JenkinsAustralianMission: February 2017- November 2018: KEEPING ON 'KEEPING ON' IN THIS BEAUTIFUL PART OF THE WORLD!

Morning!!!

Morning is coming. It seems the sky is always just a little pink as the sun comes up. Our balcony faces west so I see the sky change as the sun makes its presence known. At home I would think "red sky in the morning, sailor take warning" and expect a stormy day. But here the pink sky most often gives way to a clear and sunny day. The weather has been a little cooler even though spring is coming.

We visited Minchinbury Ward last Sunday morning and enjoyed our time here. It was Father's Day down under and it was sweet to hear the young Primary Children sing about their fathers and then to hear so many sweet remarks from the children about their fathers. I was particularly impacted by our Sunday School lesson which was entitled "Faith in Every Footstep". Although the lesson referred to the pioneers of the Church who crossed the plains of the United States in the 1800's enduring many hardships, our teacher led our discussion in a way that helped us relate our struggles to their struggles.

This was particularly relevant to me, as I have had days that have been tough, missing our family and wondering if we are doing any good in our time here. We discussed that our Father in Heaven knows each of us personally and gives us the trails and challenges we need to grow. We each have our own journey in life which is fraught with trials and struggles which we need to address and overcome. The question is: Do we have enough faith to deal with our challenges without quitting, which is not an option, when things get rough? Are we spiritually self-reliant enough to keep an Eternal Perspective? To realize that our experiences help us 'become' who we need to be?

That is a large part of what the Self-Reliance Initiative is all about - helping people recognize the need to be spiritually and emotionally self-reliant to get past the hard times. True self-reliance is when we recognize our dependence on our Savior, Jesus Christ, through whom we can do all things.

I have experienced great sadness as I hear about the effects of the storms and flooding in the Texas area and other parts of the world. It is just sad for me to learn of the trials and hardships the people there are facing. We keep them all in our prayers and hope that they will have enough strength to survive this tough time.

Our week has been full of meetings and meetings and more meetings. And it was testing week. There were 6 missionaries who wanted tests. They came from Mongolia, the Philippines, China, Samoa, Brazil, and Laos and are now completing their missions, all seeking to put themselves in a position where they can improve their circumstances in life after they return home. They are remarkable young adults who have put their lives on hold to serve the Lord. Some of them are into their 20's and have left good jobs to come serve because they love the Lord. Many had little to no English when they arrived and now, due to hard work and the Lord's blessings, have learned a great deal of English which will help them in the future. It is our great privilege to work with them.

One day we had a meeting in Newcastle which is a couple of hours north so we left early enough to do a little sight seeing along our way. We found Terragil beach which is very beautiful. I could enjoy spending a few days there just walking along the beach. While there we took the path up to a high lookout where we found a young woman who was sitting looking zoned out and so sad. Her whole demeanor was one of despair. It was interesting that at the top of the look out and along the path there were signs with a phone number for a suicide hotline. I am not saying she was suicidal but I believe it was important that we talked with her because we could tell her demeanor changed after we spoke. As we were walking down she passed us and spoke to us with a smile on her face. I wonder how often a smile or encouraging word affects others for good?