Today is Sunday, November 17, 2019
Wow…another amazing week here in the Canada Montreal Mission!!!
Monday Office meetings were wonderful, and they flew by as we anticipated heading to the airport to pick up Elder and Sister Bassett. Aromas of freshly baked buns and turkey soup wafted through the Mission Home, but with a weather delay in Detroit, we didn’t get home from the airport until around two am, and of course at that hour no one feels like eating!!
Elder Bassett is in our North America North East Area Presidency, and with Sister Bassett came to do a Mission tour, which included attending our MLC, as well as all Zone Conferences.
Elder and Sister Bassett just returned in August, from three years serving in the Brazil Area Presidency, (where they both learned to speak Portuguese!!) Before that, they served as Mission President and companion in the Arizona Mesa Mission, so…they are both super capable, and inspired, motivational teachers.
Tuesday, zone leaders, sister training leaders, and assistants gathered at our Mission Office for MLC teaching by Elder Bassett. Logistically it is a huge deal to gather everyone for this meeting. Car, bus, train and plane are the modes of transportation, and reservations must be made for bus, and plane tickets. I am so grateful we have capable missionaries that take care of all that!!
It is a ton of work!!
Wednesday, Mount Royal, Montreal, Longueuil Sud, Longueuil Nord, and Ottawa Zones all converged at the LaSalle Building for our five zone mega conference, which was amazing. Elders and Sisters love to gather, and the synergy is palatable!! And food is something they all look forward to!! Sister Glowa - the Stake President’s wife cooked yummy taco salad for the 150 of us!! From Montreal we flew to Moncton, New Brunswick.
Thursday, Moncton Zone Conference which includes all of New Brunswick and PEI, joined us for wonderful training. Sister Taylor and her crew served a turkey dinner with all the trimmings for the hungry group. Months ago when we received direction to not rely on ward members to feed us, we approached Sister Taylor to tell her we would just order pizza, and she would hear none of that…she is the second generation of Taylor's to feed missionaries! After our zone teachings, Elder and Sister Bassett were thrilled to sight-see for a couple of hours and tour the back woods of New Brunswick and see the Bay of Fundy! Then another flight…this time to Halifax, Nova Scotia!!
Friday, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland Zones gathered at the Dartmouth Stake Centre for our final zone conference of this six week cycle. Oh, how we love Nova Scotia, and how we love our missionaries… in all eight zones, and, zone conferences are such a highlight for us….and for them!! Sister Spinney’s cafe rio menu was delicious, and again how the time flew!! Elder and Sister Bassett are master teachers and kept us spellbound. A quick trip out to Peggy’s Cove, was great fun…we even coaxed the sun to peek out for a few minutes!! Our Atlantic was in fine form churning and splashing the coastline, and the sky was alive with huge cumulo nimbus clouds threatening to burst!! Bundling for such weather has become second nature for us, so we barely felt the cold!! Sou’wester, the restaurant at the Cove, served up a fine bowl of seafood chowder, and gingerbread cake dwazzled with warm lemon sauce that warmed our innards was a perfect send-off meal for the Bassetts. We were back to the airport in time to bid farewell to our new dear friends who headed off to Toronto for a Stake Conference, and another Mission tour, and we were off to Newfoundland for a Baptism.
Elder Bassett taught us that we are teaching….not training. Dogs are trained….missionaries are taught!! I’ll include in point form, a summary of some of his and Sister Bassett’s teachings:
*Alma 8:15 “Lift up your head - don’t be discouraged - have faith and confidence.
*Our call as leaders is to give encouragements - a call to lift up.
*When we are assembled we instruct, edify and act.
*We learn through our minds and our hearts.
*We plan, and study to teach PEOPLE.
*Show we are real people…we are genuine.
*Start a lesson with a song.
*Keep repenting, keep correcting.
*We are good people….becoming better.
*We partake of the sacrament to become clean.
*We need the sacrament to become clean.
*Mosiah 18 - the biggest baptismal service ever!!..
* How do we have our hearts knit together?
*All we are doing is real - all part of the plan.
*We use the Atonement daily as we pray.
*Understand the Plan of Salvation - know and teach it!
*Have a daily spiritual manifestation.
*D&C 128:22 shall we not go forth…courage brethren..and on and on.
*What does it feel like to wear the name tag?
*Sacrifice brings forth the blessings of heaven.
*Sacrifice is an eternal principle.
*Be willing to sacrifice for Him.
*Be the kind of missionary your mother thinks you are.
*We choose our attitude.
*Our Mission is a gift we put on the altar….. and I’m giving it willingly.
* “Abraham needed to learn something about Abraham” President Hugh B. Brown when on Mt. Moriah and was asked why Abraham was commanded to sacrifice Isaac.)
- President Nelson taught.. “When teaching, begin with the End (Endowment) in mind.”
- Where are my Waters of Mormon?
- Teach PEOPLE…not lessons…Bonnie Oscarson
- ‘He’ is what we are all about.
- You are His ambassadors.
- We Love Him because He loved us first.
- Preach the word ‘by the way.’
- Never judge your success by the choice of others.
- This is an opportunity for you.. to show God you love Him more.
- What kind of a mission do you want….a ‘Nephi' mission or a ‘Laman and Lemuel’ mission?
- “I gave up something I loved for the God I loved even more.” story told by President Monson about a man named Benjamin Landert.
Our quick jaunt over to Newfoundland to witness Zayhef Al-Sabahi’s baptism was a thrill. Jonathan had been his Young Men President so we felt like we represented he and Jordan, supporting the Burton’s and Zayhef. Great branch support with probably sixty in attendance. Zayhef’s best friend and his Mom were there, and she stated she had never felt such a spiritual feeling…they loved it, and committed to attend meetings today!!
Tonight it was fun to FaceTime with Bob, Jan, D’Arcey, Jeff, Donna, Caitlyn, Brent, Celeste, Nancy and Mom. Of course the ‘elephant in the room’ loomed about, as we skirted around Mom’s lymphoma diagnosis. Not knowing when chemo or radiation will begin makes it difficult to actually plan, but we are all so blessed to have such a loving, caring, supportive family. Everyone will rally around and minister, just like she has taught us… thanks Mom…and thank you all for being on the front line…..I will add that for us…this is the hardest part of being on a Mission…
Love to you all from 85 Henley Avenue, Ville de Mont Royal, Quebec
Richard and Gayle, Dad and Mom, Grandpa and Grandma
CTR and Keep Smiling!!!
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