November 18^th 2014/ Gold Coast PA Training Seminar

The week before this one, we went to Narooma to speak at the branch there.  It was the most amazing area.  Lakes and rivers and the ocean, all in one small area.  We stayed in a sort of cabin that someone in the branch gives to the visiting missionaries for free.  I was a little worried, but it was great!  They own this area with lots of lodging on it, and all very well taken care of.  It was like this huge family resort. Amazing property, a bit like being up in the mountains, and yet quite close to the town.

Narooma Branch, above the whale

Narooma Harbor

Narooma Branch (Up stairs)

The branch was a good one, growing pretty fast.  The people in these branches work so hard, because they wear many hats!  And yet they are so happy with the work and  so eager to please.  They are an amazing force for good.  They meet in a space above a deli, but it was all very new    and they had just the room they needed and it was  perfect. It had been a long drive (7 hours down and 6 hours back), but it was more than worth it.  We learn so much from them, not the other way around.

Pat and Ray's future home on the water

Narooma

                                                                                                                                                                                                                            The Branch President and his wife are from Scotland.  I'm guessing they were probably about 28 or 30?  They have been here one year, and have come without their family.  They didn't have children, so they are a bit on their own and yet so happy and brave about being so involved in the Church.

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View from the Balcony

We are home from the Gold Coast, flew in this evening.  We are in the office tonight because 2 articles need to be put up.  I am spending my time on the blog and Ray is working at posting, because that’s what he does so well, all the time!

Gold Coast

We are happy to be back in Sydney.  It felt just a little like coming home . . . actually a lot like coming home!  So odd.

Elder Moore at conference

The Coast was wonderful and so beautiful.  Our room was on the 23^rd floor and faced the ocean.  It was a five star hotel and it earned every one of them!  Every time there was a mix up with what had been arranged, all we had to do was mention it, and it was very quickly fixed, with grace and kindness.  Just for example, before the first morning session started on Saturday, we noticed that the “break’ stuff was somewhat set up outside the conference room.  Many, many cups and saucers and 2 wooden boxes of tea bags and a warmer with coffee written on it.  I went down to the front desk and explained the situation, and that punch and water had been ordered. I kid you not, 15 minutes later I came out to check and all these beautiful urns had been set up with colorful juices and punch and lemon aid and many clear glasses!  And ICE! (which is pretty rare here). It was like magic!  Not a cup or saucer in sight!! When we actually came out for the break, a couple of hours later, pastries and nuts had been added.  We were so helped and blessed.

Public Affairs training conference

John Cunniffe (NSW) Terry Travers (Tasmania)

                                                                                                                                                                       It actually feels so much more missionary like to be back here.  The other was just great, but this feels better.  It was a welcome respite and we were grateful for it, and awed by the sites, but normal is good, we think especially on a mission.  Keeps us more focused!! And feels more right!

Sister Fugal and Sue Owen (Queensland)

Sister Moore & Sister Wallace

Our fearless leader Richard Hunter and two members from New Zealand

Just before we left for the training, we had posted the most amazing article we have worked on yet!  By far! It fell together so well, because this guy’s story is just incredible!!! We did a lot of research and took notes like crazy at the fireside.  It’s a story we hope you’ll love too.  I think it may be the longest one EVER, but there was no way to leave any of it out!

Stephen Webster and Tom from New Zealand

 It is AWESOME.  We hope you'll take a look at it, because we think you'll like it too, and then like it on Facebook, because it will help his story spread. It's about Scott Neeson and it is quiet a tale to tell. See article here.  Don't forget to watch the videos from CCF.

We have lots to do now, and we're glad. Many times lately, we have been reminded how blessed we are to be in Sydney.  At the conference, we had a chance to visit with the 4 PA missionaries who are stationed in New Zealand, who were actually trained with us in Salt Lake, the Wallaces and the Fugals. Two very nice couples.  They talked about how they hadn't really been warm since they arrived and that, although it's beautiful there, it rains and blows almost all the time.  It made us silently thankful for where we are!  But we think that very, very often. We need to not ever take it for granted!!

We hope you are all well. Amy and Bryon arrive this Friday with the kids.  While we don't envy them the very long flight from Minn., it will be great to see them and show them a little of the area.  They will be here for 10 days and then off to Fiji for a couple of days. They will be here over Thanksgiving and are going to help us serve dinner to the full time employees in the Service Center, so they can experience a Thanksgiving dinner. The other Senior Missionaries are all contributing food and it should make for a fun, full day!!!  Happy Thanksgiving to all of you.  There are definitely many things we miss about the USA!  Many of those are people.  We love you all!

Nov. 2nd. ADELAIDE and Difficult Good Byes

October has been the longest month, and taken us totally by surprise. It was just a difficult one, we still can’t totally figure out why.  Just some hard adjustments all over again. We are glad to say hello to November!

We are a little blue, the Fiels (the office couple) left last Thursday.  They will be traveling for a month all across Australia, then New Zealand, and then to an island that we can’t remember the name of.  They will be in Utah the 1^st of December.  Oh, how we will miss them. They lived right next door to us and they were fun people.  Ray used to trip in front of the mission office very often for her as we walked to work.  One day she came out the door to say hello, and purposefully fell into the hedge for us. It was so like her. And so funny.  The neighborhood is sadly quiet without them.

The Fiels and the Allens

The Roberts 

The Roberts from Family History leave next week.  They are traveling a bit on their way home as well.  They are a special couple and we love them too.  It's interesting, on a mission, that you bond very quickly with the other couples, because they become your support system.  We are amazed how hard it is to see them both go.  No one replaces the Roberts, as they were just here for the Million Names thing that the article was about. The Roberts live in West Layton and are the proverbial farmers.  We will miss them as well. So much!

The Roberts and the lady who collected one million names

We spent 4 days of this week in Adelaide, training a new Public Affairs Council there. It was such a good time to get away, and the people there were all so nice and so eager and enthusiastic about their callings.  

We love these signs

After the council meeting, we met with 2 Stake Presidency members and that was nice.  Just to talk about Public Affairs, and their goals.  The next night we went to dinner with the director of PA for Adelaide and her husband.

The MacIlwaines and Allens

The MacIlwaine's, their children and grand children

 It was fun to hear their story and talk about their family, and then hear some of her concerns about her calling.  It was a good evening. later we'll put in a picture of their family.

The next night we met with a Stake President and his PA person for their Stake.  A little bit farther away, but worth the trip.  The best part, aside from the council meeting, was probably the opportunity to go to the Adelaide temple.  Who would have thought!!?? 

Adelaide Temple

We had a fun coincidence there.  We met the temple President and Matron, such nice people.  We had just put an article on newsroom about him being presented with an Australian flag from a Parliament member. This really nice couple were spending their next to last day as Temple President/Matron.  How lucky we felt to meet them, and have them talk about the article.  We had just put it up a few days before kind of as a fluke and were so grateful for the timing of it all. Before they were released.  We saw it as a tender mercy!!

Adelaide is a very pretty city.

Building in Adelaide

 We really enjoyed it.  Quaint, and yet large.  Maybe a bit of the feel of New Orleans (because of the design of many of the buildings) but very calm and quiet.  They have great parks with walking paths and we did some serious walking, which is always good.

We went to the ocean one afternoon, just to see it, and walked out on a very, very long pier. The locals tell us it isn't the ocean, but the Gulf. Whatever it was, it was beautiful! We only had 2 hours but we enjoyed it. Didn't even walk on the sand, but we loved it, and are grateful.

A couple on the Gulf pier

The Gulf

 We came into the office on Saturday and did some catch up, and we're here tonight, Sunday evening, and we thought it would be a great time to write on the blog before the Australian National Public Affairs council monthly teleconference.  Which means. . . we are in our jeans and very happy about it!!

The Moores are in their office across the hall, preparing as well, and they are so excited.  Two of their married kids are on the plane to Australia as we speak.  They have been here 13 months, so they are extremely pumped to see them.

November is going to be a busy month.  We go to speak in Narooma on the 9th.  It is 7 hours away, so we are leaving Friday night, the 7th.  Then, on Monday the 10th, Stephanie Allen Egbert (our niece) comes in with a collegue for the day, before they fly to New Zealand, Fiji and other places un-known on Church business.  We're going to show them around a bit, so we are looking forward to the day.

Then on the 14th, we leave for Brisbane and the Gold Coast for a Pacific Area Public Affairs Conference.  We just have a small part on it, so we will mostly just enjoy. The Gold Coast is the Las Vegas of Australia, so it's an interesting choice, but they are very good at accommodating conferences, so we are happy to attend.  The day that it ends, the G-20 conference begins.  We will not get back to Sydney until Tuesday evening of the 18th. 

On Saturday the 21st our daughter and her husband and 3 kids come to Sydney for 10 days.  We will have a chance to spend some time with them between work and have tried to clear our calendars a bit. 

On Thanksgiving Day (the 27th) they're going to help us and the other senior missionaries put on a traditional Thanksgiving dinner for the Service Center (all Australians).  So it will be fun to share turkey and dressing and the like with them.  About 50 people in all, so we don't think any of us will have much time to miss home that day, thank goodness! What a blessing that is this year! Before we know it, November will be over!

We are happy, we are well, we enjoy our time together and we love the work.  Articles are coming in like crazy.  we are busy, busy and BUSY, and on a mission, that is a great blessing!!  SO great! We are blessed and we are grateful. 

It is quickly getting to be summer here, and then we have a day here and there with a bit of a chill, and we are happy for both. The flowers are getting beautiful, and many of the trees have these gorgeous flowers on them.  It's the first we've seen of all of these as we came in the fall here, and it is AMAZING!  In Adelaide we snapped a picture of the most beautiful purple tree.  We'll try to include it on the blog.

Down Town Adelaide 

We went to our ward today and saw 6 babies blessed with three rows of non-members attending for that.  The missionaries were nearly bursting with pride.  It was fun to be there.  

We send our love and thanks for ALL your support.  We love hearing from all of you, it keeps us sane and gets us over any rough spots.  We do still pine for home fairly often. Mostly people. Everything else is just stuff and replaceable. We are so blessed, all the time, and we love Newsroom and all the good news that comes our way via the internet.  What a great time to live and be a member of the Church.   We have to say that Public Affairs is a great mission.  If you're looking at a mission, give it some consideration.

I must say in closing that I still yearn to drive on the proper side of the road, in the appropriate side on the car.   Even now, it seems so very strange. But the beauties all around us more than make up for that. We love you all, and you are in our prayers, every day!!!  Be safe.