22 January 2012

I have saved these last five entries on my computer to be entered on the blog whenever I can get to the church.  Today is Sunday, but I am not going to church this morning.  I don’t yet feel up to greeting everyone, as I know there would be many hugs and questions.  I will rest here quietly at last.  Ray hasn’t left me alone much, so I have the phone, though I can’t make it work from here usually, and he will come home periodically to check on me.  He will get permission from Pres. Holder to give me the sacrament here, and I can have this wonderfully quiet day to rest, pray, read and write. 

Last night while I wrote on the computer, my wonderful companion made me some creamed carrot soup for dinner, which tasted so good.  It was very hot yesterday, even in Albany, though not as bad as in Perth.  We spent a couple of days at the Innes’s flat so that I could recover. 

John and Mereda Innes are from Canada.  He was born in Australia, and served his mission in Albany.  He even showed us a photo of Brother Duffield as a young convert!  They are over cars, phones, and flats in the mission.  There are around 40 flats, making their assignment a gigantic one.  They really need another couple to take half of their load.  They work with the realtors here.  All matters dealing with rentals here have to go through the realtors, not the owners.  So it takes a small miracle to get any changes made.  And the poor Inneses are constantly cleaning out flats and buying all the necessary items to furnish them for missionaries, and visiting existing missionary flats where there are problems, etc., not to mention all the problems with phones and cars!

Before we left to come home, the two office sisters, Sisters Innes and Marsden went with me to two of the biggest op shops in Perth to help me find some summer things because my wardrobe is too dark and heavy for now.  While I sat, and looked some myself, and perspired (It was over 100 deegrees F.), we found a few things which I am quite excited to try.  Sister Innes is so cute and bubbly.  She has found most of her clothes there at a greatly reduced price!  That was fun.

Elder Ashby was relieved to finally be done and heading off for home again.  Even with the GPS, we got off on the wrong turns a few times trying to get through the city to the other side, where we got onto Albany Highway, which one can follow for more than 400 kilometers in pretty much a straight shot down to Albany.  The road passes through several small towns in a southeast direction.  It was a beautiful day, and we felt happy to be going home.

Nearing Kojunup, we could see a great dark storm cloud ahead with plenty of lightening in it.  By the time we reached Kojunup, we were in a heavy rain, and soon after, were surrounded by lightening strikes as well.  The wind blew hard against us.  Trees were down all around us.  Some had been recently removed from the highway, and branches and debris was strewn everywhere.  Albany Highway is lined on both sides all the way from Perth with tall trees, including many tall gum trees.  It became very frightening to drive between them on that narrow road, and a couple of times we pulled off in a safer looking place, as many other cars were doing.  We saw one car with the windshield knocked out, but no major disasters.  This lasted for about an hour.  Then we were back in the sunshine and blue clouds, as if nothing had happened!  We thought it would be on the news, it was such a frightening storm, but all they said was that several thunderstorms had passed through Western Australia.  They seem to be unafraid of the storms.  It’s the fires that result that they really fear.

We were thankful to finally be home together.  Thanks for your prayers, for they were truly heard and answered!