October 2015

September 22nd, 2015

This month has flown by so fast! We literally don't know where it's going!

We went to Melbourne to train a Public Affairs counsel and it was just a great experience. One of those times when you set at a table and listen to others and what is being done and absolutely know what you could say to add a little enthusiasm to their callings! That may sound like bragging, but it isn't.  The perfect examples of PA ideas (that were given to us in February 2014 in SLC ) just came to mind, clear as if we'd been given them yesterday!  That kind of recollection just doesn't happen to us at this age. But the spirit was there and it helped fill up all of our gaps, of which there are many!

Melbourne is having the 'Book of Mormon Musical' come to town in January of 2017. This is the perfect time to begin preparation for what is called 'The Book of Mormon Musical Opportunity" for the Church.  Which it surely has been in other cities and states and will be again!  So fun to be just a little bit involved in that process and get a look at the wonderful things the Church has done, right along side the musical, with absolutely no harshness.

Melbourne Temple 

Melbourne Public Affairs Council

Down Town Melbourne

Then we flew to Tasmania (or Tassie as they say here).  What a beautiful place! We had been told by another couple not to expect much in the way of scenery, but we thought it was amazing! So much farmland and so much green and so many sheep and cows that no one would believe it, unless they saw it.  To visit the two stakes we went from one end of the island to the other. So, lots to see.

Beautiful Tasmania

The Tassie Mountains were great

Tassie Pastures

A duck for Elder Allen

Much more important were the visits about PA with these two Stake Presidents. President Smith was the first one in Hobart.  A very tall, very nice man who is a firefighter by profession. He is very keen and knowledgeable in Public Affairs and does a lot of it himself. Although that's a tough thing to fit into his schedule. He's going to call a Director of Public Affairs for the Stake and things will go so much better.  We were able to suggest a couple of things that he seemed interested in trying and made a plea for more news for Newsroom from Tasmania. Once again there was sweet help from the spirit.  It made us be more useful than we would have on our own. Good meeting in a PA sense.

David Cray and Pres Smith

President Smith of Hobart and us

The second Stake was in Devonport with President Walters and his new Director of Public Affairs, Sam Horsman. They hadn't done much Public Affairs work and it was nice to be able to answer their questions and give advice. Again, that wonderful help came to us and to them.  We really think the meeting will make a huge difference to their Stake and for the Church in general.

President Walter's at Stake Conference

Devonport Stake Conference

Everyone had lunch on Church lawn after conference

Devonport members

The more the news gets out about the true nature of the Church and the good they're doing, the better off the Church will be when another chapel needs to be built or another temple built, or when religious freedom gets really tested, as we know it will. The more people understand the Gospel and that we follow Jesus Christ, the more other Church's will let us join their efforts, or they join ours. If we want to preserve marriage and family and the right to worship as we please, Christians must unite! OK, so we're a little over zealous! 

 PA quote from L. Tom Perry:

"We are all part of a global team in this great work and I am grateful for your faith and dedication.  The Church is coming out of obscurity in many parts of the world.  Media is noticing, leaders of other faiths are noticing as well as government officials and other key opinion leaders."

Elder Perry

Elder David A. Bednar:

"May our small individual efforts produce a rainfall of righteousness and truth that gradually swells a multitude of rivers and streams -- and ultimately becomes a flood that sweeps the Earth."

Elder Bednar

It is wonderful to have been even a small insignificant part of this work!  We believe in it with all of our hearts and not really sure how we will operate without this calling in our lives.  It has been an incredible blessing to us, we will never be the same!

We went to the city yesterday for the last time.  Saw all the beautiful areas we love the most and took yet more pictures. We walked across the bridge one last time (we think that's our 6th time) and enjoyed it completely.

Sydney Harbour

Sydney Opera House

Sydney Skyline

As we sat on a bench on Sydney Harbor and we listened to the music of a man who played and sang some awesome songs. That and the scenery and the memories from our time here just made a very sweet 30 minutes or so.  We have never loved a foreign city so much but then we haven't lived in one for 18 months either.  I don't think people exaggerate when they say it's one of the most beautiful cities in the world!!! It is AMAZINGLY distinct! We were grateful for the half of day and hope to keep it in our hearts some how. A very good day.

Elder and Sister Allen say goodbye to Sydney

Coff's Harbor and our last time to speak at a branch.  6 hour drive and so worth it! It was a congregation of 57 people or more, one of the largest branches we've seen here.  Wonderful people and a great spirit to them. We are so glad we went. enjoyed it immensely! On Saturday, we spent the day and evening with Gary Stokes and his wife Jennifer who are from Brisbane.  They drove down to see us before we left and it was such a wonderful day with great friends from Australia.  They showed us some parts of Coff's Habour we may not have seen and took us on a hike up to a high point above the Harbour, where you can literally see forever. Absolutely breath taking! It was a cold day, but worth the effort of the hike, just to see it!

Port Macquire

Garry and Jenny Stokes - Brisbane

The last dinner

One of our favorite signs

Coffs Harbour building

Coffs Harbour from the hill

Elder Allen and Garry Stokes

Coffs Harbour members before Sacrament Meeting

The Browns (our replacements) will be here this morning and it will be 5 days of passing off tasks and responsibilities that we've done for 18 months.  It's so good to actually have some time with them, as often that doesn't happen and one picks it up on one's own.  We hope and pray
this will be a bit easier for them. They have been and are and will continue to be in our prayers! It's a tough couple of months but that first week is just a brain fog that we will always remember!!!

We are finding it so hard to say good-bye to everyone here in the Service Center.  They are the Church employees and we will probably not see them again.  They have been so good to us.  I guess it just has to be hard, and yet. . . we are so excited to go home.

Last FHE tonight.  It's a time when the senior missionaries give a bit of a send off to those leaving. This time, that will be us and I must say, I like being on the other end of it, doing the planning.  It is our turn, and we can do it! There were tears for us this morning as the employees gave us our 18 month plaque.  Tonight will be a challenge.  We love Australia!

September 2015

August has gone by in almost a flash! We had an all day service project (a Helping Hands day) with the Service Center here on August 4th.  We wrote an article about it for the website and it was up by that weekend.  It was a great day of both inspirational talks and the project.  Great time, good memory. 

Elspeth 

Daphne

Many hands

Sarah, an intern from Hawaii

Elder and Sister Willis (our partners)

Pat during her skit

Elder Leota, Area Seventy, suit and HH vest

On August 19th we attended a Senior Couples Missionary Conference with our new Mission President and his wife, the Checketts. It was a good morning with spiritual moments and a game and a few new ideas on how things will look going forward. They are a nice couple and will be wonderful.  Much more layed back than the Howes, so different.

On Saturday the 22nd, we went to downtown Sydney on the River Cat and bought a few souveniers, Everything is so expensive here that we didn't get much of significance. But it was great fun.  Then we took the ferry to Watson Bay and ate at a seafood place right on the beach at sunset. It was my birthday celebration and it was just a great day and evening and wonderful food (the best we have had in Australia) and wonderful, wonderful company.  It was just Ray and I and was the best gift I

We love the tree Trunks

Watson Bay at sunset

View of Sydney from our table

Birthday Girl!!!

Cute lady, weird man

More sunset

Our Birthday Restaurant

could have recieved.  We even took a small container of horseradish with us and added it to their tomato sauce (ketchup) for the shrimp.  Oh so good, we haven't had cocktail sauce in 17 months!  It is a memeory we will want to keep. (not the cocktail sauce but the experience and the view). 

We recieved the itinerary last week for the Browns, who are taking our place, in October.  If the schedule holds, they will arrive here on September 28th in the early a.m.  We have essentially 4 days for training as they will spend most of Monday getting their keys and badges and taking a nap and feeling in a whirl.  So it will be Tuesday - Friday so it will be a bit of a zoo. This all makes it so real!! On Saturday we get on a flight to Maui. Good heavens, how did we get here?

In Septemeber we are scheduled for a trip to Melbourne and then on to Tasmania. From September 9th thru the 14th. We are to train the PA council in Melbourne on media (I know our kids are chuckling) and then speak with 2 Stake Presidents in Tasie.  We'd like to get some articles coming in from them in the future, so hope to infuse them to call some PA people.  Say prayers for us.  This is beyond our ability, (as so many things have been) and we need help!

 On the 24th we head to Coffs Harbor, which is a 6 hour drive, to speak in a branch and meet with a Public Affairs person who hasn't yet been trained in Public Affairs.  So, we hope to do some good. Again, please pray for her and us.

Last night, Monday August 31st, we had a family home evening trivia game, given by the Barrs (the Temple President and his wife) on modern day prophets. We came away with alot of good feelings.  We also noted a quote by Wilford Woodruff. Best quote we've seen in a long time, thought we'd share it. 
     
     "Avoid confessing other people's sins." isn't it awesome?

We took some inventory the other day, just for our records.  To date, we have been involved in 228 articles on the Aussie website since we have been here. About 15%  of those were Salt Lake articles but they still need the posting, which takes Elder Allen some time.  We have about 10 in the pipeline right now.  It helps us know what we have done with our time, and it feels so good to remember some of the experiences those stories represent. We have had so much help, it's awesome!

It would be so hard to define our feelings right now, they're all over the place.  There is so much to do that we just keep going but our minds are a bit of a mess.  I guess, luckily, we don't have time to examine it all very much.

What rises above the confusion is our almost desperate desire to see our family.  No matter how fast the last couple of months have gone, it has been too long since we have seen them and hugged them and we cannot wait!!! So, life is sweet.

We have been so blessed here in so many ways for so many days and weeks and months ,almost continually, that our faith in the Savior and His atoning power has just blossomed. There is no way to share how different we feel in many good and happy ways concerning our spiritual side.  It has been TOTALLY worth it. TOTALLY!!! Our hope and prayers are that we will be able to keep those differences after we are released. 

We know the Church is true to a larger, un-sharable way, than we ever had before.  He is real, He loves us all, no matter what our situation is and He is ever closer than we imagine.

We love you all, thanks for keeping up with our blog/journal.  We hope to do one last post, but time will tell. See you soon.  Our grand-daughter, Reese, pointed out to us just lately that we are arriving home at 10:30 on the 10th day of the month of the 10th month of the year. That will be an easy day to remember in the future.  I think Ray and I will have to have cake each year, or something!

August 2015

July 10th 
We picked up two YSA, Jessie and Jolea (male and female) from Brisbane, at the airport and took them out to a Catholic retreat several miles away. It was fun to listen to them talk and buy them lunch.  Then on the 16th we picked them up and took them back to the airport for their flight home. 

Fun to hear their tales of the week. Jolea had been the only girl in attendance and so slept alone.  She had hoped to have long conversations with girls of other faiths about their beliefs and hers. 

They had been sent, as youth, to see how interfaith works.  They were both returned missionaries and not the least bit fearful.  So brave.  I don't know that it will have lasting effects on the country but it might on these 2 young people as they get older.  Inter-faith will at least mean something to them. 

Jessie and Jolea

Interfaith Conference

July 19th

We had the opportunity to go to a baptism today. It was down near Sydney and it was actually a woman who had come to hear Elder Cook speak at Notre Dame on May 7th this year on religious freedom and then had gone to hear him speak later in the week at a religious symposium. Melina Forrest.

She had met with senior missionaries downtown and then young missionaries a bit later and taken the discussions. That's the nutshell part of the story, but it all worked out. She is single, but just a lovely woman, who has a degree from Notre Dame and is well acquainted with the assistant dean of the law school there, who is also LDS.  Many small things made it work, I would guess.

August 13th

Church Youth Choir that sang

We went to Adelaide for 6 days. They were having a 175th anniversary from the day the first missionary/Church member arrived in Australia. William Barratt 17 and one half years old, who came from England, alone.  He came to Adelaide.  They had a Multi-Cultural/ Multi- Faith event that was absolutely everything a Public Affairs happening should be.  A full cultural hall and over-flow!!  Lots of displays, flags, Church information, dances and musical numbers from different cultures, members and not.  Lots and lots of political leaders and community leaders.  The Govenor of South Australia came with his contingency and spoke about the Church and William Barratt!  He shared that he wished this young man could somehow see what he started here.  He praised the Church for their good works in the community. He is an Asian man, so I had to wonder if he might be Buddist.

His Excellency the Honourable Hieu Van Le AO, Governor of South Australia 

A govenor coming to something the Church has is a very rare thing in Australia.  You have to remember that the Church is only about 1% or less of the population in this country.  When he arrives, everyone must be seated BEFORE he enters. They actually had covered chairs with ribbon as they do in some weddings, for the dignitaries to sit on.

Indian Performing Group

Cantonese Opera Group

Cultural Displays

They had the leader of both political parties, Council Members, leaders of The Multi-Faith group in South Australia--not a member-- leader of the Muslim womens group and some of their members.  The list goes on.  The gym, the halls and foyer were all covered with multi cultural displays and Church displays. IT WAS AMAZING the amount of work that had been done and the amount of MONTHS that had been spent to pull this off!!  

Muslim Women's Association members

President Korte and Caroline McIlwaine

The Public Affairs Director of the multi-stake council in Adelaide was the instigator and the driving force behind all of it.  Her name is Caroline Mcllwaine and she is wonderful!  I think she set a standard that will be an example in this country for years to come.  And made friends with a very influential person in SA.  Who knows how he maybe able to help the Church in the future.  One can only imagine!

It was such a pleasure to be there. We took pictures and quotes like CRAZY!!  Please take a minute to go to mormonnewsroom.org.au to like the story!  IT HAS REALLY TAKEN OFF!!  BUT EVERY 'LIKE' HELPS.

We stayed until Tuesday night to cover a Fireside for the 'Time Out for Women' people who had presented on Saturday in Sydney. Adelaide ended up with David Archuleta and Brad Wilcox.  I actually went into the room they were meeting in before the fireside and ask if I could get pictures.  Very Bold of me!!!  Love the badge and the camera.  Those and most importantly a quick prayer for courage carried me through.

David and Brad (left) and Church leaders

David and Sister Liester his accompanist from our mission

Elder O'Riorden and his wife, Brad Wilcox and David Archuleta

David sang 'Come Come Ye Saints' A'capella.  Really, really beautiful.  Then, later in the meeting, he sang 'Glorious', which as you know, is the theme song for 'Meet the Mormons'. To hear him sing it live, WOW what an experience.  I have the lyrics on my desk so I will learn every word. The spirit was so strong that tears ran for a second. The phrase 'the music of the Gospel' kept going through my mind. It felt like exactly that!!

Brad Wilcix and David Archuleta

David and Brad (again)

Then we took quotes in the fireside like crazy.  Great, great meeting with what we figure was over 800 YSA and Youth. Just wonderful!  Good spirit and laughter too. SO many wonderful quotes from both of them.  Only room for a few in the article.  Which will hopefully go up Tuesday or Thursday.

On Wednesday morning when we were getting ready to board the plane back to Sydney, this very short good looking guy in a sweat shirt came up to us and said 'Hey, there's two missionaries I recognize." It was David.  We shook hands and said hello and watched him go back up the concourse. We don't know how he even saw us, or where he came from!  It was such a blessing for us! Can't even explain why. Tender Mercy. He is a very nice, kind, kind of shy person. I never would have guessed shy. 

August 16th
Yesterday was Saturday and one of those difficult Senior Missionary days. Three couples went to Watson Bay, via the River Cat and Sydney and then a ferry to Watson. Went to see the oldest lighthouse in NSW, or so we were told. Left at 9:00 and got home after 5:00.  It was a cloudy, very cool day but it was also a wonderful day. Sometimes we don't take the moments to notice the beauties all around us!! How blessed we are as missionaries to be in this place.  We are grateful every day, but more grateful after a trip like that one!! We love this country and it's beauties.  We just love America more.

A selfie!!!

Allen's, Willis's and Black's

Elder and Sister Black from Spokane

The 'Girls'

The Willis's from Snowflake Arizona

First lighthouse in Australia??

Watson Bay

The trip to PNG has been changed to late (very late) in September, so we will not be going. We are both sad and relieved. We would have been gone when the Browns (our replacement couple) comes in to be trained so, that wouldn't have worked. They would have still sent us, but it seemed a real conflict of interest, as there is no boss here to train them.  It feels good now.

Richard (our boss in New Zealand) wants to send us to Melbourne and Tasmania, as stories from there are the least of any area, but we will see what happens.  Not counting on it yet, we'll know more Monday or Tuesday.

Australia National Flower

We are 7 weeks from leaving Sydney and the 'to do list' is long and full.  Which will make it go quicker. 

 No boss for us yet, but they have it down to 3 candidates.  I got to sit in on the interview with the 7 finalists, as did Sister Willis.  Some tough questions were asked.  It was all done on a video conference.  The three that I picked were all chosen as the final three. Not inspiration I don't think, just a lucky guess.  Still, it was fun to be involved. Got to ask a couple of questions, because we have a very nice boss in New Zealand who looks out for us aged missionaries.

 We will see everyone soon, we cannot wait!  And yet we can, because there are peoplewe have gotten close to here that we will never see again.  Bitter/sweet.  I'd say sweet and sour, but that just brings thoughts of the Mandarin.  Wait, we can consider that in our future!!!  And lots more.

We love you all, thanks for reading the blog!  It makes us happy.
More to come next month.