September 3, 2019
Our arrival in the far northern parts of Western Australia was made sweeter when we saw this beautiful handmade welcome sign held by three of the cutest little children. They’re trying hard to help us not to miss our little grandkids & it’s certainly appreciated!!
Their dad is our branch President & he put us to work immediately with the young Elders here in Karratha to assist them with teaching appointments & cleaning up member records. We’ve also been busy getting out into the community to meet people not of our faith & offering our services...so far I’ve met with the ladies’ Soroptimist's group, offered to volunteer in the brand new, beautiful public Library (shocking, I know!) & we’re busy teaching a gentleman from Mongolia English twice a week. We also go to a children’s garden group & help with whatever needs to be done...usually Elder Tate cooks on the grill & helps sample the delicious salsa or pesto the kid’s make from the herbs grown in the gardens...they will eat just about anything they make from what they planted. We also will be starting to put together a plan to teach Seminary remotely when the new school year rolls around in February to the 4-5 teens here in Karratha & the 2-3 students from another small branch 2.5 hrs away...Port Hedland.
Last week we started teaching English to a gentleman from Mongolia. He's very intelligent, yet so humble & teachable, especially considering he has advanced degrees. This last lesson the elders helped us by having a conversation with him about the Provident Living program & how it can help him in employment & life skills. They also taught him how the Lord will assist in his learning as he uses prayer to talk to his Heavenly Father. They gave a beautiful, yet simple example of how he can pray & invited Batmunkh (his name) to use a similar prayer as part of his homework. He humbly said he would. He has come to church twice & we are very hopeful that he will continue to learn & grow both in his English skills & in the Gospel.
Monday evening we got to see a wonderful heavenly sight....it's called 'Staircase to the Moon'. It occurs only a couple times a year & is pretty incredible. The pictures don't begin to do it justice so you'll have to look it up. Anyway...as the full moon comes up over the horizon it casts it's reflection upon the water. As it rises the light moves & begins to look like steps going across the water & up to the moon. This lasted for about 45 mins & was just incredibly beautiful. Elder Tate put on Led Zepplin's 'Stairway to Heaven' & it was actually pretty fitting.
This weekend we went to our 2nd area, Port Hedland, which is 2.5 hrs further northeast. It is of similar size/composition as Karratha. Many of the people in both communities work shift work, which means they are on the job two or three weeks at a time, 12 hrs/day then off for a week or so. It’s very difficult & puts a lot of strain on marriages/family life. They are paid extremely well for the sacrifice of being gone so much, but the toll is often much greater than the blessings of financial security. Those who stay faithful & attend Church when home are much more likely to remain active, but many give up as it takes real effort & dedication.
We had a meet/greet with several YSA women & shared a meal & lots of laughter. We also made future plans for the coming months for them to look forward to attending & learning more about how they can increase in their faith & testimonies. These young women also struggle with activity because their numbers are so small & there are not many opportunities to meet good, worthy men to marry. It is more common to find people having so-called partners than actual married spouses. This is a big stumbling block in teaching the Gospel to couples/families.
It is wonderful getting to get to know these good people in this part of the Lord's vineyard. We find that members of the Church have the similar life experiences everywhere...family challenges, unemployment, health issues, financial problems. It is wonderful to know that the Lord loves all His children regardless of where we live or how we live & desires to bless each of us with all He possesses. We are so very grateful for the opportunity to teach of our Savior & His Atonement & invite all to come unto Him.
We pray in the coming days you will take the opportunity to prepare your hearts & minds to receive His message by our Prophet, Pres. Russell M. Nelson & the Lord's Apostles. It is an amazing time to be alive & a part of the final gathering prior to the second coming. I testify that He lives, that the Book of Mormon is true & that our Savior stands at the head of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
Love to all...Clarisse
