards, BoM’s, DVDs, etc., that we could use. We were in a plaza in front of the big post office which is adjacent to a 6 block area “walking mall.” There was a small alcove by the PO where we gathered for a prayer. We left the box there. They said they’d only had the box stolen once. We all scattered. Orson and I worked an area where lots of people passed. There were a few benches and sitting areas. I found I liked to sit down by a “mature” woman who wasn’t texting or listening to music. I’d start visiting with her and then explain why we were there, a little about the gospel being restored with the fullness of Christ’s teachings. I had some good conversations, and got 2 names for follow-up. I spent a lot of time with one woman who had heard about the church 30 years before but she couldn’t get over Joseph Smith. We talked a lot about the questions she had about the plan of salvation. She never did give me her info, but I think I got her questioning some things she’d never thought about before. She took a card with the phone # where she can call and request a visit. When we finished, we met with the missionaries and returned what we hadn’t handed out. The box was still there.
We had a new experience today. We went “city contacting.” It’s when a group of missionaries meet in the busiest part of Perth and contact people on the street for a couple of hours. We showed up along with 12 other missionaries. The leaders had brought a box of pass along cards, BoM’s, DVDs, etc., that we could use. We were in a plaza in front of the big post office which is adjacent to a 6 block area “walking mall.” There was a small alcove by the PO where we gathered for a prayer. We left the box there. They said they’d only had the box stolen once. We all scattered. Orson and I worked an area where lots of people passed. There were a few benches and sitting areas. I found I liked to sit down by a “mature” woman who wasn’t texting or listening to music. I’d start visiting with her and then explain why we were there, a little about the gospel being restored with the fullness of Christ’s teachings. I had some good conversations, and got 2 names for follow-up. I spent a lot of time with one woman who had heard about the church 30 years before but she couldn’t get over Joseph Smith. We talked a lot about the questions she had about the plan of salvation. She never did give me her info, but I think I got her questioning some things she’d never thought about before. She took a card with the phone # where she can call and request a visit. When we finished, we met with the missionaries and returned what we hadn’t handed out. The box was still there.
Finally, some pictures!
A very determined flower.
A picture of our car and flat.
A local drive thru.
The meat shop that I use.
The grass growing on the sand.
Lois and Trevor Pinnell
Training and a few more contacts
May 28, 2010 Friday
Today we met the Nielsens who are the new office missionaries. They lived just east of Layton Hills Mall. He was a civil servant at Hill AFB for 41 years. She taught at the school for the blind in Ogden. What nice people! They have a 30 year old son living in their house while they are gone and 4 other children living along the Wasatch front. We went to the Mission Office to teach her how to do referrals. It’s such a mind boggling thing the first little while. I had typed up a 3 page paper about the process. Also Orson has worked on the list of cities (small suburbs) in the proselyting areas. It really helps you get the referrals to the right elders. Sister Nielsen and I spent 2 ½ hours getting her able to enter new referrals into Referral Manager (a program used worldwide developed at the MTC). Then I had her print the reports of the newly entered reports so she could learn that process and what to do with them. She had several more new referrals to work on this afternoon. She only called me once with a question; either she’s very good or I’m a great teacher ;o)
This afternoon we went out to the Hamilton Hill area of the ward to contact inactives. Most of the folks weren’t home, so we wrote them a note saying we had dropped by. At one house a man yelled through the door, “What do you want?” We replied we were looking for Kristy somebody. He opened the door, took one look at us, said, “Oh no, no!” and shut the door. We didn’t even get a chance to ask him if she lived there or not. Just before dark, we stopped at a house on the list. A fellow came to the door and said he’d been renting there for 5 months and he didn’t know who the person was that we were looking for. So we explained we were from the church and would like to visit with him and tell him about it. He said he was Roman Catholic, so we explained that there had been changes in Christ’s church through the past 2000 years and that our church is like the one Christ organized. He stood there a minute with his head down, and both of us thought he would tell us he wasn’t interested. Instead, he opened the door and said, “Come in!” So we went in and he called his wife, Sylvia, to come in. His name was Max. They have 3 children. We started again talking about the need for a restoration. There was a knock on the door and it was a friend of theirs, Noel. They explained that they were studying to pass the English test so they could get citizenship in Australia and that Noel came over every night to study with them. They are from the Philippines. Max explained a little bit to Noel about what we were telling them. He asked what the name of the church was. When we said it again, Noel exclaimed, “Oh, the Mormons. They are in the Philippines. They have lots of churches and young missionaries there.” Then Max realized we were Mormons and then wanted to know why we have that nickname. So we were able to talk about the Book of Mormon and how it’s a 2nd witness for Christ. They were so cute and so friendly. It was fun to be there. We asked if we could come back and bring them a Book of Mormon and teach them. They said we could but that it would have to be after June. So we made an appointment for July 4 (a Sunday) at 3:30. We just loved them—it’s too bad we won’t be able to follow up with them. But what a thrill it was to find them. It made our day.
On the way home, the moon came up. It was one of those huge, beautiful full moons that look so neat. By the way, it gets dark by 6 pm and is still dark in the morning until 6:30 or so. The daylight hours seem awfully short! I haven’t heard anything about daylight savings down here.
Today we met the Nielsens who are the new office missionaries. They lived just east of Layton Hills Mall. He was a civil servant at Hill AFB for 41 years. She taught at the school for the blind in Ogden. What nice people! They have a 30 year old son living in their house while they are gone and 4 other children living along the Wasatch front. We went to the Mission Office to teach her how to do referrals. It’s such a mind boggling thing the first little while. I had typed up a 3 page paper about the process. Also Orson has worked on the list of cities (small suburbs) in the proselyting areas. It really helps you get the referrals to the right elders. Sister Nielsen and I spent 2 ½ hours getting her able to enter new referrals into Referral Manager (a program used worldwide developed at the MTC). Then I had her print the reports of the newly entered reports so she could learn that process and what to do with them. She had several more new referrals to work on this afternoon. She only called me once with a question; either she’s very good or I’m a great teacher ;o)
This afternoon we went out to the Hamilton Hill area of the ward to contact inactives. Most of the folks weren’t home, so we wrote them a note saying we had dropped by. At one house a man yelled through the door, “What do you want?” We replied we were looking for Kristy somebody. He opened the door, took one look at us, said, “Oh no, no!” and shut the door. We didn’t even get a chance to ask him if she lived there or not. Just before dark, we stopped at a house on the list. A fellow came to the door and said he’d been renting there for 5 months and he didn’t know who the person was that we were looking for. So we explained we were from the church and would like to visit with him and tell him about it. He said he was Roman Catholic, so we explained that there had been changes in Christ’s church through the past 2000 years and that our church is like the one Christ organized. He stood there a minute with his head down, and both of us thought he would tell us he wasn’t interested. Instead, he opened the door and said, “Come in!” So we went in and he called his wife, Sylvia, to come in. His name was Max. They have 3 children. We started again talking about the need for a restoration. There was a knock on the door and it was a friend of theirs, Noel. They explained that they were studying to pass the English test so they could get citizenship in Australia and that Noel came over every night to study with them. They are from the Philippines. Max explained a little bit to Noel about what we were telling them. He asked what the name of the church was. When we said it again, Noel exclaimed, “Oh, the Mormons. They are in the Philippines. They have lots of churches and young missionaries there.” Then Max realized we were Mormons and then wanted to know why we have that nickname. So we were able to talk about the Book of Mormon and how it’s a 2nd witness for Christ. They were so cute and so friendly. It was fun to be there. We asked if we could come back and bring them a Book of Mormon and teach them. They said we could but that it would have to be after June. So we made an appointment for July 4 (a Sunday) at 3:30. We just loved them—it’s too bad we won’t be able to follow up with them. But what a thrill it was to find them. It made our day.
On the way home, the moon came up. It was one of those huge, beautiful full moons that look so neat. By the way, it gets dark by 6 pm and is still dark in the morning until 6:30 or so. The daylight hours seem awfully short! I haven’t heard anything about daylight savings down here.
Ritu and Manoz visits
May 27, 2010 Thursday
Today we talked to Ritu. She is the Indian girl who we talked to here in our “apartment” complex. She had asked us to come at 11:30 in the morning so her husband would be home. We had hoped he would listen too, but he didn’t. He didn’t even stick around long after we arrived. Ritu is very cute. She got married in India in December and came here for one month. Then she had to return to India and get a “spouse visa.” Her husband is also from India, but he already has his permanent citizenship. She’s been here just 2 months. She’s very curious to learn about Jesus Christ. She knew a little bit about him from what she studied in school. She and her husband are Hindus; they are from Northern India. We explained some stuff about how Christianity differs from her religion. (Orson started reading a lot about the eastern religions about 3 years ago. It sure has come in handy since we got here.) She said she would check with her husband to see if he will watch a DVD about Christ with us the next time we come. She just dressed in regular western clothing. I guess I thought all Hindu women dressed in the sari.
We went to see Manoz. He had read all of 1st Nephi. We’ve been praying hard that he would be able to understand better what he is reading. We read the first two chapters of 2nd Nephi with him. Chapter 2 is what Lehi said to Laman and Lemuel about agency and opposition and Adam and Eve. When we finished, Manoz said, “This is what I’ve been looking for in this book; not history, but the good stuff!” He loved reading about the doctrine. His prayer today at the end of our meeting with him was so sincere and pure about learning the truth from us. He already starts his prayers with, “Our Father in Heaven,” and ends it with, “In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.” We talked to him a few days ago how important it is to end our prayers that way so that Satan has no chance to “hijack” what we are praying. He seems to understand that.
It’s been raining off and on all morning and early afternoon. Then around 4 pm, it just started to rain steadily. It was cold too. We went to the library tonight to use the internet to enter some referrals.
Today we talked to Ritu. She is the Indian girl who we talked to here in our “apartment” complex. She had asked us to come at 11:30 in the morning so her husband would be home. We had hoped he would listen too, but he didn’t. He didn’t even stick around long after we arrived. Ritu is very cute. She got married in India in December and came here for one month. Then she had to return to India and get a “spouse visa.” Her husband is also from India, but he already has his permanent citizenship. She’s been here just 2 months. She’s very curious to learn about Jesus Christ. She knew a little bit about him from what she studied in school. She and her husband are Hindus; they are from Northern India. We explained some stuff about how Christianity differs from her religion. (Orson started reading a lot about the eastern religions about 3 years ago. It sure has come in handy since we got here.) She said she would check with her husband to see if he will watch a DVD about Christ with us the next time we come. She just dressed in regular western clothing. I guess I thought all Hindu women dressed in the sari.
We went to see Manoz. He had read all of 1st Nephi. We’ve been praying hard that he would be able to understand better what he is reading. We read the first two chapters of 2nd Nephi with him. Chapter 2 is what Lehi said to Laman and Lemuel about agency and opposition and Adam and Eve. When we finished, Manoz said, “This is what I’ve been looking for in this book; not history, but the good stuff!” He loved reading about the doctrine. His prayer today at the end of our meeting with him was so sincere and pure about learning the truth from us. He already starts his prayers with, “Our Father in Heaven,” and ends it with, “In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.” We talked to him a few days ago how important it is to end our prayers that way so that Satan has no chance to “hijack” what we are praying. He seems to understand that.
It’s been raining off and on all morning and early afternoon. Then around 4 pm, it just started to rain steadily. It was cold too. We went to the library tonight to use the internet to enter some referrals.
Transferred already!
May 25, 2010 Tuesday
Well, today started out quite normal. We did some work on referrals at the library. Orson called President Maurer about an item, and he asked that we drop by the office during the day. We went to visit Winston Bristow. He’s in his early 70’s, is a widower and inactive. What an interesting man! He’s originally from England and traveled around the world at least 3 times as a young man working on tramp steamers. He spent anywhere from a couple of months to a year in any port that interested him. He finally settled here, married and raised a family. His front yard is an English garden. He’s planted flowers up close to the window so he can watch the birds. He raises all kinds of vegetables in his back yard. He’s into organic gardening. We asked how he could raise anything in the sand that is here, and he said you have to feed it constantly. He has 8 compost bins in his back yard and then gets manure from a local stable. He joined the church after a friend referred him, but I think he became inactive after his friend moved away. He has 3 kids, none of whom live in Australia anymore. One son now lives in England so Winston is thinking of selling and moving back there. He visits there every 2 years and enjoys the siblings and cousins who still live there. He really has no family here. It makes you sad for people who are so alone.
I had an appointment at noon to get some prescriptions written. Kate Hammond is the doctor the mission uses. She was very nice. There were probably 8 doctors in the clinic. The doctor would come out and take you back to his/her own examining room. No PA’s or nurses to take your vitals and enter it into the computer. The doctor did it all. Sure seemed different from Intermountain Healthcare’s set-up. The receptionist (one for all these doctors) also took your payment. Dr. Hammond asked me about a brief medical history, took my blood pressure and then wrote prescriptions.
From there we went to the mission office. President Maurer said he had an assignment for us that would be both “exciting & challenging.” After spending just 4 weeks (five by the time we move) in Jandakot Ward, he is transferring us to Broome. Broome is way up north from here. We will fly to get there. It has a tiny branch of the church, and the branch president has just told the president that he and his family will be moving out by the end of the year at the latest. Broome is a town of 5000 people which swells to 30,000 in the winter because of tourists. The branch is struggling and the president wants us there ASAP so we can get acquainted and possibly have Orson be the branch president if the current one leaves soon. He’s leaving at the end of the year for sure. There are 2 young elders there now, but they will be moved out after we get there. The wife of the last missionary couple up there was the RS President. She also said she got YW going, but it was dropped after they left. It will be hot up there! At least we are going up there in the cool part of the year. Orson is giddy with excitement about being a “country elder” again. I’m nervous. I’ve never worked in a branch that small. We don’t even have a chapel. We meet in some rooms at a technical school, I think. We will probably fly up there a week from Friday. There’s a new senior couple, the Nielsens from Layton, coming in tomorrow to work in the office. We will train Sister Nielsen to handle the referrals before we go. Now we understand why President Maurer was so slow in working to get the internet into our flat here. Elders will probably move back in here when we leave. Lots to worry about, but I’m sure the Lord will help us. It will be tropical with all the bugs, spiders, and snakes you can expect in that type of climate.
Well, today started out quite normal. We did some work on referrals at the library. Orson called President Maurer about an item, and he asked that we drop by the office during the day. We went to visit Winston Bristow. He’s in his early 70’s, is a widower and inactive. What an interesting man! He’s originally from England and traveled around the world at least 3 times as a young man working on tramp steamers. He spent anywhere from a couple of months to a year in any port that interested him. He finally settled here, married and raised a family. His front yard is an English garden. He’s planted flowers up close to the window so he can watch the birds. He raises all kinds of vegetables in his back yard. He’s into organic gardening. We asked how he could raise anything in the sand that is here, and he said you have to feed it constantly. He has 8 compost bins in his back yard and then gets manure from a local stable. He joined the church after a friend referred him, but I think he became inactive after his friend moved away. He has 3 kids, none of whom live in Australia anymore. One son now lives in England so Winston is thinking of selling and moving back there. He visits there every 2 years and enjoys the siblings and cousins who still live there. He really has no family here. It makes you sad for people who are so alone.
I had an appointment at noon to get some prescriptions written. Kate Hammond is the doctor the mission uses. She was very nice. There were probably 8 doctors in the clinic. The doctor would come out and take you back to his/her own examining room. No PA’s or nurses to take your vitals and enter it into the computer. The doctor did it all. Sure seemed different from Intermountain Healthcare’s set-up. The receptionist (one for all these doctors) also took your payment. Dr. Hammond asked me about a brief medical history, took my blood pressure and then wrote prescriptions.
From there we went to the mission office. President Maurer said he had an assignment for us that would be both “exciting & challenging.” After spending just 4 weeks (five by the time we move) in Jandakot Ward, he is transferring us to Broome. Broome is way up north from here. We will fly to get there. It has a tiny branch of the church, and the branch president has just told the president that he and his family will be moving out by the end of the year at the latest. Broome is a town of 5000 people which swells to 30,000 in the winter because of tourists. The branch is struggling and the president wants us there ASAP so we can get acquainted and possibly have Orson be the branch president if the current one leaves soon. He’s leaving at the end of the year for sure. There are 2 young elders there now, but they will be moved out after we get there. The wife of the last missionary couple up there was the RS President. She also said she got YW going, but it was dropped after they left. It will be hot up there! At least we are going up there in the cool part of the year. Orson is giddy with excitement about being a “country elder” again. I’m nervous. I’ve never worked in a branch that small. We don’t even have a chapel. We meet in some rooms at a technical school, I think. We will probably fly up there a week from Friday. There’s a new senior couple, the Nielsens from Layton, coming in tomorrow to work in the office. We will train Sister Nielsen to handle the referrals before we go. Now we understand why President Maurer was so slow in working to get the internet into our flat here. Elders will probably move back in here when we leave. Lots to worry about, but I’m sure the Lord will help us. It will be tropical with all the bugs, spiders, and snakes you can expect in that type of climate.
FHE with Natasha
May 24, 2010 Monday
So sad. Tonight we went to Natasha’s to do FHE with her and her kids. She had them all showered and in their pj’s by 6:30 when we got there. Her son, Joshua, is 10 and had the door open looking for us when we drove up. Her daughter is Emily and is 8 years old. They also have a little brother, Oliver, who is 14 months. The kids were so cute and excited to have us there. Joshua and Emily played the piano for us. Their mom, Natasha, was on the phone when we got there, and she kept on talking for a while after we were there. We finally were able to start the FHE. Orson gave a prayer, and then we gave them each a pass-along card with the picture of Jesus by the tomb. They knew who he was and some of the good things he did. It sounded like they had learned it at school. They knew why we celebrate Christmas & Easter. Then we talked to them about Heavenly Father and gave them the words to” I Am a Child of God.” We taught it to them. Their mom just sat there the whole time smiling, but she wouldn’t even try to sing. We explained that Heavenly Father wants us be happy and cares about us. We explained prayer and asked them to pray before going to bed. Emily gave the closing prayer with me helping her. We had brought along some cookies (“biscuits” as they call them here), and the kids were happy about that. Orson asked Natasha if we could drop by again to talk with her. She turned us down. We felt so bad. We are going to give her a couple of weeks and then ask her if we can come back and do another Family Home Evening. She’s a single mom, and the kids are obviously from 2 different dads. She still uses her maiden name. She needs the Gospel so much is her life. She was baptized when she was about 12, but I doubt she knows much about the church.
So sad. Tonight we went to Natasha’s to do FHE with her and her kids. She had them all showered and in their pj’s by 6:30 when we got there. Her son, Joshua, is 10 and had the door open looking for us when we drove up. Her daughter is Emily and is 8 years old. They also have a little brother, Oliver, who is 14 months. The kids were so cute and excited to have us there. Joshua and Emily played the piano for us. Their mom, Natasha, was on the phone when we got there, and she kept on talking for a while after we were there. We finally were able to start the FHE. Orson gave a prayer, and then we gave them each a pass-along card with the picture of Jesus by the tomb. They knew who he was and some of the good things he did. It sounded like they had learned it at school. They knew why we celebrate Christmas & Easter. Then we talked to them about Heavenly Father and gave them the words to” I Am a Child of God.” We taught it to them. Their mom just sat there the whole time smiling, but she wouldn’t even try to sing. We explained that Heavenly Father wants us be happy and cares about us. We explained prayer and asked them to pray before going to bed. Emily gave the closing prayer with me helping her. We had brought along some cookies (“biscuits” as they call them here), and the kids were happy about that. Orson asked Natasha if we could drop by again to talk with her. She turned us down. We felt so bad. We are going to give her a couple of weeks and then ask her if we can come back and do another Family Home Evening. She’s a single mom, and the kids are obviously from 2 different dads. She still uses her maiden name. She needs the Gospel so much is her life. She was baptized when she was about 12, but I doubt she knows much about the church.
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