Monday, August 1, 2018

Another glorious day in the amazing province of Prince Edward Island. President interviewed six of our missionaries; Elders Oler and Browning, and Sisters King, Bond, Barlow and Youngberg, while Jonathan, Jordan and I explored downtown Charlottetown. Charlotte, did you know there is a beautiful city named just for you?! The old building where the Fathers of Confederation met is actually a National Park and is under restoration so we just walked around the lovely old sandstone structure and thought about what it would have been like 150 years ago. Actors in period costume acted as guides and told short interesting historical vignettes. Our visit was abbreviated because we needed to be back to pick Dad up and head to interviews in Moncton. 

He loves interviewing our missionaries and is so diligent making sure they each have an in person  interview every transfer. To make this happen, and to get to see every missionary,  we spend at least two days a week travelling. We will continue to do this until the snow flies, and the ice storms start; and then we will be grateful to use Zoom - our on line ‘skype.’ Our six week schedule really does revolve around ‘transfer week’ which is week six; and week two which is Zone Conference Week. All other meetings are calendared in one of the other weeks…if that makes sense!!  Fine tuning, and perfecting these six weeks is what we are currently working on!! So many things to juggle!! We have two white board monthly calendars stuck on the wall that we fill in each month which gives us an ‘at a glance’ reminder of what is coming up!! We were able to carve out two p-days in August, but in September we have four - (at least we calendared four!!-we will see!)

Hours and hours of road travel is pretty exhausting, but we find we are always rewarded with wonderful visiting with missionaries and great Church members. Our cell phones are such a blessing because Dad can spend a chunk of travel time doing mission business - I am happy to drive and so while he takes care of phone business or reads and responds to his  80plus confidential letters each week, I take care of some of the driving. 

Until we drove to PEI, we have never been on a bridge this long - the Confederation Bridge is eight miles long and goes right over the Northumberland Straight from New Brunswick over to Prince Edward Island - and there is water as far as the eye can see - quite the incredible engineering feat!! Our Macpass saved us $48.00 for the Confederation Bridge, and is also good for the airport parkade as well as the MacDonald and Mackay Bridges.  Go on line and see the Confederation Bridge. Ocean views are spectacular every way you look! 

Lucy Maude Montgomery grew up in her Grandparents home - the home she based her Anne of Green Gables books on, and because we were there after hours, we decided to explore on our own. Wandering around we looked for the lake of shining waters and white way delight, and I even dreamt of having Anne and Gilbert coming around the next corner! Jonathan and Jordan were so glad we didn’t pay any money to tour around! 

Thursday(August 2) was Elder DeBry’s farewell Temple session and supper and we, and he were thrilled to have Jonathan and Jordan here for that party. Farewell suppers typically include more than one missionary, but since his batch of missionaries don’t leave till near the end of the month he was on his own. We always are joined by our Office Missionaries, so we always have a fun time!!! Elder DeBry’s first area was St. John’s, Newfoundland at the exact time when Jonathan arrived, so the timing was perfect for J&J’s visit!! Have I already raved about how awesome it is to be 7 minutes from the Temple? Sessions are only three days a week, and not every hour but they are so accommodating..in fact they even created a special session for our Mission Leadership Council!   

Friday was a real marathon day..maybe you’d like to hear about it!!

Up 6am - 1/2 hour run

Shower and read

8:15am’ish Elder Schow arrived with the first group (5)of Nfld. saints - Elder and Sister Schow. Hector and Amanda Agular, and Natalie Hemmings

Breakfast of cold cereal, muffins, fruit and yogurt 

9:00 Leave to Airport with Elder DeBry

10:00Brother and Sister Templeman and Denise arrive from Nfld. - they knew Elder DeBry in St.   John’s so they take photos, and visit briefly with him

Help Elder DeBry though Check in and Security..bid him a teary farewell

Drive back to Mission Home

11:45 Lunch - make Ham and Cheese Croissants for the gang

4:00 Leave to Airport with Jonathan and Jordan 

5:00 Supper in Oven

5:30 Leave for Temple

6:00 Temple Session with the Nfld. Saints - the Templeman’s were going through for the first time.

8:30 Cream Chicken Supper

10:30 Bed 

Not really a typical day, but definitely like a day when we host visitors (minus the trips to the Airport!)

Saturday we were back to the Temple for the Templeman’s sealing at 9. Zipped home to start preparing for upcoming Zone Conference, and back to the Temple to pick up the Templeman’s so they could attend our 11 am Baptism of Jacquie. At 1pm we were down to the Harbour(Dartmouth side) to assist Sister Wood and Cartwright in a ‘Family booth.’ We loved helping pass out freezies, passalong cards, and parchment ‘Proclamation on the Family’ statements. We wished that we had been there two hours earlier when the real rush of families were there attending the ‘Kiwanis Mother Goose Festival.’

3:00pm On our way back to the Airport with Dale and Tammy Templeman and Denise Edstrom 

Other visitors had a later departure, and Elder Boyle drove them. 

Sunday we attended the Halifax Ward where Jacquie was confirmed. Such a lovely family ward with a super young Australian Bishop. He was recruited by Irving Shipyards as a ship engineer. A great idea they announced: To clean up their records everyone was to stay after the block and take two or more names of missing ward members. The way I understood it was they were to be detectives and find out if indeed the missing member lived at the address, and if not to see if there was a forwarding address, or if neighbours knew where they had moved. We thought it was a brilliant idea! It was a wonderful Fast and Testimony Meeting. The good President had us marching up to the front, introducing ourselves and sharing our testimonies…we do that a lot!!

I finally baked cookies to take to some of our new neighbours - Keith and Betty are about 75 years old; both lost their spouses a few years ago..they aren’t married, and don’t live together but spend all day everyday together. When their spouses were alive they socialized together and were the best of friends. Anytime there are fireworks over Lake Banook Keith invited us to go sit on his back lawn to watch, which was so nice of him. Years ago a crew of missionaries helped him clean up felled trees after Hurricane Irma.   

Sunday evenings we enjoy an hour long New Missionary training via Zoom, and we love seeing our fresh new missionaries succeeding so well!  

Our Zoom Meeting Monday morning with our Senior Missionaries was wonderful. Senior couples include Sister Arnold, Elders and Sisters Boyle, Schow, Jagoda, Dalling, Smith, Bremner, Livingstone, and of course Dad and I. It is fun to visit for an hour or so, and talk about highlights of the week, take care of business, and any problems or concerns. About an hour after we returned home,  we got the sad news that Elder Scott Datwyler had passed away. Hard to believe it was just three weeks ago that they were with us. Melanoma quickly ate his liver, and kidneys; we are so grateful he passed so quickly. When the Datwyler’s were with us we made an ‘interesting’ connection…when my Dad - Grandpa, was working on his Master’s degree at Utah State in Logan, Utah the summer of my grade nine and ten years (1969 and 1970) I had some wonderful friends - twins - Janine and Jalayne Holmstead, and Susan Arrington,(now a renowned LDS author.) In the course of our breakfast conversation with Elder and Sister Datwyler….You guessed it… Elder Datwyler grew up in Logan and KNEW all three of them!! Small world after all!!  It is so fun to visit with our people and make connections…it happens all the time!!

And now it is Friday, August 10, 2018, and I hope to finish this epistle tonight!!! For you regular readers I must apologize for not firing off a quick report. 

Five zones are in the Canada Halifax Mission and this afternoon we just finished our three zone conferences. Here is a quick report:  Monday we travelled to Moncton and stayed at the Hampton Inn.  Our first Zone Conference which was on Tuesday included two zones: New Brunswick West and New Brunswick East (which includes PEI.)  Back to Dartmouth Tuesday night and Wednesday we had our two Nova Scotia Zones Conference at the Dartmouth Ward Chapel. The Temple next door made for a lovely backdrop for our Zone photo. Yesterday, along with the Boyle’s, Sister Arnold, Elders Miller and Sawa Sawa, and Sisters Wood and Cartwright we flew to Gander Newfoundland for our third Zone Conference. We are in awe of the size of the our Mission, and the time it takes to get around!!! The Comfort Inn in Gander was comfortable and we were up early this morning ready to get to the Lion’s Club where we held the Newfoundland Zone Conference. We discussed our new Mission Culture and our Standard of Excellence which were created at our Mission Leadership Council a few weeks ago. And then we had top notch training given by President Low, our Assistants, our STLT’s and by our outstanding zone leaders, and STL’s.  Topics included: Planning and Setting Goals, Digital finding, Member Missionary Work, Stress and Mental health, and Follow up, Don’t give up. Power point presentations by these elders and sisters were amazing, and I am motivated to create my first power point next zone conference!! Also, President Low spent before and after having 15 minute interviews with every missionary!!!  I should rave about the food that people prepare for us…Moncton Relief Society in Moncton, our office staff in Dartmouth, and then Sisters Schow, and Smith took care of the three meals last night and today for all of us. It is truly incredible how many people serve us…we are in awe, and are determined to be at the front of the volunteer line when we return to Alberta!!! Such good, good people!!

Today was Elder Datwyler’s funeral, and tonight we will stay in their Corner Brook home. We so wish they were still here. 

And now this edition is finally drawing to a close…I have no idea how many long pages it is….

Hope all is well with all of you!!

Much love