Sunday, August 12, 2018

Such a gorgeous clear day for the hour and fifteen minute flight from Cornerbrook - (Deerlake Airport) back to Halifax. Rugged rocky forested terrain far below with magnificent long narrow Norwegian-looking fjords, and about a million crystal clear lakes, with the occasional road is pretty much all we see! Soon we will be above the Atlantic and ‘home’ before we know it!

24 members met today in the lovely Cornerbrook Branch building with 18 more members ‘zoomed’ in from Gander and Grand Falls. Technology is amazing, and we were grateful to sing and worship together. Sacrament is of course administered in each building. Dad and I were the only speakers, and we talked about Covenants, Joy, and the Book of Mormon. The regular Sunday School teacher for the one young man couldn’t skype in, so I got to teach a lesson on Family History. My iPad sure came in handy…because the lesson was all there including wonderful videos. Cornerbrook is one of our most remote areas in the mission, where Elders Juroc, and Hatch serve, and soon we will have a couple to replace the Datwyler’s. 

Following entries - August   through August   are written by Danielle, who volunteered to be a guest contributor while she was here!! Thank you Danielle!! 

Wednesday, August 22, 2018

A RDF(rain, drizzle, fog) day in the Canada Halifax Mission, and we are enjoying a part PD day road trip with David, Danielle, Claire and Lucy, with the first stop being Peggy’s Cove. Spectacular ocean vistas as well as lovely mixed forest scenery. Loved strolling through Mahone Bay, and exploring Lunenburg again, and today the famous unbeatable schooner “Bluenose 11” was in harbour!! Maybe you have noticed her on our Canadian dime!  

Sunday, August 26, 2018

One of our goals is to visit all the twigs, branches and wards in the Canada Halifax Mission at least once a year and today we had a quick 20 minute drive past the end of Bedford Basin to attend the Sackville Ward in Lower Sackville. Four missionaries Elders Calvert and Henstra, as well as Sisters Swenson and Clark are enjoying their service in this lovely ward. While we attended the Gospel Principles class with a new convert named Shania, David and Danielle were off in Gospel Doctrine, and Claire and Lucy went off to Young Women and Primary respectively. We are meeting such great saints all over Atlantic Canada, and Maine!! The leftovers from yesterdays wedding reception were spread out for a spontaneous ‘linger-longer,’ and we all enjoyed a lovely picnic in the Relief Society room!!  David and Danielle headed off to PEI excited to explore Green Gables, Avon lea, Summerside, and  Cavendish. With all their exploring I hope they find a few more smooth, rounded pink rocks to add to my growing collection!!

Thursday we were excited to start our first ever New Missionary Conference with a run around (or part way around - in my case!!)our Lake Banook (say Banuck) I loved being at the end of the gang of 35 with Danielle and Claire, and watching the pack run on ahead! We couldn’t ask for a more perfect location for our home away from home!! Processing sixteen folks after a humid run was a feat, and I think we all enjoyed warmish showers!! Breakfast fare was slick with muffins, yogurt and fruit,  and then we all headed over to our Dartmouth Chapel where we had some awesome New Missionary trainings. President Low had me give a training on Positive Mental Attitude. I loved showing our framed ‘Keep Smiling,’ and then shared the story of Grandpa William White McCormack. His World War One diaries include his Motto - ‘Keep Smiling’ which is an incredible motto considering what he was witnessing right before his very eyes! So I drew parallels between challenges we are facing as missionaries and challenges Grandpa must have met as a young soldier with the Irish Brigade, and yet kept smiling!! William White McCormack continued the legacy of his ‘Keep Smiling’ motto his entire life. How many of you progenitors have ‘Keep Smiling’ as your motto? What a great day together with our young elders and sisters!!

Elder and Sister Boyle, and Sister Arnold are so supportive and willing to plan, purchase and prepare lunches, and snacks so we never have to worry about any of that! 

Friday morning we tried our first Zoom Mission Leadership Council (MLC) and we felt it was successful, but know, those meetings are more effective in person. Having such a huge mission demographically makes for many challenges, especially when it comes to having meetings, so the Zoom (skype) meetings eliminates long distant travel, and the expense of travel, and, it enables our missionaries to get back to proselyting right when the meeting ends. In July the MLC created a Mission Culture statement, as well the mission training plan, and then Friday we discussed and tweaked it. Elder Boardman is designing a printable poster which will be awesome to produce, and distribute, to remind us of our vision. We are so blessed to have talented, obedient missionaries!!

David, Danielle, Claire, and Lucy joined us for the four hour drive to Saint John, New Brunswick where we wound through dense forests, and along beautiful fields that almost made us feel like we were approaching the Swiss Alps…absolutely stunning. New Brunswick is probably Richard’s favourite province. Saint John they say is the fifth busiest port in Canada. We didn’t think it looked busy at all, in fact the city proper population is  70,000, with additional 50,000 in outlying areas making for 120,000 total. We wondered how healthy the economy is?

We were real tourists for awhile and loved watching the Reversing Falls again, and loved to have D&D, Claire and Lucy see the action!! Built on a cliff high above was the cute little supper cafe where we enjoyed observing the power of water!

Lorne and Diane Patzer are in Halifax for a Conservative Party of Canada Convention, and we loved having them come over for dinner and a wonderful visit. Such good friends!

Last Sunday we hosted a Dinner with Temple President and Matron  - the  Vienot’s from Yarmouth. President and Sister Green, and Temple Missionaries - the Loveland’s and the Ercanbrack’s and had a lovely time visiting and getting to know them. President and Sister Vienot have such a lovely vision of the Temple, and love to make it available for everyone, and will schedule extra sessions for people visiting from away, or for missionaries…it is incredible how much they love their temple! And we love it too!! 

I have so much I need to share but will send this off with a commitment to be more regular with my news sharing…This week is week 6 which means BUSY!!! Seven new missionaries arrive, and we have to say farewell to eight. Lots of meals to prepare, etc.etc.etc…. and thank heavens for Joanne who is so good to change beds, and get everything spitspot. Last week was the first time I have even touched the vacuum, which is a bit embarrassing to admit, since I love to vacuum…my point is that we are so blessed to have so many people help us as we serve. They serve us so we can serve our missionaries!

Danielle’s entries are somewhere, but I don’t know where, and they aren’t home from PEI yet, so 

I will add those to what I send tomorrow!!

Love to all