Today is March 24, 2019, and in three days Berkley James Low turns 13!!!
Happy Birthday Berkley!!
Springtime is here…our front lawn snow has disappeared, and Lake Banook is beginning to thaw. Hundreds of fresh air-loving folks walk, run or ride on our lovely Trans Canada Trail. It truly is picture perfect!! We are thrilled to get to experience all four seasons right here!!
Our nine months have flown by as we serve here in the Canada Halifax Mission; and we are savouring every minute here knowing that soon we will be transferred…Ever optimistic, we look at our transfer to the Canada Montreal Mission, and just think we are getting two missions for the price of one!! We will desperately miss our life in Atlantic Canada…having loved every corner of each unique province, every missionary we have interacted and served with, and every person we have met - member or not yet a member; we have been in awe of this incredible experience being on the Lord’s errand twenty-four/seven!! Serving together has been fulfilling, rewarding, and so fun!! I must add a little caveat..lest you think we are firing on extra pistons..no, we go pretty hard every day on our own steam, and when it is bedtime we fall into bed…totally exhausted. (Very occasionally we might sneak a forty wink nap!!)
We have been so blessed with great health…a few bumps in the road, but nothing to complain about!! Richard had a procedure in the Hospital, and spent last Friday in the Victoria General. In my stressful state, I caught another bout of shingles. Fortunately I recognized the symptoms, and sore, and was able to get on the medication within 24 hours which prevented getting a full blown case. (I thought I had to wait a year after having an episode to get the vaccine, but not so… you can be sure as soon as this sore has disappeared I will be at Shoppers getting immunized.) Enough is enough!! Oh brother!! And..Richard is fine..trying to slow down a bit, and loves having me be the chauffeur!!
Sackville Ward was our assignment today, and we enjoyed visiting, and challenging the members to be missionaries. Our call is to testify, and remind the saints to do the same, as we all diligently strive to find scattered Israel on both sides of the veil. Probably the most vibrant number of youth in one ward in the Dartmouth Stake; and we were so impressed when Bishop Taylor told us they regularly have 35 youth attend their Temple Baptisms! It was our lucky day when it was announced that today was linger longer so although we hadn’t brought anything for the potluck we had a delightful meal, and fun visiting with Sackville folks.
Sister Vollmer bore her her final testimony in Sackville today…both she and Sister Degraffenried (who has been serving in Yarmouth) are our departing top shelf missionaries. Oh, what a hole we will feel in the CHM with these two leaving us. Which brings me to your question..?? Yes, this is Week 6, transfer week…doesn’t it seem like we just had transfers?!! We did…six weeks ago!! Here’s what our week looks like:
Tomorrow - Monday Office Meetings, and meeting with Assistants to make travel plans for transfers.
Tuesday - French tutoring, Free Laundromat at the Mission Home - four companionships schedule their time, and while they wait for laundry to process, they email or Skype with their families. I will be making buns, taco soup, and butterscotch brownies for the six new missionaries scheduled to arrive at the Airport around 9:30pm.
Wednesday - Breakfast with the new missionaries, group walk or run around Lake Banook, orientation at the Mission Office, roast beef feast back at the Mission Home. Welcome testimony meeting.
Thursday - Transfers - new missionaries to the Office by 6:30am to meet their new companions. Office, and Moncton are the transfer hubs, so anyone with a new assignment meets here, and is transported to their new home.
5pm our farewell supper for Sister Vollmer and Sister Degraffenried.
7pm Farewell Temple Session
9pm Farewell Testimony Meeting
Friday - Airport and French tutoring.
And there you have it - a little snippet of week 6 at a glance!!
This past Wednesday night the six Sister Training Leaders invited me for a sleepover…(I think they just like the treats I bring!!), and we had such fun laughing, and sharing stories.. this is my third sleepover, and somehow they get me telling our love story everytime we get together!! They never seem to tire of hearing Richard’s “I’m considering you for marriage” line!! Pretty funny. It’s cute how they configure mattresses all over the living room to fit us all in! We were up at the crack of 6:30, all kneeling for morning prayer, and study. I left before eight so I could be home getting ready for MLC. which started at 10am Thursday.
Mission Leadership Council Thursday included all Zone Leaders, Sister Training Leaders, as well as all our District Leaders, so our group of fifty all received the very same ‘Spiritual Self Reliance’ training, and heard all the same council…and now will go back and share the training and focuses with their districts, and zones. Our hard working, devoted missionaries don’t find a lot of success, so at every meeting we are cheerleading, and sharing our enthusiasm, and love of them and the Gospel. Our pretty lofty goal of 64 Baptisms before the merger is looming in the not so far distant future, so we are doing our best to build enthusiasm and create momentum!! A highlight of every meeting is the Musical number, and this week the Halifax District sang beautifully with all their hearts: “As Zion’s Youth in Latter-days” We loved it!!
Let me share the Martha story…a sister living in Fredericton decided to send a 90 day Book of Mormon challenge to all her friends on FaceBook. Martha, one of her friends accepted the challenge - thinking to herself I could read that book….which she did. She got a testimony, was taught , and was baptized!! So..Share your testimony on social media…it works!!!
Our P-day yesterday was fun… running and walking at the Gym, grocery-shopping, preparing our talks for today, and water-colouring. Richard’s seascapes are beautiful..he has such gorgeous skies, great lighthouses, wonderful sandy beaches, and is getting pretty good at crashing waves. Flowers are my specialty, although I did do an Irish Antrim coast painting the other day. We can sit for three hours in an evening and totally decompress and relax…we have our favourite youtube artists that we enjoy having tutor us..it is so fun!!
Hope all is well in your lives back home…we love hearing from you!!!
Such is the life of President and Sister Low serving in the Canada Halifax Mission!!
Sending this off with much love xoxoxo Dad and Mom, Richard and Gayle, Grandpa and Grandma. KEEP SMILING!! and CTR
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