January 21, 2021
We haven't been able to post for awhile because we've been on the road again to Perth & busy as little worker bees! So I hope you like seeing pictures & hearing about our adventures, because this post might be a bit long! And I will apologize in advance...many of the photos/adventures involved sitting around laughing while consuming much delicious food. We've gained a few pounds since coming to Australia!!
We attended a 3-day Senior Missionary conference & then joined up w/the younger missionaries for another two days. It was a wonderful, fantastic, uplifting time spent together & a much needed kick in the pants! There is much to be accomplished in the next few months before we leave Western Australia to return home & the conference helped us refocus our eyes on our missionary purpose & doing all we can to help others come unto Christ here in Kalgoorlie in the time remaining to us here.
Nearly to Perth we got pushed off the road to allow these huge semi's hauling two gigantic dump trucks past us on the highway. You just can't appreciate how large these trucks are until they move past you...not as humongous as the mining trucks in Kalgoorlie, but still pretty dang big! The tires alone are over 12 ft. tall.
God truly is in the details of our lives! We have been praying for an opportunity to see some of our dear friends from Karratha before we leave for home, so we were beyond excited to find out several of them were in Perth at the same time as we were. It was so awesome to be able to reconnect w/them, even for a short time & such a blessing as we probably won't be able to see them again before we leave to come home. They will be forever in our hearts!
Here's the Lekias family...the first family to welcome us to Western Australia. If you recall they made the sweet little poster to greet us at the airport & we still have it. Joel is the Branch Pres. in Karratha. We sure love them! We introduced them to our Murder Marble Game & they loved it... the six year old, Melissa, picked it up in minutes & schooled us all on how to play the game. Little Gideon, the four year old, had asked his mom last week if they could go over to the Tate's place for a swim. When Nicole told him we didn't live there anymore, but had moved to Kalgoorlie, he shrugged & said, 'well, then let's go there'!
Here we are w/the Baker's afterwards...Georgia & her kids...India & Reece. We just missed Kent who flew out to work on the largest natural gas platform in the world. India has been accepted into a prestigious ballet academy in Perth...she is very talented & dedicated to her craft...reminds of of our Belle. Reese is a lot like our Lachlan...loves gaming & is a feisty kid. Georgia reminds me of our Kim...a smart & kind woman w/lots of wisdom gained through hardship. Kent's dad is a counselor in our Mission Presidency. They hadn't even been in the ward for a day when contacted by a member of the Bishopric (his brother-in-law) & were surprised to hear their names called/sustained as the new YSA leaders in church a couple days later! They are a wonderful family & we will miss them.
Our first day w/the Senior couples we went to the Optus Stadium...a 65,000 seat stadium smack downtown on the river. We had a private tour & learned a lot about the strange sporting world down under. Cricket, footie, soccer & rugby are all played here & the playing field has to be changed to accommodate each sport. Very strange & expensive...
In one of the locker rooms w/Elder Tate...this logo reminded me of the Capital High School Eagles. Pres. & Sister Bennallack in front of one of the Cricket team logos. President loves that game...we just don't understand the allure. Seriously, one game can go on for several hours or even days...seems very boring & slow to us...like watching paint dry.
Sister Furin & myself in the spa room...it was a very warm day & she was tempted to take a dip in the ice cold water. Not me!! They are the medical couple from Vancouver, WA & she loves, loves the water! If able, she would spend every day in the ocean. They are such fun people & so dedicated to looking after/loving our young missionaries. If missionary parents knew the care & kindness our senior couple have for their son's/daughter's, they would be so relieved of worry. We plan on taking a road trip to go visit after we get home!
Not much to see here...but Elder Tate got really excited when we rode on the escalators or in the huge cargo elevators! Had to teach everyone about them & what they could/could not do. Facts matter, people!!
This is the Matagarup Bridge...the coolest walking bridge ever!! It's 1200 ft. long & about 240 ft high. Cost those Aussie taxpayers about $91 million to construct. The city is thinking of allowing bundgie jumping off the top arch...possibly to recover some of the budget?! That wouldn't interest me, but our daughter Leslee would totally go for it! She bundgied one of the tallest bridges in the world...over 750 ft in South Africa...so this would be a piece of cake for her!
Lunch w/friends!! Pres. & Sister Bennallack; the Mitchell's; the Furin's'; the Vawdreys & the Britton's (in blue hat). Such wonderful people & amazing senior missionaries. We wish there were more coming into our mission, but there is not. Such a sad thing...the Lord needs more couples who recognize the amazing opportunity & blessing it is to serve together w/their spouse & other couples who love & desire to serve the Lord.
Later that evening we met up w/the two MP counselor's & their wives for a dinner at one of the Bennallack's favorite Thai restaurants. We had the place to ourselves, so could be as loud as we wanted...which we were. Much laughter & fun stories were shared down the table. One of our favorite stories is how Pres. Baker's family were taught the gospel by a young Elder from Boise, Idaho...Ted Anderson. Pres. Baker was a teenager at the time & later served his own mission in San Diego. He & his family remained very close to Bro. Anderson these many years & he even came to Boise to give the eulogy & speak at Bro. Anderson's funeral a few years ago. When he found out that was where we were from, Pres. Baker called us to personally welcome us to the Perth mission & has been a great support to us while we've been here. We are so very grateful to his & Trish's friendship & will miss them when we leave. But we know that won't be the end of our conversations or time together.
Elder Tate tried to teach this young statue, but his message fell on deaf ears....
The following day we met up w/some new friends we gained just a few weeks ago! We met Paul Mortley at his nephew Eli's baptism in December. Paul's brother's family are our away-from-home family while here in Kalgoorlie. He's an EMT/site safety supervisor at mines throughout WA & travels pretty extensively...had some cool stories to tell about diamonds & the British monarchy. The two gals are sisters & friends of his family...fun loving people who adore America & are hoping (Paul anyway) to move to the States in the very near future. We had lunch at an Irish pub in a very eclectic part of Perth. The pub was built in the late 1890's & had some beautiful woodwork & floors. A very fun place to hangout w/new friends & try some different dishes. They had stout meat pies, while we had more conservative fish/chips/salad.
The next several photos are from a dinner we had w/the Baker's & Bro & Sister Grinceri. He is currently serving as a Patriarch, but according to him, his most fascinating & frightening position was when, as a 29 yr. old man along w/his 26 yr. old wife, Vicky, were called to serve over the Rome Italy mission. Crazy young, right! She spoke absolutely no Italian...had one baby & was expecting another. Guess who was serving there among the beautiful young sisters & was given the assignment to help Sister Grinceri? Janis Stonehocker (Bielski)!!
For those who don't know Janis, she & Tom/their family were in our ward for many, many years & their kids are the same ages as ours. She & Tom were an important part of the Brookhollow ward & served faithfully in many callings throughout the years. She was best friends w/July Bollschwieller & Candy Crouch & the three of them could be found at garage sales all over Boise & were founding members of our long running book group. We have very fond memories (& some not so fond ones!) of their time as part of the ward family. Janis was so excited to hear about our visit & see the photos we shared w/her. The world really is a very small place...especially within the Church.
Sister Grinceri cooked a delicious Italian meal for us...poached salmon w/tomatoes & peppers, fettuccini & her dessert was incredible!! Homemade apple cake (not really a cake, more of a pastry) & gelato. So good! Again...creeping poundage on our butts!!
On Monday we met w/all the young missionaries for a combined day of fun & games: played baseball, which most of them had never done & knew nothing about; had a bunch of fun competition games, like 'minute to win it', Jeopardy, relays, etc. Here's some pictures of the games: Elder Tate/Elder Furin in the donut eating contest.; necktie competition, just hanging out; best friends/comps receiving instruction; seeing the temple at night.
It was a very full day & we were exhausted, but so happy to have all been together once again. At the end of the day it was wonderful to be able to walk outside & be in front of the beautiful Perth Temple. And, after Feb 8th, we will be able to go back inside to perform ordinances once again. We can hardly wait!!
Our last evening was bittersweet....our first senior couple to return home left Tuesday evening. They are/were wonderful missionaries who love the Lord & the young missionaries! She was always making some kind of craft thing to give away; was a shopping fool who could be counted on to be late for just about everything. They're both really hard workers who helped clean numerous flats together w/the young missionaries & managed to make it fun; they cleaned/inventories all the cars that were turned into the mission when 80 missionaries left; he helped Elder Tate gather up & repair all the bikes in the mission...about 80 were put into storage at the mission office chapel. They served as the Branch President/wife up in no man's land of Port Hedland for almost a year & did it with a smile & hug. They will be sorely missed by us all.
The Vawdrey's live in the SLC, Provo area...along w/three of the other couples who will also be returning home over the next few months, so we are very hopeful that we can all be together once again at our mission reunion next October. All of us senior missionaries surprised them by showing up to say farewell at the airport. We were surprised (shouldn't have been!) to discover we had to wear face masks to be allowed inside or risk a $50K fine! Fortunately, one of the Sister's had a pkg so we were ok. Having not worn a mask before, we now know it will not be an easy thing to return home & have to wear them everywhere we go. Elder Tate might not be coming back w/me! Seriously!!
A very busy, but wonderful experience came to an end & we headed back to Kalgoorlie w/our Elders following behind in a car...yes, they now have their own vehicle, so we won't have to go rescue them when they get a flat bike tire; need to go to the shops or have some other 'emergency'. They're good boys, but very needy sometimes.
We are so grateful for the experiences we've shared w/our senior couple friends. They are all unique, talented & dedicated individuals who love the Lord & desire to serve Him. And, as it reads in D&C 4;3, which we quote each week in our District meetings...'if ye have desires to serve God, ye are called to the work.'
So what does that really mean? We've come to better understand the in order to truly understand a principle of the Gospel, one must first desire to gain understanding. It is through sincere desire that our hearts are enlarged, that our abilities increase & our minds are truly opened to the promptings of the Spirit. That is when true learning occurs & we can gain wisdom.
I know the US Constitution was/is an inspired document & the founding father's were chosen by God to bring about a new land of freedom. It was only there that the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ could be brought about. Joseph Smith, as a young man of 14, desired to know his standing before God & which church he should join. He put that desire to the test & asked in faith...& as we know, he received an answer that removed all doubt from his mind as to whether or not God the Father & His holy Son exist.
There's a lot I don't know, but I do know Joseph's account is true. I know he was/is the Prophet God chose to bring about the restoration of all things. I know we are led by a true Prophet...even Pres. Russell M. Nelson & we have Apostles & otther righteous men/women leading & directing the affairs of the Kingdom of God on the earth today. I know that by hearkening to their words & seeking spiritual confirmation to the things they tell us, we can know for ourselves the 'truth of all things' by the power of the Holy Ghost. I know the Priesthood is God's power by which families can be sealed together forever; & that our Savior's return is drawing ever closer.
We pray for you our dear family & friends & promise as you continue to move forward in faith, though there may be times when the days may be dark & confusing, that the light...which is Christ the Lord, will shine brightly before you; that His angels will be round about you, strengthening & bearing you up. We promise that by not grasping in fear to the rod of iron; or wandering off because of doubt, but by holding fast & tightly to the word of God, you will find your way safely to the tree & be partakers of the fruit which is most delicious above all else...even our Savior & Redeemer, Jesus Christ.
Love to you all....Hurrah for Israel!! Elder & Sister Tate
