Dartmouth Homecoming week!

Today is Saturday, August 17, 2019

Zone Conferences have been amazing…all six of them!! 

Tuesday, August 6, it was fun to meet, and visit for five minutes with Danielle, Claire, Lucy and Martine at the airport just as they arrived. we were thrilled to fly back to ‘our’ Nova Scotia where we rendez-voused with friends and missionaries (who are also friends!!!). Driving by our Mission Office with the ‘Office Closed’ sign taped on the door was sad as we reminisced about our memorable year. Richard had many interviews to conduct so I dropped him off at the Cole Harbour Stake Centre, and headed to JJ Choo’s, my hairdresser. I love visiting with both JJ and her Mom, Sister O’Connor, who are native Lunenbergers, and some of my dearest friends in Nova Scotia. After my hair makeover, 23 Brookdale Crescent was calling me and I was relieved to find my hidden key right where I had left it, so breaking in to check on things was easy!! What a big, empty home with a year full of wonderful, happy memories. It is where I learned how to be a missionary. Bubble gum pink, and fuchsia vista petunias that I planted back in May are thriving and making our Mission home look friendly and inviting…oh, we do miss Nova Scotia…Friends Jim and Vicki Cameron invited us to their Garden Party where we visited with more friends, and had a tour of Vicki’s beautiful garden where lush perennials and shrubs grow. I think her favourite were her Star Gazer lilies, some of which had been freshly chomped by neighbourhood deer. Zone Conference August 7 with Nova Scotia Zone was lovely, and it was so great to see our missionaries - young and senior!! Thoughtful Elder Peterman, and Elder Birch, serving in Cape Breton presented me with three full ziploc bags of white, green, and brown sea glass they had collected from Dominion Beach. Knowing what a gift of service this was, I was overwhelmed at their kindness. Oh - I had a lovely tender mercy before Zone Conference even started…after I dropped Richard off at the Church at 7:45am for more interviews, and realizing I hadn’t taken a photo of the Mission Home in its pink splendour, I headed over to Brookdale Cresent. As I pulled in front of our home, I noticed a red Toyota just in front of me…I wondered if it could be Joanne??  As she opened her car door, and I opened mine,  we both wept…what a happy reunion!! She was on her way to the Office for one last cleaning, but felt prompted to come to the Mission Home first. The Lord is aware of our needs, and the deepest desires of our hearts..I know that. 

Arriving back in Montreal, it was so fun to have visitors! Danielle, Claire, Lucy, and Martine joined us for  Mount Royal Zone Conference on Friday August 9th at Papineau Building, but they were independent tourists who hopped on the subway, on busses, and walked all over Montreal exploring, and seeing many things and places we haven’t even discovered. Pdays if we take them, give us little windows of sightseeing, and we did have a few chances to do that with our guests. 

Saturday Baptisms for Nigerians Tanya, and SisterTai were just lovely. Richard baptized Sister Tai.

Monday marathon office meetings is where we visit with our Seniors, our Office Staff, and all our Zone Leaders, Sister Training Leaders, and our Assistants. Usually we are home around six. 

Tuesday, August 13, 2019 beautiful drive to Ottawa with Danielle, Claire and Lucy..(Martine was visiting her friend judogian Lorraine Methot) 

While Richard conducted interviews, the girls and I drove downtown to ooh and aah over the stunning gothic Parliament Buildings,  and tour the senate in it’s temporary new location at the old, old train station, while the ten year restoration of the original Senate is underway.

Touring the Royal Canadian Mint as a child had an impression on me, and Claire, Lucy and Danielle were just as thrilled!! 

A stop by visit with my Uncle Allen Hicks was fun, although I don’t think he had a clue who I was!! Last year he received an award last year for practising dentistry for 70 years!!!

Light show on the Parliament Buildings Tuesday night was spectacular!!

Wednesday, August 14, 2019 Zone Conference…girls participated… and shared lovely testimonies. 

Sister Booth, from Ottawa told us that she has been providing Zone Conference lunch for 21 years!! And she added that she has not repeated her menus! She even uses cloth tablecloths and has cute centrepieces!! Anyone want to be on my Zone Conference meal preparation when we get home??..it would be so fun!!! 

Thursday we had a Pday, and spent the day playing at Lake of the Two Mountains at Oka Park where we enjoyed a beautiful sandy beach…Claire and Lucy loved jumping, and sliding on the massive astro jump water circuit. Such a fun day together!!

Friday back to the airport to bid farewell to our dear ones, and then for our flight to Newfoundland.

Zone Conference…we have three couples serving - the Bingham’s in Corner Brook, Myrer’s in St. John’s, and Newsome’s in Bay Roberts, as well as ten young missionaries.

Air Canada had oversold their flight back to Montreal so we had to coax and pray to get me on the flight!! I suppose if we hadn’t coaxed it would have been one way to not be able to speak in Sacrament Meeting the next day!!

We were thrilled to hear about the family bikeride/hike in Waterton on Saturday.Thanks for all the great photos…it is on my to do list to have several blown up!!

Our Sunday ‘speaking circuit’ has begun..yesterday we spoke in the combined YSA Branches. Dad gave his entire talk in French…amazing!! He bore his testimony in English, and I did the reverse…spoke in English and bore my testimony in French. Next week we speak in our Mount Royal Ward, as well as in the Mandarin Branch, (where hopefully there are translators!!) 

Excited to welcome our next wave of visitors…Aaron, Jennie, Isabelle, Luke, Maxwell, Charlotte, Jane and Peter tonight!!!! 

We hear wonderful experiences all the time from our young missionaries.   Grab a Kleenex or two as you read the following  experience shared by one of our sweet sisters:

“A really special thing that happened this week was meeting the sweetest little haitian grandma. She was walking on the sidewalk and we decided to go help her walk to wherever she was going, because our lesson had cancelled so we had some extra time. She was walking home from Church and had 2 more blocks to walk. We held her bag for her and she held onto my arm and we started to walk. We couldn't`t go very fast, it`s never taken me so long to walk 2 blocks before, but I learned so much. It wasn't`t the best weather to be walking in and I had remind myself what would Jesus do if he had been here. So I kept smiling and kept walking. I learned the importance of patience, remembering the Saviour, and taking time to enjoy peoples company and really just listening to them. I don`t know how much of an impact if any we had on that sweet old lady who just wanted to sing to “Papa Eternal”, but it left an impact on me. There was a theme we saw last week. That theme was take time to smell the roses. Not literally, but just to take time to be here for the people and not to just teach lessons. Be here to help old ladies walk home, and to help people carry their bags. But most importantly make sure the people here know that we are here for them. To listen, to talk, to help, to be their friend. ”

Isn’t that such a lovely experience that makes you want to be better…me too!!!

“Become One in Christ and Go Forth in Faith” 

has been ringing a true chord as we have presented our vision, and theme for the next two years. Six of our eight Zone Conferences are complete with Montreal  and Quebec City Zones to finish this week. We have been so impressed (again) by the caliber of our missionaries. They seem to be brighter, harder working, more committed, more obedient, happier, and generally on a raised bar. Comments they make as we train are outstanding, and we wonder if we are teaching them… because they certainly have deep testimonies, and amazing understanding  of gospel principles. It is a thrill, and actually exhilarating to interact, and listen to them. Our testimonies of this great gathering work grow daily. 

Cleanliness, dejunking,  and ‘how to clean a shower’ were my first trainings, and I think the magic of lysol toilet bowl cleaner was something new to them!  Hopefully soon they will all have clean tubs and showers!!

I’m going to post this …. It seems to have grown exponentially !!! 

Thanks for reading…we pray for all our dear loved ones, and for dear friends back home.

With Much love

Richard and Gayle, Mom and Dad, Grandpa and Grandma

Miracles continue at 85 Henley Avenue

Thursday, August 1, 2019

Across the street from our Canada Montreal Mission Home located at 85 Henley Avenue in Mount Royal is the ‘Darling Park.’ Wonderful old-fashioned lamp posts make you almost think you are in London with Peter Pan and Wendy flitting about!! Perfect tree-climbing sugar maples, oak, and beech are a few of the hardwoods scattered through the park, with perennial beds and sweeping shrub beds covering the block sized green space.  These Montrealers are gardeners ‘par excellence;’  with pristine annual beds manicured in all parks, and boulevards. Anywhere earth is exposed, trees, shrubs and flowers are blooming. We are in awe of the water truck that dutifully goes up and down the streets and into parks with his massive hose, and spray nozzle watering the precious plants. On our early morning runs we also often see the landscape bobcat vacuum zipping  around sucking up garbage, leaves, plastic bottles and any unsightly trash. ‘Our’ park was Macie’s favourite place to visit..sand, swings, the slide, and other playground equipment kept her occupied as long as her Dad and Mom would let her stay…we loved hearing her coax…pay, pay, pay….or pawk, pawk, pawk!!! (play, play, play or park, park, park) Some of you soccer players will be happy to know the soccer nets are a permanent fixture!! 

Jonathan, Jordan, Brendan, Megan and Macie’s visit was so fun!! We found little snippets of time where together we explored Montreal, but these independent, adventurous tourists decided where they wanted to go, and hopped buses and subway trains to see the sights!! Highlights of our time included visiting and playing at our ward picnic, attending Sunday meetings together, spending an afternoon with the throngs of sunseekers at the sandy Oka Beach park about an hour and a half drive from home, playing board, card and dice games almost every evening, attending MLC together and having each of them participate and share stories of people that had exhibited Christlike attributes, exploring  St. Joseph Basillica, wandering around finding a Portuguese restaurant, exploring the massive Jean Talon market where during the summer months over 300 vendors display and sell their freshly picked garden produce, fresh meats and cheeses, and breathtaking perennials, annuals, and cut flowers. I bought a darling dried German statice posey! 

Four million live in the greater Montreal, and attending the Mount Royal Ward the past three weeks we feel like we are in the United Nations!! It is incredible how inclusive and welcoming the ward members are. A tiny example…every Sunday Sister Hutchinson (who is a legit opera singer) holds sort of a choir practise, but it is to teach folks how to lead the music, and also to teach anyone who attends, the tunes to our hymns. Every week visitors are introduced…many of them ‘friends’ missionaries have found. Last week we met sisters from Egypt and Nigeria!! In 2018 - 23 people were baptized in that ward alone…and 16 already this year..it is incredible!!! Missionaries are so busy, and so happy, which of course makes us so happy too!!

Montreal is such a busy city..traffic is a fact of life pretty much anytime of the day or night so we try to plan our trips around the peak times. Early morning airport runs usually are pretty quick..10 minutes from the mission home, but during rush hour it can take 40 minutes plus! 

Transfer week we received 17 new missionaries, and sent 24 home…this is new for us…I think our record in Halifax was 10 new, and 14 departing!!  Our mission home is much larger and can accommodate the huge groups nicely. 

Meal preparation is multiplied of course…its like feeding a family reunion. Arriving group menus is taco soup which can simmer on the stove for late arrivals which happens more often than naught!  Departing supper has usually been cream chicken, but I’m thinking I’m going to rethink that and do a roast beef dinner. Theresa is very willing to help…I just need to find a window of time to teach her my ways!  She is a pro at laundry, ironing, and making up fresh beds. 

Our Mission Home is beautiful…new carpet is complete, and Facilities Management team continue to find fix it projects; building shelves, hanging bikes, washing inside, and outside windows, power-washing our driveway and patio,  planting shrubs, and helping plan another shrub bed!! Felix is the big boss with Michel Morin as the handyman fix everything guy, and Andre and Johnnie are sidekicks!

Everyday we experience miracles and this week it seemed like we had so many!! Our Monday morning zoom meetings with our Senior missionaries is a highlight and all of them share highlights of their week which always includes tender miracles….(oh how we love and need our MLC missionaries -  this could be a plea for any of you to come serve.) 

We have been so blessed with outstanding Seniors who serve with their whole hearts… .dear friends…the Majeran’s left for home this week, and in two short weeks our dear friends …the Chan’s leave for home - (Elder and Sister Chan made deep-fried wontons for the entire zone as a farewell treat.) Both couples were indeed miracle workers…Majeran’s in the Office and Chan’s in St. Stephen, New Brunswick. Devoted, cheerful, consecrated, covenant keepers describe these folks. 

More miracles…this week we held our first two zone conferences..the first on Wednesday in the Longueuil Sud Zone, (south shore of the St. Lawrence River) and Friday in the Moncton, New Brunswick Zone. Richard interviews each missionary in the zone the day before zone conference, and a miracle is that he completed all his interviews!! Another miracle was how successful we felt the zone conference was. Theme for our next two years is ‘Become One in Christ….Go Forth in Faith,’ and we are so excited to develop zone conference trainings  and MLC trainings all around this theme, which we think is simple, concise, and motivating. 

Chapter Six of Preach My Gospel covers Christlike attributes, and this set of zone conferences my training is focused on ‘Patience.’ Richard trained on our new theme as well as our Elder Hamilton’s finding wheel. We have brilliant missionaries who are engaged, and excited to learn and go forth!! 

I can’t remember if I explained how we have organized our six week transfer cycle here in Montreal?  With eight zones, each week we will have two zone conferences - one in Atlantic Canada, and one here in Quebec or Ontario. So last week we had Longueuil Zone as well as our New Brunswick Zone, and this week we travel to Dartmouth to hold our Nova Scotia Zone Conference, and will be back to hold Conference for the Mount Royal Zone on Friday.  Next week will be Ottawa, and Newfoundlands turn, and the fourth week we will meet with Quebec City Zone, and Montreal Zone. Hope that makes it clear!!  We felt it would be fun each week to have just one ‘air travel’ zone conference, and then a ‘driving’ zone conference.  Our fifth week of the cycle we hold Mission Leadership Council (MLC), and then of course the sixth week is transfer week!! And so it goes…we never have to wonder what we do next…we have it all programmed!! Most days we feel like our clocks are set on perma fast forward… Life as we knew it in Dartmouth is just a dream!!! We love every minute…and I am not being a Pollyanna stating that…we are so anxious for our missionaries to feel success, we are stimulated by our interactions with every one, and we have drive, and feel such purpose to our every day!! And it is so wonderful to serve with consecrated, hard working, cheerful senior missionaries, as well as our young elders and sisters. 

Yesterday we had a super fun p-day travelling about an hour and a half with Elder and Sister Boyle, Sister Petersen and Sister Howe (achivists) to Maxville, Ontario for the Glengarry Highland games! It was like an old time county fair atmosphere with throngs and thongs (1000’s) of folks milling around, many of them in kilts, and bagpipes playing everywhere!! I think they said there were at least 40 pipe and drum bands, and what a thrill to hear the mass band play!! We just loved it!! One big room had fiddlers just fiddling away, and that was fun, but my favourite of course, took me back a few years to Megan’s competing days, as I happily tapped my toes watching highland dancers compete in the Seann Truibhaus. Fabulous dancers from all across Canada and the USA compete, and they were amazing!!

And now I see I have been rambling for almost five pages but before I sign off I must share our highlight of the week!! 

Forty five years ago when Richard was serving his first mission here, his first area of service was St. Hyancinthe where he laboured with Elder Chuck Shugart who was his trainer. They taught a Sister Gabrielle Leclerc Hayward, who was baptized along with her three oldest children(and the younger two were baptized when they were eight.) Last night Elder Shugart and his wife Ronna flew in from Yellowgrass, Saskatchewan, and today the four of us went to the Greenfield Park Ward, and had a wonderful reunion with Sister Hayward, and her husband Daniel. And now in a few minutes they will all be here for dinner with us. Full circle!! What a thrill to have testimony meeting today, and hear the Hayward’s bear their witness, as well as the two missionaries that taught them. A story for the Church News!!  Another mission miracle!!

And so goes our lives in the Canada Montreal Mission. It is an honour and privilege to serve and share the joy of the gospel with members and non-members alike. 

I know our Mothers will be happy to read this epistle, and someday I will be happy to read and remember this amazing chapter of our lives...sorry it is soooo long!!

I’ll post this, and send our love to you…thanks for reading!! 
Keep Smiling!!! and CTR!!

Richard and Gayle, Dad and Mom, Grandpa and Grandma