Squeaky Beach

The birds aren't scared of humans.  You can walk right up to them and take pictures.

Squeaky Beach.

 Our matching outfits.

 Mt. Oberon with Rob Snow.  It was very high and the picture didn't do it justice.

Dear Family,

Tuesday evening we went with Elder and Sister Jose to see Hugh Jackman.  It was at the Rod Laver Arena.  It was packed with 10,000 fans.

It was fantastic and wonderful.  He sang, danced, and talked about his life.  He loves Australia and Melbourne is his home.  The singer Peter Allen wrote a song called, I Still Call Australia Home.  It was such a beautiful song.  He even had some Aboriginals come and perform using their instrument called a didgeridoo.  He was on stage for two hours just entertaining the fans.  Did I mention he is very good looking.

We were invited to a Thanksgiving feast on Friday night.  It was hosted by Leslie and Rick Cameron.  They had turkey, ham, yams, potatoes, lots of veggies (Adrienne was in heaven), rolls and lots of desserts.  It was a very nice evening.  Before dessert, Leslie asked all the adults to say one thing they were thankful for this year.  We were the only Americans.  The others were New Zealanders and Australians.  They were all related. Great people. 

Saturday, Rob and Theone Snow drove us to the lowest point in Australia, except for Tasmania.  It is called Wilson's Promontory National Park.

We stopped at Squeaky Beach to walk in the white sand.  It is a very fine sand and it squeaks when you walk.  The colors of the ocean were dark purple on the horizon, then bright green, bright blue and a pale blue as it washed up on the shore.  GORGEOUS.

We drove further south to Tidal Wave and a camping spot.  You have to have a reservation for camping a year in advance.  Rob, Adrienne and I decided to walk up to Mount Oberon.  It is 1800 feet high.  The shuttle bus took us to the car park where we started the climb.  It is 2 miles up and 2 miles down.  A very steep climb.  Adrienne went about 3/4 the way up.  She started having heart concerns so she sat on a bench while Rob and I went to the top.  We were both breathing hard but neither one of us was willing to quit.  Now, as you all know I hate heights but I was determined to get to the top of the rock.  The view was spectacular.  (Pics On Blog don't do it justice.) My legs were like jelly on the way back. I stopped on the way and did my yoga exercises which fixed the problem.

Sunday we went to the Bishop's home for Thanksgiving dinner.  He got his MBA from Utah State University.  2 of his children were born in Logan.  The Auger family are from Spanish Fork, Sister Simons is from the USA and 2 of her children were born in the US.  We are from the US and the Bignell family are all Australians.  They have become family to us, an international family.  We love all these people.

We have been reading and studying LUKE this week.

THE GOSPEL OF LUKE

            Luke’s gospel is the one with the beautiful Christmas story, told from a woman’s perspective.  (Matthew tells it from a man’s perspective).  Luke was a Gentile convert, likely converted through the labors of Paul. (BD, pg 726), writing to Gentiles and to minorities, and to those looked down upon by the Jews; women, lepers, Samaritans, sinners (prostitutes).  Luke was a physician, and therefore had close contact with and compassion for all types both genders of people, a unique position.  Most male professions in that day involved dealing with other men only, but a physician dealt with all, even the unclean.

            As a missionary, Luke ministered to the Gentiles with Paul.  Like Matthew, Luke gives a genealogy of Christ, but it differs from Matthew’s.  Matthew introduced Christ as “the Son of David, the son of Abraham” (Matt.1:1).  This is what was important to the Jews:  that Christ was one of the chosen people, and was in the kingly and priestly line.  It was the first thing Matthew said in his testimony.  Luke, on the other hand, gives a genealogy of Christ that identifies him as “the son of Joseph” (Luke 3:23) (even though, Luke testifies of the divinity of Christ) and takes Christ’s ancestry all the way back to Adam (Luke 3:38), making everyone, Jew and Gentile, a relative of Christ. (C. Fronk, Chair of Ancient Scripture Study, BYU)

            Luke had a special understanding of women as a result of his medical ministry among them.  He was the only one who wrote of the annunciation of Mary, and of her visit to Elizabeth, John the Baptist’s mother.  He knew that “Mary kept all things, and pondered them in her heart” (Luke 2:19). He knew of Simeon’s personal prophecy to Mary that, “a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also” (Luke 2:35).  How did he know these things?  Very likely he was a close personal acquaintance of Mary’s in the Church, and he heard these stories from her own mouth.  Luke gives what little information we have about the childhood of Christ.  He was the one who told of Mary’s terror when she realized her 12-year-old was not with the caravan (Luke 2:51).

            Where is the parable of the Good Samaritan?  Only in Luke.  What about Christ’s visit to Mary and Martha? Only in Luke. Many of the most treasured parables are found only in Luke: The woman with the lost coin, the shepherd with the lost sheep, the Prodigal Son, the rich man and the beggar Lazarus.  The cleansing of the ten lepers is recorded only in Luke.  Luke wrote to the underdog, to tell him and her that Christ was come for them as well as for anyone.

8 "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.

Isaiah 54:8

Our love to all of you,

The moms, The grandmas, The Sister sister

Hello

Dear family

Hope you have all had a Happy Thanksgiving. It is Friday here and we are going over to a friends house and have Thanksgiving. She is Australian ,but does a dinner for all the Americans .
We went to her house last year,so we know it will be fun. Sunday night we are having another dinner with some American friends and families.

Yesterday afternoon a young man came in to the office. He said he had ridden the bus up to our office. After talking for awhile he told me he has been a member for 3 years. He was converted in  England while he was going to school. After a year of school he went home to China. He lives in an area where there are no member anywhere. He has been there for 2 years. He just came to Melbourne to go to school and came to the nearest Chapel he could find. How great is that that we were hear. He told me where he is living and I called the missionaries in his area. One of the Elders is Chinese. I called Elder Dang and the two of them talked for quite awhile. They will meet with him Sunday at the ward. He had such a great smile when he left the office. As they say in Australia, "It's all good!"

The AP's are in the office right now trying to work on transfers. It is always so complicated. There are usually 60-80 missionaries involved with a transfer, missionaries going home and new missionaries coming in. As usual it is hard to say goodby. I have grown to love these valiant people.

Robbie, I am anxious for you to experience a mission. It will be the best!

I love you all and miss you
Love, Mom

Sent from my iPad

Dear Family,

We have had a very very busy week.  

Craig, Caren and Cathy came to visit us for 3 1/2 days.  We were so happy to have them with us.  Thank you for making the effort to come and see us.

Friday night we picked them up at the airport.  The airport is very large so we lost them for a bit but eventually we found them and off we go to dinner with President and Sister Maxwell.  There was a large truck that turned over on the freeway.  We had a 5:30 dinner appointment and we finally got to the restaurant about 7:00 pm.  For over two hours we moved very slowly.  When we finally arrived at the restaurant everyone was starving.  It was a very fun evening.  President went to school with Caren and between all of us we had many mutual friends. Dear Sister Horne, a volunteer in the office also came.  She is wonderful and so funny.

Saturday we went to the Dandenong Mountains and ate a very English breakfast at Miss Marple's Tea Room.  Afterwards, we drove through the Yarra Valley, (wine country) to the Healsville Zoo.  We saw kangaroos, koalas, emus, Tasmanian devils, and wombats.  There are also birds of every kind and every color.  They are not afraid of humans so they walk right by you and don't fly away. We have seen orange, bright blue, bright green,and red birds. Too bad we are not real photographers to take pictures of them all.

Went to church on Sunday and then drove to the city. Our first stop was Shrine of Remembrance and then we went and checked in at the hotel. Had a delicious Sunday dinner in Breslin's Restaurant.  It is right on the Yarra River. It is a spectacular view with all the lights.  We just talked and laughed about home, Princeton Avenue, Laird Park, school, friends and favorite singers.

Monday we walked the city for about 7 hours and saw so much. Had another delightful dinner on the river.  Adrienne, Cathy and Caren went up to the top of the Eureka building.  It is 86 floors high.  It takes 38 seconds in the elevator to the top.  It is the highest point in the southern hemisphere.  Cathy and Adrienne loved it and Caren freaked out.  That is why Craig and I didn't go to the top.

They all left on Tuesday morning.  Craig flew home and Caren and Cathy went to Tasmania.  Hated to see them leave but so grateful for our time together.

We went back to the hotel, showered and got ready for the day.  We needed to be to zone conference in Heidelberg.  We are going to all of the zone conferences and teaching.  I am teaching about the baptism records and Adrienne is teaching about being clean in body and our flats. We went on Thursday and Friday to zone conferences also. Places are spread out in our mission so we are driving 1 1/2 hours to and from each building.

Friday night we were exhausted but had a RS Midnight Madness event we went to because Adrienne was in charge of making Christmas wall hangings and to and from cards.  I socialized with the sisters because I do not do well with crafts.  

Saturday we went to a bazaar called Paris to Provence.  It is held every year so we decided to go.  Totally French, language, people, entertainers, FOOD, games, art work, costumes etc.  C'EST MANiFIQUE!    Afterwards, we drove home and watched a BBC production of Cranford.  A great show.   We were tired and so we chilled all afternoon.

We finished Matthew this week so I am going to tell you some things we learned.

The Gospel of Matthew    

Matthew was a Jew.  He was a publican, and so he was not popular by profession.  He was on of the 12 Apostles of Jesus Christ, and he was alive when these things were happening, although he certainly wasn't an eyewitness to all of them.  Matthew was probably a thorough Jew with a wide knowledge of the Old Testament scriptures, and able to see every detail of the Lord's life the fulfillment of prophecy. (BD p.729.) His book was written to convince the Jews that Jesus was the Christ.  

A little parable recorded in Matthew is especially applicable to the Jews."Therefore every scribe which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old." (Matt. 13:52) The "scribe" would be a man knowledgeable in the Jewish religion. "Things old" would be the Law of Moses and "things new" would be the the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Matthew included a lot of anti-Pharisee comments to show that the law was not an end in itself, as the Pharisees seemed to think. Chapters 5-7 give the higher law. "The Kingdom of Heaven" would be important to the Jews, and many parables in Matthew liken something to the Kingdom of Heaven.  The parables describe trees growing or bread rising, showing that the Kingdom of Heaven is a process, not an event. (Fronk)

Matthew is the only gospel that includes the story of the wise men.  Jews would have been more impressed by wealthy, learned men who had the studied the scriptures in far away lands (they might have been displaced Jews) and recognized the signs of the Messiah's coming.

Matthew included five major discourses given by Jesus Christ. He highlighted these using a key phrase at the end of each. The phrase is "When Jesus had finished these sayings..."  Is there a reason he chose 5 sermons? Of course!  There is a reason for every number used by a Jew in the Bible.  In this case, Matthew was adding a sequel to five writings that were very near and dear to every Jew, and were in fact, a foundation of their religion,The five books of Moses, the Torah. By doing this, he was showing the Jews that Christ was the fulfillment of the Law of Moses, and that His counsel superseded or added to that Law. (Bokovoy)

    1. 5:1-7, 27     The Sermon on the Mount, given to the multitude.                   Tag is found in 7:28

    2. 10 5-42       The instruction for the ministry of the 12 Apostles                     Tag is 11:1

    3. 13:1-52       The Sermon from the ship, given to great multitudes                Tag is 13:53

    4. 18:1-35       "Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of God? spoken to the apostles    Tag19:1

    5. 24:3-25,46  The Olivet Discourse, given to the 12 Apostles                          Tag is 26:1 

Time to get to work.

Love to you all,

The moms, The grandmas, The sister sisters

Dear Family,

We didn't get a letter written on Monday because we had zone conferences on Thursday and Friday.  Also, Craig, Caren and Cathy came to visit us in Melbourne, Australia.   It was a wonderful 3 1/2 days with them.

We are posting pictures from our adventures on the blog: cannonsisterscalledtoserve.blogspot.com.au

We love you all and will be better this next week about writing.

Love,

The moms, The grandmas, The Sister Sisters

Evie with her Aunts and Uncle.

Healsville Zoo.

Kangaroos

View from the Shrine of Remembrance.

Our Hotel

 Love the City

Dandenong Mountains

Fun Restaurant on Yarra River.  Had a French waitress, and Itlian waitress and one from the UK and the owner was from Turkey.

Melbourne at night. Gorgeous

Hello

Dear family,

We just got back from a zone conference over in the Breaside zone. We left the office at 9:30 this morning, talked for about 1/2 hour at the meeting , then drove back. We got back here a little after 2:00. Could we say traffic was terrible! And it is also hot and muggy! 
We get to repeat the same thing tomorrow, only the drive is a little longer.

We loved having Craig, Caren and Cathy here in Melbourne. It is always so good to see and hug family. We were able to do a couple of things which we had not done before. We went to the Shrine of Remembrance and it was wonderful. A great memorial to the fighting soldiers and to all that Australia has done. We also spent time at night walking by the river. It is so beautiful to be in the city at night. We also went to the top of the Eureka Towers and look all around the city. Loved the views. Catty and I loved it, Caren wouldn't leave the side of the elevator and Craig and DD stayed downstairs.

We are going to a Parisian Festival on Saturday morning. It will be so fun. It is being held at one of the mansions we have visited in the past. We will take pictures.

How is everyone doing?
What are you doing for Thanksgiving?
How is school going?
There was a padded envelope that I sent to the grandchildren that they can open up. It is not for Christmas.

We are reading the first 5 books of the New Testament again this year for Christmas. They are wonderful books to study. I would recommend you read them also.

I love you all and miss you.
Love, Grandma

PS Do not send anything for Christmas. We would simply have to pack it up! Also what is Robbies' email

Friends

Neha and Calen with Flat Evie for Halloweeen.

The Bignell Family.

Dear Family,

Monday night we were invited to the Bignell's house for dinner and FHE.  Elder Naiker and Elder Fermanis came also.  Elder Naiker is Indian from Malaysia and Elder Fermanis is Greek and Maori and he is from New Zealand.  Elder Naiker is very small and Elder Fermanis is tall and bigger. (Look at picture on Blog) Interesting, Elder Naiker is the trainer and leader of the two.  They are both "cute kids" or elders and they always have a smile on their face.

Tuesday we went and saw Bridge of Spies with Tom Hanks.  It is a very good movies about Gary Frances Power, a pilot that was shot down over Russia during the cold war.  It was quite intense and based on a true story.

Thursday we were alone in the office all day.  We couldn't leave because the other couples were gone to zone conference and looking for new flats.  It makes for a very long day.

Friday was zone conference for the Maroondah zone.  It was held in the stake center where we have our office.  Missionaries were in and out all day.  It makes for a busy fun day.  They were practicing carols for the Christmas party program.  They also were practicing Called to Serve for stake conference, which was held yesterday.  All full time missionaries, including the not so young missionaries, went up and sang Called to Serve. This song will forever be a favorite hymn.  We will always remember the first time we sang it at the MTC with 2000 missionaries.  The emotions we felt that first time will always remain with us.  Singing at stake conference was wonderful. 

Saturday we went to the city with Sister Jose.  She and her husband are from Perth, Australia.  She wanted to wander with us so her husband stayed home and watched Cricket on the tv.

  

The missionaries have been asked to read the 4 Gospels again.  We have learned some great insights into Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The next four weeks we are going to write about each one starting with Mark. We hope you will enjoy our insights and have the desire to read the four gospels again.

MARK

    Scholars agree that Mark was probably written first, and that the other writers had access to it when writing their gospels.  Mark was not one of the apostles.  He was young.  He likely was alive when Christ was alive, but he would have been a child.  After his conversion, he became the younger missionary companion of Paul, and later Peter, serving mainly among the Gentiles.  Therefore, he wrote his gospel from his missionary perspective: a Jew writing the Gentiles.  One can see he assumed that the reader would be unfamiliar with Jewish customs and terms and with Palestinian geography, because he explained and described those things.  One can also see that he assumed that the reader was familiar with Latin terms and customs.

   " Mark's object is to describe our Lord as the incarnate Son of God, living and acting among men. The gospel contains a living picture of a living Man.  Energy and humility are the characteristics of his portrait. It is full of descriptive touches that helps us to realize the impression made upon the bystanders." (Bible Dictionary)  It is "fast moving, emphasizing the doings more than the sayings of the Lord." (BD)  Notice how many times Mark uses the words "immediately, straightway, anon" all translations of the same word.  This one word is used eight times in one chapter alone, in verses 10,12,18,20,21, and 28.  Reading Mark leaves on breathless. The intensity of the ministry is emphasized.  No time to rest, no time to eat.  Mark is full of miracles. 

    An interesting experiment is to read it in one sitting and you will catch the energy in the telling. (Adrienne and I read it in two sittings the same night and we understood Mark much better).

In closing we leave a thought;

    "Thy days are known, and thy years shall not be numbered less; therefore, fear not... for God shall be with you forever and ever."

    D&C 122:9

We love you all,

The moms, The grandmas, The Sister Sisters

Women's Conference

 Adrienne, Sister Wi-Repo, and DeeDee

Melbourne City

We spent the evening in Melbourne with President and Sister Maxwell.

Dear Family,

Monday night we went to Cranbourne which is about 40 minutes away from the office.  We had a FHE with President and Sister Maxwell.  It was for a sister's conference.  There were 13 sister missionaries from 3 different zones.  Sister Maxwell made Hawaiian Haystacks for dinner.  The sisters loved it.  We had cheese cake for dessert.

Adrienne talked about the importance of learning, learning and learning.  I talked about organization.

President Maxwell talked about the Prophet Joseph Smith.  We got copies of his talk so I am going to quote from it.  The talk was amazing and we learned new things about him.

    "A number of individuals appeared to Joseph to help prepare him for his mission.  He received visitations from the Father and the Son; Moroni, John the Baptist, Peter, James, and John, Moses, Elias(Noah), Raphael (it is not clear who this is); Michael (Adam) and Elijah.  John Taylor said, "Joseph Smith had communications with not only the Lord, ...but with the ancient apostles and prophets; such men for instance as Abraham, Isaac, Noah, Adam, Seth, Enoch, and Jesus and the Father, and the apostles that lived on this continent as well as those who lived on the asiatic continent."  (Journal of Discourses, vol.21. p.94

    John Taylor further stated that when Joseph Smith was raised up as a prophet of God, "Mormon, Moroni, Nephi, and others of the ancient prophets who formerly lived on this continent" visited him and communicated certain principles of the gospel. " (JD, vol. 17 p. 374)

    W. W. Phelps had briefly faltered, being part of the betrayal that had place Joseph Smith in Liberty Jail.  Joseph was indignant over Brother Phelp's failure, later he was generous.  W.W. Phelps pled for readmission into the Church, Joseph Smith wrote a powerful and redemptive letter, the closing lines were, "Come on, dear brother, since the war is past, For friends at first, are again friends at last."  (History of Church, 4:164, see also pp. 162-63)

    Soon after Joseph's martyrdom in June 1944, Phelps composed, "Praise to the Man"

                Praise to the man who communed with Jehovah,

                Jesus anointed that Prophet and Seer.

                Blessed to open the last dispensation,

                Kings shall extol him, and nations revere.

                Great is his glory and endless his priesthood.  

                Ever and ever the keys he will hold.

                Faithful and true, he will enter his kingdom,

                Crowned in the midst of the prophets of old.

President Hinckley said,

    On Joseph Smith, "It is a constantly recurring mystery to me how some people speak with admiration for the Church and its work while at the same time didsdaining him through whom, as a servant of the Lord, came the framework of all that the Church is, of all that it teaches, and of all that it stands for. They would pluck the fruit from the tree while cutting oft the root from which it grows."

As you can see it was a GREAT, INSPIRING conference.  So glad we got to be part of it.

Tuesday was a beautiful day.  We came home and did lots of yard work.  We cut off large branches from our trees and bushes.  Weeded the from yard and it is looking good.  It had gotten our of control but with the cold and rain we didn't get it done.  We can now see the flowers as they start to bloom.

Wednesday we drove to Werribee, about an hour away.  One of our missionaries has been sick for at least a month.  Sister Maxwell called and asked us to bring some DoTerra oils.  Sister Horne sells them.  The elder has been to the doctor so many times and they couldn't find anything. They are saying it is pneumonia now.  We are hoping the oils will help.  He is finally starting to feel a bit better

The missionaries have been doing service at the temple.  It is closed for two weeks.  The missionaries love cleaning the inside and outside.

A spiritual good work day.

Friday the President had interviews with the senior sisters and the couple missionaries.  He talked about the scripture Matthew 26:26 and the Joseph Smith Translation.

            "And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body.    

                JST: and brake it, and blessed it, and gave to his disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is in remembrance of my body

                        which I give a RANSOM for you.

President Maxwell is a kind, loving man.  How blessed we are to work with him and Sister Maxwell.

Saturday it rained all morning so Adrienne and I put together the needlepoint Christmas stocking we have been working on for a couple of months.  The sun came out and we went to a new revamped mall close to our flat.  We are looking for things to put in Christmas gift bags for the 60-70 missionaries that won't be receiving gifts or letters from home.  We call this our Sub for Santa because we aren't home to do a Sub for Santa with our families.

In closing this letter I am quoted out today,

We love and miss you all,

The mom, The grandmas. The sister Sisters