20 - 27 October

G'day Mates!!

Summer has arrived for real the past day or so - when we left church yesterday it was 37 degrees celsius which translates to 98.6!  No worries -- we have air con in each room.  The season is just upon us, so will be interesting to see how high we go!  Our time has been divided between different assignments-Sandy spoke in Sacrament Meeting, working on the membership records, Institute class, trying to make contact with some less active families and we have even found a service opportunity. Each Thursday we will help the local Neighbourhood Centre serve and clean-up dinner that is offered to those in need.  Saturday morning, we ventured over to the Clermont (110 km away) and Capella (53 km away) areas of the branch.  One of the branch members lost his employment at the mine, so they were having a yard sale before moving back to the United States, St. George to be specific.  

The second session of our Book of Mormon Institute class, with a new member,  missing one of the original and waiting for another potential to show up. They are a great group and we have good gospel discussions and fun together.  This week Arlo covered 1st Nephi 1-5.  The young man on the right is from Tonga and his native name translates into Moroni, which for us is perfect because we can pronounce that one.  He works at one of the farms on the outskirts of Emerald and has to work Sundays.  Institute will help him stay in contact with the church - he wants to serve a mission and that might be why he is here earning the big bucks (really!) at the farm.  Notice if you can, he is wearing the traditional tupenu (term for the wrapped Tongan piece of clothing which covers from the waist to the knees and this one was made from suit material).  Each week Sandy brings refreshments because that is always a "requirement" and these kids really enjoy the socializing afterwards.  Since rice krispie treats are always a hit in the United States, we thought we would try them here.  Looking down the cereal aisle, we found Kellogg's Rice Bubbles, which look exactly like krispies.  Then it was over to the sweets aisle to find marshmallows, which we did locate, but just not what we are used to.  The package is very small and has white and pink marshmallows, in between the minis and regulars at home.  Not only are the pink ones colored, but they are raspberry flavored. This was an experiment and it worked out fine, but only wish we could have had a picture of the looks on the kids faces when Sandy put the treats on the table - what are those?????  They were sampled, but the only one who really enjoyed them was Moroni, who ate 3.  Potato chips and carrots with ranch dressing are usually the biggest hits.  The carrots around here are so sweet and we eat some everyday because they are just fantastic!

This picture is for our Loveridge granddaughters who are so into horses right now.  Many of the horses we see wear coats like the one pictured and we aren't exactly sure why.  One possible explanation was that the animal is a race horse and his natural coat is being protected.

This is the time of year for jacaranda trees to blossom and fill the air with sweet fragrances and beautiful flowers.  In South Africa, these trees were in greater abundance than we have found here and we loved to drive along the jacaranda tree lined streets.  As they drop their flowers, the ground becomes a purple carpet.

This picture should give you a feel for the landscape in this area, which is called the Central Highlands.  It is mostly grassland with scattered trees.  The grass is brown and dry in the winter, but should green up with the summer rains.

There are large farms in the area and this is a field just north of town, but not sure what the crop is. Cotton, grapes, citrus and grain are the major crops for Emerald.  We have driven through the citrus orchards and there were "heaps" of trees for miles and miles on either side of the road. (Heaps is a term we hear used so much meaning many, lots,  multiples, etc.)

If you are having a tough day, all you have to do is open a carton of our very expensive eggs (these were $3.00 for the 6) and you can't help but laugh and smile,  even though you want to cry at the cost!  

Another week has gone by quickly and we continue to give thanks for the blessings of serving together.  Sandy really appreciates that our young district leader refers to us senior missionaries as "wiser" missionaries.  After transfers last week, our district became the largest in size for the entire mission - 4 couples, 2 sets of elders and 2 sets of sisters.  Our weekly district meetings, usually provide us with insightful training,  many times by our amazing younger associates.  

Take care and know how much we love and appreciate all of you.