18 May 2019 Family History Shop at the Cowra Community Market

We are building good relationships with lots of people in the small community of Cowra.  The day before we traveled to Sydney to hear the Prophet speak, we had a booth at the Cowra Community Market.  We offered Free Family History help.  We had 8 people stop by and spend some time talking with us.  Several were excited to see us there and told us next month they will return with some information so that we can help them further their research into their family lines.  The market is held the 3^rd Saturday of every month.  It was fun to see so many of the people we have met at our various volunteer activities.

This month we had to be outside on the Showgrounds - next month we will be inside the pavilion.

15 May 2019 First Day with Riding for the Disabled

Riding for the Disabled – RDA Cowra

One of my favourite volunteer activities is Riding for the Disabled.  Once a week horses arrive at the Pony Club on the Cowra Showgrounds to be groomed and saddled and ridden by school age children with disabilities.  It is staffed entirely by volunteers – some know horses and some do not.

Today I walked with Rebel (the horse).  He is a good boy.

Horse trailer - Nope - Horse Float in Australia

8 May 2019 - Second Zone Conference

ZONE CONFERENCE

Now that we have our feet wet and we are settled into life in Cowra and the Cowra Branch - this conference was very helpful.  Sister Runia's training included a get to know you activity we need to use in the Branch and perhaps start to use at our Friday Nite Activities at our flat.  She also gave the Parable of the Football Game taken from President Packer's Conference talk given October 1983  titled The Mystery of Life. As we listened we knew we needed to share the parable with Tony.  The Zone leaders did a great training on planning!  That was a game changer for us! 

We had the opportunity to meet Elder Formica again!  This time I was able to get a picture.  We love this elder!  A year ago when we lived in Sydney for Ron's employment we had missionaries over for dinner each week.  Elder Formica and his companion came to dinner.  Elder Formica was a brand new missionary - on his first transfer.  It was a particularly bad week for Ron so he asked Elder Formica for a blessing.  He gave Ron a powerful blessing and it helped Ron the remainder of the time he was in Sydney.  Elder Formica is special to us.  He has served as a Zone Leader.  It was a joyful reunion.

1 May 2019 - District Council Meeting with Sloppy Joe Cooking Activity

District Council Meeting with Sloppy Joe Cooking Activity

Once a week we have District Training Meeting with our District.  We live 3 ½ hours by car from where they meet each week.  So, we and the other Senior Couples are patched into a group phone call.  However, this week we all gathered together.  One of the assignments I have been given by the Mission President’s wife is to put together a collection of healthy, simple, and inexpensive recipes for the missionaries to make.  My family knows my Sloppy Joes Recipe.  I wrote it up and submitted it to the mission newsletter. I broke up the ingredients needed into small assignments and gave each companionship of missionaries, junior and senior an assignment.  We met at the chapel an hour early.  I set up 3 cooking stations so that more of the Elders and Sisters could participate and together we chopped veggies and cooked the meat.  Our district has Elders and Sisters from the States, Australia, Pacific Islands, Asia and Fiji.  We are a very diverse group, so, we brought Rice Cookers and cooked rice.  We had Sloppy Joe on buns, or rice (or both!) with celery and carrot sticks with cookies for dessert.  It was so fun to get together and experience the energy of the younger missionaries. After we ate, we had our District Meeting all together.  Wish we could do this each week!