Two days here

The last picture with Nelson grandchildren, I'll be in last position when we get home in two years!

The last days at Shannnon's were a blur.  We actually slept the night before we left, and Shan and I got a walk in. Shan and Erika took us to the airport and we met 5 Elders heading for Fiji on our flight, they took a different airline after we got to LA.  In LA we ate dinner at Burger King (had my last salad) and then we were taken by shuttle to the International Terminal.  It was a loooong way and ended up we had to walk that looong way back to our gate which was where we started on the shuttle ride (could see it outside the window), but it was good to walk.  That took a chunk of  the 51/2 hr layover time until our other flight.

Qantus had great service.  We were on the end of an inside isle row which made it nice getting up for walks, etc.  I slept the first hour and woke up for dinner @ 12:30am which was delishous -I had salmon and veggies dinner and Brent had chicken.  After a walk I slept about 4 hrs, Dad watched "Hunger Games" until they had to shut down entertainment to get the system working for the whole plane.  I slept well as did Brent, surprisingly, and had several walks and achieved the swollen legs we had been warned about.  About 5am (12 hrs after dinner) we had a delishous hot breakfast and landed not too long after that. We made it through customs in Sydney without much difficulty. 

We were taken by shuttle to the domestic terminal, and this was the first sign we saw (yield), it made me chuckle.  We had an hour flight to Melbourne and they served a nice breakfast, I was thinking there would be nuts and drinks.  We arrived on the domestic side of the airport and exited (sign said "way out") to baggage and collected everything.  We began to realize no on was there so we used the credit card to call the Mission Office and found out Pres. and Sis. Lifferth were on the International side, and before long two smiling faces appeared and we were saved.  They were wonderful and took us to the Mission Home which is beautiful and set up to care for and feed many missionaries at a time.  They fed us lunch and took us to the Mission Office which is the end of the Stake Center and newly constructed.  It's in the parking lot of the Mebourne Temple and such a beautiful, peaceful setting.

 I can't think of a more special place to work than where we are.  We met the staff and got keys to our house, the office and a phone.  We thought we would have internet at home but don't...thus no email or blog....today we came into the Office for P(reparation)-day, our day off, so I could try and remember how to blog and we also went to buy a headlight for the mission van that we drive so it has two working ones now.  Without internet we can't use Vonage phone service and one company won't let us use it and another can't hook it up to our house; so we're trying to figure out what to do.  Our home is a 4 bedroom house that is used to house sister missionaries during transfers, so we have lots of room for visitors.

Trying to get food enough for everything has been a challenge, greek yogurt isn't as popular here as at home and greens are pretty expensive, but I'm working on it.  I'm supposed to make cookies for transfers on Tuesday but there are no cookies sheets or 9x13 pans that I have found yet.  Well, I've deleted this by accident once and hopefully won't again.  We have to do a little more shopping and i haven't bought stamps yet, but am working on that next.  We love each of you and appreciate your support.  At least I can write at work and receive email here.  Tomorrow we go to our new Ward that the Lifferth's and the other office missionary sister who is helping train me, both attend; there will be a few familiar faces. Many missionaries wander through the office each week, especially this coming one with transfers occurring, so that will be fun to get to know them.  There are about 30 different nationalities of missionaries and 5 languages spoken in the mission.

Our cell phone number is:  0404 090 739, I can't remember what codes you put first.(0011 1 ?)
Our address is: 21 Fraser Crescent, Wantirna South, Victoria 3152, Australia
Mission Office is:  76 Cathies Place, Wantirna South, Victoria 3152, Australia

Email us with questions or letters!


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