15 - 21 December

Monday afternoon, we made our way to Gladstone (4 hour drive) and spent the night with Elder and Sister Miller.  About an hour before we were to arrive, the Miller's called and told us that they had to transport a sick elder to meet the mission doctor about halfway to Brisbane and the front door was unlocked and we know where our bedroom is.  They didn't get back home until about 1 am, so our visiting came at breakfast.  Tuesday, we made the 7 hour drive to Brisbane and moved into our temporary housing for the next month.  The rest of the week was spent starting to learn the ropes of being an office couple, which we are finding includes very long days and much to learn! 

Our last weekend we were able to get more photos of some of the stalwart families, but not all, in Emerald Branch who were so kind to us and we have come to love and appreciate!  

Ray and Jean, New Zealanders and he lives for his All-Blacks rugby team.  One Fast Sunday, Ray prefaced his testimony with the fact that he was "mourning," due to the fact that the All-Blacks had lost their game the previous day.  Ray is a building contractor and repaired some damage in the missionary flat we closed down when we first came to Emerald.

Jared and Cassie and their cute little family - Jared is one of 11 children of Ray and Jean .

This lovely family shared their last Sunday in Emerald with us.  Angie is the Relief Society president and Daniel is the Sunday School president/adult SS teacher and will leave a big hole in the branch. With the coal mine reductions, several of the members have lost their employment and Dan was one of them. He has found a new job (accounting) in Mt. Isa and they will be a big boost to that branch.

This Tongan family shared the 5 kg of grapes with us last week before leaving.  He is the Melchizedek Priesthood Group Leader, she teaches Primary and the twins are the mainstay of the Young Men's group.  

Coal mining bucket outside of the Blackwater Coal Museum, which we never did make the tour, but decided that we had better get this picture on our way through to Brisbane.

If traveling the highways in the outback you will encounter numerous road trains - oversized long trucks. We saw this one about a hour from Emerald on our way to Brisbane.

These two homes are typical of what are called Queensland homes which are built up on stilts.  The top one is only a couple of feet off the ground while the bottom one is about seven feet leaving lots of room for storage and to park cars.  The main reason for the stilts is to protect the home during floods, which are very common, especially in the outback.

The Christmas party with the Brisbane area couples (including one live-at-home missionary couple) and President and Sister Henderson.  It was a poolside bar-b-que, where one couple and two senior single sister missionaries live.  Part of the evening was spent taking pictures to be combined with the Australian version of Jingle Bells (below) for the Mission Christmas Zone Conference, as the couples contribution.

Dashing through the bush, in a rusty Holden Ute, Kicking up the dust, esky in the boot, Kelpie by my side, singing Christmas songs, Its summer time and I am in my singlet, shorts and thongs (flip flops), Oh! Engine's getting hot, we dodge the Kangaroos, The swaggie climbs aboard, he is welcome too. All the family is there, sitting by the pool, Christmas day the Aussie way, by the Bar-b-que, Oh! Come the afternoon grandpa has a doze, The kids and Uncle Bruce, are swimming in their clothes The time comes round to go, we take the family snap, Then pack the car and all shoot through, Before the washing up, Oh! Chorus: Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way, Christmas in Australia on a scorching summer's day Oh! Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way, Oh what fun it is to ride in a rusty Holden ute. "Holden' is an Australian GM make, "Ute" is a utility truck, "esky" is a portable cooler, "boot" is the back of the vehicle, "singlet" is a sleeveless vest, "Kelpie" is an Australian sheep dog, "swaggie" is an Australian term for hobo. The newest addition to Sandy's nativity collection, which is made from different Australian timber. This quote was in our new calendar that we received at church today and it seemed very appropriate to close our thoughts this week and look forward to Christmas day.  "As we seek Christ, as we find Him, as we follow Him we shall have the Christmas spirit, not for one fleeting day each year, but as a companion always."  President Thomas S. Monson