Life in the Fast Lane

Someone described our service like this: we are dropped from a helicopter onto the roof of a  speeding bullet train, and have to make our way to the engineers control room at the front of the train so we can take over.  We truly feel like we are still scrambling on the top of the train!!

And are still overwhelmed with the magnitude of our call!! Until this Mission tour we had no idea how very big Atlantic Canada is…we drove for over two weeks and only covered a tiny area. The scenery was varied, and spectacular; ocean views, rivers, lakes, wild flowers, trees, Canadian Shield rockery, and boggy moose habitat. Raccoon remains lay scrambled on many roadsides; and I wished I had the nerve to chop off tails to use for Davy Crocket coon hats!!  In Cape Breton I was excited to coax my way into the closed Rita’s Tea House where I purchased several folksy CD’s that Rita McNeil recorded before she passed. - even met her son!! (it seems like everything around here closes on the nose of five, even if tourists are on their way in - except at Rita’s!)

We concluded our trip last Friday, Saturday and Sunday on the Rock (in Newfoundland), and it was especially wonderful since we got to visit and stay with Jonathan and Jordan. Highlights with them including attending their branch social, watching the capelin roll (capelin are a slithery silver fish) that spawn on the banks of Middle Cove, and are the whales delicacy, as well as hundreds of human Newfoundlanders!! We didn’t see any whales but we did scoop up nets full of the capelin - sort of catch and release, which was a bit of a rush…except when the capelin were swimming around my bare feet!! Jonathan and Jordan were so wonderful to chauffeur us to all our visits, and interviews..even driving us out to Bay Roberts! Hearing Jonathan pull out all the stops out on ‘his’ new ward organ was so fun!! AND Jordan’s homemade bread was a real treat!  These newlyweds are such an integral part of this branch, and everyone loves them!! It seemed like we had just barely arrived when Sunday afternoon rolled around and we were back on a plane heading to Halifax. Having a packed suitcase ready to go is a must in this mission!! Dad totally reorganized the Branch Presidency, as well as the Elder’s Quorum which was a lot of interviewing and calling. He did such a wonderful job validating the outgoing presidencies, and building up the new. He had me share my testimony. The Schows from Cardston are serving a member leadership support mission and doing an amazing job helping strengthen the St. John’s branch. She has helped organize the Relief Society into eight ministering teams, and not only do they minister to all the sisters as teams, but that same group of sisters organize the monthly Relief Society activity nights. Brilliant!! We will be so sad when they head home.

We have had many opportunities in our forty years of marriage to experience life in the fast lane, but this Mission experience has take fast lane to an entire new level!!! I should share another one of the miracles I have experienced every day. We have tried to get to bed on time which is 10:30pm, but the week of Transfers (which we have just finished); it is impossible to get to bed on time. The miracle has been…even getting to bed at midnight, we still are able to arise at 5am, and not feel absolutely exhausted! We feel rested and invigorated!! This has happend day after day. We know the Lord is blessing us with the energy and enthusiasm for this great work. (Yesterday we did get to have our first afternoon nap, and it felt wonderful!!)

Our six new missionaries were supposed to arrive Tuesday evening but because Elder Robinson’s luggage got lost, and they missed their flight in Boston, they did not arrive in Halifax until 2am Wednesday morning. Our little 2 hour catnap from 10pm till midnight when we headed off to the airport actually was ok. They all seemed to enjoy the 3am bowl of taco soup, and were grateful President Low suggested they sleep in until 9am!! I was grateful too!!

It was a whirlwind of activity feeding, bedding, teaching, and sending them off to serve, and no sooner had we done that than we had to face our fourteen departing missionaries who had been faithfully serving for either 18 months or two years. Being together with them in the Temple, especially in the Celestial Room was an emotional time for us, and we realized another miracle - the capacity to truly love those that we had just known for less than two weeks!!  

And now even though this little report is not complete I need to close my eyes, and dream of all of you dear loved ones.

Sending love to all 

Grandma xoxoxox Keep Smiling and CTR