week 10

 Missionary Training Center

We arrived at the Missionary Training Center  (MTC) on February 6th, Monday.  What an amazing place!  Despite my being ill for a few days, the spirit there was undeniable.  Lots of energy, enthusiasm, and testimony.  Here is a photo of the senior missionaries in the MTC at the same time we were there-

Pretty large group, about 72 senior couples.

We received our official badges upon arrival.  It felt great to be able to wear the badge and be identified with the Lord's church.  What a privilege to be able to be His servant doing His work. We we were at the MTC for 10 days; 5 days of general instruction and 2 days of instruction specific to our assignment, which is Welfare and Self-Reliance.  Here is a picture of our group during the first week of training-

In our group (district) these are the countries represented:  Oman, Qatar, Jinkasa- the Republic of the Congo, Cape Verde, Tokyo Japan, Fort Lauderdale.  Some were going as goodwill ambassadors, a few as Welfare and Self Reliance, Humanitarian Services,  Mission Office support.  Good people, all of them, interested in serving the Lord to the best of their abilities.  We made good friends and hope our paths cross again!  

While at the MTC, we were able to see our eldest grandson, Easton Thompson, soon after he returned from serving his mission in Texas Houston East.  Kristi, our middle daughter, and Easton (her son), flew to Provo (location of the MTC) on the Saturday after we arrived and we were able to spend the day with them and our granddaughter,  Charli, Janece's oldest, who is working and taking classes at BYU!  What a treat that was!

We left for Australia on Wednesday, the 15th via San Francisco and arrived 7:30 am Friday morning Australia time.  It was 14 hours from San Francisco.  It was a very long flight, but not nearly as uncomfortable as we had imagined.  It was a beautiful flight over the islands of Fiji before landing at the Brisbane airport.  

From the minute we touched down and de-planed, we were on the run!  The Grangers, a senior missionary couple soon to wrap up their mission, came to pick us up, took us to get Australian phones, and a few survival groceries.  Then, to take us to our flat (apartment) and the new car in the garage for mission use.  

We were so jet lagged by the time we arrived to the flat.  We slept easily, but woke up at 3 am.  A week later, we are now waking up at 5 am.  So we are about back to normal...We had a very busy week getting settled into the flat and life in Australia.  Dale drives very comfortably on the left hand side of the road, but my driving makes him uncomfortable.  hmm.....never mind I have not had an accident in our married life together.  I have gotten a speeding ticket and I had been rear-ended years ago, but that was not due to any fault of mine.  So I let Dale drive most of the time, settling for navigator.  I don't mind that much.

Yesterday we were able to spend time at the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary with the recently arrived Mission nurse and the other Welfare and Self-Reliance couple.   That was a real treat!  This picture is of a large bird called a cassowary.  It has a bony crest which makes it look dinosaur-ish.

Another common bird that looks a bit like an ibis.  We didn't know what it was, but it was pesky

The stars of this sanctuary were the Koalas.  They were so dang cute!  They are very slow moving, but when they wanted to jump from branch to branch, they were amazingly quick and accurate!

Of course, for an additional fee you could pet a koala or hold a koala.  The kangaroos were a different matter-- they wandered freely in their exhibit and if you wanted to pet them, you could!

I kept thinking how much my grand kids would enjoy this sanctuary.  A great taste of Australia all in one place!  We also saw several platypus, lorakeets (amazing colors), cockatoos, an emu.  We were also able to watch a sheep herding dog demo.  That was great fun!  Smart dog!!  The herding dog seemed to love running and he was fast, around 40 mph!  It was a breed I had never heard of, but one of the 3 most commonly bred for herding.  

We also fed the lorakeets.  These birds are beautifully colorful!!  Their backs blend into the trees, but their fronts are like rainbows!

The climate here is sub tropical and lush.  We marvel many times daily at the beauty of the Lord's creations.  We have found the Australians to be lovely; kind, courteous, friendly.  NO road rage apparent here!  The wards we have been to have been strong wards, full of the Lord's spirit.  Diversity of culture seems to be the norm, too.  

We still have a ways to go in learning our duties here as Welfare and Self Reliance missionaries, but what we do know is this--we are to be resources for the 4 Stakes and one district (Townsville) in helping them with their self-reliance needs.  80% of our time should be spent with career counseling the 18-30 year olds, coaching them in their post high school career plans, including budgeting time and money, emotional resiliance, etc.  Teaching religious study classes, too.  Plus we have a district of missionaries that we help with, keeping their flats in order and clean, helping with repairs, and their cars' maintenance.  And later in the year we will be helping with the Giving Machines; locating and recruiting charities, etc.

We are grateful to be able to serve the Lord in this way.  He is providing miracles, great and small.  WE are so impressed with the pure hearts of the young missionaries and their humble testimonies.  We are learning so much from them, about how to love and nurture in the Lord's way.