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!