Back to 'normal' :-)

Friday, March 6, 2020

Well...these past few weeks have been crazy busy what with the cyclone, cleaning up afterwards & moving the Elders out of their flat because it was damaged. Then finding out we were losing them altogether was such a heartbreaker!! Goodbye, Elder Allen...only a month here, but what an exciting few weeks it was for him! Farewell, Elder Poxon....9 months in lovely, hot Karratha! You are already sooo missed. Such a sad day for us & the Branch! Hurrah for Israel! 

Fortunately, it's not permanent...we'll have young missionaries again, just not for a couple of months. Their apartment couldn't be repaired in a timely manner & with all the things happening throughout the mission, President Bennallack decided to wait until things had calmed down (like no more cyclones for awhile) before moving anyone else here. It's ok...the members will pick up the slack & put their shoulder's to the wheel to help in the work of fellowshipping & inviting people to learn of the gospel of Jesus Christ. They only need a little bit of a fire lit underneath them to get started. 

And here's the kindling for that great fire! This was the first thing Elder Tate & I did when we arrived in Karratha in order to get to know our members & their friends & now it's an 'official incentive' in the Australia Perth mission. We're very excited & know this invitation can change the lives of families here in our mission. Drum roll, please....

How cool is it that something so easy & fun can also be such a wonderful missionary tool! Give your friends an opportunity to see pictures of Christ on your walls; temple pictures; beautiful framed family pictures w/important messages about the eternal nature of families; meaningful quotes from our Prophet/Apostles...anything that brings the Spirit into your homes & allows people to feel that Spirit & ask questions. It really is that simple, yet can have a profound impact.

So...our challenge for you, dear readers, is to do the same thing in your families. When people feel the Spirit & come to understand how much their Heavenly Father desires them to learn of Him & the great plan of redemption wrought by His Son, Jesus Christ, their hearts will be softened & they will want to know more. What a wonderful blessing & opportunity to be a part of the great gathering taking place throughout the world!

This past week we traveled to Perth for a missionary conference, this time w/a visiting General Authority Area Seventy...Elder Nattress, from Fruitland, ID. He's serving in the Pacific Area & lives in Auckland, NZ w/his wife & 16 yr. old daughter. It was a wonderful conference & we received some excellent council from our Mission Pres/his wife & Elder Nattress. He spoke in our stake a few years ago & later that afternoon we had the opportunity to visit w/him about his love for Idaho...fishing, water sports & being in the great outdoors. We discovered we have several friends in common, which was great fun! We enjoyed a wonderful dinner together with the other senior couples, two of which are leaving us this month. We'll be sad to see them go home.  

President & Sister Bennallack on left & Elder & Sister Nattress on right. These other couples are the senior couples serving w/us. Eight of the ten couples are from the States (mostly Utah) & two are from Australia. 

    

These are our two Sisters that serve in Albany...about 4 hrs. south of Perth. This is the only time we get to see them in person...otherwise we see them on the zoom camera we use for our district meetings each week. Sister Hanks (in blue) is a 'golden missionary'...just arrived from the MTC a few days prior. 

   
While there we had the chance to relax one afternoon & enjoy the lovely temperature & COOL breezes...something we haven't yet had up north. We went to the Fremantle Markets (much like Pike's Marketplace in Seattle) & did a little exploring.  Where Sister Tate found some new Ear-Rings---Opal; she likes them, a delayed valentines present.

Chain gang at the Old Perth Prison...Elder Tate wearing his new Crocodile Dundee style hat made out of kangaroo. Looks great on him! 

Eating at one of our favorite parks in Perth, close to the best fish n'chip eatery! Couple standing are just newly arrived from Utah...new office couple; next to them is the Vawdrey's, also from Utah & the senior couple in Port Hedland; the last couple is the Olsen's...our other office couple & Elder Tate calls him 'The Magic Man' cause he does all the financials for the mission. Lovely couple who will be leaving in just a few months.

Below is the Perth Mint where they melt gold from the goldfields to create bouillon bars, coins, jewelry & custom pieces. This is a statue of the first two gold miner's who discovered gold in the middle of Australia. Perfect positioning of the camera, if I do say so myself...

The photo opposite is of the smelting area where they  refine the gold by melting it in a crucible. This process is repeated several times to purify the liquid gold until all the detritus is removed. 

The nugget below is about the size of a football. It was found in a water run-off in a place called Kalgoorlie. That's the main gold mining area in Australia. It's about 9 hrs east of Perth in the middle of nowhere. A good place for gold. And smaller nuggets, too...some in quartz, which is almost like a magnet for gold.

               

This is the largest solid gold coin in the world...over 1 ton of pure gold. On one side is Queen Elizabeth's face...the other side is a red kangaroo, I guess cause they have lots of them hopping about. Guess how much this coin is worth?? Over $500 million big ones! What looks like a mirror or water surrounding the coin is actually sensitized reflective glass...can't even get close to the coin without sending off alarms. At night it lowers into a sealed & pressurized vault...lots of intense security in this building. 

Like many of you, we've been preparing for our upcoming April General Conference & are anxious to hear what our beloved Prophet, Pres. Russell M. Nelson & the Apostles will say. It's been exciting to see the videos, read the articles detailing the various accounts of the First Vision & listening to the experiences of those individuals testify of Joseph Smith's remarkable transformation during this time. It has strengthened our testimonies of his divine calling & the Lord's love for us in bringing forth the restored Gospel to the earth. 

What an amazing thing it is to have such advanced technology at our fingertips! To be able to go back in time; to hear the voices & see the places...discovering these things for ourselves. We find it difficult to imagine what more the Lord can do in this field to further the gathering taking place throughout the world, but look forward w/anticipation to seeing what transpires over the next decade in science & technology.

It's also obvious that Satan is loose in the world & also uses these same tools to thwart God's work. What is used to do much good is also used for evil; lies weave their insidious threads around truth, deceiving the very elect; & wicked people seek to destroy that which is of God. At times it is disheartening & I can appreciate how people's hearts might fail them as they experience the turmoil, confusion & darkness that seems to be all around.  

However...like so many of you, we give thanks to God for modern revelation & the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ! How we rejoice in the knowledge we possess that truth will ultimately triumph & our Savior will reign supreme!  

We are trying to do our part in teaching...not having the full-time Elders is tough. But we have three people we're working with & just received a referral for a new family that moved here a short while ago. We also continue to fellowship & teach Anwar...he is such a wonderful man & we know it's just a matter of time & better understanding for him to be baptised. 

It's hard to believe we've been out over 6 months now! Time usually moves at a pretty brisk pace, but once in awhile things get a little too slow for us...that's usually when it's really just too hot & humid to be outside. They tell us winter is on the way...only a few more weeks to go! Woohoo!! We can hardly wait, cause the winter here is like our spring & late fall. 

We sure love & appreciate all the support we receive from our family & good friends! Please write & let us know what all is happening back home w/everyone! We really enjoy the stories we receive about our missionaries serving around the world & reading about the similar or very different experiences they're having. 

The Church is true! Joseph Smith was the Prophet of the Restoration & we are led by a living Prophet & Apostles today as in the days of Christ. Families can be together forever & the Book of Mormon teaches about these revealed truths. 

Love to all....Elder & Sister Tate 

P.S. I reposted this as some of the pictures didn't stick. Hopefully it takes this time!