Happy Chinese New Year and other Adventures!!

Today is Sunday, January 26, 2020

and Tuesday the 28th we wish Happy 28th Golden Birthday to Megan!!

As we reflect on the past 28 years, we are so thankful for the blessing all our amazing children have been in our lives, along with their spouses, and this week we honour Megan!!! Each birthday we are reminded of the happiness of those milestone days so long ago, and we celebrate!!

Another week in the Canada Montreal Mission has flown by leaving in its wake lovely experiences and great memories!

Tuesday and Wednesday evenings, both Richard and I felt like real missionaries as we each got to go out with Elder and Sister teams. Because of the size of Montreal, and how spread out everyone is, it is a huge challenge to meet up, but, Tuesday night Sister Edwards and DeBarcellos organized to pick me up, and take me to visit wife Joseline(from Philippines) and her husband Rudy(from Nicaragua). The sisters have been teaching this cute couple for about a month, and they are so interested in the Church, but attending meetings on Sunday isn’t working for them, because in addition to holding weekday full-time jobs; for the next six weeks, on Sunday, they are attending school to learn how to run their own business.  At one point in our visit, Rudy was asking about the Holy Ghost….he said Ghost? So we testified of the power of the Spirit, and taught… I shared my profound experience where I listened to the strong promptings of the Spirit, and we were blessed to save Jonathan’s life! I never can share that experience without getting very emotional..Next to the Gift of the Atonement, I know the gift of the Holy Ghost is the greatest gift we ever receive! I was honoured to share my testimony of the Plan of Salvation. What a great visit!! Tai, our friend that was baptized in August lives upstairs in the same building as Joseline and Rudy, so after our visit with them, we made a surprise visit. Tai was really over the moon excited to have us pop in, and was so anxious to remind me of Malik’s baby blessing this next Sunday!! We will host a special dinner afterwards to celebrate! I loved my evening with Sisters Edwards, and DeBarcellos!!

Richard had a great evening with our Assistants - Elders Musallo and Nally, teaching and contacting! 

Again Wednesday evening we were with out with wonderful teams. Sisters Vargas, and Wdaa picked me up, and we made the half hour drive across the city to meet Shade (pronounced Shad - eh) and her son Joel. Twelve year old Joel was baptized several weeks ago and his testimony is just incredible!! We were talking about the power of scripture reading, and Joel reported that he had read the first two stories in his picture scripture book. His favourite was the one about Joseph Smith going into the forest and praying. I wondered how many times he had read the story because he knew every detail!! We watched the “Ask of God” short video clip which was a perfect segway from Joel’s scripture reading experience. Shade and Joel are also reading the entire Book of Mormon together, and she shared her sweet miracle... They are immigrants from Nigeria, and Shade’s work visa expired in December so she has not been working. Someone in her work place knew of her plight, made the necessary calls, and Wednesday she received word that her work visa has been extended, and she was to return to work Thursday. She knew this little miracle was because of her reading the Book of Mormon. I sure hope they made it to Church today. 

Richard got to go contacting with Elders Christopherson and Guerra, and also had a wonderful evening, teaching and testifying!

Maybe I have already raved about the devotion of members, and ‘friends’ (we used to call them investigators!) getting to Church. Most folks do not have cars so they bus and metro everywhere!! They just plan an extra hour or so travel time to get where they need to go…Church or wherever!! It is just what they do.  It has made us think about our luxurious little eleven minute jaunt from West Lethbridge to our Westminster Ward!! 

How can we consecrate more? We have learned so much about consecration from saints all across our Mission.  Lessons about unconditional Christlike love, about ministering, about sacrifice, about faith amidst adversity, about humility, about selfless service, and about not judging are some of our favourites. We know there are many more. We are so grateful for all we are learning, and the growth we are experiencing.  

Yesterday our friends Mike and Sandy Wong from Granby invited all 23 of our local Senior missionaries to be their guests at a Chinese New Year Dim Sum celebration!! Maybe you have been?! A huge banquet hall was packed with around 500-750 folks all seated (10-12) at each round table. White chair covers, lace tablecloths, snazzy chandeliers, and a big, beautiful red stage backdrop with Chinese lettering gave the room an air of elegance.  And then the food started;  waitresses wheeled around these little carts with bamboo lidded bowls with steaming hot fancy Chinese food - (nothing like the Mandarin or New Dynasty.) Both Mike and Sandy who speak fluent Chinese selected our dishes, and as the bamboo bowls were passed around, we would take our little sample, and pass the bowl along. It was a delightful culinary experience, where we ate pork, chicken and beef, and who knows what else!! It was delicious, and we came away stuffed!! 

P-day yesterday also included getting to enjoy a fun diversion and check one of our Village de Value shops!  I splurged on a $17.99 beautiful hand knit cream-coloured lacy afghan, which looks elegant across the bottom of our General Authority bed!! 

We also pulled out our aquarelles and relaxed with paintbrush in hand!! Richard’s PEI lupine painting is a masterpiece, and I’m still attempting my hand at flowers! 

Driving to Trois Rivieres this morning was like driving through winter wonderland because a fresh snowfall blanketed the earth, and the dense forests were magical! Highways were mostly clear so driving was great! About 40 attended the Sabbath meetings there, including Elders Gessell and Passe Carlus, who are obedient, hardworking, great missionaries!!   My temoignage is getting easier, and Richard’s twenty minute talk was wonderful! 

Great News..Evelyn Maeser my new MTC French tutor emailed me, and tomorrow she is going to help my gift of tongues kick into gear!!! Exciting!!

I am determined to step up my parlezing!! 

Richard just finished his LTP’s and here are a few miracles!! Enjoy!!

January 26 mission miracles

Sister Twitchell and Sister Atkins in Longueuil:

Thursday afternoon, after we got back to our area, we went out to try and contact a former who ended up not being there. As an act of faith, we decided to knock the rest of the apartments in the building to see if anyone was interested. The first door that opened was a lady that immediately invited us in and wanted to hear all about our message! She is from a Muslim country but she went against her family tradition and discovered that she believed in Christ. After we taught her and were about to leave, she told us that two days before the Elders had knocked on her door. She didn't invite them in, but she told them they could come back some other time. But that night, she kept feeling like she had send away messengers from God. She prayed for a second chance, and we knocked on her door the very next day! It was an amazing miracle and we got the opportunity to testify that God really does know her and hears her prayers. It was so amazing to feel like we were being used as an instrument in His hands. We taught her again the next day and we will see her again on Saturday.

Sister Lazo in Victoria, Longueuil:

During the HTBT we talked about what we do as missionaries then we received another prompting to share about the BOM. 

SO we ask her if she has heard about the BOM ??? 

and she kinda of look frazzled at that time and the she runs to a desk area of her roommates and she goes RUNS TO get A BOOK AND SHE SAYS THIS ONE ????? and it was a Book of Mormon !!! 

She said that she had just seen it that day . She was just crying and she said that last prayer crying . It was just so beautiful to hear and see !!!!! 

Made me think about if I am really following all of my spiritual promptings or if I am holding back . 

Thanks president low for all that you and sister low do !!

Love you both !

One miracle happened yesterday with sister McGEE, we went to La Chine(a part of our area) we went to a former that was in area book and we did not have success and then we went to another address that we found in area book, we went there and in that moment someone open the door of that building and it was a chance for us to enter and knock the door of this woman and she opened the door, saw our name tags and let us enter to her house, at the beginning was a little bit weird but then we sat down in her sofa and we asked how was her week, basically we asked about her life, we think that she trusted us and then we asked if we could say a prayer and she said yes! We said a prayer and we started talking about our message of Jesus Christ and about the book of Mormon and she felt confident to asked a lot of questions. We really felt the spirit we taught her about the book of mormon, Jesus Christ when he visited the Americas and about Joseph Smith, it was late and we has to go home but we fixed an appointment for next week and we asked her to read in the book of Mormon. That was super special for me and sister McGEE. 

Miracle from Laurier YSA Sisters Shaw and Remington:

This week has been so amazing and we have seen so many amazing things happen!! On Saturday we had a dinner at the senior couple's apartment with our friend Hemmy, and we had another appointment with someone who lived about an 30 minutes away by car right after. So knowing that our appointment was right after and that it would take us an hour by metro or 30 minutes by car to get to this appointment we decided that we needed to use the car. However, the elders had the car. So we ended up being about 20 minutes late for our dinner because we had to figure out how we were going to get the car from the elders. But, the timing couldn't have been any more perfect because while we were walking to the apartment building for dinner this man came up to us and literally contacted us. He used all the same tactics that we use as missionaries to start conversations. He started with a compliment, asked where we were from, and then he started asking us about the church, and told us that he was interested in learning more. We literally didn’t even have to say anything about the church. He walked up to us, saw our name tags, and then told us that he has heard of the church and that he was interested. It was so great. But then it gets better, so we get in the elevator right after talking with this man, and this lady starts talking to us. She said that she had seen missionaries before, and always wondered what they did. We talked with her about the restoration, and then got a return appointment for in a couple weeks. IT WAS SO AMAZING!! we were so worried about being late, but we ended up being right where we need to be!! Its great how Gods timing works!! His hand is literally in everything!! 

Submitting this with love from: 85 Henley Avenue, Ville Mont Royal, Quebec

Dad and Mom, Richard and Gayle, Grandpa and Grandma xoxoxoxox…

CTR and Keep Smiling!!!

Montreal Mission Miracles

Today is Monday, January 19, 2020

Friday the 17th we celebrated Walker’s 12th Birthday, and tomorrow the 21st we celebrate Haysten’s 6th Birthday!! Happy Birthday!!!

We travelled over to the Papineau Building yesterday to attend the Hochelaga Ward Meetings. Richard said that the Hochleaga Branch was the first, and only French-speaking branch on the island of Montreal when he was here from 1973-1975, so again it was a thrill to be amongst a ward of Saints. I appreciate Richard’s soft whispered translating, and although I do understand some of what is said, I don’t get it all, so having a translator whisper in my ear is great! (A little aside…my second French MTC tutor Lavender, got married the end of December, and I was assigned a new tutor named Evelyn, but, I think she must have quit, because I haven’t heard from her….c’est la vie!! I’m going to try to have my own Language Study everyday, with maybe Richard tutoring?! I still do pray in French, but when I don’t know the words, I occasionally throw in English. I think that is called Franglish!!) Anyway I am trying!!

Elder Nipko, one of our fairly new missionaries,  was asked to play the piano for Sacrament Meeting in the Hochelaga Ward, and the good fellow marched up and was diligently trying to plunk away the prelude hymn with his right hand. I could tell he was a little flustered so I marched up to his rescue. It seemed like I had bazillion little mistakes. I finally realized I just couldn’t see what I was supposed to play.. Although I knew the hymn, for the life of me I couldn’t read the notes or the words as fast as they were sung, and then I couldn’t even find where I was supposed to be!! The closing hymn was “Oh j’ai besoin de Toi” - “I Need Thee Every Hour - (boy is that ever true!) And then… after Sacrament Meeting, Sister Swensen, a Senior Missionary told me there were two very capable pianists sitting right in the congregation who won’t play!! Oh brother!! 

I loved this miraculous story Brother Garon, our ‘Come Follow Me’ discussion leader shared about how he was introduced to the gospel.. Twenty-five years ago while dropping his young daughter off at daycare, he realized they had forgotten her shoes, so.. they turned around and returned home. As they were driving past the University of Montreal, which is near his home, he noticed the corner of a blue book sticking out of a snowdrift. He felt prompted to stop and retrieve the book. Brushing the snow off the cover and discovering it was the Book of Mormon, began his conversion journey. His visual aid was the very water-damaged copy of the Book of Mormon he found that day!

Saturday we attended the lovely Baptism of Raky Adom, a darling gal from the Ivory Coast who with her boyfriend are here on student visas.  Sister Murray and Sister Scott started teaching her back in July. So, for almost seven months they have worked, and taught, and taught. Raky’s (pronounced Rocky) boyfriend joined the Church in the Ivory Coast, but was less active. Because they were living together, the sisters taught that before she could be baptized she needed to be married.  Raky accepted that, and just imagine the excitement Saturday morning when Raky married her boyfriend Parfait, and then…..Saturday afternoon she was baptized!! She was just giddy as she came out of the water…it was so cute!! 

Canada Montreal Temple in January 2021 is their next goal!!! 

And that reminds me of our exciting  phonecall!! Ken and Kathy Eldershaw, and Stephen Creelman, our dear friends from Dartmouth who joined the Church last year are going through the Temple for the first time ,Thursday, March 5th!! Temple Preparation course is almost complete and all three are so thrilled to be reaching this milestone in their conversion progression!! Kathy called to see when we would be in Nova Scotia so we could be with them, and I was touched and thrilled when she asked me to be her Escort. 

Our six missionaries in Newfoundland are very well, and accounted for…in case you have been following the crazy, record-breaking “Storm of the Century” there. Check it out on the internet if you haven’t already seen!! Before we even knew about the storm we received an email from the Missionary Department, who had received instruction from the First Presidency asking for a report from us, on how our missionaries were prepared for the arrival of the storm. Incredible!!

Week Six (Transfer week) last week was a marathon!! Our group of ten new missionaries arrived in good order and on time Tuesday evening, Wednesday was orientation at the Office, with welcome supper back at the Mission Home. Thursday new missionaries met their new companions either here, or they hop a bus or plane to travel to their first area where their companion is excitedly waiting their arrival!! Our January 14th group include: Sisters Gay, Goodwin, Hiatt, Irazoqui, Vaiho, and Elders Chartrand, Estrada, Garrett, Lacy, Zhou. When we receive photos and info packets about each missionary, we prayerfully consider where each of our new group should serve, and with whom. It is quite the process. Who speaks which language…French, English, Spanish or Mandarin, how long the senior companion has served in an area..etc. etc. ??There are so many considerations and it is really a miracle to see how these companions are just right. Occasionally we do have to make emergency transfers, but generally it all works out. 

Thursday afternoon four departing missionaries Sisters Arfouilloux, Chonger, and Nelson and Elder Groneman arrived. Farewell dinner attendees included departing missionaries as well as our outstanding Office missionaries. Temple session at seven thirty was great, and in the celestial room we saw a lovely finale to Sister Arfouilloux’s mission. She is from a tiny village about an hour from Bordeaux, France where, ten years ago, her family joined the Church.  The missionary who helped teach and baptize her family is Quebecois, and he was in the session!!  She had not seen him since she was baptized, so that was a big thrill for both of them….(and all of us, that watched!!) 

Yesterday after our experience in Hochelaga, we came home for a few hours, and then drove to Laval where Uncle Don Crawford, and his wife Annette live. Annette prepared a beautiful, Quebecois gourmet dinner with local specialities like tortiere, french green beans, and sugar pie. Food was yummy, but it was great to have a wonderful visit with Uncle Don, and Annette. 

Hearing brief reports from our senior missionaries where they share highlights of their weeks is always a great way to start our Monday mornings. From shovelling snow, to ministering to folks in hospitals and seniors lodges, members, and friends, to teaching English classes, to serving at soup kitchens, to working in thrift stores, to contributing articles to newspapers, they are so creative in their MLS service, and we always come away so inspired!! We are losing 15 of these amazing couples in the next eight months… so anyone reading this who might know someone who would love an adventure of a lifetime, contact ME!!! 

Following are some Canada Montreal Miracles:

Greenfield Park Elders: 

This week has really been a continuation of the miracles that have happened last week. We've been able to visit with our two Angolan friends quite frequently, and they are pretty serious about the church. One of them straight up asked us "how do i become a member of this church" while the other contacted his family in Angola and told them to find our church there to attend (Will be a cool missionary moment for the missionaries there!). They are going to come to church pretty regularly, so that is exciting.

The only thing that was a small disappointment was the ice storm, we had quite a lot of people we expected to go to church, but it was cancelled. At least we know they'll be there next Sunday!

Drummondville Sisters:

The third miracle happened on Monday night. Our lesson fell through again, but we felt impressed to go by a former which was strange since we have not had much success in that area lately. The former wasn't interested but we did find a new friend! She is SO COOL, she just got here from The Ivory Coast after trying for 7 years to join her husband who was waiting here in Canada, she was taught by missionaries there before enough for her to immediately want us to come back the same time next week and teach her more!! She is so solid! It's not often someone gives us the specific times they're most available like that! 

The fourth miracle, we left our keys in the apartment last night and had to pick our own lock to get inside! After checking the car 5 times calling the Elders for instructions (but they didn't pick up) and trying the card and bobby pin method by a miracle we taught ourselves to pick a lock!! 

Laval Sisters:

During a lesson, I testified that I knew the BOM was true and our sweet friend just kind of got washed over by the spirit. She was so happy and she told us that it showed her that we cared a lot about her to share something so special and important to us, all for the sole purpose of improving her life. Then, she called us up later that day to thank us again for sharing our testimonies! I'd never had anyone so excited about testimony before, but it goes to show that when the spirit is present it can really touch peoples' hearts. It was really humbling and heart-softening, and she has been progressing so much! I hope she will soon be ready for baptism! (This is Lysanne :) )

Halifax Sisters:

Oh yeah, one little miracle I wanted to share. We had an amazing lesson this week with someone we've been teaching named Mike. We brought Joan, the best YSA member missionary ever. She bore her testimony and after she finished Mike told us that he wouldn't normally have believed what she had testified about. But he told us that a year prior to meeting us he remembers being on the bus and seeing Joan walking on to the bus in her red coat smiling a big, genuine smile at him. Because of that experience a year ago he said he trusted her enough to believe her testimony. Just because that smile made such an impact on him!

Sometimes we might not feel like we have anything to contribute in the church or in the world, but I know that if a little smile can go so far to help build God's kingdom, every time we intentionally are striving to help the work move forward, miracles will happen! Even if we never get to see the harvest!

Fredericton Sisters:

This week we officially started teaching 6 new people! Some of them are in our apartment building and the other 3 are people we found! We have been teaching a lot of people I feel like so I am so excited to see what will be happening with them. Albert was also baptized on Saturday and it was so amazing to see him getting baptized. Because of the weather on Sunday only 9 people, including Sister Mavy and I, were at church and Albert was too! He was super excited about getting the gift of the Holy Ghost so he said he had to come! He was so happy and our lesson with him last night was awesome too. He already got an account for Family History and he can't wait to get a temple recommend to do his family names! I have just loved getting to know him and seeing him progress, and how much the ward loves him! 

Ernest came to Albert's baptism and he loved it! We have a girl getting baptized in the ward this Saturday and he told us he is bringing his whole family! I really hope they come because his wife and son need to experience seeing what a baptism is like because the feelings are just so strong. I have really good feelings for him and his family! Something good is going to happen and it will be in this transfer, I just know it! 

Montreal East Sisters:

We are currently teaching this cute family that has 3 girls one who is INCREDIBLY hyper and 1 little boy, it is so hard to keep everyone calmed down and really invite the spirit but we do our very best. At the end of our lesson we felt a little whipped, because... as we try to testify of the first vision, our hair is being pulled, and our bags are being dug through... lol not an exaggeration. But at the end, we invited V----- who is 10 to pray and she gave such a beautiful prayer, and then all 3 of them tackled us with a HUGE hug! Just a few beautiful Haitian girls who somehow love these random american girls. I left the house feeling really happy and genuinely loved, while questioning how these girls have so much love for someone they don`t really know... the conclusion didn`t come for a couple days after a different experience.

We walked out of a lesson and noticed a woman with her hands FULL of groceries and two little kids, we offered to help and she politely said she was alright but we kinda ignored it and just grabbed the groceries, we shuffled more in from the car, and then helped her carry them into her apartment. As we laid the last set of groceries on the ground the kids pulled and tugged wanting to show us different toys and puzzles we soon found ourselves on the floor putting together puzzles while listening to this woman’s story, I cannot comprehend the things this woman has endured and how much she has done for her kids, independently. I sat on her kitchen floor amazed, inspired, and again questioning why people just trust and open up to us. When we left her apartment I walked out the door in awe, Who gets to drop all their plans on a Friday night to carry in groceries, and listen to someones life story?Such sweet, optimistic missionaries who are looking, and finding miracles everyday.  Such a lesson for each of us…we just need to look Their examples certainly motivate and inspire us!! 

We continue to be so grateful for this opportunity to serve, and LOVE missionaries, and all the people around us. We are so inspired by their work ethic, their obedience, their love of the people, and by their testimonies and love of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. No better way to grow up than by serving a Mission!! 

Thank you for your love and prayers for the missionaries! 

Have a wonderful week!

with much love,

Dad and Mom, Grandpa and Grandma, and Richard and Gayle

Keep Smiling!!!

HAPPY, HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

Today is Monday, January 13, 2020

Happy New Year to all our of you…our dear Family and Friends,

How exciting to begin a brand new year, as well as a brand new decade!! Our New Years goal list is still a work in progress!! 

Celebrating New Years at the Mission Home with many of our Senior couples was so much fun!!Googling “10 best Chinese food spots in Montreal”, we found a great restaurant a quick five minute drive from home…soooo our main course was slick!!! Seniors brought snacks and treats, and we indulged till we were too tired, or too full to eat another bite!! It was wonderful to be together eating, relaxing, visiting, and playing games!!

A great time was had by all!! We are SO grateful for our Senior missionaries who serve cheerfully, creatively, willingly, and are down to earth, delightful folks from all over the USA, and Canada!!      

One of our Holiday Highlights was our zoom call with our dear children where we talked about how we can ‘Come Follow Me.’  Visiting with each other and seeing all 14 of you laughing and being together certainly strengthened us!!! Thank you.

A few Pday activities to report on…last week we drove about forty-five minutes out in the country, near St. Jean to one of my favourite gardening centres.  Their smallish selection of indoor plants including some cute succulents called to me, and since we had an empty terracotta planter back home, we bought three cute plants to fill the pot!  Spring is definitely not in the air, but the next time we visit ‘Ferme Guyon' it will be!!

Down the road about fifteen minutes from the gardening centre is Chambly, one of the oldest settlements in Quebec. In 1665, Captain Jacques de Chambly who was a French army officer and leader, built, right beside the Richelieu River, a wooden stockade, which was destroyed by the Iroquois Indians in 1702. Later it was rebuilt in stone, and in 1760 it was surrendered to the British. The fort, which is a National Historic site played an important part during the American invasion of 1775, and during the War of 1812.  A brisk north wind blew as we hiked around the sturdy, stone walls, and in our mind’s eye it was easy to imagine the French, British, and Americans battling on land and in the turbulent Richelieu rapids trying to gain control of this strategically important fort.  Visiting these old historical sites sure makes me wish I could recall Social Studies curriculum - especially Canadian history from so long ago!! 

And this past P-Friday  we each logged about 16,000 steps tripping up and down subway stairs, running to bus stops, and exploring floors, and floors of art galleries.  With the EXO train line running through Mount Royal (yes through the mountain)and knowing that line is closing in March, (for several years,) we have been anxious to hop aboard and explore more of our Montreal.  The EXO train ride, a metro-train ride, and a brisk walk had us arrive at our first destination; the Vincent Van Gogh art exhibit, and it was unlike anything we have experienced - (and by the way we have not experienced very many art galleries!!)  Let me try and explain…imagine the UofL big gym with walls where the bleachers are, and then projected on those massive walls, and on the cement floor, the incredible paintings of the master Vincent Van Gogh. And, add to that, hauntingly beautiful classical music of impressionist composers like Offenbach,  playing in the background. It was beautiful!!  One couple we watched were really letting the music and art inspire them and took to doing their very own impressionistic dancing!! Throngs of artists, including school bus loads of field trip students each paid their $30.00 to be inspired by the exhibit.  So…it really was not going to a gallery and seeing first hand original pieces of art, but,  it was inspiring to see some amazing Van Gogh creativity. Most of his work was done in oil on canvas,  and as the art was projected so massively we could see every brush stroke! My favourite pieces were his flowers and gardens!! (of course!!) Dad loved the Starry Night Sky. We came home, and researched a bit about the sizes of the pieces we had seen, and none of them seemed to be bigger than 20X30, so exploding them and projecting them on huge walls was brilliant, and inspiring!

From there we hopped on a bus, and headed to Musee des Beaux Arts where the Egyptian Mummy exhibit is on display until March. We did want to see those mummies,, but included in our entrance fee were all five galleries, so we walked, and walked and walked.  We saw so much beautiful art, much of it very, very old…but we were most excited to see two original Monet’s!!  

As inspired as we were with the incredible oil painters, we both came away very happy playing with our watercolours!!

Yesterday our Church was cancelled because of an ice storm. Back in Nova Scotia we experienced unusual weather including a few ice storms, but Quebec ice storms take their ice storms to a new level!! Richard described it like walking on styrofoam with ice below, and on top!! Snowstorms are magical!! Snowflakes are the kind you see in movies, and the snow piles and piles!! Since most Montrealers do not own cars they get everywhere walking, cycling, busing or using the metro, and today going to the Mission Office we saw runners and cyclists risking their lives on the sleet, ice and snow! Hardy folk!! Families skate, and actually go to the neighbourhood parks even when there is tons of snow everywhere!! It is so fun!! When it is bitterly freezing outside they do stay home!! 

And now lest you think we have taken a holiday from what we really are about, let me share a few inspiring letters from the field!

Greenfield Park Elders:

“Next is that we found a couple of guys that have just recently immigrated from Angola. Their families are still there, but long story short one of them was a preacher of a congregation and was threatened by their version of the mafia to have his congregation to vote for a specific person. After that he fled to here, and was looking for a church. They were invited to church, and they absolutely loved it. One of my favorite comments was from one of the men and he said "my church was similar, but we had to pay 10% of our income every Sunday... I don't see that here". So then of course we were able to talk to him about the Law of Tithing of all things! They also happened to sit next to a Portuguese speaking member in Sunday School, and he was able to teach them part of the beginnings of the Book of Mormon with them in their native language..perfect.

Anyways, I'll update you more on that next week as we will be meeting with them on Saturday.” 

Fredericton sisters story:

“On New Years Day we had a good amount of fresh snow and decided to go out and ask people if we could help them shovel. We first decided to help an elderly member whose husband was in the hospital. While driving there we saw a man with a big long driveway shovelling by hand. We went and helped the member and on the way back stopped and asked if we could help him. He was glad to let us help and talked to us the whole time! Him and his wife then invited us in for a little bit to warm up and told us that it would be okay if we stopped by again sometime to share a message with them. We haven't yet but are excited to meet with them again!

Alberts baptism is this coming Saturday and a lot of the ward members have said they want to come and even one of the people we are teaching, Ernest said that he would love to come! “

Montreal East sisters:

“I wanted to share one of my humbling experiences with you!! You see Sr Lacroix the relief society President she asked us to take some goodies to a family in the branch and me being the selfish bum I am was worried about our klick limit.... But we made it work. Anyway we finally get there and we walk in and it did not smell good, it wasn't the cleanest place in the world, but then I sat down next to this woman and really got to know her and wow. Wow is all I have to say. She's been living here in Canada for 4 years, with her 3 kids, her other 2 are still in Haiti, and her husband. They don't know when they will see each other, they don't know when their paperwork will come through, they just know that one day God will answer their prayers. Wow. I was floored. The people here have such incredible faith. I grew to have so much love for this woman. We soon had the kids open the present that to me was just some chocolates, but as they opened it their eyes got big, and they started jumping up and down. This was their only Christmas gift. We stayed a few more mins laughing and playing at one point I teasingly reached to grab a piece. This beautiful brown eyed Haitian 6 year old looks at me, smiles and breaks off half of his candy bar, my heart was full as well as my eyes this little boy had just this and he was going to share it all. As i walked out of that humble home I thought of other little boys I knew back home, I thought of myself, would I give all I have when what I have is nothing in comparison? This is what Christ meant when he said we need to be like children. 

I am just continually inspired by the faith of the members here! “

Week Six means Transfer Week!!!  Exciting because  tomorrow we receive 10 new missionaries - 5 sisters, and 5 Elders!! Taco soup, and buns!! Wednesday welcome ham feast, and orientation, and Thursday our four departing missionaries arrive from all over the Mission, and we will have our traditional farewell dinner, Temple Session, and testimony meeting, and then Friday morning we begin our goodbyes. Richard reminded me that this is our 13th Transfer Week…oh my goodness!! 

One of my spiritual highlights of the week…

I am so grateful for what we believe, and what we teach…our Heavenly Father loves us and has provided a beautiful plan that gives us PEACE, JOY and HOPE. 

Tonight we just heard that one of our senior couples…Elder Paul and Sister Susan Welton from Lehi, Utah just got word that their thirty eight year old daughter ‘Megan Elizabeth Welton’ unexpectedly passed away. She had been sick, had been checked out, and sent home. Here is what Sister Welton’s Facebook post reads: “Megan is a bright light that cannot be dimmed, but will just become brighter. We are so very sad. this hurts so much but we don’t feel alone. The Comforter is real and our faith is strong. We trust Heavenly Father’s perfect plan. Thank you for mourning with us. We feel the power of your faith and prayers. I didn’t know we could cry this many tears. We love you all.”

We are grateful for our knowledge, and testimonies of that perfect plan, and that “Families Can Be Together Forever through Heavenly Father’s Plan.” We know that. 

I’ll post this sending much love,

Dad and Mom, Richard and Gayle and Grandpa and Grandma XOXOXOXOXOXO

Keep Smiling!!!!