Monday, November 3, 2014

November 2 2014 Weekly Letter

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 2nd.
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!

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