Holiday in Cairns!

 Our mission is really big!  It's been compared to two states of Texas put together! Brisbane is at the bottom of Queensland, almost to the border of the state New South Wales.  Cairns is waaaaay up north--20 hours by car or two hours by plane.  They pronounce it "Cans" here.  We flew.  :D  Our mission president wants us to have opportunities to explore the mission so he's letting two couples go at a time.  We went with the Petersons who are over Self-Reliance and YSAs.  They are from Gilbert, AZ.  

     

It was a five-day package over the weekend so we only missed work Friday and Monday and Tuesday.  We really needed a break after finding and setting up 9 flats.  President Vongsawad told us to put the flat finding on hold which is a big relief for now.  We flew on Friday and Tuesday and had tours on Saturday and Monday.

We got to snorkel in the Great Barrier Reef.  I didn't want to get out of the water!  It wasn't as colorful as the pictures but it was still beautiful.  Some of the fish were tiny and some were over a foot in diameter.  I did not find Nemo 😕--I checked inside a lot of anemones! Tim saw a turtle!  Our excursion went to Green Island which was about an hour boat ride.  They had a glass-bottom boat and a semi-submersible boat which were really cool because we got to see a lot more coral and fish--even a small shark and 3 turtles.  

Sunday was great.  We Ubered our way to church then the senior missionary couples drove us home.  Our Uber driver was a professional/career Uber driver.  He had been doing it for a long time and knew exactly what riders need.  He had pockets on the back of both front seats full of candy, mints, chips, tissues, charging cords for every type of phone or electronic device, sanitizer, wipes!  I bet he had water up front too we just didn't ask.  

A group of YSAs was visiting Cairns from Brisbane and sang in church.  It was amazing.  They were there to put on a fireside that night.  The senior missionaries picked us up and took us to the fireside.  It was the highlight of the trip for me.  My daughters used to be in a group called R.O.C. (Remembering Our Culture) and they put on similar firesides.  Individuals got up and told us their "story" and then the group or a trio would sing.  There were 10 men and 10 women.  The pianist and the choir director were also YSAs.  It was so inspirational that I was engaged for over 2 hrs.!  I usually have a hard time sitting that long but the time flew.  The Spirit of God was soooo strong that I cried when I heard their stories because I had experienced similar trials and tests of my faith.  God is so good.  He really does know and love each one of us.  He is aware of everything that is happening to us and He cares.  I love Him. 💓

Monday we went into the rain forest by tram and came home by train.  We went to a village called Kuranda.  It had a lot of Aboriginal art and crafts, clothes--lots of shops and restaurants.  

There was a little Koala Village there but those little guys are always sleeping!  They move really slowly and sleep hanging onto branches.  Can you see the little furry arms?  

                  

 

We had a lot of fun with the Petersons and should be good and rested.  We love you and miss you.  Hug and kiss each other for us!