This was an exciting week! First, I got to go to a new store for us, Spotlight. It's like Hobby Lobby, Bed, Bath and Beyond put together! Sister Todd, Sister Patton and I went and it was amazing. It's the first store I've seen that sells fabric. It was really fun and I got to buy a few Christmas items. It's really going to be strange to have a Christmas in the summer here--I'll miss the snow. My daughter Laura and her husband, Dave, are coming for Christmas and we are beyond excited!!! They arrive on December 8th and are here until the day after Christmas. Can't wait to show them around our beautiful city!
Speaking of our beautiful city, they love their roundabouts here and some are huge! Imagine trying to read this while driving! I call them cinnamon rolls! Tim and I went down to Pimpama this week to work on a garage door that was misbehaving. Four sisters live there and we want them to be safe. Tim spent about an hour on the phone with them the night before trying to troubleshoot it. It was stuck in the open position. Here in Australia there are no locks on the doors from the garage into the house. It's really hard trying to learn all those differences. We just keep saying, "We're not in Kansas anymore!"
Before our mission I read that Brisbane had a giving machine last year and I was so happy that we weren't going to miss out. It's one of our favorite things to do at Christmas. I was hoping we would get to work a shift and we are! Two shifts, in fact. This machine is set up at a stake center north of us in Burpengary. It has been here for a week or two and is now being transferred to the Logan Hyperdrome tomorrow which is a mall. Our shift at the stake center was uneventful even though they were having a Stake Priesthood meeting there. Only three people donated but it was good practice and we organized everything. You get a sticker, an ornament and a photo-op with the big card. I gravitate toward the animal donations. We like to get pigs or goats or chickens for Latin America but this machine is all about Australian charities, right? The charities are varied:
Angel Flight gives free air and ground transportation for medical emergencies, Blaze Aid help people recover from fires including rebuilding fences to keep their cattle contained, Children's Hospital Foundation which supports the best pediatric hospital in the southern hemisphere here in Brisbane, Community Involvement Solutions which helps with everything from PTSD dogs for veterans to pantry staples, school excursions or petrol (fuel) cards. Giveit helps with domestic violence, groceries, a pair of shoes or toys. Last but not least, Rosies-Friends on the Street helps with poverty. They supply personal care items, hot meals, friendship opportunities, and blankets and much, much more.
Love you and miss you. Hope you have a great week! It's supposed to be a rainy week here. It's technically spring until the end of December and we're already experiencing some serious heat! 😦
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