December 16th, 2018

Sunday, December 16, 2018 

District Councils and Farewell to Six Departing Amazing Missionaries

Three trips to the Stanfield Airport this week! Monday morning we missed our Office meetings taking an Elder out so he could return home. Real depression, and self esteem issues, made it so difficult for him to focus, although we found him such a great leader, and a wonderful missionary.  We hope and pray that counselling and medication will help him heal, and possibly he can return to us….When a missionary returns home for medical reasons, he is honourably released. With proper medical treatment, and with priesthood leadership approval, a missionary, within six months can return to his same mission. 

We sing “When Pioneers Moved to the West” when we head out to the Annapolis Valley.  Maybe our senses of humour are going nuts, but we chuckle as we sing ‘until we reach the valley oh.’ Greenwood and Kentville Districts in the dreamy Annapolis Valley combined for their District councils, and Tuesday we held that meeting in Greenwood. Before we arrived the seven missionaries had taken a poll and decided lunch would be A&W so with orders in hand, Sisters Hawkins, Rodrigues, and Brennan and I headed down to the local mini mall where the A&W is one of about three food joints in the food court, and loaded up on teenburgers, root beer and fries. Well fed missionaries are happy missionaries!! With having to interview each missionary once every six weeks, before and after these district councils is the perfect time for Dad to have these visits.  I love my informal interviews too…just visiting while driving to get food, or sitting in the Relief Society Room chatting I get such a feeling of how things really are going….or sometimes not going. 

Several of the common denominators we find in successful ‘missionary service’ are positive attitude, faithful obedience, desire, and a committed work ethic. Advice for parents or grandparents of missionaries in training:

 1. Teach to have a positive, cheerful attitude about everything…homework, making beds, visiting elderly people you minister to, helping tend younger siblings.

 2. Teach your children to be faithfully obedient to the commandments because they love Heavenly Father and the Saviour. One of my favourite quotes, (I hope I am remembering it right… I think President Benson said it….)(Maybe Megan can look at the framed copy of it at home and confirm it was him…)

Here it is: 

‘When obedience ceases to be an irritant, and becomes our quest, God will endow us with great power.’  

    Please teach complete cheerful obedience!

3. Teach desire to serve a mission…I think as your children watch you cheerfully serve wherever you are called, you are setting a pattern for them to cheerfully, obediently serve. I know you are all doing this already, so keep setting that pattern. Talk about serving missions, sing about serving missions, save for missions by working hard, talk about the blessings etc. etc. 

4. Teach diligent work ethic, and teach your children to work hard, and to work hard cheerfully!!

These are my Mission Preparation tips for the week. 

Wednesday we hosted both Halifax and Dartmouth District Council Meetings at the Mission Office. You cannot believe the depth of testimony and knowledge of the Gospel these young missionaries have; both our elders and sisters, and they are outstanding teachers to boot!! We are so inspired and motivated as they teach us. We love getting to teach them too!! 

Thursday was a day of preparing for our six departing missionaries. Elder Miller(Cardston), Sister Barlow (Lewiston, Utah),Sister Hawkins (SanFrancisco Bay Area) Sister Rodriegues (Mesa, Arizona), Sister Soucie (Blackfoot, Idaho) and Sister Wood (Barnwell)

Our sweet Temple President and Matron; President and Sister Vienot are so gracious and create a special three o’clock session for us everytime we have a departing group. Oh, how we, and our missionaries love that!! Did you know that we have gold leaf maple leafs on the ceiling in one of the ordinance rooms? Also they just received, and are hanging  about 20 new gorgeous paintings in the Temple. 

Departing roast beef feast was yummy, and Dad even had time to make his gravy and whip the potatoes just so! After supper we had a spontaneous handbell concert, and an inspiring testimony meeting. Who knew we could cry as many happy, and sad tears in one six month period? It is such an emotional calling. 

Friday morning again, we were making the 25 minute drive to the Robert Stanfield Airport to, with heavy hearts, bid farewell to our faithful six. It is not getting any easier hugging them goodbye. 

Friday afternoon we made the third trip to the airport to retrieve something one of our returning Elders had confiscated at Security.

We had a fun Pday afternoon activity out in the country collecting evergreen boughs, for our front step Christmas pot…and, I was excited to harvest a few redwood dogwood branches, and some lovely little red berry branches right by Lake Banook which I added to the greenery. Pday afternoon was a needed diversion for both of us!!

Friday night Dad and Elder Majeran attended a Moosehead vs. Wildcats Hockey game, and I actually figured out how the optic TV works, and found a Christmas movie on the Hallmark Channel!!!

Yesterday we had a lovely drive out to Waverly where we, along with 15 missionaries participated in a awesome service project called ‘Feed Nova Scotia,’ which was basically sorting food for Christmas food hampers.

And last night we attended the Cole Harbour Ward family Christmas Party, and it is fun because we are getting to know people in many of the wards and branches in our Mission. The ukulele club sisters performed three Christmas carols, but my poor attendance at Wednesday night practises prevented me from performing!! It seems like most Wednesday nights we are away or busy, and I know my job description does not include learning to play the ukulele, so I was happy to tap my toes and hum along!! 

And today we attended the Halifax Family Ward. Justin (about 30) is a ‘person of interest’ has just finished his three months of detox in New Brunswick and has a new glow about him. His cousins are faithful members in Ontario, and he just basically self-referred himself because he saw the happiness in their lives..we are excited about his new lease on life! We invited him for Christmas Eve and Day. 

Speaking of Christmas festivities…we are excited to pick Jonathan and Jordan up early Tuesday morning, and will love partying with them, and many of our missionaries!!

We continue to feel the blessings of our service here in the amazing, wonderful, Canada Halifax Mission, and love our associations with the great people of Atlantic Canada. Thank you all for your love and support of us. We feel the power of your prayers on behalf of all the missionaries.

With much love, Dad and Mom, Grandpa and Grandma, Richard and Gayle, 

Mission prep 101

Sunday, December 9, 2018. Macie Megan turns One!!!
Monday, December 10, 2018

Winter is here, and Friday morning as we ran around frozen Lake Banook we saw the splendour of December in Nova Scotia!! Every corner we turned was another calendar photo....just stunning!
Just a brief synopsis of our Zone Conference Week!

Monday morning we loved hearing our Senior couples report on reactivation efforts and their 'Light the World' activities, which included booths and floats in their town or city Christmas parades. Without exception our parade entries were the only representation of the Christmas Story...unbelievable! Our seniors missionaries are such an amazing support to our young Elders and Sisters, and do everything from helping build floats, to stapling candy canes to Light the World cards, to feeding them at least once a week, to helping them with discouragement or homesickness, to sharing and teaching gospel truths in District Council Meetings or Zone Confernces.

Tuesday we were off on the three hour drive to Moncton for our interviews and New Brunswick Christmas Zone Conference which we held on Wednesday. Moncton Relief Society provided a delicious meal. Home Wednesday night

Thursday was Nova Scotia Christmas Zone Conference in Dartmouth. Cole Harbour RS provided a turkey dinner. Huge Nor'easter in Newfoundland cancelled our Thursday night flight to St. John's so....

Friday we had somewhat of a P'day. I Brasso'd (brass polished) my big brass pot and one of our activities was to go collect pinecones to fill the pot but we could not find nary a one, probably because the snow storm had hit Dartmouth and the ground was white!  With all the evergreen trees around there must be a mountain of them hiding in some massive composting pile! I will probably have to head to Superstore to buy some scented ones!

Late Friday Air Canada flight had us arriving in St John's just before midnight. Glad to have a rental car rather than have Jonathan and Jordan or the the Schow's come collect us. Sheraton downtown has a gorgeous view of St. John's harbour, and we love to stay there. Great bed, but we opt out of the $30.00 breakfast buffet!! We refuse to pay that for a measly bowl of oatmeal or cereal, which is all we eat for breakfast.

Christmas Zone Conference highlights included hugging, and interacting with all our 74 missionaries, eating together, presenting each missionary with their loaded Christmas stocking, and enjoying a talent show together. (All our senior missionaries as well as RS sisters in some of the metro wards, donated homemade baked goods which filled those fuzzy red stockings to the brim!)

Our contribution to the Talent show was a clever puppet show written by Dad, and it drew tons of laughs as he roasted Elder Boyle and his Rockstar quitting with Elder Livingstone's help; and Nurse Sister Arnold suggesting vitamin D, use of a happy light, and rubbing permethrin on everything including an ingrown toenail; a spoof on Elder Holman who was stuck in our laundry chute for about 15 minutes, and a cute reenactment of Sister Swenson rescuing Sister Brennan from a dog attack, by grabbing the dogs tail and throwing him down! Sister Swenson is from Northern BC, and has wolf hunted with her Dad! You can imagine how hilarious the puppet show was!  The Sister missionary puppets all had Christmas bells dingling in their hair. Oh, and the puppet assistants kept dancing not the 'I Carlton,' but the 'I Nephi,' as they came onstage.

Some of you have requested we share some of our challenges, as well as some of our spiritual experiences, and missionary success stories.

Our greatest challenges deal with missionaries being discouraged. The work is so very hard, and many days all they get is rejection. Using happy lights is a real thing, and I don't mean to make 'light' of anyone that uses one...the reports we get is that they do help. We do our best to encourage, build up, cheerlead, and love, love, love.
Loving all our missionaries is easy for us. And it is wonderful because they love us right back!
We have another Elder heading home tomorrow...he is so depressed, and not doing well at all..in fact our Medical mental health advisor called us yesterday with basically an SOS, so again we have the heartbreak of sending an Elder home...it will be an honourable health release, so we are so hopeful for him. That is an emotionally draining part of the calling. As I have stated many times: Obedience is the standard in the Canada Halifax Mission, and we feel so blessed to have an army of Elders and Sisters who strive to be 100% obedient. We are grateful for all the previous CHM Mission Presidents who set this precedent, which we are determined to have carry on.

Another very real challenge for us is taking a weekly P'day, and we are still trying to carve a play day into our week. Travel is such a major part of this expansive mission and travel days seem to sneak into what could or should be a P'day. We are working on that!

I think my biggest challenge though is feeling, and staying connected with all of you at home...especially our children, grandchildren, our siblings, our Moms, and our aunt. I hope you know how we pray for you. We love to remember our precious family times together. We pray that you are doing everything you can to strengthen your  testimonies, and that you are all preparing to serve missions! The best thing you can do to prepare is to pray and ask Heavenly Father to help you.
Another suggestion to help you prepare is to learn to be charitable...Here is a sweet story from today: at the Mission Office we were visiting with Elder Pitcher and Elder Holman (laundry chute celebrity) when Elder Holman started telling us about how kind Elder Pitcher is...Elder Pitcher immediately covered his ears because he was so embarrassed..apparently they had just been to Subway to get lunch (they are in the process of moving so have to do fast food for a day or so)...anyway they see this homeless man who is begging for money so sweet Elder Pitcher gives the man his subway sandwich! Elder Pitcher has a heart of gold...and also said to me Sister Low...don't worry about Elder......(who just went home today) I will take care of him, even though they live no where near each other Elder Pitcher who returns home the first of January will minister and continue loving his fellow CHM missionary.
Be charitable, and practise on your siblings...old and young.
We can't emphasize enough how important it is to read, and study your scriptures...even memorizing scriptures will help you prepare.
Participate in Family Home Evening cheerfully..even plan and teach lessons...AND
I will give you more ideas next week!
I'll wind down this epistle with a quick story from NewfoundLAND..
Last week the Elders Musgrave and Broadhead were walking down a St. John's street when a man named Chris Fudge saw them and ran after them. Chris had joined the Church 7 years ago, and even before receiving the priesthood asked to have his name removed. Recently he has felt an urgency to have God in his life, and prayed that very day for God to help him know what he was to do in his life...and then he saw the missionaries...and so....now he is going to be retaught!! Incredible!! So Exciting!!
I will sign off because it is an hour past bedtime!
With love to all of you...

New Missionaries, Goodbyes, Visits to PEI, New Brunswick, Cape Breton

November 23, 2018        December 2, 2018           We've been here 5 months!!!!

Another whirlwind Week 6 is behind us and I am pleased to report everyone survived!!

With five new missionaries arriving, and eight departing, grocery shopping seemed like it was on my to do list everyday!! Elder Ben Strong from Edmonton (formerly Lethbridge - and in Michael's Young Men's) Elder Fife from Arkansas/Logan, Utah, Elder Albertson from Vanderhoof BC, Elder Lee from Alaska, and Elder Jorgensen from Mesa, Arizona, are our new Elders and are a keen, enthusiastic bunch. Hot taco soup with fresh buns is my welcome to the Canada Halifax Mission go-to supper, and these new missionaries are appreciative customers happy to eat at 10pm or 3am...whenever they arrive!!

Richard talked to missionary travel and had the travel route changed to go through Boston rather than Toronto which is working much better! I must admit it was challenging to go to bed at ten, set the alarm for midnight, and then head to the airport for a one or two am arrival, and feed the new missionaries when we arrived home! 

After a quick muffin, fresh fruit, and yogurt breakfast, Richard and the new elders head to the office for orientation, and I begin preparations for the 'Welcome to the Canada Halifax Mission' supper, which this week included spiral ham, baked potatoes, carrots, spinach salad, jello, and turtles cheesecake. Capping the evening, after Richard has shared with them their new area of assignment, and who their new companion is, we have a lovely testimony meeting where these youngsters bear such simple faithful witnesses,  Sleep for us comes easily, but I wonder how many hours these 'new recruits' actually sleep?!

5:30 am comes really quickly, breakfast menu is repeated, and with our assistants assistance driving the loaded truck and cargo trailer we make the five minute jaunt to the office for rendez-vous with new companions!  You can imagine the excitement in the air!!

American Thanksgiving on Thursday was 'celebrated' with our eight departing missionaries  (Elders Boardman, Weston, Day, Jones, Ball, along with Sisters Anderson, Bond, and Youngberg) had mixed emotions about leaving their home away from home, and we sure had mixed emotions letting them go!! Turkey dinner with all the trimmings was yummy, especially Dad's gravy!!

Friday morning we are up before dawn and our departing group are so excited to return to their homes.  What a great group of our favorite missionaries we had to bid farewell to... We know they all leave a part of their hearts here, and a chunk of our hearts go with them...Tears are the norm for us...

Saturday we travelled via ferry over to Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island for District Council Meeting, and then to the Elder and Sister Dallings darling Montague cottage in the country. I don't know if I mentioned that this is their fourth mission! We are sad to report that because Elder Dalling needs a hip replacement they will be returning to Rexburg right after Christmas.

I must rave again about how incredible all our senior couples are.... The Dallings have woven themselves into the hearts of the entire Montague Branch, and Sunday the cute little eight year old Sadielynn who they have ministered to since arriving was baptized.. The Dallings had even bought a darling cream-coloured baptism dress and sweater for Sadielynn. This is only the second baptism in four years for the Montague Branch, but they were sooo thrilled!

Week 7

Tuesday our drive from Dartmouth to Fredericton was a nail-biting experience...the  snow flurries forecast was really an out and out blizzard!! Now we know what the definition of a snow flurry is! Roads were not good, but we are Albertans and know how to deal with snow and ice on the roads...we just slow down!! A great district council ...fun to be taught by Sister Bailey Nelson from Mountain View. With all our overnight out and backs, you can imagine the number of hotel beds we get to sample! Our votes for best bed, best linens, mildest Neutrogena bar soaps and shampoo, and creamiest oatmeal goes to the Hampton Inn! Anytime we can stay at a Hampton Inn, that is where we head!!

On to Saint John, New Brunswick, Thursday,for another District Council, and home again Friday night, with Elder Jorgensen, one of our brand new missionaries who is heading home today. Hopefully he will be back within six months! 

Back to the airport Saturday to deliver Elder Jorgensen who flew home to Mesa, Arizona, and we were off flying to Sydney, Cape Breton, NovaScotia to visit our awesome missionaries Elder and Sister Wilkinson, and Elders Anderberg and Scott. 

A less active branch member named Josh Demeers just had major surgery and we were happy to head to the Hospital to meet and visit with he and his Mom.

Lucky for us it was the Sydney Branch Christmas party last night complete with full turkey dinner...and they even served turnips! Sister Donovan made nine apple pies. 

The Silverstein's brought friends who are not yet members, but seem interested, and there were many less active folks in attendance as well, so the Elders were pumped!

While Sister Oliver, a gifted pianist softly played Christmas carols, three wise men from the East shuffled in bearing loaded gift bags for each of the children in attendance, (as well as for our Elders!) We loved the variation from the typical Santa visit!

Elder and Sister Wilkinson were the ultimate in hosting guests, and tricked us into sleeping in their room, which was even more comfortable than our Hampton Inn! They are the amazing couple from Pleasant Grove, Utah who are determined to serve missions for ten years. Over the past few years, there  have been some very challenging issues in Sydney, and the Wilkinson's are determined to help create unity back in the Branch. We know they can do it. Wonderful testimonies in Testimony Meeting. Relief Society Council meeting was amazing where they talked about challenges sisters in the branch are having, and how they could help; there is a real problem with anxiety, and bipolar depression in Atlantic Canada, and it seems like everywhere we visit they are dealing with that challenge. I loved hearing how sincere, and concerned all the sisters were for those not in attendance. I must rave about the two gorgeous sesquicentennial quilts hanging on the walls in the Relief Society Room...quilts like you would see in the General Relief Society Building in Salt Lake City with beautiful piecing, and embroidery! I'll try and have Dad include the photos of these masterpieces!

The Wilkinson's took us on a lovely Sabbath drive all around Cape Breton with an amazing stop at the Rob and Norma Silverstein's home. Now, Norma is an incredible rug-hooking Queen...the best I have ever seen..even better than Deanne Fitzpatrick. These folks are so crafty and wool wizards!

I will wind this little report down, send it with much love

Richard and Gayle, Dad and Mom, Grandpa and Grandma