Playing Hooky

Roger, Lee, Alec, Jesse and Peet laboured in 33 degree heat in Toowoomba pouring a concrete driveway - but Joan and I took Louisa and Max to the beach.

Max was not all that impressed with a morning of shopping.

But the rest of the trip spent swimming at Little Cove, watching kite surfers and playing with rocks made up for it.

Max

We pair up a big kid and a little kid to go Christmas shopping - usually Jesse goes with Max and Peet goes with Louisa. Then we turn them loose in a shopping center.

Jesse and Max spent an inordinate amount of time in Borders. Max found a book with a monkey on the cover and told Jesse he would really like that book.

Jesse: Oh

Max: Yeah I really like monkeys - it 'cause we're related.

I can feel a FHE lesson on the creation coming up early in January.

The groups meet up and swap partners so they can buy for each other. So Peet and Max went to buy for Jesse and Louisa. Peet asked what Max would like to get for Jesse - 'I don't know - she didn't really give any clues this time.'

Peet told Jesse later and she was aghast "I said 'Max, when you are shopping with Peet I would like this' maybe four times." Maybe she should have been more subtle - still there's no doubting his masculinity!

Yesterday Max was talking about Christmas presents with Jesse and told her that 'your present was hard because you didn't give any clues, but it was alright because Peet remembered that you wanted that little book'. Apparently we're not so much into surprise this year!

Peet

Just for the record (keep in mind that Peet is also unbelievably stubborn and definitely has his faults!):

Turns out Peet is an 'Academic Achiever'. I had a call from the Gifted and Talented Association based at the high school to ask if Peet would please go into the Academic Achievers class - I said maybe not. I'm more keen on time to spend with family and play than on too much time spent hitting the books etc, and I really can't see the point of pushing kids early when in the end they all go through uni or whatever and come out ok at the end. (Apparently that was not the right answer because the G&T woman sounded a little incredulous - maybe even a bit hurt -when I said I'd talk to Peet and get back them but probably no.)

Roger called and I told him that Peet had been asked to join the AA class - he said 'why?' So we're not off to a particularly good start.

Then Peet came home and we asked him - he fretted over it and thought that maybe he should not go to Mutual that night because he needed to think about it - we sent him to Mutual anyway - it was a pool party so you don't want to miss that.

In the end Peet said he would like to do it - because the teachers should be pretty happy to be there and he had a friend who lives at Samford in that class (I spared the G&T woman his reasoning).

Then a couple of days later his report card came home - and now we see 'why'. Out of 24 places for a mark he got 22 A's and 2B's (and one of the B's was for HPE which he missed the last exam in - just couldn't be bothered - and the other was for Italian in which he is the top student). Jesse said it's a good thing we never started paying for A's. Alec said 'you never saw that many B's on a report card from me'.

Apparently they held exams a few weeks ago for anyone wanting to go into the AA class - but Peet got in on his laurels.

So it turns out Peet really is an Academic Achiever - who knew?

(I would like to find the med student who did some testing on him when he was nine months old for a uni paper and reported to me that he was badly developmentally delayed and I should seek help - he was my 4th so I just laughed and went on my way - but if he'd been my first I might have been devastated.)

Night in Bethlehem

We have a new and enthusiastic Ward Activities committee - so the Christmas party this year was a bit special - a night in Bethlehem. I was not pleased - I'm all about simplicity and this involved dressing up - but I got on board when Jesse made most of the costumes.

(Roger and I had our 23rd wedding anniversary on Friday and our kids were so sweet all week and kept encouraging us to take a night off and go to Sunshine - along the lines of 'you could have dinner and go swimming - it will be great'. So sweet I thought - till I came home on Saturday afternoon to discover that they had actually been planning a party for Friday night. Not a wild party - Robert and Samuel were on the guest list- but a party none the less - at my house - my messy house. Jesse claims it was more of a gathering and apparently they turned off the verandah lights so no one could see the mess! Max and Louisa loved it - so did Jesse and Alec. Peet was in at Joan's for a dinner party so he could go mountain biking the next morning. So it was lucky that Jesse was almost finished making everyone's costumes by the time we got home!)

LilyRhadika came too - she is a fixture at ward Christmas parties. And since she and Louisa have long felt they are twins separated at birth, Lily ate a grasshopper - just to be one of the family.

Jesse was a roman soldier - probably present in Bethlehem but not quite in the spirit of things - the girl is obsessed by all things Roman. Max was a lowly (and picked upon) shepherd.

Peet dressed up reluctantly and helped out at the food stall that Anne and I were running.

Roger had a 'Bishops Inn' and Alec skipped out for the night to go see Twilight - serves him right for not going to the ward Christmas party.

Celebrate

The Christmas tree is up and decorated.

Some of us were more into it than others.

Grasshoppers

See this is why I can't do a yearly letter. I could write about Peet being vice captain or Jesse's formal, but then in the interests of a full and frank disclosure I would have to include that on Sunday the kids ate live grasshoppers.

Louisa and Max caught a jar full out of the mint garden and then cheekily dared Alec to eat one. He said he would if they did too. So they did - all five of the kids ate one - except Max who developed a taste for the crunchy little critters and ate 3 - we told him no more - we're good parents like that.

We don't have any photos of Peet because Jesse who was taking the photos was laughing so hard she forgot to take a photo - and Peet wouldn't go again just for posterity.

If you look closely - that's a grasshopper leg on Alec's lips.

Apparently they are ok going down but have a dreadful after taste - still if there's a biblical plague of locusts we won't even have to dip into the food storage!

Last week

Monday: Anne's birthday barbeque at our place with all her family in Australia.

Tuesday: Sydney for a seminar that was cancelled - so Sydney for some shopping.

Wednesday: Free night - except for a practice of the grown up play for Jesse

Thursday: Middle school Awards night - Peet was awarded a silver academic award - which means he got A's and B's only on his report card.

Peet was also announced as Middle School Vice Captain - cute. The boy captain is an African kid who is lovely - Peet says it's the flavour of the month - everyone wants to elect a black person.

Friday: Pine Christmas Concert. It was all a bit high brow for a Pine concert - really impressive singing of Christmas Carols from the middle ages, bongo playing and genuinely funny skits.

Then - in a return to true Pine style - the kids decided to do some unscripted skits. Each kid just picked what they wanted to be, thought of a general storyline then gave it a go.

Max was a dragon named Custard.

Louisa was a porcupine and Peter Pan. (That's Declan in her lap - he's 3 and his sister is at school - he just wanted to be on stage so Louisa had him sit on her lap.)

I keep telling Roger that he is the best costume maker in our whole family and he should make all the costumes from now on - he's not buying it.

Jesse was in the grown up play - a High School Musical/Hairspray/Abba Movie spoof. We don't have decent photos because she was dancing so wildly the whole time that all the photos are badly blurred.

That's Annabelle as the girl from HSM, Tildy as the boy, Josh and Fraser as the basketballers, Jesse and Patty as the nicest kids in town from Hairspray, Maris as the teacher from HSM and Tina as the piano girl.

And Peet picked up his new Tuba - shiny, gold, and huge.

Alec went to a party, and the rest of us went to Sunshine for the night - which was absolutely worth the trip - and back in time for a baptism on Saturday afternoon.

Jesse's Christmas article

Jesse was asked to write 600 words on 'Putting Christ in Christmas' for the Stake newletter - here it is:

My favourite Christmas hymn is without a doubt Silent Night. I love this hymn for
many reasons - one of them being its connection with history. I am a history
nerd, and so I love the story of how this hymn was part of the Christmas
celebrations in World War One. I am sure that you all know the story of how, on
December the 24th 1914, enemies came together to celebrate Christmas. There
are many different versions of this story, however all of these stories involve the
singing of Silent Night. I often think of what it would have been like to be one of
those soldiers and hear the words of this hymn slowly gaining strength across
the ravaged fields that lay between the trenches.

Silent night! Holy night!
All is calm, all is bright
Round yon virgin mother and Child.
Holy Infant, so tender and mild,
Sleep in heavenly peace;
Sleep in heavenly peace.

It must have calmed the rushing hearts of those young men to hear the wonder
of Christ’s coming rising through the air on wings of song. I love the way that
this hymn focuses specifically on Christ. The Christmas of 1914 held very few of
the trimmings that our society gives importance to at Christmas - there was no
roasted turkey instead it was the luxury of a rabbit stew shared with the Allies
and Germans alike. The focus was on service that could be done for either side,
not on the decorations that adorned Christmas trees. This was a time when the
western world was predominately Christian, and this hymn would have reminded
the young men who heard it of the miracles that they had learnt from childhood.
It was a reminder of the love of our Saviour in a scene which appeared to deny
all Christian values. I can easily imagine the calmness that reassurance the
soldiers would have felt from this peaceful hymn.

Silent night! Holy night!
Shepherds quake at the sight!
Glories stream from heaven afar;
Heav’nly hosts sing Alleluia!
Christ, the Saviour, is born!
Christ, the Saviour, is born!

I love this hymn because of the story that it tells - the story of the beginning of a
pivotal stage in the plan of salvation. It signals a coming of miracles and a
coming of redemption for mankind. I like to imagine, and indeed, join in the joy
that must have been felt in that Bethlehem field as the angels announced the
coming of the Saviour. I think of the sight seen by those shepherds and the
excitement that they must have felt, and I know that their joy was not about the
presents that would come or the celebrations that would come. Rather their joy
was about the redemption of the world. I like to think about the experience of the
shepherds in Bethlehem and the soldiers in 1914, who chose to turn their
attention to the Saviour and the love of our Father in Heaven who sent his only
begotten as Saviour of the world.

My favourite verse is definitely the last, it reads:

Silent night! Holy night!
Son of God, love’s pure light
Radiant beams from thy holy face,
With the dawn of redeeming grace,
Jesus, Lord, at thy birth;
Jesus, Lord, at thy birth.

This verse places emphasis on Christ as the redeemer of the world. The birth of
Jesus Christ, heralded by both angels and a new star, was indeed a miracle;
however it pales in comparison to the miracle that was to come with His
atonement. I love to sing the hymns of Christmas and participate in the nativities
and other festivities; I love the talks that are presented in sacrament meetings
that surround Christmas. However at times the clamour of the worldly trappings
become too much and it is then that I love to think of this hymn, and its meaning
in order to bring Christ to Christmas.

Cello

For a couple of years Louisa has been keen on Cello lessons. Today we took the first step and bought a cello - from Simply for Strings - a too-gorgeous-for-words shop in an old church hall.

She looks divine with a cello and a cello has a nice mellow sound, even for a beginner - not too screechy.

Max had a go at home - but is still undecided about which instrument he would like to play.

Peet got out his Tuba and they played away together for a little while before turning off the lights to watch Prince Caspian.

Watership Down

Roger is reading Watership Down to the little kids (and Jesse). Max draws while he listens - here's last nights drawing.

Those are carrots under the Yes and a graveyard under the No.

Formal

Another photo from Jesse's Formal - she actually likes this one.

Motorbike

Ever since Max had a wild ride on Jake's motorbike he has been begging - he is nothing if not persistent! I have asked the older kids to not talk about motorbikes when Max is around - I've asked Alec to hid his motorbike magazines - I've tried to get him in to other hobbies - all to no avail - the child wants a motorbike!

Last night while I was watching The West Wing with Jesse (it's her new obsession) little paper planes kept bombing me. When I folded them out this is what I got:

(Don't worry about the spelling - he'll get it eventually)

'I want a motorbike'

'Hey you said I deserve a motorbike'

A dragon for a little light relief.

'I deserve a motorbike'. (That's Jesus in the bubble smiling down upon Max riding a motorbike - and Jesus would be smiling too since Max proudly defended him at school that day.)

'So would you get me a motorbike'

Big Kids

We're reaping the benefits.

An apprentice carpenter comes in handy after huge storms cause the door to swell:

Jesse has finished everything for high school and has time on her hands - on the last day of school she went to GoMA with her friends and since then has been available for kitchen, babysitting and swimming pool duty. She is going to Toowoomba for a few days each week to work with Lee - which has Louisa breaking into tears often enough that Max asked 'why is it that everytime I go into a room Louisa is crying?' I just told him to get used to it!

Thomas News

22 October 2008:

This week has made me excited beyond excited, because we came closer than we ever had to teaching 15 lessons this week. I'm not quite sure what we did to deserve it, but it went amazingly.

We found one area that has just been perfect for tracting. It's been like walking into fairyland. We've already taught a couple of lessons, and I think we're going to be able to teach a lot more with the Lord's help. As for staying in Daugavpils- I would love to stay here for the rest of my mission. I've really felt like I've been pulling my weight in this city, and I love the branch to bits. The whole district has been predicting my leaving for the last couple of transfers, mostly because they think it would be cruel to keep me here much longer. I, on the other hand am loving it. But, we'll see what the Lord wants for me. I'll just say this- I've worked harder and more effectively here than I ever have on my mission.

Some more money on my card would be wonderful for one of three reasons. Most importantly, because I'm am running out of suit pants, they all have hole worn on the inner leg. I fixed one by putting an iron-on patch, and made the hole worse by trying to do the same to another (all this happened just last week, was not happy at all). Secondly, a member got a photo with me and is now bugging me constantly for copies, if you could find your way to getting me some money for that in the next couple of hours (big ask, I know), it would be wonderful. The final one is a little selfish, I guess. I found a book I would like to buy and read when the mission is over. It's a Russian translation of "Hound of the Baskervilles"- one of those old Sherlock Holmes novels.

Something interesting occurred this week while in sacrament meeting (followed by 1st session of general conference- wonderful session). I was sitting behind the sacrament table contemplating what I saw as a major problem- no investigators at sacrament meeting. My disappointment was deepened when I learned that other missionaries in the district had somewhere around 2 or 3 investigators with them. I started to wonder why it wasn't working for me. Was I that poor a missionary? Why wasn't the success coming as quickly for me as it had been for others?

Naturally I started thinking about what I had done during the week, trying desperately to find a ray of sunshine. It came quicker than I expected, and in a different way than I had expected. I remember a meeting I had with Yariga the day before. We had been addressing her fear of going to the the city, where our church was located. To do so, we shared Alma 7:10-13. which in effect says that Christ bore our griefs and sorrows so that he may succor his people. We told her that such griefs and sorrows include her fear of the city.

Suddenly, that scripture started to have meaning for me. The spirit gave me the strong impression of it's truth. And I started to realize it's application for me as a missionary. I understood that Christ felt every ounce of grief that I felt when investigators did not come to church, when people I tracted into gave me that disgusted look and proclaimed "I don't need it!", when the Book of Mormon had not been read for several weeks and when Baptismal dates failed. I began to understand more fully the meaning of "(bearing) our griefs and (carrying) our sorrows". That morning in sacrament meeting, the Atonement held more meaning for me that it ever had in my life. Sure, we had meetings this week, a considerable amount of them, too. But all in all, it was that experience that made the week wonderful. I'm sorry there aren't more interesting stories to tell you, but if any come to mind, I'll be sure to write them.

5 November (One of his letters just never arrived and he refers to it in this letter):

Turns out after all that talk about going to Narva, I'm not serving there after all. I was there for one day before I get a call from President Dance telling me that I am to be re-transferred to Riga. I've served there before, but this time I am to serve on a different side of the river. I am now on the eastern side of the city. The missionaries who were here before me have both had Visa problems and now have to leave the European union. Hence President Dance had me re-transferred back into Latvia at the last minute.

My new companion is Elder Markle. He's an odd one, but I like him. Before I forget. Yes, I do know Viktorija. We all call her Vika, She's a recent convert in Daugavpils. Do you remember the one that sent us the text message? The nice one with funny grammar? That's her. I gave her your email address because most young members in Daugavpils have what they call a "Friend book", in which many missionaries leave a friendly word, and a contact. I gave them your email because I don't want her sending to my LDS mail, and I'm not sure my hotmail is still valid. (This girl sent an email to us saying ' Hi mate whats up home slice???? I just want to tell you, that we ,miss you so much and we want that you come back in Daugavpils! Becouse you be great elder! You are the best!!! All the best! Vika ')

Which brings me to a nice story about when I left Daugavpils. Having been there so long, I felt that there had to be some special objective accomplished before I left. Therefore, the call to go to Narva came unwantedly. I began to think that maybe God was just sending me there to fill space, and that better missionaries had been sent to other areas where their work could be more fruitful at that time. Well, news gets around quickly in Daugavpils. Vika found out. For some background information, Vika was found through English class. She first entered the Church Building to come to my intermediate English class. There, after several English classes, the sister missionaries started meeting her, unfortunately, she was unable to come to church due to problems getting into the city from where she lived. So, the sisters stopped meeting with her for a while. During this time she still kept coming to my class, and was still hearing my spiritual thoughts. Eventually, sister missionaries started meeting with her again. The time was right, and she was baptised. She is now a faithful member of the church. I suppose having known me throughout the whole of her LDS experience, she thought it appropriate to come and see me off when I left. She gave me a note, thanking me for introducing her to the church and participating as a witness at her baptism.

Those words of thanks changed my whole outlook on my time in Daugavpils. When I got the call to leave, I thought that all of my efforts had been wasted. On the bus out, I was silently thanking my Heavenly Father that he was able to use me to save one of his children.

In other good experiences this week, going too and from Narva allowed me to stop in Tallinn for a night and go to the Branch's Halloween activity. I got to see the family I baptised while there- they are so strong. The Kid who says "what the hell" is now passing the sacrament, and the girl that I baptised is still strong as well. It was great to see them.

Also 5 Novemebr:

Okay, I think It's time to tell you a little bit about our investigators in Riga. I got into Riga on Saturday, so I haven't had a lot of time to meet them. But here's the one I've met.

His name is Artur. He's a tall, VERY muscular Boxer who wants to go to Australia for study and work. He speaks in a very deep voice using Schwazenager-style English. He's more ready for baptism than he seems to think, but has so many questions I'm worried he's going to get distracted by the minor details of the Gospel and not enjoy the real blessings. But still, a great, humble guy. He would like to know what the population of Australia is like. And how many members are there. Could you give me a number?

Riga kinda overwhelms me, having been in a small city for the past nine months, coming here is somewhat of a culture shock. I asked Elder Markle if he was related to the Elder that you knew, he hasn't heard anything about it. Well, love you guys. I'll write more as I think of it. I still have 40 minutes here, so if you want to ask any more questions, now would be the time to do it.

11 November:

Before I go too far, I should explain: I have Zone conference tomorrow, so I'm writing to you on Tuesday. Sorry, I forgot to tell you last week. If you are able to see this before the day's out, let me know you guys are still alive and well, but if not, I guess I'll hear from you next week.

Well, it's been a slow week, this one. Not teaching as much as I'd like, but this can only get better, I suppose. A lot of the leaders keep asking me if I get along with my companion. They seem a little concerned about him. I suppose they have a right to be worried- he refuses to tract or contact (he is convinced that he should only work through the members, and that nothing else works), he sleeps in pretty late for a missionary (his usual wake-up time is 9am) and, by the look of things he refuses to take advice from president. It's a shame, because I like the guy, but occasionally the aforementioned habits drive me up the wall. But I won't go too deeply into that. I don't want to dwell on his bad points, but I've found myself thinking about it a lot.

Having been in Daugavpils for so long, Riga seems amazingly clean in comparison. That might sound strange, since a year ago I was also in Riga and thinking it was the most disgusting place I'd ever been in. But Daugavpils had it's messes as well. Needles and broken bottles on the ground were common, not to mention human feaces. With that in mind, I feel like I'm in a much cleaner environment right now. The Branch in Riga, again in comparison to Daugavpils, is enormous. Ten active priesthood holders doesn't sound like much in Australia, but here it seems like almost too many members. Really makes me think about how lucky I was to grow up in a ward that was so solid. The only thing about Riga that I don't understand is the total absence of children in the branch. I think this is the only branch I have been in which has no children at all. I baptised a couple of them in Estonia, I became a good friend to them in Vilnius, I remember looking after at least one in Imanta, and I look back with a amused frustration (if such a thing exists) on the times I had to chase a whole bunch of kids who were trying to run out of the church in Daugavpils. It really is uncanny.

We have a new investigator: Boris. He was given to us by the assistants (who speak Latvian and Estonian) and we managed to get in contact. We had a quick chat, and he seemed uninterested, but was willing to come to church when we picked him up. He's now willing to meet with us. Well, that's all from me. Not a very exciting week, this one. But who knows, maybe later.

With Okas family:

With Elder Berryhill:

With Riga Dsitrct:

19 November:

Firstly, a HUGE thanks to granny for the money- it will come much in handy- partly because I have also found the entire "Chronicles of Narnia" in Russian- I'm considering building a small library of books in Russian.

Who would have thought a storm could do so much damage? It sounds like all hell broke loose in Brisbane. I'm telling a fellow missionary about this right now and he's just as surprised. I don't think I ever heard of anything like it. Is everyone more-or-less well all things considered?

I'm looking at Jesse's formal photos, I'm a little disappointed that I didn't get to put at least a little bit of fear into that Ben kid. He looks alright, though. Kinda hard to picture him as a prime minister- what, with him looking like the Billy Joel off of Greenday and all. Oh well, if they can vote labour in when the whole world is going into a financial crisis, I guess someone who looks like a punk-rock-hero might seem pretty good. I had to at least chuckle when I saw the Picture of Nathan with his date- he's looking more than a little pleased with himself.

Well this week saw the first snowfall this year. I woke up this morning to the entire street being white. It started snowing on Monday and very little of it was melting away- which is what it did about this time last year. These last few days were the Latvian Independence days. These are three days when the Latvians celebrate their freedom from soviet rule- guess which language gets the dirty looks? So we spent the last few days tracting into people's parties and trying to use less-conventional ways of finding (eg. using the area book). Well, I'm afraid that that's all I have time for right now. I'm under directions from president to read a couple of talks from David A. Bednar. So I need to get to those.

Formal

We've had two boy formals - which involve a shower and a dry cleaned suit - and now a girl formal. It's a different event. Jesse was a dream - found the dress easily and on sale, had a pair of shoes already that were perfect, scurried around for earrings and a clutch on the morning of the formal and had Katymae come to do hair and makeup - and still we're exhausted.

And although it wasn't really much work - it was worth every bit of it a hundred fold because she looked perfect and felt lovely.

Jesse's friends are a bookish group and so there was very little formal organising until exams finished - but they made up for it once that last exam was done. Almost immediately at the close of exam block Jesse's phone started blipping with text messages and didn't stop till she arrived at the 'pre-pre' which her friend Sophie, who was also Nathan's date, held for just their little group of friends.

Corsages were a popular subject in the text messaging and Jesse was relieved that her date, Ben, gave her a wrist corsage rather than a pin on. Ben, quite seriously, plans to be Prime Minister someday and has promised Jesse an Ambassador-ship of her choosing. (France would be nice.)

Here's the whole group:

And the girls (Sophie, Jesse, Amber, Anna, Kelsey):

And the car group - Amber, Matt, Jesse and Ben - who went together in Joan's new Audi:

And finally Kelsey, Jesse and Amber - who will be going together to Athens, Rome and Amman in January.

Bats

There's a bat colony at Enoggera - 10.000 bats that hang in the trees and fly out on dusk each night. FFFN this week was dinner in the park near the bats then watching the bats fly off - no expense spared.

The bats are actually spectacular - because there is a bridge over the creek they live around you can be quite elevated and see quite well as the fly off, leaving their babies in a particular gum tree.