CLAUDIA

July 8, 2010 Thursday



Some people just make your heart ache. We drove out to 12 Mile to meet a less active member, Tony Connelly, today . He’s from New Zealand and a brother to another fellow in the ward who is also inactive. 12 Mile is just what it says: 12 miles outside of town. It must have been named before Australia went metric. It’s an area of just 3 very long, parallel streets. The lots are huge. All down one street, people have planted hundreds of mango trees. They make mango wine, chutney, etc., and have a big mango festival in September. Tony lives halfway down the middle street. There were at least 3 trailers sitting around on the property; only one looked big enough to live in and it was in tatters. However, there was a huge steel barn-like building. We pulled up by it and could see a bar and some bar stools in it against a far wall. A lady, Claudia, came out and announced, “He’s not here.” A little boy about 3 years old also came out. Claudia, it turned out, is Tony’s “partner.” She’s from Germany and met Tony 4 years ago when she was backpacking around Australia. Tony wasn’t home, and Claudia tried to let us know that we shouldn’t bother him but let him contact us when he is ready. She’s from Berlin. We just felt bad for her living in a metal barn out in the sticks with a husband who travels a lot. They also had a camel in a pen out in the back as well as chickens, dogs and goats. As we talked, you could tell that she wished she lived in Germany. At least she’s been back to visit every year.
We had YW here tonight. Two members and 3 of their friends came. It was good. We watched the beginning of the YW General Meeting at the end of March. Then they worked on their YW journals we are starting. They are so uneducated in the gospel that it makes you feel bad. They do dress up to come over. Three of them wore really nice spaghetti strap tops. There is so much to do here!