We had a wonderful sabbath. Went to church in downtown Sydney with the YSA ward. Lunch with Elder and Sister Maudsley and Stokers. Music fireside presented by the young missionaries. It was beautiful
When we arrived in Canberra, on Tuesday afternoon, it was so awesome to finally be in our assignment. The winds practically blew our car off the road and we dodged kangaroo carcasses all along the 3.5 hour drive. We found our flat, unloaded our car and went across town to the Costco. We brought our purchases back, had dinner and then went a few kilometers to a local mall for groceries. As we were getting lost trying to find where we'd parked our white car (most cars here are white) a fellow ran up to us with a big grin. He introduced himself as the Stake executive secretary. We had just prayed that our first priority was to meet the Stake President. Brett was so kind and immediately put us in touch with President Stuart. He even shared a cookie with us as he directed us toward the parking. So, last night, Wednesday, we drove over to the Stake center in Garran and had the best meeting ever. President Stuart was just ...
So fast. Everything is happening so fast. As I sit here and write, five of the young missionaries are standing on our driveway, visiting, after we just said goodbye, from a distance. Evelyn just handed them bags of food that she's divided up, from our kitchen. You see, we've determined, in conversations with our Priesthood leaders, that it's time to head back to the states. Hopefully, this upside down world will be turned back and we'll be able to return. The missionary travel department is working on our travel and we don't know when we'll leave but I would imagine that it will be in the next few days. We've contacted our children and my mom and told President Stuart but it doesn't feel real. My mind is going 100 mph but my heart is calm. We're putting things in order but I keep thinking about the invitations, in the scriptures, and from Prophets, to be calm in the storm. The Lord never promises for the storms to be removed, he prom...
It was a good weekend and there was much to be grateful for but it's one of those reports where I have to admit that the results were different than desired. Saturday morning we went over to the Lyneham church and helped with the setup for collecting items to be distributed to those who were suffering from the bush fires. It was a relatively easy time and several people were there to help. At one point, I walked across the street and introduced myself to an older fellow who was trimming his bushes. His name is Alan and he's a widower who has lived in that home since they built it over 60 years ago. He practiced law and they raised three children in the home. He spoke of his wife and children with great affection. His wife planted every tree and shrub on the property. Alan referred to his home as a "sort of Eden" and I agreed. We attended church, at 9:00 in the Black Mountain Ward in the hopes that Sam, our friend from the lake, would att...
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