Today is Sunday, March 14, 2021
‘Pie Day,’ AND I HAVE pie shells made and frozen, ready to fill when we get to have visitors again!!
Wednesday the 17th we get to celebrate Porter LeRon Low’s 5th Birthday!!
Happy Birthday Porter!!
What another wonderful week here in the Canada Montreal Mission!! And oh, how fast it flew by!!
This weeks Highlights included:
Monday Office meetings, where our interaction with our missionary teams always excites and inspires us. Office missionaries deserve kudos everyday with all the efficient, cheerful service they give.
Our biggest news of this week is that we are temporarily closing our Atlantic Canada areas, and moving all our missionaries over to Quebec and Ontario. Tomorrow the mass Atlantic Zone exodus begins with four Sisters and two Elders flying to Montreal arriving sometime in the afternoon. Then Tuesday morning, 12 Elders in 6 vehicles meet at the Halifax Lacewood Building at 8am to begin the thirteen hour road trip; and travelling as far as Riviere du Loup, just over the New Brunswick border into Quebec, where they will overnight. Tuesday they will finish their journey. This massive undertaking with so many minute details was a team effort coordinated by Sister Little (before she left,) Elder Wentzell who is our Maritime vehicle coordinator, and Elder Garside. Besides bringing all their earthly missionary belongings, all food, and all teaching materials are being brought, and Elder and Sister Roberts prepared little powerpoint presentations on cleaning, and emptying apartment expectations.
Now… lest you jump to conclusions and think we have pulled out of Atlantic Canada forever….that is the furtherest thing from our minds ….and our hearts. Atlantic Canada is where we started this adventure of a lifetime, and… we left a chunk of our hearts in Atlantic Canada when we moved to Montreal! For over a year, our only interaction with our teams has been over zoom, and we are grateful for that, BUT it has grown old, and we need to see those missionaries, some of whom we have not seen for over a year; and they need to interact with all of us over on this side of ‘heaven.’ Missionary work is so different here…missionaries are busy finding people; and, we have baptisms every week! I also should clarify that if we ever wanted to go to Atlantic Canada, we could, but would have to isolate for two weeks once we got there. Obviously, that is not even an option. And so… the mass exodus begins tomorrow, and we can hardly wait to be reunited with our 18 dear ones. We dream of having a Mission Wide in person Zone Conference….hopefully restrictions will be lifted and that could be a real possibility!! Our furtherest team is in Petawawa, Ontario, about a five hour drive from here, and Quebec City next furtherest is four and a half hours away, so a Mission Wide Zone Conference is doable! Keep your fingers crossed!!! We hope to get permission from our Area Presidency!
Missionaries will continue to work remotely in their previous Atlantic Canada areas, so folks they have been teaching will still get to be taught!!I Area books(on their phone) is where they keep track of every person they teach, or talk to, their contact info, when and where they contacted them etc. etc. This is an incredible way of not losing any friends…SOOOO with this big move we aren’t going to let anyone fall through the cracks!
Last year in the midst of covid when all hair salons were closed; Richard and I were cutting my hair with a pair of red Christmas wrapping Scotch Brite scissors. Eventually, we found a hair salon supply shop that opened ‘by appointment only;’ we made the appointment and ventured forth. How exciting to purchase a beautiful pair of petite shears, and then to get a little trim, and get rid of the scraggly ends. That little pair of scissors has come in so handy as six sister missionaries have heard about the scissors, and the sister who ‘sort of knows how to cut a straight line!!’ and have trusted me with that little task!! I’m happy to save them $40.00 for a cut!!
Mission Wide Learning Conferences Wednesday and Friday mornings were stimulating, motivating and a delicious spiritual feast, not so much by what we taught; but by the testimonies of these missionary youngsters who know so much, and teach so well!!
Our two new excited missionaries from Beaumont, and Edmonton, Alberta; Sister Smetaniuk and Elder Johnson arrived Tuesday evening, and after our Wednesday learning conference we loved orienting them to their new lives as missionaries!
And this week is transfer week where we welcome six more to our team.
Our hearts ache again as we let Elder Barrett, Elder Foster, Elder Roper, Elder Wu, and Sister Twitchell return home. Sister Margrin who returns home to Tahiti will leave April 6. We remember fondly the days these dear friends arrived….
Yesterday we participated in two Funerals; the funeral of Jason Priest, son of our dear missionary friends Elder and Sister Priest who served as our Housing Couple when we first arrived in Nova Scotia. A sad funeral.
And, Aunt Roxie Hamilton (Uncle Max’s wife) passed away peacefully last week, and we loved joining with our dear cousins celebrating her life. Again zoom technology made it possible to watch funerals in Toronto, and in Taylorsville, Utah. Aunt Roxie at 92 was the last of the Jack and Leah Hamilton offsprings spouses to pass through the veil. I love to imagine that huge joyous reunion…maybe Grandma Hamilton’s taffy candy was at the refreshment buffet!! I know my parents Robert Anderson Hamilton, and Patricia Maude McCormack Hamilton joined Uncle Max in the greeting party!! Knowing that brings a tear or two to my eyes.
Our Sabbath Day today was a marathon of wonderful meetings, starting with Quebec City Sacrament Meeting, where we each spoke about 15 minutes. Some of my message is well-rehearsed and I feel confident, but there are some scriptures, and a few paragraphs that are still challenging for me to speak. I know I have to keep practising!! Richard’s French is beautiful, and he can speak without even using his written text!! That is my dream!!
My brain relaxed when next we each spoke in Greenfield Park!! 15 minutes in English is a breeze!! Gabrielle and Dan Hayward are in that ward, and Richard shared stories about Gabrielle when he helped teach her 46 years ago. We both get emotional when he tells her faith-promoting family conversion story.
Sister Murray from Highland, Utah invited us to her homecoming, and we loved hearing her feelings, and her testimony.
And…it’s so fun popping into our home Westminster Ward, where we heard Megan offer the opening prayer, and Bella made a peep or two!!
Baptism of Milane in Trois Rivieres was another highlight of the day!
Richard had about three other meetings, and we ended our Sabbath discussing at our Mission Wide Devotional in small breakout rooms, Elder and Sister Cook’s fireside.
Can you see why our Sabbath was a delight?
We continue to be so grateful for the incredible experiences we have every day. Our testimonies of the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and His Atonement grow daily, as we teach, testify, and apply in our own lives. Oh how blessed we are! Thank you for your prayers on behalf of Missionaries everywhere!
We send much love to all of you,
Dad and Mom, Grandpa and Grandma, Richard and Gayle
PS We received word today that two of our missionaries tested positive for covid. They were our FIRST.
(We think they contracted it while serving at a 'CommunityThrift' store.)
March 14th, 2021 Missionary Miracles
This one from Sister Elin Walker, a senior sister, who, with her husband, are waiting in Alberta for covid clearance to come to our mission:
“Dear President Low,
I know that your time in the mission will be coming to an end in a few months, and I’m not sure when we will finally make it to the mission and I just wanted to share something with you and your wife. Sixty
-nine years ago, my parents lived in Ottawa. My mother was a secretary working for your Grandfather ( I believe) Solon Low, the leader of the opposition party of Canada at that time. She would often see young men coming to visit Solon Low, and wondered who these clean cut young men were. She had been raised by good parents in the United Church and was actually a beautiful hard working young woman. She was dating a lieutenant colonel in the Postal Corps. I am not sure how she was approached but I am pretty sure your grandfather asked if she would like to meet the missionaries. She agreed to do so and began to be taught the gospel. Her boyfriend, who was from a very strong Presbyterian family, decided to take the discussions, mostly because the missionaries were so clean cut, and he was dating my mother. They went through many sets of missionaries. In the meantime, they got married and had a baby girl. They took the discussions for 2 years, and my dad was converted first and then waited for my mother to be converted before they got baptized. Your grandfather gave me my baby blessing. They were faithful members of the church for the rest of their lives and were forever grateful that a member of the church introduced them to the gospel of Jesus Christ. They experienced some ostracism from their families, and we were raised basically without a lot of extended family around, but they loved our family and we all grew up together in the church, and in the Ottawa Branch until 1967 when we moved to Alberta. Those missionaries who persevered and continued to teach my parents helped bless the generations of our family, and the gospel will continue to bless generations to come. I am grateful for your Grandfather and the missionaries, and the members of that little branch that welcomed us and helped us to grow in the gospel. I am grateful for people who have the missionary spirit and missionaries who serve and who may never know how much they have done for individuals and families. If you have a missionary who is discouraged you are welcome to share with them how wonderful missionary work has been for us and our children and grandchildren, and how much happiness the gospel brings to someone who has never had it before.
We may not meet you in the mission field, but if we are still here we would love to come meet you when you come home. Thank you for serving where and how you serve. I am grateful for the continuing missionary work in that part of Canada.
Sincerely,
Elin Walker”
Terrebonne Elders:
Also, you can share this next part with Sister Low as well! We got in contact with our friend Gen. She hadn't answered her phone in a week and then the last couple of days we were able to get in contact with her and we had a lesson! She says she wants to be baptized and follow Jesus Christ still! We are optimistic about her progress in the future! Thank you Sister Low for all the good advice on how to help her!
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