Birthday Week!!

Today is Sunday, May 31, 2020

Tomorrow as we flip our calendars to June, we will be scratching our heads wondering where the month of May went?? We have enjoyed another delightful week here in the Canada Montreal Mission, and although we aren’t travelling to visit missionaries all over the mission, we are so grateful for Zoom technology that enables us to see and hear their voices as we interview and carry on with our normal meetings. ‘Things’ with COVID have loosened up a bit here…playgrounds and tattoo parlours are now open, but no hairstylists or malls or Churches…can’t figure the rationale on that!! And…every one of our six provinces, and one state are so different…Frequent communication with Salt Lake City keeps us in the loop as far as when proselyting will open…but we have no prediction when that will be…

Monday meetings were prefaced by a surprise birthday party for ME!! Sisters Mecham, Breckenridge and Little had decorated the board room with balloons, red tablecloths, Happy Birthday/Bonne Fete banners, and the ribbon wrapped boxes of fancy French pastries were tempting us after we saw how yummy they looked!! Seriously French baked goods are unreal…presentation as well as tastiness, and our willpower really wanes when we are in any bakery!!

Meetings were wonderful , and we always feel so blessed to have such a dedicated team!! Visiting with zone leaders and STL’s always makes us amazed at their devotion and hard work!!   Here is the impressive ‘Key Indicators for Success’ report from last week; one friend baptized(private pool in Ottawa,) 33 friends on date for baptism, 71 friends at Church, and 31 new people found to teach!! Our teams of missionaries almost without exception are working so obediently, creatively, and diligently…using only their phones!! Every team or companionship create Facebook quick posts, as well as quality posts, and that

‘new’ way of contacting people is proving to be really successful (as you can tell by our Key Indicators report!) 

Richard knows my favourite birthday activities include gardening and enjoying a family picnic, and so Tuesday the 26th, we spent the day together visiting the Botanix Garden Centre in La Prairie, planting the flowers from that extravaganza….and then that night we had a wonderful virtual ZOOM 66th birthday party - 3000 km away from our dear loved ones!! It was almost as good…I loved listening to you play ‘Who’s Special!!’and thank you for your beautiful, kind  tributes… I should have written them down…to remember!! 

I found myself singing this beautiful song as I fell asleep that night.. Maybe some of you have heard it…the lyrics are lovely, and the melody is wonderful…(you could listen to it on youtube.)

When you come to the end of a Perfect day

And you sit alone with your thought,

While the chimes ring out with a carol gay, 

For the joy that the day has brought,

Do you think what the end of a Perfect day

Can mean to a tired heart

When the sun goes down with a flaming ray

And the dear hearts have to part?

Well, this is the end of a perfect day,

Near the end of a journey too,

But it leaves a thought that is big and strong,

With a wish that is kind and true.

For memory has painted this perfect day

With colours that never fade,

And we find at the end of a perfect day,

The soul of a friend we’ve made.

Another highlight of our week was Mission Leadership Council (MLC) where we gathered via Zoom and had motivational, inspirational teachings. Richard and I each lead hour long discussions, and it is incredible how we can have so much virtual participation, and really feel the Spirit lead the discussion!! Alma 56, 57, and 58 - being ‘firm and undaunted’ was the focus of my teaching. Such powerful scripture that so applies to all of us…it sort of reminds me of  ‘Stand ye in Holy Places and Be not Moved.’  Aunt Janet, my Dad’s oldest sister once taught me that ‘standing in holy places and be not moved,’ refers to each of us making the decision to make the very ground we are standing be a holy place…whether we are in the Temple or in our flower garden or in the line at the grocery store..where ever we are should be a holy place….we each make that decision. BE FIRM AND UNDAUNTED, AND BE NOT MOVED, AS WE STAND IN HOLY PLACES.

15 new missionaries arrive this week!!! 6 arrive tomorrow, 5 arrive Tuesday, 1 arrives on Wednesday, and Friday 3 more arrive!! We are thrilled to have our numbers increase!! Restrictions still prevent us from any interaction here at the Mission Home, but we do get to meet and greet as they arrive at the Airport. Teams of missionaries are assigned to also come to the Airport, pick up the new recruits and take them home for the night, and then preplanned travel plans go into action the next day…buses, planes or vehicles. It is quite the impressive spread sheet that our assistants Elder Fife and Elder Gordon prepare as they plan how to get everyone where they need to go! 

It will be a whirlwind week with meetings, arrivals, many, many interviews, and both Maritime and Ottawa Zone Conferences!!! Life on the speeding bullet train!! 

And….here are a few lovely experiences from the field:

« We also had probably the most amazing lesson of my life with a girl the sisters have been teaching here for awhile. She is the most elect person I have ever met. I dont normally cry ...ever. but I just couldn't hold back tears as she prayed. It was the most powerful experience. I love hearing people's first prayers. I can just imagine how happy our heavenly father feels to finally hear from his beloved children after soooo long. »

This from the Ottawa Sisters:

« A miracle I saw this week! A few weeks ago I messaged a man I was friends with on Facebook from Ottawa who watched our Facebook live. He responded and told me that when he was a little kid he went to our church but really is not very religious but very much respects it. It was a short but good conversation that died down. Then just the other day he messaged me and asked me to reach out to one of his friends. He sent a screen shot of a text message he had sent his friend. It said that a random girl had messaged him awhile back but she might be able to answer his questions about God. I contacted his friend and we have a lesson set up for tomorrow! It was amazing to see the miracles of technology but also The miracle that God provided this man with a way right after he had decided to search for God. 

I know that miracles do happen and God is so aware of everyone! « 

This from Halifax sisters:

« Life is great! Halifax is awesome! We are teaching a girl named Julia who is just a light! She is amazing!!! She loved the gospel so much and truly understands the blessings from living the gospel and following Jesus Christ. I cried in her lesson her testimony was so beautiful! I couldn't stop the tears, a little embarrassing for meeting her the first time... but she was so sweet! « 

On those happy, sweet stories I will close this quick report, and send much love. We do appreciate your love, prayers and faithful support. We do feel the power of those prayers, and believe us,.. we need every one of them. We are grateful for this incredible experience to serve together…everyday brings new challenges, but we know we are being blessed, and the work of gathering continues in the Canada Montreal Mission, just like it does everywhere in the world. Let us continue to share the glorious message of the Restoration. 

With much love 

Grandpa and Grandma, Dad and Mom, Richard and Gayle

"Tiptoe Through The Tulips!!!"

Today is Sunday, May 24th, 2020!! 

and today is Kaylee’s 36th Birthday!!!

Another great springy week in the Canada Montreal Mission!! What fun it would be to be outside all day everyday, because they know how to do spring in Quebec!!! Soft breezes occasionally blow, but we don’t think they ever have Southern Albertan wind!!! Trees, and shrubs are leafed out, many in stunning blossom, early perennials like dianthus and spurge are lush, and blooming, and annuals are adding so much colour. Last night I cut all our red and orangish tulips, and delivered bouquets to neighbours, and now the annual/perennial bed looks like home!! Pink geraniums, pink petunias, sky blue lobelia, white bacopa, cone flower, spurge, daisies, astilbe, trollius, lupin, lavender, and hydrangea, have our beds looking pretty full!! Underground sprinklers keep the lawn wet, but the flower beds, and all the pots are hand watered! Soaker hoses from Canadian Tire will help with that!! Richard downloaded this amazing ap that identifies trees and shrubs and we now know the mystery tree in our back corner is a ‘horse chestnut’, and in the front, our beautiful burgundy maple is a ‘sycamore maple’!! (FYI!!) Such big, gorgeous trees are everywhere!! Yony, our head gardener is such a cheerful, kind man who basically gets anything I even suggest…Friday afternoon I suggested that maybe seven hydrangea shrubs would look pretty under a tree in the front sideyard….and yesterday when we returned from Ottawa…aabra kadabra…the shrubs appeared…along with ten bags of potting soil, and, Yony   had spread the 20 bags of sheep manure!! 

Regular Office Meetings on Monday with our new crew of young Elders were great!! These Elders are incredible how they have caught on so quickly to what needs to be done, and are keeping everything in top shape!! All are computer whizzes (of course) so we haven’t skipped a beat since our dear Seniors left.  Dearly departed returned home Seniors continue to zoom- meet once a month, and we got to pop in for a few minutes following our Office Meeting, and touch base with many of them. What wonderful, devoted missionaries they still are….in their own homes, but we are praying to have some of them return….soon!!! 

Call-ins from STL’s and zone leaders, where Key Indicators for Conversion are reported,  as well as Leadership Teachings for new STL’s, district and zone leaders kept us busy for the rest of the day.  Again, we feel so blessed to have such obedient missionaries who are trying to move the work forward…it is so challenging to do all contacting on their phones…..in their apartments.

With NEW MISSIONARIES arriving almost the same time as our Area Presidency Zoom Meeting on Tuesday evening,  we opted to listen to the meeting as we headed to the Airport. How very exciting to be greeting five new CMM missionaries - Elders Wetterstrand, Siever,(both from Lethbridge!!)Chadbolt, (from Airdrie) and Orrego, (from Victoria, BC) as well as Sister Mendoza(from Edmonton).  With each being a Canadian, they waltzed through security no problem…but challenges awaited…quite the ordeal getting some of them to their new homes…Richard recorded the tale…

“Two missionaries almost got arrested due to COVID !! This past week, we had heard that COVID requirements all around our mission were relaxing. Stores in Quebec are opening as are schools. Interprovincial travel between Quebec and Ontario is no longer an issue as it was two months ago when people were being stopped. When COVID first hit and we had our transfer in early April, I was concerned about our missionaries being able to get across provincial borders, so I drafted a letter stating that they were on official Church business and were transporting goods, services, and themselves for necessary work assignments. The letter worked like a charm on numerous occasions as missionaries came in and out of all six provinces in our great CMM. So we got five new missionaries this week, and two of them were being sent to New Brunswick. I had previously posted the Authorization letter on our mission Facebook group and made it available to all our missionaries on an as needed basis, but I neglected to give it to the two elders going to New Brunswick. So when they entered the province they were questioned at the airport by the Border Guard who was a policeman, and they explained the purpose of their entry, and the peace officer refused them entry! They called me and I told him about the letter, and he was not convinced. He said I would have to take it up with his boss in the morning (it was about midnight when this happened).He gave me the name and number of his boss. He said the Elders would have to go to a hotel that night and then we could sort it out in the morning with his boss. I told the elders that were there, to pick up the new missionaries and to also go to the same hotel and stay there and we can see what the morning brings. The next day I called the boss first thing; he never called me back; so I told the elders to go to their apartments and wait for my call after I got through to the boss. So an hour or so after, the boss man finally called me back and I told him about the letter and how it has been accepted by every other New Brunswick border guard and who should I send the letter to so we could clear up this misunderstanding?.. He gave me an email address to send the authorization letter to , which I did. He also asked where the elders were and I told him they were self isolating and gave him the addresses. He never at any time said that he was sticking by his original decision that they were not allowed into the province; he seemed to imply that all I had to do was send the letter to the health authorities; then we were good to go; if he would have told me they were for sure not welcome, I would have told him we had a back up plan to relocate the elders to other provinces. So then a half an hour later I got calls from each set of elders, telling me that they both had policemen at their doors, wanting to arrest them and take them back to the airport to fly back to Montreal.!! This was quite a shock to me! I was able to negotiate with the police so that they didn’t arrest them; they gave them a 24 hour eviction notice!! Then within a few hours we had relocated them to Nova Scotia where they are now starting their missions. Crazy that the interpretation of the regulations is so inconsistent between border guards. And I think the boss guy who wanted our Elders out was biased against them for religious reasons. So now we really don’t know if we can send missionaries into New Brunswick or Prince Edward Island, or not, due to the inconsistency. We are trying to get the Church’s lawyers involved.”

Heart strings tugged as we anticipated bidding farewell to our 13 Departing Missionaries. With no fancy goodbye party, and no Temple session, I felt like we were sending these dear friends home without adequate fanfare…just like we did with our huge group that left in March…We did have a beautiful virtual testimony meeting with our 13: Soeur Flores, Soeur McGee, and Elders Atkins, Christopherson, Davis, Hardy, Hindley, Hsu, Hubbard, Martinez, Scott, Tait and Wang.  Teary departures Friday morning…I baked buns Thursday so prepared little travel packages for each,  along with gooey puffed wheat squares..hopefully they didn’t get thrown away at security! Absolutely no one else was at the airport so just before they had to head through security we gave huge hugs…it is such an emotional experience saying goodbye…who knows when we will be reunited?? Such an amazing group of missionaries, and oh how we miss them already! 

What would we do without Zoom?? Friday afternoon we, along with all the Office staff oriented our new group of five missionaries, who all seem to be keen, obedient and excited to work hard! 

Yesterday our Senior Sisters; Sister Little, Sister Mecham, and Sister Breckenridge joined us for a road trip to Ottawa!! You might recall that last Friday, we already visited Ottawa with our Assistants; but we really felt our Senior Sisters needed a little rest and relaxation, and we also thought with the sunny weather the tulips might be a bit showier (which they were!!) Our COVID migration left us with just three seniors, so our entire group of CMM senior missionaries fit comfortably in our vehicle!! Lake, and walk the Tulip Festival trail,  which is exactly what we did.Oh my land….I’m going to be watercolouring tulips for months!! Every bed we walked by was stunning, but really my two favourite were: this incredible display of huge white traditional tulips, and also a showy bed of pastel tulips that looked more like peonies or ranuculus! Awestruck is a good way to describe our thrill of this incredible Festival!! Yearly the Netherlands send 100,000  tulip bulbs to commemorate the friendship, and gratitude to Canadians for support during the Second World War, and with 2020 marking the 75th Anniversary of the end of the War, Holland sent 300.000 breathtakingly, colourful, unique tulip bulbs!!  The National Capital Commission do a remarkable job planning, planting, and maintaining this spectacular show, and we were glad  we visited it again!!  

Travelling two hours to Ottawa, and two hours back to Montreal gave us loads of time to hear conversion stories, most embarrassing experience stories, mission experiences, a few travelogues, and even a few book reviews, and before we knew it we our road trip was complete…it truly was a delightful day with dear friends!! We are so grateful for the wonderful service of these three great missionaries …Sisters Little, Mecham and Breckenridge. 

And now the day is over…it has been a lovely relaxing Sabbath Day, and tomorrow we begin again!! Our experiences strengthen and bless our lives every day. We are so grateful for our testimonies and knowledge that our Heavenly Father and His Son Jesus Christ love each of us. We LOVE their Plan.  

Have a wonderful week! Keep Smiling! AND Look at the View!!

Much Love, Richard and Gayle, Dad and Mom, Grandpa and Grandma XOXOXOXOXO…

'COLOUR AND CUTS BY RICHARD!!'

Today is Sunday, May 17, 2020.

Happy 15th Anniversary to Michael and Kaylee on Thursday, May 21st!!

With my last blog just submitted on Thursday, this will be a quick little report!!

Our ruffly red tulips have burst and look so pretty in our sweeping front flower beds!! Spurge is ready to show off its cheery yellow blooms, and the pink dianthus is in full bloom too! Lime green tree buds and leaves have our park looking magnifique!! Spring colours and smells are in full swing!!  

Aren’t we so tired of COVID 19?! It seems like every week we mention how we are being affected by this crazy pandemic. From self isolation to mandatory mask wearing in grocery stores, to neighbours ratting out neighbours who have visitors, to our entire missionary force using phones to find friends to teach, to using Facebook for finding, to curbside pick up for everything from fast food to Michael’s craft supplies, to 

“Colour and Cuts by Richard,”

one might recoin the old movie title “It’s a MAD, MAD, MAD, MAD World!!!  

Yes, you read that accurately!! Thursday afternoon, our master bathroom became ‘Richard’s Salon,’ and I became his first customer!! This was a sure sign of trust, devotion and love!!  JJ Choo from Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, is my usual stylist, but we haven't been to Nova Scotia since March 5th,(because of COVID 19), and my root touch up that I did April 21st, in preparation for Mom’s funeral,  had almost all washed away…so with apron on, and old towels enshrouding the counter, the floor, and me, and, a new box of Clairol root touch up #5, I perched myself on a chair, and Richard began the process of painting my roots! A year of regular watercoloring gave us both confidence that he had really prepared himself for this new painting adventure. I must admit that I was grateful he didn’t have to experiment to find the right medium brown colour…Miss Clairol’s simple directions were to just mix the two concoctions, and carefully brush dye focusing on my part, as well as around my hair line, which he did!! Half done!! After shampooing and conditioning, with big red ‘Scotch’ Christmas wrapping scissors in hand he began cutting…just a trim mind you!! I took care of the front and sides, and he snipped happily across the back, making a gentle curve.  A fine new do!! I will be ok for a few more weeks, and if we don’t get back to NS., I’ll have to find someone around here!! 

As far as his hair goes…Elder Boyle gave him a great haircut about a month ago, and I trimmed his sideburns, and shaved his neck last week…but if we could find some real scissors, I’d give him another cut…hopefully this week!!

Trip to Ottawa on Friday was great fun with Elder Wang (who’s 20th birthday it was), and Elder Fife; our assistants.  Talking and laughing the two hours there and back was great!! Delivered the zone order, and chocolate chip cookies to the 8 companionships there, and enjoyed a lovely drive oooing, and aawwing over the magnificent tulip beds, especially around Dow’s Lake. If it hadn’t been pouring rain, the tulips might have been more showy, and we would have hopped out for more photos! Still we had such a delightful visit with these two great missionaries!!

Friday night we loved our Mission wide special fireside with Elder Robert Gay, Elder Allan Haynie, and Elder Michel Carter.  Here are a few of the notes I jotted down: 

“When new converts get to the Temple soon after their baptism, the rate of retention is 90%!!" 
We were encouraged to get our new members to the Temple, and to get them their regularly. 
Remembering the two great commandments is essential in missionary work. 
We need to remember the urgency about our work. 
The Book of Mormon is the tool.  The Book of Mormon is all about the scattering and gathering of Israel. 

Nurture our faith, and our friends faith. 
Extend invitations to ‘Feast upon the Word.. to Hear Him.’

People will take hope in our Consecration.  
Story of President Hinckley after Marjorie had passed, and he was feeling so lonely and discouraged. Was in England….got up really early, and took a cab to the flat where he had been when his Dad sent him the “Forget yourself, and get to work” letter. He asked the owner of the home if he could go in to the room from 70 plus years ago. He knelt and prayed, and the prayer he offered changed everything…just as it had so many years before. He covenanted that he would continue consecrating his life. Amazing story!!

He will lead us. 
Spiritually consecrate ourselves. Missionary work is a Revelatory work. We will never be forsaken. 
Elder Gay even reminded us to ‘Keep Smiling!’

Such a great evening!

We are excited to announce that yesterday, Judy Ip was Baptized in a members swimming pool in Ottawa - our first baptism since March!! 

Pday for us yesterday included reading, running, writing, (the 3 r's!!) watercolouring, and sketching, grocery shopping, garden shopping, and planting the few perennials and annuals we bought…such a wonderfully relaxing day!!

So happy to announce that 5 new missionaries arrive Tuesday!! We will greet them at the airport, but no welcome parties are allowed so they will be whisked away to their new areas of service. I'm going to make bag lunches!!  And Friday we bid farewell to 13 of our finest, wonderful, consecrated elders and sisters….it is getting harder and harder saying  good bye. 

Today it is one month since my Mom, Patricia Maude McCormack Hamilton passed. I love to envision how happy she is to be with her sweetheart, our Dad,  Robert Anderson Hamilton. I know they are walking hand in hand serving just like we are…being missionaries!! That sure knowledge gives me PEACE, HOPE and so much JOY!! We are so grateful for the Plan of Happiness that we know IS the Plan.  Let us share that glorious message.

With much love and gratitude, 

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

‘Keep Smiling’ and ‘Look at the View’

Ministering Road Trip

Today is Thursday, May 14, 2020

Happy Mother’s Day this past Sunday!! 

and Sadey Dawn celebrated her 7th Happy Birthday on Tuesday!!

Last Thursday our plan was to head to Ottawa Friday morning to deliver the Zone order, and to drive around the city, and from a distance view the annual Tulip Festival!! When we heard that snow was forecast, and that only 20% of the tulips were in bloom, we postponed our trip. Almost immediately after deciding to wait on the Ottawa trip, Richard received an email from our Area Presidency giving him, as Mission President, permission to administer the sacrament for all our Quebec sisters who have not had it since March; so Friday morning, we were packed and ready for a road trip!! Shawinigan, Trois Rivieres, and Quebec sisters were so thrilled, and grateful to partake of the sacrament, and we were so thrilled and grateful to see each of them in their own little homes. It was just lovely to embrace each sister and share bear hugs!! Old Quebec usually is bustling with tourists, but covid 19 had the century old city resembling a ghost town where shops were closed, and streets were bare. UBER eats was the only way we could get food, and after we paid our $74.00 for fast food fish and chips, and shepherds pie, we wished we had just fasted!! Saturday we returned to Montreal via Drummondville, rendez-voused with Elders Kennedy and Forsyth to pick up apartment keys. Elder Forsyth’s Mom passed away the week after my Mom, so we wept together, and he shared some amazing stories of how his testimony has grown by leaps and bounds since her passing…such faith. (His Dad is Bryan Forsyth - Neil and Betty Ellis Forsyth’s grandson..FYI) 

Remembering it was PDay, we stopped at Ferme Guyon, near St. Jean - a wonderful garden centre that is sort of like Green Haven! Lineups are the norm around here, but this one took the cake. Waited about half an hour to get in, and then discovered we had to decide if we wanted to look at bedding out plants, perennials, and shrubs outside, or, if we wanted to shop inside, and look at the fun gardening accessories. We (maybe that should say I!!) wanted to do both, which would require waiting in the line again, after finishing outside, so after purchasing Siberian bugloss, and about six little herb pots, our shopping spree was over!! Maybe..I have mentioned that our FM team is incredible how they take care of all our gardening wants and needs. Yony (Johnny) our gardener loves plants, and was as excited to get my wish list as I was to give it to him.  Perennials, climbing roses, tea roses, and about 200 annuals were on the wish list!  Most exciting part is that I get to do the planting!!

After gardening shopping, we had another mini Sacrament meeting in Longueuil, and then home for the evening. 

8:30am Sunday morning we were off again and spent until 4:30pm making our rounds visiting almost all our sweet sisters in and around Montreal. What a thrill for them, and for us!! I can’t think we will ever have that opportunity again to renew our covenants eleven times in two and half days. Truly amazing.  And what kind sisters who were so sweet with cards, Mothers Day gifts, and hugs!! We will always cherish those tender, mostly French sacrament meetings. Cute sisters apartments were spitspot!!

Tuesday evenings we have Zoom Area Presidency calls where we are taught, and instructed on timely matters mostly to do with results of covid 19. By October 2020 our complement of missionaries which decreased from 180 to 120 will swell to 280 missionaries, some called to serve here, and many who were serving overseas are being reassigned here!! Our first wave will arrive next week, and we are still waiting to receive details about who they are, and when they will arrive. We have such respect for the Missionary Department who seem to be working round the clock to make these new arrangements happen, and as we check IMOS (internet missionary online system) things can change several times in one day!! Such exciting times!! Groups of new missionaries will arrive every two weeks, so that means our transfer board is very fluid…

Trees are bursting forth…our tree in the back is not a magnolia..and we haven’t determined what it is…Red tulips in our curving front flower bed are finally opening up, and they look magnificent!! Quebecois folks are master gardeners, and manicure every corner of their huge gardens or just their teeny yards! I just love how the world has awakened, I love the majestic hardwood trees which are starting to leaf out, I adore the blooming forsythia,  and I can’t get enough of all the colourful blooming tulips, daffodils, and hyacinth!! Oh what a beautiful world!! 

Last weeks Worldwide Devotional with Elder Robert C. and Sister Lynnette Gay was such an inspiration…if you didn’t get to see it…check it out…”Live life by covenant not by convenience.”

Mother’s Day was a highlight for me, getting to talk to all of you, our dear family!! Thank you for your wonderful visits!! Oh how we love you all!!  

Our sweet missionaries compiled a beautiful Mother’s Day tribute booklet for me as well, where everyone contributed  feelings of love and gratitude…I feel so blessed and loved…

Tomorrow we are heading to Ottawa to deliver the zone order, and to drive by the magnificent tulip beds…

Maybe you know the origin of the tulip festival, but in case you don’t, I’ll give you the Reader’s Digest condensed version. During World War II, with Germany threatening to take over all of Europe, some of the Dutch royal family relocated to Canada. In 1943 Princess Margriet was born..the first, and only royal personage ever born in Canada!!  Immediately following the end of the war the royal family returned to the Netherlands, and in 1945, Holland began sending 100,000 tulip bulbs yearly, as a symbol of international friendship and gratitude for the role Canadian troops played in the liberation of the Netherlands and Europe.  2020 commemorates 75 years since this beautiful tradition began…and this year 300.000 tulip bulbs were sent!! What a beautiful gift of friendship! We are excited to see the beautiful display!!

Have a wonderful week!! Thank you for your continued love, and prayers, which we feel….

We continue to be so grateful for this opportunity to serve! Our time is ticking so very quickly…We love the Saviour and His glorious Gospel.

And we send our love to you

Richard and Gayle, Dad and Mom, Grandpa and Grandma 

Keep Smiling!!! CTR…and Look at the View!!