20 July - 2 August

The last two weeks are like a blur, with only our P-Day activities and a new couple arrival, really giving some definition to that time frame. 

The familiar faces of Ren and Debbie Boyce from St. George finally arrived in the mission after being delayed several weeks while waiting for their visas.  It even got to the point when they received a temporary mission assignment to serve in the California Anaheim Mission and spent two weeks there.  They will be serving in beautiful, tropical Cairns, the northern extreme of the mission about a thousand miles north of Brisbane.  Elder Boyce served as a counselor to President Henderson in the Sunset Stake.

On Saturday, July 25, the local senior missionaries took an excursion to Stradbroke Island to celebrate the 24th of July Pioneer Day.  Stradbroke Island is about a 25 minute water taxi ride off the coast east of Brisbane. There was an option to ferry your car over, but considering the cost, we took the passenger water taxi to the bay side of the island and then a 10-15 minute bus ride to Lookout Point, a small resort community on the ocean side.  There are about 3000 permanent residents, but the island is mostly a tourist attraction.

A church employee in the Sydney Service Centre, told Sandy that her family would travel to Stradbroke every summer on the ferry and at that point in time there was an unique manner in which to make the trip over.  A net, which was attached to the ferry, was thrown out alongside and kids could jump into it and be in the water as the ferry made it way to the island.  We didn't see anything like that offered on our trip!

Elder Johnson was having a snooze in preparation for our walk about. and the rest of us just visited, while enjoying the ride over.

Besides the beautiful beaches ideal for swimming and surfing, a popular activity is whale watching. There is about a two mile board walk with observation points giving great views of the ocean.

We saw pods of dolphins swim close by the shore, each with several dozen dolphins.  Below we captured one of the whales as it surfaced.  One gave us a water spout greeting, but we were not quick enough to capture it in a photo.  Even though we saw a number of whales, none would give us the traditional leap out of the water and back splash. 

The water coloring was gorgeous and then to have the foamy waves, made for some amazing pictures.

There were outcropping of rocks where you could leave the boardwalk and do some exploring or find a nice rock seat with a view of the ocean to look for whales and other sea life.

The foliage was also fascinating.  The tree to the right above has bread fruit and the name comes from the fact that the texture of the cooked moderately ripe fruit, which has a potato-like flavor, is similar to freshly baked bread.  The tree on the left is banksia tree, which has yellowish flower stems and when dried are used for decorations of many kinds.  

We ran into a family of kangaroos while traveling on the boardwalk.  Dad was lounging in the sun (typical), mom had a joey in her pouch and this juvenile was getting some lunch - loved the little tongue sticking out at us. 

The group enjoyed a nice lunch at one of the local restaurants.  Most of us had delicious fish and chips, made from a variety of fish, and others had calamari and other delicacies.  A young woman offered her services to take our picture, little did she know that there were several cameras waiting.  It was great for us, because Arlo is usually behind the camera and not in the picture recorded for history 

Yura Yalingbila means whale welcoming and the Aboriginal people living on the island, were having a celebration.  Stradbroke is Minjerribah in the Aboriginal dialect.                   

The showgrounds weren't large, but we heard and saw lots of fun things, plus learned a thing or two from a local man giving a lecture on boomerangs and other weapons.

These three (Sandy, Sister Richins and Sister Arseneau) didn't find one thing to spend their money on, even though all tried really hard.

Under the large tent in one of the pictures above, were three musical performers.  Two young women playing guitars and singing were dressed in clothes of today.  But the man was intriguing in his body paint and the musical instruments he was playing.

The musician played different instruments throughout the performance, but the sticks were the only thing easily identifiable.  The piece he is holding in his hand and he blew into may be a form of a digeridoo.  

Someone had produced this artwork using different colors of sand.  The sand was very fine being amazingly smooth when wet and the consistency of powdered sugar when dry.  

Stradbroke Island is beautiful and amazing but we only scratched the surface of what is available to see and do, so we might just have to schedule another visit some day.

After taking care of our Saturday (1 August) P-day chores at the flat and shopping, we drove over to The Sir Thomas Brisbane Planetarium next to the Botanical Gardens at Mt. Coot-tha and spent a couple of hours exploring the displays and viewing a presentation in the Cosmic Skydome called "Cosmic Collisions" which ended with a tour of the Brisbane night sky.  

Sunday, we had the opportunity of attending the YSA Ward in the Brisbane ward building.  It was a large congregation of young people with three sets of our Mandarin Chinese speaking missionaries in attendance.  One of them was translating for two or three women with headsets on.  In this mission, there are several congregations who have Chinese investigators and members. Being the first Sunday of August, this meant it was fast and testimony meeting.  There was a steady stream of people who shared their testimonies and the common thread throughout, was the sure knowledge that our Heavenly Father knows who we each are and loves us beyond our comprehension.  Elder Campbell (from the office) was there and told the congregation about losing his younger brother two months ago and that he could truly testify of our Father in Heaven's love for himself and his family.   We can join our testimonies with his as we go about our service each day.  It is a great blessing and opportunity to be about our Father's work here in Brisbane, Australia!    

Kamryn Nicole Loveridge on her special Baptism day with lots of family!

6 - 19 July

Our lives currently revolve around six week cycles, which are really called transfers, and they seem to come around faster than we ever believed possible.  The days are filled with bill paying (rents, utilities and reimbursements for missionary expenditures), chasing down lots of different things concerning the cars (servicing, arranging for the entire process of ins and outs for the bump shop), and this just barely scratches the surface of Arlo's responsibilities.   Sandy answers the phone, then either listens or sends the call to the proper person who can help.  She schedules for President, tries to help our young missionaries with needs they might have and her list can go on and on, just like Arlo's.  But sometimes it gets very routine sometimes and not too interesting!  This said, we are thankful to be able to interact with the entire missionary force and support our president and his fantastic wife.  Some days have a few "fire drills" thrown in, as we like to call unexpected challenges, but they keep us humble as we receive guidance and help from above.  Thus said, here are a few of the more exciting parts of the last couple of weeks. 

Several months ago, we received a Missionary Call Notification informing us that a new missionary would be coming in July and we were so excited to learn that his home was in Esikhawini, near Richards Bay, up the road many kilometers from Durban, South Africa, our previous mission field. Elder Sanele Mthabela, arrived mid-transfer because of confusion with his visa to enter New Zealand for the purpose of attending the MTC there.  There was a stop in Dubai, and it was at this point that he was returned to South Africa and attended the MTC there.  This great elder has been a member of the church for a little more than four years and has not missed any of the Sunday meetings in that time. He was a part of the branch presidency and has a strong testimony.  None of his family are members, but his dad is supportive of the decision to join the church.  While going through his paperwork, Sandy found that Elder Mthabela's patriarchal blessing had been pronounced on him by Patriarch Courtney, the patriarch for whom she transcribed so many blessings.  It was a great morning, meeting this elder and helping him fit right in with the other missionaries.

The week following the arrival of our newest missionaries, brings them all back together for Golden Orientation training and it is amazing the difference a week makes in their missionary abilities.  This group has sisters from the United States and Thailand with elders from Puerto Rico, the Philippines, Canada, Vanuatu and Australia. After an afternoon of learning, the newbies do some street contacting as they make their way down for dinner at Fish 53.  They feast on hamburgers, chicken and fish burgers, plus chips and different salads.  As we finish, President has Joe, the owner,  come out from behind the grill and the group sing a thank you song to him.  Usually the song has been "I Am A Child of God," but Sister Henderson has taken some liberties with the words from another favorite song and this was the concluding phrase sung:   We are now the Lord's missionaries, to bring Australia the truth and thank you for the food!

One of our Saturday afternoons found us at the Australia Zoo again for a quick visit and change of pace. This little guy was our greeter while chomping down those delicious eucalyptus leaves faster than any koala we have seen.  After an enjoyable walk about, we made our way home with a stop at Costco for a few necessities, like a rotisserie chicken. These little gems are the best bargain in Brisbane and they are in great demand in the store.  People line up, Sandy included, to grab one as they come off the spit!

Another St. George couple has finished their mission here is Brisbane.  Sister Hansen has been such a help to Sister Henderson using her BYU catering and hosting skills, with various functions in the mission.

Love the name of the shopping carts here - trolley.  Each of them seem to have a mind of their own when it comes to rolling along to the car, since all four wheels independently steer.

Since receiving these pictures from a member in the MacKay Branch, some of us have been trying to come up with some clever title like, "Don't tell us you don't have any transportation to church!"  The little family has six children under the age of five, 5, 3, 2 and triplets about 8 months old and we are told this is their usual means of transport to church.   The mom and dad came to Australia from England about ten years ago and that is about all we know about them.

Love the little sister here and wonder if she is thinking, "Let me out of here, right now!"

29 June - 5 July

Our weather has been ideal - cool in the night, we have had to add a light blanket to our bed, and lots of beautiful sunshine during the day.  The school children are out on holiday for three weeks and many people have left Brisbane to holiday in America and Europe. This country loves to travel!

Departing missionaries spend Monday in a special temple session, interviews with President, a last dinner together followed by a farewell/testimony meeting and a huge sleepover at the Mission Home. Dinner is served on china and glassware, which requires lots of dishes.  We come just before dinner to meet with the missionaries, give out paperwork and passports, collect support and insurance cards, then have the privilege of staying to share the meal with the missionaries sitting at the table in the breakfast area.  The kitchen is our usual spot for after dinner cleanup, so the meeting preparations can be taken care of.  There are usually a few helping hands among the sisters, but tonight this elder was willing to spend some minutes helping before heading into the meeting.  Arlo always grabs first call for the dish water, just like at home! Sandy and our favorite District Leader from our skype district meetings while serving in Emerald are trying to keep up with drying the rinsed dishes.  He is from Bakersfield, California and his mother's family has some ties to Ridgecrest. He and his mom are returning to Brisbane the middle of August and we hope to get to meet her in person, after exchanging quite a few emails.

One Aussie, One Chinese, One Canadian and One Tongan - truly an international group!

The last time together as our Assistants,  Elder Hatch (Canada) was transferred the next morning and will finish his last six weeks on mission as a terrific Zone Leader.  One might notice the slice of strawberry shortcake on the table - not a usual dessert item here.  The sister who comes and prepares the departing dinner, made shortcake in honour of the 4th of July coming at the end of the week.

Six Americans (two of these were Mandarin Chinese speaking), One Russian, One Peruvian, One Canadian, Two Kiwis (New Zealand), One Australian and One Mission President and his beautiful wife!  By 11 the next morning,  nine of these valiant missionaries were on planes winging their way home, while three were going to spend 7-10 days visiting the mission field with parents.

Tuesday morning found us at Transfer Meeting, checking cars while the missionaries were anxiously waiting for their new companions and assignments.  It is such a joy when we watch the young elders and sisters interacting with each other, smiling, laughing, hugging and just being so loving.  There are moments for us when we say "why can't they take better care of things" but these are over ruled by the enthusiasm of the day.  A new American elder came to us looking so scared and probably a little sick inside, after he had just learned that he was going to be the designated driver in his new companionship.  Remember, the Australian's drive on the "other side" of the road!  Lucky for him, he had a confident, supportive companion who owned a GPS, even though he had never driven and wouldn't ever because of the small little country he comes from.  As we were leaving the car park, these two elders drove past with the scared elder at the wheel, but he gave us a thumbs up and we know he will be ok!

Wednesday brought eight new missionaries (five American, one Philippino, 2 Thailand), plus the prospect of two additional elders coming next week.  Orientation goes so much smoother when there is a small group and they understand our English!  Two little sisters from Thailand really had a struggle with English, even after spending twelve weeks at the Provo MTC and we look forward to watching them progress during their missionary service.

4th of July needed to be celebrated and most of the local Brisbane senior missionaries met up at Coochiemudlo Island about 35 minutes southeast from Brisbane in the southern part of the Moreton Bay.  The little island is popular because it has nice beaches on three sides and mangroves on the fourth.  The trail that rings the five square kilometer island can be walked in about an hour. The name has Aborigine origins - coochie (red rock) and mudlo (stone).  There are red clay banks above one stretch of beach where the clay is taken by the Aborigine people to use as a color for their traditional artwork.

A ten minute ride on a ferry brought us to the landing jetty and off we walked to enjoy Coochiemudlo. While walking on a trail that rings the island, a woman riding her "jazzy" stopped along side of our group and shared a lot of history about this little bit of paradise.  There are about 400-500 homes, some holiday homes, with about 720 people residing here.  We passed a group of 10-12 men and women on their hands and knees, so we stopped to see if there was something we were missing out on!  Upon asking what they were doing, a woman told us that they were weeding.  Our response among ourselves was how do you know what is a weed with all the tall grasses growing. This group comes once a month to try and make a difference along the shoreline by weeding.

Lunch together enjoying fish & chips, salt and pepper calamari, and a hamburger or two at the only real restaurant on the island.  All were in agreement that the food was great, but we still missed hot dogs, potato salad and all the other traditional 4th of July food!  This special holiday holds many special memories for our family - pool parties, 4th of July Children's Program, flag raising ceremony, fireworks, root beer floats and being with good friends!  Not any of these happened this 4th with the exception of sharing the day with good missionary friends.

If we had brought a picnic, we could have hired this pontoon boat and put some shrimp on the barbie and sail out into the bay!

There were several families fishing or picnicking on the beach.  The water was beautifully clear and smooth, but a little cooler than we had anticipated it would be.  A young girl's birthday party was going on, complete with a piñata, and we watched as the group of girls all lined up on the ferry jetty walkway and jumped together into the inviting, but cool water.  The sand was littered with seashells that many of the sisters collected by the hand full.  The shells were beautiful and pretty much intact, instead of the bits and pieces found in other beaches we have visited.  While searching for the perfect shell, we came across an area with lots and lots of holes in the sand with little crabs popping in and out.  The body on the crab was a beautiful blue color and the legs were transparent.  

Different sailboats were out in the water during the hours we were visiting, causing us to think about our two sail boating sons and their adventures.  There were a few jet skis having fun ripping around the island.  It was a relaxing time to sit, watch the water and take in all of the beauty surrounding us. As the sun was beginning to set, we boarded the ferry to go back to our car and journeyed back to Brisbane.  The senior sisters traveled with us and one had bought sparklers in the small party section of their local grocery store.  So before parting ways, we stood in the dark street, lit a sparkler in each hand, and while twirling them around, sang the Star Spangled Banner.  It is always hard to be away from our beloved United States, even with all of the turmoil and strife, and so we close with Happy Birthday, America, Happy Birthday!!

8 - 28 June

To quote one of our mission serving friends, the Davies', our days and weeks are all running together. It seems as if the month of June just began and here we are nearly closing it out!  Our president thinks life would work out much better if there were 28 hours in each day, but these would have to be during the waking hours!  These past couple of weeks have been filled with trying to work on mission tour details and preparations/deliberations for transfer week.  Two such events should not come within days of each other! The weather is fantastic, even though it is winter the temperatures are low 70's. There has been an abundance of rain and the locals say this is really unusual for the time of year, but they are happy to take whatever comes their way!

One of our great office elders sharing his newest creation with all of us - Oreo Truffles drizzled with white chocolate.  His companions appreciate his culinary efforts with their meals.  His mum sent the Oreos and white chocolate from Arizona, so these are pretty pricey treats!

One Saturday after taking care of the necessary laundry and housekeeping details at our flat, we decided a change of scenery was necessary and headed out for the Koala Sanctuary.  We purchased an annual pass for just such occasions.  It was rainy on and off and a little chilly and these fruit bats had wrapped their large winds totally around themselves as if to shield themselves from the elements. Our only wish was that the mesh wire fence hadn't obscured the bats. These guys were so ugly that they were cute and we spent some time watching the wings opening and closing as if they were trying to keep warm and dry.  It seemed as if the cooler temperatures gave our koala friends more energy because they were very lively, jumping from tree to tree searching for the perfect leaves to chomp down!

During the past couple of weeks, we were able to squeeze some time and attend a session in the temple.  There are not very many sessions weekly and most occur during our office hours.  Our spirits are always buoyed up when we can be in the temple. 

Family Home Evening on June 16th at the Madsen's home in Coomera.  There was 100% of the Brisbane seniors in attendance that evening.  Sister Madsen had prepared two crockpots of soup and salad for dinner before our lesson.  Each couple shared a short experience concerning, In the strength of the Lord we can do and endure and overcome all things.  This was our submission.  "After serving in Emerald as MLS missionaries,which was challenging, President Henderson asked us to serve in the mission office. To be honest, before beginning this new aspect of service, in our minds we knew it would be difficult, but something we could handle. Well only a week or so of training, our minds were giving us a different story. Each morning begins with petitions for help with the multitude of tasks that will be placed before us that day. As we kneel in prayer at night, it is with thankfulness for the insight, wisdom and understanding poured out on us as we have worked throughout the day. Some are simple things, like finding out how to call a stake president in a foreign country and what time was it going to be when he was reached or how were we going to find the support card for a missionary that should have arrived in the office, but didn't. The list could go on and on with large and small examples, but time after time we have felt of the divine help and strength being poured out in our behalf."

The week of 23-25 June was the Australia Brisbane Mission Tour with Elder Kevin W. Pearson, the Pacific Area president as our visiting General Authority. The Pacific Area has a total of 18 missions and just the weekend before our mission tour, President Pearson had been in Vanuatu organizing the first stake in that little country.  One of our newest missionaries came to the mission mid-transfer two weeks ago.  He was to have been here earlier, but Cyclone Pam struck his island (Vanuatu) the day he was to have left to report to the MTC in New Zealand.  Nothing was going in or out and so he waited patiently until the ok was given for him to leave and begin his mission.  Such a humble young man, (on the right)  full of energy to share the gospel.

Because of the size of the mission (250 plus), the mission was divided into three groups and sessions to allow the missionaries to have a more intimate experience with Elder Pearson.

We were unaware of this little secluded area of the beautifully manicured grounds of the Brisbane Temple until we were searching for spots to take the group picture for the first session held at the Kangaroo Point Chapel which is next to the temple.  

In preparation for the arrival of Elder and Sister Pearson and President and Sister Henderson to join the group for the picture, the missionaries were all positioned and singing "I Stand All Amazed." This was the pattern each day in the different locations to have the missionaries sing - "Teach Me To Walk in The Light"  (Wednesday) and "I Need Thee Every Hour" (Thursday) as they were waiting.   As we reflect on the events of the week, it was a truly humbling experience to feel the spirit so strongly as they were singing and being so reverent to start the sessions.

Arlo was assigned to take the photos and it was an amazing and spiritual time for us all.   A miracle was had this morning as the skies stayed closed until the camera finished clicking and as if on cue at the last click, the rain starting coming down and we all quickly, but reverently walked up to the chapel and inside to shake hands with the Pearson's.  President Pearson asked about the missionary's home and other questions, as they shook hands.

The Wednesday Mission Tour session was held at Mudgeeraba Chapel, a building which we have not been to and a floor plan never before seen by us.  Wonderful stake Relief Society sisters in each area prepared a wonderful meal and they were served in real plates with real utensils, instead of the usual plastic.  

The third and final session of the Mission Tour was held at the Karawatha Chapel.  Our senior missionaries were divided amongst the three days.  Each missionary both younger and "more mature" were asked to prepare a three-four minute talk on "How Can I Become a More Effective Missionary."  It was asked that we bring two copies and one was turned into the mission president.  Five missionaries were called on to share their talks and the rest of us were told that now we had a talk in our pocket, all ready to be used!  

Tuesday evening,  the seniors including service and live at home missionaries, were privileged to have dinner with Elder and Sister Pearson at the Mission Home.  After we finished eating, Elder Pearson shared some thoughts with us concerning how things are going in the Pacific Area and then concluded by asking if there were any questions he could answer from us - it was a special time for all 44 of us together. 

Two of our hard working assistants hadn't realized their ties were almost mirror images of each other until Sandy commented on it as they came in the front door one day this past week.   The Thursday session of our Mission Tour needed to be translated into Chinese and Tongan for some of our missionaries struggling with the English language and these two capable men were pressed into service.   They are humble missionaries and will be great leaders in the Church when they return to their countries.  Nearly six hours of translating was shared with two other missionaries. The other half of the Tongan duo was Tongan, but the second half of the Chinese duo was a extremely capable Mandarin Chinese speaking American.   Sandy asked our Tongan elder if it was difficult to translate and he said yes, but his father had offered some good advice - don't worry about word for word, just concentrate on the doctrine being taught.

Passed under this banner as we were heading to church and commented to ourselves that some people look for any excuse to celebrate!  

Time to close as we come to the halfway point of our mission.  We love serving in Australia, being a support to the missionaries and our mission president.