Flashback Friday

Jamie recently reminded me that it was still my turn to compose a "Flashback Friday" post for our family blog. Since she and the kids are back in Rochester, and I'm out here alone in Boston, I've had a little bit of time on my hands to do just that. As our other Flashback Friday posts have dealt with some of Jamie and I's adventures in traveling before we had kids, it seemed appropriate to stick with that theme. This week we will revisit our trip to Australia in 2003.

Growing up I was quite content to live in Bountiful and go "out-of-town" to the cabin up Ogden Canyon . Sometimes we'd venture really far and head up to Bear Lake in the summer. To me, the East was somewhere past Heber and California was like another country.

Living in Australia on my mission, however, opened my eyes up to a different part of the world and I loved being able to live with and love everyone I met there. When I left Australia I truly did leave a part of my heart there, and ever since I have considered myself half Aussie. I figured I would get back to see all of my friends someday, but somehow, someday seemed some day in the distant future. That was before I married Jamie.

When Jamie first suggested that we go to Europe the summer after we got married I thought she was a little off her rocker. I knew there was no way we could afford the time or money it would take to go to Europe. Well, I was wrong about both. We did go and had a great time. Some of the best memories I can remember. Little did I know that it would lead to even more crazy ideas- and even more cherished memories.

The next year Jamie suggested we go back to Australia. Again- I thought she was crazy, but again she proved me wrong. We went and had the time of our life. Along the way, and on the way back, we took the opportunity to spend some time in Hawaii and New Zealand. Jamie has done previous posts on some of our adventures there. (To get the rest of the stories from Hawaii and New Zealand you will have to wait for future "Flashback Fridays.") For today, I am going to focus on the Australian leg of our trip, and particularly on the memories of visiting wonderful friends I met on my mission.

We started our Australian trip out by spending a couple of days in Sydney with Ben and Tatjana Smith. It was so great to be able to see them again and learn from their example with their cute little family. It was hard to believe how their family had grown from the time I spent with them back in Cairns. Now looking back- it is hard to believe how my own family has grown! I got so close to them when I was in Cairns and it was great to be able to see them again. They were wonderful hosts showing us around Sydney. I still think Sydney harbor is one of the prettiest cities in the entire world. I loved being able to spend time cruising around the harbor and soaking up the sun on Bondi Beach. We also were lucky to attend a session in the Sydney temple while we were there, as well as take a day trip south to the Blue Mountains.

The timing of the trip worked out so that we were coming to visit the week after Tatjana's sister Katarina got back from her mission.  When I met Katarina, she had been investigating the church for years, and had a testimony, but had been waiting for permission from her parents to be baptized.  Her older Sisters, Tatjana and Valentina had both previously been baptized, but their parents were stalwart Serbian Orthodox, and were not about to let their third daughter join the Mormons as well.  After years of praying, and trials only they can accurately detail, the time finally came for Katarina to be baptized.  Elder Jarmon and I were lucky enough to be able to be a part of it while we were in Cairns.  Elder Jarmon made the trip back to Australia at the same time we were there and we both surprised Katarina by showing up just after she got home from her own mission in New Zealand.  I think she was a bit shell shocked, but it was nice to catch up with her, Elder Jarmon, and Ben and Tatjana.

From Sydney we took a flight to a bit more familiar turf up in Brisbane.  I spent the last 6 months of my mission in Brisbane and felt right at home driving down the streets again.  I tried to take Jamie to all of the places Elder Gin Nen and Elder Johnson and I used to go as I showed her around the city.  We went to South Beach- the beach in the middle of the City, King George Square where many a street meeting was held, across the Story Bridge, and along the banks of the Brisbane River.  We even spent time riding on the river in one of the River Cat ferries.  I took her back to the mission home in Ascot and to the office on Racecourse Road where I spent many a night finishing up skill training skits.

One of the highlights of our time in Brisbane was going back to Kangaroo Point.  KP sits up on top of the bluffs overlooking the city across the Brisbane River, and is the site of the Kangaroo Point chapel- the hub of all the missionary transfer meetings.  As we were driving up to KP chapel, I could almost hear the missionaries singing "Faith in Every Footstep."  As familiar as Brisbane was, there was one thing that was not familiar at KP.  Kangaroo Point was the site of the recently dedicated Brisbane Australia Temple.  The temple had been announced while I was on my mission, but the building had not yet begun before I left.  On my return trip, the beautiful little temple was completed- sitting on top of the Kangaroo Point bluffs as a beacon to the entire city.  It was so awesome to see.  Prior to the building of the Brisbane temple, the saints would have to travel to Sydney- the only other temple in Australia.  With the announcement of the building of smaller temples, Australia now has 5 temples- in Perth, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, and Brisbane.

While we were in Brisbane we also had the chance to spend some time with Eric and Valma Smith and their family. I love and look up to Eric and Valma like my own grandparents. They were one of the first families that I met in my first area of Caboolture. I'm not exactly sure why, but they really took me under their wing and loved me as one of their own. Eric has a special sense of perception and is a great listener. He is very wise and always has great advice to give. Grams is full of love and full of life. She is always cheerful, pragmatic, and caring. I have so many fond memories of spending Monday nights at their house playing Sequence and getting life advice from Supa. Eric was a former Methodist minister before he and Grams converted and were baptized more than 30 years ago. They now work with several handicapped individuals up in the Glasshouse Mountains and would occasionally take us with them when they would go to the house up there. It was just like old times as Jamie and I sat in their kitchen reminiscing about dear Elder Jensen and stories from Caboolture. 

The Smiths' daughter Tracy, and her three children, also lived with them in Caboolture. Spending so much time with their family, I also got close to Tracey and her kids. The bond that I had with the Smith family only grew after I met one of their family friends- Didier. Didier started out a little rough around the edges, but the longer he knew the Smiths, the more he realized how they were different- and special. Eventually he gained a desire to hear the gospel and was baptized while I was a missionary there. The day of his baptism was one of the best days of my life. I remember feeling the Spirit so strongly, and having him talk to me afterward about the warm feeling he felt after coming out of the water. Didier is a great guy and became one of my dearest friends on my mission. Later, after I had moved away from the area, Tracey and Didier ended up getting married and had a baby of thier own together. Then the Smiths, as well as Tracey and Didier, moved to Stanthorpe- a couple of hours west of Brisbane. They are a great family and Jamie and I also enjoyed being able to spend time with them while we were there. They offered us chance to spend a couple of days "in the bush" as well as drove us back and forth to Brisbane so we could do a few of the touristy things- like going to the Koala Sanctuary where we were able to roam around with the kangaroos and even got our picture taken holding one of their domesticated koalas.

After spending some time in Brisbane, the Stotens picked us up and took us down to stay with them on the Gold Coast. What an awesome family! I only spent one month on the Gold Coast, but the Stotens really left a lasting impression on me. Looking back, I keep thinking about how crazy they must think I am for continuing to stay in touch with them. I can only imagine how many missionaries have come in and out of their home, but they didn't hesitate for a moment to offer to take us in and let us become part of their family for a couple of days. From the first day I met them, I knew that they were a special family. Sister Stoten is a role model matriarch, and Brother Stoten is the type of father and Priesthood leader I hope to be like. Jamie loves the way they have prioritized their life to make their family number one, and to also place importance on traveling and experiencing places all around the world. Brother and Sister Stoten treated us to probably the best seafood buffet that I will ever have at the Plazzo Versace- one of only a handful 6 star hotels in the world. I don't even know how many hundreds of dollars it cost them, but I am positive it was worth ever cent of it! They also treated us to a fair dinkum Aussie BBQ on the beach and put up with a couple of clueless Americans as we all watched the Wallabies play rugby. They even let us borrow their Mercedes so we could do some exploring on our own. Just like on my mission- I will always remember them and be grateful for their generosity and kindness to me.

After saying goodbye to southern Queensland, it was time to jump on another plane and head even further north. I spent almost 10 months of my mission as a Zone Leader in Cairns, Australia. It is truly where my heart is; my home away from home. I was there for such a long time that I felt integrated into the branch like a local. I had my heart and soul into building the church in Cairns and in motivating my missionaries to be the best in the mission. Rick Lee and Ben Mitchell were my partners in the work. They were a little unconventional, but totally awesome! Rick Lee is about as Aussie as one comes, and his wife Gabriel is an absolute angel. Ben Mitchell was our Ward Mission Leader and diligently came to 6:00 AM ward mission meetings. He encouraged all of the ward missionaries to carry blue planners, study from the Missionary Guide, and make goals like the full time missionaries. He was a former missionary in the Salt Lake Mission and we were all intent on making the Cairns Branch as big and successful as any Utah Ward. The pinnacle of my Cairns experience came when we seemed to be firing on all 8 cylinders as the highest baptizing zone in the mission. During that month we also had a surprise announcement that President Hinckley would be stopping over in Cairns to address the members. It was so awesome to see him and hear him speak right in little old Cairns. During his speech he prophesied about a time when a temple would be built in Cairns, and we were all committed to building the membership to support it. I had so many friends that I made in Cairns that I can't even begin to count them all. Companions, other Elders in my zone, strong stalwart families, new converts, and newly activated less actives. We all saw countless miracles occur while in Cairns--miracles of people's hearts being changed, and people literally being raised from the dead. Those experiences are a large part of the foundation of my testimony that still burns strong in me today.

I can't fully describe the joy of being able to see all of those great people again and introduce my wife to them. People like Phyllis, who was our lifesaver and would have done anything for the missionaries. People like Rick Lee- the Mormon Thunda! People like Linda Lim and her family, including Tasha who I had the opportunity to baptize after I had taught her the child discussions, which our zone pioneered for the mission. People like the Morse family who I got to know while they were struggling after having been hurt by some members in their previous Ward. People that I love and will never forget!

One of the highlights of our return trip back to Carins was a big birthday bash the Lee's threw for me the night before we left. Everyone who was most important to me during my mission was there to wish me well. It was a night I will never forget. Brother Mitchell supplied fresh fish off the reef- cooked like only a Torres Straight islander could and Brother Lee provided the entertainment. We talked, ate, laughed, and even bore testimony to one another. It was an amazing night!

Although the best part of going back to Cairns was being able to see everyone again, we did take some time to do some tourist things as well. We spent a day up along the Daintree River in the rain forest, a rain forest which has to be one of the most beautiful places on earth. The thick, lush rain forest comes down the mountain right up until it is broken up by the endless miles of pristine beach- they say it is the place where the rain forest meets the reef. We also spent a day riding the gondola over the rain forest, past Kuranda Falls, and then back to Cairns on the Kuranda Rail, as well as a day at Tjapukai, the Aborigini National Culture Center. Additionally, we couldn't pass up the opportunity to spend a day on Green Island, and of course go scuba diving on the Great Barrier Reef.

     

From Cairns we went back to New Zealand and Hawaii where our adventures continued.  Since this post has gone on quite long enough, those stories will have to wait for another day.  

Being able to bring Jamie to a place that was so important to me, and to meet so many people that were such a big part of my life on my mission was an absolutely priceless experience.  Being able to do all of the fun things that we did while we were there was an added bonus.  I'm so happy that Jamie was "crazy" enough to think that we could take the time to go at such an unlikely time in our lives.  Although it will be fun to go back with our kids someday, this was an experience we will never be able to duplicate.  Now Australia is a special place for Jamie as well- somewhere we hope to return to again and again.  We had a great time with wonderful people on an absolutely amazing trip.  I can't wait to go back.