Oops! Encountered a bump in the road!

FIRST OOPS:  Saturday, we moved from the Bed and Breakfast to our new flat late in the afternoon. After they showed us what we needed to know about our flat, we took off for the mall for a quick bite of dinner and grocery shopping. After eating, Dad decided to have us make a quick trip to our flat in the daylight to make sure we knew how to get there. Because of Dad's bad navigation skills, it only took us an hour and 45 minutes to find our way back on a path that should take us no more than 10 minutes. (Dad said it was because it was dark and he couldn't find his way -- and that was even with the Garmin, but it seemed to have a mind of its own.) We arrived back in time to join the other Senior Couples for the rest of Movie Night, which finished about 10 p.m. And then we had to unpack and put things away, which took until way late!

We had to get up early Sunday morning to ride with those we are replacing, the Andrus', to meet the church group we have been assigned to work with -- the Molweni group -- a 40 minute drive from our flat. We arrived jst after 8:00 to join with them on watching General Conference. We watched both the Priesthood Session and the Sunday Morning Session of Conference for just over 4 and 1/2 hours, counting breaks. We meet most of the group and took pictures, but that's about all. Please note the pictures of some of the members of the group, along with pictures of their meeting place, extremely small external classrooms, and the multiple school buildings there where they meet. They rent their one building, along with two external classrooms, from the city. Almost all the members walk a great distance to get there, up of them up to an hour walk -- and it was raining when church was out!

We returned to our flat with the Andrus' who decided to introduce us to Premie, our Indian neighbor who lives above us.  What a delightful lady!

SECOND OOPS:  While coming down the stairs following the visit, Mom slipped and fell coming down the rain-slick stairs and broke her arm! At first we hoped she had just dislocated her shoulder/ Then we decided we had better take her to the emergency room to the recommended private hospital 30 minutes away. After we checked Mom in, they took her away for X-rays, only to discover she had broken her arm just below her shoulder and was in quite a bit of pain. They gave Mom something for the pain, and put her to bed. The doctor came in, showed us the X-rays, and discussed the situation. We had two choices: (1) immobilize her arm for over 6 weeks and let it heal on its own, (2) go through surgery to realign the bones since they were slightly displaced, pin the break, and immobilize the shoulder for 6 weeks.  We didn't have to make the decision until Monday, the earliest they could schedule the surgery. By this time, we were all tired and worn out. Mom wanted to rest and told Dad to go back to the flat, with it being about 8:00 at night by then.

Early Monday morning they tried to take Mom off to surgery, before Dad's arrival and a joint decision on what to do. Meanwhile, Dad contacted the Mission President's wife, who inturn contacted the Area Medical Advisor who definitely recommended the surgery because of the displacement.  So Dad drove to the hospital and told the doctor of our decision to have the surgery, which didn't occur until after 6:00 that evening. Dad was asked to go to the "Comfort Room' (their waiting room), until Mom was to be brought back to the recovery room. Dad went to have a burger in the cafetria, then returned to the Comfort Room. He was so exhausted from lack of sleep that he kept dosing off. Finally just after 9:00, Dr. Rahjah came out and told him that Mom was in recovery and that he would be summoned when she awakened. He explained that they put 3 pins in her shoulder, to remain 6 weeks until removal in minor surgery. Dad waited until about 10:00, but no on had come for him.  We walked out into the hall just as a nurse came along, who asked if she could help him. He said he was waiting for his wife to come out of recovery. The nurse said, "Oh, there is no one left in recovery. What's your wife's name?" She checked on it and came back to say that Mom had been taken to her room, and NO ONE had come to tell him!

(By the way, CASUALTY is what they term the Emergency Entrance here.)

Dad checked on Mom, talked a few minutes with her being in a groggy state, and left for home. Wednesday Mom was released from the hospital and returned to our flat, rested during the afternoon, and again enjoyed the company of many of the Senior Couples for dinner, this time at a Thai restaurant. Today, Thursday, her first day back at work, she was tired and wore out by the end of the day, but made it to the end of the day. SURPRISE: another Senior Couple was waiting for us at the flat with a deluxe pot-roast dinner they had prepared. It was delicious, especially since Mom didn't have to fix it. So far Mom's doing OK. She is very frustrated with her hairdresser, however. (Dad) Not to worry, however, Mom is doing fine.

Maybe we are through with the OOPS! Love ya all and hope all is OK on the homefront. We will try to keep you updated. Our next big adventure is our trip to Rhino Coast in St. Lucia next Wednesday. We discovered that JD and Kyle need to get reservations for their excusions ASAP since they are coming during the Christmas Holidays, which is summer break for them, and accommodations fill up quickly.

Love ya lots,
Mom and Dad -- Grandma and Grandpa -- or Judi and DeVon

Arrival and Training in Durban

It is now Friday morning and we thought we would recap the major events between our arrival Wednesday and this morning. We flew into Durban about 1:30 Wednesday afternoon to be met by President and Sister Zackrison, as well as a huge group there to meet the returning Sister Matthews who had served in Manchester, England. It was great to finally arrive at our final destination -- Durban, South Africa!

We were brought straight to the Huntley House, a quaint Bed and Breakfast and the most gracious and friendly hostess ever! They left us to settle in and get some much needed sleep, with plans to pick us up to join with the office staff for dinner. We were taken to Lupa's for "high class food" and the eight of us (President and Sister Zackrison and all the office couples) struggled to hear each other as we tried to get acquainted over lots of background conversation. We shared appetizers of calamari, french fried zucchini, and other seafood treats new to us. Definitely a friendly bunch who were eager to make us feel welcome.

We dropped into bed, exhausted, between 10 and 11:00. Both of us awoke about 1:00 a.m., with Dad solving the worlds problems as he tried to get back to sleep while I listed to John Bytheway on the MP3 telling me how to enrich our marriage. We both probably drifted off to sleep again about an hour later, to be awakened by a pesky alarm clock, along with the noisy birds and monkeys on the rooftop at 6 a.m,.

Jane, our delightful hostess, treated us to a made to order breakfast for just the two of us. You can't believe the quaint home and cottages in this bed and breakfast, set in this tropical paradise. Then we were off to training at the office, when Elder Andrus arrived to begin teaching us how to get around  and find our way to the office.

Thursday, we spent the day in training and still don't get it all!! Immediately following work, we headed over to Elder and Sister Rowberry's, another Senior Mission couple, still being chauffered by Elder Andrus. All the  seven Senior couples serving in the metropolitan area of Durban gathered for a potluck dinner to welcome us. We left there stuffed with fabulous homemade food.

From there, we attended at concert performed by the Durban Philharmonic Orchestra, along with a youth choral group and a full mixed choir at the beautiful, historic City Hall --  the one in the slide show we had put together prior to departure without knowing we would be able to see it so quickly. Dad had to keep poking Mom to keep her from nodding off. She seemed to suffer from whiplash.  We had not overcome jetlag yet. Dad is still kind of "dopey." He almost goes to sleep standing up and is still extremely tired (and this is Saturday when this paragraph is being written!!)

Friday, more training, and more training and more training, then Mom and Sister Andrus went shopping to totally stock 2 new flats (Mom and Sister Andrus, who she is rplacing as housing coordinator). They needed to purchase EVERYTHING, from spoons to washers and refrigerators. They went to a huge store, much like a stepdown from Sam's Club or Costco. They accomplished the OVERWHELMING task in just 2 hours, arriving back at the office past closing time. We rushed to dinner in the Hillcrest area at a restaurant called Oscars, for some authentic South African sandwiches, wraps and salads. Across the street, we went to the Hillcrest Stake Center for a youth talent show. It was obvious the hours they had put into preparing for their performances. But the amazing part was the support the audience and other performing groups gave to those onstage. They even had two very young performers, maybe 3 and 5 years of age, dancing and singing to everyone's delight. It was engaging enough that Mom didn't have to keep Dad awake this time! Again we fell into bed about 11:00. Dad's internal clock woke him up about 3 a.m. and had a hard time going back to sleep before we needed to get up for another of Jane's fantastic breakfasts in her "island of paradise."

Saturday, this morning, following breakfast, we had to pack so we can exchange accomodations with Elder and Sister Andrus. We sure hope we get settled soon. It is now mid-afternoon and we are sitting out on the patio enjoying the beautiful tropical setting. (Are you jealous yet? We will send you a picture.) Hopefully, we can get into our flat and get organized before this evening's event -- several Senior couples getting together to play games. Hopefully, we don't fall into bed, exhausted, again this evening because tomorrow's plans are to attend church and be introduced to the Molweni Group we have been asked to work with.

Don't expect so many details in each update from us, but wanted to share with each of you, our introduction to life in the South Africa Durban Mission. WOW!!

Love ya all!

Welcome home Elder and Sister Nielsen

PENGUIN ISLAND IN OCTOBER, 2011

A highlight of our Saturday adventures Down Under was our journey by train to Rockingham about 45 minutes south of Perth early in October. Our destination was Penguin Island, a 5 minute boat ride off the coast.

The island is home to around 1200 “little penguins” – the smallest species in the world. They are naturally shy and spend most daylight hours feeding at sea or hidden away in burrows. At the Penguin Discovery Centre, we watched the daily feeding of a dozen little penguins housed there.

The park abounds with other wildlife, including wild dolphins, sea lions, stingrays, pelicans, and over 50 species of seabirds.

The baby terns had just hatched and were being watched over carefully by their mothers.

We had a fascinating experience in the glass bottom boat trip around Penguin Island and Seal Island. As we pulled away from the Penguin Island Dock, the skipper played the theme song from Gilligan's Island over the speakers. We all chuckled at its implications. After setting sail, we saw many pelicans and other seabirds. The sea lions had finished eating and were having their beauty sleep on the beach.

We did manage to awaken them long enough to get this picture.

We then turned to the seaward side of the island in search of the dolphins. The boat captain finally found a pod of dolphins (about a dozen) who wanted to play. The captain enticed them to wave surf alongside the boat. This time a chose to play "Surfin' USA." We were so enthralled with watching the dolphins surf the wake of the boat that we were unable to get a good picture of them. But for us it was the climax of the day’s adventures. It was amazing. As we approached the island jetty at the end of our boat tour, he played "Yellow Submarine" and everyone enjoyed singing along with the music.

The island, the color of the water, and the blue sky were too beautiful for words.

Reluctantly, we made our way back to the jetty for the brief return trip to the Rockingham shore.

THE GREAT SOUTHWEST ADVENTURE

Our last grand adventure Down Under was an extended weekend trip to the south west portion of the state of Western Australia. We had been invited to speak in Sacrament Meeting in the Bridgetown Branch by Brother Mullin. You may remember that the Mullins gave us a huge gift box of food and vegetables when we were new to the mission field, and continued with more “goody boxes” every month or two. They would travel from Bridgetown to Perth every month to attend the temple, a 3-1/2 to 4 hour drive one way. We had developed quite a friendship with them.

We headed south along the coast for our first adventure, the Lighthouse at Cape Naturaliste.

This lighthouse is the shortest in Australia, but sits on a hill overlooking the Indian Ocean, making it inexpensive to construct but extremely visible to ships off the coast.

Replacement of the lens at today’s prices would be well over a million dollars.

We continued south along the coast thru the Margaret River area and the vast fields of vineyards with its wineries offering free samples. (NO! We made it all the way without stopping for a taste!) Our next stop was at the Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse where the Indian Ocean meets the Southern Ocean.

The Cape is known for its treacherous reefs, rocks, and weather. It is regarded by mariners as one of the most dangerous coastlines in the world. The lighthouse was built in 1895 and today it still uses the original lens that shines a light with the intensity of a million candles that is visible from over 30 miles away.

We stayed in Pemberton and spent a rather chilly night. The next day we took a two hour tour on the Pemberton Tram.

The railway meanders through towering Karri, Marri, and Jarrah forests, over tressle bridges spanning rivers and streams along one of Australia’s most majestic rail lines. During this spring visit, the forest was resplendent with colorful wildflowers. We stopped at Cascade Falls for a breathtaking view.

On our arrival at the Gloucester Tree in the Karri Forest, we were greeted by several of the colourful local residents.

The Gloucester Tree is famous for being the highest fire lookout tree in the world. It soars almost 200 feet above the ground to a lookout platform which has been firmly bolted to its uppermost branches. It was manned for pinpointing forest fires during the tinder dry summer months until the 1980’s. The climb to the top is made using the 153 rungs consisting of alternate wooden karri pegs and steel spikes.

Dad made it about ten feet up!

As we continued southeast out of the dense forests, we reached the southern coast of Western Australia, and were treated to the ocean view near Walpole.

Our next stop gave us this panoramic view of the Denmark inlet.

Further on, we stopped at Elephant Rocks, for another amazing view of the southern coast.

 The next day we made our way to the Valley of the Giants with its Tree Top Walk, which is almost 2000 feet in length, and reaches a height of over 130 feet. This suspension walkway is susceptible to swaying as you traverse its many spans. The swaying quickly leads to nausea and a sense of sea-sickness. Quite a feeling while 130 feet off the ground! Not for the sissies! The tiny person in the distance is Mom.

There is also a ground-level walk through a dense grove of uniquely shaped Tingle Trees called “The Ancient Empire.” This led us to “The Red Tingle Tree” which is 250 feet tall, 65 feet around, and over 400 years old. Hollows at the base of these trees are caused by fire, fungal and insect attack.

Sunday we attended church services in Bridgetown. We were favored with a very spiritual Sacrament Meeting, with almost three times their normal attendance during the three hour block of meetings. Members then provided a special farewell luncheon for Elder and Sister Orth, who have completed an 18 month mission and will be returning to Brisbane, Australia.

On our return to Perth we stopped in Fremantle (AGAIN!!!) to board the life-size replica of Captain Cook’s ship, “The Endeavor”, which is on a two year tour around Australia. We were welcomed aboard and given an hour long tour of the Endeavor, with details about life aboard ship during its 2 year journey in the early 1770’s.

WOW! What a GRAND ADVENTURE DOWN UNDER!

Wave Rock

Due to the distance to Wave Rock, one of the major highlights of Western Australia, we decided to take a bus tour scheduled for Saturday, 3 September 2011. It took four hours to drive to Wave Rock and another four hours to drive back (not counting the stops) and Dad said, “No way am I going to drive it!” So we paid for the bus tour, and Sister Kruger joined with us.

The bus left Perth at 8 a.m. and headed east into the wheat belt region of WA. Our first stop was York, a small country town, which just happened to be celebrating York Day.

JoLyn, would you believe that there was even a Young Living Essential Oils booth there.

The gentleman at the booth mentioned that they had just begun sales in Australia.

Along the way the bus driver drew our attention to the famous “Rabbit Proof Fence.” After rabbits were first introduced to Australia by a British immigrant with 14 rabbits, a rabbit infestation from eastern Australia was threatening wheat fields. The government decided to build the fence to stop the western migration. It is the longest fence in the world! It slowed the migration but failed to contain the rabbits.

On to our next stop…a Dog Cemetery!! A gentleman wanted his dog buried next to him, but the township wouldn’t allow it. So he purchased a small piece of property and began a dog cemetery where well over 50 dogs from the community are buried.

Our journey continued to Hippo’s Yawn, and huge rock formation resembling a hippopotamus’ open jaws. It probably could have swallowed the whole bus.

The first order of business when we arrived at Wave Rock was to have lunch provided by the tour company. In a pond next to the lunchroom, were two beautiful black swans (the symbol of Perth) along with their 3 young goslings.

We have seen few black swans since our arrival, and never seen their goslings before.

WAVE ROCK – one of the world’s greatest natural spectacles which rises over 50 feet above the ground (and over 325 feet long) like a giant wave about to break. It’s a granite formation created by erosion. The dark stains are created by algae and lichen.

We made the steep hike to the top and discovered water pools and a natural fault line.

Note the beautiful panoramic view from the top. Wave Rock was the highlight of our day.

Before beginning our return trip, we stopped nearby at Mulka’s Cave.

Mulka was an Aboriginal boy with a vision impairment preventing the ability to hunt to provide for himself and his mother after his father’s death. He eventually turned to cannibalism and hunted down and killed. He lived in Mulka’s Cave, which contains hundreds of handprints, believed to be his, as well as young tribal warriors in later years.

Note the beautiful view from the parking lot as we headed back to Perth, another 4 hour drive which included a brief stop for afternoon tea and crumpets, arriving just before 10 p.m.

All in all, another wonderful adventure Downunder!