9/20/26
This was a BUSY week! It was our first round of Zone Conferences where we were responsible for both training the senior missionaries AND planning the Senior Missionary Dinner/activity connected with Zone Conference. Needless to say, there was a lot to prepare!
At the most recent MLC (Mission Leadership Council), each zone was asked to develop three main areas of focus—or “pillars”—and then create smaller, measurable goals to help them reach the mission’s key indicators each week and month. Eric and I decided to do something similar for our senior missionary “zone,” basing our three areas of focus on the direction we’ve received from President Doane and his vision for the mission.
Instead of calling ours “pillars,” however, we decided to call them ROOTS—because we want our senior missionaries to be deeply rooted in the gospel and in our missionary purpose! With a little help from AI, we created a Tree of Life graphic representing our three roots:
1. Help New Members Continue on the Covenant Path
2. Support the Mission’s Vision to Baptize Weekly
3. Support and Strengthen Our Junior Missionaries
Monday 9/14
Along with our typical Monday activities of calling our families and planning for the week, we’ve also been creating a weekly calendar and newsletter for the senior missionaries called the Sydney Senior Scoop. Ha ha! 😂 It has been really fun for Eric and me to work on writing it together each week.
Not only does putting it together help ME keep track of everything happening during the week so we don’t miss anything, but we’ve heard from several of the seniors that it has been really helpful for them too! A few weeks ago, we added a “Getting to Know Our Senior Angels” section, which has been a fun way for all of us to learn a little more about each senior missionary or couple.
That evening, we received a call from our friend Ruth, who had been experiencing some medical concerns. Eric dropped the two of us off at the ER, where I stayed with her for a few hours while she waited to be seen.
Afterward, we finished up our preparations for our first Zone Conference the next morning. Busy week—here we come!
Tuesday 9/15
We left our flat early this morning so we could arrive at the Normanhurst Chapel and get everything set up before the North Zones’ conference began.
The morning trainings and musical numbers were AMAZING! Eric and I decided our mission could seriously put on an “ASM’s Got Talent” show! 😂 The amount of musical talent among these missionaries—both vocal and instrumental—is incredible. Their music adds such a beautiful spirit to every Zone Conference. Music really does have the power to invite the Spirit!
We’re currently a little short-handed on senior missionaries serving in the mission office, so Eric and I also jumped in to help prepare lunch—cutting food, arranging things, and helping wherever we were needed.
Since the senior missionaries attending today’s conference would also be at tomorrow’s conference, we decided to wait and hold our Senior Missionary breakout training on Wednesday.
Instead, after the conference we headed to Costco to purchase all the food for our Senior Missionary Dinner the following evening. Initially, I wasn’t too nervous about planning food for a large group. We’ve fed 40+ people MANY times over the years for parties, church activities, school events, etc. But living on a much smaller, fixed budget these days made me a little more nervous about staying within our budget!
Normally, I wouldn’t think twice about tossing in a few extra dishes and fun sides “just in case.” This time, I was trying VERY hard to be conservative. 😂
Funny enough, as I looked at everything in my cart, I had the distinct feeling that I had purchased too much and should put back one lasagna and one Alfredo pasta dish.
Turns out…I probably could have put back TWO of each and we STILL would have had plenty! 😂 I had forgotten one important detail: we weren’t feeding a group of hungry 19-year-old missionaries! Senior missionaries apparently don’t consume food at quite the same rate. Ha ha!
After Costco, we drove everything back to Buckland House—the Mission Office—and stored it in the kitchen because there was NO WAY all of that food was fitting in our little refrigerator!
Wednesday 9/16
Another early start! Today we drove to the Baulkham Hills Chapel for zone Conference with the Central Zones.
Once again, it was a fabulous conference filled with uplifting and revelatory messages, beautiful music, and wonderful missionaries!
We had a good-sized group for our Senior Missionary breakout session. Eric began by reviewing our missionary purpose and sharing some beautiful promised blessings from prophets of God.
Then we divided everyone into three groups and rotated through three stations centered around our three “roots.” At each station, the seniors brainstormed specific things we, as senior missionaries, can DO to:
1. Help new members continue progressing along the covenant path.
2. Support the junior missionaries and the mission’s vision to baptize weekly.
3. Love, encourage, strengthen, and support our junior missionaries.
It was FABULOUS to listen to the discussions and ideas that came from these phenomenal, life-experienced senior missionaries! Collectively, they have such a treasure trove of knowledge, experience, wisdom, and testimony. What a blessing it is that we get to learn from one another!
After our training, we hurried back to Buckland House to prepare for the Senior Missionary Dinner. Thankfully, some VERY dear friends came to our rescue! A HUGE shout-out to our friends Mike and Kathy Sumko and Bob and Kathleen Woolf. They helped us every step of the way—setting up, cooking, serving, and cleaning up afterward.
Thank the Lord for good friends!!! ❤️
For dinner, we served Chicken Alfredo Pasta, Beef and Spinach Lasagna, garlic bread, salad with lots of toppings, and two kinds of cake—chocolate and tres leches—all courtesy of Chef Costco! 😂
Elder and Sister Dalpias, who were in charge of our games for the evening, also brought some of their famous homemade candy. It is DELICIOUS, and we are definitely going to miss THEM—and their candy—when they return home in November!
After dinner, we invited the two couples who will be leaving before our next Senior Dinner to share some experiences and their testimonies from their missions.
The Spirit was SO strong as we listened to Mark and Toni Simonsen and Ruth and Dave Kimberling share tender, miraculous, and faith-filled experiences from their time serving here in the Australia Sydney Mission. ❤️
Afterward, we opened the time to any senior missionary who wanted to share a recent “miracle” they had experienced. The junior missionaries have a “miracle share” during each Zone Conference, and Elder and Sister Seager introduced the same tradition into our Senior Missionary Dinners. It has been such a blessing! Hearing how the Lord is working in so many different lives and circumstances strengthens all of our faith.
It was a beautiful evening!
Thursday 9/17
Today was our final Zone Conference of the week, held at the Campbelltown Chapel—which was also our longest drive!
Unfortunately, we didn’t estimate the commute quite right and arrived with barely enough time to make it before the conference started. No leisurely setup time for us today! 😂
There were even fewer senior couples attending this conference, so we spent much of the morning helping prepare lunch—cutting vegetables, arranging meats and cheeses, setting up serving tables, and doing whatever else needed to be done. It was actually really fun spending that time in the kitchen with our friends the Sumkos, Cloughs, and Woolfs!
Today we were also blessed to hear two musical numbers from missionaries who are professional musicians back home. I SO wish I had recorded all of the musical numbers from the past three days! They have honestly been one of my favorite parts of Zone Conference. I’m grateful these amazing junior missionaries are willing to share their talents with the rest of us. ❤️
We also held our final Senior Missionary breakout session and, once again, heard wonderful ideas and insights.
We truly feel blessed to rub shoulders with—and learn from—such loving, dedicated, experienced, and selfless disciples of Jesus Christ!
And with that…our FIRST round of Senior Missionary Zone Conference trainings was complete! 🎉
Friday 9/18
Today we took an early P-Day, which was MUCH needed after such a busy week! The Woolfs met us at our apartment in the morning, and then we split up. Bob and Eric picked up Anssi and headed out for nine holes of golf, while Kathleen and I had our own little girls’ “walkabout.”
We started by walking to TK Maxx and then made our way down toward Darling Harbour to pick up a Brookie Cookie. We took our cookies to a beautiful pavilion in Barangaroo and sat and talked for about an hour. I wish I had taken a picture! It was SO enjoyable to have some “girl time” and get to know Kathleen better. ❤️
After our cookie chat, we walked through Barangaroo Reserve and down into The Rocks. By the time we reached Circular Quay, our feet were telling us we needed a break, so we hopped on the light rail and headed to the QVB (Queen Victoria Building) and Myer because I needed to replenish my lipstick supply. Important P-Day business! 😂
We were surprised that we STILL hadn’t heard from the guys, so we finally called them and discovered they were already heading home! We hopped back on the light rail to Chinatown, the closest stop to our apartment, and met up with them there. We had brought raspberry brownies from Brookie’s for the guys, so everyone relaxed for a while while they enjoyed their treats.
Knowing the Woolfs also LOVE Italian food, we had found a local Criniti’s and wanted to take them there for dinner. Once again, the food did NOT disappoint! I had hoped we could sit on the back patio overlooking the beach, but unfortunately it was a little too windy and chilly. NEXT TIME FOR SURE!
Saturday 9/19
P-Day! Today was mostly errands and grocery shopping for Sunday because we also had a very special baptism to attend in the afternoon—our friend Hendry Toro’s!
I was asked to speak about “Receiving the Gift of the Holy Ghost,” and Eric was asked to confirm Hendry following his baptism.
We were also put in charge of bringing the treats and setting up the treat table—which I’m beginning to think may be our permanent calling! 😂
It was a beautiful baptism. The Hyde Park junior missionaries sang “I Am a Child of God,” which brought such a sweet Spirit into the meeting.
There is just something incredibly special about witnessing someone choose to follow Jesus Christ through baptism. ❤️
Sunday 9/20
The past two Sundays have been especially fun in Young Women because BOTH of our Young Women—Leslie and Ella—have taken turns teaching the lesson!
I wish I had remembered to take a picture of Leslie teaching last week. Both girls did a FABULOUS job! They came prepared with creative, engaging activities and taught in a way that invited everyone to participate while also allowing the Spirit to testify of the truths they were sharing.
I was genuinely impressed with the activities they came up with! I LOVE seeing young people realize that gospel learning can be meaningful, spiritual AND fun. In fact, I found myself getting ideas from THEM about ways to make teaching and learning more engaging! ❤️
After church, we had our monthly Linger Longer, which is basically a potluck meal/snack where everyone stays after our meetings to eat, visit, catch up, and fellowship together. It’s such a nice opportunity to spend time with our friends in the congregation without everyone rushing off after church. We also got to sing “Happy Birthday” to one of our darling Primary children, Olivia, who turned SIX! ❤️
And with that, another VERY full week came to an end!
Sometimes I don’t fully realize how many amazing experiences, opportunities, blessings, and tender mercies we have in a single week until I sit down and try to record them all.
I sometimes wonder if we share WAY too many details in these updates 😂, but I also know that someday we will be SO grateful to have this record of our mission—the people we loved, the places we went, the lessons we learned, the miracles we witnessed, and the ways we saw the Lord’s hand in our lives.
I’m so grateful for the opportunity Eric and I have to serve here in Sydney and to share a little bit of this experience with our friends and family back home. And hopefully, long after our mission is over, this record will also be a blessing to our children, grandchildren, and generations to come. ❤️🇦🇺
What an exhausting, wonderful, BLESSED week!
