AND JUST LIKE THAT OUR AUSTRALIAN MISSION HAS COME TO AN END!!!

 After many years of dreaming, hoping, planning, applying, dealing with delays, medical issues and fingerprints, entering the MTC, flying to Sydney, meeting wonderful people, driving many kilometers during our assignments we have left Australia and returned to the USA.

It was hard to leave Australia and our wonderful friends behind. Sitting in the airplane winging our way across the ocean my mind and heart were filled with many thoughts. All of a sudden it was time to begin REALLY thinking of the future. It was the first day of the rest of our lives.

We have told our returning missionaries that the day they left on the airplane would be the 'first day of the rest of their lives' as we talked with them about education and job searching, etc. But until I was sitting in that airplane I not realized that it also applied to me/us even if we are over 70 years old.

We left our flat at about 7 AM with a lovely missionary couple who work in the office and drove us to the airport. Sadly we did not have enough time to clean the flat as much as I had wanted to clean it. But we understood that within hours a couple of young Elders would be coming in to live there until one of them got better from his medical issue. So, we left  milk, bread, eggs and other food for them and we are trusting that when they leave the flat will get a proper clean before the next senior couple comes to replace us.

Our flight was a LONG 13 hours from Sydney to LAX in Los Angeles. We saw the terrible flames of the California fires against the dark skies as we landed. We cleared Customs without issue. It is nice to have TSA Precheck which got us through several places smoothly and more quickly. After our 3 hour layover we flew another 3 hours to SEATAC where we waited for our 45 minute flight to Bellingham which arrived at 3:47 PM. We were over 24 hours in transit and glad to be done traveling. But we also wondered just what was coming next. It was kind of scary to go out through security.

We were met by some dear friends and were so happy to see their faces. We were humbled and so grateful to realize they had sacrificed their time to meet us and welcome us home.

We found the Stake President waiting for us when we arrived at the Stake Center. Our friend had been so kind to pick us up at the airport and be our chauffeur. After a tearful interview with the Stake President during which we recounted some of our experiences and expressed our love for our mission and the people we had been privileged to serve, the Stake President 'released' us as missionaries and said we could remove our missionary badges. Funny how something that had become a part of our wardrobe was now no longer a part of us and we became just Steve and Liz, no longer Elder and Sister Jenkins.

Sunday morning we reported our mission to the High Council brethren and then we spoke to the congregation in Sacrament meeting. We discussed the Self-Reliance Initiative and what it can mean to those who participate in it. We shared a few of our experiences and bore our testimonies of the truthfulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. But it is impossible to condense 21 months of experiences into 10 minutes each. So much was left unsaid and is just left to be  treasured up in our hearts and minds.

And then we were done! No longer missionaries.

It was wonderful to see the dear faces of so many of our friends. We love them and were so happy to see them again.

And now the 'rest of our lives' begins. We have many plans and many dreams. If you would like learn more about our dreams and plans and the events of our lives you are invited to check out my new blog which will be: furtheradventuresofsteveandliz.blogspot.com
This new blog is work in progress but I plan to include our travels beginning this week to Portland to spend Thanksgiving with our daughter and her family.

Thank you for taking the time to read of our mission experiences in this blog. As once stated in our profile when I began this blog:

Here is a record of our mission to the Australia Sydney North Mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as PEF Self Reliance missionaries and our service in Sydney Australia. As well as our ups and downs during our preparations and activities prior to reporting to the MTC in Provo UT which was supposed to be on November 28, 2016 but which after many delays has been changed to February 20, 2017.

And our profile photo will change but we are the same people.

Serving our mission has been a big highlight in our life and we are so grateful that circumstances allowed us to serve and to share our testimonies with others. May the Lord bless you!

At the Sydney Airport ready to check in our luggage.
Yes, we had a LOT of stuff and had to pay a little extra for a couple
of overweight cases but it was still less than shipping it home.

We had to surrender our prox cards which had given us access to the buildings.

In front of the Sydney temple just as the jacaranda were beginning to bloom
with the Botts, our dear friends and co-workers.

The Sydney temple! What more can I say. We loved going almost every Friday evening
and will miss it and our dear friends who served there.

The night before it had rained and knocked off many of the jacaranda blossoms.

From the parking lot of the Sydney temple.

The Angel Moroni on top of the Sydney temple framed by the jacaranda blossoms.

A beautiful large eucalyptus [or gum tree] on the temple grounds.
I love these trees and there are so many varieties.
I will miss seeing them as we drive along our way.

The view of the temple from the Buckland House which houses the mission office.

Amazing clouds on our flight.

Leaving security at the Bellingham Airport after MANY, MANY hours in  transit.

We were greeted at the airport by some of our friends.
It was good to see their dear faces again. And it was very nice to have someone greet us
since our daughter and her family had moved out of the area.

6 SLEEPS AND A WAKE UP!

Yes, only 6 more sleeps and a wake up and then the drive to the airport. Hard to believe. We will depart Sydney on November 9 at 11:15 AM and fly almost 14 hours to LAX where we will have a 4 hour layover and then fly almost 3 hours to SEATAC where we have a 2 hour lay over and then a short 40 minute flight until we land at Bellingham International Airport on...you guessed it still  November 9th at 3:47 PM after almost 24 hours in transit. 

How strange it will be to be 'home' when we are in fact 'homeless' since our house has been sold and our daughter has moved to Alabama. How grateful we are for dear friends who have offered to not only pick us up at the airport but to house us for a couple of weeks as we take care of some business and medical details in the area.

We have been asked to speak in Sacrament meeting on November 11 in our Blaine Ward which meets at 11 AM. It will be good to see the faces of our dear ward friends but also know that there will be many new faces.

Reflecting on our mission brings so many thoughts to mind. But I know that foremost has been the great privilege of meeting so many wonderful people. The people of Australia are truly  the jewels of Australia and we have been privileged to have come to know so many of them. We love their honesty and their kindness. We love that they speak so honestly about their feelings and especially so when they express their testimonies of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It has been humbling to hear their testimonies expressed with such honesty. The many shopkeepers, chemists, clerks, medical personnel, random people on the trains and on  the ferries, walking in the park and so forth have all been delightful. I can count on one hand the number of times anyone has treated us rudely. We will miss them all!

Living around the corner from the Sydney Temple has been a great blessing to us as we have spent most Friday evenings there, resulting in a great number of saving ordinances being performed for my ancestors. It has been a grounding and peaceful experience to be in the temple so often to feel the Spirit and to rub shoulders with so many wonderful people.

Working with our Stake Self-Reliance Committees has been a delightful journey. We have loved coming to know the members and working with them as they did what they could to serve those under their stewardship. We have laughed with them and cried with them and have come to love them. And working under the direction of our manager and Area Seventy, Johnny Leota, has been a wonderful and humbling experience.

The Self-Reliance initiative is amazing! It truly will be the means with which to bless and lift the lives of the members of the church and anyone else who wants to participate. What a great opportunity to learn to take care of ourselves through the blessings of the Savior.

Last week I turned over to another missionary couple all of the English materials and all of the testing materials. Working with our wonderful young missionaries from so many different countries who have come here to teach the Gospel in a language not their own has been a delight. We loved working with them to help them improve their English so they could serve better. And we loved giving the departing missionary seminars. We just love them all and wish them the best in their lives. And sometimes our hearts break when we see they are struggling.

Driving on the left hand side of the road has become almost intuitive now. Only occasionally now do I flip the windshield wipers to turn on the turn signal. And now I am beginning to worry about readjusting to driving on the right side of the road.

We have driven a LOT. The car had just over 61,000 km when it was assigned to us. Now it has almost 87,000 km. So we have driven about 26,000 km or over 15,500 miles in 21 months. Most of this was driven on  very busy roads with only occasional jaunts out of the area when we were privileged to travel to Grafton, Armidale, Coffs Harbour, Narrabri, and Port Macquarie. I am holding my breath that the next 4 days will not result in a ticket since there are traffic cameras 'everywhere' and bus lanes in which we must not drive. However there was that one ticket last Christmas holiday when I unknowingly parked in a bus zone which mean a fine of almost $300.

One of my biggest faults is to be thinking too fast through an experience worrying about what I need to do next and I have found that I have missed savoring the moments of my life, including many significant and important moments. So, I am trying to slow myself down. Last night as we participated in sealing together  husbands and wives and children to parents for Eternity I tried to slow myself down and just savor the moment by listening carefully to the words of the ordnance and the promises given. I tried to just memorize the look of the man who was the Sealer. To remember the beautiful carving on the furniture and the beautiful decor in the sealing room, and to consider the sacred nature of the important ordinance that was being performed. Sometimes I am just a worrier, worrying about things that must be done. But I have to remember that Heavenly Father truly is in charge and I do not need to be in charge. I am learning.

I am trying to stop and just enjoy the moment, the bird song, the rustling leaves, the beautiful flowers, trying to etch them into my memory. The jacarandas have started to bloom. Those by the temple have just a slight  purple haze. They are later this year perhaps because of the devastating drought. I think by Thursday there will be enough to take some photos. If we are lucky we will get a photo in front of the temple with the jacarandas.

It was 100 degrees F yesterday or 38 C. And it was HOT. Summer is coming here and it is soon Christmas. The first Christmas decorations appeared in the Mall this week. The school terms are winding down and soon the holidays will be here. We will arrive home to temperatures in the high 40's F or  8-10 C so will carry our coats with us. I never have gotten the seasons turned around in my head.

And now we will have to be more cautious in spending our money as the price will no longer reflect a 20-25% discount because of the currency exchange and we will have to pay sales tax which is added into the price here. I am curious to see how the cost of groceries will compare.

I always hoped to serve a mission with my husband because I was so shy in my early years that I could never have had enough courage to serve a mission as  a young sister. But I always hoped Steve and I could do so together. And we have. And some days have been really hard. But I would do it again in a second. It has been an amazing experience. Steve and I have had the experience of working together which has sometimes been great and sometimes has been hard. But we have grown from our experiences. We still love each other and are both glad we came to do the Lord's work. Perhaps we have even gained more patience and understanding in our lives.

Our testimonies have grown. We know beyond any doubt that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is true, that the Atonement is real and that Heavenly Father directs our lives if we will let Him. Countless times the Spirit has directed us in our day to day dealings with people as well as in major aspects our lives. 

So often we have felt His direction  to give someone a pass along  card that would show them which website they could use to learn more about the Gospel. We have given out HUNDREDS  of cards.

From time to time we have been impressed to give copies of the Book of Mormon to specific people. We have given them in English, in Chinese, in Farsi, in Vietnamese, maybe a total of 12 books.

We have shared THOUSANDS of smiles and hugs and sometimes tears.

We have prayed many prayers for the people we have met, sometimes never even knowing their names. But we have felt love for them and a desire of them to learn of the Gospel.

The skies continue to be awesome! The sunsets and sunrises brilliant! There is always something in bloom and I love the eucalyptus trees, the kookaburras,  the cockatoos, all the lovely birds and their songs.

About 6 AM on a particularly lovely morning!

And we have felt Heavenly Father's direction in our personal life, to sell our house, to move to Pleasant Grove, to plan our family history research trip. And there was an urgency to move forward so we did.

Now after we complete the assignments of this week we will wait on the Lord for our safe journey home, for our visits with family and friends, for the completion of our new home in Pleasant Grove, for direction in how to find the information of our ancestors,  for whatever it is He wants us to do for the rest of our lives. We are so grateful for the many blessings He has seen fit to give us.

So, we prepare to bid a fond 'farewell' to Australia!

THE TIME IS FAR SPENT, THERE IS LITTLE REMAINING...

Not even a month since I have written but so much has and is changing! It has been hard to write because even though there are lots of things happening with our mission here there are also lots of things happening as we prepare to go home.

We had a lovely time meeting with the Self-Reliance missionaries from Melbourne and Canberra during our retreat. We had a lot of training and a lot of time to socialize and get to know each other. Besides our training we all attended the temple together, ate at various restaurants and even took the Rivercat to Circular Quay and then an impromptu trip to Paddy's Market so the Melbourne missionaries could have  the chance to buy some Aussie ties. I mean who does not want a tie with kangaroos or koalas on it?

A last chance to be at Circular Quay love seeing the iconic Sydney bridge
with the opera house just around the corner.

Our self-reliance group in front of the fountain in Hyde Park.
This park is my favorite place in all of Sydney!

Another chance to see the hammocks in the Barracks Museum. I find them fascinating!

Front entry of the magnificent cathedral near Hyde Park .

Ahh, Paddy's Market what an amazing place with hundreds of shops full of souvenirs, and other interesting  things designed to empty our wallets, including Aussie ties with kangaroos and koalas.

Several mornings a week will often find us out walking around a soccer field just south of the  temple. We have met lovely people there many walking or doing Tai Chi or dancing. Because Elder Jenkins has had such a hard time walking we have met even more people who have tried to help him. There is one man who tries to teach him a special exercise intended to strengthen his leg muscles. There was just something about this man's countenance that drew us to him. He is Vietnamese and knows only a few words of English. But somehow between sign language and a translator app we have become friends. We felt that he should have a copy of the Book of Mormon so we got a copy in Vietnamese. He was so happy to get it and hugged Elder Jenkins 4 times. That evening he texted, with the help of a translating app, that he was so happy and grateful we had given him this book so he could learn more about Jesus Christ.

We found someone who could speak Vietnamese and we invited him to come to their ward to church. This lady was able to translate for him so he could understand what is going on. We spent a couple of hours after the meeting talking about the Gospel and teaching him how to pray. And now a couple of weeks have passed and tomorrow we will bring him to another ward [congregation] where  a family of Vietnamese people attend. We have also been invited to their home for lunch. Our friend will have his first missionary discussion in Vietnamese via Skype with Vietnamese Elders who are serving in Melbourne. 

It is impossible to relate all that has happened but he LOVED conference when he was able to hear it in Vietnamese. He now has the app on his phone that allows him to hear talks in Vietnamese. This has truly been a wonderful experience for us to see someone be so happy and grateful as they have learned about Jesus Christ through reading in the Book of Mormon. We experience great joy as we see what is transpiring and feel he will be in good hands with his new friends as we prepare to return home.

We also loved General Conference. It always happens the first weekend of October and the  first weekend of April. But of course the sessions are in the middle of the night over here so we watched the sessions on lds.org. They were broadcast in the church houses the following week but we did not want to wait that long. If any of you missed conference or are wondering just what it is check out this link: general-conference  You will have the chance to hear the Prophet

Our Prophet Russell M. Nelson
still going strong at 94 years of age

speak as well as other leaders of the church. You can even find it in your own language from the drop down bar.

This is such troubled world in which we live and yet after watching all of the sessions of conference I felt such peace and comfort. I am so grateful for the Gospel of Jesus Christ in my life and for the knowledge I have that I can live with my family forever if that is my wish. And I suppose that testimony along with my love of our Savior is why we have been willing to come on this mission at our own expense.

Elder Jenkins is still having trouble with his hip. The effect of the vibrator wore off after a couple of weeks. We have been trying to find one for sale in some of the shops just so he could try it out but we didn't. Finally tried the internet and found one on Gumtree which is like Craigs list at home. For only $80 we were able to buy it and then  it was quite an adventure getting it into our smallish car to travel home and then out of our smallish car. Nevertheless less it sits in our living room where he can use it frequently . Some days it seems to help and some days it doesn't. The physio has recommended that he be checked again by a doctor. She will talk with the doctor to give him her observations. But she is wondering if he may have the beginnings of Parkinson's disease which is not a very happy thought. So Wednesday he will go see the doctor and we will go from there.

In the mean time we are preparing to go home. It is a series of long goodbyes. We both got pretty teary eyed in Priceline today as we spoke to the chemist and assistant there. We will be so glad to reunite with our family but we will miss the wonderful people we have come to love here in Australia. I have said 'goodbye' to my hair dresser as I have had my last haircut here. We are packing our large orange suitcases again and weighing them to make sure they are not over 50 pounds or 23 kilos. Packing this time is just different than packing to come over here.

We have had our last English class for the young missionaries. That is a sad end of this chapter for us. But there have been enough schedules changes that we cannot help them in the short time remaining. We continue to hope that others will come and work with them. Working with these wonderful missionaries has been one of the great blessings of being here. We love them and just hope that somehow we have been able to help them a little bit.

So much rain!!! Pouring rain!
Then the skies were empty and we will actually have a sunset.

WOW!!! The skies are rumbling big time right now!!! Lots of thunder and lots of lightning and lots of big rain drops. The birds are complaining loudly! What an amazing storm!!! I hope the farmers are the recipients of some of the rain! I love thunder storms!

Our house is coming along!

Our house is moving forward. The roof is on and the windows have been installed. I can hardly wait for it to be finished so we can move in. It will be such fun to get our belongings out of storage and put everything where it belongs. And today we bought a car which will be waiting for us when we get home.

Next week will be busy. We have 4 meetings, a day of giving tests, a doctor appointment and a physio appointment and the following  week promises to be just as busy. And then we will be in the last week of our mission. How can that be possible??!!

It is a bitter sweet time. So many endings and so many wonderful memories! But still a lot of work to be done!

ONE FOOT IN EACH WORLD

These past few weeks have flown by.  So much has happened and we have been happy to share so much with so many.

Four weekends in a row we were able to attend four different stake conferences. Each was amazing and life changing and each time we thought it could not be better but it just seems to get better. We were well fed and inspired.

One of the weekends we drove up to Newcastle which is a couple of hours north for their Stake Conference. On our way we stopped at The Entrance and went to the Pelican Plaza in time for the daily feeding. I had been wanting that experience so it was fun that it worked out. The pelicans are HUGE, so much bigger than those that swam in our resaca in Texas!

We arrived early which was nice as we had a place to sit on the steps affording us the chance to take some photos. The pelicans have gathered here to be fed for almost 30 years and know exactly when to come. 

It all began when a restaurant employee fed them scraps every day. Apparently one day when he was late a pelican went up to the restaurant. Eventually the city took it over and volunteers come every day to feed them and to check them out. There is even one that has only one wing and they keep an eye on him.

There were 2 yellow lines which marked where we could not sit between. Because we were early we got seats right by the lines. But front row seats also meant we got beaten with pelican wings as they went back and forth waiting to be fed. You can see how up close and personal this one came to my husband.

I enjoyed watching them and it appeared that pretty much all of them got fed. The whole process lasted about an hour. I was glad we experienced it. I took a TON of photos but I think I am posting enough.

Afterwards we continued on our way to Newcastle for the Saturday evening session of conference. We had decided to check into a motel so we did not have to drive back and forth 4 times to attend on Sunday as well. While we were checking in we met a young man who was very troubled. When he learned we were missionaries he asked if we had a bible. Well, we had forgotten to bring extra scriptures with us but at the meeting we asked some young missionaries if they had a copy of the Book of Mormon which they had with them.

After the meeting we saw this man again. We spoke with him for a few minutes  about the Gospel and explained the Book of Mormon. Before we gave him a copy I read him Moroni 10:3-5.

3. Behold, I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things, if it be wisdom in God that ye should read them, that ye would remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam even down until the time that ye shall receive these things, and ponder it in your hearts.

4 And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.

5 And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things.

He got very emotional having felt the Spirit as I read. We asked if he would like to come with us to our morning meeting and he said he would. He is a troubled young man who feels he has made too many bad choices and that God cannot possible want him. So we tried to help him understand that he is a child of God and as such is loved.

Sunday morning arrived and our new friend did come with us to the morning session of Stake Conference. He sat and wiped tears from his eyes as he listened to the music and the earlier speakers and then he left. I think he was uncomfortable feeling the Spirit as this was something new for him. It seemed he did not know what to do with the emotion he felt. After the session we brought the missionaries with us back to the motel and chatted with him. We will soon visit him at the rehab place he was preparing to enter. But our schedule will not allow it until mid October. He just needs to understand that he is a Child of God and that he is loved regardless of his past choices.

It was our privilege to help with a departing missionary seminar for more of our special missionaries who had finished their service and were leaving for their homes. We tried to help them understand some of the things they need to do for work and education after they got home. We love them and wish them well in their lives. It is sad to know that we will most likely not see most of them again as they scatter back throughout the world.

We were invited to Coffs Harbour which is about 5 hours north. The invitation was intended to be sort of a vacation  during which we did a little training about self reliance and especially the new Eat Healthy and Be Active course. We also gave the Michigan test to 3 of the young missionaries who are assigned up there and cannot come down on our regular testing days. This was the 3rd try for one of them and this time he passed! 75 is passing and his first 2 tries resulted in scores of 73 and 74 but his time he got 83! When I saw his results a few days later I cried, I was so happy for him.

After those responsibilities  we spent some time with some lovely people. We had a very nice walk by Emerald Beach where we saw kangaroos. It was fun to see them in the wild one more time. Then there was  an impromptu supper with 3 other couples.   

It was kind of windy!

The next day we were driven to Dorrego Rain Forest which was so pretty. Sadly we could not walk very much because Elder Jenkins has had so much trouble with his hip. But when we got home that evening our host suggested he get on the their vibration machine. 4 minutes on that machine did something which eliminated the pain he has felt for many months. It has been 2 weeks now and he is still doing so much better. It really is a miracle! Today the physio told him it was because the vibration got his circulation moving better. We are planning to look into buying one when we get home. He still has to increase his strength but the pain is gone.

Dorrego Rain Forest Lookout

The day we drove home  our host guided us along several look out points around Coffs Harbour. It is so beautiful up there - like paradise. So here are a few photos of the coast and also of us.

Coffs Harbour

Someone decided to add color to the jetty.

Windy again!

The Watarah flower - Australia's national flower I believe.

We have held meetings to try to find a unified approach to teach the missionaries who do not have English as their first language. We and 2 other couples have been teaching English for some months but there are many areas where the only English teaching has been by English speaking companions or self study. It was only last week that we learned that we will be replaced with a new missionary couple coming in mid January. We just hope we can get things set up for them.

Some of our Stake Self-Reliance committees have been forging ahead which is exciting for us to observe. Lots of productive meetings and trainings.

And while all of that has been going  on, our house in Blaine, WA was sold closing the end of August. It was a difficult time since we had to worry about the water damage in our walls. We are very grateful for our good realtor who worked so hard in our behalf. And we can see the Lord's hand in the blessing of it being sold in a manner that has given us 'enough' to move forward. There is not a day that goes by when I do not express gratitude. 

It is a strange thing to be homeless though. That house held many good memories for us and it is so strange to know that chapter of our life is over. When we finish our mission we will still return to our home Ward and Stake but only for a few days since our daughter and  her family have been transferred and will not be there to house us. Some dear friends have offered us a place to stay for a few days. Then we will move on to visit family in Oregon before we head to Utah.  We have seen the Lord's hand directing our lives to find our new home.

We are  very amazed at how we were led to the area and to the home which is currently being built for us. Our children there keep us updated on the progress. Georgetown Construction has been very good to us as we have worked through all the modifications and details that must be organized to get a house built. We will be down sizing but will still have enough room for an office for our family history work and a guest room for those who come to visit. Our new home is located within an hour's drive of 5 of our children that live in Utah. We look forward to spending more time with them and our grandchildren. And we will be only 10 minutes away from the Mt. Timpanogas Temple which will allow us easy access to continue the work for our ancestors.

Our time here in Australia is busy and we love working with the lovely people we get to meet. We will miss them and this lovely country so we will hold on as long as we can trying to serve as well as we can and help move this great work ahead.

So we spend these remaining weeks with one foot in each world trying to hold it all together. Next week we will have a 'retreat' and training when the self-reliance missionaries from the Melbourne Mission will come up and join us. It will be fun to meet those with whom we have been Skyping for some months. Life is certainly interesting and we have been well blessed.