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Published: August 15th 2013
The Most Beautiful Sunset
I have never seen a sunset like the one we saw flying into Australia. Absolutely breath taking. This photo has not been edited at all!Ok. At last we’re putting up part two… I promise that when we’re in China these posts will be a lot more regular and timely! So, if you recall, Wednesday we left New Zealand with our hearts full, but excited for the next part of tour: Brisbane, Australia.
Wednesday:
We flew into Brisbane just in time to see the most incredible sunset I have ever imagined. Apparently it’s a pretty common thing there, but it was breathtaking. From the airport we went straight to institute with the local young adults. Cool thing- I stopped to talk to two Chinese-speaking Elders who were there. Then this familiar-looking Australian guy showed up and they started speaking Chinese to him, too… turns out, we were in the MTC together. Small world. Institute was interesting. I’ll admit that we were a little grouchy because it was late (plus a two-hour time difference and four-hour flight) and we’d had no dinner and were tired. But afterwards there was a great barbecue and all was well. Australia was a lot warmer than NZ, but still a little chilly at night to those of us coming from Hawaii. We got
all settled into our hotel. It was a lot of fun because the hotel was apartment-style, with three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a kitchen, dining room, living room, etc. So we were sharing with the two other married couples on tour, our good friends the Hoffs and the Fryhoffs. Didn’t do much that night but there were many nights of card games, candy, hot chocolate, and popcorn. Just what every good tour should have 😊
Thursday:
We kept up the tradition of school visits by spending all morning at a local high school. They were great- we got to interact a lot, teach them a game (3D Twister) and a song (a hula, no less), answer questions, and generally have fun. We were so impressed- when we left the group decided to close with a prayer and no one objected. Can you imagine what would happen if anyone tried that in the States? This was a public high school, mind you. Seems the rest of the world is still so intolerant that they tolerate religion. Crazy, I know. Can’t wait for them to catch up to us progress-minded Americans. *Ahem* Anyways… gotta love those Polynesians.
A Native Australian
It isn't a trip to Australia without encountering a massive, deadly, ugly arachnid. There are a lot of them in Brisbane, which, while I think it creates some racial tension, really ups the spirituality of the place.
In the afternoon we toured a local university campus. Griffith University actually has several campuses around Brisbane, and we toured the Logan campus before doing a multi-faith concert at the main campus that evening. The concert was certainly interesting- first, the university asked us to do a piece with one of their choirs, so we taught them
Daemon Irrepit Calidus, a Latin piece about how the devil tempts us. It’s really impressive and quite difficult, but they did a good job of following along and it meant a lot to them. The other performers were all volunteers from different organizations, so things were a little different caliber than we were used to, but it was interesting. There was a Vietnamese dancer, some Muslim performers, some branches of Hindu were represented, there was a gospel choir… very diverse. One cool thing is that I got to network with the director of the Multi-Faith Center. We actually have a lot in common- he’s LDS, served his mission in France, got a degree in Political Science (among other
So Cute!
Upon entering the kangaroo exhibit, we met this little guy. He was the smallest, and therefore, my favorite! things), and likes international work. Just goes to show that unexpected blessings can come from all over- I didn’t go on tour with the intent of networking for future work, but opportunities popped up everywhere we went. We were the grand finale of the concert and did our best Polynesian songs, which brought down the house (almost literally- the stage was rickety and our dancing nearly caused it to collapse, haha).
Friday:
It was the day we’d all been looking forward to: holding koalas and exploring Surfer’s Paradise, a beautiful beach on Australia’s Gold Coast. Unfortunately it dawned cold and rainy, but we were undeterred. Thankfully, koalas and kangaroos are still cute even when wet. The zoo we went to was called Lone Pines Sanctuary and has over a hundred koalas. Of course, the highlight is getting to hold a koala J Holding it is free, though pictures with it cost $15. They’re surprisingly heavy but really cuddly because they just sleep all day and like to be curled up in a ball. Apparently, because all they eat are eucalyptus leaves, and eucalyptus are rather rare, to slow down their metabolisms they sleep about
The Beast
That thing could totally take me out! Look at those biceps...! Eesh! 18 hours a day. So the one we held couldn’t care less; it just slept. And everywhere in the park were koalas sleeping in trees. Very cute. The kangaroos, on the other hand, were quite active. We got to walk into their enclosure, touch them, feed them, etc. The male kangaroo had huge biceps and looked like a rat on steroids, but the females and the wallabies were adorable. Watching them bounce is hilarious…
Well, we got very wet but had a great time, loaded up the bus, and went to Surfer’s Paradise. The local church members were kind enough to feed us lunch, though we had to laugh at the difference with New Zealand. In NZ, everywhere we went had about three times as much food as we could comfortably eat, hence the weight gain. In AU, however, there always just barely enough. It took some getting used to, normal portion sizes again and all that. At Surfer’s Paradise it was too cold to really enjoy the beach, and coming from Hawaii, it wasn’t that exciting to see the ocean. On the other hand, there were lots of shops and things to explore, so we had a good
We Held A Koala!
Hooray! Look how cute and fuzzy it is! Ah! So cuddly :) time. A group of us found an arcade and played laser tag, perhaps one of my favorite games ever. Good memories with the choir!
In the evening we went to the Australian Outback Spectacular, a dinner theatre of sorts. Everyone gets a cowboy hat and sits at tables around a big, indoor arena. Steak, potatoes, and a horse show are on the menu. The horses were cool and did fun things like line dance, but it was hard to understand the actors. One, they had thick Australian accents, and two, the microphones were up too loud. So most of the storyline behind the show sounded like this: Auzzy grmpho mmnna thicket brkin OUTBAAAACK!!!!! Then we were expected to clap and cheer. Quite funny. Not to mention, they were selling Australia as land of the cowboys, and I get that (Man from Snowy River and all that) but I’m from Wyoming… yeah. A little hard to get excited over the uniqueness of the Australian cowboy. Just felt like home.
Nonetheless, it was great fun and probably one of the best days of tour. Australia seems awesome- just need more time to explore!
Saturday:
The Outback!
Me and my cowboy at The Outback! What a blast! Well, if Friday was one of the best days, Saturday was certainly of the longest. We had a teaser performance at an outdoor stage as a promo for our not one but
two full length concerts that afternoon and evening. That went well, especially when we sang Waltzing Matilda, a favorite Australian folk song. Lots of people stopped and cheered. Managed to get a kebab for lunch (haven’t had one since France- they’re Turkish and basically the best sandwiches ever) and explore downtown Brisbane a tiny bit before it was time to gear up for our first performance. The venue was
amazing. Definitely the fanciest place I’ve ever performed. The center of the Brisbane City Hall has a massive auditorium with a huge wall organ and a domed glass ceiling that changes color. As a cool side note, in the morning when we were checking out the venue, someone started singing in the marble halls of the building- incredible acoustics. The song was
Ubi Caritas, the same one we sang in the caves. One by one choir members heard the song reverberating through the building and came to join in. The music just filled everything. By the end of it people
Our Last Concert
This is the venue for our last concert. The ceiling changed colors and the organ was gigantic! It was such a special experience and will always have a place in our hearts. were stopping by on the street outside to look in and see what was happening. Choirs are the best!
Our first performance went incredibly well and we were shocked to have a full house. A few hours break before our last concert gave us time to pretend to get some rest and make the final push. Again we had a full house and we gave it our all. Honestly, I love the last concert of tour. There is something exhilarating about that final effort, singing when your voice is almost gone, feeling the Lord give you the strength to endure to the end. It was a great concert and, as always, it was delightful to talk to the audience afterwards. One woman said, “To be honest, I came kind of dragging my feet, expecting to hear just a choir. I never expected to hear
that!” Brother Belnap is a master at putting on interesting, entertaining, powerful concerts, and audiences loved it. At last we packed up, made it back to the hotel, and fell into bed (probably after a few rounds of games, though 😊
Sunday:
Sunday morning we loaded up the bus and divided
Church
Here is the church, here is the steeple, a view like that is sure to bring lots of people! ;) into two wards. We were lucky enough to attend church at the most beautiful chapel I’ve ever seen… not only was the building lovely, but it was situated on loads of land with beautiful outback forest, complete with a few kangaroos on the lawn. As foreigners we were ecstatic, haha. The Australians hardly cared- kangaroos are to them what deer are to us.
We sang in sacrament meeting, then met back up with the other half of choir to do our own testimony meeting. This was undoubtedly one of the most powerful moments of tour. Everyone learned something from the experience, and some lives were deeply touched and healed. It is an incredible testimony to me of the Lord’s love for all of us, because He used the tour not only to bless the people were serving but to bless us. And that’s how it always works! In an understatement, He is the best J
Once again we were fed by the lovely Australian members, then we were taken back to our hotel and allowed to rest. Woohoo! A much needed nap was enjoyed by all. That evening we had our last fireside spiritual performance, a major highlight
Jarek and Elly
Jarek's happy reunion with his friend Elly. for me. For those of you who don’t know, in high school I was an exchange student to France. While I was there I became good friends with and Australian exchange student named Elly. More than once we had opportunities to talk about God and Jesus Christ, and I gave her a copy of the Book of Mormon. We’ve been able to maintain contact through the years, though I could never remember what part of Australia she is from. Well, a few weeks before tour I had the impression that I should look her up and check, just in case. As I suspected, her hometown is faaaaar away from Brisbane. But… lo and behold, Elly is attending university in Brisbane. In fact, at the very university where we performed. I contacted her and invited her to everything, but she was unable to come until our Sunday night fireside, due to finals. What are the chances, do you think, that our paths would cross again in such an unlikely manner? I went to the one school with a choir touring to Australia, was selected a member of the choir, and visited only one city in Australia, which
just happened to be the
Brisbane Temple
How would a building and property such as this ruin the skyline? It was perfect. one Elly was living in temporarily. There are no coincidences!
The fireside was powerful, and I was able to talk to her afterwards. She still has her Book of Mormon and I invited her to read it in response to some questions she had. Every drop counts! I know that the Lord has a hand in our lives and makes opportunities for His children to feel the Spirit. For me, it was an answer to many years of prayers. Great way to end our last full day.
Monday:
Got to end tour in the best way: we loaded up our bags and went to the temple. The temple staff were kind enough to open the temple especially for us (since they’re usually closed Monday), so we did baptisms and such. The Brisbane temple is beautiful, set on a cliff overlooking the city. Absolutely gorgeous. Amazingly, the temple workers said there was loads of opposition to the project, and people even complained that it would ruin the skyline and neighborhood. Too bad it’s hands down the most beautiful building in the area J
After the temple we took the city ferry all through
Goodbye Brisbane!
Our last few hours in Brisbane. I want to go back and explore that gorgeous city! Brisbane and got some great shots of the city. At last it was warm with blue skies and we enjoyed every minute of it. Brisbane seems to be much like southern California in climate. Our bus picked us up at the end of the line and we bustled off to the airport.
To sum up, this tour was amazing and changed lives. It was inspired from beginning to end. The places we saw were incredible, but above and beyond that were the people we met. That’s what it’s all about!
P.S. Our way homeward was fated to be a long journey- a three hour flight to Auckland, an 11 hour layover there, a nine hour flight to Honolulu, a 23 hour layover in which we stayed with Kaylee’s great cousin Brandi and her family, a six hour flight to Phoenix, an hour and a half layover, a two hour flight to Denver, and at last, home. All told we were traveling for four days. That’ll make China look like a breeze… stay posted!
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G'ma Osburn
non-member comment
Loved reading your blog
So fun to read and feel your excitement and enthusiasm for what you are doing! You are right Jarek......there are no coincidences! The Lord is in control of everything. How exciting for you to get to see your friend from France. When do you start school? Are you all settled and ready to go? Be safe and enjoy the journey! Love you both! (((HUGS))) G'ma