Australia Sunday Oct 20, 2013
Dear Family and Friends:
Another very busy week is gone and we start anew
tomorrow. We are finally getting settled
in our new flat, at least everything is put away we can find a place for. Dad and Elder Williams came over Mon morning
to meet the man in charge of maintaining the flats to get our gas leak fixed
and the Williams hot water fixed. Every
flat to this point, 4 that the missionaries are in have all had the same gas
leak, duh you would think they would tighten the valve in all of them before
they are occupied. Friday night the
fleet Elders moved the things from Jorgensen’s flat to one next to Williams and
sure enough there was a leak. Elder
Williams and Elder Feil tightened the valve themselves. A new legal couple will be here in the
morning. We will tell you about them
next week. The fleet Elders delivered a
2 seater (love seat) and a cupboard, to be put together, from Ikea on Thursday
night. We put the 2 seater together
first, and then decided we might as well put the cupboard together while we
were in the mess. It was after 11 when
we finished, they delivered them around 9.
Over here a chair is a 1 seater, a love seat is a 2 seater and a couch
is a 3 seater. Still trying to get used
to the lingo they use around here. We
had a lady tell us the other day we need to learn how to talk Australian, I
said we were trying. We have moved the
furniture around until now we think we have it the way we want it. Dad took pictures tonight and we will try to
get them posted this week if we have time.
We do have some spots appearing on the carpet, some pretty big, that
must be coming up from the pad. Elder
Feil took pictures of them and is going to tell the people they rent the flats
from. Wednesday evening we went to the mall and got
bathroom rugs, and towels. I am not happy
with the color, but they look ok. We are
very comfortable and enjoying walking to work, although some days we do need to
drive.
Last Monday night was Family Home Evening and the Tanners
served Subway sandwiches and a couple of salads. It was very good. We had a farewell party for the Jorgensen’s
and birthday for Elder Williams. Everyone told about their favorite speaker
from General Conference. The Williams
had dessert, ice cream with a nut crust and homemade fresh strawberry
sauce. It was yummy!
We also have FHE tomorrow night because we missed the week
it was a holiday. We have the lesson and
dessert. I just made a pecan bar we will
serve with ice cream, and we are doing Mormon Trivia. Hope it turns out ok. Will let you know next week.
On Monday we had the Christmas Social meeting and made more
plans for our Aussie Christmas. We are
going to have to food catered because we can get a good deal on it. We are now working on a program. I forgot last week when I reported on the
committee that Mark’s wife Melinda is on the committee and she is
Australian. I think it is going to be so
fun. Mark asked Dad and I to run across
the street and get a birthday cake for Elder Williams birthday, and then he
brought it in during the committee meeting and we sang to him and served
everyone cake. It was a caramel cake and
very good.
On Friday morning we had the monthly birthday tea, the
public affairs missionaries were in charge and they had subway and fruit, and
cookies. When we got back to the office
Mark had us all meet together and said Wayne was in from SL, he is the man over
all the cameras all over the world. He
wondered if Sister Williams would get together an afternoon tea around 2:30,
Subway sandwiches, fruit, cookies and juice.
We ate and visited. He is from
Bountiful. After we ate Mark had him
explain how the program works and who works in SL with him. He told about getting the camera’s into some
of the countries and working with the governments and churches to be able to
copy their records. I asked him if there
were any cameras in Jamaica, and he said no, so I told him my parents had been
there on a mission micro filming the government records. He asked their name and when I told him he
said he was their Bishop when they went out.
Dad and I just sat there speechless and then I asked him his last name,
it is Metcalf. Small world. He then came in and watched us capture some
cards. He asked how the camera was
working and he and Dad talked about it.
It was fun meeting him again, I am sure we had met him before. He will be here until Wednesday working with
Mark, but they won’t be in the office.
We did have time to visit with him about some of the people still living
in the 9th ward. He is also a
brother-in-law to a good friend of ours, Roger Fluman, and his father-in-law
worked with my Dad when they built the Bountiful Swimming Pool. He was also a teacher and coach at Bountiful
High.
Friday at the tea some of the people were telling us about
the fires burning all over NSW, over 90 fires are burning and most of them were
out of control. Over a hundred homes
have burned and they told us to check with the roads because the road through
the Blue Mountains had been closed. Dad
call the Branch President in Cowra and he said he would check and call us
Friday night. When he called he said the
road was open and they expected it to stay open. We left Sat morning to go and we went through
smoke and could see some of the fires.
It took almost 4 hours to get there.
It is a beautiful drive, except where the smoke was. We stopped at Bathurst for lunch and walked
around the shopping area a little. We
had really good pizza, only the 2nd time we have had pizza since we
have been here. It had ham, onions,
peppers, pepperoni and egg, and cheese.
We got to Cowra and checked into our motel and called the Branch
President. He asked to come over and
meet the full-time missionaries that were visiting him and his wife. One is from So Jordan and the other from the
Philippines. They have just had
missionaries there for 3 months. The
President said that he was baptized in 1958 with his family and he would love
to know if the missionaries who taught them and baptized them were still
around. I got their names and called
Deven this morning from Church and he found out about them. He was so excited when I gave him the
information. Thanks Deven. After we left their house we went for a ride
out in the country for a couple of hours.
We stopped at a little fish place through town and got fish and chips
before going back to our room to study our talks. The Branch meets in an old house converted to
a Church, and it sits on a hill and you can see all over the valley. They get about 40 people to Church, and if
anymore come they have to stand or sit in another room. They have 1 young man, 4 young women, and a
big primary of 14 children. The music
was led by a 13 year old girl, and 2 of the hymns were played on the organ by a
15 year old. It was so much fun to be
there, if we just didn’t have to talk.
Sunday School had 4 of us there, and Relief Society there was 6
there. We left right after the meetings
as we wanted to get home. The smoke was
worse as we came towards Katoomba and we could actually see fires not too far
away from the highway. There were also
fire trucks parked along the highway in one place and I watched a helicopter
get water from a small water hole.
Next weekend we go to Nowra, which is about the same
distance but right on the coast. It
should be really pretty. I just have to
remember to make hotel reservations this week.
They just have a branch there also.
Tomorrow we are going to run across the street to get some
ice cream and just put it in the freezer at Buckland House. We just ran next door to the Moore’s and they
said yesterday the public relations hosted the orphans and their families that
were raised at Buckland House. It was
started as a boys orphanage in the 20’s by the Church of England. Every 2 years they have a reunion there with
pictures, food, etc. All of them are now
in their 70’s and 80’s and there was over a 100 of them there. They said that it was a very positive place
to grow up, and they are so excited with the way the Church keeps up the
grounds and the building.
Every morning all of the missionaries in the mission recites
the purpose of the mission, D&C4, the Standard of Truth, and D&C
121:33-46.
It is now almost 10:30 and 6 comes very early in the morning
so I had better close. Love you all and
pray for you daily.
This morning at weekly prayer meeting and staff meeting the
opening song was “Scatter Sunshine” and I was very touched by the words. Maybe I need it today. Anyway now you get it:
In a world where sorrow ever will be know, where are found
the needy and the sad and lone, How much joy and comfort you can all bestow, if
you scatter sunshine Everywhere you go.
Slightest actions often, meet the sorest needs, For the
world wants daily, Little kindly deeds.
Ho, what care and sorrow You may help remove, With you songs and
courage, sympathy and love.
When the days are gloomy, Sing some happy song; Meet the
world’s repining with a courage strong. Go with faith undaunted thru the ills
of life; Scatter smiles and sunshine, O’re its toil and strife.
Scatter sunshine all along your way. Cheer and bless and brighten Every passing
day.
Love,
Mum and Pop
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