Australia

Monday, August 21, 2017

Bunbury, Western Australia

 

Hello everyone back in the states!  

 

Here is a quick update from the future: It's a nice day, the sun is out and about giving life and warmth to everything as it moves across the sky.  You can look forward to the sun as it rises in the east and moves slowly westward throughout the day. (We received his email on Sunday evening, August 20. Funny Elder.)

 

Elder Kleven with Brother Mackay, one of his teachers in the MTC.

Elder Kleven with Sister Karren, one of his teachers in the MTC.

Elder Kleven photobombing a selfie of Elder Hansen in the MTC.

It is going to take some time to adjust here in Australia: They drive on the wrong side of the road, all the signs here are in the metric system, and the slang here will take some getting used to, (like brekkie for breakfast and arvo for the afternoon, a yield sign is "Give way", a parking lot is a "Car Park", and a sidewalk is a "Foot Path").  Oh! The Birds here are crazy, they literally laugh at you--there are some that mimic a car horn or alarm, and then there are others that just plain screech. One last thing, the apartments here (or flats) don't have any insulation, so you have a space heater in every house. Not only that, but they don't retain the heat, so if you leave the heater on while you're gone, it will try to heat the entire neighbourhood.  They also use "our" for words like humour, colour, and neighbourhood.

 

Elder Kleven & Elder Hansen on a bus in Sydney, Australia.

 

Now that I've finished my rant, the flight over was long and boring. The Mission President is great! He is a super energetic guy, really loud, and really knows the Gospel. I got here on Wednesday with a group of 14 missionaries; then I went and stayed with the AP's  (assistants to the Mission President) in their flat because there wasn't enough room in the mission home. On Thursday, I met my trainer, Elder Codina, and traveled to my area. I'm in Bunbury, and it has rained every day that I've been here.  My trainer is really cool, he's from the Philippines (Cebu) and has been out for 19 months. Since Thursday, I've already had a district meeting, I've taught two investigators a lesson, and I've also helped someone from South Korea learn English; by that, I mean that Elder Codina helped him learn English while I smiled and nodded and told him he was doing good whenever he looked over at me.

Elder Kleven and the 13 other missionaries who arrived in Perth with him. The Perth Australia temple is in the background.

Of the 13 missionaries who arrived with Elder Kleven, he said: One of them is from England, one is from Sydney, one is from Thailand, one is from Samoa, and the rest are from the United States. 

Elder Kleven's first training meeting in the mission field.

Elder Codina and I get along fine. English is a second language but he knows it really well.

 

Elder Kleven & Elder Codina in Bunbury

 

My bike is used, I didn't use the Visas to buy it.  It only cost 200 Australian dollars, which is like 130 American. It works really well, yes I have biked in the rain. My helmet came with the bike.

 

We are the only Elders in our area. There are two other companionships in the ward with us, but they are also the only missionaries in their areas.  The ward is pretty big geographically. There are multiple areas in one ward. 

 

I have eaten with members. For lunch, we cook something or go eat out, but most of the time we cook something.

I'm still adjusting to Australia and learning lots from my trainer. 

 

Love,

Elder Kleven

 

P.S. I don't have a car in my area, the picture of Elder Codina and I in a car is just when we drove from Perth to our area, which is two hours south of Perth.

 

Elder Codina & Elder Kleven on the car ride from Perth to Bunbury.