Goodbye Elder Jones… Hello Elder Smith The Gap and Natural Bridge

 Goodbye Elder Jones… Hello Elder Smith

 The Gap and Natural Bridge

On the 18^th of April the transfer video came out and Elder Jones will be transferred. We are going to miss him but know he will do great things in his new area where he has been made a district leader. He is not only an exceptional missionary but also one of the most cheerful individuals we have ever met. He has been assigned north of Perth for the first time in his mission, which will conclude in June. He promised he would come to visit us at the cabin when we get home next year.

On P-day we visited The Gap and the Natural Bridge with Elder Jones and Elder Bingham. It is situated in the Torndirrup National Park which has some of the Rainbow Coast's most extraordinary natural features. This region of Western Australia was historically connected to Antarctica until they separated.

The Gap is a rugged granite channel carved by the waves of the Great Southern Ocean crashing against the granite coastline forming a spectacular sheer drop of 82 feet. It was impressive to stand on the platform which overhangs the gap and watch the sheer force of the waves below.

The Natural Bridge is a granite formation that looks just like a giant rock bridge. The bridge was caused by the gradual wearing away of the granite rock by the Great Southern Ocean. This formation is a reminder of the power of the ocean. It is incredible to watch the waves roll across the ocean, crashing into the granite cliffside and rush under the bridge.

Next stop was the blow holes…. Unfortunately, they were a bust. The Blowholes are crevasses in the granite stretching down to sea level far below. With each wave, the channels emit air and water through the openings, resulting in a burst of spray accompanied by a loud whooshing sound. No water was spouting on the day we visited and all we heard was the whoosh of the ocean below. It was disappointing that they were not like the ones we see in Kauai. To get to the blowholes we walked down a path and descended 76 stairs to the bottom. The hike up and out was a chore. Thighs and lungs were burning.

This week we were able to help one of the members repair damages from the severe storm last week. The rain had caused one section of her patio to collapse. We hauled buckets of sand from the bottom of her yard where the rain had deposited it, up to her patio to fill in the hole and reset her pavers. It was great practice for the pavers we plan to do at the cabin when we get home.

Another day we were able to help a member with his yard work. Dave was in heaven being able to mow his lawn and it reminded me of times spent with my dad doing yard work. We had a great time and plan to go help with more yard projects next week. Their backyard is beautiful!

Elder Bingham has been assigned to train a new Elder who arrived last Saturday. His name is Elder Smith and he is from Brisbane. He loves basketball so he and Dave had an instant connection. He will be a great addition to the missionary effort here in Albany and we are excited to get to know him better.

The women at church had the opportunity to do the program for church in commemoration of the Relief Society establishment. The Relief Society was founded to help women strengthen their faith in Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, strengthen families and homes, and work together to help those in need. The women did a wonderful job, and we followed it up with treats after church. The men were pretty envious and were lining up at the door to see if there were any snacks left for them.

We had realtors showing our house many times this past week, so we spent the time we had to be away from the house looking for a new place to live. We are still looking. We did, however, find a great Chinese place.

The zone leaders, Elder Hill and Elder Mecham, came down from Perth to visit for a few days adding to the fun with more missionaries around. They participated in teaching activities with Elder Bingham and Elder Smith and all provided service to help members with the storm damage.

I had a great time at young women’s! A wall hanging featuring the new 2025 Young Women’s theme logo is being made by each of the girls. It made me realize how much I miss quilting and inspired me to gather my own supplies and create my own quilt. I am so grateful for the opportunity to be able to make one alongside the young women. Stay tuned for pictures of our finished quilts.

We had the opportunity to teach Sunday school this week and focused on Members helping missionaries. Remember…..

Tidbits from Australia

Australia writes dates as day, month, year instead of Month, day, year

There is no tipping in Australia

Most grocery stores are inside malls

The term “fortnight” is used to describe a 2 week’s time period

Cheerio from Australia….we miss and love you all!