May 18 – 24
Vivid Sydney is an annual celebration of creativity, innovation and technology. Running from May 22 – June 13, 2026, Vivid Sydney is in its 16 year, “…fusing art, innovation, technology in collaboration with some of the most boundary-pushing artists, musicians, thinkers and culinary experts of our time.” (vividsydney.com) People come from all over the world to experience this award winning festival, most famous for its vibrant nighttime art. Most of the events and exhibits are free to the public, including a 3 mile, Vivid Light Walk, which includes walking over the Harbour Bridge. We could see downtown Sydney begin to transform as interesting structures popped up throughout the beginning of May, with exciting mounting for all – including Eric and me!
According to the website, Vivid features a multi-art form program structured around four pillars:
- Light: The centerpiece of the festival, featuring stunning 3D projections on iconic landmarks—like the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge—and the popular Vivid Light Walk, which stretches across the Sydney Harbour foreshore. It also includes massive scale drone shows over Cockle Bay.
- Music: A diverse lineup of live performances, concerts, and DJ sets held at various venues, including the Sydney Opera House (Vivid LIVE) and outdoor stages.
- Minds: A forum of public talks, debates, and presentations from leading global creative thinkers, innovators, and industry trailblazers.
- Food: Culinary events that range from high-end dining experiences to large outdoor food festivals like the Vivid Fire Kitchen, offering everything from street food to regional dining showcases.
Our plan was to visit a bit of Vivid every night this week, which didn’t actually happen. Thankfully, the event lasts more than a week so our Vivid watching will continue in the weeks to come!
Here’s what our week ended up looking like:
Monday:
Along with our “normal” Monday activities, we also had our monthly Preventative Mental Health/Emotional Literacy Leader training. It’s awesome to meet with the other senior missionaries who teach the classes throughout Australia and New Zealand and hear some of the creative and engaging ways they teach different parts of the lessons. The monthly meeting is also a fabulous resource when we have questions about any of the lessons. That evening we attended District Council with our AMAZING Hyde Park District (AKA – our Australian “kids” – They are sooo dear to us!)
Tuesday:
This morning we trained the Ether Zone – which is about an hour west of us – for lesson 1 of the PMH. After the training we stopped in Chatswood to pick up an item I ordered and ate lunch at Betty’s Burger (which will always be remembered as our FIRST “restaurant” we ate at here in Australia). Later that day I was able to help the sister missionaries with a lesson with Pillar then Eric met me at the church where we taught Francisco a temple prep lesson. After the lesson, we went to the Book of Mormon class, where Elder Allen taught, then had our weekly virtual MCM (Missionary correlation meeting) with the rest of the group organizations. We’re getting better with these meetings, trying to keep them to no more than 20 minutes and focusing on how the different organizations and group members can support the missionaries, the friends they are teaching, and other new members in our group. As the Elder’s Quorum President Eric is doing a fabulous job of facilitating them – keeping us focused and on track!
Wednesday:
We had some free time today so we caught up on our blog, and deep cleaned our apartment! ALL much needed!!!
Thursday:
This morning we had a lesson with the missionaries then later in the day we went for a walk and had a yummy Italian lunch in Darling Harbor. One side of the whole harbor is lined with ocean view cafes and restaurants. That evening for Young Women’s, Lyle and Lyka Elisara taught a cooking class on making Filipino Spring Rolls! At first the YW were a little apprehensive about digging their hands in to stir the mixture but eventually, they were expert spring roll makers! A HUGE thank you to the Elsara’s for their generosity of their time, talents and resources!
Friday:
First day of Vivid – Our plan was to walk down to the harbor for the opening night of fireworks and fun! Unfortunately, I have been in the process of switching a medication and haven’t been able to sleep for two nights in a row. By Friday evening I was so tired I went to bed early. It was a total bummer for Eric but he was a good sport!
Saturday: P-DAY –
This morning I was supposed to go to the church for Pillar’s last lesson before her baptism and to make French toast, however I had another terrible night of sleep so Eric walked the ingredients over to the church for me. Later that day we went to Costco to purchase the food we will need for our missionary dinner and the coming week. That evening was a senior activity to see the Vivid lights. It was raining so Eric met the group and I went to bed early to catch up on some sleep and HOPEFULLY feel back to normal tomorrow!
Sunday:
After church today we had Linger Longer. I made more of those healthy chicken salad sandwiches in croissants – Yum! We also held our last Temple Prep lesson with Francisco. He really wants to go to the temple and receive his endowments before he leaves to Cairns (he will be there for a couple months to work on a farm, which is required to extend his visa). We helped him organize his week so he could meet with both the bishop, stake president, schedule an appointment with the temple AND get to the distribution center when it’s open! The only day he can realistically go to the temple will be next Saturday, which is the same day I’m scheduled to take the Young Women to do baptisms at the temple in the morning. It’ll be a FULL day! 🙂
That evening we had a “farewell” dinner with missionaries – in honor of SIster Lui, who has completed her mission this coming week and is flying home to China. We heard hamburgers and fries (chips) were a favorite of hers so Eric made ¼ (½?!?) lb. hamburgers, corn on the cob and fries.! For dessert we had hot fudge sundae’s with Eric making Nanny’s DELICIOUS hot fudge recipe! YUM! Eric drove home the Summer Hill missionaries then we settled in for our now weekly 8:30 PM ASM devotional – Fit for the Kingdom!
Something I learned this week:
I have always been grateful for the freedoms I am blessed with being a US citizen, but never more have I appreciated our “freedom of religion” until this week, when we said, “good bye” to Sister Lui. Sister Lui is one of the sweetest missionaries I have had the privilege to know and serve with! She serves with all her heart, might, mind and strength – all with a gorgeous smile! She has worked hard to learn English while on her mission and has been such a blessing to our Chinese speaking friends and group members. She told us that it took her two years to get a visa to serve a mission in another country – which included a change of mission assignment from NY, USA to Sydney, Australia. Since she has been on her mission in Sydney, some of the laws have changed in her home country of China. Before she left for her mission, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints were allowed to meet on Sundays and gather together. Now, they will not be able to meet, gather or speak of gospel topics. Sister Lui did not seem sad – she was excited to go home and reunite with her family. She is hopeful for the future and knows she will continue her relationship with God and our Savior, Jesus Christ. She looks forward to continuing her education…and her beautiful life’s journey!
I, on the other hand, felt sad. Of course I am going to miss Sister Lui and am not sure if I’ll ever see her again, which makes me sad, but I also know she has so much goodness and love to share. She beams with the light of Christ. I hope she has many opportunities to associate with others who believe the same as she does and will somehow continue to share the beautiful gospel of Jesus Christ. God Speed, Sister Lui! We love you!
The Helland's Down Under 