Spiritual Growth & Natures Wonders
Spiritual Growth & Natures Wonders
July has been a busy month on the road. We started the month out with a trip to Perth for Zone Conference. It is always such a spiritual feast from President and Sister Wi Repa and the youth leaders. President Wi Repa taught us about how important our personal scripture study is and that the most important voice in studying the scriptures is the voice of the Holy Ghost. In order for the windows of heaven to be open to us, we must prepare effectively so we can hear and feel the Holy Ghost. We must then have a desire, and a heart filled with gratitude which will then prepare the way for the blessings of life. When we study the scriptures, we are communing with God. The Holy Ghost speaks to us through thoughts and feelings. As we feast upon the scriptures we will be filled with the Holy Ghost, and he will direct us to the things we need to do. We must seek and trust the spirit to teach us as we study the scriptures. One of my favorite messages from this training was from Robert D Hales.
We are so blessed to be able to learn from President and Sister Wi Repa and the youth leaders. We leave feeling spiritually energized and enjoy catching up with other missionaries. We are so blessed to get to be around the best missionaries. We truly love them.
We said goodbye to Elder Heedes who was a service missionary who helped with the car inspections. He kept us always on our toes to keep our car clean and in good order. We will miss seeing him at each zone conference.
We stayed down by Elizabeth Quay again to be close to King’s Park. Our condo was at the base of Jacob's Ladder which is an outdoor stairway in Perth. As early as 1905 people living near the top of Mount Street and Cliff Street began to campaign for a connection to the riverbank at the foot of Mount Eliza. Their original demand was for a road, but given the steep incline, it was decided it would be much cheaper to build some steps. Jacob’s Ladder was built and consist of 242 concrete steps with an incline of about 141 feet. The stairway links the north-east corner of King's Park with the Swan River. According to local legend, in the early years of development around the periphery of King's Park, the houses perched on the top of Cliff Street were considered to be among the best in the city, because of the stunning views of the river. The name Jacob's Ladder was born which referred to the staircase to heaven dreamed of by Jacob in the Bible Old Testament, which allowed angels of God to travel between heaven and earth. The climb was steep, and our legs were burning but we conquered the climb! Dave was much faster than I was. As we reached the top, we loved the black cockatoo mural that awaited us. The view at the top was spectacular and well worth the climb!
We had the opportunity
to get together with all the other senior missionaries and attend the King’s
Park Lightscape. Lightscape transforms Kings Park into a mesmerizing world of
light and sound. The illuminated 1 ¼ mile trail of light, color and sound, came
alive after dark as the dazzling trail transformed nature into a glowing
wonderland. Here are some of my favorite light displays.
The next day
we all met at Hillary’s Boat Harbor and ate at 3 Sheets on the Sorrento Quay
Boardwalk for lunch. We love serving with these senior missionaries and have
forged lifelong friendships. They are a great example to us of Christ-like love
and service.
Our third night in Perth we switched locations and stayed at a hotel with a beautiful view of the largest and most grand of all of Perth's cathedrals, St Mary's, in Victoria Square. St. Mary’s cathedral has been the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Perth for over 150 years. Originally built in 1865, the cathedral has undergone three separate expansions throughout its life. The largest of which, began in 1926 and was only completed in 2009, making it the longest single construction project in Western Australia's history. The view from our hotel was beautiful.
The drive back from Perth was beautiful! Pictures do not do it justice. The Great Southern region of Western Australia is renowned for its stunning, expansive canola fields. During the blooming season, the canola plants display vibrant yellow flowers that stretch across the landscape. The fields appear to extend endlessly. Canola is Australia’s major oilseed crop and Western Australia's third largest crop behind wheat and barley. Canola is an important crop in Western Australia, with average yearly production over the last 5 years estimated at 2.2 million tons, worth around $1.2 billion to the state economy each year. Nearly all WA canola production is exported, mostly into Asia for human use and to Europe for biofuel production.
It definitely is winter here in Albany. It rains every p-day so not very much exploration has been done. We end up playing cards with Elder Smith and Elder Brothers in the afternoons. Elder Smith loves to play cards (it helps that he is on a constant winning streak). We are sure he prays every night for it to rain on p-day. Elder Brothers is not too fond of cards, but it is way too cold and wet to be outside.
In July we received about 7 ¾ inch of rain. That is a ton of rain for these desert rats. The low temperatures have been 45°F, and the high temperatures have reached 60°F which doesn’t sound too bad until you throw in the rain and WIND. There has been wind every day, making the temperature feel even colder. I have not taken my coat off for two months…even in the house. We are grateful for the rain because we have realized that the rain creates all this beauty. It is beautiful here and amazingly green. We are, however, ready for Spring and warmer weather.
We were blessed to have the Zone leaders, Elder Mecham and Elder Fosita, down to visit and do exchanges with the Elders. They even arrived in time to join us for Branch Family Home Evening. It is always fun to have extra missionaries. We love having them come visit.
July 25th was a sad day. 😢We had missionary transfers. Transfer days are my least favorite day. I must admit many tears have been shed. 😭These young men become part of our family. We suspected that Elder Smith would be transferred because he has been here for 4 1/2 months. He is ready for new opportunities and adventures. Elder Brothers has only been here for 6 weeks and goes home in 6 weeks so we were sure that he would finish out his mission in Albany. It was a complete surprise when the announcement came that both Elder Smith and Elder Brothers would be transferred to new areas. We will miss them terribly but know that God has a plan for them and they are need elsewhere.
Elder Smith was made district leader in Baldivis. He will be awesome! We are excited for the opportunity for leadership and growth that is in front of him. In his farewell testimony at our Family Home Evening, he left a great testimony of the Savior and the role of a missionary to find and bring others to Christ. He testified that, in addition to introducing others to Christ, it is equally essential for individuals to experience personal conversion and recognize the significance of the atonement of Jesus Christ in their own lives. We are excited to see what his future brings.
Elder Brothers was transferred to the Ballajura area to finish out the last 6 weeks of his mission. He bears an incredible testimony of Jesus Christ! Many times over the 6 weeks he was with us we were in complete awe of the words he spoke and the testimony he bears. Even though English was not his native language he has worked hard and excelled at the gift of tongues. He bore testimony that even though he was a little disappointed that he was transferred, he knows that God knows where he should be and where he is needed. God has other plans for him, and he will go where the Lord needs him. We are so impressed with his dedication and obedience. He testified that he knows God knows all things and understands everything. Even though he may not know why he is transferred he knows God does know the reason and that it is for the best and for his best. He left us with a message “Don’t be sad that it is finished, rejoice because it happened.” Finish strong Elder Brothers! After his mission he is planning on attending school at BYU-Hawaii. We told him that this is not “Goodbye” but a “See you Later.” We will see him in Hawaii in April.
We love these young men and the joy they have been in our lives. They have taught us many things and have been great examples. We have been blessed to witness the hand of God through them.
Our new missionaries are Elder Clowers from Indiana and Elder Mehlhaff from Draper, Utah. We are excited to get to know them and serve side by side with them. Elder Clowers has been out for 8 months and has a lot of energy and drive. Elder Mehlhaff has been out for 4 months and is very kind and positive and is always giving encouragement. They are great missionaries and have such a strong desire to help others come unto Christ. They are getting to know the members and the area and are working hard at finding friends to teach. We can see by their interaction with the members that the members are going to love them. Similar to myself, Elder Clowers does not enjoy the lengthy journey to Perth. He remarked that it was the longest drive he has experienced.
We held our Branch Conference on the last weekend of July, beginning with a Saturday branch activity that everyone enjoyed. The cultural hall was decorated with snowflakes, reflecting our chosen theme of a “Beanie Festival,” during which everyone wore their preferred beanies. Earlier in the month, the Relief Society hosted an event dedicated to creating beanies for donation to the Seafarers Mission.
During Branch Conference on Sunday a transition of the Branch Presidency was announced. President Duffield has been such an example to us of dedication. He shows so much love and compassion for everyone. We are grateful for the service he has rendered to this little branch. Brother Ellefsen is a man of great faith! We have never met anyone as caring and humble as he is. He truly loves everyone and would do anything for you. We love both of these great men so much and will miss working side by side with them.
Mat Thorn was put in as the new Branch President with Alvin Villanueva as 1st counselor and Matt Winter as Second counselor. We look forward to working with them and learning from their example. Pictures will follow in the coming months.
The end of July brought another trip to Perth for a special Zone Conference. We were blessed to have a General Authority, Elder Jeremy Jaggi, come and visit. He currently serves in the Pacific Area Presidency.
Once again, we were spiritually feed by President Wi Repa and Elder Jaggi. Elder Jaggi taught us about the sacrament and the importance of it in our lives. On the night before His Crucifixion, Jesus Christ met with His apostles and instituted the sacrament. Today the sacrament is an ordinance in which we have the opportunity to partake of the bread and water in remembrance of Jesus Christ’s atoning sacrifice. This ordinance is an essential part of worship and spiritual development. The sacrament provides an opportunity for us to ponder and remember with gratitude the life, ministry, and Atonement of the Son of God. Elder Jaggi pointed out some of the symbolisms of the sacrament. The sacrament bread is a whole complete piece like the body of Jesus Christ. As the bread is broken into pieces for the sacrament, no two pieces are the same--much like you and I. The unique individual pieces of his body are for each of us individually. The savior knows each one of us personally and died for each one of us. The Decons that pass the sacrament represent the pallbearers carrying Christ body and the cloth covering the sacrament table represents the covering of the body in the tomb. Elder Jaggi’s teachings have provided a new perspective on the sacrament ordinance, and we will approach this ordinance with greater personal consideration.
President Wi Repa taught us again about the need to diligently
study the Book of Mormon and to build the foundation in our life. As we D.I.G. into the scriptures we need to “D” Discover what the
important message is, and “I” Interpret why it is important, and then “G” Go and do and apply the
message. Spiritual guidance is derived from the Savior, and the influence of
the Book of Mormon originates from Him as well. The Holy Ghost provides
assistance in interpreting scripture. Applying insights gained from scripture
is essential, as reflected in the directive to "Be ye doers of the word,
and not hearers only."
It was great to be surrounded by so many awesome missionaries. We love Zone Conference. Some of the missionaries that used to be in our District (including our own Elder Brothers) gave their farewell testimonies at this Zone conference. They are great missionaries! We are grateful that we were able to serve with them and will miss them. The Australia Perth Mission and the people of Western Australia have been blessed by their service. Return with Honor Elders!
After Zone Conference, we took a coastal route home via Bussleton and the Valley of the Giants.
We had a great time and ventured out on the Bussleton Jetty. The Busselton Jetty is the longest timber-piled jetty in the Southern Hemisphere and Extends 1 ¼ miles out in the ocean. The weather was stormy with cold temperatures and FIERCE winds. As we walked against the wind and made our way down the pier with the storm and waves surrounding us, it brought to mind the account of Jesus and the disciples encountering a storm while at sea. If we have Christ as the foundation in our life and come to Him in the storms of our life, he will sustain us. He will speak peace our soul.
Walking that distance out into the sea feels a little strange. We chose to walk the entire distance, but the jetty features a train which travels along its length carrying tourists along the jetty to an underwater observatory which is one of only six natural aquariums in the world.
The observatory descends 26 ft below sea level where visitors can view the corals and fish life through eleven viewing windows. Unfortunately, it was closed for remodel. Maybe another time….. At the end of the jetty, there are life-size paintings of a Blue Whale, Southern Right Whale, and Humpback Whale with calf. These exhibits provide an impressive perspective on the considerable magnitude of these marine mammals.
The drive from Bussleton to the Valley of the Giants was the most scenic we've experienced in Australia. Everywhere we looked there where beautiful green fields with sheep and cows grazing, rolling hills, and ponds (Australians call them dams) filled with water. We drove through miles and miles of Karri (Eucalyptus) tree forests which are among the tallest hard-wood trees in the world. We saw a wild Emu but couldn't spot the elusive Quokka.
One of the highlights of the drive was our visit to The Valley of the Giants Tree Top Walk. The Valley of the Giants Tree Top Walk features a stunning walkway positioned 131 ¼ feet above the ground in the spectacular heights of the tingle forest canopy. The suspended walkway wanders through the tops of the tingle trees, which can live for more than 400 years and are found nowhere else on Earth. Below, a meandering boardwalk takes visitors through a grove of veteran tingle trees called the Ancient Empire. This walk shows at close hand, some of the unique shapes of the giant trees. I especially thought the burls on the trees were cool. You can even walk through the hollowed-out butt of one tree. Tingle trees may reach circumferences exceeding 65 feet. There is a population of Quokkas that live here in the Tingle Forest but once again we did not see them. Prepare for picture overload.........
We appreciate the opportunity to serve in Albany and love the
people deeply. We look forward to future opportunities to serve and are grateful
for the blessing they have been in our life. It is our hope to give back and
enrich their lives as they have ours.
We send our love and blessings to our friends and family near and far.
Toodle-oo!
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