General Conference week!

Today is Sunday, April 7, 2019

Wasn’t General Conference a feast?!! It was thrilling to sit in our lovely Mission Home, at the feet of our beloved leaders, and savour the inspired words of our Prophet, President Russell M. Nelson, the twelve, and, all the General authorities. And now, it is all over for another six months, and we have our work cut out for us as we go over the instruction and challenges we all received to try a lot harder to make and keep our covenants more fully. I have a pretty long list of my to do’s!!

The first thing I’m going to do is to record some of our highlights of this past week. 

Meetings seem to occupy our time, but it is a big deal to teach, train, and motivate so we meet, and plan!! 

Our Zone Conference Preparation is complete, and we are excited to travel to Moncton tomorrow for Tuesday meetings. Thursday we will have our Nova Scotia ZC, and Saturday will be Newfoundland, of course with travel days in between. Preach My Gospel is our go-to handbook and we love to train right from it. This week our trainings include spotlights on apartment and vehicle cleanliness. I’m excited to show some slides submitted by our missionaries on ‘before and after’ shots of their apartment cleanliness!! 

Dad and I also have a fun activity to promote ‘Energized, Joyful, Focused Finding.’ Easter eggs filled with candy, and a little acting out assignment they will do in small groups we hope will be fun and effective. Often our missionaries have only a minute to share a quick message so we are having them practise how to make that minute powerful…not just saying..would you like a Book of Mormon. So here is an example… You are on a bus…one companion teaches for a minute about the Book of Mormon..and her or his companion teaches for just a minute about the Plan of Salvation…a challenge to make teaching concise and powerful. Good practise for all of us… We are excited, and will report next week!!

Occasionally we have a missionary that comes with a crazy family history, and doesn't have a clue on communication, or kindness with a companion, or anyone for that matter, and so we have to help teach that. So, another Zone Conference training is on Companion Unity. Preach my Gospel has an amazing chapter on Christlike Attributes…look it up..such a great resource for teaching missionaries, and your children!! The worksheet at the end of the chapter will hopefully be effective in helping changes happen with our challenging companionships….

Tuesday night, Sisters Keller, Moyes, and Long had me in tow as we headed over to Woodlawn Library to Knitting Club!! Who knew knitting with a gaggle of grannies and cute sister missionaries could be so much fun?! I giggled so much at these ladies who talked about everything; their dogs, kids, and even their snowblowers!! One sweet lady taught me how to do the rib stitch, so Richard’s grey Christmas ‘sampler’ scarf now has rows of rib stitch too…I think it will be ready for Christmas in Montreal!! We love the creative finding our missionaries are always trying to do…and Knitting Club is one of those clever ideas. Oh and one cute little grandma with multi coloured hair was such a chatty new friend...she kept looking at my name tag and finally said to me "I knew someone from your church...her name was Norma Silverstein." Now we don't know that many people in Nova Scotia BUT we DO know Norma!!!!..she is our rug-hooking friend in Sydney..the one who with her husband 'Shel' raises a herd of exclusive alpaca especially for their wool! It was so fun to be able to say I KNOW NORMA!! Hopefully I will get to go back to Knitting Club, and visit again!!!

I am not bilingual, but am happy to report that French is going pretty well…I do wish there were enough hours in the day to spend an hour everyday practising…oh well, not yet!! Tuesday, Brooke, my French tutor taught me to bear my Testimony, and I was overcome with emotion when she actually had me bear…I could do it!!!!, very simply, but she could understand, and I knew what I was saying!! That was definitely a highlight of my week!! I am being blessed!! Brooke always tells me that my accent is great, so that keeps me going. 

Watercolouring is our favourite relaxation activity..Richard’s skies and ocean vistas are amazing, and his lighthouses are coming along. I love painting my flower gardens…yesterday I painted my first barn with trees, and a climbing rose vine. We are loving this wonderful, creative outlet!! 

With our time zone being three hours ahead of Mountain Standard Time it meant the ten o’clock session of Conference didn’t start until 1 pm Atlantic time, so when we looked outside, and saw a perfect calm, spring day, we decided a Sunday stroll was exactly what we needed to do.  Signs of spring keep popping up…Mother Robin was listening for worms on our back lawn, our next door neighbours Mike and Denise have tulips poking their heads up, and crocuses blooming in their front lawn! Some shrubs around have a slight greenish tinge which makes us think buds are right around the corner, fishermen were even making their way down to the lake to throw in their line, and of course hundreds of folks enjoyed their own walk, run, or bike ride around Lake Banook. If people don’t have children, they all have a dog, and we see every kind..greyhound, golden retriever, black labs, beagle, etc. etc. One woman this morning had her fluffy white dog in these little rubber dog booties!! 

Another wonderful week in the Canada Halifax Mission!!

Hope you enjoy the change of font…I looked at all the options, and thought it’s about time I changed it up a bit… (this is American Typewriter!!)

And now it is 9:30pm and time to make a few phonecalls to our Moms!

Have a wonderful week!!

Keep Smiling!!CTR!!

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

Sounds of Spring on Brookdale Crescent!

Today is Sunday, March 31, 2019.

Happy 87th Birthday to Mom on Wednesday, and to Trish tomorrow!! 

and 

Happy April’s Fool Day!!! 

Last week we felt, and saw a few signs of spring but this week spring has truly sprung. The transformation seems to happen overnight!! Literally when we went to bed Friday night, Lake Banook was still frozen. A rainstorm in the night, and when we woke up yesterday morning there was no ice..it was incredible how fast that ice disappeared, and now I look out and see a stunning lake…When the trees start budding and the leaves burst forth we will really know it is spring!! Sounds of spring out our bedroom window make us feel like we are in a mountain glen…we hear our very own Brookdale (on the other side of our TransCanada trail) babbling away, and songbirds galore, like chickadees, nuthatches, and the like, sing their cheery good morning medleys, occasionally interrupted by noisy ravens or magpies! What a dreamy little corner of Nova Scotia to live in..actually idyllic…and we are still trying to soak it all in!! I don’t know if I told you that the greater Halifax metro has a population of around 700,000, and when we move to Montreal we will be living with, around 4 million folks! Hard to believe we will leave this bit of heaven in just three months. I will not be nostalgic..yet!

Transfer week went off without a hitch…everyone arrived at their proper destination, and new companionships are forming well…so we think anyway!!

Our six new recruits are awesome..Sisters Long, Humphreys, and Fraser, along with Elders Barrett, Birch and Sorenson all seem keen and so excited to get to work!! Even with an hour delay in SLC,  they made their flight connection in Boston and arrived here on time! Sister Fraser is actually from Bridgewater, NS, and is waiting for her visa to serve in Portugal. We look forward to our weekly ‘new missionary’ zoom calls to see each new missionary and to get a personal report from their companionship. It is a pretty effective way to get a feel on how they are doing…that, and the LTP

(letters to president) that each missionary writes weekly, as well as the reports from the district leaders, STL’s(sister training leaders), and zone leaders do a good job of keeping us in the loop of our brood!! When everyone magnifies their calling with obedience and cheerfulness, it works like a well-oiled machine. I know I sound like a cheerleader…and really that is just what we are…we find every way possible to cheer, counsel, teach, motivate, and love, and we do it over and over and over!! This eighteen months or two years of consecrated service is such an amazing way to begin their adult lives…you know this because many of you have experienced it!!

And look where your lives are now because of your mission experience!! 

Here I will insert my recommendation for parents of our future missionaries:

Testimony + Attitude + Hard work + Obedience = a Successful, Happy Missionary….(this is my own little formula, but each of the four keys to a successful missionary do boil down to Testimony, Attitude, Hard work, and Obedience….you have 18 or 19 years to teach those four principles to your children. Do it, and they will be prepared to serve with their whole hearts, mights and minds.  That is our challenge for each of you!!

Last night I was thrilled to attend our Dartmouth Ward Relief Society Anniversary Party, and it was just like any RS party at home,…. just with new friends! Delicious meal included chicken salad, broccoli salad, pasta salad, and coleslaw with rolls and caramel cake for dessert. Table centrepieces had fresh white roses with babysbreath, and 5X7 framed pictures of women in the scriptures..Eve, Queen Esther, Sariah, Mary, mother of Jesus, Mary and Martha, and Emma Smith. The program written by Sackville NS sisters was reenacted by eight ward members who were all dressed in costume and each gave a beautiful reading telling their story, and bearing testimonies of the Saviour; truly a lovely evening. 

French tutoring is going ok…Brooke (my tutor) is positive, and her ‘cheerleading’ keeps me trying. She does compliment me on my accent so that makes me feel good. When we are in Quebec, my own little French handbook will be filled with common phrases and sentences, and it will always be at my fingertips to prompt me along! Today we visited with a couple from the Congo who only speak French, and I actually understood way more than what I could speak or respond. There is always hope!! 

Favourite Pday activities yesterday included spending a couple of hours  outside - first having a run around our lake and then doing a bit of yard work…. it felt so good to be raking our lawn and actually doing some physical labour!! This calling really is heavy on the spiritual, emotional and social aspects of our lives…a little weak on the physical so we are glad we can exercise outdoors, or at the gym. Of course we also carved out time with our watercolours…Dad painting his ocean scenes, and me dreaming in a flower garden!! Such a lovely way to really relax!!

This week is preparation week for next weeks Zone Conferences. Being with our missionaries is really the highlight of our time here, so we look forward to this week of meetings!  We train on the focusses decided by our Mission Leadership Council…  “Spiritual Self Reliance,”  “Energized, Joyful Focussed Finding,” and “Unity with God and our Companions;” so we study Preach My Gospel and conference talks, and have fun creating powerpoints, and preparing discussions that will emphasize the focusses. It requires a LOT of brainwork!!

Tomorrow morning midway between our Monday meetings we have to make a trip to the Airport to take a sister who is returning home. We have tried everything to help her, our Area Mental Health Advisor, and our Area Medical Advisor, her Dr. at home, and her parents also have tried everything, but she is determined to go home…her anxiety and depression have taken such a toll. And so she goes…we pray for her. 

And that is our report from the east - the Canada Halifax Mission..we continue to be so grateful for this incredible opportunity to serve, and find JOY everyday. We DO miss all of you dear loved ones…family and friends.…know that…your love, support, and prayers sustain us.

Have a wonderful week!! It looks like spring has sprung in Alberta too!! I heard tulips have already been chomped by the coulee deer..Oh bother.

We send this with much love and gratitude….

Dad and Mom, Grandpa and Grandma, Richard and Gayle

CTR and Keep Smiling

Spring is Springing in Nova Scotia

Today is March 24, 2019, and in three days Berkley James Low turns 13!!!

Happy Birthday Berkley!!

Springtime is here…our front lawn snow has disappeared, and Lake Banook is beginning to thaw. Hundreds of fresh air-loving folks walk, run or ride on our lovely Trans Canada Trail. It truly is picture perfect!! We are thrilled to get to experience all four seasons right here!!

Our nine months have flown by as we serve here in the Canada Halifax Mission; and we are savouring every minute here knowing that soon we will be transferred…Ever optimistic, we look at our transfer to the Canada Montreal Mission, and just think we are getting two missions for the price of one!! We will desperately miss our life in Atlantic Canada…having loved every corner of each unique province, every missionary we have interacted and served with, and every person we have met - member or not yet a member;  we have been in awe of this incredible experience being on the Lord’s errand twenty-four/seven!! Serving together has been fulfilling, rewarding, and so fun!! I must add a little caveat..lest you think we are firing on extra pistons..no, we go pretty hard every day on our own steam, and when it is bedtime we fall into bed…totally exhausted. (Very occasionally we might sneak a forty wink nap!!) 

We have been so blessed with great health…a few bumps in the road, but nothing to complain about!! Richard had a procedure in the Hospital, and spent last Friday in the Victoria General. In my stressful state, I caught another bout of shingles. Fortunately I recognized the symptoms, and sore, and was able to get on the medication within 24 hours which prevented getting a full blown case. (I thought I had to wait a year after having an episode to get the vaccine, but not so… you can be sure as soon as this sore has disappeared I will be at Shoppers getting immunized.) Enough is enough!! Oh brother!! And..Richard is fine..trying to slow down a bit, and loves having me be the chauffeur!!

Sackville Ward was our assignment today, and we enjoyed visiting, and challenging the members to be missionaries.  Our call is to testify, and remind the saints to do the same,  as we all diligently strive to find scattered Israel on both sides of the veil. Probably the most vibrant number of youth in one ward in the Dartmouth Stake; and we were so impressed when Bishop Taylor told us they regularly have 35 youth attend their Temple Baptisms! It was our lucky day when it was announced that today was linger longer so although we hadn’t brought anything for the potluck we had a delightful meal, and fun visiting with Sackville folks. 

Sister Vollmer bore her her final testimony in Sackville today…both she and Sister Degraffenried (who has been serving in Yarmouth) are our departing top shelf missionaries. Oh, what a hole we will feel in the CHM with these two leaving us. Which brings me to your question..?? Yes, this is Week 6, transfer week…doesn’t it seem like we just had transfers?!! We did…six weeks ago!! Here’s what our week looks like:

Tomorrow - Monday Office Meetings, and meeting with Assistants to make travel plans for transfers.  

Tuesday - French tutoring, Free Laundromat at the Mission Home - four companionships schedule their time, and while they wait for laundry to process,  they email or Skype with their families. I will be making buns, taco soup, and butterscotch brownies  for the six new missionaries scheduled to arrive at the Airport around 9:30pm. 

Wednesday - Breakfast with the new missionaries, group walk or run around Lake Banook, orientation at the Mission Office, roast beef feast back at the Mission Home. Welcome testimony meeting. 

Thursday - Transfers - new missionaries to the Office by 6:30am to meet their new companions. Office, and Moncton are the transfer hubs, so anyone with a new assignment meets here, and is transported to their new home. 

5pm our farewell supper for Sister Vollmer and Sister Degraffenried.

7pm Farewell Temple Session

9pm Farewell Testimony Meeting

Friday - Airport  and French tutoring.

And there you have it  - a little snippet of week 6 at a glance!!

This past Wednesday night the six Sister Training Leaders invited me for a sleepover…(I think they just like the treats I bring!!), and we had such fun laughing, and sharing stories.. this is my third sleepover, and somehow they get me telling our love story everytime we get together!!  They never seem to tire of hearing Richard’s “I’m considering you for marriage” line!! Pretty funny. It’s cute how they configure mattresses all over the living room to fit us all in! We were up at the crack of 6:30, all kneeling for morning prayer, and study. I left before eight so I could be home getting ready for MLC. which started at 10am Thursday. 

Mission Leadership Council Thursday included all Zone Leaders, Sister Training Leaders, as well as all our District Leaders, so our group of fifty all received the very same ‘Spiritual Self Reliance’ training, and heard all the same council…and now will go back and share the training and focuses with their districts, and zones. Our hard working, devoted missionaries don’t find a lot of success, so at every meeting we are cheerleading, and sharing our enthusiasm, and love of them and the Gospel. Our pretty lofty goal of 64 Baptisms before the merger is looming in the not so far distant future, so we are doing our best to build enthusiasm and create momentum!! A highlight of every meeting is the Musical number, and this week the Halifax District sang beautifully with all their hearts: “As Zion’s Youth in Latter-days” We loved it!!

Let me share the Martha story…a sister living in Fredericton decided to send a 90 day Book of Mormon challenge to all her friends on FaceBook. Martha, one of her friends accepted the challenge - thinking to herself I could read that book….which she did. She got a testimony, was taught , and was baptized!! So..Share your testimony on social media…it works!!!

Our P-day yesterday was fun… running and walking at the Gym, grocery-shopping, preparing our talks for today, and water-colouring. Richard’s seascapes are beautiful..he has such gorgeous skies, great lighthouses, wonderful sandy beaches, and is getting pretty good at crashing waves. Flowers are my specialty, although I did do an Irish Antrim coast painting the other day. We can sit for three hours in an evening and totally decompress and relax…we have our favourite youtube artists that we enjoy having tutor us..it is so fun!!

Hope all is well in your lives back home…we love hearing from you!!!

Such is the life of President and Sister Low serving in the Canada Halifax Mission!! 

Sending this off with much love xoxoxo Dad and Mom, Richard and Gayle, Grandpa and Grandma.  KEEP SMILING!! and CTR

Snow storms, zone conferences, and "snow angels"

Today is Sunday, March 10, 2019.

Two weeks have flown by and we have much to report!!

Last weekend we flew to Fredericton for their Stake Conference and were thrilled visiting the wonderful saints from all over New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and the little pocket of Maine, and Amherst Nova Scotia! Last fall the Stake Centre was pretty empty, but with a General Authority - Elder Randall Bennett in attendance, the place was packed!! Last fall they had  skyped in outlying units so although the Stake Centre looked empty there were many people in attendance at their own buildings. Anyway, it was a great meeting where Elder Bennett praised these good people, shared sweet personal experiences from his growing up days in Edmonton, and helped everyone relate to some of the challenges he had experienced. When he was just eight his Mom took him aside and told him that his parents would be divorcing, and he would have to decide who he wanted to live with…, and then for nine years he woke up everyday thinking, was this the day?? They did divorce..his Mom left the Church, and was pretty anti until I think he said about 10 years ago when she returned to Church activity, and now serves as a Temple Worker!! His sharing this and other very personal stories sure put the congregation at ease, realizing that this General Authority had lived through what some of them are currently dealing with. What a great, and powerful teacher!!

Saturday evening session, along with stake presidency members, and us,  two members of the Stake spoke; one was Brother Pitt who had been less active for many, many years and shared his remarkable reactivation story.  Branch members had ministered unceasingly to he and his wife, and loved them right back… All of you are master ministers…And then..Elder Bennett asked who had ministered to the Pitts. President Elliott (a member of the Stake Presidency) had been the chief minister (if there is a chief!!)Elder Bennett had him come up and stand with Brother Pitt, and Elder Bennett, and then he invited him to share some of his sweet ministering efforts in Brother and Sister Pitt’s reactivation.  It was such a lovely way to validate the efforts of those who ministered. Of course President Elliott was somewhat embarrassed sharing some of what he had done..but effective in that, we all felt…we could increase our ministering efforts.

Sister Paterson, a convert of about two and a half years, shared her conversion story. Her best friends growing up in New Brunswick..I think Fredericton but maybe it was Saint John, were Church members and were such powerful influences for good. In fact one friend lives in Utah with her husband and children, and Sister Paterson visits her regularly.  She condensed her life story, but we could tell she had experienced many of life's hardships.. Her friend, I think her name was Julie kept sharing sweet gospel experiences, and her testimony, and her friends around NB. loved her, and opened their hearts and homes to her as well. Again Elder Bennett had those who had been instrumental come up to the stand, and share how they had welcomed Sister Paterson into their lives, and how they had shared the gospel. The spontaneity and the simple sharing of what they had done was just beautiful, and again had us all so motivated…we could do that!! We all can share the gospel…it starts with opening our mouths. It really isn’t hard to share something we love so much… 

Richard is the best at opening his mouth...and I have to admit I am getting bolder!! I always tell who I am, and what my name tag is about, but it is now getting easier to give pass along cards...I have supplies in the car, in my purse, and bag...try it!! We need to flood the earth...

“After all that has been said the GREATEST and MOST IMPORTANT DUT Y
                           is to
PREACH the GOSPEL.”  the Prophet Joseph Smith

On our first visit to Fredericton back in the summer, I got to go on splits with the sisters and met Sister Susan Hebert, a 70 plus sister who grew up in Toronto. Well she is such a visity lady, and we made connection after connection with all my Ontarian relatives, and she pretty much knew everyone - Mom, Nancy, Jane, Boucher’s etc. In fact Anne Boucher was her hero, and she said she was her shadow!! Anyway we enjoyed a wonderful supper Friday evening with her, and loved looking at her Toronto Branch History book!! She promises she will come visit us in Alberta!!  

We have remarkable missionaries everywhere….but I have to share about Sister Degraffenried serving with Sister Shultz in faroff (5hrs away) Yarmouth, Nova Scotia.  Sister D. (as we call her) has grit, determination and fervent testimony. Last week they were knocking in the midst of a big snowstorm…(totally obedient) and knocked into an elderly couples home. (They were invited in because the couple felt sorry for them.) Wife has a belief in God, but not the husband, and neither was interested in the sisters returning. As the sisters were leaving, they asked if they could shovel their snow, and the couple said “no, don’t worry about it”…Well, the next morning didn’t those two angel sisters get up super early, and went and shovelled the snow!! Just as they were finishing, the elderly man discovered them being pixies, and came out to shovel with them. Sister D. described him just watching them…he couldn’t believe these sweet sisters would do such a thing!!! Such is the epitome of a CHM missionary!! Incredible!!! We are in awe of the way they live the gospel. These same sisters also serve in two Church kitchens in Yarmouth - one an Anglican, and the other we aren’t sure..at first people were unsure of having missionaries from another church serving in their kitchen, but these sisters have won them over!!  In fact this week their colour photos serving, were on the front page of the local newspaper!! They are actually teaching one of the ladies from one of these churches!!

Service is such an amazing way to show the world what we believe, and who we believe in!! Keep SERVING!!! 

Zone Conference Week was a whirlwind. Because of severe storm warnings in New Brunswick we chose to hold New Brunswick Zone Conference right after Stake Conference so all our missionaries could get back to their areas, and not have to travel to Moncton on Monday for Tuesday conference. This worked beautifully. We and our missionaries travel so much, and we are constantly on weather, and road watch.  Occasionally we have to make quick changes!! Saturday while Dad was interviewing, Sister Edwards helped me make a quick Sobey’s run to get indoor picnic supplies!!  

FUN and yummy!! 

Dartmouth Zone Conference was Thursday and we feel so invigorated and enthused after being together…have I raved enough about these great missionaries?! My trainings were about apartment cleanliness, and nutrition. I also loved challenging us all to Ponderize…remember Elder Devin Durrant’s General Conference address in October 2015?  As a Canada Halifax Mission, we have taken the challenge, and weekly our missionaries will report their scripture of the week. Exciting!! 

Thursday evening we flew to Newfoundland for both Zone Conference and Newfoundland Conference - (like Stake Conference). We love being with our dear friends there - missionaries, and branch members. Zoom works great for having all our Newfoundlanders in attendance…from CornerBrook to Bay Roberts to Gander to St. John’s we are all there!! 

I might have had a little melt down this morning when I was having Dad change the font and font size on my talk, which was all on my iPad…Can you guess what happened?  You are right if you guessed that half my talk disappeared…you know just like the lost manuscript…that is exactly what happened. Oh my goodness…definitely out of my comfort zone to speak

 without even an outline!! “More purpose in prayer” was my topic so I had to go almost totally from my memory… It all turned out fine. 

In case you are wondering about French…it is ok…this week we will have more time to focus on parlez-ing and practising. 

Hot off the news…Elder Martinez told us that he has a friend who received his Mission Call, and his Call letter told him that he would find out at Conference where he will serve?!!! Can’t wait to hear!!!

I just glanced at the clock, and realized I have been typing away for two hours…this must be a long letter!!…I guess it is two weeks worth!

Hope all is great with all of you.

We send love from Dartmouth, Nova Scotia where we are loving our service, our missionaries, and the wonderful people of Atlantic Canada!!

Have a wonderful week!!

Keep Smiling!!

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

watercolours and more!

Today is Sunday, February 24, 2019 and it is Aaron’s 41st Birthday!!! 

Happy Birthday to Aaron, and on Wednesday, February 27th we wish Mom Low Happy 92nd!!

February is definitely the big Birthday month in the Low family!!

Week 1 is a welcome breather after surviving Week 6 - (transfer week!!) and so the marathon pace of transfers,  slows to a fast jog!! 

My nursing responsibilities have kept me busy…I have to document every phonecall or conversation with regards to any missionary with any ailment! Thanks to Michael and his ‘Coke’ remedy for any gastro problems; that has been my go to suggestion.  I did have to add little caveat to my Elder Gatrell report, because it seemed like every other missionary I reported on I suggested drinking a can of coke. I told Elder Gatrell that we were not Coke drinkers…and yes….I told him the whole story..

French tutorials, visiting and visiting with missionaries, writing notes, baking cookies, and more cookies, and banana bread kept the oven warm almost every day! I feel it is my responsibility to have  buns and treats always available for missionaries, and folks who stop by…so it seems like I am always baking…my goal is to stop tasting!!

My ears are still not adjusting to the humidity, and the sea level pressure. The several Dr. appointments, I have made keep getting cancelled; hopefully this week??

Mission Leadership Council which includes all our Zone Leaders and Sister Training Leaders, and our assistants was Thursday from 10-3. Dad and I, do a lot of the training assisted by Elders Olsen and Benson. Of course we are training on effective leadership principles., and every one in attendance participates. Without fail, after every meeting whether it is District Council, Zone Conference or MLC,  we comment on the wisdom, and testimonies of these young missionaries (who are just kids!! )They teach us so much.. In the few short months they have served, they have gleaned so much from their gospel study. There is a lesson for you….read and study the scriptures, and your testimonies will grow. 

Friday morning was our new missionary Zoom call and it was so great to see our new group all in one piece! Mostly them seem happy and doing ok adjusting to missionary life. We visit with them for an hour and a half, and talk about strategies to help them adjust to the rigors of their new lives!  One of my suggestions for adjusting to missionary life is to find time…probably at 9pm to relax, and unwind. I think I mentioned that Sister Wood and Sister Edwards started painting with watercolors…so you can just imagine what Dad and I have taken up?! You are right…we have some pretty basic supplies, and have been watching videos…Dad’s passion is landscape, specializing in trees, and my passion is…you guessed it…flowers, so far I can paint ranucula, roses(sort of), and delphinium…nothing like Jessie Ursenbach, but it is so fun, and we both love the relaxation of that simple activity. You should try it!! (We started with $1.00 store, and cheap Michael’s supplies…make sure you get decent brushes, and good paper!!)

Attended a farewell party for our friends Elder and Sister Livingstone on Friday night …first party we have been invited to!!! They have been serving as the CES couple, and head home to Arizona this week. 

P’day was so relaxing..went for our morning run, visited three thrift stores, and sat around painting trees and flowers!! 

Sam and Jeanine McCollum (Tom Jensen’s sister), our newest Senior couple arrived this afternoon, just in time to enjoy dinner with us. They are staying the night in our General Authority room, and will attend our Monday Office meetings before moving into the Livingstone’s apartment.

Oh the big excitement of the week … Halifax Ward welcomed 11 ‘friends of the Church’ - (formerly called investigators!) today..most of them are Congolese, and are ready to set Baptismal dates!! Can you imagine how excited our missionaries are?!

New Brunswick Stake Conference is next week so we are gearing up for that…we will fly to Fredericton Friday, and stay till Sunday. Elder Bennett will be the visiting General Authority, so maybe we won’t be speaking!!! I would be just fine being a listener!!

Have a wonderful week!! We’ll send this off with much love XOXOXOXOX

Keep Smiling!!   Dad and Mom, Richard and Gayle, and Grandpa and Grandma  

Storms, Nursing, and Teary Farewells!

Today is February 17, 2019, and it is Jonathan’s 30th Birthday!!!

Happy Birthday Jonathan LeRon!!!  And Happy Birthday to Janice Louise who will celebrate her 62nd on Friday, February 22nd!!

Another exciting missionary landmark announcement Friday, where missionaries can have weekly contact with family using any method of communication including phone, or video chat!! We are thrilled, as are our missionaries, and know it will be so helpful to many of our team, who currently are struggling with emotional issues. Families generally are the best cheerleaders a missionary has, so getting to visit with loved ones every week, if they choose will be just wonderful, and just what the Doctor - or Prophet ordered!! And…. our sisters can visit with their loved ones wearing pants!!

Monday meetings are always a highlight….having close connections with our office group is wonderful. Transfer week we don’t have our Senior Couples Zoom call. Sister Arnold’s farewell party was Monday night, and we loved eating, laughing and visiting. I have already expressed my fear and trembling about being the designated Mission Nurse, and my concerns are still valid!! Sister Goldie Vay, a local member is working on her mission papers to hopefully receive a calling to serve as our nurse…and is so willing to assist me with anything I need. This week my calls have been pretty simple, and my homespun remedies have included drinking lots of water, eating oranges, having an hour nap, and taking an Advil! We have an area medical advisor named Elder Gatrell (living in Philadelphia) who is my first contact person. I also have regular email contact with him. 

This is what I wrote to him this week: 

“ I feel pretty inadequate adding this to my responsibilities BUT, one of our sons is an internist, another son is a Dentist, we have three daughters in law that are nurses, another daughter in law that is a radiation therapist, another daughter in law that is an ultrasound tech, and our youngest son was the Mission Medic while serving in the Chile Santiago North Mission….SO maybe their medical knowledge will rub off on me!! Actually, I think my years on the front line being a Mom will be what will get me through!!!!…and his phone number!!”

Weather has such a bearing on travel to and from Atlantic Canada, and of all weeks for storms to rage across the continent, it challenged all our Week 6 - Transfer Week cycle!! New missionaries that normally arrive Tuesday evening waited in SLC all day in the airport, and after their flights were cancelled, eventually were transported back to the MTC…can you imagine that letdown? Wednesday their flight was again delayed, which made them miss their connector flight in Toronto, but thanks to Church Travel they rested their weary bodies at the Hampton Inn. 

We were very frustrated when WestJet sold their seats for the final leg of their journey to more aggressive travellers anxious to come to the big Scottie curling championships in Sydney, NS. Elders Hillyer, and D’eon, two of our eight did get seats for a late afternoon flight, and arrived around 8:30pm. President, and Elder Olsen and Elder Benson, collected the other six - Elder Brown and Elder Clifford, Sister Bromley, Sister Rhodes, Sister Wall, and Sister Schultz and arrived home around 2am.  

Add another layer to this day …Thursday was our Farewell Dinner and Testimony Meeting for our departing five - Sisters Nelson, Gillett, and Crowley, and Elders Bringhurst, and Willoughby SO you can imagine the goings on leading up to that!!! Office seniors always celebrate at our farewell, and this week our CES couple, Elder and Sister Livingstone were included in our goodbye party. I know food is boring to report on, but in case you ever wonder….cream chicken, wild rice, fresh rolls, asparagus, carrots, broccoli, spinach salad, jello salad, and turtles cheesecake were on the menue. Sister Majeran brought her delicious lemon broccoli salad…obviously…we never go hungry!!! Farewell testimonies always are the highlight of the evening, and these five were top shelf. Their missions have changed their lives! We know they will be great leaders, and are excited to track their lives, and see ‘Oh the places they will go!!’

Teary farewells at the Stanfield International Airport Friday morning are usual…it gets harder the longer we have to know and love these dear ones. Depending on the security crew…sometimes we can walk way up the queue line and crane our necks as far as we can to 

catch the last glimpse of each of them…most often they are watching for us and wave back…

Back to the Mission Home to find our eight new recruits obediently studying, ready to head to the Office where we, along with our office staff fed and oriented the enthusiastic new group. Taco soup that I had made for Tuesday tasted just fine although it was heated and cooled so many times…(like everytime we thought the group would be arriving!!) After our welcome supper, street contacting  with our metro missionaries was the evening activity, followed by a sweet testimony meeting. Saturday morning the Mission Office was the hub for many of our transfers, including all of our enthused new group. It is a miracle that all the connections happen. Moncton, NB was the other hub for transfers, so several companionships met up there. Three missionaries didn’t fly to Newfoundland until 9pm and arrived around 11pm. Our assistants check and recheck logistics, and everything worked our perfectly, (including weather!) We might be concerned about logistics when our Mission joins the Canada Montreal Mission!!! Look at a map of Canada, and you’ll know why!!!!  

Dartmouth Sacrament Meeting today had a Missionary theme with two of our recent converts; Kathy Eldershaw and Stephen Creelman who were baptized in December and November sharing their conversion story, as well as the Ward Mission Leader Brother Macmichael speaking. Also Josh a 12 year old young man who was baptized yesterday was confirmed. So wonderful to have wards and branches that are becoming missionary minded!! We love when members catch the vision and become part of our ‘finding army!’ Are you part of the finding army?? 

So it goes in the Canada Halifax Mission!!

We continue to LOVE our service, and can’t imagine doing anything else!!! It is dawn to dusk challenging hard work, but oh so rewarding!!….and now Richard declares that I should cap this report, so I will!!!

Love to all!!

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

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX…Keep Smiling