Mission Report No 51
Monday, March 6 – Sunday, March 12, 2023
After about 50 reports—this is number 51—I’m starting to get a bit tired of writing, to be honest. You might have noticed they’ve been getting shorter. Between the blog, podcast, YouTube, and social media, I’m already spending a lot of time behind a computer. So I figured I’d try talking it through instead. Not sure if it’s better, but we’ll see how it goes.
Monday, March 6
On Monday, we had our seniors’ council meeting over Zoom. That’s with all the senior missionaries in the mission, along with the mission president and the senior zone leaders—who are based down in Brisbane, about 1,700 kilometres away.
It’s always a good meeting—really enjoyable and uplifting.
That evening, we went to our friend Tara’s place for dinner. If you’ve been following along, you’ll have heard me mention Tara before—she’s just an incredible member missionary. She’s always looking out for people, always bringing others together.
She had us over along with the elders, and sometimes there can be 15–20 people packed into her living room. It’s a bit cosy, but it’s always a great night—lots of food, lots of conversation, and just a really good atmosphere.
Tuesday, March 7
Tuesday morning, we had our district council meeting, led by Elder Hamilton, who’s doing a fantastic job as district leader.
Margo taught a financial self-reliance lesson, which went really well.
The rest of the day is a bit of a blur looking at the calendar—there’s a note about cookies, but I can’t quite make sense of it now!
Wednesday, March 8
On Wednesday, we drove down to Innisfail to look into accommodation options for some new missionaries who may be coming into the area.
We visited a few real estate agents and checked out what was available. There’s one particular apartment complex there that stands out—it’s multi-storey, right near the river, close to shops, the RSL, and a few restaurants. Probably the best option in town.
The specific unit we looked at wasn’t available—it’s currently being used by a government department—but there may be another one opening up at the end of March, which would line up well with when we might need it.
We’re not expecting to move ourselves—we think we’ll likely stay in Cairns—but we’ll see what happens.
Thursday, March 9
Thursday was Elder Bennett’s birthday—so a belated happy birthday to him!
He’s one of the area medical advisors, a retired doctor serving as a senior missionary, helping both missionaries and members. We’ve met him and his wife before, and we’ll actually be seeing them again soon when we head down to Brisbane. We’ll even be staying with them—and finally getting back to the temple, which we haven’t been to in 12 months.
That’s something we’ve really missed. Back in Geelong, we used to attend the Melbourne Temple once or twice a week. So it’s been quite a change.
Thursday night, we attended the young adult Institute class. As part of my role on the district high council, I’ve been given responsibility for Seminaries and Institutes.
We’ll probably start attending Institute regularly—it’s a lot easier than seminary, which starts at 6:00 am! I do want to get along to seminary at some point, though, just to support the teachers and the youth.
Friday, March 10
Friday is one of those days where I know we were busy… I just can’t remember exactly what we did.
Normally, when I write these reports, I’d check things like my Strava app to piece the day together based on activity—but this time, I’m going off memory, and it’s not all there!
Saturday, March 11
Saturday was a highlight of the week—our friend Lois was baptised.
Lois first connected with the Church through an online ad, and the missionaries began teaching her. We’ve been involved as well, along with several members here who have really rallied around her—inviting her into their homes and helping her feel part of the community.
She’s originally from Palm Island but has been living in Cairns for about a year. Just a lovely person.
On Friday, we’d dropped off some baptismal clothing for her to try on and make sure everything fit.
The baptism was at 4:00 pm, and it was a really special service.
That evening, we thought we were going to Tara’s place for dinner, but wires got crossed—on our end and the missionaries’—so that didn’t happen.
Instead, we headed down to the Esplanade, where Tara had been playing volleyball. Unfortunately, she’d already finished by the time we got there, but we stayed for a while, watched some games, and met a few people she introduced us to.
There are some pretty talented players down there—it’s a great atmosphere, with people just forming teams and playing socially.
After that, we stopped by Woolworths on the way home.
Sunday, March 12
Sunday, we drove up to Atherton for church—about an hour and a half away.
We initially set off in the little missionary car, but quickly realised it was almost out of fuel. So we turned around and took our Subaru instead—which, I have to say, made for a much nicer drive up the range.
Atherton is a beautiful spot, and it was great to be there again.
Our friend Layla came to church, along with her step-granddaughter, Natalie, who has just started meeting with the missionaries. She’s a lovely young woman, and it was great to see her there.
If you’ve followed previous reports, you’ll know Layla and David—we first met them at a kebab shop up there, which I’ll happily recommend! If you’re ever in Atherton, it’s worth a visit. We usually grab one of the larger kebabs and split it between us—more than enough.
Church was a testimony meeting, and it was really uplifting.
We got home around 3:00 in the afternoon, and that wrapped up the week.
Overall, a really good week—and I have to say, doing the report this way was actually quite enjoyable. It took about 20 minutes, which is definitely quicker than writing it all out.
We’ll see if this becomes the new normal.
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