Mission Report No 4

Possibly the world's first
kitesurfing missionary

 Sunday 10th April
Second day of General Conference videos. First time that I got through all sessions in the one weekend! Great to hear all the talks from the leaders of the Church. I've always struggled to stay wide awake through conference sessions, so this weekend I was reading the talk in the Gospel Library App, while it was being delivered by the speaker. I was focusing on mentions about "attachment" or "connection" either in our earthly relationship or in our relationship with deity, and tagging the words in the App. I did manage to stay much more alert, plus I learnt more as I was concentrating more.

Monday 11 April

My Mum's birthday today. She would have been celebrating her 94th if she was still with us.

Morning walk in the neighbourhood, then lunch with Br and Sr Davies. We learned a little more about them, particularly that they are Touch for Health practitioners and teachers. They're a very active older couple, significantly older than Margot and I, and people that we can learn from. Margot and I are MLS missionaries - Member and Leader Support. A lot of what we are doing involves getting to know the older Church members and leaders, and newer Church members and people who are not yet Church members and seeing how we can establish connections and foster better relationships among all those people. To do that we need to get to know as many people was we can.

Tuesday 12 April

Breakfast at the Kimiia's. Rarotongan family. It's lovely to be in a Polynesian home, experiencing the love that they have for the Lord and for each other, and the respect that the show for the young missionaries particularly. What a breakfast! 

Wednesday 13th April

Morning laps at the pool. Had a long chat with a guy there about fitness, exercise and mental health. Got some good advice from him which will help with one of the guys we are helping here. 

Dinner with the Tou family, another Rarotongan family, a multi-generation LDS family living under one roof, with some other family members with their families living just across the road. Beautiful, humble Polynesian family who have been very positively influenced by the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Thursday 14th April

Well, as the wet season is ending here in Cairns, it seems as if it's having one last hurrah. It's rained everyday this week and today was no exception and tomorrow there'll be even more.

Today I walked up Mt Whitfield, with Nick White, a young guy looking at starting his own business who I think I was able to give some reasonable advice to. When we got to the top of the walk, we met a lovely Jehovah's Witness lady, who we had quite a long talk to. We all learned from each other in a very respectful conversation. I remember many years ago as a young missionary having some terrible arguments with members of that faith, which I was just as much at fault as they were. Today was different. I think I've mellowed in the last 40 years, thank goodness.

Friday 15th April - "Good Friday"

This morning we had our usual early walk and then I started making some hot cross buns, which I had never done before. After doing stage one, and leaving the dough to rise, we went to the Davies for a Touch for Health consultation, which was very interesting.

Then we went home, did stage two of the hot cross buns, just in time to take them to Marcella, the young Colombian mother who we met last week.

Saturday 16th April

The weather is changing and the trade winds are starting to blow. Time for a day off, so I picked up Paul, an new friend from Church who is up here from the Gold Coast, and went kiting at Yorkey's Knob, a pretty nice beach only about 20 minutes north of Cairns. Had a good chat to the local kiters, especially Scotty who has been kiting in the area for 20 years. Scotty was telling us about how he was getting in to foiling and said that his foil guru is Craig, just as Craig arrived, and it turned out to be Craig Mewett who I know from Torquay. Small world!

I was wearing my white shirt and nametag all the time, except when I was actually out on the water. Some of the other kiters obviously noticed the name tag, and Craig is a Facebook friend, so he knows why we are up here anyway, but there were no serious questions. It would be miracle if any kiter was interested in hearing about the Gospel, but hey, miracles happen!

Saturday afternoon, Nick White and I walked around Mt Whitfield and the Botanic gardens with our new friend Gareth, trying to help him get a bit fitter, so that was a really good activity too.

Notice the crystal clear water!

Sunday 17th April - it was a great day!

Remember I mentioned that on Friday we visited Marcella and her little 18 month old boy? Well, before we left we invited her to Church and we arranged that we would wait out the front of our place for her and then we would all walk to Church together. It was getting close to 9.00am and she messaged us to say she was running late. So we walked the 100m we need to walk to get to Church and sat down in the Chapel and waited for her there.

While sitting and waiting, I received a text message from Paul, the guy we met at the Main Roads office the week we arrived (see Report No 2. story on Friday 1st April). He said he was not far away and might come to Church. He arrived halfway through the Sacrament meeting. He stayed for the Sunday School class taught by Sister Kimiia senior, and then stayed for 1st Branch meetings that started at midday. Paul fitted in really well, talking to lots of people and everyone was very welcoming. There was also a baptismal service for one of the Biehler girls today (a Gosney grandchild) which he came to, and then he and Nick White came back to our place for homemade pizzas to end the day.

Marcella and her little boy arrived at the end of Sacrament meeting and stayed. Margot then took them into the Nursery for kids 18 months to 3 year old. Marcella is a lovely young Mum and made instant friends and her little boy Emmanuel blended in with the other little kids after a while too. Marcella's husband is a doctor and unfortunately was working and unable to come, but she said that he probably wouldn't come as he really doesn't believe in God. But we will hopefully get to know him anyway. Marcella said that he liked the hot cross buns (best ever!) so we should get a warm reception at least - we hope!

An interesting note about Paul and why he came to Church today, which he shared with me.  When he first saw us at the Main Roads office, he felt a spiritual prompting to talk to us. This morning, while at at a service station getting a coffee, he felt another spiritual prompting to message me about coming to Church today. Unfortunately, it looks like Paul will not be staying in Cairns, with a good job on offer in Western Australia, but hopefully we can still help him in his effort to build a better life for himself. Paul thinks that his mother, who died about 4 years ago was a member of the Church and he believes that she was behind the spiritual prompting that he felt to talk to us and to come to Church today. As the saying goes, the Lord works in mysterious ways!