Christmas 2014

Elder and Sister Hansen hosted our Christmas Social which was a barbecue at their flat
common area.  We had a great time socializing and sharing missionary experiences.

We invited several families to participate in the
Christmas Nativity Play.  Twenty-two people came to
our flat including seven non-members.

The Australia Brisbane Mission Christmas Zone Meeting was a great success.  We enjoyed training, a wonderful lunch and some fun entertainment.

We spent Christmas in Australia at the beach with a few of the senior missionaries.  It was our first time to visit the ocean since we arrived, though we had seen it from a distance in our travels.  What a beautiful day!!!

We visited Barron Falls near Cairns with Elder and Sister Johnson and Elder and Sister Mizukawa in a recent visit to the northern part of Australia. 

We enjoyed an Italian dinner on the waterfront in Cairns with our dear friends.

Snorkeling at the Great Barrier Reef was an awesome P-day activity.

A hike to Mossman Gorge completed our wonderful trip to Cairns.

Elder and Sister Dennis who serve in Mackay stayed with us during his time in 
Brisbane for surgery and his recuperation.  They helped us prepare and serve 
lunch to the Gold Coast and Coomera Zones after our temple sessions.

Wonderful Experiences

This photo was taken with the city of Brisbane and the Brisbane River in the background. 

Elder Tupuola, recuperating from surgery at our flat,
was visited by Brandon Wong See, our neighbor.

John and Sheila Goddard, a lovely non-member couple, who are interested
in the church are being taught by the missionaries in our area.

Breakfast with the Gold Coast Zone after our session at the Brisbane Temple 

We served lunch to the Coomera Zone after our temple session.

P-Day with the Cleveland Zone

Some of the neighbors in our complex came to
visit when Elder Murakami stayed with us.  He taught all the children how to do origami.

Elder and Sister Miller spent the night with us.  They are the missionary couple that serve in Gladstone.

The Zone Leaders Council with President and Sister Henderson. It was wonderful
to be part of the training to learn about the "He Is The Gift" initiative.

We rescued these missionaries from the airport when their flights home
were cancelled because of a mix up with tickets.  They made a memory.

Our Christmas gift to the elders and sisters in our zones was to polish their shoes during zone meeting. They loved the surprise!

The new Cleveland Zone after transfers.

The new Gold Coast Zone after transfers.  We will
miss the missionaries who left but are excited to
get to know other wonderful servants of the Lord.

Mission experiences

Elder Madsen next to Elder Chase Hansen.  He plays as quarterback at the U of U.  Elder Madsen thinks he is so great he could become a Ute fan.

         
         Our Book of Mormon display at Cleveland Stake Conference.  The missionaries gave out           80 Book of Mormons to the members so they could share the gospel with someone they know.

Elder Gifford Nielsen, President and Sister Maurer of the Cleveland Stake with us.

 The Brisbane Temple in the background when we hosted at the temple grounds for the G20 Summit.

The Gold Coast Zone having breakfast after our temple session.

We enjoyed lunch with the Coomera Zone after a session at the Brisbane Temple.

 

       We had an exciting time watching Elder Murakami demonstrate origami to the neighbors.

                      We love the beautiful Poinciana trees with the red blossoms that line the streets.

Mission experiences

WE LOVE OUR MISSION!

  Our experiences are varied and fulfilling.

Our dear friends, Elder and Sister Mizukawa arrived

to serve in our mission, too.  They stayed with us for

the weekend before traveling to Townsville, in 

northern Australia, where they will serve.

All the senior missionaries in the Australia Brisbane Mission participated in a Senior Conference.  We enjoyed training, sharing experiences, eating, visiting, hiking and getting to know each other better.  WE LOVED IT!  So many great people!!!

We have visited New South Wale a couple of times for district meetings with the 

elders and sisters. It is part of the Gold Coast Zone.  The landscape is beautiful

with rolling hills, farms and a glimpse of the ocean along the way. 

This was a picture taken at the Sister's Conference.  All the sister missionaries met
to be instructed by President and Sister Henderson. The sisters from the Northern Zones watched by skype.

         

         

         Sister Smith (next to Elder Madsen) and

         her companion, Sis. Isenberger came to

         visit on her last night in the mission. She

         went home to New Zealand.

The Gold Coast Zone at Stake Conference on November 1, 2014.  We gave 80 

Book of Mormons to the stake members to give to someone.  The missionaries 

will follow up with them in a few weeks and then teach the referrals.

Coomera Zone P-Day 

We visited Tambourine Mountain and hiked to a waterfall.

Then we returned to our flat for dinner.

                                                                               

....and other activities like giving haircuts in our garage.

We love the purple jacaranda trees in  bloom everywhere here in Queensland.  
What a glorious spring it has been!

                      A photo outside the church on transfer day.  Everyone is always so excited to                          
                                   see a former companion.  No one wants to leave when it is over.

Mission life

We attended Gold Coast and Coomera Zone Conferences.  We received powerful presentations from President and Sister Henderson on Lehi's Dream and the Doctrine of Christ.

The elders were goofing off in this picture.

We attended a temple session with the Coomera Zone.

This kangaroo or wallaby was on the church grounds 

one afternoon as we drove up for zone conference.

I invited Hope and Jada, two girls in our complex, to help me make 

cookies one afternoon.  It was a fun way to get to know our neighbors.

Elders and Sisters from the Cleveland and Brisbane Zones 

during another wonderful zone conference.

This is a picture of our back patio and yard.  The grass we planted is

growing and the flowers add some needed color.  We have a table and

two chairs so we can eat outside if we have extra time.

Our Senior Missionary Conference on Mount Tambourine  - note

that Elder and Sister Mizukawa are in the picture - so fun to have them here.

We also had instruction at the chapel to assist us in our mission assignments.

We loved meeting all the senior couples and listening to their experiences.