Happy Birthday, America the Beautiful!

July 4th, 2020

Goodness, time is flying by & it's hard to believe we've been on our mission now for nearly 11 months! We've been blessed to have experienced so many different things; seen many unique/interesting places & have met such wonderful, uplifting & resilient individuals. Our hearts are full as we reflect upon these past months here in the wonderful Australia Perth Mission.

It's been awhile since we we've been able to post anything here on our blog as we've been traveling around Western Australia on assignments & without internet most of that time. I'll attempt to catch everyone up...however, it most likely will take multiple posts in quick succession.

First of all...we completed our assignments w/the other senior couples in getting all the flats cleaned, inspected & ready for new missionaries; food redistributed & everything in good repair. The Mission in is great shape & we think the young missionaries will be better able to stay on top of things as they now have a clear understanding of what is expected of them pertaining to their temporal responsibilities. It's a lot of work to keep the mission running smoothly & we're grateful for the hard work the office couples perform without complaint to keep everything running like a well-oiled machine. The Lord's house is a house of order, including the temporal affairs of His kingdom. 

We enjoyed a senior conference w/Pres. & Sister Bennallack. We participated in assembling care bags for medical people who, because of Covid-19, need extra sanitized items when they leave the hospitals. We met together at one of the huge stadiums where a pro team practices their national sport...rugby. 

We had way too much fun working side by side. You can see the assembled bags lying on the floor in the back. We had another pile behind us. The manager was very grateful for all our help & so happy with the results of our efforts.

The Alekna's (left) gave us all lovely hats w/the beautiful skyline of Perth on them. We presented them with a framed/autographed picture of the photo above w/us in our hats. They loved it! 
They actually extended their mission several months to take on the big job of managing all the flats as well as the English teaching assignments for our foreign missionaries. We sure love & miss them as they have now returned home to the Sydney.

We all come from different walks of life but the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ helps us become of one heart & one mind. That's what is needed & absolutely necessary to carry on in this great work of salvation. It is something that sets us apart as 'peculiar'...people often ask & wonder why we do what we do...come so far & actually pay for the opportunity to serve others. It is something hard for them to wrap their minds around. 

Our drive back to Karratha was bittersweet. A lovely drive seeing new sights, but sad cause we knew we were leaving for a new assignment. Here are some pics from our trip back.

 This is a real sign....probably the cause of countless accidents as people try to read it. We actually stopped to get the picture & were hopeful to see any of these creatures. There's been lots of big, dead kangaroos along the road...luckily we didn't hit any. All we've seen have been in parks or away from busy traffic areas. 

The crocs are up north, so we haven't had to worry about them. There are camels here though. We plan on going for a ride one day soon! 

These are pictures of Shark Bay. We tried to get there, but it was getting dark & we didn't want to be on the road as that is when the kangaroos & other animals come out close to the roads looking for water & green grass. Elder Tate was very nervous about driving after dark so was going a little fast & got a speeding ticket by two officers he had chatted w/earlier in the day. They felt badly about having to give him a ticket, but since he was caught on camera, they had to. They didn't feel bad enough to accept a Book of Mormon, though! Dang! 

These are two very cool globes in the town of Geraldton. The one on the left is made of granite & floats/spins above the base on water that pours over the sides. It was getting to be sunset, so we got a fun shadow. The other is a reflective globe, also very cool...it reflects the scene upside down. They're about 4-5 feet in diameter.

Sunset in Geraldton. 

We ate dinner at a small seaside fish n' chips place. On this occasion, the view was better than the meal! 

This street scene reminded us of Oregon. Had to drive down it several times is was so lovely!

 

Beautiful Catholic cathedral in Geraldton. The missionary work has been very slow here. It is a fishing town, but there's also a university & lots of young people/young families. It seems to be that folks just don't feel the need for religion.
Most of the beautiful churches sit vacant...so sad. Perhaps in the not so distant future, people will feel the need to draw closer to their Savior & return. Or maybe they will become part of our faith's buildings. I have no problem going inside one of these gorgeous buildings to worship!

We won't see these lovely ocean views or white sandy beaches again for awhile, so have to enjoy them while we can! We heard great things about this seafood place & really wanted to eat lobster fresh off the boats. Unfortunately, due to Covid...it wasn't open until the next day. We tried twice to go there...no luck! 

 
You will have to look this up online. There is an area between Geraldton & Canarvon where the wind blows pretty constant in one direction. The trees all look like they're going to fall over or have blown over. This one had it's own sign. Pretty trippy! 

Back in Karratha we had two weeks to pack up/clean out our flat & say goodbye to our dear friends & branch family. I'm not gonna to lie...it was difficult, but we made the most of our time with them. We had the chance to attend Church again twice; had cookouts & went out Bush w/our good friends the Otto's; had a branch activity at a place called Millstream, a special place to the Aboriginals; spent quality time w/Anwar & the Dimitrov family; had dinner w/Phil & Irene Long (our non-member friends who've embraced Family History); taught a dozen lessons to two part-member families & are very hopeful that there will be some baptisms soon as a result. We only wish we could be there when they happen. Four of my friends from the women's place came to our last Church service to show support for me...an invitation I wish I would have extended much earlier. We ended w/a last branch FHE swim party at our complex before leaving Karratha the next morning...almost everyone came & we had a blast. Those days were made memorable by wonderful people whom we love dearly & miss already.

Here we are 'going bush' w/Otto's. They are hopeful of selling their landscape business soon so they can retire & get out on a full-time mission. Wonderful couple who will be excellent missionaries, because they already are! 

This is an old homestead settled in the late 1880's about 70 miles inland from Karratha. At one time it was a very large station w/sheep, cattle & thousands of acres of grazing land. It was quite a large, modern home & boasted two extensive covered wrap around porches; a modern bathroom w/indoor plumbing; fireplaces in every room; crown moldings & fancy stamped tin ceilings w/old rusted out chandeliers. 
Now it's covered inside w/bat guano & home to lizards, mice & other rodents. 

Sister Otto decided to take some of the tin home for a craft project. I'm sure it will turn out very artistic & lovely!

Elder Tate & Bro. Otto are checking out the elaborate well & water cistern...pretty neat & the water was crystal clear. Couldn't see the bottom either. At one time this was a thriving station (ranch). It employed dozens of people & provided a very comfortable home to wealthy landowners. However, it couldn't survive the flooding that occurred when the nearby river overflowed it's banks. This didn't happen often, but when it did, it caused extensive damaged that would take ages to repair. Eventually, the people decided it wasn't worth the effort or cost to keep rebuilding & moved away.

 

Life is kind of like that at times. We go along doing the things we've always done unaware & oftentimes unprepared for the storms that are fast approaching. When the unexpected hits, & they will, (COVID, economic turmoil, isolation) we can be devastated both temporally & spiritually. 

Or, we can look to the watchmen on the tower who see what's ahead, often years before the storms come, & hearken to their voices. When we listen then obey, we can rest assured that we will be able to weather those storms. Even though we are not exempt from hardships & losses, we know to whom we can turn for peace & comfort; strength & endurance; knowledge & power. 

Alma teaches us, 'Yea, and I also exhort you, my brethren, that ye be watchful unto prayer continually, that ye may not be led away by the temptations of the devil, that he may not overpower you, that ye may not become his subjects at the last day; for behold, he rewardeth you no good thing.

Focusing our lives in & on the Savior & His gospel enables us to overcome the tendency of the natural man to be spiritually lazy. As we are blessed w/eyes to see & ears to hear, the Holy Ghost can increase our capacity to look & listen when we may not typically think we need to look or listen or when we may not think anything can be seen or heard. 

"Watch, therefore, that ye be ready." 

Times are uncertain. Let us be faithful in holding fast to the iron rod & keep our eyes focused on our Savior & Redeemer. We love & pray for you, our dear family & friends! We have faith that the Lord's Prophet knows the way and, if we hearken to his council, we will arrive safely home. 

Hurrah for Israel!!  More pictures & stories to come in the next issue. Until then, hugs to you all....Elder & Sister Tate