Sunday, August 11, 2013

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

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