Each young man is encouraged to save the money for their mission leading up to leaving for the two years. The cost to go at the moment is around $10,000 and Deano along with his visually impaired brother Lorin saved by doing an early morning paper route delivering junk mail to the homes around the Tamworth area on their bikes. The leaders of the church decide where each young person will serve their mission. Lorin being the older brother left a year before Deano and served in the Melbourne Mission followed by Deano who ventured for 2 years in a suit on a bike around Western Australia.
Whilst people not of our faith might think this is crazy, I can tell you when My Blindman got home from his two years away he came home successfully independent, able to iron his own shirts, cook his own meals, do his own washing, budget his own money and pretty much do everything a young man of 21 should be able to do once they live on their own. Unfortunately these days I suspect there are a lot of 21 year olds still living at home, without important life skills and are fully sighted...Go figure!
One of the best skills Deano brought home with him from his mission was cooking. Now I consider myself a bit of a foodie and just like Gordan Ramsey you want to be pretty good in my "Hells Kitchen" or I will shut the place down and tell you the awful truth about your cooking failure...at the same time as tearing down your weaknesses there is a method in my madness because there is always a redemptive round if you can stand the heat. So it was that this blind man learnt in his 2 years away how to make a mean curry, a vindaloo that would have your ring stinging for the next two days and quoting a family favourite Dreamworks Production Flushed Away with the best description we have ever heard about how a great curry can leave you "she had a bum like a Japanese flag".
However the absolute best recipe was one he picked up from one of his missionary companions who had previously trained as a pasty chef. It's a recipe that he still bakes today and has become a family favourite...Old fashioned Apple Crumble with custard. The crumble he manages with perfection never measuring the ingredients he just has a knack for knowing how much butter, flour, rolled oats and sugar is needed and using his hands mixes the ingredients crumbling the mixture impeccably. I've watched him teach each of our girls how to cook it and our youngest daughter number 4 has now perfected this skill at the ripe old age of 12 and managed to improve the recipe by adding some secret ingredients and techniques.
To top off the blessings brought about by his mission training during my 25 years married to this man I have rarely had to iron a thing for Deano and the fact is that if I'm running late or if we are going out as a family My Blindman will often speed up the process of getting into the car on time by ironing all the girls clothes whilst we do our make-up and hair. I am sure any man with 5 women in the house who wants to arrive somewhere on time would help get everyone out the door any way he could...and this is Deano's contribution to our family harmony and humanity of all people who come within a cooee of our house when we are in a rush to leave! There has only been a few occasions where the iron has been too hot and my dress has been left with a iron shaped melted spot right in a noticeable place and as disappointed as I am in losing that item of clothing it is a great excuse to go shopping for a new outfit the next day!
So just be warned the next time you come around for a butt kicking curry at the Blindmans house just know that the dessert recipe has been worked on for over 27 years, and if Deano starts to offer to iron your clothing it means he is in a hurry and it's his way of politely assisting you to leave! Lol
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