WHERE IT BEGAN
INSIDE THE GOSNELL TRAIN MARKET
GOSNELL MARKET
FUNNY SCULPTURE
Sunday, January 30, 2011
RANDOM PHOTOS
LEAK BELOW PAVERS IN FRONT OF OUR COMO FLAT
WHERE IT BEGAN
INSIDE THE GOSNELL TRAIN MARKET
GOSNELL MARKET
FUNNY SCULPTURE
WHERE IT BEGAN
INSIDE THE GOSNELL TRAIN MARKET
GOSNELL MARKET
FUNNY SCULPTURE
RATS
January 30, 2011 Sunday
Friday Orson had his first district meeting. The ZL’s decided to be there for it. We all introduced ourselves. It was interesting to hear the different expressions concerning their missions and plans for the future. We talked about “You become what you are on your mission,” but emphasized that leadership in the mission doesn’t necessarily mean leadership once you get back home. They were surprised that Orson hadn’t been a DL on his mission but had been a bishop and in two stake presidencies. He emphasized that continuing to study the gospel was key to the future of their lives. He also taught that integrity is probably the most important trait that God has and how important it is to develop it in their lives. We served orange juice and donuts and that really made them happy. It was a good experience. One elder who is going home in 6 weeks told Orson, “That was just what I needed to hear.”
We taught YingPing on Saturday morning. She asked that we stop coming for the next 2 weeks while she prepares for her Immigration exam. She did say we could call her once in a while and was very excited when we said we would pray for her success. In the afternoon we visited Bishop White. What a good man! He’s from New Zealand and this is his 2nd time around as bishop. He’s very concerned about missionary work being successful in his ward. We were able to get some good information from him about people who are “on the radar screen” as far as activation goes. It clouded up and dumped rain just as we were leaving his home.
Church here is at 1 pm. So this morning we went to see a couple of people we were told needed visits. The first ones are recent converts but we were told they have been struggling. We knocked; the door was opened just wide enough for a woman to say, “We’re not interested,” and then it was shut rather forcefully. The ward mission leader said he’d go over there tomorrow night. We are just hoping they thought we were J-dubs because they are used to young elders coming.
Next we went to see Michelle. We’d been told she wanted to come back to church. She had us come in and, bless her heart, she pretty much poured her heart out to us. She’s from a very active family and was raised in the church. But then she decided to try a different lifestyle and has been there for 20 years. She has two kids who are starting to give her some problems as they approach teenage years. She’s tried to change before and knows that it’s going to be difficult. As soon as she’d come to church 3 weeks ago, two different guys she’s had relationships with turned up again. We counseled her to give herself some time to sort things out instead of try to hook up again with one of them. She’s just been through a tough break up. She said we could come back on an almost daily basis to help her through this. She seems so sharp. We want to help her so much.
Then we went to church. It’s a good ward. Lots of folks introduced themselves to us. We met two Americans. We had to introduce ourselves in Sunday School and Sacrament Meeting. The talks in Sacrament Meeting were good. One sister shared about how she finally gained a testimony at age 27 after being active in the church her whole life. It was very touching. It looks like there will be lots to do in the ward. We are excited to be here.
You’re wondering why it says, “Rats” at the top? Because as we sat here in the front room this evening, we watched a rat run back and forth across the top of the fence separating our house from the neighbors. At least we hope it was just one rat. It could have been a whole gang of them running relay races!
THE MASTER BEDROOM
BEDROOM #1
Friday Orson had his first district meeting. The ZL’s decided to be there for it. We all introduced ourselves. It was interesting to hear the different expressions concerning their missions and plans for the future. We talked about “You become what you are on your mission,” but emphasized that leadership in the mission doesn’t necessarily mean leadership once you get back home. They were surprised that Orson hadn’t been a DL on his mission but had been a bishop and in two stake presidencies. He emphasized that continuing to study the gospel was key to the future of their lives. He also taught that integrity is probably the most important trait that God has and how important it is to develop it in their lives. We served orange juice and donuts and that really made them happy. It was a good experience. One elder who is going home in 6 weeks told Orson, “That was just what I needed to hear.”
We taught YingPing on Saturday morning. She asked that we stop coming for the next 2 weeks while she prepares for her Immigration exam. She did say we could call her once in a while and was very excited when we said we would pray for her success. In the afternoon we visited Bishop White. What a good man! He’s from New Zealand and this is his 2nd time around as bishop. He’s very concerned about missionary work being successful in his ward. We were able to get some good information from him about people who are “on the radar screen” as far as activation goes. It clouded up and dumped rain just as we were leaving his home.
Church here is at 1 pm. So this morning we went to see a couple of people we were told needed visits. The first ones are recent converts but we were told they have been struggling. We knocked; the door was opened just wide enough for a woman to say, “We’re not interested,” and then it was shut rather forcefully. The ward mission leader said he’d go over there tomorrow night. We are just hoping they thought we were J-dubs because they are used to young elders coming.
Next we went to see Michelle. We’d been told she wanted to come back to church. She had us come in and, bless her heart, she pretty much poured her heart out to us. She’s from a very active family and was raised in the church. But then she decided to try a different lifestyle and has been there for 20 years. She has two kids who are starting to give her some problems as they approach teenage years. She’s tried to change before and knows that it’s going to be difficult. As soon as she’d come to church 3 weeks ago, two different guys she’s had relationships with turned up again. We counseled her to give herself some time to sort things out instead of try to hook up again with one of them. She’s just been through a tough break up. She said we could come back on an almost daily basis to help her through this. She seems so sharp. We want to help her so much.
Then we went to church. It’s a good ward. Lots of folks introduced themselves to us. We met two Americans. We had to introduce ourselves in Sunday School and Sacrament Meeting. The talks in Sacrament Meeting were good. One sister shared about how she finally gained a testimony at age 27 after being active in the church her whole life. It was very touching. It looks like there will be lots to do in the ward. We are excited to be here.
You’re wondering why it says, “Rats” at the top? Because as we sat here in the front room this evening, we watched a rat run back and forth across the top of the fence separating our house from the neighbors. At least we hope it was just one rat. It could have been a whole gang of them running relay races!
THE MASTER BEDROOM
BEDROOM #1
BUSY DAY
January 27, 2011 Thursday
This morning we taught Yingping. We are worried about her. She reiterated that she is a very logical person and some of what we are teaching her is not fitting in with her ideas of what is logical. We talked about faith. We showed her “Finding Faith in Christ” and she said she was a lot like the fellow that Thomas was talking to who wasn’t believing everything said about Christ. In her prayer she pretty much said that she didn’t think she could accept everything and that she didn’t understand why she had been chosen to receive these teachings. We go back on Saturday.
We went back to our old flat and picked up the dryer that actually heats up, a fan, some scissors, and dishcloths. The elders just want to be sure that we bring them their old “cold air dryer.”
We did some shopping, lined the dresser drawers and unpacked our suitcases. Then we went to dinner at the ward mission leader’s home. They are a young married couple. They bought an old house and renovated it. They’ve done a good job with it. They explained their view of what’s been going on in the ward and what they want to see happen with missionary work in the ward. Then we had a meeting with the stake president, President Cahoon and us. The stake president has been out of town and has been trying to find out where truth is on the whole mess in this ward. It was a good meeting, but we aren’t sure where all the problems were coming from. We just plan to go in and start trying to do missionary work and not worry about all the “he said,” “she said,” “they said,” that’s been happening.
OUR WONDERFUL NEW KITCHEN
DINING AREA
STOVE (CLEAN!) AND PANTRY
NOTICE ALL THE COUNTERTOP SPACE.
This morning we taught Yingping. We are worried about her. She reiterated that she is a very logical person and some of what we are teaching her is not fitting in with her ideas of what is logical. We talked about faith. We showed her “Finding Faith in Christ” and she said she was a lot like the fellow that Thomas was talking to who wasn’t believing everything said about Christ. In her prayer she pretty much said that she didn’t think she could accept everything and that she didn’t understand why she had been chosen to receive these teachings. We go back on Saturday.
We went back to our old flat and picked up the dryer that actually heats up, a fan, some scissors, and dishcloths. The elders just want to be sure that we bring them their old “cold air dryer.”
We did some shopping, lined the dresser drawers and unpacked our suitcases. Then we went to dinner at the ward mission leader’s home. They are a young married couple. They bought an old house and renovated it. They’ve done a good job with it. They explained their view of what’s been going on in the ward and what they want to see happen with missionary work in the ward. Then we had a meeting with the stake president, President Cahoon and us. The stake president has been out of town and has been trying to find out where truth is on the whole mess in this ward. It was a good meeting, but we aren’t sure where all the problems were coming from. We just plan to go in and start trying to do missionary work and not worry about all the “he said,” “she said,” “they said,” that’s been happening.
OUR WONDERFUL NEW KITCHEN
DINING AREA
STOVE (CLEAN!) AND PANTRY
NOTICE ALL THE COUNTERTOP SPACE.
THE DISTRICT LEADER MOVES IN
January 25, 2011 Tuesday
MARILYN PORTER, ENGLISH TUTOR
Yesterday while we were teaching Yingping, she mentioned that passing her writing part of the English test is her biggest worry. We asked her a few questions and decided I could pull out some of my writing skills I’d learned in college and help her out. She was so excited. Since Orson was going to be packing this morning, we arranged for her to meet me at the Victoria Park Library where we reserved a room for an hour. I spent all of last evening working up an outline on writing essays that would help her. It worked out really well today. It took about 25 minutes to go over what I’d prepared to teach her about how to organize an essay. Then she wrote an essay following the outline. She was so happy to see that it wasn’t the huge difficulty she had imagined it to be. I enjoyed being able to help her. Her test is in three weeks. Yesterday she accepted a baptismal date for 4 weeks from now. She is very aware that she needs to feel the truth in her heart before she will be baptized, but she’s willing to work for that goal. She even asked us to teach her the commandments so she will know what she needs to do. She gives beautiful prayers.
We received a box from Melanie yesterday. It had a bunch of Christmas letters that had come to the house, some Big Hunks for my birthday, some corn candy for Halloween, and General Conference CD’s for us to listen to as we drive around. It was just like Christmas all over again.!
Sunday Orson spoke in Sacrament Meeting about the Plan of Happiness. It’s funny how that’s the new name for God’s plan for us here on the earth. On our first missions, it was the Plan of Salvation. That’s also what’s on the pamphlet that we give investigators when we teach them, but “Plan of Happiness” is popping up more and more in General Conference. Is the church trying to become “politically correct?”
Tomorrow we move to Thornlie Ward. We found out today that two elders are being sent to Broome. They are so excited about it. I hope they enjoy their time up there. Perhaps they will nurture a seed we planted and can get some folks baptized up there to strengthen the branch.
THE "LOVELY" LIVING ROOM
WE MOVED THE TABLE OUT OF THE LIVING ROOM.
MORE LIVING ROOM
LIVING ROOM IS L-SHAPED.
MARILYN PORTER, ENGLISH TUTOR
Yesterday while we were teaching Yingping, she mentioned that passing her writing part of the English test is her biggest worry. We asked her a few questions and decided I could pull out some of my writing skills I’d learned in college and help her out. She was so excited. Since Orson was going to be packing this morning, we arranged for her to meet me at the Victoria Park Library where we reserved a room for an hour. I spent all of last evening working up an outline on writing essays that would help her. It worked out really well today. It took about 25 minutes to go over what I’d prepared to teach her about how to organize an essay. Then she wrote an essay following the outline. She was so happy to see that it wasn’t the huge difficulty she had imagined it to be. I enjoyed being able to help her. Her test is in three weeks. Yesterday she accepted a baptismal date for 4 weeks from now. She is very aware that she needs to feel the truth in her heart before she will be baptized, but she’s willing to work for that goal. She even asked us to teach her the commandments so she will know what she needs to do. She gives beautiful prayers.
We received a box from Melanie yesterday. It had a bunch of Christmas letters that had come to the house, some Big Hunks for my birthday, some corn candy for Halloween, and General Conference CD’s for us to listen to as we drive around. It was just like Christmas all over again.!
Sunday Orson spoke in Sacrament Meeting about the Plan of Happiness. It’s funny how that’s the new name for God’s plan for us here on the earth. On our first missions, it was the Plan of Salvation. That’s also what’s on the pamphlet that we give investigators when we teach them, but “Plan of Happiness” is popping up more and more in General Conference. Is the church trying to become “politically correct?”
Tomorrow we move to Thornlie Ward. We found out today that two elders are being sent to Broome. They are so excited about it. I hope they enjoy their time up there. Perhaps they will nurture a seed we planted and can get some folks baptized up there to strengthen the branch.
THE "LOVELY" LIVING ROOM
WE MOVED THE TABLE OUT OF THE LIVING ROOM.
MORE LIVING ROOM
LIVING ROOM IS L-SHAPED.
MARILYN PORTER, ENGLISH TUTOR
January 25, 2011 Tuesday
Yesterday while we were teaching Yingping, she mentioned that passing her writing part of the English test is her biggest worry. We asked her a few questions and decided I could pull out some of my writing skills I’d learned in college and help her out. She was so excited. Since Orson was going to be packing this morning, we arranged for her to meet me at the Victoria Park Library where we reserved a room for an hour. I spent all of last evening working up an outline on writing essays that would help her. It worked out really well today. It took about 25 minutes to go over what I’d prepared to teach her about how to organize an essay. Then she wrote an essay following the outline. She was so happy to see that it wasn’t the huge difficulty she had imagined it to be. I enjoyed being able to help her. Her test is in three weeks. Yesterday she accepted a baptismal date for 4 weeks from now. She is very aware that she needs to feel the truth in her heart before she will be baptized, but she’s willing to work for that goal. She even asked us to teach her the commandments so she will know what she needs to do. She gives beautiful prayers.
We received a box from Melanie yesterday. It had a bunch of Christmas letters that had come to the house, some Big Hunks for my birthday, some corn candy for Halloween, and General Conference CD’s for us to listen to as we drive around. It was just like Christmas all over again.!
Sunday Orson spoke in Sacrament Meeting about the Plan of Happiness. It’s funny how that’s the new name for God’s plan for us here on the earth. On our first missions, it was the Plan of Salvation. That’s also what’s on the pamphlet that we give investigators when we teach them, but “Plan of Happiness” is popping up more and more in General Conference. Is the church trying to become “politically correct?”
Tomorrow we move to Thornlie Ward. We found out today that two elders are being sent to Broome. They are so excited about it. I hope they enjoy their time up there. Perhaps they will nurture a seed we planted and can get some folks baptized up there to strengthen the branch.
Yesterday while we were teaching Yingping, she mentioned that passing her writing part of the English test is her biggest worry. We asked her a few questions and decided I could pull out some of my writing skills I’d learned in college and help her out. She was so excited. Since Orson was going to be packing this morning, we arranged for her to meet me at the Victoria Park Library where we reserved a room for an hour. I spent all of last evening working up an outline on writing essays that would help her. It worked out really well today. It took about 25 minutes to go over what I’d prepared to teach her about how to organize an essay. Then she wrote an essay following the outline. She was so happy to see that it wasn’t the huge difficulty she had imagined it to be. I enjoyed being able to help her. Her test is in three weeks. Yesterday she accepted a baptismal date for 4 weeks from now. She is very aware that she needs to feel the truth in her heart before she will be baptized, but she’s willing to work for that goal. She even asked us to teach her the commandments so she will know what she needs to do. She gives beautiful prayers.
We received a box from Melanie yesterday. It had a bunch of Christmas letters that had come to the house, some Big Hunks for my birthday, some corn candy for Halloween, and General Conference CD’s for us to listen to as we drive around. It was just like Christmas all over again.!
Sunday Orson spoke in Sacrament Meeting about the Plan of Happiness. It’s funny how that’s the new name for God’s plan for us here on the earth. On our first missions, it was the Plan of Salvation. That’s also what’s on the pamphlet that we give investigators when we teach them, but “Plan of Happiness” is popping up more and more in General Conference. Is the church trying to become “politically correct?”
Tomorrow we move to Thornlie Ward. We found out today that two elders are being sent to Broome. They are so excited about it. I hope they enjoy their time up there. Perhaps they will nurture a seed we planted and can get some folks baptized up there to strengthen the branch.
NEW HOUSE
January 21, 2011 Friday
After district meeting this morning, we followed the zone leaders over to the house they live in which is the one we will be moving to next week. It’s a house, not part of a flat complex. The yard looks like heck. Zone leaders don’t have time for yard work. But there are lemon, grapefruit and pomegranate trees in the back yard. It has 3 bedrooms and a swamp cooler! Hurray, it will be easier to get to sleep at night. Sadly, there is no heat for the wintertime. Maybe they will move us north before then. The living room definitely needs work. There are old carpet scraps lying on top of the old carpet. We aren’t sure which is in the worse condition. The stove is gas, the fridge is better than the one we have here (and it had tons of chocolate in it that the members had given the elders.) It also has a dryer; the clothesline in the backyard is in bad shape since they use the dryer all the time. Elders Campbell and Elder Kent have promised to get it all cleaned up before we move in. I don’t think it’s in as bad of shape as this one was. We are planning to take the love seat that is in this flat. We are also hoping to swap them one of the banquet tables in their house for the coffee table in this one. We’ll see how it goes.
We used their land line to call Orson’s brother, David, whose wife passed away last week. They had a good talk. We are looking forward to being able to make long distance phone calls again. E-mail once a week just doesn’t fill all the motherly/family needs that this grandma has!
After district meeting this morning, we followed the zone leaders over to the house they live in which is the one we will be moving to next week. It’s a house, not part of a flat complex. The yard looks like heck. Zone leaders don’t have time for yard work. But there are lemon, grapefruit and pomegranate trees in the back yard. It has 3 bedrooms and a swamp cooler! Hurray, it will be easier to get to sleep at night. Sadly, there is no heat for the wintertime. Maybe they will move us north before then. The living room definitely needs work. There are old carpet scraps lying on top of the old carpet. We aren’t sure which is in the worse condition. The stove is gas, the fridge is better than the one we have here (and it had tons of chocolate in it that the members had given the elders.) It also has a dryer; the clothesline in the backyard is in bad shape since they use the dryer all the time. Elders Campbell and Elder Kent have promised to get it all cleaned up before we move in. I don’t think it’s in as bad of shape as this one was. We are planning to take the love seat that is in this flat. We are also hoping to swap them one of the banquet tables in their house for the coffee table in this one. We’ll see how it goes.
We used their land line to call Orson’s brother, David, whose wife passed away last week. They had a good talk. We are looking forward to being able to make long distance phone calls again. E-mail once a week just doesn’t fill all the motherly/family needs that this grandma has!
OUR NEW AREA
3WIMMERA ST, THORNLIE, WA
January 20, 2011 Thursday
Yesterday morning and this morning both found us at Yingping’s house. Yesterday we talked a lot about the Book of Mormon. Today she had more questions about it. Something led us to read in 3 Nephi 11 about Christ’s visit to the people. Orson explained that of course Christ would do the most important things first. After allowing each person to witness that He truly is the Christ, he called 12 men and gave them authority to baptize and then he taught them how to baptize. We began to talk about baptism and she began to make statements like, “So when I believe this, I will get baptized, but what if I have bad thoughts after I’m baptized?” That led to a discussion of the covenant of baptism and the sacrament. She’s beginning to understand that this could be life changing. She still isn’t sure, though, that she can’t just pick and choose the things she likes and discard the rest. We are praying she’ll have a spiritual conversion soon.
Yesterday afternoon we went to the temple with all the missionaries in the zone. It was good. There were 3 rows of women in the session and all the rest were men/elders.
This afternoon we drove out to the Thornlie area. Pretty much it is directly east of the area we worked in when we were in the Jandakot Ward. We drove past the flat. It looks like an entire house to us. We hope to see it tomorrow after district meeting. Right now the zone leaders are also acting as the district leaders here in the Como district because neither of the elders here have the maturity and work ethic to be district leaders. It’s really sad when elders don’t try their hardest. But the area looks good. We did a little tracting in the Southern River suburb. We had a great discussion with a fellow from Alberta, Canada. He knew some of the basics about Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon, but he just didn’t care to find out whether what we were talking about is true.
January 20, 2011 Thursday
Yesterday morning and this morning both found us at Yingping’s house. Yesterday we talked a lot about the Book of Mormon. Today she had more questions about it. Something led us to read in 3 Nephi 11 about Christ’s visit to the people. Orson explained that of course Christ would do the most important things first. After allowing each person to witness that He truly is the Christ, he called 12 men and gave them authority to baptize and then he taught them how to baptize. We began to talk about baptism and she began to make statements like, “So when I believe this, I will get baptized, but what if I have bad thoughts after I’m baptized?” That led to a discussion of the covenant of baptism and the sacrament. She’s beginning to understand that this could be life changing. She still isn’t sure, though, that she can’t just pick and choose the things she likes and discard the rest. We are praying she’ll have a spiritual conversion soon.
Yesterday afternoon we went to the temple with all the missionaries in the zone. It was good. There were 3 rows of women in the session and all the rest were men/elders.
This afternoon we drove out to the Thornlie area. Pretty much it is directly east of the area we worked in when we were in the Jandakot Ward. We drove past the flat. It looks like an entire house to us. We hope to see it tomorrow after district meeting. Right now the zone leaders are also acting as the district leaders here in the Como district because neither of the elders here have the maturity and work ethic to be district leaders. It’s really sad when elders don’t try their hardest. But the area looks good. We did a little tracting in the Southern River suburb. We had a great discussion with a fellow from Alberta, Canada. He knew some of the basics about Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon, but he just didn’t care to find out whether what we were talking about is true.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
SMALL WORLD
January 18, 2011 Tuesday
Today I read an e-mail from one of my high-school friends who is serving a mission with her husband in Barcelona, Spain. They are CES missionaries there. She said the institute director there has a son serving in the Perth Mission and asked if we’d met him. Sure enough, Elder Rodrigues was working in Karratha with Elder Richards when we went there for a District Conference in November. What a sharp kid and his English is really good too. Lana and Dennis don’t know him; he’d left for Australia before they arrived in Spain.
We had FHE at the mission home with President and Sister Cahoon and the other senior missionaries last night. We each brought something and Sister Cahoon had made BBQ’d meatballs and rice. It turned out really well because Sister Kruger brought two homemade pies and President Cahoon made homemade ice cream to go with it. The lesson was on the love of God.
This morning we went to Yingping. We gave the first lesson finally about the restoration and the Book of Mormon. As soon as we said the “Mormon,” she brightened up and said she’d heard of us. She knew the author of the Twilight series is a Mormon, and she has watched “Big Love” on TV. We told her she might hear negative things about us if she tells people she is studying with us and she said quite adamantly that she doesn’t accept stuff just because people say it, and that she finds out for herself about things. She seemed very interested in the Book of Mormon. We left it with her but asked her to read the Joseph Smith pamphlet and the Restoration pamphlet before we return tomorrow.
“Change,” that’s the name of the game. President Cahoon wants us to move to a different ward to work. There’s a ward that has some problems between some members and some missionaries. He wants us to go in there and see if we can calm things down. Evidently there are some angry members. We feel bad because we really like the Como Ward. He did say we can continue to teach Yingping. The other problem is that we are going to be following a long line of elders into the flat over there. I’m not ready to clean another place, but I can’t stand a dirty place, so we will probably be cleaning some more. We will be in the Thornlie Ward which is the building we met in when we were in the Jandakot Ward at the first of our mission. We think it’s also the stake center. Not sure when the move will take place, probably within a week or two.
Today I read an e-mail from one of my high-school friends who is serving a mission with her husband in Barcelona, Spain. They are CES missionaries there. She said the institute director there has a son serving in the Perth Mission and asked if we’d met him. Sure enough, Elder Rodrigues was working in Karratha with Elder Richards when we went there for a District Conference in November. What a sharp kid and his English is really good too. Lana and Dennis don’t know him; he’d left for Australia before they arrived in Spain.
We had FHE at the mission home with President and Sister Cahoon and the other senior missionaries last night. We each brought something and Sister Cahoon had made BBQ’d meatballs and rice. It turned out really well because Sister Kruger brought two homemade pies and President Cahoon made homemade ice cream to go with it. The lesson was on the love of God.
This morning we went to Yingping. We gave the first lesson finally about the restoration and the Book of Mormon. As soon as we said the “Mormon,” she brightened up and said she’d heard of us. She knew the author of the Twilight series is a Mormon, and she has watched “Big Love” on TV. We told her she might hear negative things about us if she tells people she is studying with us and she said quite adamantly that she doesn’t accept stuff just because people say it, and that she finds out for herself about things. She seemed very interested in the Book of Mormon. We left it with her but asked her to read the Joseph Smith pamphlet and the Restoration pamphlet before we return tomorrow.
“Change,” that’s the name of the game. President Cahoon wants us to move to a different ward to work. There’s a ward that has some problems between some members and some missionaries. He wants us to go in there and see if we can calm things down. Evidently there are some angry members. We feel bad because we really like the Como Ward. He did say we can continue to teach Yingping. The other problem is that we are going to be following a long line of elders into the flat over there. I’m not ready to clean another place, but I can’t stand a dirty place, so we will probably be cleaning some more. We will be in the Thornlie Ward which is the building we met in when we were in the Jandakot Ward at the first of our mission. We think it’s also the stake center. Not sure when the move will take place, probably within a week or two.
MUSLIMS
January 16, 2011 Sunday
This morning was great—Yingping came to church and stayed for all three meetings. The two talks in Sacrament Meeting were really good. Orson had left with one of the elders to meet a contact who said we could only come this morning. I asked her if she had any questions, and she hadn’t understood why Christ wasn’t supposed to have talked to the Samaritan woman at the well. Sunday School’s lesson was on eternal families. The teacher talked a lot about how important all her siblings were to her. And there sat our poor investigator who is the only child in her family. When asked what is the most important thing to her, she answered, “My achievements.” What a different culture she is from! Relief Society was about sacrifice and she even made a comment. After church she commented that it was easier to understand when we teach her alone. But when you consider all the doctrine she heard at church today that we haven’t had time to teach her, it’s easy to understand that comment. We have an appointment to go back on Tuesday to teach her again.
Tonight we went to see Ali. There were 3 guys living together, all from Afghanistan. Can you say, “sleeper cell?” Just kidding! Ali was curious to learn a little more about Jesus Christ. His roommate, Mustaffa spoke really good English and translated for him a lot of the time. Ali could speak some English and understood more, but he needed help. It was a great discussion. We started out talking about that we are both descended from Abraham. Then we were able to explain about Christ being the Son of God and not just another prophet like they believe He is. We told them about the atonement and resurrection. It was good because we were able to go clear back to Adam and Eve and Cain and Abel to talk about the concept of sin and the need for a Savior. They commented that there is a lot the same in the Koran and the Bible. We hit them that there are big differences and brought up that a person could be killed for looking at another religion. Mustaffa said that none of that is in the Koran—that it’s a cultural thing. He said it was okay to for his father to kill their sister if she had an illegitimate child. I wanted to ask how her dad would be judged for doing that, but I didn’t. They do believe that their bodies and souls will be reunited after death before the judgment. We told them we had a book that also testified that Jesus Christ is the son of God; and if they seriously wanted to study with us, we would be happy to return. Ali used his “lack of English” as the reason why they wouldn’t have us back. It was an interesting time. We are glad we were able to do it.
This morning was great—Yingping came to church and stayed for all three meetings. The two talks in Sacrament Meeting were really good. Orson had left with one of the elders to meet a contact who said we could only come this morning. I asked her if she had any questions, and she hadn’t understood why Christ wasn’t supposed to have talked to the Samaritan woman at the well. Sunday School’s lesson was on eternal families. The teacher talked a lot about how important all her siblings were to her. And there sat our poor investigator who is the only child in her family. When asked what is the most important thing to her, she answered, “My achievements.” What a different culture she is from! Relief Society was about sacrifice and she even made a comment. After church she commented that it was easier to understand when we teach her alone. But when you consider all the doctrine she heard at church today that we haven’t had time to teach her, it’s easy to understand that comment. We have an appointment to go back on Tuesday to teach her again.
Tonight we went to see Ali. There were 3 guys living together, all from Afghanistan. Can you say, “sleeper cell?” Just kidding! Ali was curious to learn a little more about Jesus Christ. His roommate, Mustaffa spoke really good English and translated for him a lot of the time. Ali could speak some English and understood more, but he needed help. It was a great discussion. We started out talking about that we are both descended from Abraham. Then we were able to explain about Christ being the Son of God and not just another prophet like they believe He is. We told them about the atonement and resurrection. It was good because we were able to go clear back to Adam and Eve and Cain and Abel to talk about the concept of sin and the need for a Savior. They commented that there is a lot the same in the Koran and the Bible. We hit them that there are big differences and brought up that a person could be killed for looking at another religion. Mustaffa said that none of that is in the Koran—that it’s a cultural thing. He said it was okay to for his father to kill their sister if she had an illegitimate child. I wanted to ask how her dad would be judged for doing that, but I didn’t. They do believe that their bodies and souls will be reunited after death before the judgment. We told them we had a book that also testified that Jesus Christ is the son of God; and if they seriously wanted to study with us, we would be happy to return. Ali used his “lack of English” as the reason why they wouldn’t have us back. It was an interesting time. We are glad we were able to do it.
YINGPING 2
January 15, 2011 Saturday
We met with her again this morning and reviewed the things we had taught her yesterday. She’s beginning to think of God as a person and likes it. She explained she’s talked religion with many of her friends, but doesn’t agree with them on everything. She said she would come to church tomorrow. When we called her later on to give her the address of the church, she said that she felt really good about our discussion and is still planning on being at church.
We checked out several referrals that we’d been given that didn’t have phone numbers. At least half of them were bad addresses. We did get 2 teaching appointments which is good—in fact, it’s way better than anything we did in Broome in one afternoon.
We met with her again this morning and reviewed the things we had taught her yesterday. She’s beginning to think of God as a person and likes it. She explained she’s talked religion with many of her friends, but doesn’t agree with them on everything. She said she would come to church tomorrow. When we called her later on to give her the address of the church, she said that she felt really good about our discussion and is still planning on being at church.
We checked out several referrals that we’d been given that didn’t have phone numbers. At least half of them were bad addresses. We did get 2 teaching appointments which is good—in fact, it’s way better than anything we did in Broome in one afternoon.
YINGPING
January 14, 2011 Friday
We taught her this morning. When we saw her yesterday for 5 minutes, she explained that she’s very concerned about finding wisdom and has visited some churches. Today we asked her to explain what it is she wants to find. She says she isn’t Buddhist, but she has some Buddhist ideas: God is energy, she wants intuition, etc. She says she went sometimes to a Christian church with her father. She’s from China and speaks Mandarin as her native language. We spent an hour or so talking with her and explaining that God is her Heavenly Father and that he is a personal god who cares about her. She doesn’t quite accept that Christ is the Son of God. You can tell she has thought a lot about how she needs to overcome the bad thoughts that come into her mind. She hasn’t ever had anyone tell her that God will help her in that. She’s been here 5 years and speaks really good English. She finished her studies and hasn’t been able to find a job where the employer will sponsor her to stay here. So right now she is studying hard to be able to pass the English test that is necessary to become an Australian citizen. She’s very sweet. We hope we will be able to help her. We are going back tomorrow morning to teach her again.
This afternoon the carpet cleaner came. That is one huge HURRAY! I can’t believe how much better it looks. There were a ton of stains when we moved in here the first time that were still here. He was able to get most of them out.
Later we went to the temple. If there is one reason to enjoy being in Perth, it is to be able to attend the temple on a regular basis. We saw the Reedys; he’s the stake president in the stake we first served in. We also saw Jenelle, the sister from Jandakot who sent us the Christmas package up in Broome. I met Sister Jose. She’s in the Como Ward. She and her husband are the stake Young Single Adult leaders. A year and a half ago, she dislocated her shoulder. When the doctor tried to fix it manually, the ball part of her shoulder joint broke off. So she has a new joint. It still gives her some grief. She said they told her it takes up to two years for it to feel good again. I can’t imagine the pain she’s gone through!
We taught her this morning. When we saw her yesterday for 5 minutes, she explained that she’s very concerned about finding wisdom and has visited some churches. Today we asked her to explain what it is she wants to find. She says she isn’t Buddhist, but she has some Buddhist ideas: God is energy, she wants intuition, etc. She says she went sometimes to a Christian church with her father. She’s from China and speaks Mandarin as her native language. We spent an hour or so talking with her and explaining that God is her Heavenly Father and that he is a personal god who cares about her. She doesn’t quite accept that Christ is the Son of God. You can tell she has thought a lot about how she needs to overcome the bad thoughts that come into her mind. She hasn’t ever had anyone tell her that God will help her in that. She’s been here 5 years and speaks really good English. She finished her studies and hasn’t been able to find a job where the employer will sponsor her to stay here. So right now she is studying hard to be able to pass the English test that is necessary to become an Australian citizen. She’s very sweet. We hope we will be able to help her. We are going back tomorrow morning to teach her again.
This afternoon the carpet cleaner came. That is one huge HURRAY! I can’t believe how much better it looks. There were a ton of stains when we moved in here the first time that were still here. He was able to get most of them out.
Later we went to the temple. If there is one reason to enjoy being in Perth, it is to be able to attend the temple on a regular basis. We saw the Reedys; he’s the stake president in the stake we first served in. We also saw Jenelle, the sister from Jandakot who sent us the Christmas package up in Broome. I met Sister Jose. She’s in the Como Ward. She and her husband are the stake Young Single Adult leaders. A year and a half ago, she dislocated her shoulder. When the doctor tried to fix it manually, the ball part of her shoulder joint broke off. So she has a new joint. It still gives her some grief. She said they told her it takes up to two years for it to feel good again. I can’t imagine the pain she’s gone through!
CALF UPDATE
January 13, 2011 Thursday
We saw Dr. Hammond today. She said my calf is doing well. I’m supposed to wear the TED hose for 2 more weeks to keep the swelling down in my ankle and then I’m done. I don’t even have to return to see her for this. Yahoo! Somehow we got talking about hair, and she mentioned she has daughters and isn’t very good at fixing their hair. So I mentioned our daughter-in-law’s blog, Babes in Hairland. She wrote it down so she can look it up and maybe get some ideas. Not quite a missionary referral; I guess we could call it a blog referral.
We followed up on a referral today and she said we could come back tomorrow and talk to her. Her name is Ping Ling. Her English is really good, so it should be easier teaching her than some of the folks we’ve run into who can hardly speak English. I commented to Sister Kruger about the number of non-Australians on our referral list, and she said that is who is joining the church here now.
We got a new fridge today. It’s still a used mission fridge, but at least it won’t be draining water onto the floor. Brother Crawford also brought us a clothes dryer and an air conditioner. With the dryer, I hopefully won’t have to be ironing as much. The air conditioner is an old thing. We aren’t sure if it works. We didn’t even try it out tonight because a cool wind moved in about 4 pm today and the house it quite pleasant tonight.
We saw Dr. Hammond today. She said my calf is doing well. I’m supposed to wear the TED hose for 2 more weeks to keep the swelling down in my ankle and then I’m done. I don’t even have to return to see her for this. Yahoo! Somehow we got talking about hair, and she mentioned she has daughters and isn’t very good at fixing their hair. So I mentioned our daughter-in-law’s blog, Babes in Hairland. She wrote it down so she can look it up and maybe get some ideas. Not quite a missionary referral; I guess we could call it a blog referral.
We followed up on a referral today and she said we could come back tomorrow and talk to her. Her name is Ping Ling. Her English is really good, so it should be easier teaching her than some of the folks we’ve run into who can hardly speak English. I commented to Sister Kruger about the number of non-Australians on our referral list, and she said that is who is joining the church here now.
We got a new fridge today. It’s still a used mission fridge, but at least it won’t be draining water onto the floor. Brother Crawford also brought us a clothes dryer and an air conditioner. With the dryer, I hopefully won’t have to be ironing as much. The air conditioner is an old thing. We aren’t sure if it works. We didn’t even try it out tonight because a cool wind moved in about 4 pm today and the house it quite pleasant tonight.
STAYING IN COMO
January 12, 2011 Wednesday
Today we went to the South River Zone’s Specialized Training. That is what they call the presentations of improved teaching methods that have come out that are supposed to help us be better teachers. It was really good. President and Sister Cahoon presented doctrine about the Holy Ghost and then we watched a DVD presentation about “Teaching People, Not Lessons.” After that we practiced what we’d been taught. We had an interview with President Cahoon. He wants us to stay here in the Como Ward and work on contacting all the referrals that come here. This ward actually gets the most referrals of the mission according to him.
Orson had done some calling yesterday on the referral list. We had an appointment at 3:30 today with a fellow but it turned out to be a bad address. So we did some grocery shopping since we knew we were going to be here for a while. We had dinner and then went to visit John Sinzo who had sat in on a lesson some sisters were teaching in Freemantle. He’s from Burundi in Africa and has been here 5 years. He spoke really good English although French was his native language. He immediately told us he was looking for the true church and had received a Book of Mormon from the sisters and had a lot of questions about it. So we tried to give him enough background to help him understand better. He resisted trying to find out if Joseph Smith is a prophet. He just wanted to see if there were truth in the Book of Mormon and add it to what he already knows. Then he asked us if we believed in the 10 Commandments and not 9 like the world does today. He really thumped on the idea that the Lord commanded us to keep the Sabbath Day holy and we’ve forsaken that in favor of worshipping on Sunday. He told us he was raised Catholic and had jumped ship to Pentacostal. The longer we listened we realized he was 7th Day Adventist and just wanted to convert us to his way of thinking. He refused to pray about whether the Book of Mormon was true and whether Joseph Smith was a prophet. At that point we packed up and left. It’s too bad—his wife seemed nice and they had a seven month old daughter named Mercy.
Today we went to the South River Zone’s Specialized Training. That is what they call the presentations of improved teaching methods that have come out that are supposed to help us be better teachers. It was really good. President and Sister Cahoon presented doctrine about the Holy Ghost and then we watched a DVD presentation about “Teaching People, Not Lessons.” After that we practiced what we’d been taught. We had an interview with President Cahoon. He wants us to stay here in the Como Ward and work on contacting all the referrals that come here. This ward actually gets the most referrals of the mission according to him.
Orson had done some calling yesterday on the referral list. We had an appointment at 3:30 today with a fellow but it turned out to be a bad address. So we did some grocery shopping since we knew we were going to be here for a while. We had dinner and then went to visit John Sinzo who had sat in on a lesson some sisters were teaching in Freemantle. He’s from Burundi in Africa and has been here 5 years. He spoke really good English although French was his native language. He immediately told us he was looking for the true church and had received a Book of Mormon from the sisters and had a lot of questions about it. So we tried to give him enough background to help him understand better. He resisted trying to find out if Joseph Smith is a prophet. He just wanted to see if there were truth in the Book of Mormon and add it to what he already knows. Then he asked us if we believed in the 10 Commandments and not 9 like the world does today. He really thumped on the idea that the Lord commanded us to keep the Sabbath Day holy and we’ve forsaken that in favor of worshipping on Sunday. He told us he was raised Catholic and had jumped ship to Pentacostal. The longer we listened we realized he was 7th Day Adventist and just wanted to convert us to his way of thinking. He refused to pray about whether the Book of Mormon was true and whether Joseph Smith was a prophet. At that point we packed up and left. It’s too bad—his wife seemed nice and they had a seven month old daughter named Mercy.
WE PASSED :O)
Hannah from the real estate company that manages our flat came over this morning to inspect. She saw no problems even though the blinds were not all cleaned. (Something to do when I’m bored) Then we showed her the water seepage in the extra bedroom closet, the leaking toilet, the cheap paint chipping off the ceiling, the shower grout allowing water to seep through to the living room wall, etc. She said she was glad we were here because when she asks the elders if everything is all right, they shrug their shoulders and say, “Yeah, it’s okay.”
So to celebrate we headed east to the foothills. We’d wanted to see them when we were here before but didn’t make it. It was a nice drive kind of like going up Ogden Canyon and then driving though the little towns in the valley. We drove through a national park area that had lots of trees of all kinds. It was pretty and reminded Orson of the countryside when he was here the first time. We drove a loop and saw the Manduring Weir. What’s a “Weir” you might ask. It’s a dam. Orson was familiar with the word, but I wasn’t. We even found the Perth Hills Visitors’ Centre. We stopped in Kalamunda at the Brumby’s Bakery (for old time’s sake) and bought a sandwich and dessert. It was a nice afternoon.
An old man leaning on the sign.
An old lady in the Perth Hills.
Mundaring Weir
The other side of Mundaring Weir.
A view of Perth from the John Forrest National Park.
Betcha don't see a sign like this in Utah!
So to celebrate we headed east to the foothills. We’d wanted to see them when we were here before but didn’t make it. It was a nice drive kind of like going up Ogden Canyon and then driving though the little towns in the valley. We drove through a national park area that had lots of trees of all kinds. It was pretty and reminded Orson of the countryside when he was here the first time. We drove a loop and saw the Manduring Weir. What’s a “Weir” you might ask. It’s a dam. Orson was familiar with the word, but I wasn’t. We even found the Perth Hills Visitors’ Centre. We stopped in Kalamunda at the Brumby’s Bakery (for old time’s sake) and bought a sandwich and dessert. It was a nice afternoon.
An old man leaning on the sign.
An old lady in the Perth Hills.
Mundaring Weir
The other side of Mundaring Weir.
A view of Perth from the John Forrest National Park.
Betcha don't see a sign like this in Utah!
PERTH PERK
January 10, 2011 Monday
After a very long day cleaning, we packed it all in and went to Family Home Evening with the 6 other senior missionaries here in town. It was so good to be with them. We met at Crawford’s flat. Sister Kruger had asked Orson to present something. So we showed the DVD, “Only a Stonecutter,” which is in the D&C set of DVD’s that Nancy had sent us. Then we just talked and shared stories of our pioneer heritages. We played a game similar to “Fictionary” but is played with words from the Bible Dictionary. After that we had ice cream. What a good time!
We are both really tired. We cleaned all day except for an hour I went to the library to communicate with the family. I feel really bad that we weren’t able to talk to Erin, Leon, or Mike on their birthdays. It will be good to get a land line some time in the future!
After a very long day cleaning, we packed it all in and went to Family Home Evening with the 6 other senior missionaries here in town. It was so good to be with them. We met at Crawford’s flat. Sister Kruger had asked Orson to present something. So we showed the DVD, “Only a Stonecutter,” which is in the D&C set of DVD’s that Nancy had sent us. Then we just talked and shared stories of our pioneer heritages. We played a game similar to “Fictionary” but is played with words from the Bible Dictionary. After that we had ice cream. What a good time!
We are both really tired. We cleaned all day except for an hour I went to the library to communicate with the family. I feel really bad that we weren’t able to talk to Erin, Leon, or Mike on their birthdays. It will be good to get a land line some time in the future!
COMO WARD
January 9, 2011 Sunday
Today we went to church in the Como Ward which is the one we live in. When we lived in this flat before, we were working the Jandakot Ward which is south of here. We don’t have a specific assignment yet but decided it would be good to go to Como. There are a ton of elderly people in it. I counted 6 families with Primary age kids. I didn’t see much in the way of youth. Two young men helped with the sacrament; the rest were older brethren. We were on the back row and a lady about our age came in and sat in front of us. Pretty soon she was doubled over. The next thing she turned and asked the elders for a blessing. All 4 of us went out (I didn’t know what was going on; but when 3 of the party get up and leave, number 4 doesn’t want to be left behind.) She has brittle bone disease and had casts on her ankle and wrist but was experiencing terrible pain in her stomach area and back and was feeling nauseated. Anyway, the guys gave her a blessing and then left. We were in the cultural hall and there were a couple of extra benches in there. She laid down on one of them and I stayed with her. We had a great visit. Her name is Samantha Davidson. She felt better in a while and said she would head to the doctor right after she spoke with the bishop. Sounded like gall bladder to “Dr. Porter.” She’s a widow and has one son who is 19 living with her.
In Relief Society, I introduced myself and a lady behind me (about my age) asked me where I am from. I told her Utah. She asked where; I said Clearfield. She replied, “I’m from Clinton.” For those of you reading this who are not familiar with north Davis County, Clearfield and Clinton are only separated by a street. Small world! She had served here as the mission secretary 4-5 years ago. While here, she attended the Como Ward. She was helping a sister move when she ruptured two discs. That was a Saturday. On Sunday, she told a brother in the ward she needed a blessing. He “snagged” a fellow passing by to help him. The passer-by sealed the annointing and in the blessing mentioned a couple of questions that she had. She ended up going home. Fast forward a year or so: She received an e-mail from this guy who had seen her address on a forward. He asked if she’d ever found the answers to her questions. She told him she hadn’t. About a month later she received an e-mail full of scriptures and quotes that dealt with her questions. They casually e-mailed for a long time and then things began to progress. She said she received her confirmation do in the Bountiful Temple that marrying him was the right thing to. This was a lady who had gone through 2 divorces and was never going to marry again. He had recently gone through a horrible divorce and absolutely wasn’t going to marry again. They were married on a beach in Hawaii so both families could afford to attend. They said the spirit at the wedding was unbelievably strong. Then she said, “He even took my name when we got married!” He had come from an horrible family background, and her dad (deceased) came to them and told him to do that. I think he will be part of her dad’s line in the eternities. Anyway, she loves Perth. They bought a condo in Hawaii so her kids can just fly that far to have a visit with mom. What a neat couple they are; it’s amazing when we let the Lord direct our lives. At some point he told her that as he gave her that blessing her whole life was opened up to him. And they had never even spoken to one another before that except for a “Hello” as they passed at church.
Nielsens had invited us up for dinner today. It was wonderful and then we went shopping at “Nielsens’ Used and Abused.” (Mission furniture stored in their garage) We picked out a new fridge, a nice bookshelf to replace the two crummy ones we have here, and a dryer. Elder Crawford will bring those down with his trailer. We brought home a heater (for winter—you take it when you can get it), a small TV, and a microwave. The microwave here is so old it’s turned yellow. Elder Crawford also brought us a new couch to replace the olive green velour thing we used when we were here before.
We’ve been cleaning like crazy for since Thursday. The inspection is on Tuesday, and that’s good because we still have a long list of stuff to be done tomorrow.
Today we went to church in the Como Ward which is the one we live in. When we lived in this flat before, we were working the Jandakot Ward which is south of here. We don’t have a specific assignment yet but decided it would be good to go to Como. There are a ton of elderly people in it. I counted 6 families with Primary age kids. I didn’t see much in the way of youth. Two young men helped with the sacrament; the rest were older brethren. We were on the back row and a lady about our age came in and sat in front of us. Pretty soon she was doubled over. The next thing she turned and asked the elders for a blessing. All 4 of us went out (I didn’t know what was going on; but when 3 of the party get up and leave, number 4 doesn’t want to be left behind.) She has brittle bone disease and had casts on her ankle and wrist but was experiencing terrible pain in her stomach area and back and was feeling nauseated. Anyway, the guys gave her a blessing and then left. We were in the cultural hall and there were a couple of extra benches in there. She laid down on one of them and I stayed with her. We had a great visit. Her name is Samantha Davidson. She felt better in a while and said she would head to the doctor right after she spoke with the bishop. Sounded like gall bladder to “Dr. Porter.” She’s a widow and has one son who is 19 living with her.
In Relief Society, I introduced myself and a lady behind me (about my age) asked me where I am from. I told her Utah. She asked where; I said Clearfield. She replied, “I’m from Clinton.” For those of you reading this who are not familiar with north Davis County, Clearfield and Clinton are only separated by a street. Small world! She had served here as the mission secretary 4-5 years ago. While here, she attended the Como Ward. She was helping a sister move when she ruptured two discs. That was a Saturday. On Sunday, she told a brother in the ward she needed a blessing. He “snagged” a fellow passing by to help him. The passer-by sealed the annointing and in the blessing mentioned a couple of questions that she had. She ended up going home. Fast forward a year or so: She received an e-mail from this guy who had seen her address on a forward. He asked if she’d ever found the answers to her questions. She told him she hadn’t. About a month later she received an e-mail full of scriptures and quotes that dealt with her questions. They casually e-mailed for a long time and then things began to progress. She said she received her confirmation do in the Bountiful Temple that marrying him was the right thing to. This was a lady who had gone through 2 divorces and was never going to marry again. He had recently gone through a horrible divorce and absolutely wasn’t going to marry again. They were married on a beach in Hawaii so both families could afford to attend. They said the spirit at the wedding was unbelievably strong. Then she said, “He even took my name when we got married!” He had come from an horrible family background, and her dad (deceased) came to them and told him to do that. I think he will be part of her dad’s line in the eternities. Anyway, she loves Perth. They bought a condo in Hawaii so her kids can just fly that far to have a visit with mom. What a neat couple they are; it’s amazing when we let the Lord direct our lives. At some point he told her that as he gave her that blessing her whole life was opened up to him. And they had never even spoken to one another before that except for a “Hello” as they passed at church.
Nielsens had invited us up for dinner today. It was wonderful and then we went shopping at “Nielsens’ Used and Abused.” (Mission furniture stored in their garage) We picked out a new fridge, a nice bookshelf to replace the two crummy ones we have here, and a dryer. Elder Crawford will bring those down with his trailer. We brought home a heater (for winter—you take it when you can get it), a small TV, and a microwave. The microwave here is so old it’s turned yellow. Elder Crawford also brought us a new couch to replace the olive green velour thing we used when we were here before.
We’ve been cleaning like crazy for since Thursday. The inspection is on Tuesday, and that’s good because we still have a long list of stuff to be done tomorrow.
NO CLOT!!! :O)
January 6, 2011 Thursday
Hurray! Yesterday morning we were at the hospital by 8:30. They scheduled my ultrasound for 10:45 but recommended we stick around in case they could get us in early (hahahaha). Just after 10:30, a kid came and walked us around a bunch of long hallways (every hospital has them) and put us in the Imaging Waiting Room. Forty-five minutes later the tech came and got me and we went in to start the scan. She was quite young and said she had worked 2 years in the country before she was hired to work here in the city. Pretty much that’s how the medical system works here: the new guys work the country towns until they get some experience and then they get to come back to the city. Anyway, she explained what I was seeing on the monitor. She would find the vein and then push really hard on it my leg with the scanner doo-hickey to see if the vein would compress. All the way down from my groin to my calf the veins compressed (that’s a good thing showing that the veins were not blocked). Then she pushed really hard on my calf and I about hit the ceiling it hurt so much. So she started circling around that area and found a dark area about the size of my little finger. She said she was going to get the “radiographer.” In comes this little old guy who looked at least 70 walking on hand crutches. Anyway she showed him what she’d found. He explained that I didn’t have a clot, but a tear in my calf muscle. Wahoo! That was great news. They said they’d send the picture off to Dr. Hammond, and we left there smiling from ear to ear. I wonder how many people think a diagnosis of a muscle tear is a good thing?
We went to the Mission Office and were told they were going to move us into the same flat we’d lived in when we first came to Australia. (Rats, we’d hoped we’d get one like the other senior missionaries in Perth live in instead of an elders’ flat—no air conditioning, no clothes dryer, etc.) So we rode with the Crawfords to pick up the queen size bed (Elder Crawford has a trailer he pulls around behind his Camry when moving furniture). We got the bed we’d slept on at the Nielsen’ flat. It’s the best mattress we’ve had since getting here. Then we went to the flat. The elders being moved out (one’s going home in 3 weeks) were supposed to be ready to move their stuff when we got there. Well, the suitcases were packed, but there was so much junk all over the front room floor we could hardly walk through it, everything from Nerf balls to bike helmets to who-knows-what. The elders got there just after we did, and we spent the next hour and a half trying to get their stuff out (and the twin beds) and the flat cleaned up enough that we could bring our suitcases in. (I’m not sure the Elders appreciated having two sets of “Grandmas and Grandpas” telling them what to do, but it was obvious it wouldn’t have gotten done without our gentle “nagging.”) Sister Crawford and I spent some time scrubbing the tops of the stove and the microwave. Not really sure what was on the microwave, but it didn’t want to come clean very fast. Then we went back to the Mission Office to get a car. Surprise, there isn’t one available for us. So we worked it out we would take the Nielsens to their flat and drive home in their car so we’d have it in the morning to go to the doctor. Crawfords would pick them up in the morning. They had us eat turkey sandwiches with them and we left at 8 pm. We took a wrong turn and it took us an hour to get home instead of the half hour it should have. Driving unfamiliar streets in the dark isn’t a good idea. We made the bed and fell into it.
This morning Dr. Hammond said what I’d seen on the monitor was the hematoma (blood) caused by the tear and told me to keep wearing the ted hose, stay off it as much as possible and return in a week. (Yesterday we were also told that the flat owners were coming to do an inspection next Tuesday so we get to clean up the place way more than we would have (take down all exhaust fans and clean them, clean out window tracks, etc.) Thankfully there had only been elders here for 7 months since we’d moved out of here and not 10 years like it had been when we first moved in. The fridge was so much better this time.
The Robinsons (branch president from Broome) are still here in Perth from when they came down for the holidays. We had called him from the Broome airport to let him know we were leaving. He didn’t answer so we left us a message telling him to call us. He called yesterday while we were riding around with the Crawfords. (Crawfords have also served in Broome and know him well.) It took Orson 10 minutes to convince him that we were not pulling his leg. We laughed so hard. So today we met the Robinsons and Crawfords at the mission office and all went to lunch at the Sizzler. It was so good to see them, and we got great hugs from Anaya, their little 7 year old. Robinsons bought lunch. He insisted we order a meat entrée and then ordered cheese bread, and salad bar for all of us. For the 6 adults and two kids, the total was over $150. That’s why we don’t eat out often over here. We had a great time. We hated saying good-bye to them, but they do come to Perth once in a while so we are pretty sure we will see them again. Also, when they went to his company’s Christmas party (headquarters here in Perth) he was offered a new position a step up the career ladder. They plan to accept it so they will be moving down sometime this year. It leaves the future of the Broom Branch in jeopardy. We’ll see what happens.
We were given the Nielsen’s car to drive for the next two weeks before transfers. There are a couple of areas being closed and that will free up a car for us. Some elders near the mission home will use their car during the day and then Nielsens will have it after office hours, so they aren’t totally being stranded without wheels.
We did some shopping and came home. I was able to sort through the “pantry” and got what we bought put away. How do you “stay off your foot” when moving into a new home? Any suggestions?
Hurray! Yesterday morning we were at the hospital by 8:30. They scheduled my ultrasound for 10:45 but recommended we stick around in case they could get us in early (hahahaha). Just after 10:30, a kid came and walked us around a bunch of long hallways (every hospital has them) and put us in the Imaging Waiting Room. Forty-five minutes later the tech came and got me and we went in to start the scan. She was quite young and said she had worked 2 years in the country before she was hired to work here in the city. Pretty much that’s how the medical system works here: the new guys work the country towns until they get some experience and then they get to come back to the city. Anyway, she explained what I was seeing on the monitor. She would find the vein and then push really hard on it my leg with the scanner doo-hickey to see if the vein would compress. All the way down from my groin to my calf the veins compressed (that’s a good thing showing that the veins were not blocked). Then she pushed really hard on my calf and I about hit the ceiling it hurt so much. So she started circling around that area and found a dark area about the size of my little finger. She said she was going to get the “radiographer.” In comes this little old guy who looked at least 70 walking on hand crutches. Anyway she showed him what she’d found. He explained that I didn’t have a clot, but a tear in my calf muscle. Wahoo! That was great news. They said they’d send the picture off to Dr. Hammond, and we left there smiling from ear to ear. I wonder how many people think a diagnosis of a muscle tear is a good thing?
We went to the Mission Office and were told they were going to move us into the same flat we’d lived in when we first came to Australia. (Rats, we’d hoped we’d get one like the other senior missionaries in Perth live in instead of an elders’ flat—no air conditioning, no clothes dryer, etc.) So we rode with the Crawfords to pick up the queen size bed (Elder Crawford has a trailer he pulls around behind his Camry when moving furniture). We got the bed we’d slept on at the Nielsen’ flat. It’s the best mattress we’ve had since getting here. Then we went to the flat. The elders being moved out (one’s going home in 3 weeks) were supposed to be ready to move their stuff when we got there. Well, the suitcases were packed, but there was so much junk all over the front room floor we could hardly walk through it, everything from Nerf balls to bike helmets to who-knows-what. The elders got there just after we did, and we spent the next hour and a half trying to get their stuff out (and the twin beds) and the flat cleaned up enough that we could bring our suitcases in. (I’m not sure the Elders appreciated having two sets of “Grandmas and Grandpas” telling them what to do, but it was obvious it wouldn’t have gotten done without our gentle “nagging.”) Sister Crawford and I spent some time scrubbing the tops of the stove and the microwave. Not really sure what was on the microwave, but it didn’t want to come clean very fast. Then we went back to the Mission Office to get a car. Surprise, there isn’t one available for us. So we worked it out we would take the Nielsens to their flat and drive home in their car so we’d have it in the morning to go to the doctor. Crawfords would pick them up in the morning. They had us eat turkey sandwiches with them and we left at 8 pm. We took a wrong turn and it took us an hour to get home instead of the half hour it should have. Driving unfamiliar streets in the dark isn’t a good idea. We made the bed and fell into it.
This morning Dr. Hammond said what I’d seen on the monitor was the hematoma (blood) caused by the tear and told me to keep wearing the ted hose, stay off it as much as possible and return in a week. (Yesterday we were also told that the flat owners were coming to do an inspection next Tuesday so we get to clean up the place way more than we would have (take down all exhaust fans and clean them, clean out window tracks, etc.) Thankfully there had only been elders here for 7 months since we’d moved out of here and not 10 years like it had been when we first moved in. The fridge was so much better this time.
The Robinsons (branch president from Broome) are still here in Perth from when they came down for the holidays. We had called him from the Broome airport to let him know we were leaving. He didn’t answer so we left us a message telling him to call us. He called yesterday while we were riding around with the Crawfords. (Crawfords have also served in Broome and know him well.) It took Orson 10 minutes to convince him that we were not pulling his leg. We laughed so hard. So today we met the Robinsons and Crawfords at the mission office and all went to lunch at the Sizzler. It was so good to see them, and we got great hugs from Anaya, their little 7 year old. Robinsons bought lunch. He insisted we order a meat entrée and then ordered cheese bread, and salad bar for all of us. For the 6 adults and two kids, the total was over $150. That’s why we don’t eat out often over here. We had a great time. We hated saying good-bye to them, but they do come to Perth once in a while so we are pretty sure we will see them again. Also, when they went to his company’s Christmas party (headquarters here in Perth) he was offered a new position a step up the career ladder. They plan to accept it so they will be moving down sometime this year. It leaves the future of the Broom Branch in jeopardy. We’ll see what happens.
We were given the Nielsen’s car to drive for the next two weeks before transfers. There are a couple of areas being closed and that will free up a car for us. Some elders near the mission home will use their car during the day and then Nielsens will have it after office hours, so they aren’t totally being stranded without wheels.
We did some shopping and came home. I was able to sort through the “pantry” and got what we bought put away. How do you “stay off your foot” when moving into a new home? Any suggestions?
BACK IN PERTH
January 4, 2011 Tuesday
Late Sunday we talked about the fact that we were uncomfortable staying in Broome much longer with this unknown status of my leg. I called and talked to Nancy about the “what ifs” if we weren’t close to good medical care. She confirmed our feelings that we needed to come to Perth. So Monday morning we talked to the president explaining the standard of care I would have had in the states because of the seriousness of the possibilities of having a blood clot and the lack of care in Broome. He concurred and told us to go ahead and book the flight and move out with the understanding we weren’t returning to Broome.
We booked our flight for 1 pm today and spent the rest of yesterday packing boxes. We are only allowed one suitcase each on domestic flights. President Maurer and family had brought our one extra bag and our printer to Broome when they flew up the same weekend that we did. So we had to ship all that back to Perth by boat since it costs $35/kilo for extra air baggage. We ran around saying good-by to members. That was hard in a few cases. We weren’t able to catch Samantha. I felt really bad about that. Having less than 24 hours to pack up 7 months of living was a challenge.
This morning I called Dr. Hammond here in Perth. She told us to go straight to Swan District Hospital for a scan when we got here. We then mailed our boxes, cleaned the house, ate the last of the leftovers, called a taxi and went to the airport. It felt so good to finally quit rushing. Because we were taking the wheelchair we’d bought so I could tract, the airlines put me on a special “lift” to take me up to the plane so I didn’t have to climb the stairs. I was so glad—stairs are the hardest part of this deal with my leg.
The Cahoons met us at the airport and let us take her car. We got to the hospital about 5 pm. It was much more efficient than the Broome group in many ways, but even after waiting 2 hours, a person finally came out and said that we’d have to return in the morning for the ultrasound. And that’s even with the “urgent” ultrasound order from the doctor in Broome! Oh well, after 18 days, I guess one more won’t hurt. I gave myself the last of the Clexane shots I’ve been giving myself tonight. Hopefully, tomorrow I can start on pills or find out that I really don’t have a clot and quit the medicine altogether. (My stomach looks like a war zone. With the blood thinner, each injection has made it bruise more.) Then we’d have to figure out what the problem really is in my leg and that would be a whole ‘nother bucket of worms.
But it was good to come back to the Nielsen’s flat tonight. She had some yummy turkey soup she’d made and we had a great visit. Now it’s time to shower and go to bed. Yay!
Late Sunday we talked about the fact that we were uncomfortable staying in Broome much longer with this unknown status of my leg. I called and talked to Nancy about the “what ifs” if we weren’t close to good medical care. She confirmed our feelings that we needed to come to Perth. So Monday morning we talked to the president explaining the standard of care I would have had in the states because of the seriousness of the possibilities of having a blood clot and the lack of care in Broome. He concurred and told us to go ahead and book the flight and move out with the understanding we weren’t returning to Broome.
We booked our flight for 1 pm today and spent the rest of yesterday packing boxes. We are only allowed one suitcase each on domestic flights. President Maurer and family had brought our one extra bag and our printer to Broome when they flew up the same weekend that we did. So we had to ship all that back to Perth by boat since it costs $35/kilo for extra air baggage. We ran around saying good-by to members. That was hard in a few cases. We weren’t able to catch Samantha. I felt really bad about that. Having less than 24 hours to pack up 7 months of living was a challenge.
This morning I called Dr. Hammond here in Perth. She told us to go straight to Swan District Hospital for a scan when we got here. We then mailed our boxes, cleaned the house, ate the last of the leftovers, called a taxi and went to the airport. It felt so good to finally quit rushing. Because we were taking the wheelchair we’d bought so I could tract, the airlines put me on a special “lift” to take me up to the plane so I didn’t have to climb the stairs. I was so glad—stairs are the hardest part of this deal with my leg.
The Cahoons met us at the airport and let us take her car. We got to the hospital about 5 pm. It was much more efficient than the Broome group in many ways, but even after waiting 2 hours, a person finally came out and said that we’d have to return in the morning for the ultrasound. And that’s even with the “urgent” ultrasound order from the doctor in Broome! Oh well, after 18 days, I guess one more won’t hurt. I gave myself the last of the Clexane shots I’ve been giving myself tonight. Hopefully, tomorrow I can start on pills or find out that I really don’t have a clot and quit the medicine altogether. (My stomach looks like a war zone. With the blood thinner, each injection has made it bruise more.) Then we’d have to figure out what the problem really is in my leg and that would be a whole ‘nother bucket of worms.
But it was good to come back to the Nielsen’s flat tonight. She had some yummy turkey soup she’d made and we had a great visit. Now it’s time to shower and go to bed. Yay!
“I AM A CHILD OF GOD” IN PRISON?
January 2, 2011
We may be small, but we are might in spirit. Today we only had 5 at church: us, the Richmonds, and Simon. Of course it was testimony meeting, but Orson had asked the Richmond to share a few thoughts with us along with their testimonies. They brought the most beautiful spirit there. Kim, who looks so much like Betty Young it’s amazing, spoke about faith and how it had carried her through the tough times after her divorce. Max spoke about prayer and the comfort it had given him to know he can “access” God whenever he wants. He works for an “MP” which is like a senator in the states. His job is to answer some of the many requests that come to the office. He spoke about form letters and how nice it was to know that Heavenly Father doesn’t just send out form letters in answer to our prayers.
After the meeting, we were talking and Simon mentioned that he and his band had played a 3 hour concert at the prison here in town. He said one fellow asked if they could play “How Great Thou Art.” Simon knew it and played and sang it for the group. He then asked if they would allow him to play a couple of songs from his church. He sang, “I am a Child of God” and “Teach Me to Walk in the Light.” What a great thing for him to share with the fellows there!
We may be small, but we are might in spirit. Today we only had 5 at church: us, the Richmonds, and Simon. Of course it was testimony meeting, but Orson had asked the Richmond to share a few thoughts with us along with their testimonies. They brought the most beautiful spirit there. Kim, who looks so much like Betty Young it’s amazing, spoke about faith and how it had carried her through the tough times after her divorce. Max spoke about prayer and the comfort it had given him to know he can “access” God whenever he wants. He works for an “MP” which is like a senator in the states. His job is to answer some of the many requests that come to the office. He spoke about form letters and how nice it was to know that Heavenly Father doesn’t just send out form letters in answer to our prayers.
After the meeting, we were talking and Simon mentioned that he and his band had played a 3 hour concert at the prison here in town. He said one fellow asked if they could play “How Great Thou Art.” Simon knew it and played and sang it for the group. He then asked if they would allow him to play a couple of songs from his church. He sang, “I am a Child of God” and “Teach Me to Walk in the Light.” What a great thing for him to share with the fellows there!
Photos
Deep water jetty in Broome. We were out here when I made the tear in my calf bigger--that's when the swelling began.
We drove out here on New Years Day.
Willie Creek where they "farm" the giant pearl oysters.
View from Willie Creek looking back as visitors' centre.
"Crocodile Porter"
Samantha Reynolds at Christmas dinner.
Our see-through egg rolls.
Max and Kim Richmond--we think she looks like Betty Young. What do you think?
We drove out here on New Years Day.
Willie Creek where they "farm" the giant pearl oysters.
View from Willie Creek looking back as visitors' centre.
"Crocodile Porter"
Samantha Reynolds at Christmas dinner.
Our see-through egg rolls.
Max and Kim Richmond--we think she looks like Betty Young. What do you think?
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