Literacy Bags and Project Update

The literacy bags are very close to ready. The whole branch has pitched in and helped us put them together.
We had two work sessions where community and branch members all pitched in and organized the books, bags, files, and activities.

We have been working with members from out bush who are going to help implement the program in their communities.

I don't know how we ever did without Sister Wood and Sister Lovegrove, but they are tireless in their efforts and are accomplishing miracles.

I hope we will be ready to take the beginnings of the program out bush this week.

Once again to all those in San Juan County, Utah who have contributed to this project: We can't thank you enough. Everything you sent is wonderful and will prove to be very worthwhile.

July Update - Just a Little Late?

Things are going very well here. The sisters’ flat is finally completely set up, my DSL and phone are moved, we are completely moved in, and everyone is busily engaged. Things are quite wonderful with the leadership and the new sisters. We feel that many doors are being opened to the people who have needed to be taught for quite awhile as well as new people who are now being taught.
The sisters have begun teaching a language conversation class of their own with two Korean young women who are on a lower level than the Chinese and Korean students I am teaching. The sisters and we are visiting and teaching as much as we have time to, but this project is very demanding.


The closer I look at it, the more work I realize there really is. The voice recordings on the Power Points seem to take longer than we thought. Hopefully, as we become more experienced this will speed up.
Sister Lovegrove’s organizational skills are proving to be quite valuable, along with her Australian voice and educational background. Sister Wood is an extremely dedicated, hardworking, pleasant person who is eager and able to learn and accomplish whatever she needs to.

To Our Grieving Friends in Blanding:

Words cannot express how saddened we were to hear of the tragic plane crash and loss of three of Blanding’s finest. Kim Acton, Eric Johnson, and Brian Bayles will be sorely missed by their families, friends, church, and community. They were wonderful family men, faithful Church members and leaders, community leaders, and successful businessmen, with exemplary histories of selfless service. Jim and Kim were kindred spirits enjoyed many happy times together. We send our love, our prayers, and our deepest condolences to the families and the community. We are grateful for the plan of salvation and the knowledge that we can be together forever as families. We pray for the Lord’s comforting spirit and his guidance for all in this time of tragedy.

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.