Meet Josh & CeCe...our newest converts in Kalgoorlie, WA! They are so full of love & excitement for the restored gospel of Jesus Christ & have strong testimonies of the truth they've found. They are filled w/joy to learn more & always have their scriptures close at hand...like little birds, they're hungry to be fed the good word of God. They're a wonderful married couple who work together at the Prison where he is a guard & she is like a sargeant in charge of all the guards. He's the strongest, yet most gentle man I've ever met...& she's the little powerhouse beside him.
Below is our two Elders....Elder Palelei & Elder Loto. Elder Palelei was called to serve in Auckland, New Zealand, but because of Covid, is serving in the Australia Perth mission for now. He had only been out two weeks when he was able to participate in teaching/baptising Josh & CeCe! Great way to begin serving the Lord, right! Elder Loto is from Samoa & is our district leader. He's a great missionary who loves serving the Lord & teaching His children... He always has a smile & laugh to share w/others. We love serving & working w/them in Kalgoorlie!!
For those not familiar w/Elder Tate's nickname...it's Porter, after the Prophet Joseph Smith's bodyguard, Porter Rockwell. He often wishes he could have a job being a bodyguard to a Prophet & has read everything published about Porter. So his best bud, Reuben Dietz, bestowed upon him the name of Porter. He takes it very seriously!
Here's a good photo of what our area looks like. The two towns of Boulder/Kalgoorlie are pretty much dwarfed by the gold mining operations, which actually extend much further outside the picture. What you can't see is the underground shafts/tunnels that go for miles in all directions. It's crazy how big these operations are & how much rock is moved to find gold. Once considered the richest square mile on Earth, it has produced over 60 million ounces of gold. That's a lot of shiny stuff worth billions of moolah!
Ok...I hate spiders & WA has a lot of spiders! Fortunately, we haven't seen many big ones, but this one on the ceiling over our head just about put me over the edge. It's a Huntsman... according to the people that were in the room at the time, at two inches it wasn't very big!
Elder Tate has taken to riding his bike in the early evening out on the local golf course. He's making new friends! Unfortunately, on this time out he had to take a detour when the big male took exception to his taking pictures. He didn't like the way his ladies were eyeing Elder Tate!
We really wanted to go ride camels for our 43rd wedding anniversary, but they aren't doing that until summer...here that's December! So instead we did some sight-seeing. This is the Museum of the Goldfields here in Kalgoorlie. The most prominent feature of the museum is the giant head frame behind me. There's an elevator that takes you to the top for great panoramic views of Kalgoorlie & the surrounding mines.
The displays inside the museum offer very interesting stories/pictures of the extreme hardships miners & families living in the area faced. Disease, lack of water & unsanitary living conditions were an everyday fact of life. At times water was worth much more than gold & most everyone drank whiskey or ale as it was easier to find in one of the 93 taverns around town! There is a great collection of gold bars, nuggets, jewelry & mining/living artifacts we found very interesting.
The British Arms was built in 1899 & is reportedly the narrowest 2-story pub/hotel in the Southern Hemisphere at only 3.2 meters or 10.5 ft wide. During it's heyday, it had a large oblong tavern/gathering space on the main level; a narrow stairway leading upstairs to a hallway & several private bedrooms & a communal washroom. Now it has replicas of a dentist office, & main parlor/dining room similar to one wealthier homes might have had back then.
British red phone booth...minus the phone.
This gold nugget is worth about $1000!
Beautiful anniversary bouquet!!
We are still working hard on teaching & community service. Monday-Friday we do bread deliveries to community organizations; Mondays are spent doing catch up, shopping, calling home, etc. Tuesday is teaching, meeting w/less actives & Elder Tate's starting b-ball coaching this week; Wednesday is missionary meetings & more service; Thursdays are Book of Mormon/Family History classes; Friday mornings we're busy working in the Salvation Army soup kitchen & teaching via zoom in the afternoons; Saturdays is whatever comes up & lots more visiting; Sunday of course is church...which we are so fortunate to be able to attend twice a day w/half the ward at each meeting. We spend the day meeting our members & just visiting.
We had a wonderful opportunity to go to a baby blessing yesterday (Sunday). It was for a young single mom...plus about 75 family members/friends who came to support her. Even though her circumstances were less than ideal, they just love people back & do whatever's necessary to make sure they are surrounded by kindness. It's astonishing how every major accomplishment in these family's are celebrated...blessings, baptisms, confirmations, etc. There was enough food to feet an army & some of these islanders can really eat! They take their food very seriously!
They also take believing very seriously. They love the scriptures so much they regularly name their boys after prophets...Ammon, Jeremiah, Ammoron, Nephi, etc. We've found members who haven't gone to church for many years...this is generally because they live in the middle of nowhere, have work schedules taking them away from church for weeks at a time, etc. But they love the Lord & still have strong testimonies of Joseph Smith & the Book of Mormon & welcome us into their homes.
They also have similar challenges as do we all...difficulties at work; children with problems; struggles in marriages; depression/anxiety; addictions, health issues...the list goes on. Regardless of what afflictions we suffer, the answers to all life's hardships remain the same...it is through Jesus Christ & His Atonement that we can overcome all adversities. He provides the peace, comfort, joy & strength we need to move forward. He is able, when we are not.
Even though we are somewhat removed from the events transpiring around the world, we still are aware of how these events are effecting everyone. We see/hear of the protests & violence; the disagreements & anger; the lies & distortions. This is nothing new, but it is increasingly apparent that evil knows time is growing short. Our Savior's return is imminent & there is still much to occur before He comes again.
Follow the Prophet....in this you are secure! He knows the way & if our eyes are focused on the Lord & our hands are firmly grasping the iron rod, we have no need to fear the uncertainties that lie ahead.
We love you, dear family & friends! Be believing & obedient that all things will be for our good. Hurrah for Israel!!
