Sunday, SEPTEMBER 2, 2018
Who can believe that our summer is quickly winding to an end? White shoes, and skirts are officially away for the next two seasons. We are shaking our heads wondering where the past two months have gone…actually we know exactly where they have gone, and we know exactly what we have been doing!!
A big shout out to Danielle for being a wonderful guest blogger…thank you!!! Just at the height of our homesickness Danielle, Claire and Lucy arrived bringing with them exactly what we needed….FAMILY, and then one week into their visit David arrived to spend the next week with us!! Thank you to them for giving us that much needed boost!! Really we could not fulfill this calling and assignment without all your love and support….so thank you all!! Thank you for all your prayers…
As Danielle so beautifully described we had wonderful adventures with them, and were grateful to include them in so many of our missionary meetings, and activities. One of my favourite memories is Claire, Lucy and Danielle joining Sisters Crowley and DeGraffenreid in singing ‘Beautiful Saviour’ at Emma Robarts Baptism. They also performed again on Sunday after Emma was confirmed. The five voices blended beautifully, and Emma was thrilled.
Seven o’clock Wednesday night is Ukulele Club at the Church, and two weeks ago Danielle, Claire and Lucy joined me for such a fun evening of plucking and singing the tunes of days gone by. You can be sure when we are in town I will join my new Dartmouth friends who are awesome teachers, and great singers!! Vincie Vincent is in charge, and she has a wonderful compilation of great old melodies…Jan and Mandy…we will photocopy it for you…It was so fun watching Claire and Lucy really play the ukulele, and they are good!! Danielle was quite the comedian keeping us in time with the two pieces of Vincie’s cane - a great metranome!!
We did NOT sign up for all this crying…let me explain…last night we had to call one of our dear sisters and tell her that her Grandma had passed away yesterday morning. That was hard. We suggested that she call her family, because they needed to talk to her as much as she needed to talk to them. CRY…
Week 6 is the busiest of all our weeks. We welcome our excited new missionaries, as well as bid farewell to our excited exiting group. Both experiences are equally emotional, but we do shed more tears with our departing group…Traditionally our new group is supposed to arrive Tuesday evening around 8:30pm, but both new groups we have met have not made the connecting flight in Toronto (they only have 1 hour and 15 minutes to get through customs and security- and the line up through customs is always long and with a group of nine it is impossible!!) So…. the taco soup simmers for longer, and we serve it when we get home from the airport around 2:30AM!!! In bed by 3AM!!
We let our Elders -Atkins, Fields, Hardy, Martinez, Scott, and Tait, and Sister Edwards sleep in until eight am, went for a morning walk around Lake Banook, enjoyed a yogurt, fruit, and muffin breakfast, and then the good President, along with Assistants - Elders Miller and Sawa Sawa transported the group to the Office where they were oriented, and taken to get their Nova Scotia drivers licenses, to purchase phones, and then for a couple of hours they got to go tracking!!
Meanwhile ‘back at the ranch’ I am preparing the feast! This week was a variation from the usual chicken dish….we had ham two nights in a row!! Missionaries are always appreciative, and eat pretty much anything!!! I do spend a lot of time in the Kitchen…which I love!! Joanne Chattam is a lifesaver because she scrubs, and cleans, vacuums, re-sorts our recycling, takes out all the garbage, and peels carrots, and potatoes, and always says.. “Sister Low…I’m here to serve you…”I feel very spoiled (and a little high maintenance.)
Wednesday morning at 6:30am we delivered our precious new missionaries to the Mission Office parking lot to meet their trainers and head out to their first area!! Such excitement and enthusiasm for both the new arrivals, as well as the trainers…most of whom have never trained!!
Taking David, Danielle, Claire, and Lucy to the airport also tugged at our heart strings. We were so grateful to be together, and hug and hold them…
And then we are back home anticipating our next batch of missionaries….these are the departing group…
We love the tradition of attending a Temple session with this amazing group and love to be in the beautiful Celestial Room together….WOW!! I just imagine the growth in each of their testimonies, and wish we could be observers as they reunite with their families the next day!!
Our Farewell ham dinner and Testimony Meeting Thursday night with Elders Hamblin, Kearsley, Williams, Carlson, Browning, Ablett, Nelson and Sisters Ceron and Lefler was lovely. I try to mix the menu up, serving one of our favourite chicken breast dishes, but like I mentioned this week we tried ham, baked potatoes, carrots and peas, Jayne’s yummy blueberry pie filling jello, and always we have spinach salad with a variety of fresh fruit, and dwazzled with pink dressing, freshly made rolls, and then one of my old standby desserts…layered lemon delight, or lime philly freeze. Next transfer I plan on making Carole’s turtles cheesecake! Twice, one of the office missionaries volunteered to bring dessert, and that was yummy.
Sister Pratt (the previous mission president’s companion) had Brother and Sister Edis design and make darling 12” high lighthouse centrepieces that look pretty authentic with little tea lights on the top shelf. With red napkins poofed in the goblets, and a red table runner it looks inviting! Did I mention that our new dining room air conditioner was installed last week just in time for our huge crowd….and we were so comfortable!! Our table easily fits 15, but usually we add another table at the end, especially when we have 16 or more!!
Back to the crying explanation….
Each returning missionary bore powerful testimonies on the Saviour and how their lives have been blessed by their service. We admonished all of them to Stay on the Covenant Path.
More tears…of gratitude. We sang the beautiful Mission Song as well as “I’ll go Where You Want me To Go”
Elder and Sister Priest are finished serving as our housing coordinators, and they have gone above and beyond…we will surely miss our interaction with them.. Elder and Sister Majeran from Rocky Mountain House arrived last week and have been well trained by the Priest’s, and we look forward to serving with them.
We know the twenty minute drive to the Stanfield Airport pretty well, and know how our hearts are ripped out as we hug and bid farewell to some of our own. We watch till they disappear through Security, and we wonder when we will see them again….Of course we pray for them…
It is amazing how instant our love has been….after only two months…and so again we weep.
Elder Henstra also went home this week…he has struggled with concentration problems and has suffered since arriving in March with constant pain - all results from five concussions in high school. We hope and pray he will get well and return….
Another new couple - the Wilkinson’s from Pleasant Grove Utah arrived Friday, and we loved having them for supper. They are so excited to serve in far off Sydney, Nova Scotia. We were inspired with their plan to serve missions until they turn 80!! (she is 70 and he is 72!!) Sister Wilkinson was raised in Winnipeg, and Elder Wilkinson served his Mission there!!
Lest you think all we do is cry…let me assure you we are finding so much JOY….
Joy together, Joy with our missionaries - new and old, Joy interacting with new friends,
Joy studying and learning, Joy in Temple Attendance, Joy in Testifying, and Joy knowing you are staying on the covenant path….We are so blessed and so very grateful for this incredible experience serving as missionaries. Today we visited the Cole Harbour Ward, and loved participating in their Testimony Meeting. I shared the inspiring Emma story.
Sorry this report is so jumbled….I keep thinking of things I need to share…
Last Friday we drove to Saint John, New Brunswick because we were speaking at the YSA Conference on Saturday, and it was fun to have David, Danielle, Claire and Lucy join us. Brother CES - Rick Watson was in charge. We loved taking the ferry ride with our vehicle back to Digby…(and it was a treat for Richard to not have to drive those two hours!)
St. Pierre - Miquelon are the two French islands in our mission are off the coast of southern Newfoundland, and the Dyvarande family - Brother, Sister and son named Mettie joined us for supper last week, and they jabbered in French with Richard, Danielle, Claire, Lucy, and Elder Sawa-Sawa. We are excited to go visit them before the snow flies.
I know this report is going on and on..maybe read a page at a time so you don’t get totally bored!!
Elder and Sister Boyle and Sister Arnold are amazing Office missionaries, and we are so grateful they are tireless in their efforts to help the work progress. They help us so much…
Upcoming Activities:
This week: travel for District Councils, and Interviews to :Kentville- Annapolis Royal, Fredericton, Saint John, and Saint Stephen
Elder Allan Haynie, of the Seventy, and Sister Haynie will be here from the 12 to the 16 , and we will accompany him on a Mission tour which will be wonderful!!
October 23-27 we head to Cleveland for Area Training.
We are loving mission life, and love the blessing of serving!!
Love to all
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