8/30/26
Monday 24 –
Today was a pretty typical Monday—calling our families, planning for the week, and attending District Council. Tonight we attended our own Hyde Park District Council and were also able to sneak in for South Harbour’s. With transfers happening tomorrow, this was our last District Council with several of our missionary friends! We will definitely miss them as they move on to new areas around New South Wales, but thankfully, we’ll still get to see them at upcoming zone conferences and THRIVE trainings!
After DC, we walked over to George Street with our district for Yo-Chi—frozen yogurt piled high with whatever toppings your heart desires…and then you pay by the weight! 😋 Always a fun treat with the missionaries!
Tuesday 25 –
Transfer Day! I decided to stay home this morning and work on planning our next THRIVE preventative mental health training, which begins next week. Eric, on the other hand, had an EARLY start! He picked up luggage from several missionary apartments, dropped it off at the transfer church building, and then spent much of the day picking up and delivering a whole slew of luggage to missionaries moving to their new areas. By the time he finally made it home, he was exhausted and ready for a well-deserved nap!
While he slept, I walked over to the church to help the elders with a lesson for one of their friends. Unfortunately, the friend ended up canceling, so I headed back home—but not before enjoying a Drumstick ice cream cone with the elders. Ha ha! 😂 At least the walk wasn’t a total loss!
Wednesday 26 –
This morning we spent some time reaching out to members of our group to check in and see how everyone was doing.
Later in the day, we met our friends Zonika and Brett Ramsey at the Sydney Opera House to see Pride and Prejudice (Sort Of), a hilarious play by Isobel McArthur based on Jane Austen’s classic novel. The cast consisted of five AMAZINGLY talented women who each played a servant as well as several of the main characters. The story was retold through the servants’ eyes, with lots of hilarious songs woven throughout.
Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice is one of our family’s FAVORITE books/movies, and Eric and I usually watch one version or another at least once a year. Jane Austen is definitely one of my favorite authors! I did feel a little sorry for anyone in the audience who wasn’t already a P&P fan because I’m pretty sure MANY of the jokes would have gone right over their heads! 😂 We absolutely loved it!
Thursday 27 –
Today we decided we needed to get out into nature, so we took our personal study materials and lunch down to Darling Harbour. After lunch, we spontaneously decided to hop on the next ferry and just go wherever it was headed. It turned out to be going to Parramatta—the LONGEST ferry ride! Perfect! 😂
It was SO beautiful and relaxing to cruise up the Parramatta River, passing gorgeous mangroves, harbors, parks, and homes along the way. Sometimes the unplanned adventures turn out to be some of the best!
We made it home in time for Young Women, where we continued getting ready for the upcoming Trek!
Friday 28 –
This morning we finally did something Eric has been wanting to do for quite some time—a walking tour of The Rocks! Although we’ve wandered through the area MANY times, he was excited to learn more about the history behind the streets and buildings we’ve passed so often.
The Rocks is Sydney’s oldest European neighbourhood and was the site where the First Fleet settled in 1788. Long before European settlement, however, the area was known as Tallawoladah and was home to the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation, who had lived in and cared for the area for thousands of years.
After the First Fleet arrived from Britain, convicts built some of the earliest huts there. The area eventually became known as “The Rocks” because of the rugged sandstone outcrops, which settlers quarried to construct homes, shops, warehouses, and pubs. Amazingly, much of the area was saved from demolition in the 1970s. Today, its restored sandstone buildings, narrow laneways, markets, museums, and pubs make it one of Sydney’s most fascinating historic areas. It was fun to finally learn the stories behind so many of the places we’ve walked past during our mission!
That afternoon, Eric and I joined the missionaries for several lessons. It was an especially exciting day because ALL THREE of the friends being taught were invited to be baptized—and all three accepted the invitation! ❤️ They are each preparing for baptism later this month. What a wonderful afternoon!
After the lessons, we finished the day at Game Night with the missionaries and friends.
Saturday 29 –
P-Day! Today was a pretty simple one—a trip to Costco to stock up and then time spent preparing our lessons for Sunday. Sometimes a quieter P-Day is exactly what we need!
Sunday 30 –
After church today we had our Linger Longer, where everyone stays after our meetings for a potluck meal together. I LOVE these gatherings! They give us such a great opportunity to visit, catch up with one another, and especially get to know some of our newer members and friends a little better. ❤️
Tonight was our regular Sunday missionary dinner, but with transfers this week, we had new missionaries in BOTH of our districts! We spent the evening eating, laughing, visiting, and getting to know everyone.
For our spiritual message, we asked each of the missionaries who was “new” to our area to share one of their favorite scriptures and explain why it was meaningful to them. It was such a simple way to learn a little more about each of them while also bringing the Spirit into our evening.
Another transfer begins! I’m excited to get to know these new missionaries, watch them grow, and see what adventures and miracles this transfer brings! ❤️
