tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49292399524658127122024-03-14T10:38:40.702-07:00Awesome Australia MissionAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10935633857884310427noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4929239952465812712.post-23369277646452715602016-02-11T02:48:00.000-08:002019-02-06T20:13:36.291-08:00LAST POST FROM AUSTRALIA BRISBANE MISSION<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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February 2016<br />
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December was a busy month. New missionaries came in, I flew to LAX and drove to San Diego for my grand-daughter, Kiera’s wedding, celebrated the birth of Our Savior, Jesus Christ and welcomed 3 new senior sisters who are taking over many of the duties in the Mission Office.. They will be joined by a mission couple from New Mexico in March.<br />
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I will begin with my trip home. It was very short. I flew out of Brisbane on the 20th of December. The first leg was to Sydney where I changed planes and flew to LAX arriving at 6:00 AM on the 20th. I picked up a rental car and drove out of the lot onto the left side of the road when I realize it was the wrong side in the US. Good thing it was early Sunday morning and there was not traffic. I rented a GPS as I am not that familiar with Southern California. It was good as I would never have found the house the kids had rented for us on the Beach just north of San Diego. It was a lovely drive but I could not check into the house until 3PM. I had arranged to pick Kiera and Sebastian at 3:30 PM in San Diego. I found a nice pleasant park near the house, laid the seat back and took a nice nap. When I arrived at the airport I found out their flight had been delayed an hour so I returned to the car and read my book. Upon returning to the baggage claim the display indicated the flight had come in at the scheduled time and there were no passengers at the baggage carousel. I had not phone so I found a pay phone which cost a lot to call Kiera but she did not answer. As I was walking down the corridor I hear this voice call Grandma. I turned around and there was Kiera and Sebastian. The flight had indeed been delayed and they had just arrived in baggage claim.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beach House</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from Beach House</td></tr>
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We gathered up their luggage and drove to the house. I had figured out how to get there earlier and it was a good thing because it would have been really, really hard to find in the dark. We had stopped at In-N-Out for dinner so we just waited for everyone from Alaska to arrive. Kiera and Sebastian’s families were on the same flight so they all arrived at the same time just in time to go to bed.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flower Arranging</td></tr>
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Monday was preparation day for the wedding on Tuesday. A trip to Costco for the Bar B Que after the wedding. Sebastian’s biological father came from Central America with many, many roses for the bouquets. He grows roses commercial and sells them to stores in North America. All the Safeway stores in Alaska purchase their roses from him. They were beautiful ivory roses. Sebastian’s aunt is a florist and put together all the bridesmaids bouquets, corsages, etc. They were all lovely.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Denise & Kiera Checking Out Dress</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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Monday was a beautiful sunny day and we were hoping for the same for Tuesday. Not so! The sealing in the temple was wonderful. When we came out for pictures it looked like their was a lull in the rain but just as we were all positioned it began to rain. Looked like the Northwest with the rain blowing side ways. We were finally forced to go for cover of the Temple entry for the majority of the pictures. The kids had arranged for sunset pictures at the beach but the weather was so bad they had to postpone those until the next day.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Families & Bridemaids</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kiera, Sebastian & Parents</td></tr>
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Everyone gathered at the house on the beach for our BBQ. Everything turned out real well once we had everyone changed into dry clothes and the food set out. Everyone had a great time and celebrated with Kiera and Sebastian.<br />
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Because the weather was so bad on the Wedding Day the photographer took pictures at the beach the next day.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Happy Couple</td></tr>
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Wednesday morning we all packed up and prepared to leave for various destinations. Sebastian’s parent and siblings were going to spend a night with family and then board a three day cruise for Christmas. Denise and Zane were leaving at 9:00 PM for Salt Lake City and a 4 hour drive to Rexburg, Idaho to spend Christmas with Ky and Gabi. I was headed back to LAX for a 11:05 PM flight back to Brisbane. Denise, Zane and I went to the temple for a session. It was so good to be in the Temple with my daughter and her husband. After the temple session we had lunch in the Temple cafeteria. I decided to leave and head back to LAX as I wanted to make a couple of stops to pick up items missionaries had requested I bring back to Brisbane. Good thing I did because the traffic slowed down to a crawl for about 30 miles. Instead of a 2 ½ hour drive it turned into a 4 hour drive. I had allowed myself several hours leeway so I was not stressed. The flight back was good. The best I have had. I was able to sleep and felt rested when I arrived Christmas morning. I felt so good I was able to attend the Senior Missionary brunch.<br />
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The 26th I began my move to another flat so that the three bedroom would be ready for the three sisters who arrived on the Wednesday the 30th of December.<br />
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They settled into the flat and were ready to begin training on Thursday morning. Elder and Sister Michelsen left on the 21st of January so it was a very hectic three weeks trying to get as much information transferred to the new Mission secretary, Sister Dever. I have been training Sister Denton who is from Sydney to take over the flats. She is very bright and will do very well. I am also trying to help Sister VandeMerwe with the duties she has been assigned.<br />
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New Years Eve all the Senior Missionaries gathered for a fun evening of
food and games. We had a wonderful time and it was a great time to
welcome the new sisters.<br />
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Sister VandeMerwe, Sister Denton, Sister Richins, Elder Richins, Elder Slemboski, Sister Slemboski and Sister Mizukawa<br />
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Elder Madsen, Elder & Sister Johnson, Sister & Elder Michelsen, Sister Dever, Elder Mizukawa, Sister Madsen <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mary CairnCross Reserve</td></tr>
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I have been taking the sisters to some of my favorite places. Our first excursion was to Mary Cairncross Reserve. They loved the wonderful trees and we saw several Pademelons. The sisters are delighted with Australia and loving the beautiful countryside. We also made it to Mooloolaba beach. We had dinner at one of the many restaurants near the beach. We also had a nice walk on the beach.<br />
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The next Saturday we took the City Cat to downtown and Queen Street which is the walking mall in the city. We visited several shops, walked to St. George Square where City Hall is located. Took the return trip on City Cat to Brett’s Wharf to pick up the car and return to our flats.<br />
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There is a park near our flat that was originally a Women’s Prison in the 1800's and an airfield during World War I and II. I had never walked over to it so on the 10th of January we took a walk through it. Zane had told me about it when the family was here as he had come across it on one of his morning runs. It was amazing and gave a lot of history about the spot. Enjoy the picture tour.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbmeyjr9nijBEbxJUaiIi_5O4407hj1qHfz3ZdjZDCQm6G4d_3CZqPjMMh33ZfyeuGq1fnl-AwusCI27AJqAAVtFwtPL4ip4XKgSkHD-H10p9toF1CK5OnV_PQZaQGtLR9MaWI1ZG3fuM/s1600/Eagle+Farm+Woman+Prisoneers.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbmeyjr9nijBEbxJUaiIi_5O4407hj1qHfz3ZdjZDCQm6G4d_3CZqPjMMh33ZfyeuGq1fnl-AwusCI27AJqAAVtFwtPL4ip4XKgSkHD-H10p9toF1CK5OnV_PQZaQGtLR9MaWI1ZG3fuM/s320/Eagle+Farm+Woman+Prisoneers.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNCDVBu4iFUV6F8AWrvaCpsloUWks7Sfb2K-dscnR1ckPpsgHXzktMpDzaAvXwyVjU3lp7FZTSp0TKccl2bVSl54cXqCk-P2C6Z2QVhkAk5y0dIetkBCtXX71iHOjiTwPb_xtZNpsVB7M/s1600/Eagle+Farm+Women%2527s+Prison+%2526+Factory.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNCDVBu4iFUV6F8AWrvaCpsloUWks7Sfb2K-dscnR1ckPpsgHXzktMpDzaAvXwyVjU3lp7FZTSp0TKccl2bVSl54cXqCk-P2C6Z2QVhkAk5y0dIetkBCtXX71iHOjiTwPb_xtZNpsVB7M/s320/Eagle+Farm+Women%2527s+Prison+%2526+Factory.JPG" width="240" /></a><br />
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So much history on these few acres over the years.<br />
A woman's prison, a 1920 runway, World War II runway, and an airplane testing area. Captured plane were brought here and torn apart to help develop better planes for the Allied Forces. Brisbane was the headquarters for MacArthur as commander of the Pacific forces. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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On the 16th of January we visited the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary so the sisters could see the Australian wildlife up close. They had a perfect day and Sister VandeMerwe had her picture taken with a Koala. They also enjoyed the Lorikeet feeding. I love the Lorikeets. They are very social and noisy but beautiful in color.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs7sVeVcXBpZrG6RzBv9mDiOm-IxpigNpYwMJwg37jK-CCBbFIcmiTcfhYVSm0B2ko3gOqH3-k0Nwa6_x1bBy902bDLwf1x-vZ0gw0tL73uSD0gY6cbwAKfm_1XBPQgEzpSPr619SUoNM/s1600/IMGP7832.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs7sVeVcXBpZrG6RzBv9mDiOm-IxpigNpYwMJwg37jK-CCBbFIcmiTcfhYVSm0B2ko3gOqH3-k0Nwa6_x1bBy902bDLwf1x-vZ0gw0tL73uSD0gY6cbwAKfm_1XBPQgEzpSPr619SUoNM/s320/IMGP7832.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Baby Koala</td></tr>
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This koala is about a year old and just taken from his mother. He was busy running up and down the three limbs while the keeper was replacing the eucalyptus that is their main food supply. I have never seen a koala as active as this one was. Super Cute...... <br />
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Sleeping wombat. They are also marsupials. <br />
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Siste Denton with Lorikeets at feeding time!<br />
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Sister VandeMerwe has a beautiful smile.. <br />
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Sister Dever with a kangaroo.<br />
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On the 22nd of January I drove to the Gold Coast to spend the weekend with Elder & Sister Prigoone. Elder Prigoone is the Mission handyman. He fixes all the holes, broken doors, screens, etc in the flats. He also moves a lot of furniture when we obtain a new flat. He is such a great help to the Mission. I don’t know what we would do without him. I met his wife, Alice, early in my mission when Sister Parsons and I met Elder Prigoone at Ikea to pick up items he had taken out of the flats. They had asked us a number of times to come spend the weekend. We just never made it so this was my last chance. They have a lovely home on one of the lagoons in Gold Coast. We saw a pelican on the water and a sting ray in the water. We took a couple of walks on the beach and up Burleigh Head through the forest. It was too steep for me and I had to stop about halfway up and wait for Alice and their exchange student from Germany come back for me. It was just too hot for me. They host foreign students from China and other countries who come to attend college or high school. They are an amazing couple. They lived in Utah for a time when she was studying for her teaching degree. They also served a mission in Canada.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elder & Sister Prigoone & German Exchange Student</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lagoon at the Prigoone's</td></tr>
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Sunday we went to church and Brother and Sister Stoten were there. They were called to help the mission find new flats for missionaries when I first came out. She came over and gave me a big hug and we reminisced about my first few months here. They were really a help until I got my feet on the ground. I will truly miss the people I have come to know here in Australia. They are taking an Alaska Cruise in August so maybe I can meet them in Juneau when they arrive. That would really be fun. <br />
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This last Saturday I spent a couple of hours in the mall with Sister VandeMerwe purchasing a phone and phone plan. She came with an iPhone and we had been to the Apple Store three times to get it to work here in Australia. We struggled and struggled with it and did not get much help from the supposed experts. In frustration I finally told one of the employees I would never buy an iPhone. Not looking forward to deciding what phone and plan I get when I get home. <br />
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I received my travel itinerary. I leave Brisbane at 11:00 AM on the 20th of February and arrive at LAX at 6:30 AM on the 20th of February. I have a 6 hour layover before I fly to Seattle arriving at 4:05 PM.<br />
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Last trip last Saturday to Burleigh Head. Took the walk along the water through the woods for 1.2 kilometers. It was a showery day but we missed all the showers on our walkabout.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sister Denton, Dever & VandeMerwe on the walking path</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beautiful waters of the Coral Sea </td></tr>
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Elder Halleck, Second Councilor in the Pacific Area Presidency, came to the Australia Brisbane Mission on a mission tour. He net with all the missionaries in the mission in three different meetings this week. He gave the missionaries inspiring counsel and encouragement to help them be the very best missionaries they can be. Elder Halleck is from American Samoa. He joined the church in his teens. Went to school at BYU Provo where he met his wife. They returned to Samoa and raised their family there and in Hawaii. He was called as the Mission President for Samoa and American Samoa a number of years ago and is now in New Zealand in the Pacific Area Presidency. All the Senior Missionaries in the Mission had dinner with he and his wife at the Mission Home on Tuesday evening. It was great to get to hear about their lives. <br />
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This will be my last post from Australia. I have enjoyed this mission not just for the wonderful country I have seen, the beautiful beaches, and amazing wildlife but because of the work I have been able to do. I was able to build my own job and what an amazing experience it has been to help the missionaries appreciate what the Lord has provided for them while they serve him. We did not understand why Sister Parson’s visa was good for only 18 months and mine for 23 months when they were both applied for at the same time. I believe, I understand now. The Lord knew the sisters would not be coming until the end of December, the Michelsen’s would have to leave early, the new office couple would not arrive until the end of March and I would be needed to bridge a part of the gap. I have met some wonderful people here that I will miss. How grateful I am for the technology of today that allows us to keep in touch. Leaving will be bittersweet but it is time to return home and begin a new chapter in my life. <br />
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I will be living in Kent, Washington in my son and daughter-in-laws condo for a time until I determine just where I will settle. It will be great as there are a lot of condos in the area with lots of walking and biking trails. I am looking forward to getting out when the weather permits. Working in the office from 8 to 5 did not leave a lot of time for exercise. <br />
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If you ever have a chance to come to Australia do not hesitate to jump on a plane and visit this amazing continent. I have not seen much of it because of it’s size but I think I have seen the best part of Australia the Australia Brisbane Mission (Queensland). It is the Lord’s work and I am grateful for the small part I have had in helping with it.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-EeHO8PlQGvmsxcBOCm6S_VbvFFIcMD8t5gKnuo2f-VUHwp5k9IJNDSS-TQ_Lf99xKNgvXoMNVagjIw83vqBHhCwBhuqpEEf-yFTpsTnyEARH46o6J8x9mQO2KLhCAfs2bGrK7c38X_c/s1600/IMGP7768.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-EeHO8PlQGvmsxcBOCm6S_VbvFFIcMD8t5gKnuo2f-VUHwp5k9IJNDSS-TQ_Lf99xKNgvXoMNVagjIw83vqBHhCwBhuqpEEf-yFTpsTnyEARH46o6J8x9mQO2KLhCAfs2bGrK7c38X_c/s320/IMGP7768.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>Farewell from</b> <b>Brisbane, Queensland, Australia</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXJEFSbWwJ76gQ7_FBeTKIeEiKefr20WCChjGoLAE5DWITFbqQyuQ7BDDBc6gKkiGphVc6c-_kNfxnHB665rp4bxkbxQHdNAUnBBoCH3GQgjQIFLllCOM1hP2eIbQeZJGBg35Uq1_Y6ho/s1600/Release+Letter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXJEFSbWwJ76gQ7_FBeTKIeEiKefr20WCChjGoLAE5DWITFbqQyuQ7BDDBc6gKkiGphVc6c-_kNfxnHB665rp4bxkbxQHdNAUnBBoCH3GQgjQIFLllCOM1hP2eIbQeZJGBg35Uq1_Y6ho/s640/Release+Letter.jpg" width="492" /></a></div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10935633857884310427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4929239952465812712.post-35677611098150547932015-12-11T04:54:00.000-08:002019-02-06T20:12:30.083-08:00<br />
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December 2015<br />
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It is almost Christmas. Here is wishing you a Very Merry Australia Christmas!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixfoFZ-4Uc6WD8WVwdd0zD6j3my1_rusmFDtUbsye18V7R6nj7Mb84W4wbXeAN_GBQJlShyphenhyphenV_C2Ybx9sucSsj87sV4erAW1Ui-yOn-xJOCMIxor_zmftUk8xeJzlOFsA5yYtbu3Edgvrc/s1600/IMGP7705.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixfoFZ-4Uc6WD8WVwdd0zD6j3my1_rusmFDtUbsye18V7R6nj7Mb84W4wbXeAN_GBQJlShyphenhyphenV_C2Ybx9sucSsj87sV4erAW1Ui-yOn-xJOCMIxor_zmftUk8xeJzlOFsA5yYtbu3Edgvrc/s320/IMGP7705.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aussie Christmas Wish </td></tr>
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On Halloween Sister Parsons, Sister Mickelson and I went to the New Farm Market. They had wonderful produce, food and crafts. The Halloween witch was also there.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpE0OaGhckW5VJUEjSETJ64Ub6wTQmsB6tlv5LO4ltJLytbaDRFpQcibwJ-1W67mWaIStp2SqMC0CdQfCJhhn3IRRbC5qqaWBcx7d2_dd9lMAwCl7XS72O35bzu6H1CZFOR6fSC8WK-WU/s1600/IMGP7596.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpE0OaGhckW5VJUEjSETJ64Ub6wTQmsB6tlv5LO4ltJLytbaDRFpQcibwJ-1W67mWaIStp2SqMC0CdQfCJhhn3IRRbC5qqaWBcx7d2_dd9lMAwCl7XS72O35bzu6H1CZFOR6fSC8WK-WU/s320/IMGP7596.JPG" width="240" /></a><br />
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Had to take a picture of the road sign because I could not understand what it is trying to say. <br />
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The 4-7th of November we had a Senior Conference. All the senior missionaries from the northern part of the mission came to Brisbane on Wednesday. We had a nice chicken dinner at the Kangaroo Chapel next to the Temple. A number of the seniors were involved in a training at the chapel that evening so the rest of us went to the Temple. Thursday morning we had training until 12:30 and then we could choose from a list of City Activities for the afternoon. Before we disbursed we had a picture of the group in the garden at the Temple. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfrLlZSP7yYjJD2nSqj3FwgVeuwqRMv15XcewwyG21ozue4c9F-l3ZEPgHNDziVyf-cJ5HKg2x3ImgHJfno-IA0QGGbIIJwGWlqLdR19UNrAgEyevA5It735keaj26QDjwfSNVEMCRgnQ/s1600/Senior+Conference+3-2015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfrLlZSP7yYjJD2nSqj3FwgVeuwqRMv15XcewwyG21ozue4c9F-l3ZEPgHNDziVyf-cJ5HKg2x3ImgHJfno-IA0QGGbIIJwGWlqLdR19UNrAgEyevA5It735keaj26QDjwfSNVEMCRgnQ/s320/Senior+Conference+3-2015.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Senior Conference 10/ 2015</td></tr>
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In the evening we all re-grouped for dinner at a Thai restaurant. The meal was marvelous. Friday we went to Mt. Coot tha Botanical Garden to view the Japanese garden and for a group picture. We spent several hours in the gardens viewing the beauty God has created for us.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxZQz69SpgsxErfoUA5eI-E86NsX66odGtX-crhPkJ0Tb1yTKed0_jDfp7zjkgJZ8-YSkvj2SLWAmMZzBIHPYpz8uOaaXtDsqpdyw1P2sOGZedboh897CNU7wrFZUSNdKVb0CNcCamrXI/s1600/Japanese+Garden..jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxZQz69SpgsxErfoUA5eI-E86NsX66odGtX-crhPkJ0Tb1yTKed0_jDfp7zjkgJZ8-YSkvj2SLWAmMZzBIHPYpz8uOaaXtDsqpdyw1P2sOGZedboh897CNU7wrFZUSNdKVb0CNcCamrXI/s320/Japanese+Garden..jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Japanese Garden Senior Conference 10/15</td></tr>
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In the evening we all took the Kookaburra River Cruise on the Brisbane River. What spectacular views of the city and all the lights. The dinner was very good but the company was better. Enjoy Brisbane by night and a couple of our senior missionaries.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVgKsGox3CxgiUVwSwOvGIY-yH8o-aJMPBzlIUc49hXMVMD1EuL0BCFHElfoL6-O_XxNVTKqaDtaKb9nf-Px_mhAwpUcGRi-JN5QN5psRqOIQa8aVw6M6fl6Qw14oblBnbE_35b0XsFqg/s1600/IMGP7618.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVgKsGox3CxgiUVwSwOvGIY-yH8o-aJMPBzlIUc49hXMVMD1EuL0BCFHElfoL6-O_XxNVTKqaDtaKb9nf-Px_mhAwpUcGRi-JN5QN5psRqOIQa8aVw6M6fl6Qw14oblBnbE_35b0XsFqg/s320/IMGP7618.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brisbane Skyline w/Story Bridge Lights</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1Bm-flM4QJFwRCuRbBOLySO2EDvU9GZg8AAAQMg8fsQdn1qecHl8YD-18bbk6kexFsp_B607tAcTWU-bu8-CdleFBxouE-hjrKg1i57m6LR2-EINW1eRibe3jTL12xt2nOZ-ulTXBlNM/s1600/IMGP7619.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1Bm-flM4QJFwRCuRbBOLySO2EDvU9GZg8AAAQMg8fsQdn1qecHl8YD-18bbk6kexFsp_B607tAcTWU-bu8-CdleFBxouE-hjrKg1i57m6LR2-EINW1eRibe3jTL12xt2nOZ-ulTXBlNM/s320/IMGP7619.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brisbane Skyline </td></tr>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW2z0aJPHV_6cugQKmGyUgGd2x4eMjST_gFnmZpdfzKhFcdQajjlEQKb_3UD0Qw3vMrMkqomXotlUSw5Ws_JyfwpvaVLnHYJqhXEPFu46mVe7-FxEm_pkvhznk9RGKKo04puWeFl0MbT8/s1600/IMGP7622.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW2z0aJPHV_6cugQKmGyUgGd2x4eMjST_gFnmZpdfzKhFcdQajjlEQKb_3UD0Qw3vMrMkqomXotlUSw5Ws_JyfwpvaVLnHYJqhXEPFu46mVe7-FxEm_pkvhznk9RGKKo04puWeFl0MbT8/s320/IMGP7622.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elder & Sister Prigoone, Sister Parsons, Brother Gordon</td></tr>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGVkBtx05_alL6L4zf3tkOWpAUjwAb0uVLX-KAUlWsKJlzNc9uNJdgM2JHsH1EX4XhIJvNwm4uZ3DOMtC_FTVxzVEtR50PPJb4gWDg4HB44aICJHfAuSRLtLE0bg1cJJs1JeoHp-8xNjU/s1600/IMGP7630.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGVkBtx05_alL6L4zf3tkOWpAUjwAb0uVLX-KAUlWsKJlzNc9uNJdgM2JHsH1EX4XhIJvNwm4uZ3DOMtC_FTVxzVEtR50PPJb4gWDg4HB44aICJHfAuSRLtLE0bg1cJJs1JeoHp-8xNjU/s320/IMGP7630.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brisbane Skyline</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyR4VewiWEmFm1WTyym75wXfU3_TbMNBKI3A7Hmk0yWhRbxgd9XbXnMDcou2TYnk8ApCzg0a3gduUY5Y-OjHaGmr_EewrKQWtIFm0XJsT_kPgE0k-pRcvuL0oESFL8Ej-rs_jLShiP8ho/s1600/IMGP7627.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyR4VewiWEmFm1WTyym75wXfU3_TbMNBKI3A7Hmk0yWhRbxgd9XbXnMDcou2TYnk8ApCzg0a3gduUY5Y-OjHaGmr_EewrKQWtIFm0XJsT_kPgE0k-pRcvuL0oESFL8Ej-rs_jLShiP8ho/s320/IMGP7627.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elder & Sister Prigoone </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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Elder & Sister Prigoone served a mission in Canada a few years ago. He is currently a Service Missionary and assesses and makes repairs to our missionary flats. He is a tremendous help to the mission.<br />
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Saturday morning we had a continental breakfast at the Mission Home.
President Henderson recognized all the missionaries who will be leaving
within the next 3 months. I will be one of the missionaries leaving
prior to March. We all bore our testimonies about the Gospel and our
Heavenly Father. After the breakfast everyone dispersed for their
homes or the airport for flights back to the North.<br />
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Elder & Sister Mickelson, Sister Parsons and I had discussed
preparing an American Thanksgiving dinner for the office. We asked Sister Henderson if it would be okay and she asked if we
could possibly help her provide the same dinner for the Missionary
Leadership missionaries who were meeting on Thanksgiving day at the
Kangaroo Chapel. So our dinner increased from under 10 to 50
missionaries. It was a delight to do this for the young missionaries
and even better to see the faces of missionaries from countries who have
never heard about Thanksgiving. They are amazed and enjoyed the
dinner. For the most part we enjoyed putting it together for them
although we had to work through a couple of glitches. Such as the
electric roaster would not heat so we had to put the turkey roasts in
the oven and cook the dressing after the turkey was done. Sister
Parsons was at the church roasting turkey while I was at the flat also
cooking turkey, dressing and gravy. Sister Mickelson cooked carrots and
green beans. Sister Henderson cooked the potatoes. Desert came from
Costco in the form of pumpkin and apple pie.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL6B-7dQ1FYp4MHJbrok478BWFQ1k5WWZm8-cPToOicspgxkfpzq7FpVeYcNZxyooVSTcBkv-b2dHNV7eD3kM5c7OHVWph5BImmvR1-lTAhcNKsbACeYnw-YYSpXfWJbDAiIVt9l0okwg/s1600/Thanksgiving.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="131" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL6B-7dQ1FYp4MHJbrok478BWFQ1k5WWZm8-cPToOicspgxkfpzq7FpVeYcNZxyooVSTcBkv-b2dHNV7eD3kM5c7OHVWph5BImmvR1-lTAhcNKsbACeYnw-YYSpXfWJbDAiIVt9l0okwg/s200/Thanksgiving.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Turkey Dinner</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFOQqUeJKedieZa42HZ8_6mvZYUlSReaCZpJ5Bq2a1y7nBq4LTHrwAsJu9fI_ATebsd2L5fLhCUqbZtxcT_5MaJkx2pOulLYogRBk5wgQsjnoI5J7960s8WnwRJoLTp_2pe_6B2Xt4GoM/s1600/Thanksgiving+10.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFOQqUeJKedieZa42HZ8_6mvZYUlSReaCZpJ5Bq2a1y7nBq4LTHrwAsJu9fI_ATebsd2L5fLhCUqbZtxcT_5MaJkx2pOulLYogRBk5wgQsjnoI5J7960s8WnwRJoLTp_2pe_6B2Xt4GoM/s200/Thanksgiving+10.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Deseret</td></tr>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJcxmhyphenhyphenDKJG8s2H9NwzlZZKBEG1exLt_kE3nnaSALPpVwJe4fWxib2yhFcmol95lTTgT3tkZN7mKrtf8W9hzeF9F0k98Rw2HQoZN-OS4jF1ZErEOZboNrbxMeODPuXGVOAu8MhEnMEiXE/s1600/Thanksgiving+.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJcxmhyphenhyphenDKJG8s2H9NwzlZZKBEG1exLt_kE3nnaSALPpVwJe4fWxib2yhFcmol95lTTgT3tkZN7mKrtf8W9hzeF9F0k98Rw2HQoZN-OS4jF1ZErEOZboNrbxMeODPuXGVOAu8MhEnMEiXE/s200/Thanksgiving+.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elder Pitts, Elder Halo and Elder Tanner <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJcxmhyphenhyphenDKJG8s2H9NwzlZZKBEG1exLt_kE3nnaSALPpVwJe4fWxib2yhFcmol95lTTgT3tkZN7mKrtf8W9hzeF9F0k98Rw2HQoZN-OS4jF1ZErEOZboNrbxMeODPuXGVOAu8MhEnMEiXE/s1600/Thanksgiving+.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;">Elder Halo is a wonderful missionary from Tonga. He has worked hard in the mission and always has a smile on his face. He will be a great leader when he returns to Tonga. </span></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimsnbG6bMdALxar4fGaYWASYBM8UyDttHUVQVKIYqBesfS_S1gghulGFQVoE-lnZOuuHN4jC8ibt4PrZ6JwUzf8yM7O3a9WXZ8-0_s4DxUhWhvAUOw9iTpUfOiu_LJ-A7VNYDfgQdp6EQ/s1600/Thanksgiving+8.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimsnbG6bMdALxar4fGaYWASYBM8UyDttHUVQVKIYqBesfS_S1gghulGFQVoE-lnZOuuHN4jC8ibt4PrZ6JwUzf8yM7O3a9WXZ8-0_s4DxUhWhvAUOw9iTpUfOiu_LJ-A7VNYDfgQdp6EQ/s200/Thanksgiving+8.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elder Matheus & </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjze9nTuslIkTRugmdzdxBiEfS5qJQC6k-e5RjeGBuCkyBmuqNxNHmqx3a1AAR6GzH4xfMNu5E0a5W6zDPRlR7DYzCZ7oToTdAVeNHUjioZNUil9p3E6ve1dNHkGqahvsp0rI_JVnZh06o/s1600/Thanksgiving+7.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjze9nTuslIkTRugmdzdxBiEfS5qJQC6k-e5RjeGBuCkyBmuqNxNHmqx3a1AAR6GzH4xfMNu5E0a5W6zDPRlR7DYzCZ7oToTdAVeNHUjioZNUil9p3E6ve1dNHkGqahvsp0rI_JVnZh06o/s200/Thanksgiving+7.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elder Stringham </td></tr>
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Elder Stringham is sitting in the left of the picture. My mother's
maiden name is Stringham. I asked him about his ancestors when he came
into the mission. As it turns out we have Bryant Stringham as our
common ancestor. He married three sisters and Elder Stringham is from
one of his wives and my family comes from another wife. <br />
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The last weekend of November Sister Parsons and I moved flats. We have
three Senior sisters coming into the Mission to replace us. Sister
Denton is coming from Sydney and will be serving for 1 year. Sister
Dever and Van Der Mewre are coming from the US. They should be arriving
the end of December after Christmas. We moved to a three bedroom flat
on the street level. It has a large outside area with a small yard. It
is a lovely flat and will work well for three sisters. <br />
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Elder & Sister Michelson will be leaving the end of January and
Sister Parsons leaves the 24th of December. I will be staying to help
the sisters get their feet on the ground. I am hoping to leave by the
end of February the latest middle of March. The new office couple will
be arriving mid March if the visa application is processed timely.<br />
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I will be flying to LAX the 20th of December to attend my grand-daughter, Kiera's, wedding at the San Diego Temple. She is marrying her best friend Sebastian who she had a crush on when she was 15. They both served missions in Brazil, grew up together in Juneau, love the outdoors and are both very bright and students at BYU Provo. It will be a quick trip as I will be returning to Australia on the 23rd of December arriving Christmas morning.<br />
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December 5 Sister Parsons and I went to the Steve Irwin Australia Zoo as we could not leave without seeing the Zoo and especially the Salt Water Crocodile show. As you can see he is a huge croc. The rhinos were really big as well. It was a lovely zoo but did not have a large number of animals because they keep them in their natural habitat. I think, we liked the bird aviary the best. We saw several types of doves. The Emerald dove is beautiful and of course the lorikeets are the most beautiful. Just prior to the croc show they introduced a number of birds. The one we had never heard of was a black cockatoo. There were two; one orange tail feathers and one with yellow tail feathers. They were so different from the normal cockatoo just the opposite in color.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3y2g4VQ_y_-Ck5ACggcg_ilXed5sEQr-nTLiWB2lXanF7ix-MFrnhNkS6Z29v3c4fhSzodsj9VGW_6zTBMluiHJTQGQHORWhaBhZWQ_Uy_wJ6Bp_I64ZeXHbjtww4Cl6C_Mpsdetxvq8/s1600/IMGP7652.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3y2g4VQ_y_-Ck5ACggcg_ilXed5sEQr-nTLiWB2lXanF7ix-MFrnhNkS6Z29v3c4fhSzodsj9VGW_6zTBMluiHJTQGQHORWhaBhZWQ_Uy_wJ6Bp_I64ZeXHbjtww4Cl6C_Mpsdetxvq8/s320/IMGP7652.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One Large Turtle </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj74rzYK8HBQRrI5LkxkhqkfHQyAVQ4BmjRETkHULZV4coQiXS5dSLmmDJkeuQleuaW82gsFkR_XOhVi4Lem2gMfv3f72bUmgfGt3_uwCxX3YC9YegYKqnj8rN4OEC9a-FAvf9RLYUGZV4/s1600/IMGP7669.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj74rzYK8HBQRrI5LkxkhqkfHQyAVQ4BmjRETkHULZV4coQiXS5dSLmmDJkeuQleuaW82gsFkR_XOhVi4Lem2gMfv3f72bUmgfGt3_uwCxX3YC9YegYKqnj8rN4OEC9a-FAvf9RLYUGZV4/s320/IMGP7669.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Salt Water Crocodille </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitQd0ba0tAruZVQZH3oXkDcIIaWpPD1-AfonbSv4ieNRqfwQFeOK-g8Rgg3unmkXDretE0N0FzST5MBqhkJDT95mP1J7z8voFjvu-TRCH6g03AezRO1NGTgxDVNyHxWj1C6wD_w5tCL0k/s1600/IMGP7678.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitQd0ba0tAruZVQZH3oXkDcIIaWpPD1-AfonbSv4ieNRqfwQFeOK-g8Rgg3unmkXDretE0N0FzST5MBqhkJDT95mP1J7z8voFjvu-TRCH6g03AezRO1NGTgxDVNyHxWj1C6wD_w5tCL0k/s320/IMGP7678.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rhino</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhx7JblGo5QpxdlJ87oDH5-3ZFzQVqfwFBM3WgadSiJTAaYvuF7ALtR4vnbR3i_npVtIdQJTexd8DJAd1Q-W7sofUIoHbgHpkRILeM7uqeVTmbZuCbP5oqVDsConyx2lkBUYunToTrkcw/s1600/IMGP7690.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhx7JblGo5QpxdlJ87oDH5-3ZFzQVqfwFBM3WgadSiJTAaYvuF7ALtR4vnbR3i_npVtIdQJTexd8DJAd1Q-W7sofUIoHbgHpkRILeM7uqeVTmbZuCbP5oqVDsConyx2lkBUYunToTrkcw/s320/IMGP7690.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Emerald Dove in Center</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUYKCMf8H6nmTXnN11CuNy36vCHb9mr4Gom994tB4qQqJafB_-1zrrDIkSmZkMPgovLCmuNDPYzE6vBskGN85UE1ArmWSTO4sPxgfVz-iMCeZwrZNaIfe9lU8ZVkdT6-a5SpB_4evqTZQ/s1600/IMGP7699.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUYKCMf8H6nmTXnN11CuNy36vCHb9mr4Gom994tB4qQqJafB_-1zrrDIkSmZkMPgovLCmuNDPYzE6vBskGN85UE1ArmWSTO4sPxgfVz-iMCeZwrZNaIfe9lU8ZVkdT6-a5SpB_4evqTZQ/s320/IMGP7699.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lorikeets </td></tr>
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Merry Christmas to all and a Happy New Year. May we all remember the true meaning of Christmas and the love our Heavenly Father has for each of us as his sons and daughters. <br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10935633857884310427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4929239952465812712.post-5594867068306444452015-11-11T20:09:00.001-08:002019-02-06T20:08:12.578-08:00Spring in Queensland, Australia My Last Spring Here<br />
November 10, 2015 <br />
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Australian Spring has arrived with the blooming of the Jacaranda trees. The poinsettia’s have been blooming for several months. The Plumeria trees are beginning to bloom. I love the Plumeria flower is one of my favorite flowers. The blossom is so beautiful and the smell is wonderful except here in Australia. They do not seem to have any fragrance which was a real surprise.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jacaranda</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Plumeria<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqFUc8mdh8M8fEy8jzIzUCwjJt6A2UYSWTu3riiHTS93QnjWpiToB7XCu_4nMjL5F-kPMOPSWmnraXpN9xFsh7rt-veUaLQJMuCcTEaQmRGI6J7WIFENJwSQIuUnjjICxaz8EXVbOlCqI/s1600/Pointsetta+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqFUc8mdh8M8fEy8jzIzUCwjJt6A2UYSWTu3riiHTS93QnjWpiToB7XCu_4nMjL5F-kPMOPSWmnraXpN9xFsh7rt-veUaLQJMuCcTEaQmRGI6J7WIFENJwSQIuUnjjICxaz8EXVbOlCqI/s320/Pointsetta+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pointsettia</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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We have not taken many day trips in the last couple of months as I have been busy delivering chairs and tables to the missionaries for their study areas and kitchen tables. The wooden chairs just do not hold up with the elders. They lean back in the wooden chairs and they break or the joints work loose making the chair unsafe. Because the missionaries are transferred fairly often they have a tendency to live with whatever they have instead of calling the Mission Office to report a need. They are wonderful young men and women but I have to remember they are between 18 and 25 years old. Part of their mission is to learn life skills as well as teach the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We have missionaries from 22 countries assigned to this mission. Many from third world countries such as Micronesia, Tonga, Samoa, China, Taiwan , etc. where they may not even have a bed or a floor in their homes. They have no concept of what or how to clean a flat. It is a constant struggle to teach them these skills. <br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoMrYOEY0WfD64NW32a53KMcIwnUxusrndiIG04FxeRAroth8f9JChMOgav2YV9CNbssXt9VDfilL2kBUU2tzJhdS7MV5Cpsf1aTjVy9AJxW22wVgFAGmZKOXVYhDhC6cDOyWU3u07wfg/s1600/Abbott+St+Candelabra+Tree+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoMrYOEY0WfD64NW32a53KMcIwnUxusrndiIG04FxeRAroth8f9JChMOgav2YV9CNbssXt9VDfilL2kBUU2tzJhdS7MV5Cpsf1aTjVy9AJxW22wVgFAGmZKOXVYhDhC6cDOyWU3u07wfg/s320/Abbott+St+Candelabra+Tree+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Abbott Street Candelabra Trees </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Sister Parsons and I did visit Abbot Street here in Brisbane to see the candelabra trees which were planted on both sides of the street many years ago. The residents of the area park between the trees. They are amazing trees. <br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFLd_N-hDYTvTA3EkXilrMyOQnmLHpXImBBT7OSLqOKTfIFDxsid-QfySFCCrCRj2QmFdVPNEsCcgv19gCznYqJma19kZV6DFwLXzAbsdrPW0mVq7JPBaRwff1GSYA07fKWkvEZgfBkKo/s1600/Toowoomba+Flower+Festival+Stag+Horn+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFLd_N-hDYTvTA3EkXilrMyOQnmLHpXImBBT7OSLqOKTfIFDxsid-QfySFCCrCRj2QmFdVPNEsCcgv19gCznYqJma19kZV6DFwLXzAbsdrPW0mVq7JPBaRwff1GSYA07fKWkvEZgfBkKo/s320/Toowoomba+Flower+Festival+Stag+Horn+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stag Horn</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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I did go to the Toowoomba Flower Festival with three senior couples. Sister Parson was not feeling well so she stayed at the office with Elder & Sister Mickelsen as he was unable to go because of a back injury which he has been dealing with for a couple of months. <br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4mAnJG3TJ4ASaAis3Ea_RgTra3BvjkzOV-S6Hab76CMy30Xg0dC44B-BiCbP_luG-lSuWWsO7Cp__TmEW_LcgP_Xi6syXAkFC90TK44IOscMC5Nr19_7PHTTOleuYVRMYgHm1mzknsro/s1600/Toowoomba+Flower+Festival+-+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4mAnJG3TJ4ASaAis3Ea_RgTra3BvjkzOV-S6Hab76CMy30Xg0dC44B-BiCbP_luG-lSuWWsO7Cp__TmEW_LcgP_Xi6syXAkFC90TK44IOscMC5Nr19_7PHTTOleuYVRMYgHm1mzknsro/s320/Toowoomba+Flower+Festival+-+4.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Toowoomba Public Garden</td></tr>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcBeUXcvrgIX97hz4WuBg_kQBLhZTiajXUZ4uWFonESjk4GpnJQUNz49_ZVGTWsQ2Uw0MMeaMJoGmhvlWseiEfpdtF03wZU-z8ZXcZ1Uw91POXZIGVqdnufBmUbkFRMGy3o6bvg_S0ENg/s1600/Toowoomba+Flower+Festival+Oregon+Grape+Lookalike.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcBeUXcvrgIX97hz4WuBg_kQBLhZTiajXUZ4uWFonESjk4GpnJQUNz49_ZVGTWsQ2Uw0MMeaMJoGmhvlWseiEfpdtF03wZU-z8ZXcZ1Uw91POXZIGVqdnufBmUbkFRMGy3o6bvg_S0ENg/s320/Toowoomba+Flower+Festival+Oregon+Grape+Lookalike.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oregon Grape Imposter</td></tr>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyuXjprXP6r-CugBEGlpLxa0FnBWA3Uimb3xt3gvgupzKxZAC7JPz9zntszXt_3IMxHDhpv16H2-z7GngMaS39GXiWQAPc271CRJXWBEqx8AskhnnAWb2HiacKIzkqH6lzjWGm2e5Chvo/s1600/Toowoomba+Flower+Festival+-+Ice+Plants+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyuXjprXP6r-CugBEGlpLxa0FnBWA3Uimb3xt3gvgupzKxZAC7JPz9zntszXt_3IMxHDhpv16H2-z7GngMaS39GXiWQAPc271CRJXWBEqx8AskhnnAWb2HiacKIzkqH6lzjWGm2e5Chvo/s320/Toowoomba+Flower+Festival+-+Ice+Plants+3.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ice Plants</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl3_v5yK7xmKRv34MtgYUFd2SYbI2oB2bsaMpSUj81B2tlGx-3_q8944Z30RjDGUl4ohoJF4tL6U8_Slowd8aiQjOfO4Nv-0UL_U3HjRccn1U2pjf-IGDKgwYTXo4GGAZg0WAa-ICbijI/s1600/Toowoomba+Flower+Festival+Wisteria+Tunnel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl3_v5yK7xmKRv34MtgYUFd2SYbI2oB2bsaMpSUj81B2tlGx-3_q8944Z30RjDGUl4ohoJF4tL6U8_Slowd8aiQjOfO4Nv-0UL_U3HjRccn1U2pjf-IGDKgwYTXo4GGAZg0WAa-ICbijI/s320/Toowoomba+Flower+Festival+Wisteria+Tunnel.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wisteria Tunnel</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk-TnjxqJGJqMTiWQr6o8H84Qq9_tP96WXe5fQeMrV26_QFDJyfQ6-tL1gJumCm4li05EfsPTK8LNFb4cCHLl6KtZeo4W05vTp2MdoK4sW_2Vaarxi7OqRbhT6ahL9c0_LuVTaYTXnIiw/s1600/Heritage+Village+National+Posting+Machine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk-TnjxqJGJqMTiWQr6o8H84Qq9_tP96WXe5fQeMrV26_QFDJyfQ6-tL1gJumCm4li05EfsPTK8LNFb4cCHLl6KtZeo4W05vTp2MdoK4sW_2Vaarxi7OqRbhT6ahL9c0_LuVTaYTXnIiw/s320/Heritage+Village+National+Posting+Machine.jpg" width="320" /> </a></td><td style="text-align: center;"></td><td style="text-align: center;"></td><td style="text-align: center;"></td><td style="text-align: center;"></td><td style="text-align: center;"></td><td style="text-align: center;"></td><td style="text-align: center;"></td><td style="text-align: center;"></td><td style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">National Cash Register Posting Machine</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
We did take a day trip with Elder & Sister Mickelsen on October 3rd to visit the Caboolture Heritage Village which is a short drive north. It has over 70 buildings all with historic backgrounds, decorated and preserved and fully fitted in the way they were originally intended. They had a National Cash Register Posting Machine on display. The first job I had was for Columbia Tractor Company in Northwest Portland operating a machine just like the one on display. There was a computing scale on display with a history of this type of scale. It was invented in 1885 in Ohio, sold in 1891, in 1895 the first computing scale was introduced, in 1911 the International Time Recording Co, the Computing Scale Company and The Tabulating Machine Company merged to form the Computing, Tabulating, Recording Company then in 1924 it became the international corporation we know as IBM. How fascinating is that?<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJhm1uFGdKYSTYKjwUixJsAXFoG22HOIWMWS4ws7xX5pyJcXwzOhSJJRXQEk4Dg5_-Fdo5Zzq7xZaT9WcNgVgghAOxxq9Yx2s4SSyUfAXSGbw9CcAYqV8jxcvGLlv-ZAWBPM0osjh_mLg/s1600/Historical+Village+Computing+Scale.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJhm1uFGdKYSTYKjwUixJsAXFoG22HOIWMWS4ws7xX5pyJcXwzOhSJJRXQEk4Dg5_-Fdo5Zzq7xZaT9WcNgVgghAOxxq9Yx2s4SSyUfAXSGbw9CcAYqV8jxcvGLlv-ZAWBPM0osjh_mLg/s320/Historical+Village+Computing+Scale.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Computing Scale</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTEVGnYrolMPjDm0YFvAZwnvENNvuCadpM9_9F_rclc3oAJ-HyiuxzYhJ1CraYrPPbzrgiwHY5S5php6vdA8s9i8X33lbRDDpEbTn11NJ19mbFdnvKoEBVrvtLOtn8EC5zJDzEYUTor5M/s1600/Heritage+Village+Prisoner+Art.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTEVGnYrolMPjDm0YFvAZwnvENNvuCadpM9_9F_rclc3oAJ-HyiuxzYhJ1CraYrPPbzrgiwHY5S5php6vdA8s9i8X33lbRDDpEbTn11NJ19mbFdnvKoEBVrvtLOtn8EC5zJDzEYUTor5M/s320/Heritage+Village+Prisoner+Art.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Prisoner Art</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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There was a display of art created by prisoners. The art depicted Australia animals and indigenous people. <br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtR0BrZi-VEQ_KI2qTT6arUIj2WWWCoUmcyzZO2zLwAyL-71ExnY1WqZSxNeDqFHVliMtKVDKKeqAFZKRha3tI9qlEow-stdYybItsi2AMVaP2iVfWxUtksuwbmO7gg3-aqtCeFtEicTk/s1600/Heritage+Village+Gas+Station+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtR0BrZi-VEQ_KI2qTT6arUIj2WWWCoUmcyzZO2zLwAyL-71ExnY1WqZSxNeDqFHVliMtKVDKKeqAFZKRha3tI9qlEow-stdYybItsi2AMVaP2iVfWxUtksuwbmO7gg3-aqtCeFtEicTk/s320/Heritage+Village+Gas+Station+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gas Station</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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A gas station with old cars inside. I can remember seeing stations and pumps like this as a kid. <br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ04kz9gmoBXtkeipHfrTYN5I1u6A4xXxP1rtwutRf9hYWmDmPsfW9ApCGB57OHgmV70eG-lEHUc20UmGki7438GMdkyp0V9VJms-j5eO8kwjrHwXjzESvM8uilbg4UvyJDPv8kz3uX6k/s1600/Heritage+Village+Tree+Stump.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ04kz9gmoBXtkeipHfrTYN5I1u6A4xXxP1rtwutRf9hYWmDmPsfW9ApCGB57OHgmV70eG-lEHUc20UmGki7438GMdkyp0V9VJms-j5eO8kwjrHwXjzESvM8uilbg4UvyJDPv8kz3uX6k/s320/Heritage+Village+Tree+Stump.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Giant Tree Stump</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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A giant tree stump which depicted the timber industry of Australia. The stump weighs approximately 10 tons and was felled in 1952 with an ax and cross-cut saw. The tree was 5 meters tall and ten meters at the base. How amazing are our ancestors. They did not have the tools we have but they created beautiful buildings, built amazing bridges, roads, etc. with hard work and hand tools. <br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmqJ3ZirzOO7bcx1Y7DOvfQ5zeW_wVJULaGpHUDEYc4TnnIVZM1I6ws5vM00YOUJ6Yj3138NqHvYCKqIR7cM-3A5_MKLb9xXUbSVXNR9RHfsK75lp4LmHzBB0EmEScZkS2oeUAH_KTJYg/s1600/Historical+Village+Queensland+Home.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmqJ3ZirzOO7bcx1Y7DOvfQ5zeW_wVJULaGpHUDEYc4TnnIVZM1I6ws5vM00YOUJ6Yj3138NqHvYCKqIR7cM-3A5_MKLb9xXUbSVXNR9RHfsK75lp4LmHzBB0EmEScZkS2oeUAH_KTJYg/s320/Historical+Village+Queensland+Home.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Queenslander</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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We were able to walk through a typical Queen slander house which was interesting as it had a hall from the front door to the back of the house with all rooms off that hall. It had a beautiful wrap around porch. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLfdnIvnEn809R5ZjwarEnADC8L-iyHSxyQotoUrqQUNVwUVFDeqlE_KYjIrLIbyha51fptr6vwzJL9a1W1vAABV5QUrpKtOgOISQT2Fg_sEYH7qZZzKbHLauXMXoLT8TR1MCMVxSvHRY/s1600/IMGP7593.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLfdnIvnEn809R5ZjwarEnADC8L-iyHSxyQotoUrqQUNVwUVFDeqlE_KYjIrLIbyha51fptr6vwzJL9a1W1vAABV5QUrpKtOgOISQT2Fg_sEYH7qZZzKbHLauXMXoLT8TR1MCMVxSvHRY/s320/IMGP7593.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Two grey haired ladies delivering chairs to the missionaries in the Australia Brisbane Mission. Sister Parsons is taking the picture. Fun Road Trip!<br />
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Elder Pu left this mission in October. He is from<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKbamYkuQ6qVlStPbqBYrH4BqrDzuJhLG_-W8JKmIKnpEjBlJ_idWGA4DehsB_eo1SwccF7_ql6eR9lAym1IbqZoOu8uIoCNMMXRXCrvVIPaYuf3zLk8YPAGUowCGSe96EOF-H4A8x4tY/s1600/Elder+Pu_Arseanu.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKbamYkuQ6qVlStPbqBYrH4BqrDzuJhLG_-W8JKmIKnpEjBlJ_idWGA4DehsB_eo1SwccF7_ql6eR9lAym1IbqZoOu8uIoCNMMXRXCrvVIPaYuf3zLk8YPAGUowCGSe96EOF-H4A8x4tY/s320/Elder+Pu_Arseanu.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elder Pu</td></tr>
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mainland China. He served as an Assistant to the President and was in the Mission Office for a couple of months. He worked with me on housing for the missionaries. He has a fascinating story. His father was a high ranking official in the Chinese government. They had a daughter and she found she was pregnant so the response was to have an abortion based on the one child rule in China. They went to the clinic. The mother went into the room for the procedure and his father was I the waiting room when he heard a sound beside him. There was a covered bucket next to him so he lifted the cover to discover aborted fetus in the bucket. He immediately went into the room where his wife was and told her they were leaving. The baby that was born is Elder Pu. His family currently live in the country and his father farms as he had to leave the government job. His sister is a student at BYU Hawaii and he has applied to attend next spring. He will become an amazing leader in China some day. <br />
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Old Brisbane Town <br />
When Lieutenant Henry Miller, the First Commandant of the Moreton Bay Penal settlement, sailed down the Brisbane River in May 1825 and founded the town of Brisbane, he could never have imagined the changes that would occur over the next 190 years. Life in “Brisbane Town”, which was deemed a suitable location or relocate the worst convicts from Sydney, was far removed from today’s comfort and convenience. <br />
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Dean Prangley explains that life was hard and full of risks. “If you cut yourself and it became infected, you probably died. Malaria, dysentery, typhoid and other diseases were common and life expectancy was much less than today. The water was brackish and bad to drink unless boiled. Toilets were dep pits out back and you walked everywhere unless you could afford a horse. With no refrigeration, you ate what you grew and bought meat from the butcher as soon as he killed the animal otherwise it would decay quickly in our climate. <br />
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Clearing and cultivating dense scrub in order to facilitate development was back-breaking work. Medical help was hard to come by so childbirth often meant loss of life for mother and baby. Despite these adversities our early settlers kept arriving and persevered, like the Mayes family. <br />
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Historical home - Mayes Cottage<br />
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<a href="http://www.logan.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/image/0017/316412/Mayes-today.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Mayes today" border="0" src="https://www.logan.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/image/0017/316412/Mayes-today.jpg" title="Mayes Cottage today" /></a>In 1871 John and Emily Mayes arrived from England with their two small children and took 321 acres of land in the area know as Scrubby Creek, which would eventually become Kingston. The family build a slab hut no larger than a modern-day bedroom, which would be their home for 1 years. Emily cooked for her family of nine on an open fire and used a hollowed-out anthill for an oven. The family’s hard work paid off and they began selling a range of fruits including mangoes, pineapple and citrus. By 1887 they were able to construct a larger home, known today as Mayes Cottage. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Down Under Signage</td></tr>
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Went to the Saturday Market at New Farm Park on Halloween. Purchased fresh veggies and fruit. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Halloween Witch </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Banyan Tree Downtown</td></tr>
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The first week of November was a busy, busy week. Monday 15 missionaries came to the Mission home for their final day in Australia. They spent the day with President and Sister Henderson and then left early Tuesday morning for various destinations throughout the world. Tuesday was transfer day when the missionaries are transferred to another area and a new companion. On Wednesday 11 new missionaries came into the mission. They began arriving about 9:00 AM to complete all the paperwork required for the Mission, then to the Mission home to meet their missionary trainer. I attend this meeting and give out a bag of bedding to each of the new arrivals with instructions to the Trainer to help their new companion make their bed. Many come from countries where they do not have beds with mattress protectors, sheets, pillowcases and blankets. <br />
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Wednesday we began our Senor Missionary Conference with a dinner at the Kangaroo Point Chapel. Thursday began with a morning of training then free time in the afternoon to visit the sites in the city and dinner at a Thai. restaurant. Friday another morning of training, a visit to the Mt. Coot tha Botanical Garden, and a dinner cruise down the Brisbane River on the Kookaburra Paddle Wheeler. The day had been warm and it was a beautiful evening on the river. More on the Senior Conference in the next post... President and Sister Henderson are in the middle of the front row. I am next to Sister Henderson. Pretty good looking group, I think....<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Australia Brisbane Mission Senior Missionaries</td></tr>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10935633857884310427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4929239952465812712.post-48436142371965457402015-09-06T02:52:00.000-07:002019-02-06T20:06:24.954-08:00September 4, 2015 <br />
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It has been too long since I updated my blog. I just realized it has been 4 months which have flown past. We had a real cold snap in July that lasted a couple of weeks. Since then the weather has been pretty good. I was afraid the cold snap would last through my families visit but we had really nice weather. The sun was out everyday they were here and rained the afternoon they left. <br />
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Denise, Zane, Ky, Gabi, Kiera, Brett, Meredith and Paige all came on the same flight that arrived on Wednesday the 29th of July. I was able to spend the two weeks they were here with them. The missionaries in the Mission Office covered for me and I am really grateful for them. Meredith had rented a house here in Brisbane that slept 10 people so we had plenty of room. <br />
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We spent 4 days visiting numerous sites in the city of Brisbane and Brisbane area. We visited the Brisbane Botanical Gardens, walked along the Brisbane River, visited the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary, climbed the Story Bridge, visited the Town Hall Museum, walked through Southbank, drove north to Mary Cairnscross Reserve in the Sunshine Coast Hinterlands.<br />
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Ky and Gabi with their friend at the Lone Pine Koala Sactuary <br />
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Denise with her friend. <br />
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Gabi, Ky, Denise, Zane and Kiera with their Koala friend. <br />
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Brett, Paige and Meredith with their Koala friend. <br />
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We got up, close and personal with the kangaroos. Everyone had a fabulous time feeding the kangaroos and wallabies. There was a mom with her Joey in her pouch and all you could see was the back legs and tail. We had pictures with the Koala Bears. Paige held the Koala with Brett and Meredith in the picture. Denise held the Koala for their family picture. After the pictures we enjoyed the Koala presentation. Also visited the Platypus presentation and Tasmanian Devils feeding. We spent some time walking through the reserve and enjoyed all the amazing Australian animals before the Sheep Dog Show and shearing of a sheep exhibition. Last but not least was the feeding of the Laurakeets. Everyone had a turn holding the feeding containers. We were surrounded by the beautiful but noisy parrots.<br />
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Story Bridge Climb - Brisbane City Center and Brisbane River in the background. This is the highest point on the bridge.<br />
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Our next adventure was climbing the Story Bridge. The Story Bridge here in Brisbane is one of three bridges in the world that you can legally climb. I have wanted to climb it ever since I arrived here. Everyone but Denise was up for the climb. The entire experience is two hours. You are given a special jump suit, harness and lanyard for your glasses. You are not allowed to take anything up on the bridge with you as a safety factor. It would not be good to lose something that would fall onto the traffic going across the bridge. You have to walk along a grated walkway to get to the bridge. This part of the climb bothered me when I looked down onto the street once on the bridge I was good. The climb consists of a long climb to the highest point of the bridge down to the middle of the bridge which is the middle of the Brisbane River across the bridge to the other side back up to the highest point then back down to the start. All the way we were attached to the bridge by our harness. The tour guide was really good and gave us a lot of history about the River and Brisbane. Everyone had a great climb. The guide was good about giving us rest times as we climbed. I would encourage you to climb a bridge if you have one in your area which allows it. I do know the second bridge is in Sydney but don’t know where the third bridge is. Tick that off my bucket list.<br />
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Mary Cairncross Reserve is about an hours drive north of Brisbane. It is a rainforest reserve. It is the fourth time I have been there and have never been disappointed. It is an easy walk through the rainforest. We saw a number of Pademelon (small wallabies) along the walk. The trees and their root systems are magnificent. We saw fruit bats hanging in the trees, and were serenaded by the birds - the Kookaburras were really loud, the Whip Bird (their calls sound like a bull whip) were letting us know they were there too. After our tour of the rainforest we drove to Maleny and had lunch. The drive was spectacular as you drive the ridge of the mountain and have a spectacular view of both sides. There were a couple of view points where we stopped to view the marvelous valleys.<br />
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On Monday August 3 we all headed North our final destination Airlie Beach. Airlie Beach is about halfway between Brisbane and Cairns. A full day of driving and we arrived at the Capricorn Caves where we toured the caves and spent the night in some really nice cabins. Each cabin could sleep 4 or 5 people. They had a full kitchen, lounge with TV and two bedrooms. I was impressed that they were so nice. The caves are about an hour west of Rockhampton. The tour of the caves was good, the guide gave us a lot of history about the caves and a great description of the inside of the cave. The fern in the picture only grows in a very few places in the world and here in the cave is one of those places.<br />
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The caves were discovered by the sons of a man who lived nearby. Here is the story of the discovery. A man who lived near them had two sons. The horses got loose so the boys were sent to fetch them. As boys do they became distracted chasing brush turkeys through the woods. One disappeared and the boys found it had gone into the caves. They immediately ran to tell their father who came with a rope. He tied it to a tree and went into the cave to explore with only a candle. He left the matches outside because of the moisture in the cave from the bat Guano(pooh) which was over a meter deep. Each time his candle went out he had to return to the entrance to relight it. He crawled thru all the bat guano (pooh) to explore the caves. He realized he had a great find and made a claim on the land. Before it was grated a government official had to survey the land to determine there was nothing of value on it. He made sure that the surveyor came on a very hot day and started him at the far end of the property before he reached the caves and that sis exactly what happened. In the early 1900's people from all around came to see the caves dressed in their finery to go through the bat guano. The owner finally let miners come in to remove the guano for fertilizer. So no guano(pooh) now, only hard rock. <br />
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Another long day in the car through the beautiful countryside of Queensland. We drove through forest, sugar cane fields, hills and valleys. We saw a few kangaroos along the way more on the road than in the fields. They are like deer and come out in the evening and night to feed, venture onto the road and get hit by the cars and trucks. We arrived at Airlie Beach house about 3PM. The house overlooked the bay and was about 4 blocks from town. We walked down to the beach and picked up shells. There is a beautiful park all along the bay with a wadding pool for children. The town was about six blocks long with a variety of stores and restaurants. Denise made reservations for the next day for the Great Barrier Reef Adventure on the Cruise Whitsunday.<br />
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The boat departed for our Great Barrier Reef Adventure at 8:00 AM. The cruise included a stop at Hamilton Island to pick up passengers, morning tea of fruit and biscuits, buffet lunch, afternoon tea of muffins on the return. The boat took us to a pontoon that was anchored at one of the reefs.<br />
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Brett and Meredith signed up for a scuba dive. The rest of us went snorkeling. I went with Paige. We had hoped to take the submersible first but were too late for the first run so got our wet suits and changed then picked up our flippers and snorkel gear. Paige brought her own snorkel which closes up when it goes under water. Sure wish I had one. I swallowed salt water at least twice once when I put my head too far down and once from the wave action. The was a swell of about a foot. The reef was beautiful and I saw a few fish but we were not in very long. I made the mistake of using a noodle instead of a life jacket. I could have stayed in longer with a life jacket. Paige is like a fish in the water. The water did not seem all that cold when we got in but we were all cold when we got out for lunch. No one went back in once we were out. We did take the submersible and had a good look at the reef after lunch. Just before we were to start back I saw a big sea turtle swimming next to the pontoon. I called my Brett over and we got some good pictures of him. It was a really rough ride back. We were all glad to be on firm ground.<br />
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Roped off area was snorkeling area. Ropes were for resting.<br />
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Denise, Kiera and Paige soaking up the sun. <br />
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A friendly Sea Turtle<br />
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Sunset at Airlie Beach on our return from our Great Barrier Reef Adventure. <br />
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Four Kookaburras in the tree at the trail head. <br />
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Friday August 7 we headed back to Brisbane. Denise and family were planning on visiting Eungella National Park to see the platypus. We also went to Eungella National Park to see the platypus. We stood on the bridge and watched the platypus in the river. They were amazing. They are much smaller than I thought. We were told that they close their eyes and ears underwater. They swing their heads back and forth to find their food with whiskers (feelers) on their bills. Brett, Meredith, Paige and I stopped at French Hatton Gorge before going to the bridge. We hiked 2.8 kilometers to the first falls. It was all uphill. Brett, Mer and Paige walked 410 M further to the creek crossing. I returned to the car and enjoyed the walk back down. Going down was a much easier walk. <br />
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The Waterfall we hiked to. <br />
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The uphill trail to the waterfall.<br />
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I made it with Brett, Meredith and Paige. It was a beautiful waterfall. A hiker who came after us swam to the waterfall and immediately got out. It was really cold.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoxLfr_BvEOut6bK1pY23ylGWdW7gEYugL304or7-h_nssGxo0xRVP7Kl3-StnE8CeaMyh7K8H94QWZmgj7jg3Alo_vB_uWep8semCVaSJWq4bzhDXTVHAAEpup0_7CPD78OA6jjJuMNU/s1600/IMGP7401.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoxLfr_BvEOut6bK1pY23ylGWdW7gEYugL304or7-h_nssGxo0xRVP7Kl3-StnE8CeaMyh7K8H94QWZmgj7jg3Alo_vB_uWep8semCVaSJWq4bzhDXTVHAAEpup0_7CPD78OA6jjJuMNU/s320/IMGP7401.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Platypus in the river.</td></tr>
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Our destination for the night was Mackay. We had made no plans with Denise’s family . Just before we arrived Denise called to ask if we had left some tennis shoes in Airlie Beach. During the call Meredith found out we were staying at the same motel. They waited for us and we went to dinner together. <br />
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The next morning we both packed our cars and continued our journey. We went to Oscar’s for brekky. As we were sitting there who should arrive but Denise and her family. Who would have guessed we would pick the same restaurant for brekky. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_8YjLQTECPuIU1qjg-GcomPfB4KxUuPzvQY0nwRVU66KiP5MfdFwBTViMD7R6uf9S4DhOoKp2-z4hwTyVjMKoA_8vOfAvDW17GvQKk3F1OpMtWncvnk3waZfAd5z2w2hsEOkV2Up1osQ/s1600/IMGP7408.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_8YjLQTECPuIU1qjg-GcomPfB4KxUuPzvQY0nwRVU66KiP5MfdFwBTViMD7R6uf9S4DhOoKp2-z4hwTyVjMKoA_8vOfAvDW17GvQKk3F1OpMtWncvnk3waZfAd5z2w2hsEOkV2Up1osQ/s320/IMGP7408.JPG" width="320" /></a>We split up at this point and we went to the Mackay Marina to see the horse races on the beach. Lots of people dressed in their finest with their fasinators on their heads. Little kids all dressed up as well. We watched three races. The most entertaining was the ponies. We left Mackay about 1PM heading for Gladstone. We arrived about 7PM. We saw a number of live kangaroos on our drive.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg90wxwpH4MuxH87yxePgWY4zuTrxTYg5ImdwerMmPoq4cX4zTIyLOafoCoH5tylqkwGll6HenuHJpTg_rp7HetHoXu8vnPONGjSE4-_b8O9gwT9OKW7jh9RGLwUJExCfSalvbnsV4AAg/s1600/IMGP7427.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg90wxwpH4MuxH87yxePgWY4zuTrxTYg5ImdwerMmPoq4cX4zTIyLOafoCoH5tylqkwGll6HenuHJpTg_rp7HetHoXu8vnPONGjSE4-_b8O9gwT9OKW7jh9RGLwUJExCfSalvbnsV4AAg/s320/IMGP7427.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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Our next stop was Rainbow Beach. It is a cute little town on the beach. We drove down to the end of the peninsula where the ferries load up to go to Frazier Island. We had a nice afternoon walking on the beach and through the Mangrove trees. As we were on the beach three pelicans came up onto the beach. Here they are them marching down the beach. They were so close. I have never seen them up so close.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx7m8keJv3hZodj8wt3w1Ob-2oLsTDIvKnBcYZEDY9mi7mtHsMn5hfHhZVQjP2gnqWoIm7I_FfwCmRoe0n7EpKbOVMSqwa3Axw5rgpp8eiLea1-bMZnICJ7hQmcRmV-qD_gPrzigYB2Qc/s1600/IMGP7430.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx7m8keJv3hZodj8wt3w1Ob-2oLsTDIvKnBcYZEDY9mi7mtHsMn5hfHhZVQjP2gnqWoIm7I_FfwCmRoe0n7EpKbOVMSqwa3Axw5rgpp8eiLea1-bMZnICJ7hQmcRmV-qD_gPrzigYB2Qc/s320/IMGP7430.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Monday August 10, 2015 I went to work. Brett, Meredith and Paige went to Costco to purchase lollies (candy) to take home. They also bought salads and lamb chops for a family dinner. In the afternoon they rented paddle boards and paddled up the river. Brett was set on paddling under the Story Bridge so he could say he had been on top of it, driven over it and paddled under it. They had a great time. <br />
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Denise and her family arrived just before 6:00 PM. Brett helped me cook the lamb on the BBQ out by the pool. We had a lovely dinner. For dessert we had a Mango Passion Fruit cake to celbrate Brett’s Happy Birthday, Denise and Zane’s Anniversary and Ky’s graduation with a degree in Economics. When my back was turned they placed a huge chocolate cake on the bar with a birthday card for me as my birthday was the day after they left.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh06X2esGsWxwZvsKL96Rf8s59IPPtyagK8ejbuVDfqBTOt1Q3EJN3WWbVdn7-H2f3K6rqhfw9W10wYwZv-b5S-DpVRspZH1o1r_jgzrJnqTLLnyGgzOw-VoXuvQ8GRXVrqrRAXA_VJH5A/s1600/IMGP7432.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh06X2esGsWxwZvsKL96Rf8s59IPPtyagK8ejbuVDfqBTOt1Q3EJN3WWbVdn7-H2f3K6rqhfw9W10wYwZv-b5S-DpVRspZH1o1r_jgzrJnqTLLnyGgzOw-VoXuvQ8GRXVrqrRAXA_VJH5A/s320/IMGP7432.JPG" width="320" /></a>The last day they were here I took the day off to go to the Stradbroke Island with the Clark family. I was suppose to follow Zane because he had the GPS but I lost him. Kiera was with me. I had a general idea of where I was to go but we had taken the no toll route through the city. It took me a while but I finally found the Old Cleveland Road which was the road I needed. It took us directly to the ferry landing where the rest of the family was waiting and hoping we would make it in time for the 10:55 ferry. <br />
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We even had to wait for the ferry. It was a pleasant ferry ride over and the bus was waiting for us to take us to Lookout Point on the North East side of the island. We walked the path around the south and north gorges. We saw whales spouting, a good number of dolphins and the girls were able to sun bath on the beach. <br />
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Wednesday morning we all went to the airport for their flight home. I went back to work to greet the new missionaries coming in that day. Everyone arrived home safely and I am back to my routine taking care of the flats in Queensland. <br />
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It was wonderful to spend time with my kids here in Australia. The Australians are very nice and helpful and they made our trip enjoyable.<br />
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Spring has arrived and the weather is warming up. Before I know it it will be time to get on a plane and head back to Washington. Two Single Senior Sisters have been called to replace us. They are scheduled to arrive on December 27. My companion is leaving on the 24th as she is taking a tour of Tasmania and her visa expires on December 30. My visa is good until June so I am staying to help train the sisters and get them settled. I my take a bus tour of New Zealand. I don’t think I will be back here again so need to take advantage while here.<br />
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It has been a marvelous experience here in Australia and I am so grateful I could share a part of it with my family. It will be time to move on before I know it. Time flies when life is good....... Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10935633857884310427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4929239952465812712.post-61553435923817263562015-07-15T03:33:00.001-07:002019-02-06T20:04:56.060-08:00Winter in AustraliaJuly 15, 2015<br />
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The days and weeks are just flying by. I cannot believe it has been two months since I posted anything to the blog. I was in the Juneau Airport when I posted my last blog. I flew to Seattle, rented a car and drove to Poulsbo to see Brett, Meredith and Paige. It was a very short visit as I left Seattle the afternoon of May 14th, flew to Los Angles to catch the 11:15 flight on New Zealand air for the 13 hour flight to Aukland, New Zealand. I had a 2 hour lay over before catching a flight to Brisbane. I can now say I have been to New Zealand although all I saw was the airport. I arrived in Brisbane on Saturday, May 16 at 11:15 AM. <br />
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Sister Parsons picked me up at the airport. The Assistants to the President had told her they needed to talk with me about transfers because they were returning home on Monday and new Assistants would be called to work with the Mission President. We went to the Mission Office so they could update me on flats that would be vacated and new flats that would be needed.<br />
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I had thought the transfers had happened while I was in Alaska but they were the week I returned to the Mission Office. So I did not miss the fun of welcoming the new missionaries into the Australia Brisbane Mission. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lamb on the Barbee</td></tr>
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May 23, 2015 Sister Parsons and I went to the Paniyiri Greek Festival held at Musgrave Park. It was the 39th year for the festival. There were many food booths sponsored by a number of Greek churchs throughout the Brisbane area. There were a number of activities: food, dance, wine, music, cultural lectures, eating competitions, plate smashing, church displays, Zorba traditional Greek cooking demos, fireworks and more. We attended several cooking demos and then bought our lunch of Greek food at one of the many booths selling food. The picture is of a lamb being roasted at one of the booths. When we first arrived there were a lot of people roaming around the park but when we came out of the food demos the park was a sea of people. It was hard to move from one place to another. It is a very popular festival. I had not idea there were so many people of Greek heritage in Brisbane.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYRFIUUv5NoA_3C74I7kyDXrSG-GirysQQUGSnd7mqeUh05YCLd44WbsJ2DzLpOYRnQrGJ8PDvSiwDts0OYMVgeCD4yoOfD1PdXPc3CWDroE485_7pgJ5YALZK8IxKBwh0zLgwhsrOEqY/s1600/IMGP7149.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYRFIUUv5NoA_3C74I7kyDXrSG-GirysQQUGSnd7mqeUh05YCLd44WbsJ2DzLpOYRnQrGJ8PDvSiwDts0OYMVgeCD4yoOfD1PdXPc3CWDroE485_7pgJ5YALZK8IxKBwh0zLgwhsrOEqY/s320/IMGP7149.JPG" width="320" /></a> <br />
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Here are two pictures of the beautiful sunsets we get here in Brisbane. I thought the clouds were very Interesting in the one to the left.<br />
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This one is a bit dark but it was a beautiful sunset.<br />
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On May 30th we took another trip to Bribie Island to check out things for my family to do when they come this month. Bribie is the only island that has a bridge to it. We found a company that has kayaks, stand up paddle boards, segways, and bikes for hire. We drove across the island to have a picnic lunch and ran across a senior couple who were there with their son and daughter-in-law. We enjoyed visiting with them, sitting on the beach and reading. The sky divers were out landing just down the beach from us. It was a very relaxing afternoon. <br />
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A senior couple from St. George are serving here in Brisbane. They sing in the Southern Heritage Choir in St. George. They proposed beginning a choir here in Brisbane. It was approved by the Stake Presidents so Sister Gill went to the US to talk with the choir and learn just how it functioned. She returned and began soliciting singers from the church and community. This began in April and in June they performed on two weekend and gave amazing performances. They are called the Voices of Brisbane. They are scheduled to perfom again in October. Sister Gill is the conductor and has an amazing ability to pull the best out of each choir member. You can see the love she has for music as she conducts. Watching her and listening to the choir is a joy. <br />
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June 23rd was the beginning of the Australia Brisbane Mission Tour by Elder Pearson, President of the Asia Pacific Area. All the missionaries from Northern Queensland were flown to Brisbane for the Tuesday meeting. The Senior Missionaries had dinner with Elder Pearson and his wife at the Mission home. The seniors in Brisbane prepared soup, salad and desert for the meal. Everyone had a great time and enjoyed getting to know Elder Pearson and his wife. Ten years ago Elder Pearson was the Mission President for the Washington Federal Way Mission and was over the missionaries in Poulsbo, Wa. It was great to talk with them about Washington. They loved it there but now they are living in Auckland, New Zealand. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">3rd Zone Meeting <br />
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Elder Pearson and his wife spoke at two more meetings with the missionaries here in Brisbane. He and his wife are very motivational and knowledgeable speakers. They know the Gospel, love the Lord and care about all of our Heavenly Father’s children. They had great council for all the missionaries. The pictures are of all those who attended each of the three meetings. President and Sister Henderson are in he center of each picture and Elder and Sister Pearson are to the right of them as you look at the picture.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEismcVgo-ZUJ-8elRVTRQYI5CqcZ8PBfXgrPxEx1Oh2L5ISbIuQ3Pch-R3L1O7ir3LWFgWJSril2JiX4JZ9XyvjNMwDuNu748FakuRw7zuP5Vac4SgHc8IH5PtWfnGjVFNkKzfv-2356Wg/s1600/IMGP7169.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEismcVgo-ZUJ-8elRVTRQYI5CqcZ8PBfXgrPxEx1Oh2L5ISbIuQ3Pch-R3L1O7ir3LWFgWJSril2JiX4JZ9XyvjNMwDuNu748FakuRw7zuP5Vac4SgHc8IH5PtWfnGjVFNkKzfv-2356Wg/s320/IMGP7169.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
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So this brings us up to the 4th of July. Elder & Sister Mickelsen, Sister Parsons and myself wanted to do something for the 4th of July. We invited all the other seniors in Brisbane to join us if they liked. They all were happy to join us. We decided to go to a small island just off the coast called Coochiemudlo Island. It is a small island with a little over 400 homes and under a thousand residents. There are no schools on the island. The children take the ferry to Brisbane (Victory Point) every day to school at no cost. Many residents keep a car on the Brisbane side instead of paying for it everyday. The island is small enough you can walk around it. Lt. Mathew Flinder RN was the first European to set foot on Coochiemudlo Island. He landed his sloop, the Norfolk, on the 19th of July 1799. It had been known to generations of Aborginal families as Kuych Mudlo, the place where they obtained red ochre stones used as body decoration and as red pigment for shields and skin. Every year they celebrate Flinders Day with a parade and craft fair that is well attended by mainlanders.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seniors on Coochiemudlo Island</td></tr>
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<img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZFNTJpeIeZrVbpJyevQXxjF25x71X1RmU6hapMo5EQDexzaOSYSwx17vdXn2Kfm_am_n2hegiD2aRFp102jEl3z78VvQxKRWpMW87W6hC7EbMVFRLRLDc6FcFFf6FhyDVI4B-K-Iev3o/s320/IMGP7184.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Walk thru Wetlands</td></tr>
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Seniors as we gathered on Choociemudlo Island on the 4th of July. <br />
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Some of you will recognize this name as a company in Idaho Falls, Idaho.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flower along trail</td></tr>
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A beautiful flower along the trail. It seems to us that flowers bloom here every month of the year. Sister Parsons has been affected by allergies since we arrived. We are very observant of any new bloom. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjENH4LnbCzMmjKsdDGi5iWq3XkytTYKOIL4x0LZybqpG5bHqba864zKb1_q5PVTx3lCYI86OPmvXI24fuR-eF_nWvD5iEFhyn0E2g2JAopSs9nzvuYc6ZQGJIboqf7UxRQtnsY38JITEQ/s1600/IMGP7185.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjENH4LnbCzMmjKsdDGi5iWq3XkytTYKOIL4x0LZybqpG5bHqba864zKb1_q5PVTx3lCYI86OPmvXI24fuR-eF_nWvD5iEFhyn0E2g2JAopSs9nzvuYc6ZQGJIboqf7UxRQtnsY38JITEQ/s320/IMGP7185.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Believe this is a tribute to a Aboriginal </td></tr>
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We came across this memorial on our walk in the wetlands.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUtMdzmcs1g_uXA0itg_dcp4M6MhHImNB3PqM464hrICasnVi4uxwJthCTDew_2K_LKVBOI519PzQjkDJxmUiVz5i9-hy4vteqMihCIS4AqI63YdwkYLVWCH7Qo1nwIRuTsRBzoK3lVqA/s1600/IMGP7181.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUtMdzmcs1g_uXA0itg_dcp4M6MhHImNB3PqM464hrICasnVi4uxwJthCTDew_2K_LKVBOI519PzQjkDJxmUiVz5i9-hy4vteqMihCIS4AqI63YdwkYLVWCH7Qo1nwIRuTsRBzoK3lVqA/s320/IMGP7181.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Strange Fungus on TreE<br />
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We had lunch at the Red Rock café then walked part-way around the island. On our walk we met a local resident who gave us a lot of history and was very interesting. She was on her way to crash a beach picnic. The island has some very interesting trees, flowers and a nice beach all the way around.<br />
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We arrived home after dark so Elder and Sister Mickelsen, Sister Parsons and I lit off sparklers to celebrate our countries birthday. It was a perfect end of the 4th of July. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwYer8-pluZiUlb5_9X3gpRRe30g9pb6L2tTN6_Zn6AN6mC0Q0ieKOT4tM8C0Joxxq6XuJNjl6AnQ8Ay4MpRHohvy8wRz_bTOhnfFmaCSoEfEvLw8Y6BgTKclQYa5TLM9cbE17UnI7bCw/s1600/IMGP7187.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwYer8-pluZiUlb5_9X3gpRRe30g9pb6L2tTN6_Zn6AN6mC0Q0ieKOT4tM8C0Joxxq6XuJNjl6AnQ8Ay4MpRHohvy8wRz_bTOhnfFmaCSoEfEvLw8Y6BgTKclQYa5TLM9cbE17UnI7bCw/s320/IMGP7187.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">4th of July Seniors in Brisbane, QLD, Australia</td></tr>
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From left to right: Elder & Sister Mickelsen, Elder & Sister Madsen, Elder & Sister Johnson, Elder & Sister Richins, Elder & Sister Mizakawa, and Sister Parsons.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3LC5MJHsVwSkDeBex9-zTFVBikjEY_sPrE42oUVaQy-2EVg689qGhTsjlsGkyNgbOJ6h-mTDJku5wM-DtA_DYdh8mQublkUgWdl_k3cFNKDg_KGvkbnO-1sCZxXUoAII-bcQ6UuDcF-I/s1600/Mackay+Family.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3LC5MJHsVwSkDeBex9-zTFVBikjEY_sPrE42oUVaQy-2EVg689qGhTsjlsGkyNgbOJ6h-mTDJku5wM-DtA_DYdh8mQublkUgWdl_k3cFNKDg_KGvkbnO-1sCZxXUoAII-bcQ6UuDcF-I/s320/Mackay+Family.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mackay Family heading for Church</td></tr>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0sjMWI5aE5vbVihv0t3Getw-4heDJOFGY7GtSKbosZV5QaShJWD7afGquqC2nPTcNStTqkx9xa6u5e6PN-A_zBxiK8QtroXw9E_wPvMCcmwzbnmLqhKBbCYjFQTAdxA7V99xB_asCXX4/s1600/Mackay+Father.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0sjMWI5aE5vbVihv0t3Getw-4heDJOFGY7GtSKbosZV5QaShJWD7afGquqC2nPTcNStTqkx9xa6u5e6PN-A_zBxiK8QtroXw9E_wPvMCcmwzbnmLqhKBbCYjFQTAdxA7V99xB_asCXX4/s320/Mackay+Father.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Father with Tripletts</td></tr>
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I had to share these pictures of a family in Mackay. We should have no excuse for not getting to church. This family is a great example for all of us. All children are six and under.<br />
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My family arrives in 14 days. I am so excited to have them here. We are going to have a great time. You will see and hear about the time together in the next blog.<br />
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I hope you enjoy the journey in this blog...... <br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10935633857884310427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4929239952465812712.post-25127765316950908472015-05-12T07:36:00.001-07:002019-02-06T20:02:42.262-08:00Suprises of Life.....May 4, 2015 <br />
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So much has happened since my last post...... We have had new missionaries come into the mission, we have taken a trip up to the Sunshine Coast Hinterlands with Elder and Sister Mickelsen and I am currently in Alaska helping my daughter who had major back surgery for a herniated disk. I will be returning to Australia in another week or so.....<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFnnTTh4ss-xSK4rRLLFRMdX26gqUBRd4uUKPnHwVD1yOHQuweCO8RHAOUSvwWIfC1PfmRx7b2_WwnV4njEryKkRkbBy3U6Isporjy-LC84vdOUv2I9RTKUayk9GVGlCNKqDMri3FJzrM/s1600/Mooloolaba+Beach+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFnnTTh4ss-xSK4rRLLFRMdX26gqUBRd4uUKPnHwVD1yOHQuweCO8RHAOUSvwWIfC1PfmRx7b2_WwnV4njEryKkRkbBy3U6Isporjy-LC84vdOUv2I9RTKUayk9GVGlCNKqDMri3FJzrM/s320/Mooloolaba+Beach+5.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Moolooaba Beach</td></tr>
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The last comment on the previous blog was about the trip to inspect a couple of flats the mission was closing. One was about an hour north of our residence. After we inspected it we drove over to Moolooaba on the coast. There we found a beautiful long beach. We took a long walk in and out of the water.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqbEYpX1Ut3HhDSaj6azdnLzoEgPlszMufMGFD_jMgUOcgeRtmUvWqqRw-92JM2DBtWi_3TYQv2v47AAFoewB8zvzTCLYHNFZjFRTRfFjt9dVs6cGnNhVznGzxFeOQBaobIAIsqf7Usmo/s1600/Beach+Dancer+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqbEYpX1Ut3HhDSaj6azdnLzoEgPlszMufMGFD_jMgUOcgeRtmUvWqqRw-92JM2DBtWi_3TYQv2v47AAFoewB8zvzTCLYHNFZjFRTRfFjt9dVs6cGnNhVznGzxFeOQBaobIAIsqf7Usmo/s320/Beach+Dancer+3.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beach Dancers</td></tr>
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Along the way we came across a group of people dancing on the beach. They appeared to be having a great time. I was tempted to join in. Then we came across a sand Giant taking a nap on the beach. The beach also has a wonderful boardwalk with many restaurants, clothing shops, souvenior shops, ice cream shops, etc. It was too late to do much shopping as everything closes down at 5 or 5:30 on Saturdays except the restaurants who open at 5:30 or six. It was an amazing beach that we want to revisit. Much more family friendly than the Gold Coast Strip to the South.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH3eK9kLvMSyumyCBboOwlEx91Ojw_rnqS2wQEAwH3oo5fehGgTdwmPkg5CGEavr-PXVY_JvPy7knOjQ-VAooT_7XS7Yvt4SvlM1wazURW0NHZvHJWH5eW5WUFiq7EFKiDlgTcNGz8oXs/s1600/Sand+Monster.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH3eK9kLvMSyumyCBboOwlEx91Ojw_rnqS2wQEAwH3oo5fehGgTdwmPkg5CGEavr-PXVY_JvPy7knOjQ-VAooT_7XS7Yvt4SvlM1wazURW0NHZvHJWH5eW5WUFiq7EFKiDlgTcNGz8oXs/s320/Sand+Monster.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Giant Sand Man</td></tr>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje_ntsBrcRYe0iMg37kYPjYn7KwNAjpPMl9Il2LSSBdU2ptVBOgVQHjsw6LxxFU96wblypVPdDW8jG8Gnto0P1O14uCVM9V9yEA9K4L23JTHo4JZoG3JNMFmeMvn41tU__iP-379RDSCQ/s1600/No+leg+springs.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje_ntsBrcRYe0iMg37kYPjYn7KwNAjpPMl9Il2LSSBdU2ptVBOgVQHjsw6LxxFU96wblypVPdDW8jG8Gnto0P1O14uCVM9V9yEA9K4L23JTHo4JZoG3JNMFmeMvn41tU__iP-379RDSCQ/s200/No+leg+springs.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No Spring in My Legs</td></tr>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwemtHpUcJSf6og3X_ruWsG13xDEaI9XYWPZGvydI9abYsIRthCf_vVkoAW_IEPitlfgxe7oX_uEF4EmlMhv_oRAyOs5SkLxQiYIj038t9ai6kMb4pe_H0HAkl2CKfprhiPt1iTnZB8us/s1600/Australia's+Largest+Chair.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwemtHpUcJSf6og3X_ruWsG13xDEaI9XYWPZGvydI9abYsIRthCf_vVkoAW_IEPitlfgxe7oX_uEF4EmlMhv_oRAyOs5SkLxQiYIj038t9ai6kMb4pe_H0HAkl2CKfprhiPt1iTnZB8us/s200/Australia's%2BLargest%2BChair.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Amazing Companion</td></tr>
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On April 18th Sister Parsons and I took Elder and Sister Mickelson to the Sunshine Coast Hinterlands. They had never been up to see the Glass Mountains, or Mary Cairnscross Reserve (rain forest). We drove to Melany first and toured the Botanical Garden (Sister Parsons and I had not visited it before) We saw some amazing plants and flowers plus a beautiful view of the Glass Mountains. The big purple chair is supposedly the largest chair in Australia and they are in the process of building an even bigger chair. This garden is privately owned and operated and they have done an amazing job.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYR-14IRy0-WGurAXiW5dMYz3Zx6VOnhYLoakjFddnOvUBEeNq_0LMPw8CyoIZNkLwwnlGndiXnzBz26ul6nDU5I3mDuQP44sGvi4YiLucAmhyPFRfd7sw4yHAaJN6GsOqtqXGOxEX3ew/s1600/Too+Big+for+Me.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYR-14IRy0-WGurAXiW5dMYz3Zx6VOnhYLoakjFddnOvUBEeNq_0LMPw8CyoIZNkLwwnlGndiXnzBz26ul6nDU5I3mDuQP44sGvi4YiLucAmhyPFRfd7sw4yHAaJN6GsOqtqXGOxEX3ew/s320/Too+Big+for+Me.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lilly Tomlin Double</td></tr>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdIYEwYI-P51q33hQseXW0ngtvYQl3G-lZZZDNdHT1_mRq1cKH0X_ESPzXsUp2FOUHKXsJbYb5uB9lIPawJvcI2UfOLuyXoIRg1eDVkCXGz6jAb-bOpX76t43BHeJ52ocJs6rix6cmEC0/s1600/Botanical+Garden+Pond+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdIYEwYI-P51q33hQseXW0ngtvYQl3G-lZZZDNdHT1_mRq1cKH0X_ESPzXsUp2FOUHKXsJbYb5uB9lIPawJvcI2UfOLuyXoIRg1eDVkCXGz6jAb-bOpX76t43BHeJ52ocJs6rix6cmEC0/s320/Botanical+Garden+Pond+2.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pond</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyccaFlK24GzgKxCM96BGawty6WzFaDpsIFkzJWZzw1s0BDsKOaVu6tWQagda8Y_Hkx3YGdEZvNg2nppW_k1H-uDSXIep3PaHpwY2dfiDLHfs4Qkz7VVR4SL7Dy5usLRlXCRkhLXNqiaU/s1600/Giant+Verigated+Pland.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyccaFlK24GzgKxCM96BGawty6WzFaDpsIFkzJWZzw1s0BDsKOaVu6tWQagda8Y_Hkx3YGdEZvNg2nppW_k1H-uDSXIep3PaHpwY2dfiDLHfs4Qkz7VVR4SL7Dy5usLRlXCRkhLXNqiaU/s320/Giant+Verigated+Pland.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Amazing Plant</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj25GLslyXOPpQqpP6tgRCBQQ65AGpzVwFHazrLq44Q5BQcxkuCCbRgSSBOim-7A-lSH5n6SpdqsiHe7yx11QgiJeIfWmoluJnNwJkbAO16oZjQyZExoM5e4sVtvT8wvb7Dl7AowPanvWY/s1600/Ginny+Hens+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj25GLslyXOPpQqpP6tgRCBQQ65AGpzVwFHazrLq44Q5BQcxkuCCbRgSSBOim-7A-lSH5n6SpdqsiHe7yx11QgiJeIfWmoluJnNwJkbAO16oZjQyZExoM5e4sVtvT8wvb7Dl7AowPanvWY/s320/Ginny+Hens+3.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ginny Hens</td></tr>
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Next we went to find the Melany creamery which was suppose to have wonderful soft serve ice cream. They did have ice cream in cups which was really expensive but no cones which is what we were looking for. Our next stop was the Cheese factory where we were able to taste a number of unusual cheeses. I found one I really liked called Tuscan. It is really delicious hope it is still good when I get back. There menu said they had milk shakes so we ordered four milk shakes to our amazement they were flavored milk which had been beaten in a blender. Could not identify any ice cream in any of them. Great disappointment.....<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7laZmBNg1_AHHRJmOvyLbxIbWsDGTfld5oKIOOOcCB2yp5oB5pKgpBXIpwc6XJv1CucNxKJ8VQQWCSHvV2a92epUlfx0Fkq1lzPbNRVLSKBWMl8rxlZYM1jMT5S4f3H38O574rNzAmMo/s1600/Elder+&+Sister+Mickelson+Huge+Gum+Trees.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7laZmBNg1_AHHRJmOvyLbxIbWsDGTfld5oKIOOOcCB2yp5oB5pKgpBXIpwc6XJv1CucNxKJ8VQQWCSHvV2a92epUlfx0Fkq1lzPbNRVLSKBWMl8rxlZYM1jMT5S4f3H38O574rNzAmMo/s320/Elder+&+Sister+Mickelson+Huge+Gum+Trees.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elder & Sister Mickelsen</td></tr>
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Our next stop was the Mary Cairscross Reserve. It was my third visit and each one gets better. Part of the trail was closed because the huge fig tree is in danger of falling and they are trying to figure out a way to protect it and keep it upright. It will be a shame if they cannot save it because it is hundreds of years old. Because of this we walked a different part of the path than I had before. We met some people on the trail who told us there were a number of Pattimelons up the trail. They are a part of the kangaroo family. The smallest and have red ears. We were on the lookout and saw several along the trail and next to the trail. As we rounded a corner I saw one standing in the middle of the trail and there was a baby beside it. Mom took off and it took a minute for the baby to follow. We almost got a picture of it but not quite. He stopped just off the trail so we got to see him up close but he did not stick around. He hopped over and climbed into Mom’s pouch. How amazing was that to watch...... We were really disappointed we did not get his picture. I was able to get a couple of pictures of one along the side of the trail. He is really hard to see but he is in the center of the picture. He is looking to the right......<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFYG7TKPLTmIrEx2QxOrdm9DunL1r8whlGHGy89MUiHulDN3hP6Ys4c1OjhTuGaCcos88iRUaWtnykEfJSArvSS1rmQJWPr0C7KyhkCZ4ilV0mQ26UAT0JhJi5rJfAYUYjVJbel48DdsE/s1600/Patemelon.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFYG7TKPLTmIrEx2QxOrdm9DunL1r8whlGHGy89MUiHulDN3hP6Ys4c1OjhTuGaCcos88iRUaWtnykEfJSArvSS1rmQJWPr0C7KyhkCZ4ilV0mQ26UAT0JhJi5rJfAYUYjVJbel48DdsE/s400/Patemelon.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Patemelon </td></tr>
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The Monday following Easter Sunday is called Smyngus Dingus in Poland. We decided to bring a little of Poland to Australia and surprise our Office Missionaries. In Poland it means water day. You never know when someone might come after you with water in any container. We forgot to buy balloons so used sandwich baggies filled with water. Our intention was not to hit them but just throw water in their direction. They were surprised and some joined in as missionaries came to the office. Senior missionaries can have fun.......<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7qkbs0QSNsaKLh5cCNXCimZMb2EdqdwLZMRvuOpuATJiNxG28co15St9cW4DSdhEAl2V-3cNvsIrSkyZ4MFdktEhFb4lPlqfeeo-eotTBLqWB7JDrSY4PiACZZvWsafM0SFCZ6XJaR-M/s1600/Smyngus+Dingus.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7qkbs0QSNsaKLh5cCNXCimZMb2EdqdwLZMRvuOpuATJiNxG28co15St9cW4DSdhEAl2V-3cNvsIrSkyZ4MFdktEhFb4lPlqfeeo-eotTBLqWB7JDrSY4PiACZZvWsafM0SFCZ6XJaR-M/s320/Smyngus+Dingus.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Smyngus Dingus - a bit of Poland in Australia</td></tr>
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Denise hurt her back in March and the last week in April had surgery for a herniated disk. The surgery went well and she is recovering but I was not staying in Australia while my daughter had major surgery. I left Brisbane at 10:50 AM on Saturday April 25th arriving at Los Angeles at 6:30 AM on Saturday April 25th. Denise had arranged a flight from LAX to Juneau for me. I had about a 5 hour layover in Los Angeles. I had frozen the whole flight so was hoping to warm up in Los Angeles but no such luck. It was a cloudy cold day. I arrived in Seattle in time to get a bowl of Ivar’s Clam Chowder before the flight to Juneau. It was soooooo good and helped warm me up.<br />
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My granddaughter, Kiera was coming home from BYU and we flew to Juneau on the same flight. It was great to catch up with her.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKTVshoEW66UNELEBNt27xvtf_EFv04luryzhQWjLU6lxabbATHW4_Y3iDOH8_U6ouxYP3vvd5hy1rFIgAUFxIVigUrSgWx2filpPoMtGe2bn6yyg0iLMZ0ZDnCr74Yhm6n6WZfJXyxYs/s1600/Queensland+House.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKTVshoEW66UNELEBNt27xvtf_EFv04luryzhQWjLU6lxabbATHW4_Y3iDOH8_U6ouxYP3vvd5hy1rFIgAUFxIVigUrSgWx2filpPoMtGe2bn6yyg0iLMZ0ZDnCr74Yhm6n6WZfJXyxYs/s320/Queensland+House.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Classic Queenslander</td></tr>
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I have wanted to share the Queenslander homes with you for some time. This distinctive tradition originated with rough timber huts of early settlement and developed into the multi-gabled bungalows of the 1930s. Buildings continued until, and were adapted after, the Second World War. The most typical early twentieth century Queensland house is characterised by:<br />
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timber construction with corrugated-iron roof;<br />
highset on timber stumps;<br />
single-skin cladding for partitions and sometimes external walls;<br />
verandahs front and/or back, and sometimes the sides;<br />
decorative features to screen the sun or ventilate the interior; and<br />
a garden setting with a picket fence, palm trees and tropical fruit trees.<br />
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There are many styles of the famous 'Queenslander', but they share a distinct construction style, internal spaces, furnishing, and gardens. They are now valued as a key element of Queensland heritage and conservation and renovation of Queenslanders is widespread. I understand they were originally built up off the ground to help keep them cool with the air circulation under the house. There are so many examples of the Queenslander in and around Brisbane as well as throughout Queensland. I love the looks of them and the iron work is beautiful around the windows and porches. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga0SUbXBlOHMtJfdGNCPp7m_XDad6XExKb7WVS03e5L7fAgre1d2AsW4ApD6LK2fYH7y1L9jl7fL9-9GxSSj0K73Eopb37-uG9wcv3eW_VluDknQh60ENlKzKn9czz5jRMT2ZkpdJ1VSs/s1600/Australia+Landscape.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga0SUbXBlOHMtJfdGNCPp7m_XDad6XExKb7WVS03e5L7fAgre1d2AsW4ApD6LK2fYH7y1L9jl7fL9-9GxSSj0K73Eopb37-uG9wcv3eW_VluDknQh60ENlKzKn9czz5jRMT2ZkpdJ1VSs/s320/Australia+Landscape.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Australia Landscape</td></tr>
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While I have been gone I understand Queensland has had some terrible rain with flash floods. I am glad I missed it but am sorry for those who have been affected by the bad weather. <br />
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To close out this blog here are three pictures of Alaska: the Mendenhall Glacier with the Mendenhall Lake in the foreground, Mendenhall Lake with icebergs from the glacier, and a creek that runs into Mendenhall Lake. The beaver have damed the creek so it has backed up and killed the trees.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrSkXIvSAnX-spg1_DqDfbsjtgpuEzzCByq73ex61PWO-FpX9yKa_a0KHMczCOlUQnihH7P73WDuMsQFXfxhMRnPJz7TPzh3ydQZXTKx2OatMqCSf0XMeoiVRxTqk2QiABeL29mMUB8t4/s1600/IMGP7127.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrSkXIvSAnX-spg1_DqDfbsjtgpuEzzCByq73ex61PWO-FpX9yKa_a0KHMczCOlUQnihH7P73WDuMsQFXfxhMRnPJz7TPzh3ydQZXTKx2OatMqCSf0XMeoiVRxTqk2QiABeL29mMUB8t4/s320/IMGP7127.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mendenhall Glacier</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcL1M-SM90lRVRsvl13nrshyJzP9EzOjXZNAVmy5Z_xYKbo5zNbyMQFzfP-UkGFiVpqcSF-Yw213pxKocuhB5hXxk2XzAxLHTfPqI_vck-sLe4lBRDxmwF6mBryXPGk2Y7GQ1pXhyphenhyphenhFiY/s1600/IMGP7128.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcL1M-SM90lRVRsvl13nrshyJzP9EzOjXZNAVmy5Z_xYKbo5zNbyMQFzfP-UkGFiVpqcSF-Yw213pxKocuhB5hXxk2XzAxLHTfPqI_vck-sLe4lBRDxmwF6mBryXPGk2Y7GQ1pXhyphenhyphenhFiY/s320/IMGP7128.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mendenhall Lake Icebergs</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiZmKOaIfsteuCdjUF700K4etYG5-F-yv5B9qWOtzmKI632vSC5sCXatZhXGsW8HNNN0KygMz6k6QOX7VXffPTCne4hOfzrB5CP_ADygyddptuzLSwncGfbvhaxG1MP85oSMmlLvUikBk/s1600/IMGP7129.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiZmKOaIfsteuCdjUF700K4etYG5-F-yv5B9qWOtzmKI632vSC5sCXatZhXGsW8HNNN0KygMz6k6QOX7VXffPTCne4hOfzrB5CP_ADygyddptuzLSwncGfbvhaxG1MP85oSMmlLvUikBk/s320/IMGP7129.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Duck Creek </td></tr>
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I will be forever grateful to the Area Presidency, my Mission President and the Lord for the opportunity to come to Alaska and help my daughter. I know the Lord loves me, my family and all his children and he does bless us everyday.<br />
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PS: I am sitting in the Juneau Alaska airport awaiting my flight to Seattle. It is the beginning of the long trek back Down Under. Denise is doing very well and will recover fully. She just needs to take it easy for the next four to six weeks, no bending, twisting or picking up heavy items. How very grateful I am for a loving Heavenly Father who knows us and our needs....<br />
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May the Lord bless each of You........ Until the next Blog from sunny Brisbane......<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10935633857884310427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4929239952465812712.post-13008160400887274812015-03-31T04:04:00.000-07:002019-02-06T19:59:55.010-08:00Fall<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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March 28, 2015<br />
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It is hard to believe fall has arrived. It has become very apparent in the last week. The Poincea trees are losing their leaves and others are turning yellow. It is still warm but most evenings cool off now so it is easier to sleep. <br />
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January was a quiet month. It was pretty warm so we did not venture far from home. I did take the opportunity to swim several times a week but found out it was irritating my back and causing me pain so had to give it up. It has been real hard because I was enjoying the lap pool.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLBwfdiJkbGJtq77Xa0A7SIh2Xjzca5COYcncnFcRrZtJTY8LYxRYkZ2iK5htXkwgDcjOoE9_WiFnyHPKScSnPJZdsSdQDsRYvZICDc3hB0t1kkxHpiR3jO6whffa0vc1HqdFJYgyUizg/s1600/Cyclone+Marcia+rain+.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLBwfdiJkbGJtq77Xa0A7SIh2Xjzca5COYcncnFcRrZtJTY8LYxRYkZ2iK5htXkwgDcjOoE9_WiFnyHPKScSnPJZdsSdQDsRYvZICDc3hB0t1kkxHpiR3jO6whffa0vc1HqdFJYgyUizg/s1600/Cyclone+Marcia+rain+.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cyclone Marcia </td></tr>
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February 29 Cyclone Marcia came ashore north of Rockhampton at Yeppoon. The young missionary flat in Rockhampton was flooded. Power was out for several days but all the missionaries were safe. They moved their beds into the dining area for two days. We were blessed with a miracle and able to find them another flat within two days. It usually takes a week or more but the Lord was watching over the missionaries. The storm turned south but had weakened considerably and we just got lots and lots of rain. Here I am soaking it up as it came in under our front door. <br />
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February 24, 2015 We had a surprise visit from Tonga the 24th of February. The Office Couple, Elder Garth Hamblin and Sister Sandy Hamblin flew into Brisbane. Sister Hamblin came for some tests to check out pressure she was feeling in her chest. The mission was able to provide them with a vacant flat in which to stay until Sister Hamblin was cleared to return to Tonga. The best part of the visit is they are friends from Alaska. In fact I was working with Elder Hamblin and the Tonga Mission President (President Tupou) to be called to Tonga. The Missionary Department had Sister Parsons and me flagged for Tonga but when the call was issued the Lord had a different plan and therefore we are here in the Australia Brisbane Mission. We had a great weekend together. Sister Hamblin was released from the hospital on Thursday afternoon. Friday evening they went to the Brisbane Cultural Arts Center to see Wicked and they loved it.<br />
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Saturday we went to the Church to participate in a workshop put on by a sister from New Zealand who weaves traditional feather capes. It was begun with a traditional New Zealand welcome. It was fascinating. The sister has set herself a goal of making caps this year to present to her siblings as she is the only one in her family who has this skill. She learned it from her mother. She started as a young child by soaking the feathers.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPx45cnySnC_zjyPD7vfyW2NLPfcuyFbFs6l_uUwiTiqF7fPWro2WfEEeAKOj-6WtQbWimnnptiIj1NYorbyMpjWkUmEwl-rkj7Ni0DQmQ9z4TDRxHruDa2urgBwngVpgAHbwi_DO00_s/s1600/Lorikeets+6+.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPx45cnySnC_zjyPD7vfyW2NLPfcuyFbFs6l_uUwiTiqF7fPWro2WfEEeAKOj-6WtQbWimnnptiIj1NYorbyMpjWkUmEwl-rkj7Ni0DQmQ9z4TDRxHruDa2urgBwngVpgAHbwi_DO00_s/s1600/Lorikeets+6+.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lorikeets feeding</td></tr>
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At noon we excused ourselves and went to Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary and met several other missionary couples from Brisbane. A young sister serving in Tonga had come over to have her tonsils out but it was determined it was not necessary so she also joined us. Had a great time seeing all the various animals, having a picture taken with a koala bear, feeding kangaroos, and feeding Lorikeet parrots.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-FSNgnHaRIVka-s559Rk_HQnoqe87yClLtmMh5n0LojjGJK_9powu5wxozgQ4UeiMUKmircUr2waNjgx9HJr6ExXFWDDaX_ixc_S6LR6A4xBuSAQvc3GrXqH2PpSxIEeK2mE0gvwteeo/s1600/Sister+Madsen,+Hamblin+&+Mickelsen+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-FSNgnHaRIVka-s559Rk_HQnoqe87yClLtmMh5n0LojjGJK_9powu5wxozgQ4UeiMUKmircUr2waNjgx9HJr6ExXFWDDaX_ixc_S6LR6A4xBuSAQvc3GrXqH2PpSxIEeK2mE0gvwteeo/s1600/Sister+Madsen,+Hamblin+&+Mickelsen+2.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sister Madsen, Hamblin, Mickelsen</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhADZ6MfodhPXjIeyYi0N4I9F1QC_ybtrVdIZCIrdv-NOpTXPoNLYDusFXS3ePVkmHOkTz6_KRMX2i41FUV4sz54ucHYrl_ZQWwObYNV8uynGQi8_hkH2O5fm4r1o6WAEKcYuoJ2Hf3BXw/s1600/Sister+Madsen+&+Tongan+Sister+.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhADZ6MfodhPXjIeyYi0N4I9F1QC_ybtrVdIZCIrdv-NOpTXPoNLYDusFXS3ePVkmHOkTz6_KRMX2i41FUV4sz54ucHYrl_ZQWwObYNV8uynGQi8_hkH2O5fm4r1o6WAEKcYuoJ2Hf3BXw/s1600/Sister+Madsen+&+Tongan+Sister+.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sister Madsen & Tavolea</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAx-u4zPc6RYjn-th5GIW3t89GLh3VS3HJlaOU6DF66iVejRZZH33QdkquTFRMugZpSlAQ6Uxlng6RmlRHmHyx9fRsg2sAH5YWOtdOD471pHBNyKWds6VSPsU5dFnpt-yivwjQov_VhRM/s1600/Mom+&+Baby+Koala+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAx-u4zPc6RYjn-th5GIW3t89GLh3VS3HJlaOU6DF66iVejRZZH33QdkquTFRMugZpSlAQ6Uxlng6RmlRHmHyx9fRsg2sAH5YWOtdOD471pHBNyKWds6VSPsU5dFnpt-yivwjQov_VhRM/s1600/Mom+&+Baby+Koala+2.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Baby Koala with Mom</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv5I-1nkRhEb3nQOtazmxOpBZen6865KEvTNP6k6ztw82wnLgYl63pvFccVCB68yVtd0SKRZjm5sOTqDJVRnCLM9nNb6D5rRBuSyAaSkxibU8QXzPK9khyphenhyphenJxq9uVb4jDy_iog4M65xBfg/s1600/Mom+&+Baby+Koala+4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv5I-1nkRhEb3nQOtazmxOpBZen6865KEvTNP6k6ztw82wnLgYl63pvFccVCB68yVtd0SKRZjm5sOTqDJVRnCLM9nNb6D5rRBuSyAaSkxibU8QXzPK9khyphenhyphenJxq9uVb4jDy_iog4M65xBfg/s1600/Mom+&+Baby+Koala+4.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Baby and Mom</td></tr>
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After our visit to the sanctuary the Hamelin’s and I took a ride on the City Cat to see the city at night. It was a fabulous evening on the river with gorgeous views of the city skyline.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy_S17VL4zNSJiQdF3-pQAKUFEbL0-umeHdgp2uDERKrXqyfGd3IxbeWvywG7R-ELJF34qBnzq28r0Jh3rnNW6s7IIJ851x67AS7qdWUcRUo2pdZS6uUncfGj5VATQQZesoauQ27SaoE8/s1600/Elder+&+Sister+Hamblin+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy_S17VL4zNSJiQdF3-pQAKUFEbL0-umeHdgp2uDERKrXqyfGd3IxbeWvywG7R-ELJF34qBnzq28r0Jh3rnNW6s7IIJ851x67AS7qdWUcRUo2pdZS6uUncfGj5VATQQZesoauQ27SaoE8/s1600/Elder+&+Sister+Hamblin+2.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Garth & Sandy Hamblin</td></tr>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikao3JMJXOfDzdQJ24yWM2zfn1dWXgUdRqQdCNuNmahz-k8KM5FTBDb4FlvUMpUJgVVdDNN5iogNljS-6VXhgCRdUMtpJ_wppBfmeDWPnGcF_umvrWSW6XcOCDunBnFTfgA1kbOH8-x2Q/s1600/Elder+&+Sister+Hamblin.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikao3JMJXOfDzdQJ24yWM2zfn1dWXgUdRqQdCNuNmahz-k8KM5FTBDb4FlvUMpUJgVVdDNN5iogNljS-6VXhgCRdUMtpJ_wppBfmeDWPnGcF_umvrWSW6XcOCDunBnFTfgA1kbOH8-x2Q/s1600/Elder+&+Sister+Hamblin.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Garth, Sandy & Giant Tree Roots</td></tr>
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Sunday we went to church and then drove north to the Sunshine Coast Hinterlands to Mary Cairns cross Reserve. We had a nice picnic and walk through the rain forest. We were incredibly blessed to see two Wallabies run across the path and into the forest where they thought they were hidden but Sandy got their picture. My first wallaby in the wild, was very exciting. On our way home we stopped to view Moreton Bay from Nudgee Beach and came across a number of Cockatoos feeding in the grass. What an exciting site.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZhsdMwEjrSqFE_C-woyyFbzn8oq2pnAK7xmBz-cx3b-Gu0oa-0F5aRMHbK65oWOkZwhBlY-oBB9llcPacoJTD_hhBh4YjjdEjTBT-fu1A2AXJ1Ixpj8pwr0heLFYa1RX2hfQjklMix2o/s1600/King+Cockatoo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZhsdMwEjrSqFE_C-woyyFbzn8oq2pnAK7xmBz-cx3b-Gu0oa-0F5aRMHbK65oWOkZwhBlY-oBB9llcPacoJTD_hhBh4YjjdEjTBT-fu1A2AXJ1Ixpj8pwr0heLFYa1RX2hfQjklMix2o/s1600/King+Cockatoo.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">King Coockatoo</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6hCH1VPUuWFqAMoxRZeerKnFmo6wQJPH3Q3iPPJVDpmBuFhbPzZlwDBXPdADZ4MRz3MqDADls0BODEPVTs4JYGvahbWAfWiJfyaQ2uciX4Zt_IJJR-addubfcg5zdDsyNsmNrMBGGksQ/s1600/Cockatoos.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6hCH1VPUuWFqAMoxRZeerKnFmo6wQJPH3Q3iPPJVDpmBuFhbPzZlwDBXPdADZ4MRz3MqDADls0BODEPVTs4JYGvahbWAfWiJfyaQ2uciX4Zt_IJJR-addubfcg5zdDsyNsmNrMBGGksQ/s1600/Cockatoos.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn6VYGXH4Kfyly4gljF8As85Sk3kOOW_q5hpwfHbJUHqZsWlq93_zS9uR-nEkOZPW8ZCx3OnTnJDxgSdncOgemxaNWweeQZx7oExLEt-ClPkmMyjIE6oXxGjGR1d4LsqxmPTEJJkwiVXM/s1600/Cockatoos+2+.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn6VYGXH4Kfyly4gljF8As85Sk3kOOW_q5hpwfHbJUHqZsWlq93_zS9uR-nEkOZPW8ZCx3OnTnJDxgSdncOgemxaNWweeQZx7oExLEt-ClPkmMyjIE6oXxGjGR1d4LsqxmPTEJJkwiVXM/s1600/Cockatoos+2+.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn6VYGXH4Kfyly4gljF8As85Sk3kOOW_q5hpwfHbJUHqZsWlq93_zS9uR-nEkOZPW8ZCx3OnTnJDxgSdncOgemxaNWweeQZx7oExLEt-ClPkmMyjIE6oXxGjGR1d4LsqxmPTEJJkwiVXM/s1600/Cockatoos+2+.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><br />
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Monday came too soon and they had to fly back to Tonga. It was so good to spend time with friends from home......<br />
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March 14, 2015 <br />
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Sister Parsons and I went to Mt Coot tha which has a lookout over the city, many hiking trails, a planetarium, and botanical gardens. There was a Dahlia show on the day we were there that we enjoyed. We enjoyed the view from the lookout of the city of Brisbane. Walked through the Planetarium and found out just where to look in the sky for the Southern Cross. I also got the answer to my question about the moon. When I first arrived the first thing I noticed was the moon. Instead of sitting on it’s side the rounded side was facing down. The man at the plantitarium explained that once you cross the equator it changes positions in the sky. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSDqgFhE87tgbLxypCY6PpcWvL4GA0tpkCws1238AArdBpiMKxvmgviWP6iLMJxqKtQq9a6TnFu1rIMG48kdJ6qKy0gKHItbzg6za7Z9nY9Rt_AuPANAi8-av0KTlSI-O-coeAMO6lzK4/s1600/Mt+Coot+tha+Lookout+5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSDqgFhE87tgbLxypCY6PpcWvL4GA0tpkCws1238AArdBpiMKxvmgviWP6iLMJxqKtQq9a6TnFu1rIMG48kdJ6qKy0gKHItbzg6za7Z9nY9Rt_AuPANAi8-av0KTlSI-O-coeAMO6lzK4/s1600/Mt+Coot+tha+Lookout+5.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brisbane City </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrsWf85CwTGWDHkL_rpUuRZQ2cpEfXX9BBgNirbYnqzwNczYz1AOCu0ov6NFUXTkYoBBtiy09RUF33HMwDJW-cVo7dwAI4WClqzIHLSAU2TnUT87KsBjIGoFYKZ_Xu_bC-kIRhsFxUyI0/s1600/Mt.+Coot+tha+Outlook+4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrsWf85CwTGWDHkL_rpUuRZQ2cpEfXX9BBgNirbYnqzwNczYz1AOCu0ov6NFUXTkYoBBtiy09RUF33HMwDJW-cVo7dwAI4WClqzIHLSAU2TnUT87KsBjIGoFYKZ_Xu_bC-kIRhsFxUyI0/s1600/Mt.+Coot+tha+Outlook+4.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brisbane from Mt Coot tha Lookout</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQEkoRLPXXW50RjX9XlOHqOahmKYC5QIkBelH4zntSG7T0hOawJ6uOJpu4K-zeLqekyBiCB64iz24bqK1MvxqCc6kag0gpny7wy3y_5FQOPEox5OjqtSJ2BENZo0ekNu7CebRF-iWquJ8/s1600/Palm+berries+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQEkoRLPXXW50RjX9XlOHqOahmKYC5QIkBelH4zntSG7T0hOawJ6uOJpu4K-zeLqekyBiCB64iz24bqK1MvxqCc6kag0gpny7wy3y_5FQOPEox5OjqtSJ2BENZo0ekNu7CebRF-iWquJ8/s1600/Palm+berries+2.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Palm Flower</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJpqCSw9DvWjwQDiqJ7y8qk2OWHNDeKgI24_jGF5syCCsK96uhXzBd7lKTDRx8eA8d2aIQBzdKaH93ZsEcdVTCgRrXzKV0BLZQuyV94Qx4DS7mymMWuIPLmId4eMhjnYbdWOEu7YkfN9I/s1600/Palm+berries.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJpqCSw9DvWjwQDiqJ7y8qk2OWHNDeKgI24_jGF5syCCsK96uhXzBd7lKTDRx8eA8d2aIQBzdKaH93ZsEcdVTCgRrXzKV0BLZQuyV94Qx4DS7mymMWuIPLmId4eMhjnYbdWOEu7YkfN9I/s1600/Palm+berries.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Palm Flowers </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0klBvt9SP4xtAVzKh0pBKem7KolQnV66MvAjvERXMipsuz13zn3rmUnAjEo4fEeqHDhy4SWGk3SR-BFC5AyaUcLcJD1STloCjHCN_jM3_4si0Yj9lNpI5t-RTIwGLVVQzgg4fGliFn-Q/s1600/Fan+Palm.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0klBvt9SP4xtAVzKh0pBKem7KolQnV66MvAjvERXMipsuz13zn3rmUnAjEo4fEeqHDhy4SWGk3SR-BFC5AyaUcLcJD1STloCjHCN_jM3_4si0Yj9lNpI5t-RTIwGLVVQzgg4fGliFn-Q/s1600/Fan+Palm.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fan Palm </td></tr>
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March 23, 2015 The Senior Missionaries from northern Queensland arrived for a three day Senior missionary conference. Tuesday morning we went to the Temple as a group. It was a special experience to be together in the Brisbane Australia Temple. We then met at the Stake Center next door for lunch after which we took the double decker bus tour of Brisbane. Learned some really cool things about Brisbane. We got off the bus at Southbank where we went our separate ways to find dinner. We met up again at the Brisbane Cultural Center to attend the musical play Wicked. It was an amazing production which I truly enjoyed. <br />
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Wednesday morning was open for us to do whatever we wanted until 2:45. Sister Parsons and I worked at the office until we had to leave for the Kangaroo Point Chapel for a few hours of training in which many of the senior couples made presentations. It was very informative and interesting to hear what they are doing out in the field. At six we were back to Southbank for a lovely dinner at The Shores restaurant. <br />
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Thursday morning we met again until noon with more amazing presentations. We have really wonderful senior couples in this mission here in Brisbane and all the way north to Cairns. <br />
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Sister Parsons and I ended the week on Saturday by visiting two flats that the mission is closing. One was south of Brisbane in Mt. Gravatt while the other was an hour north in Minyama. A bond and carpet clean is required prior to turning in the keys. We were checking out the flats to ensure all was ready to turn over the keys to the flats. After our last inspection we took a lovely walk on the beach at Sunshine Coast and finished off the afternoon with frozen yogurt I had a bowl which included mango, lychee and pineapple. It was Great.<br />
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Brisbane is looking at some rain this week. It is okay though because it is not a constant rain for several days. You get a shower or downpour and then it clears us. It remains warm so we look forward to the rain because it cools things off.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10935633857884310427noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4929239952465812712.post-14558902311757263112015-02-13T17:42:00.001-08:002019-02-06T19:56:48.076-08:00Summer in Australia<br />
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February 14, 2014<br />
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Summer is in full bloom. Summers in southern Queensland is in the 80s and 90s with high humidity. Summer is also the rainy season. The storms move really fast. One minute it is perfectly clear and the next the thunder clouds have come rolling in with thunder, lightning, and rain. It is not the rain of the northwest (misty); it is like the mid west and east where it comes down in buckets. You want to have a big umbrella if you need to venture out in the rain. It is nice when it comes because it cools things off.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8N143-DRLmwe0O5MyxyG8Px21Nlog0l90zSOr0z2vulvObv73ambq-JNnm9slnSNeCF2zGmstI5Q3mwbF1Mggfuvs1JMwsB5UK_WrALN5sqmRYoD1ot_QJBpO5LU9wNPk8QFmSC8DRek/s1600/IMGP6729.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8N143-DRLmwe0O5MyxyG8Px21Nlog0l90zSOr0z2vulvObv73ambq-JNnm9slnSNeCF2zGmstI5Q3mwbF1Mggfuvs1JMwsB5UK_WrALN5sqmRYoD1ot_QJBpO5LU9wNPk8QFmSC8DRek/s1600/IMGP6729.JPG" width="200" /></a><br />
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I think flowers bloom here year round. Here is a picture of the seed pods formed by the Poinscea tree that had the beautiful large cluster of blooms in December. They really grew fast.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghGUd0zrNieg-sc21MktbylgBnKbpeROAtnR3-9CjdNyA6F9YHV6TRm9cyuQBDLBGU0XTZdEnQriFrCBzP_cEZpSd2cuQa3gJ7Lasptxo8xotLvA-KsCgAb3a3GCHXdHvkEX44y4nYebs/s1600/IMGP6731.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghGUd0zrNieg-sc21MktbylgBnKbpeROAtnR3-9CjdNyA6F9YHV6TRm9cyuQBDLBGU0XTZdEnQriFrCBzP_cEZpSd2cuQa3gJ7Lasptxo8xotLvA-KsCgAb3a3GCHXdHvkEX44y4nYebs/s1600/IMGP6731.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
The plumera trees are now in full bloom. There a several colors, white, pink and yellow. I am accustomed to the white with the yellow center from Hawaii with a beautiful fragrance. The ones here don’t seem to have much fragrance. They are still beautiful.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv5Q5_syMHDJ7LltBBD6WFl9wCnGLt_kglyHMVtxZlh2B2XaIlA3NvatfHD7Kviddmzyhk7_isQvayStIaH7AylX1wUhsp8WjSdNUM6g5BRPqyHCK-LZCRYbZ0QPnnivPz4zIN9Z0p7Mo/s1600/IMGP6740.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv5Q5_syMHDJ7LltBBD6WFl9wCnGLt_kglyHMVtxZlh2B2XaIlA3NvatfHD7Kviddmzyhk7_isQvayStIaH7AylX1wUhsp8WjSdNUM6g5BRPqyHCK-LZCRYbZ0QPnnivPz4zIN9Z0p7Mo/s1600/IMGP6740.JPG" width="240" /></a><br />
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Next came the crepe myrtle with there pink or lavender blooms. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh76VRO590dW7TcHk-HVGhwRgyEZdeNwonhQLwaCjrsOliih2EBvXGyzQ7I6W4dJ1BU6HYR6E28ROXFlsT24F3Tg0p8MSVNjBWLxqj9oeB7L7d2IJ_-ljfZqEDOEhNHfjAEnA7n3h1IMuQ/s1600/IMGP6743.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh76VRO590dW7TcHk-HVGhwRgyEZdeNwonhQLwaCjrsOliih2EBvXGyzQ7I6W4dJ1BU6HYR6E28ROXFlsT24F3Tg0p8MSVNjBWLxqj9oeB7L7d2IJ_-ljfZqEDOEhNHfjAEnA7n3h1IMuQ/s1600/IMGP6743.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
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I do not know what this tree is but I love it’s spiky blooms. The Lorikeet Parrots love the blooms as well. If you look really close you can see one eating the blooms or whatever it is they like. They are a very loud bird when they are feeding in the trees. They are easy to spot if you recognize the sound.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjL6w7aYeI8bOBU2_eXhtqCZruaX47MIZ9_JUpGiTFG3X8EM4W0q57XhMWBiC2q5GJ08_L4rjbcrb8KK1ImG-P7BvYPpds5vfNgzWa_pGxSLkZnPb3NcXqRNNgVjPMGOqPl8xf_RvF3Cw/s1600/IMGP6765.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjL6w7aYeI8bOBU2_eXhtqCZruaX47MIZ9_JUpGiTFG3X8EM4W0q57XhMWBiC2q5GJ08_L4rjbcrb8KK1ImG-P7BvYPpds5vfNgzWa_pGxSLkZnPb3NcXqRNNgVjPMGOqPl8xf_RvF3Cw/s1600/IMGP6765.JPG" width="240" /></a><br />
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On the 24th of January Sister Parsons and I took the train down to the central station and walked over to the City Hall. It has a beautiful clock tower that at one time was the highest point in Brisbane. It is now overpowered by many other buildings. The highest being the Meriton building.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHS2WbRSczVaYbp0BZ7WlCKR0bq5_rDtI54jbgEWe-Yf1nQjg7zHuDRh-DP6uONPkHiudqAHvXDteMzM7Dk2T-mbzrZ8-XHQ-rp4akxHn8LzFaf9gJ-FixzYaN-THehyphenhyphenParDtV1cz1TUc/s1600/IMGP6761.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHS2WbRSczVaYbp0BZ7WlCKR0bq5_rDtI54jbgEWe-Yf1nQjg7zHuDRh-DP6uONPkHiudqAHvXDteMzM7Dk2T-mbzrZ8-XHQ-rp4akxHn8LzFaf9gJ-FixzYaN-THehyphenhyphenParDtV1cz1TUc/s1600/IMGP6761.JPG" width="150" /></a><br />
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This church is next to the City Hall. It was built in 1929. <br />
View of the Presbyterian Church from the City Hall Clock Tower and street level. <br />
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We took the elevator to the top of the clock tower to a viewing platform where we had a 360 degree view of the city. Could not see much of the river because of all the buildings.<br />
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There is a museum on the 2nd floor of the city hall which we visited. It has an amazing display on the Brisbane River. It relates the history of the river. First it was the mode of transporting timber to the coast by floating the logs down river. Later sugar cane was transported to the sugar mill and wool to the wool mill. As time passed the city of Brisbane grew up along the river. The Customs House is also located on the banks of the river. There is an exhibit of “Costumes from the Golden Age of Hollywood”. It was an amazing exhibit with costumes from the 1930s through the 1960s which included Lucille Ball - The Long Long Trailer, Elizabeth Taylor - Cleopatra & Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Debbie Reynolds - Tammy, Ester Williams, Cyd Charise, Marlan Brando and many others. The best part was the film clips from each of the films that were being projected on the wall as you walked through the exhibit. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMRDjp5cXVx-3X7OztwfLPo3pcYEPs_FaRuM8GFfC4akD_TJh4O0zsUsfqYiwQ08PvBD9fV3AX_owGo0K9-net0TV7dL2aEQP_f69g3GpRiIqrTsBdIXP_UBbt-JjHrX-KAQpaUSe7-tc/s1600/IMGP6764.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMRDjp5cXVx-3X7OztwfLPo3pcYEPs_FaRuM8GFfC4akD_TJh4O0zsUsfqYiwQ08PvBD9fV3AX_owGo0K9-net0TV7dL2aEQP_f69g3GpRiIqrTsBdIXP_UBbt-JjHrX-KAQpaUSe7-tc/s1600/IMGP6764.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brisbane from clock tower</td></tr>
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After our tour of the museum we walked down Queen Street which is a pedestrian mall close by. Amazing wall of building on Queen Street.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihmsj3R7Oi59VoCDEkfdHIhdNNbOxWtN-Ha3xNNQ-VQH5PKZPDn29LcMHiaIj1AHn9KxLjtVNf0sf7vzcPHtwCQsQheemmJZOCeSl9smwZeyb73AfKE_9ayrF7p-1FoJgVCfIkK2FNZ08/s1600/IMGP6772.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihmsj3R7Oi59VoCDEkfdHIhdNNbOxWtN-Ha3xNNQ-VQH5PKZPDn29LcMHiaIj1AHn9KxLjtVNf0sf7vzcPHtwCQsQheemmJZOCeSl9smwZeyb73AfKE_9ayrF7p-1FoJgVCfIkK2FNZ08/s1600/IMGP6772.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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We visited a couple of shops and then on our way back to the train station we stumbled upon the Memorial to WWI. Part of it is being renovated but it is a beautiful memorial which has not incorporated WWII. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6vrC45cyU45j2PsU9LycxRCjDJq_OjEGIz09WliCebkc-GLm4Lxgt8eYyBc04khbs-2x8kanVB7HuCqdsB5X5Z5_j9nc_3Bi7OkhPvH2wQgGwrvAomBnf4kIIJaSSJ5M_INFeYZB_-Ec/s1600/IMGP6776.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6vrC45cyU45j2PsU9LycxRCjDJq_OjEGIz09WliCebkc-GLm4Lxgt8eYyBc04khbs-2x8kanVB7HuCqdsB5X5Z5_j9nc_3Bi7OkhPvH2wQgGwrvAomBnf4kIIJaSSJ5M_INFeYZB_-Ec/s1600/IMGP6776.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">World War I Memorial</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Barrel Tree </td></tr>
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The train station is a block from our flat so is very convenient for travel downtown with no worries about parking. “No worries” is an Australia saying that is used extensively as we would use “no problem”. <br />
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This month all the senior missionaries are helping with flat inspections to determine a baseline for the mission. We have over 100 flats in the mission and missionaries from 23 different countries some who have never had the convenience they have here. Some of the missionaries have never had anything but a dirt floor so have no idea how to clean. Some of the flats have not been maintained by the missionaries and we are trying to remedy this within the mission. <br />
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On January 29, Sister Parsons and I did half of our flat inspections. Our first inspection was in Stanthorpe, Queensland which is about 331 kilometers south west of Brisbane. We left at 6:15 to make it there by 11AM Funny thing happened on the way......Our GPS did not recognize the address but did recognize another one so I chose it. As it turned out it was at the opposite end of Texas road which was over 80 kilometers to the west. We drove over 200 kilometers farther than we needed to. We should have gone straight south out of Warwick but instead went the round about way. We traveled A to B to C to D when we should have gone A to D. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiGfQybonDOO3KuudYJ03UU8Q1x0GSUNSaAMuQBU38e8fXhA62uF6Jx39QPWnvFg3Vmm1DmKN1QJ4B86uYLrqRARH-nMDCjlVDQVypl7AUMMUcaP5QjYoh-NDVZzcZkP8tlu1H8st8Xyg/s1600/Texas+Rd+to+Stanthorpe+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiGfQybonDOO3KuudYJ03UU8Q1x0GSUNSaAMuQBU38e8fXhA62uF6Jx39QPWnvFg3Vmm1DmKN1QJ4B86uYLrqRARH-nMDCjlVDQVypl7AUMMUcaP5QjYoh-NDVZzcZkP8tlu1H8st8Xyg/s1600/Texas+Rd+to+Stanthorpe+2.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
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It was beautiful country that we drove through. We had hoped to see some wildlife but did not except for a couple of kangaroo laying alongside the road. Here is a picture of the road we drove ..... We had a 12 hour day. Saw parts of Australia we normally would not see. <br />
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On 4th we went to the Queensland Performing Arts Centre to see a production “Chin Yan” by a Chinese dance group. The group is made up of Chinese from America who are based in New York City. There are nine companies and they perform all over the world except are prohibited from performing in China. They do traditional Chinese dance and perform the legends of China. They were amazing. Beautiful costumes, incredible jumps, and choreography. They are all very accomplished dancers. It was well worth the time and I would go again. If you get a chance to see them I would recommend the show. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSXZ_0zBqbeR1N0ektX6y69XUY2EJseENkDRmecQDK4d6Ofq7ZPblga9eQDnUJpDVAxMEvyPkXACmTiXkJr7v_rYmW0SQW3EpRWbftqT4hgb251cbpZFRNiAuRR39alh33CisX-RXR_8U/s1600/Story+Bridge.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSXZ_0zBqbeR1N0ektX6y69XUY2EJseENkDRmecQDK4d6Ofq7ZPblga9eQDnUJpDVAxMEvyPkXACmTiXkJr7v_rYmW0SQW3EpRWbftqT4hgb251cbpZFRNiAuRR39alh33CisX-RXR_8U/s1600/Story+Bridge.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
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This is the Story Bridge at night from the City Cat ferry that runs up and down the Brisbane River. You can climb to the top so I intend to climb it before I leave. It is 1 in 3 bridges in the world you can climb. <br />
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Saturday we went to Nudgee Beach with our lawn chairs, sat in the shade of a tree, watched the ships coming into Moreton Bay and listed to the tide as it went out. We then took a walk through the mangroves on the boardwalk through the estuary. Saw a few birds and some crabs....pictured here.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig1yvVh7zRwmijkVIBcMReOHyvuZesc3XkgVek-NNKvGaqa-_NbjswYdeAHqjSAtehp1PzFeHvpVcr3mgvrOtIoJfJXdcZL8p_Xu3zsXUVTKr0HZGBIXBARqXcJg-F6bY9IuF1SlubwZc/s1600/IMGP6935.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig1yvVh7zRwmijkVIBcMReOHyvuZesc3XkgVek-NNKvGaqa-_NbjswYdeAHqjSAtehp1PzFeHvpVcr3mgvrOtIoJfJXdcZL8p_Xu3zsXUVTKr0HZGBIXBARqXcJg-F6bY9IuF1SlubwZc/s1600/IMGP6935.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">High Tide at Nudgee Beach</td></tr>
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The tide was in when we arrived at Nudgee Beach as you can see by the water level on the trees. Just behind the trees is Moreton Bay which is a very large bay. The Brisbane river runs into Moreton Bay. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCWVXb7CVND3wOY_3xO4V5FtmXjMP0jomoAO5JBQq8SZMGhpcOZx2X1p9bauuvMIH3f2PoAJoD__yp4-Woo73E2EcoDN_7TeOIG-KU54Jpz6fiic3UHLwGLcyPQIJkNEAI6g0x6XC6lHk/s1600/IMGP6937.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCWVXb7CVND3wOY_3xO4V5FtmXjMP0jomoAO5JBQq8SZMGhpcOZx2X1p9bauuvMIH3f2PoAJoD__yp4-Woo73E2EcoDN_7TeOIG-KU54Jpz6fiic3UHLwGLcyPQIJkNEAI6g0x6XC6lHk/s1600/IMGP6937.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mangrove trees at Nudgee Beach</td></tr>
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This is a small river or slough that runs into the ocean. It is lined with mangrove trees. It is a bird refuge for many birds during the summer. Some of them fly from as far as Alaska and Russia to feed and store up fat for the long journey back north to nest. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrJonHPq_hBbLA3ApOn_3oW1DU-WXyFd3GNj8Fxc1Sezja_evM87OjGQa2-8at-u6RRY1R_F-D1AHLdSthrcPoFEwOIfSB5J3jkJc7GoqZKcjMUovAvowcW3z7P2aSlkKT7Pdxm6Ye3X0/s1600/IMGP6940.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrJonHPq_hBbLA3ApOn_3oW1DU-WXyFd3GNj8Fxc1Sezja_evM87OjGQa2-8at-u6RRY1R_F-D1AHLdSthrcPoFEwOIfSB5J3jkJc7GoqZKcjMUovAvowcW3z7P2aSlkKT7Pdxm6Ye3X0/s1600/IMGP6940.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
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This is a White Ibis. He has a very long beak which you can't really see in this picture. He was sitting on this limb watching the mud flats as the tide went out looking for his dinner. The mud was full of crab hole and I am sure other critters which we did not see. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRRN59_njY9WwRk5Q4YLVY7rcKHRUUFuaQ3KV-Jv8V_hTGK4aYQ_aA2v1Mks8iVU0gi0UZBV6NzLBYRVpd_t6r7HPte9B9cSGALu7OXmXcPVTycWgYleNVTd1x5eNYswMPGC_-Re8v6qM/s1600/IMGP6941.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRRN59_njY9WwRk5Q4YLVY7rcKHRUUFuaQ3KV-Jv8V_hTGK4aYQ_aA2v1Mks8iVU0gi0UZBV6NzLBYRVpd_t6r7HPte9B9cSGALu7OXmXcPVTycWgYleNVTd1x5eNYswMPGC_-Re8v6qM/s1600/IMGP6941.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mud flats & Boardwalk Nudgee Beach</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxLau01Vyr_1Jtk4-4Nt-T9R-YneUoBWVWSGkG5dgyM5ihlta_6CBYnqt1hU83eP3Vy06mGu0zZqWDup1ua3op83ncxWXBhvOVnzwqX60E52MDznH6UXIgrVL7bOblMOUzdntniwho4sU/s1600/IMGP6942.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxLau01Vyr_1Jtk4-4Nt-T9R-YneUoBWVWSGkG5dgyM5ihlta_6CBYnqt1hU83eP3Vy06mGu0zZqWDup1ua3op83ncxWXBhvOVnzwqX60E52MDznH6UXIgrVL7bOblMOUzdntniwho4sU/s1600/IMGP6942.JPG" width="240" /></a> </td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sister Parsons on Boardwalk</td></tr>
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The crab came out of his hole while I was very still waiting to get his picture. He was after the leaf. After I got the picture he took it into his hole for dinner. Love his red claws. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj89eYoyqAZvFlfzBZoSBV0S8VGP7Fq4HH_cli0rUO_zlvPixTjSEulOyfR6-25H00vNdNiCh7x8RQx05Au_5ZEOLBGkWbGOGnMhGFmw-R0t4s3pe7HxJInx-zHCISz_WO4jhgxdqWy0tM/s1600/IMGP6947.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj89eYoyqAZvFlfzBZoSBV0S8VGP7Fq4HH_cli0rUO_zlvPixTjSEulOyfR6-25H00vNdNiCh7x8RQx05Au_5ZEOLBGkWbGOGnMhGFmw-R0t4s3pe7HxJInx-zHCISz_WO4jhgxdqWy0tM/s1600/IMGP6947.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crab </td></tr>
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So today is Valentines Day here in Australia. May you all have a Happy Valentines Day. I hope your winter is soon to be gone and a beautiful spring will come. I am looking forward to fall with a little cooler weather. I love the warmth but the humidity is hard to deal with. The Mission is wonderful and I am loving my responsibilities. I feel I will have done some good by the time I return home. May the Lord bless each of you everyday. <br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10935633857884310427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4929239952465812712.post-53056766021097983222014-12-24T15:48:00.000-08:002019-02-06T19:51:21.961-08:00Merry Christmas and Happy New YearDecember 21, 2014 (Australia Date)<br />
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It is winter at home with cold temperatures, rain and snow while we are enjoying the beginning of summer with temperatures in the 80's and sometimes 90's. When it get really hot for a few days we get summer storms full of lightning, thunder and rain. On occasion the heavens even send down some hail. We had an amazing storm on the 27th of November. Sister Parsons and I were at the mission home helping to make beds when it hit. There were hail stones over an inch in diameter. Put a number of dimples in the mission cars that were out in it. President Henderson was kind enough to go out and move our car into the garage but not before it had a number of dimples. The storms move very fast with a lot of wind, lightning and thunder. They are amazing to watch especially after dark when the whole sky lights up. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWnIb7jueVSk1tqG2MhwGkxLZwYs1YtMQgoG5pItJqo7IOFQo6Uoz-S8BjfRA5rrLDCRTDlCW5mmCgGzCImFd1MzrbFrzL2hp-2cxugua_hmVRZvBXhdF3XigzGuNWQUfyOgubOyzRt-A/s1600/IMGP6622.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWnIb7jueVSk1tqG2MhwGkxLZwYs1YtMQgoG5pItJqo7IOFQo6Uoz-S8BjfRA5rrLDCRTDlCW5mmCgGzCImFd1MzrbFrzL2hp-2cxugua_hmVRZvBXhdF3XigzGuNWQUfyOgubOyzRt-A/s1600/IMGP6622.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bribie Beach</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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On November 29th we drove north to Bribie Island which is the only island on the Queensland coast that you can drive to. It had an amazingly long beautiful sandy beach on the ocean side. The sand was like sugar and we walked in the surf as many people played in it. The water was bath water warm. It is the best beach we have found. Our next trip to Bribie, my swimsuit will go and I will enjoy the surf.<br />
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I had to walk the beach under an umbrella because on the 19th of November I had gone to have a spot on my nose checked out. There is so much skin cancer in Australia that there are cancer screening clinics everywhere. This red spot had appeared this summer and just would not go away. It did not hurt but it concerned me. So I went to a clinic down the street from the mission office. A doctor checked my entire body and was only concerned with the spot I had come in for. She took a biopsy and the results came back as Basal Cell Carcinoma. The Clinic doctor referred me to a plastic surgeon, Dr. Belt. I saw him on the 2nd of December and was scheduled for surgery on the 4th at 8:15 AM. We arrived about 7:20 and I was in surgery before 8AM and back to the flat by 9:30 with a stop at the Chemist to pick up some pain medication which I did not have to use. I had two options: 1. To have the surgery with only local deading or 2. To be put under while the surgery was done. I chose to do a local and am very glad I did. I felt nothing and did not have the side affects of being put under. I had very little swelling or pain and know that is a blessing given to me by the Lord. President Henderson gave me a blessing the night before surgery and blessed me to write down my impressions during this time and to remember the Lord loves me and is aware of my work. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirAlRfFPQFBvIFvrsQE1iBwc1HGfrBFzYh71q-b2f03D2_6q_igqzAqGpTlt3ZU9z3aDkPzu82wPpPQ4upvllZEOQywuCDD5yeUK9Mvqgh1qdabpBA8Rpq-sDLlj90HRk3Xz5Qns2R87Q/s1600/IMGP6660.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirAlRfFPQFBvIFvrsQE1iBwc1HGfrBFzYh71q-b2f03D2_6q_igqzAqGpTlt3ZU9z3aDkPzu82wPpPQ4upvllZEOQywuCDD5yeUK9Mvqgh1qdabpBA8Rpq-sDLlj90HRk3Xz5Qns2R87Q/s1600/IMGP6660.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brisbane Temple Night View</td></tr>
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I know that the Lord blessed me with this calling to Australia because he knew, I would need this medical care. He blessed me to be just down the street from the clinic where it was diagnosed and a referral to an amazingly talented plastic surgeon. I would not have this care in Tonga nor even been diagnosed with it until I returned home and maybe not then. In President Henderson’s blessing he told me the Lord loves me and is aware of my service. There are times when I wonder if he knows me even though I try to live worthy of his blessings and love. It was good to hear of his love in the blessing. It brought me great peace.<br />
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All the stitches are out and it is healing really well. I am told by the physician who is serving here in our mission that in six months it will hardly be noticeable. Noticeable or not it is better than the skin cancer hanging out on my nose.<br />
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This mission is much different than the first mission to Poland. We have a lovely flat to come home to every night. It is so rewarding to be able to support the mission by working in the mission office. We have been able to participate in the zone conferences, transfer meetings, new missionary orientations and best of all welcome all the new missionaries into the mission every six weeks. We have some amazing missionaries here in this mission. They are from 33 countries. Some have so little but their faith and courage to travel far from home to serve the Lord for 2 years or 18 months. Many of them will take home experiences that will affect Their entire lives and many lives they touch. We had a young missionary, Elder Porutu in the office for about two months. He came from a horrible background and has little support from family in French Polynesia. Last transfer he was sent back out into the field and this transfer he was made a trainer. I am so proud of him. Hopefully he will return and make major changes in his life and the life of his family. I pray he will have the desire and opportunity to attend college someday. I want to keep in touch with him when he leaves which will be next transfer in January.<br />
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What an amazing view we have of the mission from the mission office. I am working with Sister Henderson to improve the flats and help teach the missionaries to respect and take care of the flats they are provided. Some do not know how to clean and some do not understand the need. They have a tendency to put up with things and not report problems with the flats as they are only going to be there for a short time. We need to change that perception.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnAh547sH5yu869CdTtEZyF4v3ziOcL6kCKahrQ-q3DY2CGNQpVFUZp6VafEILOmvqHgOgsEg7FuqpIBeipEcjeU25qtJDB6vf-LTDKjwV00lgGtmqzCwsC-3IC0mJ0DpvRJL4-_oZJqY/s1600/IMGP6644.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnAh547sH5yu869CdTtEZyF4v3ziOcL6kCKahrQ-q3DY2CGNQpVFUZp6VafEILOmvqHgOgsEg7FuqpIBeipEcjeU25qtJDB6vf-LTDKjwV00lgGtmqzCwsC-3IC0mJ0DpvRJL4-_oZJqY/s1600/IMGP6644.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bethlehem Market </td></tr>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBfSdAe1lEPSnAPqp8bY-70NmY823jGxhg-8sHEYuwobEVYy77Gnhek8oWnBqzhXe2wk5l77gJLhKG6kIYpCEsJfQKGV_0sDuuqLpWZz9T_3grYNrzTiwui47MqTLBpIiGUveZzcs1n84/s1600/IMGP6648.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBfSdAe1lEPSnAPqp8bY-70NmY823jGxhg-8sHEYuwobEVYy77Gnhek8oWnBqzhXe2wk5l77gJLhKG6kIYpCEsJfQKGV_0sDuuqLpWZz9T_3grYNrzTiwui47MqTLBpIiGUveZzcs1n84/s1600/IMGP6648.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shepherds </td></tr>
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There was a Christmas program at the Temple on December 13 - 14, 2014. There was a live nativity, a Bethlehem market, shepherds and sheep, the Three Wise Men, two small singing groups around the stake center grounds which is next to the Brisbane Temple. Each night there were two concerts. A community Choir performed on Saturday night and a Church Young Adult Choir on Sunday who performed “The Forgotten Carols”. Sister Parsons and I went Saturday night and had I known they were doing “The Forgotten Carols” on Sunday we would have gone then too. Good thing we did not because many people could not get into the concert on Sunday. People started lining up outside the gate at 5PM and it opened at 6PM. There were over 2,000 attendees Sunday night and 1000 on Saturday night. It will be an event again next year. There was some concern about the weather but only had a couple of small sprinkles Sunday evening.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLgcMnrW9UJLGjULgtdPOnE0EnPnVE2wNUXsP1P0-R4yt7Mu3vyfybe0oAEu1iLtYTWrjLdrq199oBbVVhmsHApDET_rzhat20_D88ozeC5mJZt1TAVNR4gPnELstNm9T1vHuYe2HM-BA/s1600/IMGP6649.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLgcMnrW9UJLGjULgtdPOnE0EnPnVE2wNUXsP1P0-R4yt7Mu3vyfybe0oAEu1iLtYTWrjLdrq199oBbVVhmsHApDET_rzhat20_D88ozeC5mJZt1TAVNR4gPnELstNm9T1vHuYe2HM-BA/s1600/IMGP6649.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Three Wise Men</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBUMMIhutl2JEzj_u7Hy6VX4FSk7usuVvRiJy-G66D6MPbKFD0PpimFRm7_Zq652mtSdYJVKtOsySe8GOZ5TacT0oDP_kc4v_QfdxF-IHteY4GJOfWim5nYpYju5JHSN5wC1mARh5F2hY/s1600/IMGP6654.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBUMMIhutl2JEzj_u7Hy6VX4FSk7usuVvRiJy-G66D6MPbKFD0PpimFRm7_Zq652mtSdYJVKtOsySe8GOZ5TacT0oDP_kc4v_QfdxF-IHteY4GJOfWim5nYpYju5JHSN5wC1mARh5F2hY/s1600/IMGP6654.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nativity</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgpgbYofwY-wIq5LCDNrE-w1AkHPQMGegamBfYK9t2j9Hsvzd83GV8iQcOrVNi-d3H_SzDhKOYF2f9mOlyIwMsqbn8mH-AqS_UsK_wYz2rG3YO8Sn5IbJztIcRTOfUisWznGxH9DTJ6fU/s1600/IMGP6688.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgpgbYofwY-wIq5LCDNrE-w1AkHPQMGegamBfYK9t2j9Hsvzd83GV8iQcOrVNi-d3H_SzDhKOYF2f9mOlyIwMsqbn8mH-AqS_UsK_wYz2rG3YO8Sn5IbJztIcRTOfUisWznGxH9DTJ6fU/s1600/IMGP6688.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wheel of Brisbane</td></tr>
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Monday evening December 15, five senior couples went downtown Brisbane to attend the Meyer Christmas Parade and then the Christmas market at Southbank. We parked at the Temple which s on the bluffs overlooking the river. Walked down to the river and took the free ferry over to Queen Street where the parade was held. It is a pedestrian street with multiple shops. Most were open. This town closes up at 5:00 PM except for Thursday night when the stores stay open until 9PM. The parade was well attended. It is held nightly until Christmas Eve. The market was made of Christmas vendors but we did not look much because we were all so hungry by the time we arrived. We were just looking for food. We walked by the Wheel of Brisbane on our way to the market. It is right on the river and am sure has an amazing view of the city from the top. Will let you know later.....<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUuGW7y2cS6SiKgvxbM1F5mLZdRG0zGRLnMSF6dyii6OFvzyTTj-6r0h48_IrANHL5DRxFVQkTDv4LVIlFHyxCAvfLVyRnVswn8HtPI_871sdWc1aBN7Hpfl4f3Ce-XHFPokPr_aJHqcg/s1600/IMGP6683.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUuGW7y2cS6SiKgvxbM1F5mLZdRG0zGRLnMSF6dyii6OFvzyTTj-6r0h48_IrANHL5DRxFVQkTDv4LVIlFHyxCAvfLVyRnVswn8HtPI_871sdWc1aBN7Hpfl4f3Ce-XHFPokPr_aJHqcg/s1600/IMGP6683.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Christmas Tree with Church behind</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTN_NeKJR6S084tZhFimaD_9SHgAvMT_BzeV2tC1XrE88ep-gsxLPaTdg4RZ0aNgshBTEfps_bZwKOhcrD9H5uTYmTriqE87ECWE7ju9e-fPHlqgr3wWC-1_hJmCbJVbWWw6tPYwwAxZo/s1600/IMGP6687.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTN_NeKJR6S084tZhFimaD_9SHgAvMT_BzeV2tC1XrE88ep-gsxLPaTdg4RZ0aNgshBTEfps_bZwKOhcrD9H5uTYmTriqE87ECWE7ju9e-fPHlqgr3wWC-1_hJmCbJVbWWw6tPYwwAxZo/s1600/IMGP6687.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">South Bank <b>w/city skyline</b></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfA592-0WzXpdwjAoHisuQl2DRza-aJtliWHWfAo4KK_TynsxN68V_5CQZzRL-tHaFwHkjo7nolG6H461t6KsG42-AVrB1DUS-OOxrNVNVhVh1oAwVX6WL8TOa9tYqPOsVDg5dJfftQVU/s1600/IMGP6678.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfA592-0WzXpdwjAoHisuQl2DRza-aJtliWHWfAo4KK_TynsxN68V_5CQZzRL-tHaFwHkjo7nolG6H461t6KsG42-AVrB1DUS-OOxrNVNVhVh1oAwVX6WL8TOa9tYqPOsVDg5dJfftQVU/s320/IMGP6678.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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We had a visitor to one of our plants last week. Looks just like a grasshopper but 10-20 times larger. We did not let him stick around too long because he was devouring our nice green plant. Sister Parsons knocked him off the balcony with the broom handle.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB2B3dJ2Xy-bLoxUa8j2lmm8ckUOkmn9Og-ShH6ak6XdBYuWMCfAkXhGbzcjL6NL5xXPouaHWpPQluwnSfPGY8yzfoB3mccfCnDZGYVjTw1-29X4Vq_DddfqDGqviZ5mXykTY0KfkrSIs/s1600/IMGP6641.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB2B3dJ2Xy-bLoxUa8j2lmm8ckUOkmn9Og-ShH6ak6XdBYuWMCfAkXhGbzcjL6NL5xXPouaHWpPQluwnSfPGY8yzfoB3mccfCnDZGYVjTw1-29X4Vq_DddfqDGqviZ5mXykTY0KfkrSIs/s1600/IMGP6641.JPG" width="240" /></a><br />
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So here is our Australian Christmas tree for those who did not see it on Facebook. It turned out pretty cute and was easy to decorate. It brightens up our lounge (living room).<br />
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The best news of all is my Grand-daughter, Kiera, who was serving a mission in Curitiba, Brazil returned home on the 1st of December. She had a marvelous mission and influenced a lot of lives in Brazil. Her Mother was extremely happy to have her home but it will be short lived as she will be returning to BYU Provo in January. <br />
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I want to wish each of you a Merry Christmas and express my love for my Savior whose birth we celebrate. He came to earth to provide a way for our return to our Heavenly Father. I could never express my gratitude for all that he has done for us. I do not have the words. But I know he lives just as our Heavenly Father lives. Heavenly Father loves us so much he sent his son to endure all that is required for our salvation. May we each remember our Savior at this Christmas season. <br />
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Happy New Year 2015.......<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10935633857884310427noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4929239952465812712.post-77913406986481881582014-11-21T21:43:00.001-08:002019-02-06T19:38:54.734-08:00Spring Continues Down Under - Summer Close I am including a few more pictures of the senior couples from the Senior Conference. We currently have 12 senior couples and Sister Parsons and I in the mission. One couple is going home in December and another is coming at the end of this month. Half of them are assigned to cities in Northern Queensland to help support the Wards and Districts. The mission is so large it is difficult for the mission president to cover it all so these senior couples are a tremendous help with the members and missionaries. This mission has approximately 280 missionaries and over 100 flats (apartments). I have just been given responsibility for the flats so am working with President and Sister Henderson to improve the quality of the flats as well as help the missionaries understand their responsibility in taking care of the flats. The missionaries have a tendency to just live with something like a leaky faucet, broken towel rack, etc rather than take the time to report the problems. We are trying to change that attitude so the Spirit can be there.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjfvnWVnSlMGeL_-1whaT_RBSCoDxKpMKr58nftQbWRXkr6izxML-vT8o-KvDgJ_kuRQ8K9sopiMKUM7EoihDNSaJnTw2IOwm93M6s1UzvvUqSIKGGKdfym4WMBcAG1zHl-kQZkUiZvqc/s1600/Seniors+Mizakawa+&+Madsen.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjfvnWVnSlMGeL_-1whaT_RBSCoDxKpMKr58nftQbWRXkr6izxML-vT8o-KvDgJ_kuRQ8K9sopiMKUM7EoihDNSaJnTw2IOwm93M6s1UzvvUqSIKGGKdfym4WMBcAG1zHl-kQZkUiZvqc/s320/Seniors+Mizakawa+&+Madsen.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elder & Sister Mizukawa withe Elder & Sister Madsen</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLd5QLgyKXh-lNj78NMYH94YfP5p5ezww9k0x52PH0PTNAZAE5Shtp6GOwMgs-br68ur9NJAaRJEFn4EVNCbalYYTsdPcgO1_OGW0HJOohFID_D3c4pOyTUpwrRr_tQDOKYZ5IPsp6jHU/s1600/Senior+Conf.+6503.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLd5QLgyKXh-lNj78NMYH94YfP5p5ezww9k0x52PH0PTNAZAE5Shtp6GOwMgs-br68ur9NJAaRJEFn4EVNCbalYYTsdPcgO1_OGW0HJOohFID_D3c4pOyTUpwrRr_tQDOKYZ5IPsp6jHU/s320/Senior+Conf.+6503.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dinner </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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On October 16, 2014 Pat and I took the City Cat which is the river ferry from Brett’s Wharf (almost to the end of the line before the river reaches the ocean) to the last stop upriver, Queensland University. It took us almost two hours but I learned a lot about Brisbane. They had a small booklet which explained the stops and sites along the way. <br />
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The Story bridge was built in 1940 and is one of three bridges in the world you can climb. Pat and I plan on climbing it before we leave maybe in the spring when it cools down. Right now it is a little hot to be climbing a steel bridge. <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidxcgtigd19O4GDUcoIDYf6Bhc0KOKo7TcAE66gP7RIK9rLy66YlyUUPtJcXYi-aB2ueT-nZVB-HplwavObn_YZIExrdaiOORqPf3N-H6jwYVVthuwTVpNrlh0LJOArQgALzDxreg3N14/s1600/IMGP6515.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidxcgtigd19O4GDUcoIDYf6Bhc0KOKo7TcAE66gP7RIK9rLy66YlyUUPtJcXYi-aB2ueT-nZVB-HplwavObn_YZIExrdaiOORqPf3N-H6jwYVVthuwTVpNrlh0LJOArQgALzDxreg3N14/s1600/IMGP6515.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Story Bridge & Skyline</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSHEBETrsO1ymn3tAzzgvvWxx3kdO6VeyaZXPj8u9N3r3WpxTIIF3MiCv6AtYqFnbc_S3nrUkQidyyb8D6uKcu2HLh75ADaBi0_brPkt5AsIkwyNbvc6h06mWITrLLkeZ8zjt5Z0t5Fks/s1600/IMGP6534.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSHEBETrsO1ymn3tAzzgvvWxx3kdO6VeyaZXPj8u9N3r3WpxTIIF3MiCv6AtYqFnbc_S3nrUkQidyyb8D6uKcu2HLh75ADaBi0_brPkt5AsIkwyNbvc6h06mWITrLLkeZ8zjt5Z0t5Fks/s1600/IMGP6534.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Climbers on Bridge</td></tr>
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The Custom House opened in 1889 and operated for nearly a century before being refurbished to include a stylish restaurant and functions venue. <br />
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Kangaroo Point Cliffs are a popular spot for recreational use and the Kangaroo Point Cliffs Park offers spectacular views of Brisbane. The naval stores at the bottom of the cliffs were built in 1867, and were used for training the naval brigade as well as storing weapons for the fledgling navy. The Brisbane Temple now sits at the top of the cliffs in a very prominent place.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5FzE21GnvW0DpN-kcN6wXNn8ocDNsqp2DxZRRizFvOCyOpk66UbV6C4Ux4VEX2ixjN3KV_C3hrlXCkBdBRIb6Sq_ZwuQcu8RRD9mndnAyE9Jxve8rhTGMjKfdos6gbicoxxDSvivk52w/s1600/IMGP6521.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5FzE21GnvW0DpN-kcN6wXNn8ocDNsqp2DxZRRizFvOCyOpk66UbV6C4Ux4VEX2ixjN3KV_C3hrlXCkBdBRIb6Sq_ZwuQcu8RRD9mndnAyE9Jxve8rhTGMjKfdos6gbicoxxDSvivk52w/s1600/IMGP6521.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brisbane Temple </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGXEaib2zSmcYe6a_vWitL6bAlvNJ_45eU6_YXtIjgehvqfGG5b6nIIi0GkFPbqwR-MDQL_-HdQNy7Wo21YrmyN-TCapFDtIqBgCF8vZfWoNWEm5T97FTPrOcaV-xyySqn6YkOy9bXrKM/s1600/IMGP6532.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGXEaib2zSmcYe6a_vWitL6bAlvNJ_45eU6_YXtIjgehvqfGG5b6nIIi0GkFPbqwR-MDQL_-HdQNy7Wo21YrmyN-TCapFDtIqBgCF8vZfWoNWEm5T97FTPrOcaV-xyySqn6YkOy9bXrKM/s1600/IMGP6532.JPG" width="240" /> </a></td><td style="text-align: center;"></td><td style="text-align: center;"></td><td style="text-align: center;"></td><td style="text-align: center;"></td><td style="text-align: center;"></td><td style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kangaroo Point Cliffs</td></tr>
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South Bank Parklands opened in 1992, it to tohas become the Brisbane’s inner-city playground with it’s beach, rainforest, cafes and ferries wheel reminiscent of the London Eye but closer to the size of the one at the Seattle Wharf.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd0w9KsrRSkbpeodk2ok_msL_ogdd6vGNNJj612S_Prd57qy_thaQYsokVszjhMVTB1L_9LPRy0H4ZzbPpRha3tA9lBetK9gzwcwDZRg5yZ6fpIpwDDl07EFpx-RuAyU2zwM7pq6FIZXs/s1600/IMGP6527.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd0w9KsrRSkbpeodk2ok_msL_ogdd6vGNNJj612S_Prd57qy_thaQYsokVszjhMVTB1L_9LPRy0H4ZzbPpRha3tA9lBetK9gzwcwDZRg5yZ6fpIpwDDl07EFpx-RuAyU2zwM7pq6FIZXs/s1600/IMGP6527.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">South Bank Ferries Wheel <br />
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</tbody></table>
On October 24th there was a Tri-Stake Ball held in Southern Brisbane.
Our Sister Hansen who worked at BYU for years over the catering
department was asked to help with the refreshments. At the last minute
she needed help with the preparation and set up so Sister Parsons and I
went to help. We had an enjoyable time helping. It was fun working
with someone who make her living at putting together functions for the
President of BYU and the President of the Church. With my limited
experience in Relief Society I made a good worker bee. It turned out
beautiful as you see from the pictures.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpEQtNJR8f5R-YC5aqqUuxRvZUqBEXTZwSc17Y54dnzIatMwlett1FJaC6Rmxynlbun7TE5Prkd3tjyWU2Okzyrv-G7Jj7JOv6fjEcWgJVVf6120_Sb_dOHpFMv6awkKEfiBynhRXwhac/s1600/IMGP6545.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpEQtNJR8f5R-YC5aqqUuxRvZUqBEXTZwSc17Y54dnzIatMwlett1FJaC6Rmxynlbun7TE5Prkd3tjyWU2Okzyrv-G7Jj7JOv6fjEcWgJVVf6120_Sb_dOHpFMv6awkKEfiBynhRXwhac/s1600/IMGP6545.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRhyphenhyphen4hRVaMGZyeZFqI42I_gJDl6ZnP4fcgSqQVIJImPM8tgtAMjvjRscxCWkpA57fy7LOGvAg15jMIY6tM5K_7YHBu_-8aGiIl2OE89EvgzzpFzm9_dOf1nja7LF4CJN-x_gx5054m2rc/s1600/IMGP6587.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><br />
On November 8th we drove
south to Burleigh Heads National Park. To aboriginal people Burleigh
Headland is known ad Jellurgul, and the rock formations were created by
Jabreen an important ancestral figure. For generations, Burleigh has
provided challenging hollow waves that have proven the ideal breeding
groung for surfboard design advances and home-grown champions.
Fittingly, Burleigh Heads are the birth-place of modern professional
surfing competitions, the first man-on-man cometitions was held here.
It is renowned throughout the surfing world for its unique waves and is
sacred to many.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRhyphenhyphen4hRVaMGZyeZFqI42I_gJDl6ZnP4fcgSqQVIJImPM8tgtAMjvjRscxCWkpA57fy7LOGvAg15jMIY6tM5K_7YHBu_-8aGiIl2OE89EvgzzpFzm9_dOf1nja7LF4CJN-x_gx5054m2rc/s1600/IMGP6587.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRhyphenhyphen4hRVaMGZyeZFqI42I_gJDl6ZnP4fcgSqQVIJImPM8tgtAMjvjRscxCWkpA57fy7LOGvAg15jMIY6tM5K_7YHBu_-8aGiIl2OE89EvgzzpFzm9_dOf1nja7LF4CJN-x_gx5054m2rc/s1600/IMGP6587.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUP1EhB5vqNKE4zPQy07ZuVyXQcEopnUyasuDkY3mzAJ5dg-zcRwVvbne-zpN9HwslgUmsqXD90H4tB7upqhYj4Pcho3i3QSILwZ6_Q8hohdxDTdeLsy5QsEmLDbluoe501bqTI32U-j8/s1600/IMGP6589.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUP1EhB5vqNKE4zPQy07ZuVyXQcEopnUyasuDkY3mzAJ5dg-zcRwVvbne-zpN9HwslgUmsqXD90H4tB7upqhYj4Pcho3i3QSILwZ6_Q8hohdxDTdeLsy5QsEmLDbluoe501bqTI32U-j8/s1600/IMGP6589.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gold Coast North Views</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSTTw-MCiUvOVUCGcWtUhdO3A4_qe2lGNJIc0_a7CWq2PBQ70Uk2C4DH4TaoR75yPgYOQ1iN_wRNV_IkxnQbvxVAlc2q8feREVQ4xPKQksKN0vDh8lC89wLn7xq39LbID66nB8LgXcS1U/s1600/IMGP6588.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSTTw-MCiUvOVUCGcWtUhdO3A4_qe2lGNJIc0_a7CWq2PBQ70Uk2C4DH4TaoR75yPgYOQ1iN_wRNV_IkxnQbvxVAlc2q8feREVQ4xPKQksKN0vDh8lC89wLn7xq39LbID66nB8LgXcS1U/s1600/IMGP6588.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Burleigh Heads - Coral Sea<br />
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</tbody></table>
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It was a lovely warm day with a slight breeze. We
found a take out place for lunch and sat in a park under some amazing
trees. My grandsons would have loved them when they were young boys. I
could just picture them up in the branches having a jolly good time.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu2LyxzN-pj57nCXkelGdAb-Ms6ah6wgCdo-KXzhJ0JY05B5bpUH7lSDnN9V8Umbkx8AprkWP3QE_AT0vFxN23Y8FJQDdtZQBRgEP1EDchsuX0fxtissl4cRrHamFRqxLqMjCR9hELdmE/s1600/IMGP6592.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu2LyxzN-pj57nCXkelGdAb-Ms6ah6wgCdo-KXzhJ0JY05B5bpUH7lSDnN9V8Umbkx8AprkWP3QE_AT0vFxN23Y8FJQDdtZQBRgEP1EDchsuX0fxtissl4cRrHamFRqxLqMjCR9hELdmE/s1600/IMGP6592.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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The week of November 10 - 17, 2014 was the big G20 as they called it. The gathering of world leaders to discuss numerous world issues. The city had prepared for a year and anticipated lots of revenue from all the entourages who came into town. The city declared a holiday on Friday the 16th making it a three day weekend. The city cleared out. The restaurants downtown closed and there was no traffic or people on the street. The highways out of town on Friday were a solid traffic jam going north and going south. Putin did not get a very friendly reception and left a day early saying he need to get some sleep. He had his military flotilla out in the Coral Seas just to flex some muscle. The Australians lost quite a number of people on the flight shot down over the Ukraine. I was happy to be living north of downtown so we were not affected by the road closures, etc.<br />
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Because we thought the city would be a mess we drove up the coast about an hour and a half to the town of Eumundi. They have a market there every Wednesday and Saturday. They have over 300 vendors with everything from macadamia nuts to local artist including many clothing, crafts, garden, and fruit/vegetable booths. It was really hot that day. I had one lady tell me I looked really hot and she was so right. I was happy to get back into the air conditioned car. The locals said it was unusually hot for this time of year. I am going to have to get used to this hot humid heat because I understand January and February get pretty hot and humid because that is the rainy season.<br />
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Speaking of rain we had an amazing rain storm on Wednesday afternoon. I have never seen it rain so hard with thunder and lightning. We stayed at the mission office until 6PM because it was too rainy to go outside. Elder Shute called about 4:30 to tell us the roof of their house was leaking from the entry clear though the dining area. Later he called to say the ceiling was bulging. I called the agent to report the problem but no one could come until the storm let up. About 7PM his wife called to say they had no overhead power but that the lower outlets worked. That worried me so I called the agent again and he had an electrician go out. The electrician turned off half the house power because it was shorting. The Shutes were hosting a big party on Friday night so hopefully they got everything cleaned up - not repaired that is going to take some time. Have not heard of the roofers made it on Friday hopefully since I have not heard. Going to be some major repair work there. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkdHnZZxBWQ_1rTlJ0wM18Uq9STx17r8hp4tRgFNdvt9myVIQfNuUb3eu9dEzpIuzn9MumrLRPlx0bmyJ5BmgP7wlB_7qH0Nd8dM-2-b6v89gVqoOp4yvXRGDZ7SWjU0WeTj8JPmUFr94/s1600/IMGP6604.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkdHnZZxBWQ_1rTlJ0wM18Uq9STx17r8hp4tRgFNdvt9myVIQfNuUb3eu9dEzpIuzn9MumrLRPlx0bmyJ5BmgP7wlB_7qH0Nd8dM-2-b6v89gVqoOp4yvXRGDZ7SWjU0WeTj8JPmUFr94/s1600/IMGP6604.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Plumera Bossom</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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The Poinsea trees are in bloom. They line almost every street and are beautiful. Most are a red orange but a few are a lighter orange shade. They grow very large seed pods during the summer. The Plumera trees are also beginning to bloom. I love the Plumera blossoms and the fragrance they have. They are also in multiple colors: white, pink, and yellow. And I will get to see them bloom again next year......<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDTcT3nKz6m6K1N3VJ0hZTMPY-dNH0pWx5b5u43SW40CdpD2uHsXuWFYd0XAh86YoSQMTsfwlbknVsCl_PLFKmA7_c1YVcU0Lvqv_pAn6VP99fn1Bq-3ulW1eSNUaKn_PjsCimdtY_VHE/s1600/Poinsea+Tree+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDTcT3nKz6m6K1N3VJ0hZTMPY-dNH0pWx5b5u43SW40CdpD2uHsXuWFYd0XAh86YoSQMTsfwlbknVsCl_PLFKmA7_c1YVcU0Lvqv_pAn6VP99fn1Bq-3ulW1eSNUaKn_PjsCimdtY_VHE/s1600/Poinsea+Tree+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Poinsea Tree</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCro0OmzFwo0CbPUwBNDR8abEt56QDMwCU1-TlE52tBxdQ0nGT95py55EZNXGO80bzZcJk6_3jVKK97ZLgGIfosDFo6ORiLkxhfxwNu724nm725nwPoa8s1OsENRVtryqSuCPTlJtR41w/s1600/IMGP6600.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCro0OmzFwo0CbPUwBNDR8abEt56QDMwCU1-TlE52tBxdQ0nGT95py55EZNXGO80bzZcJk6_3jVKK97ZLgGIfosDFo6ORiLkxhfxwNu724nm725nwPoa8s1OsENRVtryqSuCPTlJtR41w/s320/IMGP6600.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Poinsea <b>Blossoms</b></td></tr>
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Having a great time here especially when I hear about the cold weather back in the States. Enjoy your winter fun. I won’t miss it a bit. <br />
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Happy Thanksgiving, they do not celebrate it here so we are going to do something at the office in celebration. The mission office Christmas decorations are up but it does not feel like Christmas. Sister Parsons and I bought some small red ornaments to put on our fern for Christmas. Merry Christmas too<br />
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The Toowoomba Flower Festival is held every year. There are different categories of gardens: Australia natural plant gardens, home flower gardens, yard gardens, etc. The entries are judged and awarded places in whatever category they entered. The public gardens were not a part of the competition but were amazing. Queens Park was a blaze of colors and textures with a large variety of flowers: snapdragons, sweet peas, tulips, petunias, pansies, daisies, etc. I saw the most amazing tree. It is called a bottle tree and you can see why from the picture. There are some really amazing trees here.<br />
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Queens Park<br />
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We visited the Information Center to see what was available. Bus tours were about $45 for four hours and approximately 5 gardens which did not include the public parks. We opted to drive ourselves. We were provided a map with a booklet which listed all the gardens and the categories. We visited five or six residential gardens as well as two public gardens. It is amazing what fits into a garden. So much work and expense goes into these gardens. You must have a love for gardening to do what these people do. I hope you enjoy the pictures. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEy4DAG-Ox4zx9ZEER7nACouy87H6kSKcgWNgFaG-bMO7LUKmTHB0Bc5hgFoEMrL7WVBAVwm-MEIFpLDCXGeztvAq6Wt2uuvpxJZI8-3lrPA0i1B7Se5-_U2KC8Wg86zebYd-XO9DnE14/s1600/IMGP6431.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEy4DAG-Ox4zx9ZEER7nACouy87H6kSKcgWNgFaG-bMO7LUKmTHB0Bc5hgFoEMrL7WVBAVwm-MEIFpLDCXGeztvAq6Wt2uuvpxJZI8-3lrPA0i1B7Se5-_U2KC8Wg86zebYd-XO9DnE14/s200/IMGP6431.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh36wHr7Ia5cIt73X0fCXPwBQJZAMg72smW1ICItnJ1HoKaipDj6B_L_zGxgS5vhYC5-h6w4kqKohJRIUvYhzISoEEy6wtUMCl9hA5Z8PV_HgXxgwNg2iPWKMxvp1Y_5MJb9aHB-AMdst4/s1600/IMGP6425.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh36wHr7Ia5cIt73X0fCXPwBQJZAMg72smW1ICItnJ1HoKaipDj6B_L_zGxgS5vhYC5-h6w4kqKohJRIUvYhzISoEEy6wtUMCl9hA5Z8PV_HgXxgwNg2iPWKMxvp1Y_5MJb9aHB-AMdst4/s320/IMGP6425.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a><br />
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<span style="text-align: center;">Zone conferences for the missionaries began on Sept 22. The Brisbane
area is divided into 10 zones. Each zone conference included two zones
which is about 30 to 45 missionaries. The mission president and his
wife teach the young missionaries how to be better missionaries and to
teach people not lessons. They involved the senior missionaries in this
zone conference. Sister Parsons and I presented a funny skit on
cleaning flats. We outlined Daily, Weekly and Deep Cleaning tasks and tried to
encourage them to be obedient in completing these tasks and then when
they get a notice of a flat inspection by the owner or the real estate
agent it will be easy to have the flat clean and tidy because they are
keeping it up everyday and week on Preparation Day. (Preparation day is Monday each week when the missionaries should be
cleaning their flats, grocery shopping, playing sports and possibly site
seeing if time allows.</span><br />
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It is their one free day in the week.). Many missionaries either do
not understand how to clean or do not understand the importance of
taking care of their flats. We tried to get them to understand they are
representatives of Christ and need to leave the landlords and owners
with a good impression of us as responsible missionaries. <br />
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It is their one free day in the week.). Many missionaries either do not understand how to clean or do not understand the importance of taking care of their flats. We tried to get them to understand they are representatives of Christ and need to leave the landlords and owners with a good impression of us as responsible missionaries. We performed in five zone conferences but were glad to see the last one roll around. It was been great fun. It is a good way to meet and get to know the missionaries. Each of the senior missionaries in the office participated in some way. Sister Montague played a game with the missionaries where they had to answer questions about the Baptismal forms. It was fun as well. Elder Montague presented information on mileage logs which will be a requirement from now on. They are to record mileage each day as well as maintenance and gas purchases. He also inspected all the cars for maintenance, tire tread, and cleanliness. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMLVDPk5pwSfqb_bW72kKPamF952xq-NL6TA4rZXKfN4E73Sq1mW3TdkcxzAls9BiKrLh-6rJxUAfz-aDMQUAeF3JnhS7iQPEp9J0dlJU2D2rq6db-5hhswMo2mdWaBqmpnGYqMJTk5j4/s1600/IMGP6451.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMLVDPk5pwSfqb_bW72kKPamF952xq-NL6TA4rZXKfN4E73Sq1mW3TdkcxzAls9BiKrLh-6rJxUAfz-aDMQUAeF3JnhS7iQPEp9J0dlJU2D2rq6db-5hhswMo2mdWaBqmpnGYqMJTk5j4/s1600/IMGP6451.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Funky Tree along the Street</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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On the 4th of October we drove south to Springbrook National Park. It is approximately 1.5 hours southwest of Brisbane in the Gold Coast Hinterlands. It’s geological origins date back to the vast shield volcano that was last active 10 million years ago. Mt. Warning is its’ remnant core. The Aboriginals called this mountain, Wollumbin meaning ‘cloud catcher.’ The Kombumerri people, although mostly coastal dwellers, visited this mountain. Many stone tools have been found. European settlement began in 1906 when dairy farmers cleared the forest for pastures. Many of the biggest trees were also logged. The forest is reclaiming its’ land with much of the mountain covered in magnificent trees creating a haven for wildlife.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjettXCEFCM_vcfGgr4ycCn7XeztSUINOhDQvmtxpYkX0M-Wur3XtM65EPkeMlqu_7G-dkbubImu874HnaermWXQ0CoUWZULFBCQcN0VDVnocN7PDQioiKmg2w-P2B51PVUII58f_ajpk/s1600/Springbrook+NP6464.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjettXCEFCM_vcfGgr4ycCn7XeztSUINOhDQvmtxpYkX0M-Wur3XtM65EPkeMlqu_7G-dkbubImu874HnaermWXQ0CoUWZULFBCQcN0VDVnocN7PDQioiKmg2w-P2B51PVUII58f_ajpk/s1600/Springbrook+NP6464.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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The road up the mountain is very winding and narrow. In places it is one lane wide. There are a number of trails that can be hiked but also loop road with a number of scenic lookouts. Some requiring a short walk and some right on the road. You can see what a giant eruption it was by the enormous cauldron which is now a forest, farm land and home for wildlife and birds.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimznt_E5X4UG4nhC7b6_RVsu-9MlPr9Nx5Ou6L4kJzKzcMHaykmWDQf5nLxJjRGUlHrw5ftn2gNgozGZtKPGdAIILg3aaZZt_K_Etud9O_VXy8hOVlFozFLT3LkOHWMJGJo9-qVmMt_2w/s1600/Springbrook+NP6474.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimznt_E5X4UG4nhC7b6_RVsu-9MlPr9Nx5Ou6L4kJzKzcMHaykmWDQf5nLxJjRGUlHrw5ftn2gNgozGZtKPGdAIILg3aaZZt_K_Etud9O_VXy8hOVlFozFLT3LkOHWMJGJo9-qVmMt_2w/s320/Springbrook+NP6474.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fern Tree</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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On the 6th of October the senior missionaries from up north began to arrive for our Senior Missionary Conference. It was nice to meet all the couples from up North. We had a wonderful three days. One full day being taught by our Mission President and his wife and three of the senior couples. That evening we drove south to the Gold Coast to attend a dinner show at Australian Outback Spectacular. It was held in a very large arena with a screen at one end on which they projected segments of the show outlining the history of the Australian cattle and sheep industry. There were also performances in the arena which included horses pulling wagons, stage coaches, as well as trick riders and other riders. At the end of the show they had approximately 12 riders carrying the Australian flag riding precision maneuver in the arena. Part of the admission included an Australian Outback cowboy straw hat and dinner. The dinner was not bad and they had the serving of it down to a science. The second day we went to Elder and Sister Orth’s home on Tamborine Mountain for lunch. They have a lovely home on the mountain which also has a view of Warning mountain. Everyone left Thursday to return home and we went back to the office to catch up.<br />
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This weekend was a restful one. I had downloaded General Conference onto my computer so we were able to sit in our lounge (living room) and watch it. We did go the New Farm Park Sunday afternoon with a picnic lunch to see the Jackaranda trees in bloom. The lavender blossoms are so vibrant and beautiful. The park is right on the Brisbane river so we found a bench overlooking the river and enjoyed our lunch and spent some time reading. It was a lovely day.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRqv1TzW-Efal2niD5B4xB92ze3iv99uTERXJKTSwoN6sX2GmutcgbS4A3pdD590prfV4-u6dsB9yYMDV1UEwOeFAXsGbhJ0VWrH3xE0nHjV0J-lYwWRRXz6kIICM6uPJhDWcF4exUIfI/s1600/Jackaranda+Tree+6485.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRqv1TzW-Efal2niD5B4xB92ze3iv99uTERXJKTSwoN6sX2GmutcgbS4A3pdD590prfV4-u6dsB9yYMDV1UEwOeFAXsGbhJ0VWrH3xE0nHjV0J-lYwWRRXz6kIICM6uPJhDWcF4exUIfI/s320/Jackaranda+Tree+6485.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jackaranda Tree</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6-3zsVxB3EdaUC9sKm-_wGVitd5HOraovB33qOIgxQoTBn5kXQ3srZ4pF_2maEQGevZZJEu_Nf6wCOJbmwGoL-KI8lQKfBE21J6XQx6j9y0x5CysgN4c-qBau-K7m5Uz0JMAlpFIsYkI/s1600/New+Farm+6514.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6-3zsVxB3EdaUC9sKm-_wGVitd5HOraovB33qOIgxQoTBn5kXQ3srZ4pF_2maEQGevZZJEu_Nf6wCOJbmwGoL-KI8lQKfBE21J6XQx6j9y0x5CysgN4c-qBau-K7m5Uz0JMAlpFIsYkI/s320/New+Farm+6514.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tree in New Farm Park</td></tr>
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October is Pink Up Racecourse Road. Racecourse Road begins at one of the two horse race tracks in Ascot. Horse racing is a big thing in Australia. The community and merchants on Racecourse Road have decorated the trees lining the street in pink. We are to vote on our favorite tree as part of the celebration. I have included a couple of tree pictures for you.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-uccPSqYxvxpuI_5aNiga1mYyukTm82R5yP2r-n7QCI7Q6Kdl2eaU-QxpnrZHF-ZFZqH1z5LN-NA7XdjcWLcOjaoOO8VII4AQx3Uiujgune-BjLKmc-IGgiFqlRGzQXDwfSymRZZWn-c/s1600/Pink+Trees+on+Racecourse6492.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-uccPSqYxvxpuI_5aNiga1mYyukTm82R5yP2r-n7QCI7Q6Kdl2eaU-QxpnrZHF-ZFZqH1z5LN-NA7XdjcWLcOjaoOO8VII4AQx3Uiujgune-BjLKmc-IGgiFqlRGzQXDwfSymRZZWn-c/s320/Pink+Trees+on+Racecourse6492.JPG" width="240" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQxYd_8QNizXs08yt_wsoYgPLBShgYpJec_2slhZTHq5luODRAy8xky9P0r8fHyp4mVOW9thVJYl9QaDVl40-CvtVtDyzvEdyG7YnLzhkNIR5qLsKdsLH36i12WdS2D2qX8Kbtk2bRSQE/s1600/Pink+Trees+Racecourse6495.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQxYd_8QNizXs08yt_wsoYgPLBShgYpJec_2slhZTHq5luODRAy8xky9P0r8fHyp4mVOW9thVJYl9QaDVl40-CvtVtDyzvEdyG7YnLzhkNIR5qLsKdsLH36i12WdS2D2qX8Kbtk2bRSQE/s320/Pink+Trees+Racecourse6495.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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I am enjoying the mission and love the financial work I am doing. It is much different from the first mission. Each mission is different in many ways but the same as we are serving Heavenly Father and his children. May the Lord bless each of you wherever you are......<br />
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May the Lord Bless You Every Day.......<br />
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That is is for this time........ <br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10935633857884310427noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4929239952465812712.post-75779021636062641112014-09-08T00:38:00.000-07:002019-02-06T19:36:12.066-08:00September 7, 2014<br />
Time flies! I had not idea it has been almost a month since I posted anything. So I will try and catch everyone up with my activities. <br />
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Sunday, August 15, Pat and I took a walk around the neighborhood after church. There were a lot of items on the curbs. Pat kept teasing me about picking up a toilet as a planter for our balcony. We had walked about three blocks when we came upon two wicker barrel chairs and a settee on the curb. As we were looking at them a man came walking by so I asked him what was going on and he explained if it is on the curb it is for the taking. There was a free community pick up the next day. We were trying to decide how we could get the furniture back to our apartment. The man said he had a friend down the street who had a ute (pickup). He left to find him but came back with a different friend. The ute friend was not home. The two men carried the settee to our apartment while Pat watched over the two chairs. I was to bring the car back to load the chairs but realized Pat had picked up the keys just as we left the house so back up the street I went. She met me half way after realizing she had the keys when I did not return as soon as expected. We got the car and returned to the corner just in time to see a woman fondling our chairs. Pat jumped out of the car and told the woman kindly that we had just taken the Settee home and the chairs had been claimed. She was very nice and said okay. Well we could only get one chair in the trunk at a time so I sat in the other chair waiting for Pat to return. I was not very patient so decided to roll the chair down the street. That worked for a short time and then I picked it up and was carrying it when a car pulled over to the curb and a young woman hopped out and asked if I needed help. I was really grateful for her help. She carried the chair about a block and a half when Pat came down the street and we loaded it into the trunk. We thanked the young girl for her help. We were blessed twice that afternoon with two different good Samaritans. The three pieces are in amazingly good condition.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAfq16Dtzx3JQDtpC4YnxsG6zL2HLDd1VsWDHsOLaWMOVx9owr69M7Ts-E6nvCVhLFVg7TJt3W_TrkgenqUetOAQq5_DcsknO7MxMMzyMglK_FzsFeSsIJqvRcfllsCsHgQanfqAEicAI/s1600/photo_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAfq16Dtzx3JQDtpC4YnxsG6zL2HLDd1VsWDHsOLaWMOVx9owr69M7Ts-E6nvCVhLFVg7TJt3W_TrkgenqUetOAQq5_DcsknO7MxMMzyMglK_FzsFeSsIJqvRcfllsCsHgQanfqAEicAI/s1600/photo_1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sete before</td></tr>
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Went to Costco on Saturday to purchase items for a potluck dinner the following week to celebrate a new couple coming to the Mission and President Henderson’s birthday. He had no idea we were including his birthday. SURPRISE.....and we pulled it off. It was a Mexican theme dinner with chicken enchiladas, salad, 7 layer dip, chips and of course cake (several kinds). We had a great time and got to know two couples from up North who were in Brisbane. One couple to attend the temple with a couple from their area who were being sealed and the other couple going home to Cody, Wyoming. The couple who came into the mission that week are from St. George. He is a well know doctor there and will be helping Sister Henderson with the missionary medical issues. He was also my uncle’s doctor before he came on this mission.<br />
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The Costco here is just like home for the most part. They sell a lot of American goods but also have a number of Australian items. We met two different families who are members of the church while in the store. Our badges tip them off and they always speak. It is so much fun being able to connect with the people here. <br />
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So this week we had a bit of an incident at our flat. We had never checked our mailbox so for some unknown reason I checked it on Tuesday. Lots of junk mail but there was a note from our neighbor who was complaining about our heater. It was too loud and he requested we turn it off by 8:30 each night so he could sleep. It did not sound loud to us but he was disturbed because he had lived with this for a whole month without saying anything. We took the letter to the landlady who said that was ridiculous and she would take care of it. A couple of nights later about 9:30 PM we began to hear this banging on our wall and a voice yelling turn it off. Funny thing was we did not have it on. This lasted until 11:00 PM about every 20 minutes he would bang on the wall. Pat finally called the landlady but she did not answer so Pat left a message. At this point Pat decided to go out on our balcony and see if she could communicate with the gentleman. He did not respond but surprisingly the banging stopped. The landlady called the next day and was very sympathetic. She had spoken with our neighbor and he said it sounded like a fan was running. But we did not have a fan running. He may have been hearing the unit outside that brings in the air for the heater but we did not have it on the night he was banging. Our landlady said he was a bit of a pesky neighbor. Just so happens he owns his flat. She ultimately told him it was not acceptable to bang on the wall and if he had a problem he was to come to her. A week or two later he had a party at his house which we thought had ended about 9:00 PM but at 1:03 AM they came back and were pretty noisy for an hour or so. We were kind neighbors and did not bang on the wall. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO0T1kqCbyMo-t0rDpuztrtyHnjgkOqh7JVnmBEaURduL71Bh8nVehh88HpHF2bcSyeCjJzAdYRVLGV4J0CEi3Fs6xiHhOfSxP3CGjZnn6XqZek6VwW8TxcOjT_sZBaQ851xTl_fXRuwA/s1600/IMGP6361.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO0T1kqCbyMo-t0rDpuztrtyHnjgkOqh7JVnmBEaURduL71Bh8nVehh88HpHF2bcSyeCjJzAdYRVLGV4J0CEi3Fs6xiHhOfSxP3CGjZnn6XqZek6VwW8TxcOjT_sZBaQ851xTl_fXRuwA/s320/IMGP6361.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Updated Living Room</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh69ski_SwP-GUMC6NK6k9fAPF0MCvoOt41IJKt-MsoHzdkqBfRhZH8-2b76SLKolNXhqDIDjiUY0OUrNn6eW09zLaWGwmumBNNeVbiOATSzpu29HBfGimO3YR7qLcN548spBgaVa9HVO4/s1600/IMGP6362.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh69ski_SwP-GUMC6NK6k9fAPF0MCvoOt41IJKt-MsoHzdkqBfRhZH8-2b76SLKolNXhqDIDjiUY0OUrNn6eW09zLaWGwmumBNNeVbiOATSzpu29HBfGimO3YR7qLcN548spBgaVa9HVO4/s320/IMGP6362.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Updated dining & kitchen</td></tr>
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When Pat was talking with Jo (our landlady) about the neighbor she mentioned we did not have a TV or radio that might have disturbed him so a couple of days later when we were talking to Jo, she asked if it was by preference. We told her we were not sure what it would cost us and we did not have a TV. She informed us that a cable was part of the flat. Then she offered to loan us a brand new TV which had come out of our flat. So now we have TV and can watch the news, etc. What an amazing landlady we were guided to.<br />
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One of the other senior couples are looking at moving and have talked with our landlady and may be moving in sometime in the next two months. Just found out today (9/9/) that they have the flat and will be moving in the end of October. <br />
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August 30, 2014<br />
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We went to the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary today. We saw a lot of birds, many, many koala bears hugging their trees sleeping, two platypus, a wombat, and a Tasmanian Devil.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_QS3LJKDFhRqZ8iamuwLYGA_DzzdJP3YJfsseS-N91YxBcyNSNHQOVpZfiQXBuLEZgUNmBM8utKQbCc2fWQzrDL7q2xbkhlGzX05u8GfdrpbgEin_QiY8pu1SWV6FdI_clWUrTgNe0R8/s1600/IMGP6335.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_QS3LJKDFhRqZ8iamuwLYGA_DzzdJP3YJfsseS-N91YxBcyNSNHQOVpZfiQXBuLEZgUNmBM8utKQbCc2fWQzrDL7q2xbkhlGzX05u8GfdrpbgEin_QiY8pu1SWV6FdI_clWUrTgNe0R8/s320/IMGP6335.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kookaburra</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH_v03O9pkwKevRJsRQygF8j4Fq49nN4zubXxCwY-ZN9zDG7x7pSCntbk362rt_F-4XpFQOSVkSMoSGKLxVuplkrzJNLjHL7dDEglUrd4LBM4P0fnw2EqDeduTR5v-oxlQBdhWNWqmxoE/s1600/IMGP6345.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH_v03O9pkwKevRJsRQygF8j4Fq49nN4zubXxCwY-ZN9zDG7x7pSCntbk362rt_F-4XpFQOSVkSMoSGKLxVuplkrzJNLjHL7dDEglUrd4LBM4P0fnw2EqDeduTR5v-oxlQBdhWNWqmxoE/s320/IMGP6345.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Curious Koala</td></tr>
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I learned something about Koala bears. I had always heard the reason they sleep so much was because the eucalyptus leaves have a drugging effect. That is not true. The reason is because the leaves are mainly water with very little nutrients so they have to preserve their energy for when it is needed in case of a predator. I also fed a kangaroo. The first one was small about three feet tall and very gentle when he took the food out of my hand. The second one was older but not much bigger but not as gentle. I could feel his teeth on my hand. The sanctuary is only about an hours drive from our flat. Had an amazing day.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwPiRTGc8SlNNxPUzsgaTIlO1XsYQ76hXZhGUaD7Mrsbn5ZoKUOjVpB4j-xta3P7gBm7pNagSIU3IQsxx-QNzq3X_mIvB0MI34uNK9AI6vTMbQOY8VXaAE3EHCTVScXVV7LHdp-0TZZKc/s1600/IMGP6341.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwPiRTGc8SlNNxPUzsgaTIlO1XsYQ76hXZhGUaD7Mrsbn5ZoKUOjVpB4j-xta3P7gBm7pNagSIU3IQsxx-QNzq3X_mIvB0MI34uNK9AI6vTMbQOY8VXaAE3EHCTVScXVV7LHdp-0TZZKc/s320/IMGP6341.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sleeping Koalas</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq1JNnVdWsGLQ0NKgr9oVefp-CxoWhEOJGQd-Om6P3cJajDaM0nornCSauby1A6WIVlA2gPWCWXdrVw-bgcH6f8A4mgV1RRwXG-PAsPPSX8c6tnMeTwvaUtXOJM4tLYrcWK9ejzONX0gM/s1600/IMGP6351.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq1JNnVdWsGLQ0NKgr9oVefp-CxoWhEOJGQd-Om6P3cJajDaM0nornCSauby1A6WIVlA2gPWCWXdrVw-bgcH6f8A4mgV1RRwXG-PAsPPSX8c6tnMeTwvaUtXOJM4tLYrcWK9ejzONX0gM/s320/IMGP6351.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px; text-align: center;">Kangaroo Dinner Time</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJEoDd-cZdv2sZE0J6-cfXRbPf4EuYBWS78sYW6WDymU-VqucUxyfJQBgLaoIxlnPTe9DpjJrlfqQCwX-AFNV1Q_ExGEwBJKb3a0I95mUZEL-Nzah718Z4JFB1pahVoLGx7bW60uvnqsw/s1600/IMGP6350.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJEoDd-cZdv2sZE0J6-cfXRbPf4EuYBWS78sYW6WDymU-VqucUxyfJQBgLaoIxlnPTe9DpjJrlfqQCwX-AFNV1Q_ExGEwBJKb3a0I95mUZEL-Nzah718Z4JFB1pahVoLGx7bW60uvnqsw/s320/IMGP6350.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kangaroo Dinner Time</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjogCRsTBzyBpP5FdomHiaKEKIHmO6o4BCh4pIPUm0lVc3syT_oQO30rvD9QwJX9D0ouE6IzS7q_6b71sURX1nYmfKOoYcaspDmlb-IBjpE_QKeaUWaIspdkusYDcxjRgUcJeRuRiTEiW0/s1600/IMGP6338.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjogCRsTBzyBpP5FdomHiaKEKIHmO6o4BCh4pIPUm0lVc3syT_oQO30rvD9QwJX9D0ouE6IzS7q_6b71sURX1nYmfKOoYcaspDmlb-IBjpE_QKeaUWaIspdkusYDcxjRgUcJeRuRiTEiW0/s320/IMGP6338.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tasmanian Devil</td></tr>
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What a fun experience to feed a kangaroo..... I understand you don't want to try this in the wild. They are much bigger and can be very aggressive. Many are killed on the roads up north and in the interior. Many Australian's do not drive at night in the outback because if they hit one it would take a long time for a tow truck if they could even get cell service to call one. <br />
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I purchased a picture for my bedroom at the sanctuary. It was painted by a certified aboriginal artist in the aboriginal style. I really like it and it will come home with me.<br />
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We attended two baptisms this evening. Two men were baptized into the Enoggera Ward. Those who spoke at the baptisms gave really nice talks which were inspiring for everyone in attendance.<br />
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August 31, 2014<br />
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We attended the Enoggra Ward again this Sunday. We are trying to split our time between Enoggera and Bunya Forest Wards. After church they had soup. The members had brought a number of different soups and bread. It was delicious. They make a lot of pumpkin soups. They do not make pumpkin pie or any sweet pumpkin deserts. It is almost impossible to find canned pumpkin to make pie or deserts. We can find almost anything we want except Crystal light. <i> </i> I will check Costco the next time I go since summer is coming maybe they will bring some in. I am sure there are other things but nothing I can't live without. <br />
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September 6, 2014<br />
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Today our wicker furniture received a good cleaning, a coat of white paint and bright pillows for cushions. We also purchased 5 outside plants to brighten up the balcony as well. We now have an amazing balcony which will serve us very well for the next 15 plus months. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rejuvenated Wicker</td></tr>
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September 7, 2014<br />
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Today we went to church and then took a drive to Cleveland to see the ocean. The tide was out so I was not impressed with the beach but the park along the beach was very nice with great walking paths and eating areas. We packed a picnic lunch of crackers, cheese, meat, chips, veggies, hummus and cookies. It was not a very sunny day so that may have affected my opinion of the beach. <br />
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The work in the Mission office is going well. I really like what I am doing. Elder Montague is a very patient man and has guided me through the processes. I have made a few mistakes but they are part of the learning process. <br />
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These two pictures are of the back of our complex. The lap pool is the reason for the swim suit purchase Toombul Mall for $30.00 an unbelievably low price here. The prices are higher than in the US. I plan on doing laps each evening when the weather is hot and humid. The common area is very nice with a barbeque and eating area for entertaining when we have Family Home Evenings at our flat. I think spring is just around the corner. The spring flowers are beginning to bloom and a number of trees are also in bloom. I love spring and understand there are some amazing gardens here in the Brisbane area. Am anxious to visit them. Maybe I will have pictures of the flowers on the next post....<br />
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More to come in a few weeks...... <br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10935633857884310427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4929239952465812712.post-66544670031620098502014-08-11T23:26:00.001-07:002019-02-06T19:34:14.940-08:00August 2014 One Month in BrisbaneAugust 11, 2014<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoRcgk-h_nqqwou_d_FyDh3vUoT2HT64QTHoTkudukgOPb17SGrspkmH0L8tGDTXpoL8Bgk4mbwl85IA-DLziNFE5AM8Ck5-zxRwAVooepA-Ad6B3mEq37L2OfHPScbk02BBxTB0I1Hnw/s1600/Brisbane+Temple_resize.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoRcgk-h_nqqwou_d_FyDh3vUoT2HT64QTHoTkudukgOPb17SGrspkmH0L8tGDTXpoL8Bgk4mbwl85IA-DLziNFE5AM8Ck5-zxRwAVooepA-Ad6B3mEq37L2OfHPScbk02BBxTB0I1Hnw/s320/Brisbane+Temple_resize.JPG" width="235" /></a>Last Saturday we went to the Brisbane Temple which is located on Kangaroo Point very near downtown Brisbane and is right on the Brisbane river. There is a ferry system on the river called the River Cat which travels several miles up and down the river with numerous stops. We are looking forward to taking that trip this next week. I took pictures of the city and river from the the street across from the Temple.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHkr-QQZ_hUPTOxz5TchN1xPLXgOPlmKdSyyrFLzTB1s2BUWQm44dVUAG2tDW-vyKuh7LLd9m6bMeKlt2-5rm0BSlIkpfOfUIS0oQ-_xDjOrnqWOK86Miylgy206o8bvvp-lXfJmGssAU/s1600/Brisbane+river+&+skyline_resize.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHkr-QQZ_hUPTOxz5TchN1xPLXgOPlmKdSyyrFLzTB1s2BUWQm44dVUAG2tDW-vyKuh7LLd9m6bMeKlt2-5rm0BSlIkpfOfUIS0oQ-_xDjOrnqWOK86Miylgy206o8bvvp-lXfJmGssAU/s320/Brisbane+river+&+skyline_resize.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiFVbcpby1Abyx4QCchqRICAwqkioJ25GhVuXjW_MVAGmHmV9p8IgPEJ2K_1dIZ8whibMAZjHYCGE8YMY8dFyhsY6uOncUQEI3tUe_-4UuU7ruPoJfrVmK8nZozkOBNpljN0oKRLP6blk/s1600/Rainforest+Tree+1_resize.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiFVbcpby1Abyx4QCchqRICAwqkioJ25GhVuXjW_MVAGmHmV9p8IgPEJ2K_1dIZ8whibMAZjHYCGE8YMY8dFyhsY6uOncUQEI3tUe_-4UuU7ruPoJfrVmK8nZozkOBNpljN0oKRLP6blk/s1600/Rainforest+Tree+1_resize.JPG" width="238" /></a>Saturday we decided to see something besides the city. We drove north to what they call the Gold Coast Hinterlands to the Mary Cairncross Reserve which is a rainforest. It had a lovely path through the forest where we saw some amazing trees, vines and bats hanging from the trees.<br />
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It is a much different rain forest from the ones in the Northwest. No moss covering everything in this rain forest just very large trees with many smaller ones trying to make there way to the sunlight. Their growth is stunted until a larger tree falls and leaves an opening so the smaller trees can race for the sky. <br />
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We had to drive along the top of a ridge for a long ways to get to the reserve. From there we were able to see the Glasshouse mountains in the distance. They also are different from our mountains as you can see in the pictures. The country side is rolling hills with open pastures and sections of trees. We drove through a couple of picturesque towns that we want to revisit when it gets warmer. </div>
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I achieved a milestone this week. A week ago Sunday I got brave and went out and drove around the area to familiarize myself with driving on the left side of the road. Because I had been a passenger and navigator for three weeks I felt amazingly comfortable. I drove to the mountains and back yesterday. I guess I am now officially an Aussie driver. </div>
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Our apartment is almost complete. We purchased two area rugs this weekend which have brightened up the living room. Need some accent pillows with some color and at least one picture for the large wall. </div>
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This coming Wednesday we will be here for a month. We have learned many things at the mission office. I am really enjoying the work. There was an orientation for the new missionaries who came in a week ago. Because Pat and I were new we were in attendance. It was an inspiring meeting. It is wonderful to get to know and watch the new missionaries as they learn about the mission and expectation for their mission. </div>
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I think we are going to take the City Cat this weekend which is a ferry that runs the length of the Brisbane river and just see what facinating places we want to see. The prediction is rain but we will hope for the best. </div>
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I am really enjoying the work I am doing at the mission office. I am working with the Financial Secretary paying bills for flats, utilities, reimbursing missionaries, etc. Much more to learn and am anxious to learn all I can. </div>
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If you cannot figure out or do not want to make a comment on the blog just send and email or a message on facebook. I would love to hear from you. </div>
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Hope all is well with everyone. May the Lord Bless each of you. </div>
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Mary Ann</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10935633857884310427noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4929239952465812712.post-28352208165779658782014-07-27T04:12:00.000-07:002019-02-06T19:31:39.517-08:00Completion of Second Week<br />
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End of the second week in Brisbane. We moved into our flat on Wednesday
afternoon. It was nice to get at least part of my clothes out of the
suitcase. Three weeks of living out of my suitcase was a bit tedious.
It was a busy week because there was a lot of moving going on. Elder
and Sister Montgue were moving closer to the Mission office, Elder and
Sister Hansen were moving into the Montegue's flat on Kangaroo Point (a
move across the hall) and we were moving from the Mission Home to our flat all on Tuesday and Wednesday. It was a bit of a zoo at the office
trying to keep everything covered and getting ready for the missionary
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As I indicated in the previous
blog they did not have a flat for us when we got here so had to find one
and get it furnished. I think, we finally got most of what is
essential taken care of yesterday. It is feeling more like home. We
have made two trips to Ikea which is about 30 minutes south of us to
gather bedding, tables, shower curtains, etc. <br />
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Our first trip to Ikea was an adventure. We did fine getting there with the help of the GPS.
Did our shopping and went out to the car. Problem was we could not find
the car. We were so excited about getting there we forgot to take note
of where we parked. We searched for a while and then Sister Parsons
had me wait with our purchases while she searched the parking lot row by
row. Then on the way home we made a wrong turn and came through all
the tunnels under the city of Brisbane. It was a jolly ride. <br />
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We
went to Ikea again yesterday but had very little problem finding the
car (lesson learned) and getting home without the ride through the
tunnels. <br />
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We assembled our purchases of the week last night and I
finally got all of my clothes out of the suitcases. No more living out
of a suitcase. We were given a nice glass top table with three chairs,
a nice new love seat, a new chair to match for the living/dining area.
We purchased a floor lamp which we tried to assemble but it was late
and it got the best of us. Maybe tonight. Our flat is feeling like
home and we are going to enjoy it. Just a few more small things to do
and it will be like home away from home.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhzVMwm9a0LdjhTtFfOK8dXnAfGMgn4SfZktv5gWDP_0yIyBTbBm0ze3C05w2-bhnpEzj8KJtyGeVYaaQ4GUyH49yWNDi-zIg9wRGXHaiNVrwv54PERLoEx890G5Yvg9pIH3ufUlkJM2g/s1600/Flat+Lounge+rug_resize.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhzVMwm9a0LdjhTtFfOK8dXnAfGMgn4SfZktv5gWDP_0yIyBTbBm0ze3C05w2-bhnpEzj8KJtyGeVYaaQ4GUyH49yWNDi-zIg9wRGXHaiNVrwv54PERLoEx890G5Yvg9pIH3ufUlkJM2g/s320/Flat+Lounge+rug_resize.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Living Room</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kitchen</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjYofHjR8FSb0shNJyFHkGn5ThE57P4HKpcNmjhCeqFRhL6D9KY-ZPsODX200IWtJhy_gxKOPW94ks909K2EO3DaCoEg3TXmmyLO1NAchGs4vncBUSgR_gnTu7tu-n-hjvi-Dt1kEPx_U/s1600/Flat+Eating+Area+%2526+Kitchen_resize.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjYofHjR8FSb0shNJyFHkGn5ThE57P4HKpcNmjhCeqFRhL6D9KY-ZPsODX200IWtJhy_gxKOPW94ks909K2EO3DaCoEg3TXmmyLO1NAchGs4vncBUSgR_gnTu7tu-n-hjvi-Dt1kEPx_U/s320/Flat+Eating+Area+%2526+Kitchen_resize.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dining Area</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpCFkZMiZiVxB6YLDKHUdHbyNyhHKOC7z2_DdhyphenhyphenKIovi7K10BzC9DFHUnci_mqvPpRXIcogyGy3h2ff1xC93j2uPItBjV0sochZVq8-VHIYxURlkgGIgFV4MLuL-oq4ZAtcpIomJprpig/s1600/Flat+Back+Bedroom+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpCFkZMiZiVxB6YLDKHUdHbyNyhHKOC7z2_DdhyphenhyphenKIovi7K10BzC9DFHUnci_mqvPpRXIcogyGy3h2ff1xC93j2uPItBjV0sochZVq8-VHIYxURlkgGIgFV4MLuL-oq4ZAtcpIomJprpig/s320/Flat+Back+Bedroom+%25282%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
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We have been busy at the mission office because it is transfer week this next week and there are 16 missionaries leaving and that many coming in from all over the world. This is a very multi-cultural mission. We have missionaries who are teaching in the Chinese community, also many<br />
Polynesians and Asians have moved here. There are 22 different languages spoken here and missionaries from 33 countries. The mission itself is very large: from top to bottom it would cover from the Gulf of Mexico to the Canadian border. Because it takes three days to drive up north much of the travel is by air. I am enjoying my work with the finances of the mission and other special assignments. The weather has been a bit cooler than I had anticipated but has warmed up the last week. Today is beautiful. I am sitting out on the patio at the Mission home typing this. <br />
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Sister Parsons and I are not at church because we are with a sick sister at the mission home while the Mission President and his wife are up on the Sunshine Coast on Mission business. We have not been assigned a Ward yet because there are so many missionaries in the area where we live that the Ward is overwhelmed with missionaries so we are going to be assigned a Ward outside of our boundaries.<br />
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We have a dinner date with a family in the Ward we attended last week. The people here are very friendly and helpful. The member who invited us to dinner attends the Ward we went to last week. We met her in the grocery store and she asked us to dinner with four other missionaries. I know I am going to love it here. Am anxious to get out and see the country side soon. I understand the beaches are not too far from here but the city has much to see as well. Also want to attend the temple soon.<br />
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The birds wake us each morning with their lovely songs. Some are pretty loud but we enjoy them. Until next time. </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10935633857884310427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4929239952465812712.post-46379437561814784012014-07-18T05:24:00.000-07:002019-02-06T19:29:56.896-08:00July 14, 2014<br />
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Arrived in Brisbane Sunday morning July 13 at 7:33 AM after a very, very long flight. It took approximately 15 hours to fly from Los Angeles to Brisbane. The flight attendants took good care of us by providing two meals and numerous snacks and drinks. President and Sister Henderson (Mission President and his wife) picked us up at the airport. Took us to their home because they had been unable to find a flat for us. I took a short nap about noon and then managed to stay up until 7:30 Sunday evening. Slept until 6:15 and did not feel much jet lag the first day. Pat and I spent most of Monday on the computer looking at flats (apartments) to rent. They rent by the week and you have to call to make an appointment to inspect the flat. You are given 15 minutes to view the flat and make a decision. Much different than the US. We have three appointments tomorrow and two on Wednesday.<br />
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Tuesday we looked at a couple of flats. We took an application back to the first flat we looked at and the real estate agent who happens to be the owner of the complex offered us the flat. This is unheard of in Australia. It usually takes at least a couple of weeks. All the Senior missionaries were amazed. They told us we charmed the landlord and maybe we did. It is a nice 2 bedroom flat with 2 baths a decent sized living room that includes an eating area with two balconies. One off of the living room and one off the front bedroom.<br />
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Wednesday we finally got started on the office work part of this mission. I felt like I was home processing those bills etc. I really enjoyed it. We picked up the lease agreement from the landlord. And got it signed by the president. Unbelievable !! All the senior missionaries who are here in Brisbane went to dinner to get to know one another. We had a great time and look forward to more socializing. <br />
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Thursday was in a meeting with the group of people in Brisbane who have any responsibility for missionary housing. It was a fast and furious meeting where I had to listen very carefully to understand a couple of the people.<br />
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We are now the proud recipients of the keys to our flat. Now we need to get furniture which is in the works. Hopefully we can move in the middle of next week. We plan on going to Ikea on Saturday to look for a number of household items.<br />
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It was a busy day today which made the time go by faster. There will be plenty of work to keep us busy. The Monteque's took us down to the river to see the Temple and the city skyline. The Brisbane river serpentines through the city of Brisbane. There is a lot of pleasure boating and tourist ferries on the river. It was a bit cool this evening so we did not stay long. It has been a pretty cool week. All the Australians are cold. I must admit I am a bit cold myself having not brought a jacket anticipating much warmer weather. They say spring is in a month and it will really get warm.<br />
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Sorry no pictures this time. Will attach pictures of the apartment on next blog. Looking forward to getting settled in our own flat so I can unpack everything. Also looking forward to warmer weather. Have not tried driving yet. Have been observing, maybe soon.<br />
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May you all be blessed with wonderful blessings......<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10935633857884310427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4929239952465812712.post-21373071668085687072014-07-05T21:42:00.000-07:002019-02-06T19:27:44.854-08:00MTC WeekThe first week at the Missionary Training Center (MTC) was spent in class being taught from Preach My Gospel. On Wednesday and Thursday we were taken to the Training Resource Center where we met with an investigator and taught a lesson. Any of you who have been to the MTC know these investigators are members of the church who volunteer to role play with the missionaries. I hate this part. My mind goes blank I get so nervous. I did better today but we have one more role play tomorrow. I have met some wonderful couples and sisters. One sister in our group is from Sydney, Australia and going to Washington DC. There is a couple who lived in Silverdale for some time going to Japan and a couple from the Everett area going to Tiawan. Amazing how small the world is. This is a picture of the missionaries in my district. All the missionaries are divided up into groups called districts. We spent the whole week of classroom training with this group. The entire group of senior missionaries that reported on Monday was 99. <br />
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The Fourth of July was very special. We had class until noon and I did better with the role play, not so nervous and participated more. At 8:00 PM there was a program for all the missionaries at the MTC. I believe there are over 2500 here at a time. The large auditorium was packed. It began with everyone singing several songs. Then two young men played the piano. One was an original composition. They were amazing. Next two sisters and one elder on violins, one elder on the piano and one elder on the guitar played. It was the old time fiddle music and they were really cute. During the last song the MTC President's wife came out and played with them. You should have heard all the missionaries when she came out. They gave them a standing ovation. They showed the film 17 Miracles after which we filed out and received ice cream and watched the fire works from the BYU Stadium. There had been a big concert and show prior to the fireworks at the stadium. It was an amazing evening.<br />
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Fireworks at BYU Stadium from MTC<br />
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Next week is administrative training Monday through Thursday. We are scheduled to leave the MTC Friday at 3PM to fly to Los Angeles and at 11:45 PM our flight leaves for Australia. We arrive at 6:45 AM Sunday morning in Brisbane. It is a very long flight with no stops.<br />
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It will be good to get there and begin this marvelous assignment and adventure.<br />
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Next blog update will be from AUSTRALIA. <br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10935633857884310427noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4929239952465812712.post-86552275625076080702014-06-22T08:59:00.000-07:002017-03-04T18:00:19.223-08:00June 22, 2014 My First Post<br />
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Today is my final day to attend church in my Ward. This week will be full of decisions on what to take to Australia and packing my suitcase. There were times in the last couple of months that I thought this day was never going to get here. I report to the Missionary Training Center (MTC) a week from tomorrow and it will be a whirlwind from there on. I am excited to begin this next 18 months. I look forward to meeting all the missionaries in the Australia Brisbane Mission and the people of Australia. Not so excited about the spiders. I understand one of the deadliest spiders lives in Australia but hopefully not in the city. I will be shaking my closed toed shoes out before I put them on.<br />
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I will miss my family, friends and ward members. I am so grateful for all the support I have been given these last five years since I returned from Poland.<br />
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I am not sure just how often I will be posting but at least monthly and hopefully more often. I hope those of you who pull it up will be able to enjoy my experiences with <br />
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Next update will be from the M<i>TC......</i>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10935633857884310427noreply@blogger.com2