"There Be Whales Here"

We usually show you pictures of at least one sunset.  But with the Winter Solstice upon us, we had time to rise before the sun, get ready for church, and head to the Gan Gan Hill Lookout to watch the beautiful sunrise and then head off to Church in Toukley.  Sunrises remind us that we have a new beginning, a chance to do better, be better, and improve on our actions of the previous day. 

We also had a chance to remember those who are leaving us and we want to acknowledge the great life of Uncle Joy Bybee.  He lived long and happy and was always a loving, positive influence.  He is a great tribute to Fathers and we will miss him.  

Another great Father who we would like to honor is Dr. Donald Dearborn who is 75 years old today.  Happy Birthday Dr. D.  We love you too and wish you many more!

Father's Day in Australia is celebrated in September, but we enjoyed talking to family and appreciated all of the wonderful comments and pictures on facebook.  

 On the way to Toukley we saw this old church in Tomago and stopped to have look.

This is the after church picture of the wonderful missionaries assigned to the Toukley Ward. They are loved and appreciated.  Beautiful! They represent Japan, Samoa, Tonga and the US.
We crossed paths with the awesome missionaries assigned to the Tuggarah Ward which meets in the same building. A goodlooking group! This group is from the United States.

We stopped at Norah's Head Lighthouse to eat our lunch and watch the whales work their way north.  But they were reluctant to give us a showing.  We still enjoyed the great views here.

This is the view looking south toward Newcastle.  A local told us he walks 42 kilometers from Newcastle to Nelson Bay every year along the beaches.  He only takes water with him because the fishermen feed him.  And, he does it in 2 days!!!

Still looking for the whales.  The ocean looks calm but is always in motion. The tide was beginning to rise.

 We had leavers and arrivers this week.  It's quite a challenge to pack the luggage to the maximum weight and size. Yes, it's a headache for those who fly to Asia and the Islands when they can only take one piece of luggage.  We laugh, but know our time is coming.

 Transfer week is very busy.  Monday is transfer day for the whole mission. The leavers head out on Tuesday. New missionaries come on Wednesday.  Thursday is training for District and Sister Leader Trainers.  It's a busy week but we enjoy seeing the missionaries come and go.

As always, mail and supplies are so important to keep them going and whoever comes to the office becomes the postmen for the Zone.  We have a tradition of providing microwave popcorn and hot chocolate for them to eat.  Some weeks we also buy fresh fruit.  They love anything and are so grateful.    

We also had an opportunity to take missionaries to the train station, pay bills, and manage the on line referrals.  We fit our weekly trip to the temple and enjoyed some fun moments.

The Sisters learned that Sister Feil likes the mini dark Tim Tams.  So they became the bearers of good gifts and won their way to the top of the A list!  The only problem, the Elders found them first, opened them and helped themselves to a few.....they made the B list!

Sisters love mail too, especially when your Mom always puts it in polks dots!

From May to November, the whales migrate north to warm waters from the artic to have their babies, and then head back to their feeding grounds.  One of the best places to see them is where the Tasman Sea meets the Pacific Ocean right off Port Stephens Peninsula.  We signed on a whale watching cruise on the Imagination.  

There were beautiful views as we headed out of Nelson Bay.  This bird is the Australasian Darter.  We have seen him other places drying off in the sun.

Looking back at Nelson Bay, our "ship" carried about 30 people with a crew of 3. Another whale cruiser was chasing us and it was a race to see who would see the whales first.

We headed out past the headlands to where the currents of the two oceans meet.  Remember that is the current Nemo rode in to Sydney.

We were ok in the bay but once we hit the swells, we needed to do something about the motion sickness.  We obviously do not have sea legs yet!

We are fishers of men not fishers of fish.

The armaments on the cliff wall above the boat are left over from World War II.  These rock coves are perfect for hiding boats!  

 This little guy was waving like crazy.  He reminded us of kids in the US always wanting the big truckers to blow their horns when they pass!

This was the original old light house that is not in use anymore.

THERE SHE BLOWS!  It is so exciting to see that  plume of water and air because you know that the whales are right there.  The trick was taking pictures as fast as you could while the boat was rocking.  That is definitely when the motion sickness kicks in!  But it is all worth it to see these magnificent creatures in the ocean.  They move slowly, coming up for air about every 10-20 minutes.  Once you sight some, the boat shuts off the motor and you rock quietly by the animal's side.  Then down they go for another 20 minutes and you don't know what direction they are heading.

It was riveting to see them so close.  The day before, an albino whale named Migaloo had traveled from Sydney, past here.  He comes every year and the locals love getting his picture.  We were, of course, a day late and a dollar short!

But these guys put on quite a show and this picture shows them slapping each other's tail.  Do you call this a "high two" ??

Here is is head starting to come out.  These were hump back whales.  We were on a cruise with several people who had the giant, long lenses for their cameras.  But for our small equipment, we think we did ok!

We did not see them breaching - maybe another day, another cruise.  But tail slapping is quite exciting.

After trailing the whales for two hours, we took a quick tour around Cabbage Tree Island.  It is the home to these rare birds that have red eyes, red beaks, and red legs.  We can't remember their names, but we want you to know that the red eyes are not the fault of the camera!  

There is a small colony of seals on Cabbage Tree and this little lazy guy is taking a nap while we shoot pictures of him!

Cabbage Tree Island also has caves with bats.  We couldn't wait around until dusk to see them.  We wondered if they were as big as the flying foxes we have seen.  A fisherman got his small boat stuck in this cave - the tide came in, a wave lifted his boat up, and he was stuck for a day until being rescued.  Crazy, huh!

Sunset on the ocean, and of course we took pictures.  Before ending our cruise, we saw a number of dolphins cruising around eating the tuna.  It was a magnificent experience to see more of Heavenly Father's creations and the sunset was a fitting end to a glorious day.  Happy Winter Solstice.

So ended our busy week.  We have been reading the Book of Mormon each day as well as George Q Cannon's biography of Joseph Smith.  We have also been trying to keep up on the news in the US/world about all the crazy wars and rumors of wars.  We know that only true peace comes through Jesus Christ and living his gospel.  We know that "...persecutions may rage, mobs may combine, armies may assemble, calumny may defame, but the truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly, and independent 'til it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every country, and sounded in every ear; 'til the purposes of God shall be accomplished and the great Jehovah shall say: the work is done."  Joseph Smith.  We will continue to move forward doing our part and hope each of you will do the same.  We love you all!!  Have a whale of a week...  :)
Elder  Captain Ahab and Sister Ishmael ( we may have to read that book too) 

Free to Choose

Since it is Flag Day in the US we thought we would focus on Freedom!  We feel very blessed to live in a country that enjoys freedoms much like home.  We spent Saturday in Sydney visiting more of the historical sites and learning about the history of this country.  We started in Hyde Park.  While it is not as large as Central Park or Hyde Park in London, it is large enough that you need several trips just to explore and enjoy all of its beauties.  That is Sister Feil by that fountain, not a statue.  

This statue which Elder Feil has chosen to lean against represents Earth, Wind and Fire.  These elements have helped shape this country.  In 1787 land was needed for arriving ships and the human cargo of about 1500 convicts who sailed in on 11 ships from England.  While the convicts didn't have much choice about their journey Captain Arthur Phillip chose to be a good leader and brought them to Australia and gave them chances for a better life.

Hyde Park always has a lot of street vendors who provide entertainment for all ages.  Also, there are fountains, walkways and lots of trees.  The missionries in the city spend a lot of time here contacting people.

From the park we went to the Hyde Park Barracks Museum which housed thousands of incoming convicts over about 30 years.  In 1848 it was converted to a female immigration depot. More than 40,000 women were temporarily housed here over it's 38 year history.

The mural shows that parting with family is hard.  But the convicts had been sentenced and were required to leave for either 7 or 14 years and some were banned to Australia for life.  In front the table represents an example of the victuals of the time for convicts.  As we went through this museum we thought about the people who made choices in the United Kingdom which resulted in being sent far away.  We also considered how their choices here resulted in either further punishment or the privilege of choosing to develop skills for a better life.

One of the interactive displays had shackles of the type used with the convicts housed here.

This is a display of some of the many tools used on various projects in constructing the buildings of Sydney.

This is a diorama of early Sydney which shows the aborigines being an integral part of the society.

The architect for these downtown buildings was a Mr Greenway who had been convicted of forgery and was sentenced to life in Australia.  He took the consequence of his actions, turned lemons into lemonade and developed his skills while building this prison for prisoners.  These large beams come from the Sydney blue gum trees that were here even then.

The clock on the outside of the building is still the working clock of today.  It reminded the convicts that time for them was controlled by Macquarie, the governor at that time.  The picture below is where the convicts slept - even though this building was supposed to house 900, there were times that it held up to 1500 convicts.  

Wouldn't you like to sleep on a hammock with 30 to 70 other people?  It was close quarters with limited choices after the return from work assignments.  Looks as comfortable as ... (fill in the blank)

The work of the mission continues via many phone calls no matter where we are.  No worries.  We enjoy helping the missionaries while we are out and about.  That's our choice!

Though there were women, very few convicts had wives until they left the barracks.  One of the women in charge actually had her family living here - 8-9 of her 14 children and her husband.  

Out on the street, the Church and Court lined up with the barracks.  Macquarie wanted the convicts to remember God and the law should rule their lives.  It's wonderful that these buildings are still here for us to enjoy.

The old man with the old building - or maybe the handsome man with the handsome building!  We really enjoyed our day in the city and learned more about this amazing land down under.

Lachlan Macquarie's clock - a good reminder for us all of choosing wisely in the time we have.

And across the street at the entrance to Hyde Park is Macquarie's statue.  Is that his wife hanging on to his leg????

Hyde Park with another view of the fountain.  There were 2 brides getting their pictures taken in front of the fountain.  Below was our view as we headed back to the train station so that we could take a quick trip to Circular Quay for dinner.

Life in the big city includes driving in crazy traffic, looking for parking, traveling by bus and train, and always dealing with crowds of people.  We have become pretty adept at this part of our life and enjoy the hustle and bustle.  We are finding that it is not nearly as hectic and scarey as we first thought.  

We enjoyed dinner at a german restaurant - very appropo for the Feils.  After learning about the convicts and seeing the emphasis put on the descendants who had made it good in this land, we enjoyed our German heritage.  The sauerkraut is brilliant and as we hustled back to the train, we managed a stop at our favorite chocolate shop - Guylian - and relished chocolate cheesecake brownie and carmel slice.  YUMMMMMM!

We ended a lovely day with a baptism of 4 people from two zones.  Greenwich is a suburb of Sydney and has a baptism font that opens to a courtyard.  Missionaries from the City Zone as well as Beaches Zone gathered for this event.  

The baptism was for  3  Chinese students from the mainland and 1 Greek.  It was definitely a multi-cultural event.  

We can't say enough about the two senior couples in the city - they are dedicated to helping the students, new investigators, and people trying to learn English.  They cook, clean, teach, expound, counsel, love, taxi, and when necessary, conduct baptisms at the last minute.  They are exemplary of Seniors who still choose wisely!

The missionaries gather around this new convert just as they have for months while he was learning and studying the gospel.

The Harbour Young Single Adults pick up when the missionaries have to move on and fellowship the new converts.  They are just as needed and helpful as our missionaries; this young man already put in his time as a missionary and has come home to continue working in the Single Adult ward.  Such dedication!

It was amazing to hear the American Elder give the baptismal prayer in Chinese.  We, unfortunately have only learned Australian - "Bob's your Uncle"!

And the final Perfect Choice - The missionaries and ONE member clean up the Kitchen.  Once again, the missionaries show their service and love for everyone by handling the details themselves.  They are amazing and we love them heaps!!!!

Earlier in the week the Baulkham Hills Zone came to the temple and wanted Sister Feil to take pictures.  This is a wonderful group of dedicated missionaries who choose to serve well.  We know that sharing the gospel with as many people as will listen is the reason for missionary service.  Choosing to accept the gospel will change lives for the better. 

Time is marching on and we love the choices we have made and we are inspired by the good choices of other people.  We hope that each of you will ponder your choices and make your earthly journey joyful and successful.  Happy Father's Day to you fathers out there who have chosen to be very good fathers.  We respect and admire your positive choices.  Have another great week!  Love from Down Under, Elder and Sister Feil
p.s. the cockatoo is enjoying the view from the Angel Moroni :)