New Missionaries and the Boxes Have Arrived!!

We said a sad good-bye to Elder Collet and Elder Hardester. Elder Collet has been a powerful force in Alice for over a year. He made a lasting impact and will be missed by many. We were happy to start to get to know Elder Hardester and are sure his enthusiasm and positive attitude will be of benefit wherever he goes.

We are thrilled to have Elder McKnight return to us as our new Alice Springs Zone Leader. He brought with him Elder Pawtui. Elder McKnight is already making a powerful impact and Elder Pawtui is eager, hardworking and dedicated.

There has been so much to do, I really didn’t see the light at the end of the tunnel; but now I do. President Quinn has sent two senior sisters here to Alice Springs. They are both delightful. One, Sister Lovegrove, is a retired elementary school teacher and librarian. Not only that, but she is Australian. So now we will be able to produce American and Australian versions of the reading and language programs. Sister Wood is from America and she can help me with the American version. I can’t fully express how thrilled I am to have them here and how enthusiastic, talented and inspired they are. It is no coincidence that a refurbished flat two doors down from us came up for rent just as they were coming in. Elder Shumway and I have moved into that one with the help of the other six missionaries.

We are so excited! Christmas has come early and the boxes from Utah are here. We will be putting the bags together as soon as the books get here, which should be any day now. The first thing we will be introducing in the Family Learning Centers will be these bags and toys.
President and Sister Quinn were here for zone conference so they came to our flat to see the materials. We are all very thrilled with what is here. We are so grateful to all those who made it happen.

Hurray!!!

To all our friends in Blanding and Monticello who contributed so many resources and so much time to this project: Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!! I want to give a special thanks to Marla Atkinson who was willing to share 2 ½ years of literacy bag work and development with us. Thanks to Patty Lyman, Elaine Johnson and Nedra Bunker for organizing the efforts of the Relief Societies of Blanding and Monticello. Thanks to the teachers who donated surplus books and materials, the Young Women who helped make toys for the Humanitarian Camp Project, the toys maker, and the Burtenshaws for delivering the shipment to SLC. I know the list is much longer than I can write, so thanks to everyone who contributed in any way to the project. I will continue to post blogs that will give updates and pictures on the progress of this amazing adventure in Australia. I believe there are many great things that will come from the out bush Family Learning Centers. Below is Patty Lyman’s email to me as the boxes were sent off. It gives a good description of what all was sent:
HURRAY!!! THE BOXES ARE ON THEIR WAY TO SALT LAKE CITY!!
What a fun huge project - there are 8 "Imagine If" boxes that have all the files - bags - scissors - erasers - rulers - a few notebooks - paper clips -elastics - crayons and the list goes on and on - there are some toys in their Frisbees - cars - jump ropes - wonderful little balls - etc!! Then there are 2 fruit boxes full of the basal books - Margaret Olderog sent the Kindergarten ones. Lynnette Brewer is wonderful and sent the yellow first grade ones and the phonics books - 2nd grade, red, came from Becky Larsen!! And they are packed with the 3rd grade books which also has the listening library CD's. They looked great - 3rd is Green - SO MERRY CHRISTMAS!! Then there are two boxes of toys - the wonderful wooden ones - I'd just leave them and not paint them - they are gorgeous and smell great!! And then there are some stuffed animals - Winnie the Pooh, Barney, Dogs, Cats and Horses!!
So anyway they have left Blanding and are on their way - I have talked with TODD a couple of times and will continue to keep in touch with him -
So love you tons - I have taken a few pictures and when my kids are home and we all get a minute we will e-mail them.
Love, Patty

Blessings in June

Last November in conference, Elder Robert D Hales talked about personal revelation. In the talk was the following quote: “Elder Romney taught me about how the Lord blesses us with revelation. ‘Robert,’ he said, ‘I have learned that when we are on the Lord’s errand, we have His blessings to accomplish whatever we are asked to do.’ Since the literacy project was conceived and approved until now, little miracles, God’s tender mercies have been pouring in. There is no doubt in my mind that things are taking place here of great significance and I hope and pray that we in the Alice Springs District will continue to work together and find ourselves equal to the task.
It is an interesting series of events that have brought us to where we now are. Actually, it all started with a little tornado that tore the covering off the chapel in Angkula. That put President Marriott in touch with Elder Bartholomew in Sydney, who was over of the humanitarian projects for Australia. In a later conversation President Marriott mentioned needing some financial help with some gospel principle DVD’s he had us making in English and aboriginal language to teach the people out bush. That put an excited Elder Bartholomew in touch with President Quinn requesting an expanded proposal for a literacy project in this area. Subsequent conversations with Marla Atkinson in Blanding, Utah led to the idea of literacy bags like she developed for San Juan County School District.
Other events have led to the development of English conversation courses that will be converted from PowerPoint to DVD video. Savings within the projected budget have totaled to just enough for us to afford the software needed so everything we are developing can be professionally put together. The Elders and branch members have pitched in to help with much of the computer work that needs to be done. There are still many things to do and many questions to be answered but with faith and God's help we will “build the bridge as we walk on it.”
There will be more details on the marvelous help we're getting from Blanding and Monticello, Utah in the next blog.

To the Men in My LIfe

Sorry this post is so late, but I still want to say for Father’s Day, that my life has been truly blessed.
I am most fortunate to have been given a wonderful father. He was an example of all he professed: full or faith, a devout member of the Church, a loving father and husband, a hard working provider, a life-long learner, and a talented singer, teacher, and artist.
I am grateful for my father-in-law, DeVar who worked with Madge so tirelessly to support and raise a family of 11 children. He has a strong testimony and always faithfully does whatever is asked of him in the Church. He is strong, generous, loves his family and is always willing to help.

I am thankful for my sons-in-law, Shawn, Steve, and Zeb. Here are a few of their traits I hold dear. Shawn reminds me in so many ways of my father, disciplined, patient, loving, and insightful. Steve loves life, is full of enthusiasm, generous, and has a great sense of humor. Zeb is kind, adventurous, fun loving, and caring. They are all spiritual, hard-working, faithful fathers and husbands, who love their children and wives and are loved and adored in return.
Our son Mike is strong, caring, creative, insightful, and has his father’s sense of humor. He is a wonderful, loved uncle to all of his nieces and nephews.

Finally, I am grateful for Jim, the love of my life. There are many times I wonder how I could have been so fortunate. He is a wonderful father and husband. I remember one time his sister Sallee, who lived through the block from us at the time, asked me if his loud whistling irritated me. I answered that though it sometimes got a little too loud; there wasn’t really anything about her brother that truly irritated me. I love everything about him, from his good looks to his sense of humor, from his deep, spiritual side to his fun, adventurous spirit, from his loving nature to his teasing attention-getters, from is faithfulness to his generosity, from his zest for life to his empathy for others, from his strength and athletic ability to his kind and gentle nature---I love it all. I thank God everyday that I was blessed to be his wife and I am thrilled to be serving this mission with him. Our love makes me strive to be a better person, so we can be together forever.
So to all those special men in my life, I say thank you and I love you with all my heart.

Happy Birthday Julee

Happy Birthday to Julee, our youngest. We are privileged to be your parents. You have brought us great joy and fond memories. You are living a good life and are a fine example as a daughter, a wife and a mother. It is hard to believe that 29 years have passed. Don’t blink. Enjoy every minute as you raise your children. It is amazing how fast it all goes. One minute it seemed like I would always have a houseful of children and the next minute they have families of their own. We love you so very much. Here is a poem my mom and I have always enjoyed because it reminds of us of how precious every moment is.

Sunrise, Sunset

Is this the little girl I carried?
Is this the little boy at play?

I don't remember growing older
When did they?

When did she get to be a beauty?
When did he get to be so tall?

Wasn't it yesterday
When they were small?

Sunrise, sunset
Sunrise, sunset
Swiftly flow the days
Seedlings turn overnight to sunflowers
Blossoming even as we gaze

Sunrise, sunset
Sunrise, sunset
Swiftly fly the years
One season following another
Laden with happiness and tears

What words of wisdom can I give them?
How can I help to ease their way?

Now they must learn from one another

Sunrise, sunset
Sunrise, sunset
Swiftly flow the days
Seedlings turn overnight to sunflowers
Blossoming even as we gaze

Sunrise, sunset
Sunrise, sunset
Swiftly fly the years
One season following another
Laden with happiness and tears

Literacy Project and Language Classes

We continue to work hard getting the literacy project to a launch stage. Sister Shumway is writing PowerPoint reading lessons that will be converted to DVD’s so that students will be able to practice at home and teach each other in the out bush communities. The missionaries are helping. It’s handy to have two computers in the same room (We just bought a new one). It is amazing to watch how things have fallen into place for the project, as well as missionary work.

We have also begun teaching English conversation lessons to Chinese and Korean students. It’s quite enjoyable and the students are very appreciative. They are learning and progressing quickly. Hopefully, we will be able to interest some of them in the gospel. Sister Shumway is converting the English conversation lessons to PowerPoint, with sound, that will eventually be converted to DVD’s for use in our literacy project, and also help our Asian and Korean students practice at home.

Member Missionaries

The Bird mob, out bush, continues to share the gospel with others. They’re very faithful and developing their leadership capabilities. We’re sure they will be a great asset when it comes time to begin the literacy projects in their communities.

Gary Byrd is the Presiding Elder (out bush in Angkola)and has been a great help in producing the gospel principles DVDs.