Giving service down under

For me, the best way to keep my mind from being "cyclical" in such a way that I just keep returning to a place I've already been, is to write about it, speak about it, or replace it.  Today I'm choosing to write about it.  Maybe I'm doing this because we're staying in the flat but I need to share. I was raised by a father who never stood still.  It wasn't that my dad never took a break or enjoyed a quiet moment, or stopped to smell the roses.  Rather, he always had objectives.  Even after his early retirement at the age of 49 he never stopped.  His heart surgery wasn't successful so that he could return to work and it would have been easy for many people to simply spend their days golfing or even doing something as worthy as temple work.  He did both of those, and more, but, to the point, he always had projects.  In the summers of Wyoming it was a garden and raspberry bushes, helping neighbors and even doing macramé.   I can't imagine how m...

No, the title has nothing to do with Christmas.  It is a question that comes to mind each time I open up my laptop.  Before my screen comes to life, I see my own face.  It's always a quick "tell all" about my day because it shows a smile, or discontent, or sorrow, or happiness.  Most days I smile back at myself.   A few minutes ago I saw that my picture is so much larger than just "me".  Steve Mawer came over to our flat to have a discussion.  He's the 78 year old fellow that joined the church 3 years ago and we meet with him on a regular basis to teach a few principles of the gospel.  He sat on the couch next to Evelyn and I sat on the other side of her.  It was so sweet to watch Evelyn teaching the gospel.  She had planned a lesson from the latest Ensign and used several scripture references. As we were talking, Steve referred to us in the plural several times and I had a bit of an epiphany regarding companionships and particularly Ete...

It's been raining, fairly consistently since yesterday morning.  It's now 10:30 on Thursday morning and it's nice and cool, with clean air.  I loved the feeling of freshly washed air that was a regular part of living in the Northwest.  Seattle was home to so many wonderful memories.  Looking outside our window, here in Canberra and it doesn't take much effort to remember looking out the windows of our home there in Issaquah.  They changed the boundaries of our communities, a few years before we left so it's actually Sammamish but my mind says Issaquah. Last night at Institute was a good experience.  The best part was what I learned after the lesson.  Jordan, who we first met a few months ago here at an FHE has been taking the discussions with the Elders.  They had a lesson, that was supposed to be over before our class began.  When I started the class the missionaries and Jordan were still down the hall in another classroom.  After my ...

As the year 2000 approached I determined a worthy goal for that momentous year would be to read every recorded general conference talk, including the Journal of Discourses.  It was a wonderful experience to expose myself to so many great leaders, and teachings, of the church in this dispensation.  I was rewarded with an experience that was unexpected.  Let me share a few things to set the stage for this experience. 1.)  When I started teaching, full time, for the church in 1978 I began an exposure to various general authorities of the church that was rather unusual.  I became friends to some of the leaders that would allow conversations and experiences that would help direct my choices in my ways.  A few of these leaders were also very "popular" with the church membership.  Men like Bruce R. McConkie, Neal A. Maxwell and Jeffery R. Holland amongst others.  Some of them had such unique vocabularies and speaking styles that it seemed you could "he...

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...

Adam and Tiff, with their three children, are visiting Matt and Breanne in Texas.  They posted a Marco Polo while they were playing a game on a Saturday evening.  It was such a joy to watch some of our grown children being together and playing together.  Family is what matters most.  Today we went to both Fast and Testimony meetings in the Lyneham Chapel.  Both meetings were a bit subdued because of Simon Mimouney's death.  The funeral will be tomorrow morning and there were several expressions of love from the pulpit.  I've often reflected on that Sunday morning after Joseph departed this life and wondered how the church meeting went. As I recall, one of the boys attended church but the rest of us stayed home and tried to arrange for things that felt overwhelming.  Sometimes that feels like so long ago that nobody else would remember the day but, for me, it is seared in my memory and heart. Last evening we took a drive out to Sutton.  It i...

I wish it were possible to record my feelings.  Monday evening we had a wonderful FHE here at the flat and the next morning we awakened to the news that Simon Mamouney was killed in an automobile accident Monday evening.  He leaves a sweet wife and two children behind.  He and his wife, Bindi, were the YSA advisors in the Yerrabi Ward.  My heart is heavy with sorrow and it's been difficult to put feelings into words.  Last night at Institute I gave a different lesson than the text I had been preparing.  I just felt it was necessary to talk about Eternal life and the great plan of happiness.  I studied, pondered and prayed but I couldn't put on to paper, an outline that made any sense.  Even as the invocation was being offered, I wasn't sure where to go with the lesson.  After 90 minutes, I'm not sure anything was coherent or "flowing".  I  knew that what I was teaching was true and I knew that the spirit would be the conveyor of tru...