How fun is it to write that date down? I did several times today just for the fun of it!
Can't believe it's already February & we've been on our mission now for 5 months. Time is certainly going by very quickly. Everytime I write a new post I hope to have something important or eventful to share; something of spiritual significance or an obvious answer to prayers. When I begin writing that is not usually the case...initially. As I start sifting through the happenings of the weeks prior I can clearly see the blessings & tender mercies of the Lord and am so very grateful for this time to reflect & give thanks.
One of the goals we have this new year is to have an increased spiritual awakening through following President's Nelson admonition to make a dedicated study of the Book of Mormon. There are so many new ways to do this... most are found on the Church's website at: www.churchofjesuschrist.org Our personal favorite so far has been the Joseph Smith Papers Podcast But if you haven't visited www.ldsmag.com you should really check it out also. So much information about the Come, Follow Me program as well as wonderful articles by really good writers.
Last Sunday was our friend Anwar's 50th birthday! Happy birthday to him! We had a linger longer after church w/fruit trays & I baked up a big chocolate cake w/Elder Tate's favorite marshmallow frosting...it was a huge hit! We gave him one our favorite pictures of the Savior for his home...he loves it. Still waiting for him to take the final step & be baptized...he's getting a little closer each day. Please keep him in your prayers...they're helping!
Here are a bunch of our branch kids & their friends having a blast on the slip 'n slide. On the left is Sister Elkington (in the hat) & Amanda, a non-member who came w/her three darling girls. You might recall her from previous entries from the Garden Group. I think we've finally convinced her we aren't a wacky cult...just wacky. However, it was tempting to grab her for a quickie baptism in the kiddie pool!
Sister Lekias is in the center...left is her non-member friend, Tasha & on the right is Sister Dimitrov, mom to 5 adult kids & 7 grandkids here in Karratha. We spend quite a bit of time w/their family as they make up about 20% of the branch. Pres. & Sister Lekias are from New Zealand as is the whole Dimitrov clan.
Our beloved missionaries..
Elder Allen, in front from Dallas, TX & Elder Poxon, from the motherland, England. It was fun watching them interact w/everyone in a crazy, fun setting. They had a blast being able to get wet like everyone else for a change! Now they want to do this every month until summer's over.
Here's Bro. McKay cooking up a storm at the grill. I think he cooked up over 100 sausages...which, in these parts is called a sausage sizzle. :-) He's 1st counselor in our branch Presidency & is married to Lavinia who was busy taking all these great photos! They have a recording studio in their home because they both love music, but Leroy really loves to sing...Karaoke!
And last, but not least....in front is our fearless Elder's Q pres., Caleb Dimitrov, then our branch clerk, Bro. Ta'ala, followed by Pres. Lekias. The three amigos! I think the final count was about 60 people in attendance & almost half were non-members or less actives. Awesome!
We actually took off for a few hours one hot afternoon & went to see a movie at the beautiful theater in town. It's huge & very state of the art, but prior to going into the theater, I noticed several people carrying in pillows...after sitting for about 30 minutes it became obvious why...the seats were uncushioned, hard plastic...SO uncomfortable. We felt bruised afterwards! And everything was very expensive...movie $16.50/person; $4.00 for a little bag of popcorn; $2.50/drink & $4.00 for candy. There were whole families going in with hands full of popcorn, drinks & candy. Had to cost them $150+ for a family of 5. Went & saw the new Jumanji....don't recommend it as there was a whole lot of swearing...especially taking the Lord's name in vain & not nearly as funny as the first one.
We welcomed back lots of members returning home from summer holidays. The last month we've averaged probably 18 people to church...one Sunday there was ten. Very strange to experience, but also helps me appreciate how challenging it can be to provide consistent structure & support to these far distant towns & settlements. It also renews my faith in the absolute necessity of having an organized Church organization to provide said structure & support. It's not difficult to imagine how easy it would be for these good saints to get lost if not for the technology & teaching materials that helps everyone stay connected.
It's so weird having it be summer in the middle of winter months...very surreal. We've had several days in the 100's again & a possible cyclone heading our way. It can change direction very quickly but one should always be prepared w/lots of water, food & things to do indoors. School starts up again this week & we will start teaching Seminary to two students & a recent convert. So, early morning Seminary, here I come again!
We'll also be starting a family history class in a few weeks...one at the community Library & one at the church. Not sure yet how many people will be signing up, but we'll all be learning together cause we're certainly not experts. We've worked on our own family lines, but neither of us have helped anyone else with theirs, so it will be interesting. Any suggestions or ideas to help us get started are very welcome!!
We were planning on going to one of our distant areas this week but will probably have to wait to make sure the cyclone heading our way doesn't cause serious flooding. We would hate to get stuck in the middle of a river like our friends did from our last post! We don't have a 4-wheel drive so wouldn't stand a chance. If you want to check out the cyclone's path you can go to www.windy.com & see what's coming down the northwestern coastline.
The Church is true. God lives & loves us. He provided the world with the restored Gospel through His Son, Jesus Christ. We are not perfect people, but we are striving to overcome our weaknesses by being obedient & faithful to the principles we know to be true & correct. We are eternally grateful to the young Joseph Smith for his humility & desire to know for himself which church he should join & then being willing to do all in his power to bring that marvelous work & wonder to pass. We testify that this work we do...bringing souls to Christ...is the most important work we can be engaged in at this time in our lives. We pray for you, our family & dear friends, & know we are all in the Lord's hands. Love to you all...Elder & Sister Tate!
In closing & w/our Elders...we say to you, our friends....Hurrah for Israel!!
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