Dear Shanell,

So the Aborigines camp in the river bed. There is a river that flows through Alice Springs about one month out of the year. The rest of the time it is dry. Well, the aborigines just camp out by the trees in the river bed. They never bathe, they drink all the time, and they have a smell that won't quit. They are our Heavenly Father's children so we need to love them too, but maybe long distance. All of the aborigines that live in Alice Springs get checks from the government and it is pretty sad. The aborigines used to be a real great and hard-working people, but white man has come along and gave them a reason not to work. Some of the aboriginals here still go out hunting for kangaroos or wallabies to feed their tribe. They don't need a license to hunt here. I really think it is sad to see such a great race of people so lazy. There are still aborigines living out in the desert in the same way they have survived for thousands of years. The government has given them houses but all they do with the houses is to wreck them. They are never shown how to live in a house. Some of them have chopped up the wood floors in the homes and they have campfires in the middle of the family room. Some have lit fires inside electric stoves. That is what they think the stove is for. A lot of them knock walls out of the house so they don't have to walk around them. Pretty bizarre.

There is a lady in the branch here that has a baby red kangaroo for a pet! It is about 1 1/2 months old and it was found by her husband when he was hunting.  He had shot a mother red kangaroo and it had a very young baby in its pouch. They have raised it and are feeding it with a bottle. It thinks that June is it's mother. It is funny! Every time she holds out a pillow case, the baby kangaroo thinks it's his pouch so he jumps in it. It is so cute! They make great pets but they are really not immune to colds and pneumonia. We went over to her house last night. Her husband goes on mini-safaris and sometimes hunts a kangaroo for an old aboriginal that is too old to hunt himself. The guys name is Nick Patrick and his wife's name is June. He is going to take us out tonight when he goes.

We are working with about 5 people here and one of them should be baptized this month. It has been 2 years since Alice Springs has had a baptism. We'll hopefully change that. I know this church is true. If I didn't, I wouldn't be out here.

Love,
Elder Wallentine