Heaps of gratitude and blessings!

Oh my goodness! The beauty of this world! A glorious November Australia sunset just a few miles from our new home as we walked and ran along the Indian ocean beach after working our guts out for a few days with completing intense assignments.

It has been a productive and fruitful month. We are feeling more settled and capable - more able to see the "big picture" of the gathering of Israel. The Lord directs us and gives us miracles abundantly.

Relocation:

As the mission is struggling to obtain enough flats for all the young missionaries, one of the senior couples from here had their rental home available. Since it has a swimming pool, which wouldn't work for the young missionaries, they asked us if we would be willing to give up our flat and move into this home. Of course, they didn’t have to twist our arms. We didn’t realize until we moved how fabulous it is. Just yesterday, after being here over 3 weeks, I just discovered a huge storage closet in the hallway. We live 2 ½ miles from the beach, 2 miles from the (free) tennis courts. A few shots of our new home.

This room we use for assembling new missionary bedding bags. President Stone bought us a large new washing machine, so I can now wash the departing missionary bedding as well.

I finally got my recipe to perfection in my new oven that has no numbers left on it. One of the departing missionaries said they were the best cookies he has ever tasted in his life! Made my day!

We are pretty much "living the dream"

Fun Arches. Very spacious! All we need is a piano, a picture of the Savior and of the temple.

ER training for the missionaries

By November 26, we were able to complete the first Emotional Resilience training (round 1) for every missionary in our mission, including a few of the senior couples. They were all well and healthy and able to attend. Some had to attend by zoom because they live too far away. This month we have had a total of 96 missionaries. We constructed a one-hour interactive training using the “Adjusting to missionary life” book, supplemented with the “Finding strength in the Lord: Emotional Resilience” course. We did 12 districts in 8 separate group settings. By the time we did it the eighth time we had it down pretty good. We felt like it went really well. It has been super fun to get to know the missionaries more personally. We have now completed preparing Lesson #2, and will start round 2 on Friday, as transfers have just taken place.

Here's a few of our darling groups of missionaries:

Community Expo

This was a pretty hard day. We moved the night before and had to get up super early to be at this expo. While I was helping to set up the canopy, the metal clip flipped hard against my finger and cut it very deep. Luckily, our friends helping us had band-aids. After the expo, we were starving and went to eat at the most wonderful vietnamese restaurant. As I was hauling in the food, I bit my tongue. I just kept swallowing blood until I was finished eating. There was a mirror right by our table. I looked at my tongue and it was just gushing blood with every heart beat. It would not stop bleeding. We went home and put it on ice. I was worried I would bleed to death. We finally said a prayer thinking I would have to go to the emergency room. It stopped immediately. I got up and we went and cleaned our flat for the new sisters coming in for the next two hours. It was fast Sunday, so I didn't eat and I didn't talk for 24 hours. But I did take a picture of my poor tongue. Sorry, it's pretty gross. It was horrible. Eat slower than I do!

The next day, the young man, James, who is attending our emotional resilience course on zoom, was scheduled to be baptized. We were thrilled. He asked me to play the piano for the baptism. I was worried that I would not be able to use my cut finger. But I was miraculous blessed. Things went well.

This is James Ogburn and his older brother Daniel. He was baptized on November 6, 2022. A few days ago, on the Nov. 27, he was ordained a priest. He just got the job this week that he was hoping to get. He has one year of university left to get his bachelors in psychology. He and Daniel have had a really challenging family life. Daniel is currently a PhD candidate in They are both progressing well. James let us take him shopping and help fit him for some nice church clothes. It was soooo fun. We felt like his parents.

Visit from an apostle and our mission conference

(Sister Kahmann) (A journal entry a few days prior to the conference): Nov. 10: Sister Falani called and asked for help dealing with her anxiety for the mission conference. Listened, encouraged and challenged her perspective a bit. She was very receptive.

On Saturday, November 12, 2022, Elder Andersen spoke personally for an hour and 1/2 to 96 of us missionaries in the Duncraig chapel, the chapel that we do go to church in. We each got to shake Elder Andersen's hand and look into his eyes for a few seconds. It was sweet beyond description. They changed the songs for the meeting and the young missionary playing the Hymns got so much anxiety, that he asked if I could play the closing song. He said he could only play the top hand of that song. My heart swelled with warmth, thinking back over 50 years, as a 9 or 10 years old little girl, playing the piano with an apostle, Elder Spencer W. Kimball, and having him tell me I have beautiful piano fingers. My love for piano has grown stronger and stronger with each passing year. To be honored to play "Let us all press on." while an apostle of the Lord sang was a highlight I will ever be grateful for. Later that evening, he did a 4 stake fireside in the same place. It was humbling and remarkable to sit at his feet and feel the tremendous spirit.

The 3 most impacting things that he said to me:

1. Don't be discouraged by your weaknesses or that you are not doing everything perfect. Just keep striving and moving forward.

2. Have faith in the Savior, but also have faith in what the Savior will do for YOU.

3. The responsibility that you have in your sphere is no less important than the responsibility (as twelve apostles) that we have in our sphere.

Sister Falani posted this on our Perth mission face book page after the conference. It melted my heart. I was so thankful that we could be on a mission at this time.

[External Email]

Hello everyone!!!

What a week! We had the Elder Anderson come to the mission and had a 3 day mission conference! It was packed with amazing insights and the spirit was strong.

I was super anxious for this 3 day conference because it would be a lot of socialising. So I called our lovely Self Reliance Sister. I'm forever grateful for her in helping me understand myself better. She helped change my perspective. My anxiety always makes me think about myself about how if I'm going to stuff up or be judged but she helped me change my perspective on maybe instead of worrying about the bad maybe focus on being able to serve others. See how people are doing or see if people need anything. So I did that and it was great I talked to a lot of people and got to know missionaries I don't usually talk to which was surprising but great!

Jumping over that hurdle I was able to be intune with the Spirit and learn a lot from the 3 days. The things I learn were

1. Being a 212 missionary.

I really needed to hear this. What president stanley said it gave me a different way to help build up the ward. The analogy is about steam train can only run until it hits 212 F and so as missionaries you want to be a 212 missionary. I've been feeling like a 211 missionary and from this I have reflected on what I could do better to be a 212 missionary by not being afraid to do the work and to reach out to people I don't normally think of reaching out to.

2. Strengthen my testimony of The scriptures.

I love the challenge Elder Anderson shared with us. It made me reflect on how I teach. Having a strong testimony of certain Verses that share Doctrine will help the person I'm teaching feel the spirit more.

3. The door approaches. I love tracting. It builds character and also a great way to get out of the community. We found a potential person. I may have stumbled because I reflected and I should of given him a book of Mormon to prepare him for the next appointment but he wasn't wearing anything and was in his undies so I was trying to hold my giggles in.

But overall such a great weekend. I'm socially drain and sleep deprived but I'm ready to kick start the work and to help others come unto Christ.

Love you all and miss you all! But I hope you have a great week!!!

Love

Sister Falani xo

My response to her:

Mon 11/14/2022 7:46 PM

What a beautiful letter! I can't tell you how happy I am to hear about how wonderful the conference went for you! Isn't it amazing how much the Lord loves you Sister Falani? Isn't He so gracious and good. I'm so proud of your willingness to reach out and ask for help and then your willingness to take influence and then, work hard to make things happen in your life. You are truly a bright light to this dark world, just like Jesus Christ.

Thank you for taking the time to share your experience.

I love you heaps and heaps!

Sister Kahmann

Thanksgiving dinner with our mission president and senior couples

President and Sister Stone, along with the help of their wonderful cook, Carrie, and all the fun senior couples contributions, provided a great evening of American Thanksgiving food and fun. There were 6 couples. We all learned about how each other met, talked and laughed, and shared our traditions. Elder Kahmann made his favorite Thanksgiving pineapple and cheddar cheese salad. It was a hit. My highlight was everyone singing a song together. I felt like I was home. We LOVE our missionary couples and leaders.

Sister Stone, Sister Morris, Sister MacDonald, Sister Grinceri, Sister Poulson, Sister Kahmann

Ward Speaking Assignments:

We spoke at 4 wards and lead two 5th Sunday discussions this month. It seems like we are cranking out the talks, trainings and dinners like flipping hot cakes at a ward camp out. The wonderful saints are humble and appreciative and we are learning together with every group.

Dear Friends:

The Robinsons

Our dear Cindy!

The Stones coming for dinner and playing code names with us, the Oates, John and Vicki Grinceri. (Didn't get pictures of. Dang)

Departing missionaries seminar (6)

We did our 3rd departing missionary seminar. We come to love these sweet elders/sisters that we prepare 6 weeks before they leave and spent 5 hours with them the day before they depart. At the last mission conference before they leave, they bear their final testimonies, and sing God be with you til we meet again. It is a spiritual feast. We decided to include a highlight of their testimonies with their pictures in our power point, and give them a hard copy to take home for their family and posterity. They loved it.

November 30, Tacey May Johnson, our darling granddaughter gets her mission call to Rancagua, Chile. I can't think of a better ending of our month!