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