The Helland's Down Under

March 9 – 15, 2026

We made it to our 3rd transfer (each transfer is 6 weeks long so we’ve been here 3 months and 1 week!) Woo Hoo! And, we had our first (better be our LAST) fender bender. Let me first say, the streets are VERY narrow here as well as the lanes. We were pulling into the right hand turning lane and the oncoming car started crowding over towards us so Eric nudged over to the left and clipped the end of a flat bed work(tradie) truck. No harm was done to his truck(ute) but our car is now getting fixed for some body damage! Thank goodness for INSURANCE! When it comes to driving in downtown Sydney it’s better to: 1. Drive slow, 2. Stop instead of going through the yellow light  3. Have your GPS on at ALL times 4. Always better to be safe than sorry – stop! Let other people go and never try to squeeze through anything -go another way! People are allowed to park in the far left lanes (on both sides of the street) so they take up a whole lane (never drive in that lane unless you’re turning because it’s hard to tell if a person is driving in that lane or parked! EEK! We’ve been praying for SAFETY – which we HAVE received, but now I think we’ll pray for NO ACCIDENTS and NO TICKETS, too! Ha ha!

Here’s what our week looked like:

Monday –

Usually they are the same – preparing lessons, calling our grandkids, attending District Council. A few districts have their councils at our church building and we found out that one of “golden” missionaries (new missionaries – fresh from the MTC) knows our daughter in law, Cortney’s youngest brother and sister. He went to high school with both of them and even played football for multiple years with her brother. Of course, just like our daughter in law, the missionary said her siblings are AMAZING!  #SmallWorld

Tuesday –

Transfer Day – We picked up a couple missionaries’ luggage and took it to the church building where all those who are being transferred (and their new companions) meet. The elders (male missionaries) meet in the morning and the sisters (female missionaries) come in the afternoon. It’s exciting to be there to watch elders and sisters reunite with former companions. Sometimes they have to be reminded to pick up the luggage, their new companion and leave (go back to their work) but it is joyful to see the reunions and see missionaries we recognize from our trainings (or formerly being in our zone). Reuniting with loved ones is always beautiful! I imagine that’s what it’ll be like when we are reunited with our loved ones in heaven…or after our 2 year mission! 

That evening we taught a Temple preparation class to our friend Francsiso who is preparing to receive his endowment in the temple and next fall, marry his sweetheart who is currently in Peru. After that class we were ready to teach a Book of Mormon study class but no one showed up. We were fine with walking home and having a little down time! 🙂

Wednesday –

We met for a lesson in the morning then on our way to work at the temple, we got in that fender bender. Eric was pretty stressed out so we ended up calling the temple and letting them know we wouldn’t be working after all. We had a prayer, went back home and actually had a very nice evening together!

Thursday –

SInce we’ve missed a couple P-Days and our missionaries were busy helping the goldens today, we decided to take our P-day. We actually took our beach chairs, wore our swim suits and spent 4 hours at Bondi Beach. It was the perfect day – temperatures in the high 70’s with a breeze. The water felt WONDERFUL. Once you were in it didn’t feel cold at all! The waves were MUCH bigger than we’re used to in San Diego. Just standing at the edge of the surf some waves hit up to my neck! We stayed close to shore but still got completely wet! Everyone who knows me knows I LOVE the beach – it’s my happy place – so it was fun to have our first “real” beach day! After the beach we had lunch at “Grill’d” then the BEST EVER Gelato at Rivereno’s. I’ve never had better gelato than there (not even in Italy!)! Can’t wait to go back!!!

Once back home we quickly got ready for the evening. I had a young women’s activity where we went on a “Walk with Me” scavenger hunt (Walk with Me is our 2026 theme for the youth). We had the sister missionaries in our district join us, using the clues to find the various locations, then reading scriptures, participating in a “challenge,” then discussing how the item we found relates to walking with our Savior, Jesus Christ. Our scavenger hunt ended at Yo-Chi – the young missionaries favorite “ice cream” (really frozen yogurt) place. It reminds me of TCBY – but better! Lots of yummy flavors and so many delicious toppings to choose from! Ok, YES, I did have TWO things of ice cream today! Sorry, not sorry! 

Friday –

We attended some lessons with the Sister Missionaries then went on a two hour “Power Hours” where I went with the sister and Eric went with the elders to meet people in the park and offer to share a brief message about Christ and invite them to come worship with us. I had a great time with the sisters – it was so fun to meet new people! One person had recently gotten out of jail and was excited to get his life on the right track for his 9 month old baby. Another was new to the country and looking for a better life. One women told us she’d been looking for a new place to worship and would love to join us. Not everyone was open to a message or the invitation, but it was still awesome to meet people from all over the world, all walks of life, and trying to do their best in the world – which is the majority of God’s chidlren throughout the earth!

Saturday –

Today was our group (congregations) temple trip. We worked hard to make sure everyone was ready to attend the temple today – We had opportunities for EVERYONE who wanted to join us – either inside the temple – baptisms or initiatory work OR creating an account and receiving help with their family history at the Family Search Center. Afterwards we had a picnic together out on the grass. One of our senior missionary friends, Sandi Westover, made delicious taco soup, we brought drinks and rolls and the Elisara’s (our group leader and his family) brought dessert for their little cutie’s 3rd birthday. It was a great morning being together! After that I drove the sisters back to the church for more lessons they were teaching and I went home and took a nap –  ha ha! Eric rode public transportation with the elders and members of our congregation so he got home a bit later. We had thought about going to a rugby game Saturday night but instead walked down to the harbor and had a crepe at my favorite spot – Four Frogs! YUM! We walked there and back in the gorgeous evening weather!

Sunday –

As always, we attended church. I taught the young women (I teach them each Sunday, alternating between Young Women’s class and Sunday School). Eric teaches Elder’s Quorum one Sunday then teaches the primary children with our group leader, Lyle, on the opposite Sundays. Here’s a pic of our adorable primary kiddos and their teachers! That evening we had our district missionaries, the sisters from the Summer Hill district, and our friend Audrey who is here for the semester as an exchange college student over for dinner. We got a few more missionaries so our friends over housing (Fran and Joel Putnam) were so kind as to order us a long folding table and more chairs so we could fit everyone. This is one of my favorite times of the week, having Sunday “family” dinner together with our Sydney family! We are SO excited about the positivity, passion and dedication that the young missionaries have (we have the BEST district ever!) so it’s uplifting and motivating to spend dinner with them and have them share a spiritual message. Perfect ending (or start?!?!) to a great week!

Some things we’ve learned this week:

1. Don’t sweat the “small” stuff – even a fender bender (as long as you have car insurance!). Things happen in life that are unexpected and not always welcome. It’s so easy to get hung up and perseverate on things that don’t really matter in the long run (or the whole scheme of things), i.e. the lesson that didn’t go exactly how we hoped, a friend cancelled on us, the food I made wasn’t as yummy as I hoped, etc. I KNOW that we can turn to the Lord in good times and in bad for help, strength, comfort, and refocus on what the most important things are! 

2. There have been some days that I don’t feel like “myself” – as my current schedule is NOTHING like my pre mission life. I love what we’re doing but I also know that we MUST take time each week to reconnect with each other – go on a date and have some fun time together – just as husband and wife, as best friends – and not as missionaries. Spending those 4 hours at the beach helped me to feel “normal” again. We both realize that we NEED to have time throughout the week for just US. It’s great for our relationship and our own personal peace and joy!

3. As I shared last week, the word “Trust” (for trusting in the Lord AND being worthy of His trust) continues to come up in my studies and discussions. I want to take some time to really DIG into this and find out what the Lord wants me to know, do and become! Please share your insights or testimonies with us on how you have been blessed by TRUSTING in the Lord (see the comment section at the bottom). Thank you in advance for sharing!

Eric’s Interesting Aussie Info.

“Tradies”

In honor of hitting a tradesman’s truck this week. We have noticed that there is a distinct “uniform” for tradies, solid color shirt and top with neon stripes around the leg and somewhere on the shirt. They’re pretty cool!

Key Aspects of Australian Tradies:

• Definition: A shortened term for a skilled, trained worker.
• Training: They typically complete an apprenticeship (a mix of work and study) rather than a university degree.
• Roles: Key industries include construction (bricklayers, carpenters), building services (electricians, plumbers, painters), and mechanics.
• Significance: They are considered the backbone of the construction and maintenance industry, often specializing in blue-collar work.
• High Demand: Tradies are in high demand across Australia, often resulting in good wages. 

Examples and Types of Tradies:

• Sparky: Electrician
• Chippy: Carpenter
• Bricky: Bricklayer
• Plumber/Dunny Diver: Plumber
• Grease Monkey: Mechanic
• Pestie: Pest Technician 

Usage in Australian Context:

• Workplace: “I need to call a sparky to fix the lights.”
• Casual: “He’s a hard-working tradie.”
• Events: “Tradie Life” or “Tradie Wives” groups are common on social media. 

Common Slang Associated with Tradies:

• Smoko: A morning tea break.
• Hard yakka: Hard work.
• Ute: Utility vehicle used for carrying tools.
• Chuck a sickie: To take a sick day when not actually sick.
• Early mark: Finishing work before the scheduled time