Remember September?

September was an unusual month in that we had only four missionaries going home but we had 14 new ones arrive.  The make-up of the mission is really changing from predominantly American missionaries to an equal mix of Americans and Canadians.  As we see the paperwork coming in on the new missionaries that will arrive in the coming months, the number of Canadians is growing.  That is kind of exciting, especially now that we also have a Canadian Mission President.

It is always hard to say goodbye to the missionaries going home. We learn to truly love them. With this group we are not only losing some great missionaries but we were losing one of the Assistants to the President, Elder Tongish.  We work closely with the AP's and it is hard to let them go.  Elder Tongish has been a great Assistant and I know he will be missed.

 President and Sister Leaitt, Elder Proulx, Sister Davis, Elder Tongish, Elder Jarvis

Sister Foley, Elder Tongish and Elder Biddulph (the AP's), Elder Foley

We are privileged to take a small part in training the new missionaries on office procedures, cars, etc.  It is rewarding to see such a large influx of new and very excited elders and sisters. It is exciting to see them when they first arrive in the field so road weary, so overwhelmed and so unsure of what is happening.  They are very anxious to get to their areas, meet their companions and start working.  It is so wonderful to follow them through their mission and see their growth and development.  It is somewhat sad now to think of these new missionaries and what a short time we will have left with them.

Do you see those somewhat anxious looks?  How would you like to be the lone sister traveling with all those elders?  She had a great attitude about it and I think enjoyed the journey.  

September is a beautiful time in the Maritimes.  It is not yet cold and the leaves are starting to change.  It is one of my favorite times of year at home but it is especially beautiful in Eastern Canada.  

 Elder Foley on the path by our apartment

 Outside our apartment

On September 6th Larry and I went on a Halifax harbour tour on a Tall Sailing ship.  It was the first time I have ever sailed and although it was a very big ship it was really fun and relaxing.

Silva

On September 20th we drove in the mission van to Hampton, New Brunswick with President and Sister Leavitt and the APs Elders Biddulph and Farnsworth.  The purpose of the trip was to meet up with Elder Gay of the Quorum of the Seventies to begin tour of the mission.  All the missionaries from the New Brunswick area came together.  We had meetings all morning and in the afternoon during interviews with the missionaries Larry and I used the mission van and drove to St. John, New Brunswick to find an apartment for a new pair of sisters to be assigned there.  We were lucky and found a great apartment in a short time.  We returned and had a great dinner provided by the ward.

 

Beautiful drive through New Brunswick

 Elders Farnsworth and Biddulph

 Elder Geiger at the piano

 Bishop Patterson welcoming us to Hampton

 Some of our fine elders enjoying their dinner

 President and Sister Leavitt, Elder and Sister Steffan, Sisters Hart and Huppe

 Elder Gay with Elder and Sister Duncan and young elders

Young missionaries from New Brunswick Zone plus the Foleys, the Tibbitts, Elder Gay,  the Leavitts, The Duncans, the Steffans and the APs with Elder Gay

At  9:00 pm we went to the airport and our little group flew with Elder Gay to St. John's Newfoundland for the next days meetings.  We arrived at our hotel after midnight and were ready for a good nights sleep.  The next morning we started a repeat of the day before.  Meetings in the morning then afternoon interviews by Elder Gay and President Leavitt with the missionaries. Sadly I can't find my pictures from the Newfoundland conference.  The Newfoundland Saints have the best pot lucks dinners ever and that evening we had a great dinner and fireside with the Saints then headed back to the airport to fly to Halifax.  Again a late night arrival.

The next day was the zone conference for the Nova Scotia missionaries.  Larry and I needed to get back to the office, so we didn't attend, but I did go over at lunch to take a group picture.  It was so wonderful for everyone to have the experience of being in the presence of a General Authority.  He shared such a wonderful message about missionary work and how important it is for the members and the missionaries to work together.  Although he is a very wealthy man, he was very humble.

President and Sister Leavitt, Elder Gay, Elder and Sister Tiffany, Elder and Sister Edwards, Elder and Sister Pierson and Elder Baines with the young sisters and elders

On September 23rd we had a pot luck dinner at the Mission Home to say goodbye to the Baines.  Elder and Sister Baine are from Alberta and have been serving in the Halifax Temple for 18 months.  They are a great couple and it has been wonderful getting to know them.

Elder and Sister Baines

We are so thankful for this wonderful mission experience and so thankful to a Heavenly Father who has created this beautiful world we live in.  We are very blessed to be here at this time in this lovely corner of the earth.

Quite the month, August 2012

August was a month of ups and downs. The unpleasant experiences help us to appreciate the good ones. First the good and then the not so good.

On August 5th Elder Hallstrom of the Seventies came for a meeting with President Leavitt. As one of their activities the President wanted to show Elder Hallstrom our mission office. He invited the Assistants (Elders Tongish and Biddulph), the Tiffanys and us to come to the mission office (on a Saturday when the office is closed) to meet him. It is always such a blessing to be in the company of a General Authority. He had a great spirit about him and although our meeting was short it was memorable.

 Elder Biddulph, Elder Hallstrom and Elder Tongish

Elder and Sister Tibbetts arrived in August and what a great couple they are. They took over in St. Stephens, New Brunswick which is a border city with Callais, Maine. I am sure the leaders and members there were happy to see them arrive, since the previous couple had to unexpectedly leave several months earlier. It is a great ward led by Bishop Doscus and the members are very missionary minded. They have young missionaries but the couples are especially good at reactivation and making new members feel welcome. Soon after they arrived, President Leavitt had them return to Dartmouth for a senior couple pot luck dinner so that we could get to know them. It was a special evening. They are so much fun, Sister Tibbitts is very outgoing and will have no trouble talking and reaching out to everyone.

 

 Sister and Elder Tibbits

On August 20th the Tiffanys and Griselda Campos came to dinner. The Tiffanys are a lively missionary couple assigned to the Church Education program. Sister Tiffany joined the Church in Nova Scotia many years ago when Elder Tiffany was serving as a missionary there. At that time it was part of the former New England Mission. It was several years before they married but we are sure glad they did. They are delightful. They now live in Utah and we look forward to meeting up with them is Salt Lake sometime in the future. Sister Campos is a wonderful woman from El Salvador who recently joined the church. She has been working in Canada for several years supporting her children and her mother back in El Salvador but her visa had expired and she was required to return to El Salvador. We know she will love seeing her children again but she is having a hard time leaving so many friends she has made in the church in Halifax.We had Sister Campos talk by skype with one of our sister missionaries from Mexico who is also from El Salvador. She is married and now living in St. George, Utah. It was good for Griselda to hear about the current status of the Church in El Salvador from her.

 Sister and Elder Tiffany

 Griselda Campos

Now, the not so good: Starting around the beginning of August my scalp on the right side of my head had been extremely tender. I mentioned it to a couple of people but didn't think too much of it. Then the day after our dinner with the Tiffanys and Griselda I woke up with sores all around my hairline on the right side. Immediately I thought "Shingles"! I was at the office and my head was really starting to hurt. I called Sister (Doctor) Hilda Fox, a wonderful sister in our ward who had been our doctor since we arrived but had recently retired. She and her husband are originally from England but have lived in Canada many years and joined the church there in the late 70's. I explained my symptoms to her and she agreed it was shingles. She was so wonderful. She not only called in prescriptions for me but she came to the house to check me, and even brought us dinner. Later when the shingles spread to my right eye, she got me an appointment at an eye clinic and again came to see me. The eye clinic was a long process of many visits but I am so thankful for good medical care.  It was a very unpleasant thing to go through but although the pain was severe, the support of so many people made it much easier. Members brought in meals and President and Sister Leavitt sent me some beautiful flowers. Our family at home called to give love and support as did my dear friend Carol.

 This was the beginning. The picture doesn't do it justice!!

Sister Fox

 Flowers from the Leavitts

I was out of the office recuperating for a week or so and then back only part time for another week. Elder Foley did a great job of holding down the fort at the office. President Leavitt was very understanding and encouraged me to get the rest I needed. August may have ended with health issues but we received special blessings for which we are thankful.