Another First

I guess for awhile we will be doing many things for the first time, but that is always exciting. This past week we had our first zone conference and it was so great. It is amazing for us to see how capable and spiritual our young missionaries are. The assistants to the president and the zone leaders did most of the training and they truly did a wonderful job. I still remember before our mission to Mexico sitting in the dining room at the MTC and being in awe over the sea of young missionaries all willing to give up 1 1/2 to 2 years of their life to serve the Lord. It is such a blessing for those they teach but also such a blessing for them. They undergo such personal growth and become so confident and capable during the time they serve. I know it helps them greatly when they return home.

Elder Randall and Elder Dupont
Assistants to the President

Break time

Lunch

and lunch
Oh we did do work too!

Also during this past week we finally saw a few days of sunshine. The ice over the many lakes here in Dartmouth is beginning to melt and it is fun to see the blue water below.

And finally this past week was suppose to be the largest moon in 20 years (I thought that the moon was only one size). Largest or not it was beautiful and we enjoyed watching it from our apartment balcony.

Life is good and we know we are where we should be doing what we should be doing. The Church is true and we are thrilled for our small part in sharing that with others.

Still Running

Our fourth week has gone by in a whirl. We are feeling more comfortable with our work assignments and our surroundings. It has been a good week with a lot of different things happening. On Tuesday along with President and Sister Simpson we were invited to dinner at the Robinsons, who are serving here as temple president and matron. We had a very enjoyable time listening to their “temple” stories. One story was especially interesting. A couple of years ago the Robinsons were called to serve a temple mission in the Lagos Nigeria Temple. About a year into their mission security issues developed around the temple and the Church decided to close it until more peaceful times prevailed (the Temple is now fully operational). The Robinsons were told to leave Nigeria very quickly and without any farewells. As you can imagine, this was very hard for them. Larry enjoyed trading stories and perceptions that he had picked up from his numerous African trips while he worked in Church Translation.

[Simpsons, Robinsons & Foleys]

After being home about a year, the Robinsons were called as temple president and matron of the Halifax Nova Scotia Temple. We have been able to attend the Temple a couple of times and have enjoyed its friendly atmosphere. The first time we went, we were warmly greeted and introduced to the workers. The temple is small and serves a relatively small Church membership. Our mission has only two stakes and one district. Twice a year special sessions are held for the French speaking members living in New Brunswick. President Robinson commented that he would like Larry to work in French with them at the veil when they come. That could be challenging since he has never done that and his French is less than fluent.

[Halifax Nova Scotia Temple]

Next to the temple is the Dartmouth stake center. The Cole Harbour and Dartmouth Wards hold services there. We attend the Dartmouth Ward which is a very large ward. We enjoy attending there very much. We are assigned to home teach three Hispanic families in the ward. On Wednesday we met with a young Hispanic couple and really enjoyed the visit. The wife is from Guadalajara and knows one of our sister missionaries from the Visitors Center. It was fun to talk about our mutual acquaintance. We would like to use these families to identify other Hispanics in the area so that we can introduce them to the Gospel. This couple knows a few Hispanics, so we hope to move forward with our plan.

[Halifax Stake Center]

We also had the chance to go through a missionary transfer day. The companionship changes occur every sixth Thursday. Newly arriving missionaries arrive on the preceding Tuesday. The president and his wife pick them up at the airport. On Wednesday they attend the Temple with them and give them orientation. Early Thursday the changes are made. On Friday any terminating missionaries leave. It is a very busy week. This week things went awry. We were supposed to get seven missionaries this time. However, one had appendicitis and won’t be arriving until March 29th. The other six were supposed to transfer to a Halifax flight at JFK but their plane had mechanical problems and they wound up spending the night in NYC. Not knowing this, the President was up till 2:00 a.m. waiting for them. Then the next day the six came in on two different flights. Consequently, no orientation, just straight to their areas early Thursday morning. We closed the office on Thursday to have lunch at President Simpson’s house with the missionaries transferring in to this area and the two departing missionaries. It was fun to visit with them over morsels of food.

[President & Sister Simpson]

[Two stripling warriors]

[Lady missionaries assigned to Halifax]

[Best buddies?]

[Hoorah for Israel]

[Joann helps with cooking and cleaning]

[Yours truly]

On preparation day this week we ventured out to take in a few sights. It has been so cold lately that it has been a struggle to even walk to the car, so we have not really seen much of the area. Today was a little warmer. We ventured down to Eastern Passage which is a small town located at the southeastern edge of Halifax Harbor. This part of the harbor is not the main shipping channel because of its shallow depths. Historically it has been used by the fishing industry. Its waterfront consists of small wharves and piers. It was fun to walk about and see this area and the waters of the North Atlantic. We want to come back again during the summer to see more.

[An old chapel in Eastern Passage]

[Aren't wall murals a thing of Old Mexico?]

[Houses near the pier in Eastern Passage]

[A forlorn sailor waiting for his next voyage?]

[The bridge from Dartmouth to Halifax]

We continue to enjoy our mission a great deal. We know that we have been sent here for a special purpose and we are looking forward to accomplishing that.

On the Ground and Running

We got an email from our good friends George and Nancy Young this week who hoped we were "on the ground and running," and that describes it well. We now have completed one week on our own and as yet we don't think we have caused any irreparable damage. We continue to be challenged with new things everyday but that is good and keeps our old minds active.

The highlight of this week was an invitation to attend a baptism held in the Halifax Young Single Adult Branch with President and Sister Simpson. The young man getting baptized is from India and has been studying the gospel for 10 months. He first heard the gospel from some sister missionaries doing street contacting and he began to take the lessons. He had committed to baptism 2 or 3 times but had changed his mind at the last minute because of strong family opposition. That he got baptized at all is really a miracle. He is from a Hindu background and when he told his family he was studying the gospel, his father, who is of prominence in the Hindu religion in India, did not speak to him for months. The family did not call him nor did he even hear from them on his birthday. They then canceled his plane ticket to come home for Christmas break and told him not to return to India any more. His father even tried to take legal action to disown him as a son. You can imagine how hard all this was for him but he said he finally received such a confirmation of the truth of the Book of Mormon that he couldn't deny it and had to follow what he knew was right. It is amazing to see this kind of courage and faith in such a young man.

With Sister Hudson, one of the missionaries that taught him

With sister missionaries and a fellow student who baptized him

Another good event this week was the Zone Leaders Council held at the mission office. Fourteen elders and President and Sister Simpson attended. Janice prepared lasagna for them and it went quite well (other than the lasagna falling apart as it was served). It was fun to meet so many elders and feel their great spirit. Interacting with these young people serving the Lord is one of the great blessings for senior missionaries.

This sculpture is in the reception area of the mission office and was done by a member in the mission. Whenever Elder Foley sees it he remarks that it reminds him of young Elder Foley (our grandson serving in the Boise Idaho Mission).

And now for a tour of our apartment so you know where we are when not at the office.

The living room


dining area


study area (next to table)


kitchen


guest bedroom (Come and visit us!)


our bedroom


and YES, I do have a bathtub!


And the view from our living room window

We are very blessed and very comfortable here. We are adjusting to the cold, sort of, and spend as much time indoors as possible. We are looking forward to our short Canadian summer.