27 November 2011

I succeeded in getting a few photos uploaded for the beginning posts, but I have a lot more to do, and at present, I can’t seem to make the video shots work. Arrrgh!


I forgot to tell you about the bush fires we have been having. They were burning over near Margaret River, so we saw the billows of smoke as we drove over to Bridgetown on Thursday; then the air was filled with smoke here for several days. Today it is much better. But at least 39 homes were destroyed not far from here.


The Australians have a very nice tradition. Whenever anyone leaves their home after a visit, they always walk out to the verge, or the curb and wave as you drive away. This is what Amy and Rod do! Are you possibly part Aussie, Amy? We like this tradition very much. It makes people feel that they are valued.
Today was our first Sunday in Bridgetown Branch. There were 10 children, 12 adults, including 2 visitors from San Diego, and 4 Aaronic Priesthood boys. We had to take a few minutes to introduce ourselves, though we had already met most of them. I had to give the closing prayers in all three meetings I attended today! We were asked to go into the Gospel Principles class with President Ellefson and Mark Morrison, the young man we met yesterday. I never realized how inspiring those simple lessons are before! They always seemed so basic and repetitive. Right! But just listen to them with a man who has never understood the pre-earth life, for example, which is what we discussed today…or the war in heaven, or why we needed a Savior, or why His plan was better than Satan’s! Oh, the beautiful plan of our Heavenly Father! It is truly perfect! What a privilege to witness a man gaining a testimony of the truth! It all made such perfect sense, and one could tell he felt the truth of it.


We were invited tonight to the home of the Millars back in Manjimup. The husband is a member, even a returned missionary, but not a believer any more. She is from Scotland, and is strong in the church, but as their children have grown older, each has fallen away from the church. (Oh, thank you, my sons and sons-in-law, for staying strong and steadfast! I hope you all took note of Sister Dalton’s talk to fathers about nourishing their daughters, since we have 16 wonderful granddaughters who are depending on YOU! And of course, our grandsons, who will follow in your footsteps.) We drove home in the dark, and I gripped the handle above me all the way, because that stretch is known for people hitting roos in the dark. But we didn’t even see one.


We are going back tomorrow to Manjimup because we have one appointment with a very eccentric lady in the morning, and in the afternoon we need to look up several other inactive members there. Then it’s back to Bridgetown for one more night because in the evening we have an important meeting with an investigator family from Zimbabwe that President Ellefson has strong feelings about. Tuesday morning we head back to Albany. We already have several assignments for the weekend of the 18th of December when we come back here.