missionaryMum.3 (July)

July came in real quick. At the end of the month, Mum had been gone 3 months already.

On the 1st of July, Mum was invited to some Canada Day celebrations as there are about 20 Canadians in her mission. I can't wait to see what Mum pills out for Australia Day.

One of Mum's friend's Sister Snowden is Canadian. It mud be so great to meet people from other countries and learn a bit about their cultures.

With the really warm weather Mum was able to take advantage of the outdoor concerts for another month. She went to a bluegrass gospel quartet. Before it started, everyone had to stand and look toward the American flag and sing the national Anthem.

Mum also got to enjoy all the 4th of July celebrations. She said they celebrate for a whole week. On the  4th of July, there were amazing fireworks. There were thousands of cars lining up to get a spot.

Mum sat across the road as they could not get in and so they sat waiting from 8.30pm for the fireworks to start at 10pm. Afterward they could not get out of the parking lot for 2 hrs, with all the traffic.

At the beginning of every month, a swap meet is held in the carpark. New missionaries get the first 20 minutes to pick things out and then it is a free for all to swap things with each other. I think it is a great idea, especially if you are on the hunt for a toaster or hair dryer.

After the swap meet, Mum went to a Farmers market where there was lots of fruit and vegetables and bread.

Mum went on the Heber Creeper train ride!  It obviously left from Heber and went for about 45 mins drive up into the mountains.

The couple in the hats are Mum's home teachers, the Denley's from Sydney. The couple in the front are a beautiful couple who are wonderful missionaries and who just happen to be deaf. 

Beautiful views out of the train window.

We love seeing photos of Sister Reeve. I can't believe she will be finishing in only 7 weeks.

A few days later, Mum set off to Provo. They had to go via the Trax (a bit like a tram run on electricity)

Public transport looks nice and clean! :)

 The Trax took them to the train station which took them to Provo and hour away.

In the Provo mall, you can hire these electric animals for $6 for 15 mins. The kids would love them.

A break from some shopping.

 A cool shop Mum saw in the Provo mall.

On the 14th of July it was Mum's birthday. She got very spoiled over there.

Hi Everyone, 
Well I had a lovely birthday.  The photos say most of it, 
Had a parcel from Sandra and one from Simone and Jessica.  I have been pigging out this 
week on chocolate. The Tim Tams are not for me though. 
This week has been very  hot, this afternoon we had a thunder storm. 
I am doing lots more now on phones and chats and doing okay. 
Tuesday I had a hair cut, spa pedicure and a manicure all for $44, treated myself. 
The nail people are Vietnamese and very nice, they have 2 fellows doing it as well. 
Wednesday was my full day t and r and so I washed! cleaned and did Church work. No 
temple rides this week at all.  It is horrible having the Temple closed. 
One of my assignments is inspecting apartments when people are going to be moving out. 
I did two on Wednesday. 
Thursday I went to the Family History library from 4-8.30, the time goes so quickly. In 
the library here there is a book on the history of Northdown, the Thomas family. This 
property is near Wesley Vale, Port Sorell way.  I have nearly finished it.  You are not 
allowed to take books out of the Library.  I also learned how to put photos in on 
Family Tree. 
Friday night the concert was amazing. The guest artist was Santino Fontana, he is 
Prince Hans in Frozen. 300 choir and 100 orchestra and 21,000 people....wow. They did 
it for two nights.  It was very good. And all free!!!!! 
President Monson came Friday night. He is very slow and feeble looking. We only saw him 
from a distance. 
Saturday Sister Snowden took me to breakfast and then we went shopping. President 
Utchdorf came to Music and the spoken Word today, he waved to everybody.  You know 
someone important is coming because every one stands up and you can hear a pin drop.  
He was a bit harder to get a photo of.  Tell Hayden I haven't run into any of them yet. 
We are told not to stop and speak to,them if we do. They have been in the lift but not 
when I am in it. Two of the missionaries today said they saw President Monson in the 
Temple. 
And of course today we toured the conference centre....hence the photos. It is 
difficult to capture its size and beauty. 
Simone in the pink book of my tour of USA back with Cathy that you have, could you look 
and see if it says where we stayed in Nauvoo and New York? Collette wants to know. 
Well that's the week in a nutshell.  Thank you for all,the paintings and letters, and 
bracelet and book mark and parcels, my apartment looks better now with these on the 
wall.  Oh and of course Jessica's friend McKenzie dropped in on Friday, what a 
surprise.  The children were lovely. 
Have a good week, especially as school,goes back. 
Bye for now, lots of love 
mum/Nan 

We sent over some little presents and letters and paintings.

At the Hail and Farewell dinner, the missionary band and the room sang Happy Birthday to Mum.

This is Mum's work area on the 3rd floor of the JSMB. In the pic is Sister Coleman, the team leader.

We love getting emails from Mum, talking about her day.

I have done several phones and chats now, getting better. 
Tuesday after Canada day Cathy and I went to a concert by a bluegrass group, just 4 
singers a Capella! they were good! especially the bass. 
On Wednesday morning I went for three hours retraining in familysearch, we are allowed 
to sign up for this. I learned heaps, it was great and we went back two more 
generations on granny steers line. 
We have an elder smith in our zone and his wides parents come from Hobart, were in the 
church name of Hoare.  His wife was born in Sydney.  He is very nice and on Thursday he 
bought us doughnuts.  All we do is eat at work. Thursday we had a special celebration 
lunch for 4th July.  Everything was red white and blue.   
 
 
Wednesday on the T and r afternoon Cathy and I caught the train to Provo. We saw the 
new Provo Central Temple. Wing built, it will be beautiful. They will also keep the 
other one as it is close to BYU and will be well used.  We went to the Provo Mall, good 
shopping. 
Friday was a. It of a fizzed, walked to breakfast and then the line was so long and 
slow we came back, 31/2 miles in the heat.  At night we went to the fireworks but they 
were a bit tame. 
Yesterday we walked to the Farmers Market, another couple of miles in the heat. It was 
okay, I got some fruit and peas and bread, but then of course had to carry them back!  
Today is sister snowdens birthday so I took her to lunch yesterday at the Cheesecake 
Factory. Very nice.  The worst thing here is they except you to pay a tip, nothing 
under 15%. 
 

Later in the month, it was Pioneer Day celebrations which was even bigger than the 4th of July celebrations. They had a HUGE Pioneer Day parade. It is on the 24th of July to celebrate the first of the pioneers to arrive in the Salt Lake valley on the 24th of July 1847, walking all the way from Nauvoo, many with just handcarts.

Wow, this would be a calling in itself. It would take you all year to design and put together one of these amazing floats. "Brother Jones can you please throw a float together for us for the Pioneer Day parade".

Keeping the riff raft in line! I wonder if they take transfers!! ;)

That must be Brother Jones right there! ;)

On Pioneer Day, Mum also got to attend a Pioneer Day concert at the conference centre.

Last Sunday we had a member of the tabernacle choir speak in combined Rs and 

priesthood? when he is in the choir he has to stand on a stool as he is too short. It 
was really interesting. 9 months process for application and then 4 months choir school

  To finish he sang the closing hymn, I Know that My redeemer Lives...
They have to to be between 25 and 60 and live within 100 miles of the 
tabernacle. It was really special.

This was the view on their twilight walk to the Pioneer Day concert.

Speaking of the conference centre, Mum got to go on a tour. It takes about 2 hours. The roof is 6.5 acres wide and there are 3 floors. 

Some beautiful artwork and paintings.

There is a waterfall which runs from the top of the building all the way to the bottom. It runs past some of the windows.

The tour is very popular. People are very interested in the beautiful building. And Mum gets to come to it every Sunday for Music and the Spoken Word before going off to her own branch of 300 people for Sacrament/Sunday School and Relief Society.

The tour also takes you outside the conference centre building onto the roof where the waterfall starts at the top of the building and runs all the away to the bottom.

The view from the top of the waterfall.

Looking at the waterfall from the bottom of the building.

 On the roof of the conference centre. (the roof that is 6.5 acres wide)

Haha, the roof is so big it has its own little tour.

Coverings of the skylights on the roof.

A fountain on the roof. This fountain sits directly over the pulpit underneath. Collette commented that there wouldn't want to be a leak! :)

It looks like the grass to the right of the roof needs mowing, but this represents the mountainside. (or just a good excuse not to mow) ;)

Zions Bank- where Mum has her own bank account.

It's hard to believe that a roof can be so big and have so much on it.

And some great views from the roof.

I have giggled at some of the cultural differences Mum has emailed about, even though Australians and Americans speak English.  

" Sister Williams said she was going to have a quesideea?? For lunch. I thought she said "a case of beer". Did I get ribbed, the zone leader cam around afterward and very solemnly said he needed to talk to me about the word of wisdom!! On the phone the other day I was asking a chap if he was on his mobile and he couldn't understand me and Sister Coleman whispered "cell phone" to me. They also don't understand double numbers or letters… e.g.. double 9.

Earlier in the month Mum had a special visit from Jessica's friend Mackenzie Harding and her family who live in Minnesota but were visiting SLC. The Hardings came to Australia for a holiday in 2011 and Jess tok them around some of our beautiful Tasmania and we met them then. We were so jealous that they were able to see Mum. :)

It was lovely that they could catch up with Mum.

So between working 7.30-4pm weekdays in the JSMB helping people around the world with their family history, going to the temple, outdoor summer concerts, having a half day a week to do her own family history, going on some tours and fulfilling her branch assignment (being in charge of the apartments and making sure they are clean and ready for the next missionaries to move into), Mum is absolutely exhaustingly busy but absolutely LOVING it!!