Today is Sunday, April 28, 2019.
Happy Birthday to Caylee this past Friday,
and
Happy 11th Birthday to Luke TOMORROW!!!
Our lives in the fast lane are sometimes a blur, and the past two weeks literally are just that - a blur!! I will attempt to rewind and give you a synopsis of where we have been, and what we have done!!
First off I will preface this epistle by testifying of the truthfulness of what we are about, and what we are doing…after the great apostasy and almost two millenia, the Gospel of Jesus Christ was restored to the earth by the Prophet Joseph Smith. By following those same teachings Jesus Christ taught, as restored to earth in 1830, we can, and will find the most wonderful peace, joy, and purpose. We KNOW that!! This great Plan of Happiness includes teaching the Doctrine of Christ; faith, repentance, baptism, and the gift of the Holy Ghost. As we come to accept these teachings we begin life on the ‘covenant path,’ where although we will have many challenges along our paths, we will find peace, joy and purpose. Helping our missionaries be excited, motivated, and converted to these teachings is our greatest goal.
We are not seeing great numbers enter the waters of baptism…but our missionaries are being converted themselves, AND we are praying so hard that we will achieve our goal of 64 baptisms before the merger in July. Our missionaries are hard-working, devoted, obedient, and wonderful, and many of them knock 35-40 hours a week without ever being invited in…such rejection, but they have such fortitude, and faith….
Oh how we love our CHM missionaries - and soon our CMM missionaries!!
We LOVE our service here!!! Testimony, positivity and cheerfulness are key, and great tenants for a happy life…we pray ALL our team are learning this!! And even more we pray for our FAMILY TEAM at home….and that you are learning these tenants too!!
Last week - April 15- 21, was a whirlwind!! Many Meetings, French tutoring, haircuts, and packing for our Mission Leadership in Washington, DC, etc. etc., and then travel to Washington where we were taught and motivated by our Area Presidency - Elder Bennett, Elder Hamilton, and Elder Haynie.
As we were getting ready to leave Halifax Thursday morning, it was such a thrill to have a quick rendezvous with Jan (D’Arcey took the escalator downstairs, and couldn’t get back up!) We were so excited to know we had FAMILY waiting for us when we returned Saturday night!!!
Washington training was wonderful!!! Area Presidency did the trainings and we were in great company with the twenty two other Mission Presidents and their companions!! Half of those Mission Presidents finish their three years the end of June and tradition has it that they bare their testimonies at the Spring training. I sure want to grow up like they did…it was thrilling and moving to hear their conviction, and love of the gospel and their missionaries. We love to be together, and revisit with our dear friends…the Vest’s, and the Caplin’s, and again came home motivated and determined to try harder, and be better. Arrived home late Saturday night.
And now it is Sunday May 5, 2019…and I apologize to anyone who looks at this blog for being deliquent in my reports…
Let me give a quick rundown on our amazing week with D’Arcey and Jan who actually survived just nicely exploring Dartmouth, Halifax, and everywhere all around while we were away!! They joined us for our Office Meeting Monday, enjoyed the drive around the Northern Arm, and loved the Five Fisherman restaurant.
Tuesday we explored the fertile Annapolis Valley where fields are lush and green. We found the darling woolen shop in Wolfville, where, while Jan and I were ooh'ing and aah’ing over gorgeous skeins of wool, Richard and D’Arcey enjoyed sweet homebaked treats. As we travelled portions of the ‘Evangeline’ trail, in and around Grand Pre, Richard retold the Henry Wadsworth Longfellow classic tragedy ‘Evangeline,’ based on true events of the Acadien expulsion back in the 1700’s. We love the reconstruction of an old Church on the site of an Acadien village.
Wednesday our sightseeing took us to Mahone Bay and Lunenberg where we were thrilled to discover the Bluenose nicely in dock enshrouded by giant white plastic shrink-wrap. Yearly they totally refinish all the woodwork…deck, railings, bunks etc, and it is all done under wraps..it must be because of unpredictable weather! RDF (rain, drizzle, fog) days are common in these parts and we could see why they need the giant tarps! The first mate who we were chatting with took my phone and took photos of what is happening under the wraps! Our lunch at the Grand Banker was another smorg of seafood at its best!!
I was thrilled to have guest musicians at our Lewis Hall Ukulele performance, and our little club of Ukulele Ladies were thrilled to have D’Arcey and Jan perform; D’Arcey on the electric keyboard playing bass made us sound so good, and Jan is a pro ukulele-le-est Until I saw the dementia residents of Lewis Hall, I admit I was pretty nervous…jitters left pretty quick. What a fun new hobby!! Who knew I would come on a mission and learn to play the ukulele?!!
Power touristing saw us visit Peggy’s Cove, the Rhubarb Restaurant and the Temple on Thursday. Great day!!
Oxford sink hole, Stanfield underwear factory outlet in Truro, across Confederation Bridge to Prince Edward Island for District Council, Cavendish and Green Gables, red sand beaches, and more sightseeing filled our Friday, and then with wind warnings Saturday morning and the threat of bridge closure, we cut out the rest of our PEI exploring and headed back to New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia. Blustery weather didn’t deter us from exploring…Joggins Fossil cliffs and Cape D’Or where Richard had been anxious to visit since we arrived!! It wasn’t a logging road but the condition of it reminded me of one…the freshly graded red shale had not been packed down at all well, and big chunks of the road were being washed away by the rainstorm…I was never so glad to get off a road!!
Sunday we enjoyed a lovely drive to New Glasgow. About 40 folks were in attendance and they were thrilled to have Jan as a guest organist; and one branch member said it had been years since he had heard the organ…Richard and I were asked to speak…you can imagine what we talked about!!!
And then Monday our delightful guests had to leave us…what a glorious time we had enjoyed together…Thank you D’Arcey and Jan for sacrificing your Easter break to be with us….it meant so much to have family here!!! You are wonderful!! (And thanks for bringing the wheat grinder!!)
This week April 29- May 4, 2019
This report is getting pretty long..so I’ll quickly review this past week, which included studying French, getting tutored in French, participating in ukulele club, planning and holding our MLC, visiting, and visiting, and visiting with our missionaries, mostly who are doing wonderfully well…(a few challenges), and attending an amazing rug-hooking exhibition honouring the 100th anniversary of the Group of Seven - it was stunning and belongs in the National Art Gallery…These creative Nova Scotians are wool artists, and recreated portions of the art of the Group of Seven - we were so inspired. I think if you look on Halifax CBC archives for Thursday, May 2.. - Fairbanks Centre at Shubenacadie Park you could get a glimpse of what I’m talking about.
Alicia Kerber (Mark, she graduated with you at LCI - born in 1986) who works with Aaron has been in Halifax since Thursday trying to recruit Doctors to come to Alberta. Her Conference finished yesterday so this morning we picked her up from the Harbourside Marriott, and spent the entire day with her. She attended meetings with us, and loved being at Church. After the two hour block she and I headed to Peggy’s Cove, Mahone Bay and Lunenberg. (Richard was involved in Coordinating Council.) Her best friend who she occasionally attended Church with was Emily Lacey. Anyway it was awesome really being a missionary, with a potential ALL day!!! She peppered me with questions pretty much the whole time we were driving around!! Anyone that knows her..keep sharing the JOY of the gospel with her…she is amazing!!!
And now it is time to close this lengthy epistle….
Happy 6th Birthday to Sadey Dawn Low next Sunday May 12, 2019
Thank you for your prayers, for your love and support..
We pray for all of you too!!
Keep Smiling and CTR
with much love,
Dad and Mom, Grandpa and Grandma, Richard and Gayle
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