Monday morning the weather app on my iPad said it was 53 when we got up to walk at 6:00 am.
But it was definitely much colder and I stayed frozen all day long! It sprinkled a couple of times too and there was a breeze.....brrrr!
The spiritual thought was postponed since the Hannan's came in late, the Whites had an appointment, and Lee was at the hospital (see below).
The day was hectic...lots of small details, phone calls, and interruptions. As usual I had excel issues although I was able to figure it out eventually. I was pretty grateful for this second tender mercy of the day! The first tender mercy happened when I went to the White's housing filing cabinet looking for the address of the new flat in Tennant Creek for the updated mission telephone list, and finding the flats are filed by the address. It's kind of like going to the dictionary to find out how to spell a word. But immediately my eyes landed on a tab approximately 20 folders back and it was the correct folder! The whole experience took only seconds and it was amazing!
Lee left the flat at 7:20 am to get an Elder to an 8:30 eye doctor appointment. They waited in the waiting room until 10:30 to even get back to see a Dr, then waited 2 more hours for a scan, and another hour after that they were able to leave. It was torture for Lee, the Elder, AND his companion. The really good news is the eye is fine! But Lee was beat and the day was gone.
The assistants had booked us for a 6:00 pm teaching appointment at our flat so I was grateful to have left over homemade soup to reheat for dinner. They brought a Chinese civil engineering student named Tom over to learn about obedience, commandments, and following the Prophet. It went beautifully and it is inspiring to observe the sweet, humble, heartfelt thoughts and comments as people are touched by the spirit while learning about the gospel.
Tuesday was still cold. Lee was busy getting passport copies verified for Northern Territory 'working with children' applications and sending mail out to far areas. We received the October Ensign so those were included in the packets.
Late in the afternoon, I received a call about two girls bikes stolen in Darwin....arghhhhhhh! Right after that, two infringements came on the email...all of this between 4 and 5 pm. Stressful end to the work day and poor Lee has to notify the drivers. Not fun phone calls to make or receive!
I emailed Stu in Sydney, the church office guy who sends infringement notifications, and said, "STOP! Infringements usually come in threes, and two is PLENTY!" I feel no satisfaction in being right...the third infringement came on Thursday. :-(
I promised Elder Cook I'd get his suit pants hemmed Tuesday night before the assistants left with the Carters to fly to Darwin and Alice Springs for Zone Conferences Friday and Monday.
Wednesday the Carter girls left...boy did that 10 days go fast! I worked on a small project for the board in the mission presidents office, which took most of the morning. It was Firle zone conference in the am and October 1st arrivers training at 1:00 pm. We took pictures of President and Sister Carter with the arrivers so I could get letters out to their parents finally. (No picture yet though with the Pt Pirie Elder and the Alice Springs sister since they are 'far.')
Sister Hannan worked all day designing and fine tuning the bookmarks for Sis Carter's Christmas project for the sisters in the ZAAM. Lee gave a driving test to Elder Barnett after his zone meeting.
Wed night was English class and Danny was the only student to discuss GOING TO THE AIRPORT. We had agreed to have a lesson at our flat afterward with the assistants, but they texted to cancel.
Thursday I sent the arrivers family letters with pictures. I spent the afternoon on the Christmas project laminating and trimming, and trimming and laminating and we are still only 3/5 finished. (Remember the 1000 pieces mentioned in a previous post?) Sis Hannan worked on the bookmarks.
Lee went to the airport at 6:45 am for the Carters and the assistants trip to Darwin and Alice Springs for Zone Training. He was just pulling into the roundabout outside of the airport and President Carter called to say he'd left his iPad. Lee thought he meant in the van, but soon realized Pres meant the iPad was still at the mission home. Lee didn't have time to drive there and get back to the airport in time, so President suggested he call Brother White, who lives just next door to us and ask him to go to the house, grab the iPad, and get it to the airport please?
The rest of Lee's morning was taken up with trips to the bike shop, the post office, office works, the vault, and the shed. Lee wasn't feeling great so he stayed home for the afternoon.
Sister Craig came into the office to work on the Christmas DVD on our MAC laptop from 11:30-1:30 and when Lee was home after lunch the computer was terribly sluggish connecting to the internet. After he rested, he called our internet provider and they got our internet up and running as usual after a 2 hour phone call.
We had homemade chili for dinner and then went to the fabric store as they are open until 9 on Thursday. It felt weird as we are rarely out at night other than to the church across the street.
Friday the Whites weren't in the office at all, and I knew Elders were coming to work on the Christmas DVD and yes, the computer went haywire again afterward. The Hannan's grandson arrived from Perth for a few days so both Hannans went to the airport to greet him which meant Lee had to get back to the office by 10:30, but that was definitely his plan B.
He was gone early that morning to rescue the Murray Bridge Sisters as their car wouldn't start and there was an issue with the car key. (I am so happy I'm not in charge of cars, bikes, and telephones. They are lost, stolen, crashed, needing oil or tire change, broken, dirty, flat, dropped, or ? But it's always something!)
After lunch and the Elders had gone, Lee washed President Carter's car while I finished the last of the 1000 cards and Sis Hannan completed the 60 bookmarks. We still have hole punching and crocheting but we are happy with our progress.
Friday night was taco night with diced green chilies. Mmmmmmmmmm! I hemmed Elder Ataga's new suit pants after dinner and we are glad it's the end of the workweek.
Sat we went back to Hahndorf to purchase a piece of aboriginal art. We looked and deliberated and decided not to purchase since we didn't LOVE any of them in our price range. It was a nice drive and a beautiful day. Came home to rest after stopping at Tony and Marks, a store that reminded me of Trader Joes with more produce.
We had an Elder call while we were shopping saying he was feeling really dizzy with a horrible headache and he couldn't reach Sister Carter for medical advice. Dr. Sheffield asked some questions, gave him some instructions, and told him to call if he felt worse. We checked on him Sunday afternoon and happily found him to be greatly improved. Another tender mercy...for him and for us.
The senior missionaries plus Hannan's grandson went to dinner that night at a buffet restaurant approx 45 minutes away. The food was expensive and disappointing, although the Australians seemed to love it, but it was fun to go as a group.
One of the 'far' set of sisters were in a car accident Sat and called as we were leaving the restaurant. Thankfully no one was injured but another car goes into the crash shop. (Imagine having 120 teenagers instead of just one or two in your family.....that's what it's like to have responsibility for the cars in the mission)
Sunday the speakers topic was LOVE. We reviewed the talks at the beginning of our English class and found that our Chinese friends really understand very little of what's said by the speakers who talk too fast and use words that are unfamiliar. It makes it easy for them to leave during the Relief Society/priesthood hour and now it's becoming a habit.
English was Going to the Airport and a being Punctual. We only have 4 lessons left of 48 and the material is really too simple/basic for some in the class. We had the regulars in attendance Sunday plus a new young man from Taiwan was introduced.
We watched more of General Conference Sunday afternoon. Pres Uchtdorf was inspiring as usual! I LOVE that man! Click here for a link to his talk.
But it was definitely much colder and I stayed frozen all day long! It sprinkled a couple of times too and there was a breeze.....brrrr!
The spiritual thought was postponed since the Hannan's came in late, the Whites had an appointment, and Lee was at the hospital (see below).
The day was hectic...lots of small details, phone calls, and interruptions. As usual I had excel issues although I was able to figure it out eventually. I was pretty grateful for this second tender mercy of the day! The first tender mercy happened when I went to the White's housing filing cabinet looking for the address of the new flat in Tennant Creek for the updated mission telephone list, and finding the flats are filed by the address. It's kind of like going to the dictionary to find out how to spell a word. But immediately my eyes landed on a tab approximately 20 folders back and it was the correct folder! The whole experience took only seconds and it was amazing!
Lee left the flat at 7:20 am to get an Elder to an 8:30 eye doctor appointment. They waited in the waiting room until 10:30 to even get back to see a Dr, then waited 2 more hours for a scan, and another hour after that they were able to leave. It was torture for Lee, the Elder, AND his companion. The really good news is the eye is fine! But Lee was beat and the day was gone.
The assistants had booked us for a 6:00 pm teaching appointment at our flat so I was grateful to have left over homemade soup to reheat for dinner. They brought a Chinese civil engineering student named Tom over to learn about obedience, commandments, and following the Prophet. It went beautifully and it is inspiring to observe the sweet, humble, heartfelt thoughts and comments as people are touched by the spirit while learning about the gospel.
Tuesday was still cold. Lee was busy getting passport copies verified for Northern Territory 'working with children' applications and sending mail out to far areas. We received the October Ensign so those were included in the packets.
Late in the afternoon, I received a call about two girls bikes stolen in Darwin....arghhhhhhh! Right after that, two infringements came on the email...all of this between 4 and 5 pm. Stressful end to the work day and poor Lee has to notify the drivers. Not fun phone calls to make or receive!
I emailed Stu in Sydney, the church office guy who sends infringement notifications, and said, "STOP! Infringements usually come in threes, and two is PLENTY!" I feel no satisfaction in being right...the third infringement came on Thursday. :-(
I promised Elder Cook I'd get his suit pants hemmed Tuesday night before the assistants left with the Carters to fly to Darwin and Alice Springs for Zone Conferences Friday and Monday.
Wednesday the Carter girls left...boy did that 10 days go fast! I worked on a small project for the board in the mission presidents office, which took most of the morning. It was Firle zone conference in the am and October 1st arrivers training at 1:00 pm. We took pictures of President and Sister Carter with the arrivers so I could get letters out to their parents finally. (No picture yet though with the Pt Pirie Elder and the Alice Springs sister since they are 'far.')
Sister Hannan worked all day designing and fine tuning the bookmarks for Sis Carter's Christmas project for the sisters in the ZAAM. Lee gave a driving test to Elder Barnett after his zone meeting.
Wed night was English class and Danny was the only student to discuss GOING TO THE AIRPORT. We had agreed to have a lesson at our flat afterward with the assistants, but they texted to cancel.
Thursday I sent the arrivers family letters with pictures. I spent the afternoon on the Christmas project laminating and trimming, and trimming and laminating and we are still only 3/5 finished. (Remember the 1000 pieces mentioned in a previous post?) Sis Hannan worked on the bookmarks.
Lee went to the airport at 6:45 am for the Carters and the assistants trip to Darwin and Alice Springs for Zone Training. He was just pulling into the roundabout outside of the airport and President Carter called to say he'd left his iPad. Lee thought he meant in the van, but soon realized Pres meant the iPad was still at the mission home. Lee didn't have time to drive there and get back to the airport in time, so President suggested he call Brother White, who lives just next door to us and ask him to go to the house, grab the iPad, and get it to the airport please?
The rest of Lee's morning was taken up with trips to the bike shop, the post office, office works, the vault, and the shed. Lee wasn't feeling great so he stayed home for the afternoon.
Sister Craig came into the office to work on the Christmas DVD on our MAC laptop from 11:30-1:30 and when Lee was home after lunch the computer was terribly sluggish connecting to the internet. After he rested, he called our internet provider and they got our internet up and running as usual after a 2 hour phone call.
We had homemade chili for dinner and then went to the fabric store as they are open until 9 on Thursday. It felt weird as we are rarely out at night other than to the church across the street.
Friday the Whites weren't in the office at all, and I knew Elders were coming to work on the Christmas DVD and yes, the computer went haywire again afterward. The Hannan's grandson arrived from Perth for a few days so both Hannans went to the airport to greet him which meant Lee had to get back to the office by 10:30, but that was definitely his plan B.
He was gone early that morning to rescue the Murray Bridge Sisters as their car wouldn't start and there was an issue with the car key. (I am so happy I'm not in charge of cars, bikes, and telephones. They are lost, stolen, crashed, needing oil or tire change, broken, dirty, flat, dropped, or ? But it's always something!)
After lunch and the Elders had gone, Lee washed President Carter's car while I finished the last of the 1000 cards and Sis Hannan completed the 60 bookmarks. We still have hole punching and crocheting but we are happy with our progress.
Friday night was taco night with diced green chilies. Mmmmmmmmmm! I hemmed Elder Ataga's new suit pants after dinner and we are glad it's the end of the workweek.
Sat we went back to Hahndorf to purchase a piece of aboriginal art. We looked and deliberated and decided not to purchase since we didn't LOVE any of them in our price range. It was a nice drive and a beautiful day. Came home to rest after stopping at Tony and Marks, a store that reminded me of Trader Joes with more produce.
We had an Elder call while we were shopping saying he was feeling really dizzy with a horrible headache and he couldn't reach Sister Carter for medical advice. Dr. Sheffield asked some questions, gave him some instructions, and told him to call if he felt worse. We checked on him Sunday afternoon and happily found him to be greatly improved. Another tender mercy...for him and for us.
The senior missionaries plus Hannan's grandson went to dinner that night at a buffet restaurant approx 45 minutes away. The food was expensive and disappointing, although the Australians seemed to love it, but it was fun to go as a group.
One of the 'far' set of sisters were in a car accident Sat and called as we were leaving the restaurant. Thankfully no one was injured but another car goes into the crash shop. (Imagine having 120 teenagers instead of just one or two in your family.....that's what it's like to have responsibility for the cars in the mission)
Sunday the speakers topic was LOVE. We reviewed the talks at the beginning of our English class and found that our Chinese friends really understand very little of what's said by the speakers who talk too fast and use words that are unfamiliar. It makes it easy for them to leave during the Relief Society/priesthood hour and now it's becoming a habit.
English was Going to the Airport and a being Punctual. We only have 4 lessons left of 48 and the material is really too simple/basic for some in the class. We had the regulars in attendance Sunday plus a new young man from Taiwan was introduced.
We watched more of General Conference Sunday afternoon. Pres Uchtdorf was inspiring as usual! I LOVE that man! Click here for a link to his talk.
I have been pondering an email I received from the mom of one of the leavers....among other things she said," I was reflecting on my role as a mother and realized that although I am human and had so many faults as a parent, some major in my mind, I, with the help of others accomplished one major role- to raise a son up unto the Lord. One feels satisfied and confident that all ( teachers, leaders, bishops, mission office staff, fellow missionaries and Mission presidency ) can turn to the Savior and Heavenly Father and say: we raised him up to fulfill his duty."
Beautiful sentiments and expression!
No comments:
Post a Comment