Saturday, March 3, 2018

Sunday 4 March, 2017

Mon, 19 Feb -  ok, it is early and not so bright as we head out to seminary at 0615 am. But the learning and opportunity to serve is a good thing. This afternoon we went to the South Grafton fabric store and cut out the pieces for the table runner that Sister Haley is making for Sister Cox.  Sister Cox has been making table runners for all the senior missionaries that leave the mission over the 2 years that she and Elder Cox have been here; however, she does not have one for herself - so Sister Haley is making her one.  Mike also did some follow up with some of the tradesmen in Coffs Harbour as he is trying to get some bids on some repair work in the young missionaries flat there.

Tue, 20 Feb - Just lots of errands to run and people to visit.  We had to get a care package together for the pregnant sister in Newcastle and drop the package off at the carers office.  Many/most people here in Australia that are on welfare and have some sort of disability have a carer who helps them with appointments, etc.  There seem to be heaps of organisations that do this kind of caring (hence the word carer) for a fee that is paid for partially by the person, but mostly by the government.  We also went out to visit with Joyce Wallbank.  She lives in an area called Lanitza which is about 45 minutes from our home and is the middle of farmland and woods.  There is a petrol station not too far from her house and that is all there is to Lanitza. Primary activity is this afternoon and it is Faith in God this week. This is transfer week, so our elders have gone to Sydney.  Elder Corpany is being transferred to Hyde Park YSA ward.  Elder Lankford will pick up a new elder and train him for 12 weeks. We will find out who the new elder is this coming Friday (Elder Palmer from Idaho is the new elder).

Wed, 21 Feb - Seminary is every Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday for now.  Thursdays will hopefully come back into play once Shellie is back into town and feeling well enough to attend and/or her work is not scheduled for that time.  Talked with Mike's mum on Skype - the technology is wonderful and we are thankful that the Church allows us to call her each week to check up on her - or so she can check up on us !!!!   We had Scott over for dinner tonight.

Thur, 22 Feb - Ran errands and played taxi in the morning.  Went to Maclean for a dentist appointment.  While in Maclean we stopped and visited with Joan Hibberd.  We always have a good time when we visit her in the Aged Care facility there in Maclean - she has such a great sense of humor.  The good news is that one of her granddaughters has moved back to Maclean so she (Joan) is able to come to sacrament meeting once a month now.   That is super.   Branch presidency meeting tonight and also begin the Family History Centre (FHC).  It has been some time since the branch has had the FHC open.  Elaine Jones was called as the FHC director and she got a call the day after she was sustained asking what time the FHC is open - quite a shock to her.  Any way the FHC is now open on Thursdays from 10-12noon and 6:30-8:30pm.  We are working on advertising that can be placed in town so people know we are back in business.  Thursdays evenings will be busy at the meetinghouse, what with YM and YW, as well as the FHC.

Friday, 23 Feb - Spent more time on the phone chasing up one of the tradesman for the Coffs Elder's flat repair work. Helped the Zaffinos clean the meetinghouse.  Picked up a green tote for the kitchen to put all the food scraps in.  Here in Grafton we have 3 rubbish bins - Green for food scraps and anything that was living, Yellow for recycle and Red for all other rubbish.  The goal is to not have anything in the Red bin someday. Called the ranger at Magpie Park to confirm that the branch has the camp allocated to us for the 16/17 March campout.  The camp is run by the Girl Guides of Australia and is located near Jackadgery near the Mann River.  The campout should be fun.  Ran over to see Bobbi Toetoe before she leaves for Sydney and to wish her a happy 90th birthday. On the way home, we saw some calves out near the highway, pretty close to Junction Hill.  We turned around and came back on them.  They ran down a driveway, so we followed in the car to make sure they made it all the way back to the house.  Then we checked with the people in the house about the calves and explained that they had been out near the highway and could have been roadkill.  We helped the people herd the calves back into the field and they noticed where the fencing was a bit loose and probably where the calves broke loose.  Chalk one up for a good turn for the day.  As President Monson is quoted as saying - I guess we did some good today.

Sat, 24 Feb - Still no birthday lunch at the Village Green.  More errands and chasing up some items for the branch. Visited with Alicia Mewis who is the granddaughter of Joan Hibberd.  We also visited with Levera & Barry Cave in South Grafton.  Margaret spent time with Levera and I visited with Barry.

Sun, 25 Feb - Normal branch meeting in the morning before the normal Sunday services meetings. Elder Haley is still teaching the youth Sunday School, but a Sunday School teacher has been called, so he will teach for 2 more Sundays and then retire.  It has been good for Elder Haley to prepare for the classes - he has learned more than the kids.  The kids do well and teaching in the Saviour's way really gets them to participate heaps - and they really do know a lot about the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Sister Haley taught the RS lesson today - since it is the 4th Sunday the discussion topic is the Sabbath and she focused on Testimony & bearing of one's testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Mon, 26 Feb - Oh, getting up early for seminary is challenging after a few days off, but good for the soul and body. Talked with our son, Ryan, this morning.  He and Marisol are in Oaxaca, Mexico and enjoying some down time before heading for New York.  Mike did some yard work and Margaret went off to declutter the sister's house.  In the afternoon, we went to watch Rain Best play basketball at one of the community centres.  He arrived late so he was not able to play with kids his age (10-11), so he ended up playing ball with the high school kids - he was 1/2 of their height.  Everyone was good and the game was for fun - and they had heaps of fun and a good time.   Later in the evening Margaret had a RS presidency meeting.

Tue, 27 Feb - The real estate company came out to take photos of the house - inside and out.  The owners are selling the house.  So we hope that an investor will buy it and let us stay until our mission is over on 14 August 2018.  We really do not want to pack up the house and move it.  We held the primary activity with the elders today.  We played cricket in the back yard of the meetinghouse. The neighbor kids really like to come over for the play date (and the food).  We had homemade choc chip cookies, fruit and ice pops - what more could one ask for.

Wed, 28 Feb -  Ran errands, played taxi and bought HEAPS of food.  The elders from Grafton and Coffs are at our home for dinner and DTM tonight.  FOUR elders eat HEAPS of food.  We had tacos tonight.  Elder Palmer and & Elder Lankford from Grafton.  Elder Ta'ala & Shortland from Coffs. The lesson by Elder Ta'ala was really good and well presented - it was on Obedience. Elder Haley gave a short overview of the white handbook - the Missionary Handbook with the guidelines and rules for the missionaries.  Choc chip cookies and ice cream for dessert.  Boy, we are living high on the hog here in Grafton.  Turned in our monthly mileage to Carlingford transportation.

Thurs, 1 Mar - A new month. Whew, where did February go? We helped Sister Jones with the FHC at 10-12 and 630-830 pm today.  We did have a "customer" during the 10-12 noon period.  Elder Haley cleaned the upstairs and did some other branch work during the morning FHC opening.  YM met tonight, but the YW were not able to meet since the YW President was crook (that means sick). Elder Haley spent most of the evening reviewing member records and sending corrections to the branch clerk.

Fri, 2 Mar -  Mike got his walk/exercise in this morning and then went to the meetinghouse to help clean.  Margaret went for a walk while he was at the meetinghouse. Sister Haley is off playing taxi and holding hands of one of the sisters this morning.  Elder Haley is trying to get the Blog caught up to date.  Elder Haley did buy an apple slice and caramel/cream tart at Hanks on his way home from cleaning the meetinghouse, so we both had a mid-morning snack before Sister Haley took off for her morning errand of mercy.  This afternoon we will do some visiting in South Grafton and play taxi driver.  If there is time, we may try to make a visit to one of the members living up north of us a bit further on the Summerland Way or B91 highway (that is the name of the highway next to our home).

Sat, 3 Mar - Margaret played taxi driver some in the morning and also sewed on the table runner.  Mike worked on taxes in the morning.  After lunch we took a drive out to Halfway Creek (45-60 minutes from our home) to visit Barry Ward, Honey and Midnight.  We really like going out there, but we need to make sure we do not wear good clothes as Honey & Midnight jump all over us.  Or when they chase the ball they then go into the waterhole to cool off and then come up to jump on our laps.  Honey is a Kelpie, cattle dog, and Midnight, a large black Labrador dog.  Loveable, but you definitely do not wear your nylon hose or double knit slacks 😀😉 We usually spend 2-3 hours visiting with them and then head back home.  We administer sacrament to Barry when we are out there, as he is not able to make it into Sunday Sacrament meeting very often.  When we got home we worked on Sunday lessons and Mike fixed an Indian dinner - passable, but not really worth mentioning.

Sun, 4 Mar - Today was Fast & Testimony meeting.  We only had 22 in attendance today, but the testimonies took up the entire meeting - that was surprising to me.  We asked Scott Howard to take a picture of us while we were all dressed up. We spent a fair amount of time talking with Beth Norman (President Norman's wife) and then Elder Haley helped with the tithing deposits.  Then home and able to take off the tie and shoes - a whole lot more comfortable now.  More Indian food tonight and then work some more on Church administrative things.  It is now 5 pm, so it really is time for dinner.  bon appetit.



Elder Haley with one of the fabrics that will be cut for the Cox's table runner.  Map of Australia fabric in the left background will be on the other side of the runner

Ah, the ol' cricket game in the back yard of the meetinghouse on Tuesday afternoon.  Part of the Primary activity day

Washing cars as a service project for Faith in God

Our favourite spotted calf and friend.  He is growing up and will not be the cute little calf much longer

The table runner slowly coming to life.

The last Mango. Wasn't there a movie with a name similar to that?  This is the last mango that Mike picked off of the neighborhood mango tree.  It tasted delicious

We are told these are bearded dragon lizards.  They are that the Ferry Park near Maclean and are along one of the branches of the Clarence river.

More of the dragon lizards.

Sister & Elder Haley with Bobbi Toetoe

The 3 calves that we found along the highway. 
Mike walking behind the calves to make sure they head towards the pasture and not back to the highway.

Willow Best at the Community Centrer

Rain Best with Willow in the back ground

Rain and Willow

Rain playing BBall with the high school aged kids

Rain and the high schoolers

Tabitha, Willow & Pearl Best

Pearl with her cowgirl boots.  She did not want her picture taken, so we had to be a bit sneeky

Willow & Sage Best

Elder Haley holding Pearl's guinea pig

Love those ears.  The mottled calf is our favourite

Mail box on Back Lane.

Cricket on Primary activity day.  Beth Norman is the backstop.

We think the fabric is finally laid out the way that Margaret wants it.  Now all she has to do is sew it and then stitch a border (ha, that is all????)

Madonna & Child - horses on the way home from cleaning the meetinghouse

Galahs across from the horses.  Grey, white & pink.

The Galahs as they start to move away from the photographer

The reward for cleaning the meetinghouse.  Apple slice from Hanks.  At the top is a caramel/cream tart for Margaret so that Mike is able to eat all of the apple slice.  Oh my, was it ever tasty.

Honey, the Kelpie.  An Australian cattle dog

Midnight, a black Labrador

An animal ramp on the highway side of the animal fence.  The thought is that if a Roo or other animal gets on the highway or at least the highway of the fence, that they will try to get through the fence and sooner or later they will come across the dirt covered ramp and climb up it until they can jump to the far side and get back to nature

Elder & Sister Haley.  I sure like the tie that Elder Haley is wearing.  Good looking lady with him too.

the earth ramp for animal escapes from the highway side of the fence - again.  From a slightly different angle so that hopefully you can see what it is all about.


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