First, regarding the Coronavirus in Australia: Out in the bush, where we are, it is relatively safe. We are in constant contact with our mission president who communicates regularly with the area presidency and Church headquarters. Our activities are not restricted as in the US, but we are being careful. We are still ministering and taking the sacrament to those who need it.
We have continued assisting the Yazidi people with English. During the last session two aboriginal women appeared to practice their English. They ended up doing a lot of talking and don’t seem deficient in speaking English at all. The oldest one told us that she doesn’t read or write. They were interesting characters. They live outside Armidale in what they call a mission, but in the U.S. we would call it a reservation. (The picture is of the two ladies holding a photo of their grandfather and great-grandfather, who was the tribal “king”.)
Helen and Christopher Ugochukwu, the couple from Nigeria who we first met at Christmas time and were privileged to be able to teach, were baptized and confirmed. Christopher also received the Aaronic Priesthood and Elwood was able to perform all these ordinances. They are a wonderful young couple who are expecting a baby at any moment. They are committed to the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.
The members of our branch had baby showers for Helen in Armidale and Inverell. She was thrilled and said she had told her mother, who worries about her from Nigeria, that she felt like she had mothers and grandmothers here so not to worry. The members generously gave her much needed baby items. Helen commented that since their baptism everything has gone well including finding a reasonably priced furnished apartment, car and employment for Christopher.
As we drive visiting members of our branch we are grateful for all the green that we are now seeing. There are no more fires and the land is replenishing itself. Eucalyptus trees that appeared to be burned beyond hope are developing new branches and green leaves. We are so thankful to be here for this experience. Kangaroos are wandering less frequently onto the roads since they have enough food and water so very few dead ones are seen on the side of the road. We still haven’t seen any koalas in the wild as so many were killed during the fires.
We took a few days break and rode the train into Sydney since we haven’t had time to see any sites there. We had the opportunity to stay at the Central Quay which is a tourist area, but the heart of Sydney. We walked everywhere seeing some beautiful sites and were fortified by delicious sea food. The opera house is stunning and an amazing display of architecture and engineering. We toured the opera house and then that evening attended the opera Don Giovanni. The acoustics in the Joan Sutherland Theatre are perfect…no microphones are needed. The walls, ceiling, floor and chairs are all made of a special type of wood that creates this effect. The botanical gardens in the Quay area are spectacular and we enjoyed wandering through. You will see the giant plant sculpture of a giant koala below. During our harbor luncheon cruise we viewed Sydney from a different perspective and saw America Cup style racing yachts from several countries practicing for an upcoming event. The boats were spectacular and are able to travel up to 100 kilometers per hour (62 mph). As part of the cruise we stopped at a small island in the harbor, hiked into the hills and walked on the beach. This is a very busy harbor where ferry boats, cruise ships and recreational boats are all weaving around each other.
We drove for five hours to Gosford where our zone conference is held. These meetings are always inspiring and uplifting and give us the opportunity to see other missionaries. This zone conference focused on two devotional talks by Matt Holland (President of Utah State University) titled “The Path to Palmyra” and “The Coming Forth of the Book of Mormon” which contained information we had not heard before. If you are interested you can Google the titles or go to ChurchofJesusChrist.org.
We continue to find our mission challenging and rewarding. We love what we do and are grateful we can do the Lord’s work.
