Dix and Ruth in Australia: November 2014

Sunday, November 9, 2014

November 9 2014 Weekly Letter

Australia November 9, 2014

Dear Family and Friends,

Well, this is the last letter from Australia. Hard to believe that we have been here 17 months. We must say it has been a wonderful adventure in every way, except being away from family.

This week has been interesting, with no cards to do we have been indexing at the office and Dad has spent some time organizing his pictures.

Monday night was Family Home Evening, our last one. That was sad. Sister Archibald decorated for the November birthdays, Elder Allen on the 4^th, mine on the 7^th, and Sister Killebrew on the 19^th. Rashika and Sister Archibald fixed the dinner, taco salad and fruit, and Rashika made a delicious chocolate cake and had ice cream. The Smith’s had the program and decided to honor us with 2 agriculture quizzes. The first one was easy, the 2^nd one was pretty hard. She got the questions from the American Agriculture sight. We did pretty well, and it was fun. Then they gave us some going away gifts. Rashika and Devmini gave us a woven bag and a beautiful wooden jewelry box from Sri Lanka. The other missionaries gave us a plate with the Opera House and Bridge on it, a Christmas Tray, a tea towel with Kookaburra’s on it, a deck of cards to play fish on the long plane ride home. They are all so wonderful and we are really going to miss them all. Dad took a final group picture. It was strange not having the Feil’s there.

Tuesday morning Elder Killebrew came in and asked Dad if he would like to go with him for the morning and they would be back for lunch. They went out to a Sister’s flat to fix a washer that had something caught around the ringer. They couldn’t get it out so stopped on the way back to the office to get another tool. Elder Killebrew had never fixed a washer so he was glad Dad was there. He would have just replaced it. They went and bought one just in case. The 6 of us went across the street to lunch, the Smylie’s came also. Before Dad left again I had him run me home because Sister Archibald said she would trim my hair. She trimmed about an inch and it feels so much better. Dad and Elder Killebrew got back about 5, too late to go to the Temple. He said they had to go get an extender for the tool he had bought and they got a blouse off the ringer and put it back together again. Just after dinner a knock came at the door and it was the Killebrew’s with a going away gift. They had gotten a pewter cheese slicer with a Kangaroo on the end, and a little pewter spoon with a kangaroo on it, when we went to Paddington market. She said she was trying to get me to pick out what I liked, but I liked them all. That was so nice. When I got back from getting my hair trimmed I cleaned out the pantry.

Wednesday the Smylie’s and us decided to go to lunch at North Rocks for a change. We had a delicious lunch outside and the Smylie’s paid for ours. Everyone is so wonderful here! That night as we were doing some indexing a loud knock came on the door so I knew it was Sister Moore. They have a son and daughter-in-law here from Salt Lake for the week and Rashika had cooked them dinner and made two desserts so she was getting all the missionaries to share. It was a chocolate cheesecake and a pineapple upside down cake, yummy as usual. Fun to visit also. We got back about 9.

Thursday morning Sister Archibald called and invited us to dinner that night. She fixed a pasta dish that was delicious, a salad, watermelon, rolls, and apple crisp with ice cream for dessert. Before we came home from the office Sister Smith called and asked if we would teach her how to index so we went over to their office for a couple of hours.

Friday morning at 7:15 there was a knock on the door and it was Rashika and Devmini with a birthday cake for me and Devmini had drawn a beautiful picture of a horse for me. The cake was in the shape of a Christmas Tree because she knows how much I love Christmas. She had rolled out icing and wrote on a little banner at the top of the cake, “Happy Birthday Darling Sister Ruth”. She had also come over about 5:30am and decorated our door with a banner. After they left we decided to invite all the Sr. couples to come for cake and ice cream. When we got to the office a little after 7:30 we couldn’t get into our computers so Dad went over to Buckland House and Martin called Salt Lake to find out what was going on. Someone turned them off without reading the profile that said we were not leaving until November 28^th. He got them back on but everything was gone, all the emails and contacts, etc. What a mess, we were waiting for the last audit to put the last cards away. We have decided it must have passed so we will put them away tomorrow. I called Vaun to wish him a Happy Birthday. It was good to talk to him for a few minutes. He was still at work. A couple of weeks ago Elder Dick invited us to the city to the Hyde Park Chapel to speak at the Friday Forum for the full-time missionaries, new converts, and investigators. The Sr. couples fix lunch, rice with gravy, vegetables, jello salad, bread and butter, and cookies. We rode the rivercat down and got a taxi to the Chapel. We talked about our project and the importance of keeping journals and doing family history to connect your families so you know who they are and where you came from. They asked lots of questions. There were about 20 missionaries and 7 others. Elder Nolan, one of the Sr. missionaries there has been in the hospital for 3 weeks, Sister Nolan said he was doing better and hopefully would come home the first of the week. They are from St Louis.

We got back to the office about 3:30 and packed things up and went to the store to get ice cream. We ate leftovers for dinner and everyone came at 7. Rashika had put a couple of candles on the cake that wouldn’t blow out so everyone was laughing. I let her cut the cake. The Smylie’s brought me a darling calendar from a famous Australian Artist and Author. I am going to look up his books tomorrow when we get to the office. After everyone left about 9, we were cleaning up when a knock came on the door, and our little Chinese neighbor couple that just had the new baby handed me a birthday bag. In it was two CD’s, one the music from Frozen and a Country Western with various artists. That was a big surprise, and so sweet of them.

A few weeks ago Dad was asked to take wedding pictures of a Chinese couple that were getting married in the Temple yesterday. We were there about 11 and they came out a little to noon. He was raised in Australia, and she came over about 3 years ago for school and joined the Church. She is 24 and just got her 2^nd Masters degree in finance. She also just got a job at the Service Center in finance to take Graham’s place this week. She is going to be great working there, she is so cute. He is in the Bishopric of the Chinese ward, and she is the Relief Society President. They had a little reception and luncheon on the courtyard of Buckland House so Dad took a few pictures of them cutting the cake and dancing, then we went with Smylie’s to the mall for lunch, then came back. The bride and groom were ready to go to the Temple grounds for more pictures. He got some really cute shots. He is going to put the pictures on a thumb drive for them tomorrow.

Today we went to Church at Blacktown Ward, and the Bishop announced that the Doonside Ward that is in our building, actually it is their building, was divided today so on the 23^rd of November the Blacktown Ward will begin meeting in another building. Next week meetings will be the same. The Moore’s are assigned to the Doonside Ward. We are so going to miss the people!

Tomorrow is our last day in the office and Mark is having lunch for my Birthday and a farewell. We are going to pack up all the equipment and clean out our desks, etc. I have already sorted the things I am going to take home, our personal papers etc. I just have to put all the accessories in the cupboard. The tables and desks will be taken out after we leave. Tuesday and Wednesday we are going to pack and finish cleaning. I cleaned the utility room yesterday and Dad cleaned off the deck. Now we are hoping we can get everything in the suitcases and not be overweight. We will take them to the mission office to be weighed. We will also have a couple of trips to Vinny’s to donate clothes.

Tuesday night Dad is going to take pictures of our neighbors and the new baby. We are really excited. They were really happy we will do this for them.

We are really looking forward to going to the airport Thursday morning to pick up Tina and Bob, Loren and Tami, and Onalie and Mike. We are going to ride the limo that the Church is getting to take the Moore’s and Archibald’s to the airport at 5:15am. They are going to a conference. We are going to have so much fun showing them this beautiful country. We just wish all the kids could have come but we totally understand as the cost is so much. They will have to enjoy it through pictures. We are excited to go to New Zealand and see some of that beautiful country, and the most exciting of all is to be home in two weeks from today!!!

Love you all and you are in our daily prayers!

Mum and Dad

Monday, November 3, 2014

November 2 2014 Weekly Letter

Australia Sunday November 2, 2014

Dear Family and Friends,

Where did October go? We will be home in 3 weeks. So excited to come home but a little sad at the same time. This has been another really busy week, we are sure that is why the time is going so fast. Tuesday morning the Service Center had a morning tea to meet the Social Services group from New Zealand that are here for a conference for the week. At the end of the tea they (Social Services) sang a thank you song in Maori. It was beautiful. There were 6 women and 2 men.

Tuesday night at 5 President and Sister Howes hosted the leavers dinner with the Feil’s. We had a delicious dinner of salad, (President said it represented the leafers dinner), meat, roasted vegetables, and strawberry shortcake for dessert. Sister Howes said it was nice not to have any meetings so she could fix the dinner. We enjoyed visiting and took some pictures afterward. Great memories are made in everything we do. When we first got here and started photographing Sister Howes came in and asked us to look for her maiden name of BrownJohn. We found about 8 cards and made copies for her about a year ago. One of them was her grandparents that were killed in a car accident when she was about 8, and no one knows where they are buried. When Sister Rogers was here last week I showed her the cards and asked her what T C met on the bottom of the card and she said Toowamba Chronicle, the newspaper there. We took the cards over to Sister Howes to keep, and I told her that was what it met and she was so excited. She said she had never thought of looking there because although they were both born there they hadn’t lived there for many years. It was no accident that I asked Sister Rogers what it met, it was the hand of the Lord putting it all together for us. A card we found today, and the last I will report on was, William McLeod, Killed fall of earth, 16-2-1894 – Tableland, Boyne R.

Wednesday we were working away when Elder Smylie came in and said there were 2 birds in the tree outside the office called Rosella Parakeet’s. Dad grabbed his camera and we went out. They were the most colorful birds ever and he got some great pictures. We knew when we left that night that we would finish all the cards on Thursday. We were pretty excited.

Thursday morning around 10 when we went for our walk, we decided to walk through the kitchen to what Rashika and Sister Archibald were cooking for the Family Services. They were just putting morning tea out, homemade crepes, with strawberries, chocolate, lime syrup and warm smashed banana’s with honey and brown sugar. She was making the crepes at the table with a crepe maker that her grandmother gave to her 25 years ago. Dad took some pictures as the table looked beautiful. They also had a big tray of fresh fruit. The people said they were really spoiled with the meals they were putting on. The Social Services asked Dad if he would take pictures as soon as everyone was there so he said to just call and we would come back. We had a crepe and some punch she had made. We know when to pop in to say hi, good timing!

The Smylies took our car to take the Feils to the airport Thursday morning about 11. It was hard to tell them goodbye but we will see them again. They are touring Australia, New Zealand, and Tasmania and are not getting home until Dec 2^nd.

We finished the cards at 3:30, what a relief!! Sister Smylie took pictures and we sent emails out to Mark

and Danny. Mark is in P and G for the week. They were both excited. Now we just have to wait for the audit that will be back Wednesday or Thursday, then we can pack up the camera and equipment. The rest of the time we are going to sort and clean out the desks, etc. Dad told Elder Killebrew he would be available to go with him and help him so he said he would probably call him.

Thursday night we went over to Rashika’s and put the pictures of the baptism on her computer. We have been trying to make connections since then but our schedules have been so we couldn’t do it. Devmini was working on an art project and needed some pictures of furniture. We didn’t have anything so we went to the Archibald’s and all they had was Ensign and New Era, so we went to Killebrew’s and she had a couple of Better Homes and Garden’s she had brought over from the States, and she said she did not want them back so we took them up to Devmini and she was really excited. Rashika told us to sit down and she served us some pumpkin soup and a yummy chocolate dessert. That was nice that I didn’t have to fix dinner. I told Dad I was through cooking after I made a casserole last night. Now we just eat leftovers or sandwiches.

Friday morning we didn’t go to the office until 8:30. That is the first time the Smylie’s have been there before us since they came. Sister Smylie asked why we came in and we said it was Birthday Moring Tea and we never passed up good food. Legal and Public Affairs were in charge so that was the Archibald’s and Moore’s, the Allen’s are out of town. It was really good. We also had to transfer the folders from Thursday to the Hard Drive and get it in the mail.

After the tea Sister Smylie and I decided to go to the mall and have a pedicure. Summer has arrived with it in the 80’s the first of the week, and the 90’s Friday and Saturday. Today it was 68 when we left for Church at noon, and 75 when we came home. Crazy weather! It wouldbe nice to have 70-80 for a couple of weeks. It was really hot yesterday when we were out. Then late yesterday afternoon we got thunder showers and it rained really hard for about 10 minutes.

Yesterday morning we cleaned, deep cleaned the bathroom, and I was going to do the laundry room but we decided to go for a ride. It will be the last Saturday to do that. We found a really nice and good Chinese Restaurant in North Richmond, then came home and went to the store. I am trying to get another afghan finished, and I should be done tomorrow night after Family Home Evening, our last one. We are going to try and get some pictures posted on the blog tomorrow afternoon. We haven’t done that for a long time.

Church was so good today, we are really going to miss the wonderful people in Blacktown Ward. There was no wifi at all in the building and the counselor in the Bishopbric said they have had problems for a couple of weeks and are trying to get it sorted out. Sister Marcara that took us out to lunch a few weeks ago fell in her rock garden pulling weeds and has stitches in her head, and her arm is taped up, she has a big bruise on her forhead, and two black eyes. She is in her late 80’s. She is such a sweetheart, and she said she wouldn’t think of missing Church.

Guess we will close for another week, talk to you tomorrow! We send our Love and Prayers to all!