Sunday, November 27, 2016
Sheila writes in black, Rick in blue.
Monday,November 21, 2016
We purchased our turkey for Thanksgiving and we have invited the elders and the Smith family to eat with us.
Our $50.00 turkey, crazy how much they cost
Size 50 = $1.00 per size, I guess. Size 50 is 5 kg which comes to about 12 lbs. which comes to about $3.20 U.S. per pound or less than 1 cent per day per pound per year if you only buy one turkey per year. I am working up my strength to look at the price of ham for Christmas. I'll keep you posted. Sister Berger did a wonderful job cooking this golden bird, it was delicious! The young Elders inhaled their portions along with the trimmings, par for young Elders. The Smith family, who joined us, were lovely, even though they were not used to some of the more traditional American dishes,
Tuesday, November 22, 2016
Today we traveled again to Gunnedah to have lunch with Elder and Sister Pierce who leave to go home in February. They are so far away and seldom have contact with other senior couples and are so glad to spend time with us. We had a good time even though it is a long drive. The Pierces are scheduled to return to Bountiful, Utah on February 8, 2016 and are a bit trunky for their family there. We love the Pierces and their dedication. All Senior Missionaries could use them as a great example.
Thanksgiving, November 24, 2016
A long day of cooking and decorating and preparing. Most everything turned out eatable at least. The flour is strange here and my pie crust was really thick and tough and the rolls were dryer than they should have been but overall I think we all ate well and had a good time.
Sister Berger's imprivised Thanksgiving Centerpiece impressed our guests.
A lovely table set by Sister Berger who also picked and arranged the pink roses. She appropriated the flowers from the Catholic Diocese.
Brother Smith, Sister Smith, Kristen and Joshua Smith waiting on the Elders to show up.
The Turkey is done and the gravy is being made.
Our thankful wall that had everyone's turkey stating something they were grateful for
Their forks and knives will be just a blur after the blessing.
Brother Smith is regaling us with aussie tales along with pictures. He tells great stories!
Cutting our faux Pumpkin pie was difficult due to an experimental crust (see text above). Everyone thought it was delicious and there were no leftovers on the pie.
What, no more food?
We gave the Smiths some Hershey bars from Costco in Sydney. They were unable to appreciate the subtle improvement over the Cadbury chocolate that they are used to. Check the expressions.
Never leave your camera unattended with the elders around
Elder Moulton showing off his Dracula (Vlad the Impaler) teeth.
Friday, November 25, 2016
Exhausting couple of days. After sleeping in a bit, we went to the church where I could practice accompanying Sister MacDonald on her violin for "A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief" which we are doing this Sunday for Invitation Sunday. I also typed up my talk for the program.
After, we sought out a new member appearing on our newest branch list, discovering he had moved to Newcastle who knows when. We then delivered invitations for "Invitation Sunday." It was really nice that there were leftovers as I am tired of cooking. I hid the leftovers from the Elders so that Sheila could taste the meal. She says that she just cannot enjoy it on the day that she has cooked it.
Sunday: Accompany Sister MacDonald on flute, Give talk on why life can be hard and the companionship of the Bible, Book of Mormon and modern day revelation, helped the little Primary kids make stars for their Christmas trees, Elder Berger taught a lesson about forgiveness and the love of Heavenly Father for each individual person on earth. Then I helped feed the members, about 40 came, some of them haven't been for years. I made a chicken, broccoli, rice casserole that went fast and from the comments seemed to be liked. No matter how much food we bring, it gets eaten up.
There was a lovely spirit there. One of the less active men who hasn't been to church in years told me my talk was exactly what he needed to hear which is a wonderful thing to hear. Having the spirit guide us in developing a talk and presenting it is always the goal because the spirit is what really teaches the listener.
Brother Hoffman, a consistent member for many years and the Primary teacher
Look closely at the faces. These lovely people are focused on the task at hand. We love 'em!
Brother Benesch and I will move in after the first wave has landed.
Sweet Devika, my helper when her mother allows her to come
The Children had a wonderful day!
Primary table
Brother Dixon to the left, less active for many years, so excited to have him come and Brother Clarke, a non-member who really seemed to enjoy himself
Sister Sully's pavlova, a very Australian dessert and Sister Clarke's awesome chocolate cake
Quick meeting of the priesthood leaders, Yours Truly, Brother Benesch and President Sully.
Sister Tan is a lovely member who has just joined our early morning Seminary class.
