Scott's Entry

Scott here….

To start off this epistle, I want our family to know how much we miss them! Zach and Jamie are getting married without our being there. I never thought a function like that would ever happen without us. And now we are starting to miss Birthdays. Often Grandma tears up and can’t even read the e-mails. But we do know why we are here and I am sure our family will grow closer together with stronger bonds. We miss our friends, that wonderful circle, that surround us and gave us comfort and encouragement.

Our calling has given us much more responsibility than we ever anticipated. We seem to be on GO all the time. We still don’t have a Tellie(TV) or radio in the flat, but they would probably slow us down.

Talking about slang, nicknames and shortened words, the other morning, we stopped for breakfast at McDonalds and on the menu billboard were the words for a “Short Breakie”. They also had a “Large Breakie.”

Anyway, with all this going on, you wonder how we can be homesick? Well, we have been, and we continue to miss our dear ones, so keep us in your prayers and thoughts, and e-mail us a couple of times a month, and that will help keep us going. We have you in our prayers daily, and send our love.

Scott: Entry #2

There have been so many things I’ve wanted to write about, I decided I would, so I have arisen from bed at 11:00pm to do this!

This past week-end, we travelled to Wangaratta for District Conference. In the mission field, it is like a Stake Conference. Our District is comprised of 10 Branches about 1 hr to 3 hrs. apart, except for Griffith which is about 41/2 hrs. away. Gas is about $1.35 per litre, which is about 1 ¾ pints, or $60-$70 to fill the tank in our Toyota Corolla. The District Presidency comes under the Mission President.

He has two Counselors and 4 Councilmen. I was sustained as a Councilman at this Conference. However, I was not Set Apart. My calling from the Prophet covers that. Presiding over the Conference was an Area Seventy by the name of David Hoare. Elder Hoare lives in Melbourne, and covers this part of the world. In our Priesthood Meeting, Sat. afternoon, he talked about Church Government. Many people out here in the Bush are new to the Gospel and have not learned many Principles. Elder Hoare explained that he holds no keys. He is on assignment from the Twelve Apostles. If a Stake needs to be re-organized, etc., he is called to officiate and represent one of the Twelve. There are 8 Quorums of the Seventies in the world today. Also the Temple President and Matron of the Melbourne Temple were there.

I couldn’t help remembering when Las Vegas had 3 small wards and Moapa Stake included Moapa Valley, Virgin Valley, Henderson, and Kingman, Arizona. How small our membership was back then!

I am sure this area here in Australia will grow; maybe not quite like Las Vegas, but they are really good people here.

Scott’s Entry #3

Our little Branch has not been growing. Our members are sweet, with wonderful spirits, but are not outgoing or doing missionary work. I suggested we have a Live Nativity Pageant to draw attention to our Chapel. Everyone so far has liked the idea. We called the Mission Office for permission. They called back and said they would like our Branch Choir, that I had mentioned being a part of the pageant, to sing at Saturday night’s meeting. We sang a striking rendition of “Come Ye Children of the Lord”. I slowed the tempo down towards the end, then picked the tempo up for a majestic ending! We also did an arrangement of “I Need Thee Every Hour” which really came off well. At the end of the Conference we were given permission to do the Pageant with an agreement to fund the expenses.

Bro. Magleby, of the Church Music Department in Salt Lake wrote back that “we were real pioneers”, when Shirley wrote that our Branch was mostly Samoans who struggle with the English Language!!

If anyone has a script or music for a Live Nativity, please send ASAP> Shirley’s saying, “It’s a fine thing you got us into .” But I’m sure there is help out there. I want to focus on the Prophecies, and the Manger- easy music and Children’s songs.

Saturday before Mother’s Day, our Branch is having a Mother’s Day Dinner. Each Brother is to make two leis(?) one for his wife and another for a Sister, and to bring a ‘plate.’ ( it’s Potluck, in other words.) They suggest I make a lollie lei. I think that’s connecting candies.

Entry #4

Now let me tell you what it is like to drive on the Left side of the road!!! You cannot imagine the ‘vibrations’ that go through your body when you see a large Semi truck on a very narrow two-lane road, coming at you on the Right side!! The embarrassment when one gets in the car when it is parked in a large Parking Lot only to discover one got in on the wrong side and there is no steering wheel!! The people in this area seem to gather when one is trying to parallel park in the painted box along side the curb. So, yeah the Rear View mirror is on the ‘wrong’ side. However I have just recently discovered a mirror on each side of the car. (Doesn’t take me long!) The basic speed on most roads is either 60, 80, or 100 kilometers. On divided highways, the speed is 110 K’s. I was told by another Elder that 110k’s is about 68 mph. No one ever goes over the limit because they will ‘ticket’ for going even 1 or 2 miles over.

Another interesting challenge is going through a “round about” clockwise instead of counter-clock-wise. Australia uses a lot of round abouts, even when major roads cross. Most traffic travels the same speed so the cars weave through the round- abouts without slowing down. Shirley is constantly having ‘heart attacks’ sitting in the passenger’s seat!

But, of course, I couldn’t do any of this navigating without my co-pilot. Shirley reads the signs, helps me judge traffic, and keeps me on the side of the road I’m supposed to be on! Shirley has yet to drive in Australia. So unlike her. Maybe when I quit turning on the windshield wiper instead the the blinker, she’ll gain the courage to try it!

Shirley gets a kick out of road signs, because they use whole sentences: here are some examples:
* It is time to SLOW Down.

* Keep left unless overtaking.
* Open your eyes. Fatigue kills.
* Please do not use noisy ENGINE BRAKES.
* Drive 50k in built up areas.
* Right lane must turn right.
* Wrong way. Go back.
* Slowing down won’t kill.
*Secure your loads. Penalties apply.
* Emergency stopping lane only.
* Only sleep cures fatigue.