29 March 2020 Joining our fast and prayers with the world

Such a strange week yet at the same time a fascinating time to be living.  We loved this picture from one of our grandsons who has spent some time apparently practicing with his social distancing blow-up ball.  Maybe if every student had one of these schools might be able to open again! 

Early in the week we received the news that all the young missionaries from Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands would be returning to their home countries.  Those that were to arrive will not be coming now.  Such a sad time for so many who have lived for, prepared for, and waited for this day.  But they will find new areas to serve and hopefully continue to open their hearts with more compassion  and service.  I volunteered to help with extra needs in the mission office since I will have no one to direct with English classes for a time.  Also, I am having the opportunity to review some humanitarian projects that the Church is involved with; it's not the same as actually getting to go to refugee camps, but I feel my heart reach out to all those in need as I see the many needs for help.  Don has been extremely busy getting acquainted with those he communicates with regarding legal issues via Teams, Zoom, WebEx, Facetime, Skype or whatever technology mode is available.  His email in-box is full all the time it seems and he is back at full-time work so to speak.

So what does one do when you are self-isolating at home and in our case, even at the office where we are basically on our own in our own little wing?  You plan your need to shop carefully and the places you go with caution.  When I called to make a hair appointment this week, my first question was, "Are you still open?" The response was yes, for now.  But there would be conditions.  Clients must come to the salon with already pre-washed hair.  Not a problem.  But then you could only be in the salon for 30 minutes according to the new government CoVid 19 regulations for styling salons.  So with color on my head, I would have to wander the mall for a bit, perhaps have a "cuppa" as they say, and stay away from people for another 30 minutes at least before returning to continue the hair appointment.  I was thinking there would probably not be any problem with people staying away from an old woman with hair coloring plastered to her head or sticking out.  I wasn't exactly looking forward to this and thought about cancelling several times. The good news came the morning of my visit.  The 30 minute directive was lifted for salons.  When I arrived, the shop and the mall were practically empty.  My stylist said most the clients had cancelled because of the directive and didn't  re-schedule.  So I practically had the place to myself.  Lots of precautions were taken and I should be good for another month!

By the weekend we planned our visit to the Sydney Olympic Park area.  First, since their summer Olympiad was in 2000, we thought the locals would not be there and the tourists - well, there are few to none right now.  We went early in the day and discovered that we had the place practically to ourselves. 

First, the train station was just as it appears - empty.  Though the trains were running, few if any, people were on them.  Before looking at the park, Don wanted to show me The Brickpit.  This is an area he thought would be interesting from looking at Google maps.  Well, we walked around an 18 m high circular walk-way which encircled the old brick making area.  It is now an algae-covered slimy pond which serves as a protected area for green and golden bell frogs and any other amphibian creatures who choose to inhabit it I guess.  Social distancing was not a problem here!  Who needs to see this?! I looked, stared back at Don and he said, "Well, I thought the green area on the map was grass and a park!"  And he's generally so good at choosing places.  We could see the stadiums in the distance so our walk continued to the Olympic park.

The Brick pit in all its glory

The Olympic cauldron was moved just a few feet from its original spot but is still a centerpiece of the Cathy Freeman Park.  She was the aboriginal track star that lit the torch in 2000.  A few days later she won gold in her signature event the 400m. 

Here is the cauldron with the water cascading as it did when Freeman went up in the middle to light the torch.  Don is looking at the names of the medalists which are on little plaques leading to the cauldron.  The ParaOlympic athletes\ medalists are also displayed.  It was fun for us to recognize and remember some of the athletes at the time.  The women's soccer team took second that year but we still knew their names!

Some of the men's swimmers we also remembered.

Here were the tennis winners that year:  Venus Williams took the gold medal, and then she and sister Serena won gold in the doubles also.  Was that the last time Venus has come out ahead of Serena?

We didn't remember that the 2000 Olympics marked 100 years of women's participation the the Olympic games.  The park also has a feature remembering the Eight Women who carried the torch in their Opening ceremonies - seven carried the torch like a chain to light the summer Olympic Flame and then Australian's Para Olympian athlete, Louise Savage, lit the Para Olympic flame.   The Attractor-the ladder-like sculpture- is to honor the Olympic movement and noblest human endeavors.  The artist says it is a symbol of ascension and has meaning not just to the Olympics but in the context of sports in general.  "It suggests the desire to ascend, to scale the heights, to climb up, to improve, to achieve, to transcend one's limitations."  A great symbol for any of us in any of our endeavors.

We walked around more of the venues and stopped at the tennis center too.  Notice how we had the place to ourselves!

There were many up-scale apartment buildings and more were being planned around the park area.  It is really a beautiful setting and has been so well maintained with continued use.  Not too many cities now can have all the venues so close together due to costs and other considerations like transportation.

We also walked to the Bicentennial Park, an area of 48 hectares (117 acres) of land that has been reclaimed into a recreational and wetland conservation area.  Australia opened this park in 1988 for their 200th anniversary.  More people here on a beautiful day.  Families bike riding and picnicking but everyone seeming to want to stay apart.  

And the flora and birds continue to enchant us.  Always something new to see-some makes us think of home and others not so much.  The loud, screeching cockatoos outside the house every day are really starting to be pests but they are so cool to look at too.

We have spent this Sunday joining our fast and prayers with others throughout the world who have entreated Father in Heaven for a solution and end to the suffering of this crisis.  We pray for those who have suffered loss and the hardships that many have, and will yet feel, in the days to come.

21 March 2020 Life has changed

As the entire world grapples with CoVid19, our life here in Sydney has been turned upside down.  Just like everyone, we spent most of this week practicing social-distancing and some isolation until today.  The government  leaders of New South Wales have determined that offices and businesses that are "non-essential" will be closed beginning tomorrow.  The church leaders in Auckland have at this point given us the choice of staying or going home.  Since we can work easily from home, or in isolation, we feel confident about staying for now.  The idea of facing a 15 hour flight back to the U.S., navigating LAX or another entry point, and then getting on another flight to SLC, followed by the final flight on to Lewiston fills us with some dread.  Of course, then we would be in quarantine for another two weeks. 

The prime minister stated last week that everyone should have at least 4 sq. m of personal space.  But the federal government still wants schools to stay open.  The states however are making their own decisions.  For example, Victoria has closed schools until at least April 14.  Here in New South Wales, the premier, (or governor) said in her press conference that schools will be open but they'd like parents to keep children home if they can.  Very confusing messages! How does a teacher instruct just a handful of students in new curriculum?  How does one keep children away from one another?Sounds a lot like day care at this point.    

So we will take this one day at a time.  Our accommodations are more than suitable, we have everything we need for now, and are still anxious to continue the work we were sent here to do. 

Saturday we got out of the flat to take a drive to see the Manly Beach area.  Not many people for a beautiful Saturday and everyone did seem to be distancing themselves from others.   Apparently, not the case at Bondi Beach-it looked like Florida spring break on the news.  But we were able to walk along the shore most of the way and enjoyed seeing where the first surf contests were held back in the early 1960's. 

 Manly Beach is just one of the many beautiful beaches stretching along the coastline of Australia.  It is over 3 km long and was one of the first places where swimmers and surfers were allowed daylight access as early as 1903.  The three parts, Queenscliff, North Steyne, and South Steyne have lifeguards and surf rescue workers patrolling and keeping an eye on swimmers and surfers alike.  It was fun kicking off the shoes and walking along the shore in the clean, soft sand.  Next time, we hope to bring our swimwear and enjoy the water.

 After walking along the beach, we strolled a bit on The Corso, a pedestrian area with  lots of shops and restaurants.  Some had already closed up, but there were a few open.  Again, not as many people as would probably be there on other weekends.  We will come back at some point  to enjoy more of the atmosphere.

As we began our drive back home, I spotted this sign in a medical office.  Not something one sees in the United States often if at all!  Makes us remember we are not in Idaho anymore.

This is the board in our office where I help the Self-Reliance missionaries keep track of  the  missionaries taking English instruction.  There are about 50 and they are serving here from their home countries of Vietnam, Phillipines, Peru, Cambodia, South Korea, Spain, China, Monglia, Equador, Japan, Myanmar, Hong Kong, Argentina, Taiwan in addition to many of the island nations.  We keep the young missionaries pictures and the area they are serving in organized, and then the assistants to the President come in and help us update it as transfers are made or some leave to go home.  We hope that we will be teaching in person again at some point but for now it's an online game.

  

15 March 2020 First week in Sydney

And the toilet paper was found!! But like the rest of the world the shops' shelves are quickly emptying of many products. Total aisles of paper products were gone as fast as they had been stocked but also many food stuffs were also being snatched up which I found interesting.  No yeast or pasta in the supermarket I went to this week.  Many other items were sold out too. The Costco stores here are looking very much like those in the U.S. with check-out lines clear to the back of the store and again, no toilet paper, paper towels, disinfectant or hand sanitizing supplies.The office and temple are directly across a main thoroughfare to the shopping centre where two large supermarkets and many shops like Target are found.  It's easy to just walk over and pick up anything we need. Don's gym is also on the upper floor so he can be found there 6 nights a week 

Regardless, an interesting week as we settled in to our office, met the people working around us, and dealt with cancelled meetings and activities.  Our office is located as part of the historic Buckland House with additional office and administrative spaces in the back.  It was originally built by the Church of England to house boys ages 6-18 mostly as an orphanage.  It closed in the 1970's when the children were placed in group home settings.  Other cottages on the property are also now used for various offices like Family History, Welfare/Self-Reliance, and Seminaries and Institute.  

                                 Buckland House                                   Other buildings on campus

We were on schedule to go to Auckland, NZ this week, but that was cancelled by the church last week before New Zealand closed their borders.  We are pretty much in self-isolation anyway since Don is now the only attorney in the office.  Our office is at the back of Buckland House in a wing that was added on after the church purchased the campus. With just a skeleton staff in the building anyway, we are a little on our own!  The mission offices are upstairs on the second floor where there are about 7 other couples that we interact with on various occasions.  I began preparing with the Self-Reliance missionaries to help teach ESL to some of our young missionaries.  I was really looking forward to beginning on Friday, but with all meetings cancelled, Elder and Sister Songer sent out lessons by e-mail.  We will see what the mission president directs this week.

Our office

This map in the office shows  Australia, New Zealand, and all the island countries -circled in blue- that are covered  in our Pacific Area.  We don't expect to travel to any especially with the current virus crisis.

The weather has not been very conducive to venturing out yet as we are anxious to explore areas of Sydney that we have not seen.  We are still adjusting to driving on the left though Don thinks he's got it down. (I'm not so sure!)  So on Sunday, between rain showers, we took off on a hike around our area to a Wildlife Sanctuary.  Right in the middle of a suburban area we found the Hunts Creek Reserve and followed the paths.  This was the traditional land of the Darug people where 4 differing clans used to meet for various ceremonies and corroboree (aboriginal  dances) before Europeans  colonists arrived.  Then like our own Native peoples, their lands were taken from them and they no longer had access to the land or resources like the water it provided.  The Darug were decimated by disease, starvation, and armed conflict.  We enjoyed our little hike to the "Water Place."

The Water Place was also used by early illegal distillers to make peach cider from local fruit.  The water was said to be the cleanest in the area in the old days.  Also, this area was use by bushrangers such as "The Wild Colonial Boy," Jack Donohue and his gang as a hiding place with the many caves in the area.  They would rob those people travelling on the roads between Sydney and other communities. 

One of the things that we've enjoyed this week is listening to the screeching, cawing, tweeting, of the many birds in the trees and on the ground around us.  I was in our bedroom the other day and with the windows very long and low, I saw an Australian magpie basically looking right in at me!  I was startled to say the least, so now I keep the window coverings drawn as I'm dressing!  The cockatoos are so large and LOUD to say the least.  So many colors and behaviors- I need to get a book on Aussie birds to start identifying them better. 

                                                  

As we were shopping at Woolies, we took notice of this offer for parents shopping with their children. We thought this was a better treat for children that the doughnuts and cookies our stores usually give out.   Spending most of Saturday inside, we did a quick cleaning only to have Don realize his lost his wedding ring down the toilet drain.  This makes for 2 rings he has lost.  He lost the original after two years of marraige at a place called Paradise Hot Springs near Featherville, Idaho (maybe an omen?!) and now some 42 years later he lost it "Down Under." 

Finally, we were thrilled to hear from our first grandchild, Sam as he received his own mission call.  He will be serving in Tempe, Arizona beginning in June.  We are so happy that this is his desire.  As classes at BYU-Id are going online this week in response to the coronavirus, he will be returning home to Colorado to finish up his first year of college online we suppose and then begin mission preparations.  His parents, all grandparents, siblings, and other family members are delighted for him.

And today (Monday in Australia) . . . a torrential downpour with wind blowing too. 

                                                                          Our Sam

8 March 2020 Arrival Down Under

And so our second mission begins . . .

We left Salt Lake City around 5 in the afternoon on Wednesday, March 4 and landed in Sydney, Australia Friday morning on March 6 having  crossed the International Date Line.  The fifteen hour flight from Los Angeles passed without incident, lots of movies to watch, and trying to get some decent rest.  My super-duper memory foam pillow did its magic since I missed the in-flight snacks and pizza twists in the middle of the night.  We cruised through the expedited customs procedure and were met by another senior missionary couple.  After lugging all 6 pieces of luggage plus carry-ons into a van, we were driven right to the office where we will spend most of our working hours for the next 18 months. Don and I received orientation from many other senior couples regarding phones, transportation, medical, logistics etc.  A wonderful food basket welcomed us to the Office of General Counsel where we met Gordon and Stephanie Low from Providence, Utah.  We are to be their replacements.  Our new little home was not quite ready for us, so we spent the first night in what is referred to as temple patron housing.  I spent some time watching a coed rugby club team practice behind our unit that first night while Don found his workout gym - the same franchise he frequented in Germany.  

Sydney Temple

The next morning we decided to walk to the Low's cottage as they were taking us shopping. We passed some young boys playing in a cricket match and later watched some of a women's match.  The church complex of office buildings is right next to the temple.  Though the temple housing is more than a mile away, we will have less than a 10 minute walk to the office from our permanent home.  Our shopping took us to Costco, Woolworths (Woolies), Aldi, and Target where we acquired the food stuffs, kitchen and household items we think we'll need.  But the one thing every store was out of supply was toilet paper!  With the coronavirus spreading, people are thinking they may be quarantined I guess.  We even asked when new shipments were expected and no one seemed to know.  One school of thought was much of the supply is shipped from China and with the factories closed down there, people seem to be panicking.  Of course, Australia has it's own paper plants too, so I don't know if that's an accurate assessment.  But in any case, we cannot buy toilet paper.  We are hoping the two rolls in our house will last until we get some!!

We took our purchases right to our new home which was now ready for us.  We could not believe our eyes.  A little house originally built as a mother-in-law home (I hope all my children are reading this), has been made available to us.  We are almost, not quite, but somewhat embarrassed by its comfort.  Two bedrooms. two bathrooms, laundry room, dining and living room, and a kitchen with a dishwasher.  We couldn't help but think of our little flat in Germany which we loved too, but this is a palace compared to smallness of that one.

 This is the front door and part of the porch that surrounds
 the house in the front, side and back.

Here is the entrance hallway with bedrooms to the right and left.  The master also has a small walk-in closet and adjoining bathroom.

This is the Master bath which I have claimed and Don took the other which adjoins the laundry room.  The second bedroom has an armoire that we are using for coats and jackets.  The more I think about it though, I should have had Don take that for all his things and then I could use the walk-in totally for me!

Here is our living room. The skylight has a stained glass covering. There are other stained glass windows in parts of the house also.  The missionary in charge of housing, Elder Stoker, will be bringing in a television this week also.  We have a large desk and little bookshelf next to it.  We were able to obtain Internet access rather easily and now have our own hot spot.

This view of the kitchen shows the "cooker," (stove), sinks, dishwasher, and some of the cupboards.  On the opposite wall is a pull-out pantry, more cupboards, oven, microwave and refrigerator.  Our dining table will seat 10 comfortably with the "good" dishes stored in the sideboard.  We cannot believe how lovely this home is and that it was prepared for us.

As we moved in and started unpacking the house security alarm went off.  Yes, Don had been fiddling with it.  The piercing, noise was so loud that some adjacent homeowners came over and said, "You must be the new neighbors!"  I kept hoping the police would not come.  Fortunately, they didn't and eventually Don and Gordon Low were able to call someone who knew the code.  It is now written down where we can find it again if needed.  But all the neighbors now know who we are!  Yesterday, we thought we'd blown a fuse when doing some laundry.  Apparently, we cannot wash and dry at the same time.  So, here we are, adapting to our new beautiful surroundings and looking forward to exploring much of the area.

Don and I are also adapting to driving on the left side of the roads and having a car with the steering on the right.  We keep thinking we are using the blinker when the windshield wipers are turned on.  I was pretty proud when I drove around the neighborhood to take Don in early this morning as it was raining and he hasn't bought an umbrella yet.  He is planning on some practice driving today also as he ventures further and further out.

There doesn't appear that we will be wanting for anything.  But if there is a sacrifice, it is being away from family and friends wishing all were here to enjoy this experience with us.