Decisions Determine Destiny

 

Decisions Determine Destiny

September provided many opportunities for spiritual enrichment. Tamara Runia the 1^st Counselor in the Young Women’s General Presidency of the church came to visit Perth, Australia. She met with us as missionaries and was very inspirational and motivational. She is such a fun and powerful speaker. She reminded us that as we study the scriptures and learn of Christ’s teaching when we need that knowledge it will come to our remembrance. She quoted Richard G. Scott when he said, “knowledge carefully recorded is knowledge available in time of need.” She created such excitement to be a missionary as she told us “Look what we get to do……how lucky are we. Now is the time, this is the place, we are the ones. Go about doing good.” When times get difficult, we need to remember that Christ is there for us. When you start praying about the things in your heart, a casual prayer turns into a mighty prayer. He is waiting for our call! Just because we can’t remember Heavenly Father doesn’t mean he doesn’t remember us. We are God’s favorite and most important creation!

At Zone Conference, President and Sister Wi Repa taught us about our individual worth and that power comes through obedience. They pointed out that Desire is an action word. It brought to my remembrance a talk President Monson gave entitle The Three R’s of Choice. He talked about Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Alice comes to a crossroads with two paths before her, each stretching onward but in opposite directions. She is confronted by the Cheshire cat.

Alice asks: “Which path shall I follow?”

The cat answers: “That depends where you want to go. If you do not know where you want to go, it doesn’t matter which path you take.”

Unlike Alice, we all know where we want to go, and it does matter which way we go, for by choosing our path, we choose our destination.

Who are we becoming? Decisions are constantly before us. To make them wisely, courage is needed—the courage to say no, the courage to say yes. Decisions do determine destiny. 

We love attending Zone Conference and spending time with the other missionaries.

Southern Zone

Elder Naitoko, Elder Klein, Elder Turner, Elder Huntington, Sister Franckowiak, Sister Moon, Elder Hales, Elder Sandberg, Elder Orth, Elder Clowers

Armadale District

Sister Franckowiak & Sister Hinton

Elder Naitoko & Elder Turner

Sister & Elder Osborne, Elder & Sister McMullin, Sister & Elder Finster, Judy & Dave, Sister & Elder Webb

While in Perth for Zone Conference we visited Caversham Wildlife Park. Caversham Wildlife Park offers an unforgettable journey into the unique world of Australian wildlife. It is Western Australia's largest privately owned collection of native wildlife with over 200 species and more than 2,000 animals, birds, and reptiles.

Dave & Judy, Sister & Elder Darton, Elder & Sister Fredrickson

We had a great day and saw a lot of cool Australian wildlife. Some of them were pretty unusual.

Wombat

We were able to feed the kangaroos (it creeped me out a little to feel their lips and teeth on the palm of my hand). 

We saw a lot of cool Australian birds. They are among the things we cherish here, and when we leave, we'll miss their vibrant sights and songs drifting through the air. Their presence truly seems to fill every corner.

Galah's are Dave's favorite

My favorite

We have a kookaburra that lives in the trees around our house, and we hear their laugh often.

We saw a golden Pheasant, and it immediately reminded me of my childhood when my dad raised Pheasants.

Dave managed to recite one of his favorite sayings when he saw the pelicans. (Turn your sound up loud to hear for yourself)

One of the highlights of the visit was Koloas. We even met a special friend named Tang and got to pet him. They sleep as much as our teenagers did and in uncomfortable positions and places as well.

We stopped in Armadale on the way home for a little pickleball with our district for morning exercise time. We sure love these missionaries.

Elder Orth, Elder Clowers, Elder Naitoko, Elder Turner, Sister Franscowiak, and Sister Moon

The Villanueva family is one of our many favorites in Albany.  We celebrated Sophia’s birthday with them and enjoyed a great time with them and their extended family. We love Filipino food! The Ube birthday cake was to die for (not to mention that it is my favorite color….Purple). We are going to have to try to make it when we get home. We have already asked Samantha to bring some Ube jam when she comes home from Hawaii. Jennifer is the best cook, and we get to enjoy it often. We are not leaving until we get some of her recipes.

Western Australia is rich in Aboriginal culture. The Aboriginal people of the southwest corner of Western Australia, their language, and their culture is referred to as Noongar. We had the opportunity to attend the Noongar Festival at the Albany town square.

Noongar culture is deeply connected to the land through spiritual beliefs, storytelling, and ceremonies. This knowledge is considered a sacred duty to be passed down to future generations. Many country Noongar people have developed long-standing relationships with non-Noongar farmers and continue to hunt kangaroo and gather bush tucker (food) as well as teach their children stories about the land. We enjoyed a dance put on by a group depicting a kangaroo hunt complete with a didgeridoo and stick performance. The didgeridoo is a wind instrument played with vibrating lips to produce a continuous sound while using a special breathing technique. The didgeridoo was developed by Aboriginal people of northern Australia at least 1,000 years ago, and is now in use around the world, though still most strongly associated with Indigenous Australian music.

It was fun to watch one of our colleagues from the Breakfast in the Park sessions on Tuesdays and Thursdays facilitating a drum circle.

Albany town square also was the sight of the official launch of Western Australia Mental Health week with the Mad Hatter Tea Party. They had a best hat contest and we saw many creative hats. Our friend Ian was there performing in his band.

We began October by celebrating Lola’s Baptism. It was truly special to share this significant moment with Lola and Max as she entered the waters of baptism. It was a wonderful experience, and we have become very close to them.

Elder Clowers and Elder Orth did a great job putting the program together and making sure the font was clean and ready for the baptism. They have loved teaching Lola and spending time with Max and Lola and preparing her for baptism.

Missionary work is exhausting but rewarding!

The weather is getting nice in Albany, and we are enjoying the sun and warm temperatures. On p-day we took the opportunity to visit one of the wonders of Western Australia--Castle Rock and the Granite skywalk. The 2-mile round trip Castle Rock Trail in Porongurup NP starts at the Castle Rock picnic area and climbs through jarrah, marri and karri forest. The hike was an uphill climb to the base of Castle Rock and the lower lookout, and we soon realized how out of shape we are especially when climbing stairs. Our thighs were burning.

A further steep and challenging climb, scrambling over rocks and climbing a 20-foot ladder brings you to the Granite Skywalk; an amazing steel structure that winds its way around the massive granite dome, providing panoramic views of the surrounding countryside. The view from on top was spectacular!

We ended the day at our favorite bakery in Mt. Barker.

Our Zone Leaders, Elder Bushi (Albania) and Elder Tew (Utah) came to visit. We had a great time getting to know them.

We found the prettiest beach we have ever seen!

It was incredible. The water was turquoise blue, and clear and the sand was fine like talcum powder.

Fun fact…..the sand actually squeaks.

At one time Little Beach was voted as the #1 beach in the world. For the first time since arriving in Australia, we finally ventured into the water—even if it was only up to our ankles. The water was cold but after a bit it felt fine.

Most of the time we were at Little Beach, we had the beach all to ourselves.  After spending time on the beach we followed the path up to the rocks on the near side of the beach and the view was amazing.

The first cruise ship of the season came to visit Albany so of course we got up early (currently sunrise is around 5 a.m.) to watch them come through the passage into port. It is always amazing to watch as the port maritime pilot takes the tugboat out to meet them, boards the ship, and navigates them into port. They are responsible for steering the ship through the final approach and docking. Their local expertise is crucial due to their specialized knowledge of the port’s unique conditions, such as depth, currents, hazards, and traffic.

Later in the day we wandered through the cruise ship market in town square and bought a painting of our favorite beach--Little Beach. We will always cherish our experiences in Western Australia and intend to carry lasting memories with us. We now need to determine how we will transport all the souvenirs we have purchased back home.

We had another great month at family history and love spending time with our friends there.

Phil, Alan, Chris & Helen

Our days are busy, and time is flying by. We will carry these memories and the love we have for this special place and its people in our hearts forever. We have been truly blessed to serve here and have seen many wonders and miracles. Looking back over the past ten months, we cherish many wonderful memories and plan to make the most of the time we still have. Sending our love to you all.