August 25 2013 Weekly Letter

Dear Family and Friends:

This the last week of the month, where did August go?  It was so good to see you and talk to you last Monday, and the emails we received.  Tyson called the other day and said it is good we are only a phone call away, and we feel the same way.  Thank goodness for technology.

We have a very good week at the office, sending 24,500 images into Salt Lake on Friday, that is 7 days work.  We could probably get more done but we tend to read the cards, they are so interesting what people put on headstones.  One this week was a memorial to 7 people who was on a boat that went down in 1897.  It listed the names, a husband and wife and she was holding their baby, a couple of other people and the pilot of the boat.  With every card we capture we know it is going to help someone with their Family History.

Last Monday night we had a barbecue for two couples going home in the next couple of weeks, the Bakers from Moses Lake, Washington, and Kolerts from the SL area.  We had the dinner at Pres. Howes home and it was a lot of fun.  There was a new couple there from Seattle, Washington that have been here 2 days.  Their name is Elder and Sister Dick and they are going to be working in downtown Sydney at the University, (called Uni here) teaching English classes.

Tuesday was Temple night and we didn’t get home until 8:30 in the evening, a long day but very rewarding.

The weather has been a little cooler this week, in the 40’s when we leave in the morning but getting up to 60’s in the day.  A lot of the trees are starting to bloom and it is beautiful.  Hopefully we can get more pictures up, we have just been too busy at work.

We left yesterday (Sat) morning to drive to Coffs Harbour, a 6 hour trip.  When the Branch President called last week to ask us to come to his home so he could show us around, he asked us to stay at their home.  That saved a lot of money and they were so gracious.  President and Sister Sadler.  We got there about 3 and they took us to a favorite walking trail about 5 min drive from their home.  It was above the bay and was gorgeous!!!  The waves were rolling in, lots of people playing in the water, a couple of surfers, and people walking along the beach.  We walked for about 20 min and then went back to the car where they took us around the town.  They both worked in Sydney and when they retired they settled there.  We can understand why.  They have a beautiful yard, he has a garden, and they have a swimming pool.  We sat outside until it got dark, with no jacket on, it was so warm. They also have a few chickens that give about 5 eggs a day.  They are both converts to the Church, and served a mission to Hong Kong about 5 years ago.  They also had a friend staying with them from the Branch that lives about an hour away, Anna.  She was a delight, and we felt like we have known her because she was one of those people you just love.  They had a lovely dinner, Salmon, potatoes and fresh vegetables.  Fruit and thicken cream for dessert.  Before Church Sister Sadler, Anna came with us and showed us the big banana (pics to come) and a banana plantation.  The bananas are covered with green plastic bags to protect them from the bats and birds.

We told them we needed to leave as soon as Church was over because Dad didn’t want to come home in the dark on unfamiliar roads.  They fixed us sandwiches and cookies, which was so nice.

At Church President Sadler had asked us to take about 15 min. in Priesthood and Relief Society and explain about our mission and the work we are doing.  We were sitting in the audience for Sacrament Meeting with Anna, when they asked us to come up and bear our testimonies.  Now that was a surprise to me, Dad said he wasn’t.  They had the Priesthood and Relief Society stay together after Sunday School in the Chapel so we could talk there.  We had brought a picture of our work station and some of the cards we are copying.  We introduced ourselves and Dad told about the Rogers who were called on a 2 year local mission where they lived in Queensland to write down the info from the cemeteries there.  After they were released they did the cemeteries all over Australia, hence the over 1 million cards we are capturing.  There were about 15 men and women there.  It was a fun experience, we are hoping we can get there again before we leave.  We left about 1:30 at got home at 7:30 with one stop for about 10 min.  We are both really tired tonight so we are about ready for bed.  We got everything unpacked and put away, then ate a little bit.

Tomorrow night we have the dinner for FHE so we are making Cheeseburger Soup in the morning, I borrowed pans from Sister Williams and Jorgensen.  On the way to the office we will stop at the fruit and vegetable stand and get things for a tossed salad, and get rolls from the bakery.  The Feils have the lesson and dessert.  Then tomorrow at noon I was asked to give the lesson for Visiting Teaching.  We have everything ready to go except the soup in the morning.  We have to take all the dishes etc. as the Buckland House doesn’t have much.  They have a really nice kitchen though.  Mark said we could come in late so we won’t be in such a big hurry in the morning. 

Guess I had better close and go to bed, it is almost 10, and 6 in the morning comes early.  Tyson sent us a couple of pictures of the hail damage to the tomatoes today.  We could only open one of the pictures and Vonage will not let us sent texts anymore so Deven and Loren see if you have any suggestions when we see you tomorrow.  Praying there isn’t too much damage.

Love you all!!

Mum and Dad

                                           Our work station in the office

                                          Dix at his office computer

                                          Reflection pool at Auburn Botanic Center

 

August 18 2013 Weekly Letter

Australia Sun Aug 17 2013

Dear Family and Friends

Another busy week has gone, we said on Friday where had the week gone.  Monday when we got to the office we had an email from SL that they were cancelling the retakes because the cards were easy to read, duh, we knew that.  Mark and Danny said they wanted us to talk to the IT guys in SL so they knew how we were focusing the camera.  We sent an email off to say we would come in early on Wed, your  Tues, so we could talk to them before they went home for the day.  Tuesday we got an email to call them as soon as we got in and they would stay late.  We left the flat at 6:30 so we could get the computer and camera on before we called them.  They looked at what we were doing, said it was good and gave a couple of other suggestions for focusing which we have already been doing.  They said they have to convince the guys upstairs that we are using a Canon $1500 camera with a #150 lens, compared to $30,000 cameras with $3000 lens that the records preservations missions are using world wide.  They also said they are experimenting with a Nikon camera.  Dad told them that is what he uses and likes.

Monday night was FHE and the Fiels had dinner, enchilada’s, salad, chips and salsa.  We gave the lesson on Elder L Tom Perry’s talk “The Past Way of Facing the Future” (thanks Tina for the suggestion), then most everyone  shared an inspiring story of an ancestor.  Dad told the one about Israel Barlow and the Buggy Whip.  We served the dessert, 7 layer dip dessert.  It was Choc and Vanilla puddings layered with sliced banana’s, sliced strawberries, crushed pretzels (they actually have them here), almonds, and whipped cream on top.  It was yummy.  Next week we have dinner, and we will be gone for the weekend, so we need to figure out what to do.  We may see if Mark will let us come in a little late and make it Monday morning.  We go to Coffs Harbor to speak which is a 6 hr drive.  The Branch President said to call him when we get there so he can show us around.  They have banana plantations up there.  He wants to have us for dinner, and said the RS is having a linger longer after Church. 

Tues night at the Temple there were 4 sisters and 5 brothers in the session.  When Sister Williams and I came out the guys were talking to Sister Barr, the Temple Matron.  She is also in our FHE group.  She was born in Poland and raised in Germany so she told us stories of her mother being in Poland when she had her and then went to camps.  She was able to go back and visit with her husband a couple of years ago and see where she was born and talk to people who remembered her mother.  Dad told her to write those stories down for her children and grandchildren and she said she would.  The Barr’s are coming to Utah in October, they have a son and family in Morgan, (their children are home-taught) or Ruston, you may have known the children.  They said they would try to come to the Murray market on Friday. 

Yesterday morning at 8 we walked about 6 blocks to a boot sale (the trunk of a car is the boot here).  It was at an old Church, Dad got pictures hopefully we can post this week.  He found a little plastic greenhouse for $4 and I got a blender for $8.  We found the greenhouse in Bunnings yesterday and they sale for $15.  We are excited about the blender, now we can have smoothie’s.  We walked back and got the cars, the Williams and Jorgensen’s, went to the mission home and picked up the Fiels and went to Auburn, about a 15 min drive to the Botanic Gardens for the Cherry Blossom Festival.  Wow, it was beautiful   There was a rose garden, we need to go back in about a month to see them in bloom.  We saw a peacock, he wouldn’t put his tail up, Japenese Gardens, waterfall, relection pool, Australian Native Garden, a Rainforest and ponds all over.  There was also a fauna reserve where there was a white kangaroo and other kangaroo’s, birds, etc.  Then we asked the man directing traffic where to go for lunch and he said walk up to the corner and go down to the Tennis Club.  We did and it was really good food and very reasonable.  On the way home we  stopped at Bunnings to get the part we needed to get our grill working.  Jerry knew what we needed so we got it and came home.  Dad cleaned the grill good and I had a couple of sausages in the freezer, they are really good, so we decided to have them for dinner.  We went to the store and got supplies for the week and baked potatoes to go with the sausages, with sliced tomatoes.  It is going to be fun to grill.  I put a chicken breast in to marinade last night and today we had grilled chicken, ranch potatoes (thanks Tina for the ranch packets) and fresh beans with onion, garlic and bacon. I just took an  apple cinnamon loaf cake out of the oven and it is yummy.  I might share it with the neighbors.  It is really good so we took some over and told them we didn’t want to keep the calories all to ourselves.  It is so fun to be neighbors.  We are going to miss the Jorgensen’s when they go home in Oct.

Tomorrow night we have a barbecue at the Mission Presidents home for 2 couples going home this week, the Bakers to Moses Lake, and the Kohlers to SL area.  We are going to miss them.  I am going to make grape salad, thank goodness they have good sour cream and cream cheese and the grapes are wonderful.  We take some for lunch every day.  The Williams came to Church with us today because they didn’t have a teaching assignment.  The Kohlers spoke because it is their last week.  In RS there was 22, 3 sets of sister missionaries and 3 sr missionaries. 

The other night Sister Feil told us of an experience they had at the mission home a couple of weeks ago.  She answered the phone and a young man introduced himself and said he is Jewish and had some questions because he was unsure of some of his teachings, and wanted to know if there was a God and who could answer his questions.  Sister Fiel asked him to wait a moment while she got someone and the Zone Leader was in the office.  He answered the questions and asked him if he would like to have the missionaries come by.  He was very excited and has been talking to the missionaries and he and his girlfriends baptism is set.  That was an exciting story.

We got exciting news this week, Mark is sending us to Tasmania next month to work with the McDonalds in the archives for a day.  We are flying up on a Thur morning, going to the archives and then they are going to take us site seeing Fri-Mon and we fly home Mon afternoon.  We are really excited.  They said it is cold up there so dress warmer than here. 

Hope Michelle and Danna had good birthdays this week and Camryn has one next week.  Danna, write and tell us about the Ragnar.  One more thing we can’t get here Ascini Macaroni!!

I emailed Cheryl this week and asked her if she had names to go to the Temple and she sent some our way.  We went right over to the Temple and had the cards made up.  Thank You Cheryl.  Guess I rambled on long enough.

Love you All,  Mum and Dad

We took these pictures on our trip to Botany Bay where Captain Hook arrived in 1770. It was a beautiful day, we had to take off our jackets.

Plaque on Boardwalk

Trees planted at 200 years celebration of Captain Cooks landing, planted by Queen Elizabeth.

Monument marking the landing of Captain Cook.

Old ferry pier

Showing aborigany history

This is Elder and Sister Williams from Mud Lake Idaho. We work with them in our office.

Dix and Ruth

Captain Cook's ship in Visitor Center

Beautiful pants and trees in Park

Beautiful View!

Tomato plants and makeshift greenhouse that Dix started. It is cold enough in our flat that we have to use a grow light underneath the plants to keep them warm.

Quilt made by a mother of a missionary for President and Sister Howes hanging in their home, out of the ties of the missionaries.  Look at the detail below, they collar has little buttons on it.

Family History Center where our office is



Our apartment building in Parametta

August 11 2013 Weekly Letter

Australia 11 Aug 2013

Dear Family:

Another week is gone, we are asking ourselves where the time is going.  Monday morning Dad gave the spiritual thought at devotional meeting.  He did a great job even though he was very nervous.  There is about 20 people in the room, it is streamlined to the office in New Zealand, and 2 hours later it goes to Perth for the office there.  It is a good thing he didn't know that when he gave it.  It was so good to visit with all of you who were on Skype Monday morning, and we have talked to others on the phone.  Tifanie sent a great email about their activities.  We really look forward to those visits.

Tuesday was Temple Night and there was about 30 people there, very big for this Temple.  Some of the people are still here in Sydney from Time out for Women.

Wednesday morning there was a Devotional Program streamlined in from New Zealand to introduce the new counselor in the Pacific Area Presidency, O. Vincent Haleck.  His wife spoke and then he did.  He said he met his wife in Provo while attending the Y.  She is from Provo, and when they became engaged he asked her if she would mind living in Samoa where he was from, and she said fine, where in Africa was Samoa, so he said it was in the Pacific and it was a place just like Provo.  She said she really got a shock when they got there.  They have lived there most of their life, and are excited to be in New Zealand.  They have been in Salt Lake the past couple of years as a regional rep.  Two of our couple missionaries were over there for the week, the Tanners and Kohlers with meetings and to meet Elder Haleck.  They are supposed to get back tonight.

Thursday we got an email that the last shuttle of cards captured were out of focus, over 14,000 of them.  Mark came in and said not to do anymore until this is settled, they think the camera is not focusing right.  Danny told S L that they need to fix the problem and we would not be working until they decided what to do.  We got emails back Thurs. and Fri telling us what to do and it is exactly what we have been doing.  Guess we will hear on Tues.  In the meantime we have been indexing.  Dad took some pictures of the cards with his camera and Mark said to send them to S.L. because they look really good.  Because tomorrow is your Sunday and our Mon we will have to wait.  Friday we left the office about 3 and went to a hardware store by the office and Dad got tomato seeds, potting soil and a light to keep them warm, came home and started about 12 in plastic cups.  He has them in a box in a cake pan, covered tightly with saran wrap, and the light under them.  We leave the light on all the time we are home.  Hopefully they will stay warm while we are at the office, it gets about 55 by the time we get home. 

Saturday, Sister Jorgensen, Sister Williams, Dix and I went to Vinney’s and Salvo’s.  Dix picked up a couple of speakers to put on the computer, and they sound really good.  They are Logitech, he paid $15.00.  I found a couple of cotton skirts for $6, each and some shorts for $5.  Then the Williams and us took off to Botany Bay, a new adventure for them also.  It was absolutely stunning.  This is where Captain Cook landed and met the aboriginal people.  There is a boardwalk that has different signs and monuments about the culture.  It was very interesting, and it took a couple of hours to walk it and read everything.  We also picked up shells from along the beach, and it was a beautiful day.  Have we said we are really enjoying this winter.  We had to take our jackets off it was so warm.  There was a visitors center that was very interesting.  We took a different trail back to the car that was through the brush and trees.  We stopped on the way home at a roadside fish and chip place with the sign “World Famous Fish and Chips”  We waited for them to be cooked then walked  down the street a little and sat on a bench to eat.  They were very good and such a large portion that we brought one dinner home and had it last night.  Another very enjoyable day.  After we got home we went to the grocery store.  We have the lesson and dessert for Family Home Evening tomorrow night so we needed to get things to make it.  We are going to leave work early tomorrow to come home and make it.  The kitchen at Buckland House just doesn't have everything, and we don’t want to haul it all there. 

Today at Church, as we were walking in we saw another missionary couple we did not recognize so as we got to the door we introduced ourselves and said we were from Layton, and they said they were also.  It was Joe and LaWana Osborne, we knew them many years ago when they lived in Kaysville.  They are on their way home from their mission in the Pacific Islands.  We invited them to dinner as their plane didn't leave until tonight, they are still touring until next weekend before they go home.  When I put meat, potatoes, carrots and onions in the crock pot this morning I wondered why I was fixing so much.  Now I know I was promted to do so.  They followed us home, I had bought green beans, so we got them on with bacon, onion and garlic.  I fixed a green salad and we had a very good dinner, with very good company.  Kevin Hill was their Bishop when they lived in Kaysville.  They live at 3651 W 925 N, in Layton now.  They said they would come down to the farm when they get home.  There was also a new Sister Missionary that just got here yesterday, she came all alone and is assigned to our ward.  She is from South Weber and knows the Cooks very well.  She is good friends with Stanley and Bonnie’s daughter.  We have decided it is a small world indeed.

Monday AM:  We just got to the office and found out Salt Lake has cancelled any retakes of the cards because of the camera we are using so we will probably begin capturing again tomorrow or Wed.  Danny wants us to talk to Henry in SL who is the IT guy there.  We will probably have to come in Wed morning about 7.

Love you all,

Mum and Dad

August 4 2013 Weekly Letter

Australia 4 Aug 2013

G’Day

Another month gone, the time is going fast.  We just got home from Church at the ward close to us, about 10 blocks away.  They really have a great ward, although it is very small.  The sister who taught Relief Society is 18 and just graduated from High School.  She did a wonderful job.

Last week went by really fast.  We sent over 14,000 images to Salt Lake on Friday, 3^rd week in a row with that number.  It was good to see everyone on Mon. morning, your Sunday afternoon.  You have no idea how much we look forward to seeing you, and talking to you for those that are not on Google plus.  Happy to hear Vaun and Mandy got a new home, and hopefully got out of the old one.  We talked to Onalie on Thurs. and she said they helped and most things were out of the house.  Thanks Mandy for the tour of the new home, it looks amazing.  It will be so fun to see it with all of your things in it.  Where are you going to put the bookcases?  Also I need an address to send Camryn’s Birthday Card to.  Text me or email me.

Monday night we had Family Home Evening at Buckland House.  The Williams had the dinner, she had a cheese soup, relish tray and fruit platter.  It was very good. There were 6 couple missionaries there.  The Tanners had the lesson, they are the public affairs for the mission and he played an interview on National ABC Radio with a reporter who called him last week and ask for an interview about the Mormon Pioneers because he knew Utah celebrated each 24^th of July.  Elder Tanner didn't want to give the interview so he called Pres. Bruce Lindsay, President of the Perth Australia mission.  He really didn't want to do it either but Elder Tanner talked him into it.  The reporter asked a lot of questions about the History of the Church and with Pres. Lindsay’s career in broadcasting did an excellent job.  We really enjoyed listening to it.  The reporter was so impressed with the interview he made it into 2 segments.  It is on Sunday nights and the 2^nd will air tonight.  He will send it to us via email tomorrow morning.  The Tanners also did the dessert, choc cake and ice cream.  Tues night we went to the Temple, and it had rained a little when we got out.  After the session we just walk back to our office to pick up our things before heading home.  Wednesday the 5 Sr couples had the opportunity to feed a set of missionaries, one that had just got here on Wed, and their trainer.  Deven texted me on Tues that there were a lot of missionaries on Front Runner when he got on in So Jordan, and about 20 were coming to Australia.  I called him and he said he talked to an Elder Clark and Elder Webb.  We went over to the mission office and told Sister Feil we wanted one of those Elders.  She said Elder Clark was coming to our mission and Elder Webb was in the South mission.  She said she had nothing to do with the dinner assignments.  There were about 4 Elders at the home when we went over so I asked them where they were from, and one said Layton.  We said we were also, his name was Frietag.  I asked him if his dad was Scott, a city councilman, and he said yes.  I said we didn’t know him but had seen him at meetings.  He said they just moved down by Sand Springs Elementary since he has been out.  Wednesday we left the office about 4 and brought Sister Williams home and Elder Williams stayed at the office to bring the 4 Elders home for dinner about 5.  We did get Elder Clark and he remembered Deven, the one with the bike.  The trainer was an Elder Wong from Hong Kong.  We really enjoyed having them and they have the new Elder teach a 30 minute lesson after eating and then we took them back to the mission home.  Dad took their pictures and we emailed them to the parents Thurs. morning.  We got a nice note back from the Clarks, thanking us.  He is from Cedar City.

Yesterday I was able to attend “Time Out for Women” with 4 other Sr Sisters, Sister Williams, Sister Jorgensen, Sister Tanner and myself.  Elder Tanner took us down to the Olympic Stadium where the meeting was held, and then he came back and got us at 4.  Funny that all four of us had to come to Australia to go to one.  It was wonderful!!  Amazing to see 2,050 women, most of them members from all over Australia and Tasmania.  A lot of them came to our ward today because they are visiting family and friends to attend the conference.  Some of you may have heard of the “Rice Experiment” that Hilary Weeks tells about.  She said her friend told her to do this to teach her children to talk nice to one another.  She cooked a pot of white rice and when cool put in into 2 quart bottles about half full.  On one bottle she wrote LOVE and on the other HATE.  She put them in 2 separate rooms that were similar, both on the north side of the house and about the same size rooms.  Each day at least once or more everyone would go talk to the bottles, very nice to the love one, and angry or not nice, using words like ugly and not pretty to the hate one.  See what happens!  She said it was pretty silly having her husband do it, and every night before the kids went to bed she reminded them tell the rice good night.  Let me know if any of you do it.  They did it for about a month.  At the beginning of Sheri Dew’s talk she asked all the sister missionaries in attendance to come to the stage.  There were about 20-25 young missionaries and 7 Sr missionaries.  She said a couple of weeks ago while at the Provo MTC to speak, a choir of sister missionaries sang a new song by Janice Kapp Perry for sister missionaries to the tune of “As Sisters in Zion”.  She had the words on the teleprompter in the middle of the stage and had us all sing it.  It is a beautiful song, and only the 2^nd time it has ever been sung. 

While we were at the conference yesterday Dad, Elder Williams and Elder Jorgensen went on a ride to see some farm country.  They were able to talk to some farmers who were planting potatoes and have cauliflower ready to harvest.  They really enjoyed talking to them.

Last week I forgot to mention Visiting Teaching.  The Sr sisters meet together for lunch, we just bring our own, in a room at the Buckland House and one of the sisters give a lesson.  It is always on the 3^rd Wed of the month.  That was a lot of fun.  Sister Tanner gave it on “The Attitude of Prayer”.

Tonight is the new member fireside so I need to go make cookies for it.  Most of the sisters just buy them but I am going to make some chocolate ones rolled in powder sugar.  I have all the ingredients for those.

This week we received a box from Tina.  We were so excited, none of us receive any mail.  The Primary had a missionary activity last month and made kits for each missionary.  We received 3 family home evening packets, pass along cards, candy, CTR bracelets, and a Book of Mormon, a picture of Tina with Will, Crew, Henry, Aniston and Jonas working on the kits.  We were so excited to get it.  Also Tina put some Ranch, Italian, and Onion packets in.  Now I feel like I can function in my kitchen.  I have made some of the mixes up, at least the ones I can find spices for.  Also a bottle of celery seed, not heard of over here, and graham cracker crumbs.  Now we can make cheese cake for our dessert next week for FHE. 

Dad has the spiritual thought for prayer meeting in the morning and he is nervous.  He always does a good job.  There are usually about 25 people there.  What a wonderful way to start the week.

Another thing I wanted to tell you was that instead of putting pickles on hamburgers here they use pickled beets.  We thought it was really good.  We walked over to the mall one day last week to get lunch because we didn’t have any bread.  We had Chinese and it was pretty good.  That is only the 3^rd time we have eaten out since we got here, other than dinners with the Sr missionaries.  It is very expensive.

Next week we were supposed to speak in Leura but they have Stake Conference so Dad told the Bishop we would visit another time.  Unless the President assigns us somewhere else we will be home for 3 weeks.  The end of the month we go to Coffs Harbor and that is an overnighter.

Thanks to those who have emailed us this week, Tina, Onalie and Tami.  It is so fun to know what is going on in your lives.  I can’t believe summer vacation is almost over and the kids will soon be back in school.  Canyon, Lydia and Krey go back next week.  It is fun to see the school kids around here in uniforms.  We pass about 3 schools and a small college on our way to work each day.  There is also a high school just up the road from our office.

Love, Mum and Dad