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 ...
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...
I have a real "love-hate" relationship when it comes to funerals. I love hearing the gospel taught and the stories of a life well lived, however, I have a very difficult time dealing with farewells. Yesterday, attending Simon Mamouney's funeral was wonderful, and hard. Watching his wife and two children listen to the stories while staring at the casket was tough. Mia, the daughter was brave enough to give one of the talks and I admired her strength. There were quite a few differences between the services here and some of the traditions back in Wyoming. I'm grateful to have been allowed to participate. Last night was so much fun here with the Young Single Adults. There were less than twenty in attendance but it seemed like everyone participated. Silvia had us sing a hymn for our opening song that she's going to direct as a choir number for the Stake Conference in two weeks. Evelyn had them play a game where they answered questions f...
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