MARCH 23, 2013

Another month has passed, and "down under," we are heading into fall.  For the last couple of months, other than in some of the more famous parks, (gardens) the grass has been brown and looked dead.  But two good rain storms turned everything green and looking more like spring than fall.  We are wondering what winter will bring and are thankful for a good heater in our flat.  

Successful completion of another Ikea chest of drawers.  We built this one for the Lins, the very first Senior Couple to serve a Mission from Mainland China.  

Missionary cars waiting to be inspected by Max, the Inspector General.  The missionaries leave the keys on the seat, open the boot (trunk) and go to their meeting.  

Some of the girls:  Sisters Woffinden, Willfred, Edmunds, Gonzalez, Fillmore, and Epa.  Note the wall of Books of Mormon on the left.  Many languages are represented.  

Elder Rawnsley, one of the AP's  wore himself out in missionary work.  We sent him home in a box.  Actually, the box contained furniture designated for the Melbourne Temple, but was delivered to the mission office.

It's been a hard days work.

We snapped this photo one day on our way home from the office.  The double rainbow stretched from east to west. 

We picked up the Lins at the airport.  They didn't speak a word of English, but the glow of their countenances speaks of their commitment to the Gospel.  We took two Chinese speaking missionaries with us, so we could communicate with them.  Even though they took/are taking our place in the Chinese Branch, we love them and are thankful for them.  

We were invited to the Snows for dinner.   We were each served a plate of appetizers, referred to as entrees in Australia.  We have never  eaten such yummy food presented so beautifully.  

Following the main, Sister Snow brought out 5 trays of delectable desserts.   YUM!!

Half of the bedding packets awaiting the arrival of an onslaught of missionaries.  

We rented a bus to bring 26 new missionaries and their luggage from the airport.    The anticipation of their arrival was a bit like waiting for Santa to come. 

A new group of "Goldens" as new missionaries are affectionately referred to.  Some came from New Zealand; others from Provo.   We at the office breathed a huge sigh of relief when they all had a companion, a place to live, a bed to sleep in and a way to get to their area.  The logistics of running a mission is huge!

Our sheets hanging on the clothes-line on our back patio.  Most people use outside lines to dry their clothes.  There's something very therapeutic about hanging clothes to dry, kind of like canning fruits and vegetables.   Sometimes I think progress really isn't progress. 

Our new rain gauge, since Max dropped the new one we bought a few weeks earlier.  The gauge sits on the corrugated steel roof of our shed.  Since the roof isn't level, we scrounged the neighborhood for a board to screw it to, leveled it with cloths pins and added two bricks we also scrounged (not pictured) to keep it from blowing over.  

Our patio set could use a paint job. 

We have a lovely archway leading to our back patio area.

Lorraine Clabby probably rolled over in her grave when she saw these cinnamon rolls, made from her famous recipe.  Obviously, the oven in our summer home doesn't cook very evenly.  However, with enough frosting, they were yummy, and the missionaries didn't have any problem eating them. 

We took a Sunday afternoon stroll around Blackburn Lake which is about 2 miles from our flat.  

Yvonne, Sarah, and Olivia preparing Chinese calligraphy materials for the belated Chinese New Years celebration.

Elder Tsui might be small in stature, but he has the biggest heart and love of the Gospel of anyone we know.   He is the Branch Mission Leader and loves, leads, and guides the  missionaries, investigators, and recent converts. 

Food preparation for the Chinese New Year's celebration.  Brother Wong made his famous sticky rice in these bamboo pots.

Everyone pitched in to make dumplings, a mainstay of the Chinese diet. 

President and Sister Lifferth with the Lins.  Lifferths are amazing leaders and support and attend every function possible.  

Lian Su, dressed in traditional dress, played the Chinese Flute for the program.  She looked beautiful.

Three of our Chinese daughters:  Yolanda, Jasmine, and Sasa.  We witnessed the baptisms of all of them.  

Olivia was one of the MC's for the Chinese New Year's Celebration.  She has terrific poise and charisma and is as beautiful as they come.  Many of the girls came to the celebration in traditional Chinese dress and looked exquisite.  

The Conservatory in Fitzroy Gardens.  We had a some time to kill before FHE, so even though the temps were terribly hot  walked through the gardens.  It was HOT!

You can get about anything you want at the corner C Store.  

Pretty amazing sunrise taken from our flat. 

People put unwanted items on the park strips waiting for someone to haul it away.  One of our favorite pass-times is walking through the neighborhood and seeing all the "good" stuff people put out.  

We are still collecting street signs named after family members.  This is an "L"shaped cul'de'sac in our neighborhood.

Service project doing inside and outside spring/fall cleaning at a community center in Altona, Max's first area of service as a missionary 50 years ago.   We looked for the place where he lived, but progress has taken over, and the home he lived in has been replaced by a freeway.

We walked to the end of the Altona Jetty in Port Phillip Bay after we finished the service project and saw lots of huge  jelly fish in the water.  The missionaries who also ventured onto the jetty left in a hurry when we arrived.  

Sisters Hu and Zhang are serving in the Language Zone and have made a huge difference in the Branch.  We love them.  

Max was mixing potato salad for the Homeless Service Project, and this volunteer seemed to want to get real close to him.  We, along with 24 missionaries, helped serve over 800 homeless, old, mentally challenged and  underprivileged people.  For Aussies, a BBQ consists of beef, chicken, and "snags," a sausage wrapped in a slice of bread.

We loved the diversion, and Max especially felt at home feeding the mobs.  

Is this Larry DuPaix?  Whatever.  This gentleman certainly enjoyed the BBQ.

Max, Elder Guy, and Elder Petersen admiring what we wish was the new mission van.