Thursday, 8 Sep 2016

Well, today was a day to do some chores and help one of the other missionary couples.  They were having a new stove/oven delivered and I was elected to babysit the delivery man whenever he decided to arrive.  He did get to the apartment building (finally) and I helped him unload the new oven and replace the old one.  It is interesting how the wiring is done in Australia versus the USA - neither is right or wrong, but different.

Sister Haley helped a young lady proof read and correct several essays that she had written for one of her classes - I think they spent 3-4 hours together today, with more hours to come.

Two of our Book of Mormon reading appointments fell through today which gave us a bit more time to run some errands that we have been putting off.

We then went to Paddy's market (oops - forgot to take a picture), but Paddy's is like a bazaar or enclosed flea market.  I needed an Aussie tie and a new sweat shirt to wear during my morning exercise.  I will have to post a copy of the sweat shirt tomorrow - GO AUSTRALIA

We then stopped by Coles - the grocery of choice to pick up some food.  Below are pictures of crocodile and kangaroo meat that was on sale at the grocery - not sure when we will buy some, but I could not get Sister Haley to but them today.

 Crocodile curry

Kangaroo burger - gourmet no less

We held the IELTS class tonight and the testing was on Speaking.  We asked questions and gave them a subject that they were to then tell us about.  We only had 3 students tonight, so we could give them a bit more 1 on 1 which is helpful in teaching them.  If we cannot teach them so that they understand and learn, then we are not really helping them.  We asked some of them to answer one of the questions in their native language - then pointed out that was they way they needed to be able to answer the question in English  - I think the light came on for all of them.   The IELTS students are young and may have only been in Australia for a few weeks.  It really feels good to help them.

1 Aug to 15 Aug 2016  the weeks before reporting to the Missionary Training Center (MTC).

 Blood lake near Park City, Utah with our friends the Ross's

 Blood lake.  Andrew Ross swimming across the lake

Mike & Margaret Haley, Nial Ross, Andrew Ross, Simon Nelson (grandson), Makeda Nelson (granddaughter), Max Ross  in Park City, Utah

Gpa Haley with Makeda in the condo at Park City, Utah

 Ogden Temple

View into the valley from Powder Mountain, east of Ogden.  Elevation about 9,000 feet at from this point.  We stayed in a condo near here for a week.  It gets a bit cold way up here.  We did have hail one day - about the size of peas.

 out the window of our condo in Park City, Utah.  We used the pool when the grandkids came to stay. Looks almost like the accommodations at the MTC  (haha)

Grandkids with mom & dad making s'mores at the fire pit near the pool at the condo.  The marshmallows were the giant size which did not even fit in my mouth - picked out by Simon.

And that was the end of our vacation, as we headed to Provo, Utah and the MTC the next day to start a new chapter and adventure in our lives.

HOORAH FOR ISRAEL

Paraphrasing Brigham Young - May the covenants that you have made with the Lord burn like a flame unquenchable in your hearts.

Pres Paul E. Jordan:   The Fire of the Covenant - Light it, Strengthen it, Protect it, Share it

Tuesday, 6 Sep 2016

Today was, or we guess will be, a typical week day.

We met with one or more new converts and read the Book of Mormon with them.  Since English is NOT their native tongue, this can be quite challenging for them.   So we do a "round robin" in reading 1 verse each in the Book of Mormon and then making sure that the new member understands what is being said in that verse.  This is a good learning experience for us as we have to find a way to explain what is going on - we use words, pictures, drawings on the white board until we can finally get the point across.  When the person you are teaching has never known that any god exists, it is a novel thing for them to learn about Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.

Then I worked with one of the YSA members on their resume.  This is fun because we get to learn what they do for a living (or want to do), where & what they have learned in school and how well they know the English language.

Every Tuesday and Thursday we hold a practice test for the IELTS (International English Language Test System) which is the standardized testing used by Australia (and the UK) for testing immigrants on their English language proficiency.  Permanent residency and some jobs are dependent upon the person attaining a specific level (grade) on the IELTS.  We provide practice tests as a community service.  After administering the test, we take time to help the students understand the areas that they had trouble with - this week I had to learn about prepositions and when to use "can" versus "could" to help one of the students.  We do a lot of 1 on 1 teaching, but that seems to work better than group sessions since everyone is at a different level.

Sister Haley doing a 1 on 1 essay review and training

Depending upon the number of IELTS students and the test that day, we may head for home any where from 8 to 9 pm.  Thank goodness the flat is just around the corner.

Saturday, 3 Sep 2016

We got up and met the missionaries and some of the new members at the Harbour YSA ward building around 8 am.   Some of us rode in cars and some took the train to the Sydney temple where the young members performed baptisms for the dead.  Some even brought family names.

 Elder & Sister Haley

the young members who went to the temple.  They are a great group of kids, full of energy and enthusiasm

After the temple, we went home.  We spent a few hours washing clothes, vacuuming the flat and I took a nap.
In the evening we took the bus over to Darling Pointe and visited with our dear friends Luke & Judy Phillips and their LOVELY daughter Ambica.  We offered to babysit Ambica and we were happy to have Luke & Judy say "yes", so we will be checking our schedule and finding time to play "gma & gpa" here in Sydney.

 Elder Haley & Ambica

Ambica Phillips with proud parents Luke & Judy

Sunday 4 Sep 2016

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY - at least if you live in Australia

We held Fast & Testimony meeting today at the Harbour YSA ward. Sacrament starts at 10 am.  It was interesting to hear the testimonies of new & old members.  About 1/2 of the ward is from Asia and the other half from Europe or Australia.
We sustained 4 brethren to receive the Aaronic Priesthood and to be ordained a Priest.

The ward holds a Missionary Coordination Meeting (MCM) each week after the 3rd hour meeting, and then we held the Fast Breaker  (that is Break the Fast for you Yanks).

About 4 pm, Sister Haley and I went for a walk to the Domain with our ultimate goal to see Mrs. Macquarie's chair.   The lady was the Sydney Governor's wife and she was not super happy at being in Sydney, so she would go down to the point in the Domain and sit and look for whatever - like a ship to take her home

 The landmark for Mrs. Macquarie's chair, but this was not the chair.

The real Mrs Macquarie's chair was the rock ledge that Sister Haley is sitting on in the above picture.  I want to make it clear that this is NOT a picture of Mrs. Macquarie.

The Domain (a section of park) is next to the Royal Botanical Gardens.  Here is a map of the Gardens and the Domain.  The domain is on the right and the Royal Gardens is the green area on the left. Not shown is the Opera House and Sydney Harbour bridge which are to the left of the Royal Gardens and in the inlet in the upper left of the map.

On our way through the Domain we came upon some Sulphur crested cockatoos and then a couple of Lorikeets eating a left over apple

As we approached Mrs. Macquarie's chair we were able to see the Opera House and the Sydney Harbour bridge.

 The opera house before the sunset

The opera house with the late sunset

It was a nice walk and beautiful scenery.

When we started our walk, we stopped at St Mary's Cathedral which is on the east side of Hyde Park.  It is a large and pretty Cathedral, and is the largest in Australia.  It was built in the late 1800s

 St Mary's Cathedral, Sydney across the street from Hyde Park

Inside St Mary's

Two pictures of the main stained glass window, showing the story of Adam & Eve in the bottom panes of the window.  All the stained glass windows in St Mary's are really beautiful

 One of the trees in the Domain & also in the Royal Gardens. The good looking root in the picture is Sister Haley

the Sydney skyline from the Domain.  The city tower is in the left of the picture. We live about 10-15 minute walk from the tower.

What a blessing to live in Sydney and be able to appreciate the beautiful world that was created for us to enjoy and look after.

And that was our Sunday on 5 Sep 2016. 

7 Sep 2016

We hope that those in the USA had a pleasant Labor Day and those in Australia enjoyed a fabulous Father's Day.

Just some comments for thought, for those contemplating going on a mission -

1. Men - talk or email your Mission President and find out what kind of clothes are worn in the mission - suits or non-suit coat.  For example, Sydney is more of a non-suit coat mission.  I brought 4 suits, but I most likely will not need them; although it is nice for a change.  the big issue I have is which white shirt to wear each day.
2. Men - think about bringing 2 pair of slacks with each suit.  You will wear out the slacks faster than the suit coat, so having 2 slacks will even things out
3. Depending upon where you are assigned, you may need extra money to get "started" at your assignment.  The initial costs include stocking the pantry for the first time as well as household goods (from towels to appliances).  This is a bit of a shock at first, but from what we can tell it is a pretty normal happening for most missionary couples.  We were lucky in that our flat in Sydney was pretty well stocked with appliances and kitchen things, but we still needed to buy some things and replace others.
4. We found that it takes about 2-3 weeks to get adjusted to our environs and schedule.
5. Sisters - bring good walking shoes - good looking ones, but comfortable if you will be doing a lot of walking.  We do not have a car in Sydney so we walk everywhere we need to go.
6. Plan on long days - 8 to 12 hours, depending upon your calling.  Lots of work to do, but plenty of enjoyment in working with the local members and people.
7. The young missionaries (Elders and Sisters) are GREAT.  They are energetic, enthusiastic and always on the go.  Supporting them, the investigators and the new members is enjoyable and fun - and lots of work
8. We find that wearing our Missionary name tags makes us want to do better, be better and not have the Saviour be ashamed of us.  We find that we can bite our tongue more and be more patient (with others, our companion and our selves).
9. More tips, as we think of them.

One picture from Sydney Harbour and then more later.  This was taken during our walk on Sunday evening.

Thursday, 1 Sep 2016

Some things never change, whether for a young missionary or an older missionary - you still have to iron your white shirts - YOURSELF.

Even when we serve with our spouses, we will need to share the workload so that we both have time to serve the Lord.  It also serves to keep our spouses happy.

We worked with a new member on improving their English and then worked with 2 men on preparing for the English qualification test (IELTS) required by the Australian government for permanent residency and certain long term jobs.