Wow
The title doesn't mean anything "extra ordinary" it simply is identifying a Sunday afternoon where I realize there is so much to record of the last four days and I'm not sure if my fingers can come close to keeping up with my mind and heart.
We arrived back at our flat, this afternoon at 3:30 and Sisters Smith and Heridas pulled into the driveway as we were stepping out of the car. Sister Heridas had called yesterday and asked for a blessing so we knew they were coming. Sister Heridas is going home after this next transfer (about 7 more weeks) and I think the Zone Conference on Thursday was a bit of a wake up call that her turn is next. She's one of the most amazing missionaries and her love and joy is always visible. It was almost overwhelming to place my hands on her head and pronounce a blessing. Truly, she is a powerful daughter of Heavenly parents.
We had a beautiful drive home from Merimbula where we attended church. It's a little over 3 hour drive and it takes you down through the Snowy Mountains to a beautiful coastal town. The Branch President, Ben Parker, had invited us to speak in their meetings and to come Saturday for a little get together/fireside. When we drove down, yesterday, most of the drive was with smoke in the air because of the bush fires that continue to rage in so many places. We never saw actual areas that were burning but there were some scorched hillsides from previous fires. After we checked in to the Comfort Inn ($170.00 Australian) we decided to walk along the beach. We bought fish and chips and had a great time seeing the waterfront. It was almost like a ghost town because it is still deemed "unsafe" as an area of tourism. I felt sorry for so many businesses because they were closed up when this should be their best time of the year. At 6:00 we went to the little building, kind of like a storefront or office, where the church rents space. Sam Parker, his wife, Mandy and children, and his parents were the only ones that were able to make it but we had a great time with them. Sister Parker walked around the corner to a food truck and brought back some of the best lamb in a souvlaki that we're definitely doing again. She also brought calamari which was WOW. The fries, or chips, that accompanied both entrees were, in Evelyn's words, "to die for". We then watched one of the videos from the new Book of Mormon series. The Parker family is the primary family here in Merimbula and they are a talented bunch. Ben is a base player in a band so we went out to a pub, with his parents and a few siblings, to listen to the music. It was quite a unique experience to go into a large pub, including children, and they were serving up a lot of drinks. We only stayed for about three songs but the memory will last a long time. This morning we walked along another waterfront and then went to the Branch meetings at 10:00. There were about 30 people and we were the only speakers. Again, Evelyn did a great job of symbolism, scriptures and testimony to really knit her heart with theirs. An elderly woman, Sister Smith, approached me after the meeting and asked for a blessing. With President Parkers approval we went into the office and we anointed and pronounced a blessing for her. Those are great people living down there and we hope to have several more opportunities to be with them.
Friday morning we had a District Council here in the Lyneham church and Elder Palmer led a good meeting where everyone was involved and we got to know each other better. It was a nice follow up meeting after Zone Conference the day before. The Zone Conference was held in Campbelltown and it was a good experience to be with about 40 missionaries. President and Sister Runia did most of the teaching and I'm certain that the young people left with more commitment and a deeper understanding. Elder Palmer is going home in about 9 days so he was invited to share his testimony. We're really proud of him because being in front of people and leading is not something that comes naturally. He'll be returning to American Falls, Idaho and I hope he immediately becomes involved with the missionaries back there in the IPM.
We decided to attend a temple session in the Sydney temple since we were going up for Zone Conference so we left Wednesday afternoon in time to attend the 5:00 session. It was a special experience because Charles, a new member, from China, asked Sister Weber if she would do the temple work for his grandmother. It was incredible to be there in the temple and think that she was uniting a family with whom we've become acquainted with here on earth.
When we were driving back up through the Snowy mountains the sky was quite clear. As the car reached the highest point we had a view that was almost frightening. Because we were upwind of the fires we could look along the mountain range and see the ascending smoke from half a dozen sites. It was the first time that it wasn't just a smoke filled sky but actual points of burning. There were helicopters and also large airplanes working around the mountains. Yesterday we watched helicopters dipping their "buckets" into the ocean and heading back to the fire lines.
We were able to talk with Jake for a few minutes after we got home about the possibility of bringing my mother to visit Australia. We're not certain if she'd have the strength for the trip but she wants to come so badly.
It's now late on a Saturday night in the US and I would imagine that all of our family are asleep. It was fun, this morning when I woke up, to lay in bed and think of each one of our grandchildren. I found myself praying for every one of them, whether it was Nathan on his mission or little Jude who is growing up with two older sisters who adore him. We love them all. I'm also grateful for the students who allowed me to place them in my heart and love them. I had the best career. Now my Facebook page is filled with pictures of new babies, weddings, missions, travel, laughter and love.
Goodnight from down under.
We arrived back at our flat, this afternoon at 3:30 and Sisters Smith and Heridas pulled into the driveway as we were stepping out of the car. Sister Heridas had called yesterday and asked for a blessing so we knew they were coming. Sister Heridas is going home after this next transfer (about 7 more weeks) and I think the Zone Conference on Thursday was a bit of a wake up call that her turn is next. She's one of the most amazing missionaries and her love and joy is always visible. It was almost overwhelming to place my hands on her head and pronounce a blessing. Truly, she is a powerful daughter of Heavenly parents.
We had a beautiful drive home from Merimbula where we attended church. It's a little over 3 hour drive and it takes you down through the Snowy Mountains to a beautiful coastal town. The Branch President, Ben Parker, had invited us to speak in their meetings and to come Saturday for a little get together/fireside. When we drove down, yesterday, most of the drive was with smoke in the air because of the bush fires that continue to rage in so many places. We never saw actual areas that were burning but there were some scorched hillsides from previous fires. After we checked in to the Comfort Inn ($170.00 Australian) we decided to walk along the beach. We bought fish and chips and had a great time seeing the waterfront. It was almost like a ghost town because it is still deemed "unsafe" as an area of tourism. I felt sorry for so many businesses because they were closed up when this should be their best time of the year. At 6:00 we went to the little building, kind of like a storefront or office, where the church rents space. Sam Parker, his wife, Mandy and children, and his parents were the only ones that were able to make it but we had a great time with them. Sister Parker walked around the corner to a food truck and brought back some of the best lamb in a souvlaki that we're definitely doing again. She also brought calamari which was WOW. The fries, or chips, that accompanied both entrees were, in Evelyn's words, "to die for". We then watched one of the videos from the new Book of Mormon series. The Parker family is the primary family here in Merimbula and they are a talented bunch. Ben is a base player in a band so we went out to a pub, with his parents and a few siblings, to listen to the music. It was quite a unique experience to go into a large pub, including children, and they were serving up a lot of drinks. We only stayed for about three songs but the memory will last a long time. This morning we walked along another waterfront and then went to the Branch meetings at 10:00. There were about 30 people and we were the only speakers. Again, Evelyn did a great job of symbolism, scriptures and testimony to really knit her heart with theirs. An elderly woman, Sister Smith, approached me after the meeting and asked for a blessing. With President Parkers approval we went into the office and we anointed and pronounced a blessing for her. Those are great people living down there and we hope to have several more opportunities to be with them.
Friday morning we had a District Council here in the Lyneham church and Elder Palmer led a good meeting where everyone was involved and we got to know each other better. It was a nice follow up meeting after Zone Conference the day before. The Zone Conference was held in Campbelltown and it was a good experience to be with about 40 missionaries. President and Sister Runia did most of the teaching and I'm certain that the young people left with more commitment and a deeper understanding. Elder Palmer is going home in about 9 days so he was invited to share his testimony. We're really proud of him because being in front of people and leading is not something that comes naturally. He'll be returning to American Falls, Idaho and I hope he immediately becomes involved with the missionaries back there in the IPM.
We decided to attend a temple session in the Sydney temple since we were going up for Zone Conference so we left Wednesday afternoon in time to attend the 5:00 session. It was a special experience because Charles, a new member, from China, asked Sister Weber if she would do the temple work for his grandmother. It was incredible to be there in the temple and think that she was uniting a family with whom we've become acquainted with here on earth.
When we were driving back up through the Snowy mountains the sky was quite clear. As the car reached the highest point we had a view that was almost frightening. Because we were upwind of the fires we could look along the mountain range and see the ascending smoke from half a dozen sites. It was the first time that it wasn't just a smoke filled sky but actual points of burning. There were helicopters and also large airplanes working around the mountains. Yesterday we watched helicopters dipping their "buckets" into the ocean and heading back to the fire lines.
We were able to talk with Jake for a few minutes after we got home about the possibility of bringing my mother to visit Australia. We're not certain if she'd have the strength for the trip but she wants to come so badly.
It's now late on a Saturday night in the US and I would imagine that all of our family are asleep. It was fun, this morning when I woke up, to lay in bed and think of each one of our grandchildren. I found myself praying for every one of them, whether it was Nathan on his mission or little Jude who is growing up with two older sisters who adore him. We love them all. I'm also grateful for the students who allowed me to place them in my heart and love them. I had the best career. Now my Facebook page is filled with pictures of new babies, weddings, missions, travel, laughter and love.
Goodnight from down under.
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