Brisbane Beauty & Tender Mercies

After our conference was over in Tugan, Larry and I rented a car and traveled to Brisbane.  We had two main reasons for going there - we wanted to attend the temple and to visit with Jessie Lammi and his family.  "Elder Lammi" was one of our favorite missionaries who served in our ward back in Boise.  We had him and his companion, Elder Alvarez, over for dinner and often would visit with them.  Knowing Elder Lammi lived in Australia we hoped we might somehow be able to connect with him when we learned we would be going there for the conference. At first we were disappointed when we looked at a map and discovered that Bundaberg was so far away from where we would be - over a four hour drive from Brisbane.


                                               
As it turned out, his family was traveling to Brisbane at exactly the same time we would be there since Jessie's younger brother, Triston, would be leaving for his mission.   This was just one more "coincidence" of our mission that felt like a special tender mercy from the Lord. Being with them in the temple was a real highlight of our trip.

We drove up Friday evening, after dropping off the Schwenkes in Surfer's Paradise where they were going to be visiting with some family there.   As we headed on to Brisbane we were treated with a magnificent Australian sunset.

We stayed at a lovely Bed and Breakfast, Chapel Woods B&B that we very much enjoyed.   I captured this film of the bird sounds in the back yard which were pretty amazing.




Chapelwoods Bed and Breakfast

After our time in the temple Saturday morning we went out to eat at a local restaurant with the Lammi family and had a great visit.   Once we said our good byes we headed out to return to our B&B.  However, there was one problem.   Our GPS quit working!  Larry does a great job of driving in all the different countries we go to.  But Brisbane is a BIG city of over 2 million people set within an urban area that extends even further.  We had NO idea of how to find our way back without navigation.

We both started praying really hard that we would be guided to know where to go.  We had about half an hour of white knuckle tension as we tried to figure out what to do.  We took what we THOUGHT was a turn in the right direction and ended up in the longest tunnel either one of us had ever experienced - over nine miles long.  Once we were in that tunnel there was nothing we could do but keep going till we got to the end, which was clear out by the airport. It was rather scary to be so lost in such a big city.  We figured we would go find the place where we were supposed to turn in the rental car and tell them we needed a new GPS.  However, around the airport the one we had suddenly kicked in again, so we were back on track.  What a relief!  Once our directions were pack in place we had no problem getting to the part of town where we needed to be.  We got a bit more of a tour of the beautiful city of Brisbane than we had intended.

One of my most vivid memories of Brisbane was all the many jacaranda trees that were in full bloom when we were there - the deep purple blossoms were beautiful and the scent was heavenly.

Photo from Purple Rain Gallery at http://blog.queensland.com/2013/10/28/purple-rain-gallery/ 

On Sunday we found a ward near where we were staying so we could attend church.  On Monday we did a bit of hiking and found some geocache.  We saw some huge white cockatoos along with other interesting birds along the way.

Ibis

Australian Magpie

Cockatoo photo from redbubble

We got to walk around the lovely Botanical Gardens but discovered there I had lost the battery to my camera.  Oh no!  When I fell and broke my hand in Fiji my camera had gone skittering across the sidewalk.  The clip that holds the battery in was broken so ever since I've been holding it closed with a piece of tape.  Apparently the tape had come loose and the battery dropped out somewhere.  We searched all over the car and the area we were walking there, but no luck.  We probably lost it in the woods when we were geocaching.   I was very disappointed to not be able to capture any more photos of our trip.  But we did the best we could to stay positive.

So my lesson learned from this was that this trip, like life had some GOOD things (meeting with the Lammis and the wonderful B&B where we stayed) and some not so good things (getting lost with no GPS and losing my camera battery).  I could stay stuck in being upset about the things that went wrong or I could focus on my gratitude for the blessings and beauty we had enjoyed.  The choice was  mine.  Sometimes it's really hard to stay optimistic when things are not going the way we want or when serious adversity comes our way.  But in good times or hard times, there is ALWAYS plenty to be grateful for.  Learning to keep that perspective is the journey of a lifetime.

Thatched Roofs and Long Memories

Thatched Roof  House in Fiji

One of the stories we were told during the Australian conference had to do with how sharing knowledge between generations increases resilience.

The story was of a village where people lived in homes with thatched roofs made from the local grain plants.  The young people had opportunities for education that had not been available to the village elders, so sometimes the generation coming up thought they knew more about the world.   However, a time came when there was a terrible drought and all the crops the village depended on dried up and died.  The young men tried everything they knew to keep their families going, but over time they became truly desperate, with no food for their families, much less grain for planting new crops for the future.

That was when one of the old grandfathers came forward with a solution.  He told his grandson to take apart the thatched roof of their home and to carefully thresh the reeds to find the remnants of seed heads that would surely be there.   The young man did this and was astonished to find enough grain to put in a new crop for the coming season as well as some that could be ground into meal to make cakes to feed his family.  There was just enough to keep the family alive till the rains came.

The young man asked "Grandfather, how did you know there would be grain there?"  The grandfather told the young man that there had also been droughts and famine in his day when he was very young, and he remembered this was the way their village had survived that earlier hardship.

We were told to remember that Family History is much more than collecting a litany of who-begat-who names and dates.  It also includes the stories of each generation - how they endured challenges, life lessons they discovered through experience, and skills they developed.  Future generations may face very different sorts of challenges and have access to different resources than their elders did.  Still, knowing about the ways grandparents and great-grandparents faced the world can offer courage and creativity for the next generations coming up.

I think of the stories I've heard told about my own grandfather, Frank Pendley, and how he solved the problems he had on his homestead in Oak Creek.   Knowing those stories inspires me to look for ingenious ways to solve my own problems and to be willing to work hard.  

One of my goals for the coming year is to begin recording some of my own stories to pass down to my posterity.  I've done a pretty good job of documenting the histories of my fore-bearers.  I've been pretty lax when it comes to my own personal history.   

It is time for me to start changing that.

In 1980 Elder John Groberg said:  "by writing personal and family histories, we are helped immeasurably in gaining a true, eternal perspective of life. Writing our histories with the proper blend of fact and feeling (and so often, feelings in spiritual things are the real facts) gives us a deep spiritual insight into the meaning and purpose of our lives.

In his classic talk "The Angels May Quote From It"  President Spencer W. Kimball said: "“What could you do better for your children and your children’s children than to record the story of your life, your triumphs over adversity, your recovery after a fall, your progress when all seemed black, your rejoicing when you had finally achieved? …"

Many church leaders, both ancient and modern, have counciled us to keep a record of our lives.   I've tried to do that a bit with this blog, so I will have a record of this mission.   Still, I know I can do better.  I want to be more diligent in keeping a record of the experiences I'm having, the lessons I'm learning.  Memory is so fleeting.   Through words and pictures, I want to capture the times I am living.  Perhaps one day my own children, grandchildren or beyond may find some value in it.

Australia Family History Advisor Conference

We had an opportunity to go to the Gold Coast  of  Australia, and then spent a couple of days in Brisbane that were really special.   We went for a conference of all the New Zealand and Australia Area Family History Advisers (AFHAs) where we got to meet some truly great folks.

We flew to Coolingata on Tuesday, 3 November.

 During the conference we stayed at Golden Riviera Beach Resort in Tugun, which as the name implies, is right on the beach.

Our days in the conference were pretty full, but we did get some free time in the evenings that were great for quiet walks along the shore and playing in the surf. While it was very beautiful, I did not do much actual swimming in the ocean there.  Something about the net fencing to keep out Great White Sharks kinda made me hesitant to go very far out into the water.

Supposedly with those nets in place a person is more likely to get hit by lightening than they are to experience a shark attack.   Still, just the idea of the possibility was a little unsettling for me.  My rational mind knows the beach there is quite safe.  I guess I've just seen the movie Jaws a few too many times.  (Insert scary soundtrack here!)

We very much enjoyed meeting the other AFHAs and comparing notes between how they do things in Australia vs. our approach in New Zealand and in the islands.

From our NZ team we had the following:

Art & Heather Schwenke who cover the stakes around Auckland:  Harbour, Henderson, Manukau, Manurewa,
Mt. Roskill, Otara, Panmure, Papakura, Papatoetoe, Penrose, Redoubt, Tamaki, and Waterview 

Dave & Jill Hayward who cover stakes and one district around  the middle part of the North Island: Gisborne, Glenview, Hamilton, Hastings, Hastings Flaxmere, Rotokauri, Rotorua,Tauranga, Temple View, and Taranaki District

We serve as AFHA's for the stakes in the Northlands (Whangarei and Kaitaia) as well as some of the island countries.

The bottom of the north island and all of the south island is covered by Garry and Karen Howard, but they were not able to make it to the conference due to family commitments.



They cover  Christchurch, Dunedin District, Nelson District, Palmerson North, Porirua,
 Upper Hutt, Wellington, and the Wellington Mission

From the Australia team we had:

Derek & Margaret Hall


Kings

                                       
                                                                            Husseys

                                        
                                                                   John & Anne Parton

                                          
                                                                      Paul & Diane Parton


The managers who were there included our own Mike Higgins, Mark Kelly from Australia and Wayne Van Ness from South Africa.

Mark, Mike & Wayne

We also had help from one of the Australian Service Missionaries, Elder Cummings.

Next year Larry and I will be responsible for putting on a conference in Fiji for the AFHAs from some of the island countries (Fiji, Tonga and Tahiti) so this one was a good experience for us to see what sort of things were included so we can give some thought to how may present similar information and what we may want to differently.  All in all it was a great experience.

Taranaki With the Olsens

 

Over the Labor Day weekend we went down to the Taranaki District with another Senior Mission couple, Elder and Sister Olsen.  We stayed at a lovely Bed and Breakfast on working dairy farm, and enjoyed exploring the area.  

Us with Elder & Sister Olsen at Waitaha Villa B&B in Rahou, NZ

Cows getting milked

Moyra, owner of Waitaha Villa B&B

Some of the trip was mission work as  Elder Gary Olsen is the mission doctor, and was making the trip to check out the medical facilities in New Plymouth to know what resources were available to the missionaries in that area when he needs to make  to recommendations for care.  For our part, Larry and I did a family history presentation in a combined Priesthood and Relief Society class for the Waitara Branch.  The presentation was very well received, getting people there excited about the 15 in15 goal.  The Branch President there has asked us to come back again in a few weeks to do a hands on training for how to use FamilySearch. 

 

Apart from mission assignment, we also had an opportunty to explore.  Being a holiday weekend, the Pacific Area Office was closed on Friday.  So we drove down that day and took some time to visit  Pukekura Park.  It was absolutely stunning. 

On Saturday we took a drive up to the base of Mt. Taranaki and got to see Dawson Falls. 

On Monday Larry and Elder Olsen went ocean fishing and brought in a great cash of fish that was very tasty. 

While they were out on the water, Sister Olsen and I went into New Plymouth where we visited a museum, did a bit of shopping.  We enjoyed each other's company and had a lovely walk along the beach boardwalk.  

Other high points of the trip were some great beaches, a light house, and sunsets at the end of the day.

On the way back we stopped in Hamilton to meet with the Hamilton Mission President and his wife, President & Sister Rudd, and then got to do a session at the temple.  Larry and I had met the Rudds early on in our mission when we went down with the Winters, so it was great to connect with them again.  

Us with President & Sister Rudd from our visit in December 2014

This meeting was also important for the Olsens since they sometimes need to confer over the phone about health issues that come up with missionaries.  One thing we have definitely learned is that trusting relationships can be maintained through phone and internet, but in the beginning it really helps to meet someone and get to know them face to face.  So we were glad the Olsens were able to spend some time getting acquainted with the Rudds.

We came when there was a Senior Missionary conference for all the Hamilton Seniors going on so we were able to join them for lunch.  Then afterwards we had a very sweet session in the Hamilton NZ temple, which was a wonderful close to our weekend away.

  All in all it was a great trip. This is what Wikipedia has to say about the area:

Taranaki is a coastal and mountainous region on the western side of New Zealand's North Island. Its landscape is dominated by Mount Taranaki, its namesake volcano, which lies within the rainforested Egmont National Park. The port city of New Plymouth is the area's hub. It hosts green spaces like Pukekura Park, with lakes and formal gardens that grow rhododendrons and king ferns.