The past week was a typical Nova Scotia winter weather week.  We had some really nice days, mixed with some snow, rain, and windy days, and some of this all in the same day!  It was a good week to lay low and watch the weather go by - but we didn't.

We finally met Elder and Sister Thatcher from Orderville, Utah (a very small town in southern Utah).  They are our new mission office couple who are anxious to get going and are very well qualified.  Sister Thatcher was an elementary school teacher and Elder Thatcher was a clinical psychologist (we think).  He is also a very accomplished organist/pianist.  We're glad to have them here to take some of the load off Elder and Sis. Wiebe, who have been filling in since Elder and Sis. Foley left.

Our district (minus Elder Tibbits &Truro Sisters)
Elders Wolsey, Moss, Johnson, Fisher
Sisters Rust & Hart

On Tuesday we attended a missionary district meeting for training for the young missionaries.  They are so anxious to do what is right and to share the gospel in the most effective way.  We love working with them when we can, and to feel their enthusiasm for the work of the Lord.  After the meeting we had a lunch prepared by one of the members, Sis. Hartling.  She's been wanting to feed them at one of these meetings for quite some time, but never could make connections.  She connected, and we had a wonderful meal.  Sister T prepared brownies to go with the fruit and ice cream for dessert.  YUMMY!  The missionaries loved the food and that it was FREE for them.

Thursday was our day at Dalhousie and we had a good group show up for class.  It went as we planned: playing Elder Holland's 1988 BYU talk on the law of chastity.  It's on You-Tube, titled: "Of Souls, Symbols, and Sacraments," and everyone should listen to it.  It's 45 minutes but well worth the time, especially if you're working with youth or have young people in the family.  It covered everything Alma talked to his son, Corianton, about in the Book of Mormon (Alma 39).  Breaking the law of chastity, including all of the ways it can be broken, is a very grievous sin, including our thoughts, pornography, viewing immoral movies and videos, songs, literature, our words, and so on.
Then we reviewed the great plan of redemption prepared for us by a loving Heavenly Father, as discussed in Alma 40-42.  If we have broken a commandment we are not lost if we will repent, ask forgiveness, and strive to live the commandments thereafter.  If we have broken a commandment and then truly repent, forsake sin, and earnestly strive to follow God's will, we can be forgiven and restored to the good graces of our Father in Heaven.  We cannot be happy while in a state of transgression.  As Alma told his son, "Do not suppose, because it has been spoken concerning restoration, that ye shall be restored from sin to happiness.  Behold I say unto you, wickedness never was happiness." (Alma 41:10)  It is all a matter of mercy and justice.  Justice requires that every sin must be paid for, otherwise "justice would be destroyed, and God would cease to be God.  But God ceaseth not to be God, and mercy claimeth the penitent, and mercy cometh because of the atonement; and the atonement bringeth to pass the resurrection of the dead; and the resurrection of the dead bringeth back men into the presence of God; and thus they are restored into his presence, to be judged according to their works, according to the law and justice." (Alma 42:22-23).

Thursday was also a day of pouring rain and great gusts of wind.  On the way home from Dalhousie on the bus, the wind rocked the bus as though we thought we would tip over.  Many people who climbed on the bus were totally soaked.  It was quite a downpour.  Then, on our way to the temple, it turned fairly nice.  Nova Scotia weather.

Elder & Sis. Tibbits
(the "Tibbi")



Pres. & Sis. Leavitt

Elder & Sis. Steffen

Elder and Sister Tibbits, from Alpine, Utah, who are assigned to St. Stephen, New Brunswick (right on the U.S. border at Maine), came to stay with us for the weekend.  All of the senior missionaries in the mission came into Halifax/Dartmouth for a Seniors Conference.  It was a very nice time to meet together with missionaries from all over the mission.  Pres. and Sis. Leavitt put together some great training for us in how to be more effective and productive in our service.  Because we are CES missionaries, our assignment is quite different from everyone else, but what we learned will help us in our work.  Friday's meetings were at the stake center in Dartmouth, with lunch at Subway and dinner at a very nice restaurant on the wharf, overlooking the bay and the Halifax skyline reflected in the water.  At that dinner, in casual conversation with Elder and Sis. Davis (assigned to Newfoundland, coming from Logan, Utah), we learned that Sis. Davis was in the very first seminary class Elder T ever taught at Logan High School in 1967-68!  Who woulda thunk!?  Afterwards we all went to the temple for an endowment session.  What a great experience that was.  Saturday we met at the mission home for more training, open discussion, and a great lunch - with Sister T's fish chowder and Sis. Calvert's amazing desserts.  During the course of the meetings we had an organ recital by Elder Thatcher and a violin recital by Elder Call.  Elder and Sis. Call arrived in the mission on Wednesday, and he was Dean of Music at BYU Idaho.  After the meeting on Saturday, some of us stayed awhile and listened to a rehearsal for a fireside.  It featured Elder Call on the viola, Elder Thatcher at piano, Elder Hunt at violin, Elder Woodward at cello, and Sis. Bruce (a local 16 year-old) at flute.  Hunt and Woodward are young missionaries.  It was a wonderful treat!  They all are amazingly talented!

Elder & Sis Davis

Seniors at Dinner

Sis. Davis with one of
Sis. Calvert's desserts

Seniors in Conference

Another angle on the Seniors

All of the Canada Halifax
Senior Missionaries

Our musicians at work!

The Tibbi and Sis T
at burial site of Titanic victims

Saturday afternoon and evening we took the Tibbits (Pres. Leavitt calls them the Tibbi - as in plural Tibbits) on a tour of Halifax and Dartmouth, then to dinner. It was cold, but sunny and clear.  Part of the tour took us to one of the cemeteries where most of the Titanic victims are buried, right here in Halifax.

Outer Halifax Bay-
Part of our Saturday tour

Part of our Sunday evening
dinner crowd

Sis. Tiff with some
fantastic rolls and cookies

Sunday morning we awakened to 6-7 inches of snow.  We attended Halifax Ward Sacrament Meeting then YSA church meetings, then came back to the apartment.  For dinner we invited all four Elders, two Sister missionaries, and the Tibbi were still with us.  It was a great feast, and Sister Tiff did it again with a fantastic meal.  After that, Elders Tiffany and Tibbits went to visit the Choos.  They just happened to have the Super Bowl on and forced us to stay and watch it.  We reluctantly gave in to their coercings and tried to enjoy our evening with them (it was great!).

It snowed again on Sunday night but Elder and Sis. Tibbits were finally able to get away on Monday morning to return to their assigned area.  She and Sis. T are so much alike it's scarey!  Elders T and T just sit back and let them do their thing.  It was so much fun having them here with us for the entire weekend.  They will be transferring to Prince Edward Island in March, so we're looking forward to perhaps visiting them this summer when Nathan and Marcie are here.

If you ever get a cough that comes from the ends of your toes and won't go away, go to Dr. Buckley!  After visits with him, your body will beg for mercy and promise never to cough again.  Actually, Buckley's Cough Syrup is so yucky tasting that you do whatever it takes to stop the cough so you don't have to continue taking the syrup.  It tastes a little like liquid mentholatum mixed with gasoline - or something like that.  But it works!  Elder T is back in the saddle and healthy again.

Our Heavenly Father is quick to bless, no matter how slow we are to be obedient.  As it says in the Book of Mormon, before we even finish an act of obedience He is blessing us.  In fact, even while we are in the act of obedience we are being blessed with the ability to act.  Oh, how great is the plan of our Father in Heaven to make us eternally happy.  All that is required of us is to follow Him and keep His commandments.

January!
At the river by Lil and John's

October!
Same place.

We visited with Lil and John, and Dave and Nat this week and spent a great day chatting, eating, and enjoying their company.  We always try to share a gospel message with them, and let them know how happy we are to be serving a mission for Him.  The family seems to be in good health and spirits are very supportive of our missionary service.

While in the South Shore area, we visited Bridgewater and some of the people we love so dearly.  We had an opportunity to visit Laurie and Althea Wentzell in their new home.  They have moved in from the country to a nice apartment in Bridgewater town.  They have always been stalwarts in the area, but because of ill health and other complications, they haven't been able to get to church, so this will be good for them to be nearer to the chapel.

The Bridgewater institute class is in good hands.  We attended the class on Wednesday evening and were well fed spiritually.  Bro. Mackenzie is doing a very fine job sharing the gospel with the YSA.  The class is now confined to just YSA, so they are responding to questions and teachings much more readily than when their parents and other older adults were there.

Part of our class at Dalhousie-
Heidi, Chris, Samantha, & Sis. T.
Chelsea's added below.



Thursday's institute class at Dalhousie went very well.  We took the time to discuss Alma 31-35, in the Book of Mormon.  The Prophet Alma is teaching the poor people about how to gain faith in Jesus Christ by experimenting on the words of  Christ.  It's like planting a seed of hope, patiently nourishing it until it sprouts, nourishing it further with faith that it will bring forth good fruit, then enjoying the fruits of the gospel and the good word of Christ.  It is not enough just to have faith, though that is an absolute must.  We must then act - faith without works is dead.  Alma then goes on to talk about having a prayer in our hearts always so that we may remain closer to our Father and be more easily taught by the Holy Ghost.  Also, that we must be obedient to the commandments NOW, and not put off our obedience and repentance.  He says: "For behold, this life is the time for men to prepare to meet God; yea, behold the day of this life is the day for men to perform their labors...do not procrastinate the day of your repentance until the end...for that same spirit which doth possess your bodies at the time that ye go out of this life, that same spirit will have power to possess your body in that eternal world."  There was a good spirit in class and the students were quite receptive to it.
That evening we had the opportunity to be at the temple and work with the youth and YSA who came to the baptistry.  It's always good to be there with them.  They always have such a willing attitude to do whatever they can to be of service.  We were at the temple again on Friday evening to work with another group of YSA at the baptistry.  We love to see so many of them worthy and willing to be in the temple doing things that will bring families together in the eternities.

Sunday evening we had the Sister missionaries over for dinner.  They're both Americans, Sis. Rust from Vernal, Utah, and Sis. Hart from Idaho Falls, Idaho.  They are such great ladies and we love working with them.  Sis. T took some time to be a mother for Sis. Rust by sewing a button on her coat.  Just like home!

 

A few of the sisters at the YSA branch - Katie, Samantha, Emma, and the Sister missionaries - Hart and Rust.

 Elder and Sister Wiebe - very capable office/member support missionaries.

Our mission president's wife, Sister Leavitt, in her   P-day outfit!

 

We had an opportunity to do a little service project for the stake this week.  Anna Davison, our friend from Mahone Bay, came by for lunch and she is a public relations person for the stake.  We put together some envelopes for handing out to members for a special fast in February that the stake is sponsoring for feeding the poor.  The envelopes are for inserting money saved from the fast to give to the Food Bank.  A monotonous task, but a worthy one.

Joni's brother Milford,
one of the three uncles!

The picture we took of Milford at Peggy's Cove we had framed and took to him.  We don't think he was as amused as we were.  But he took it in stride and thanked us for thinking of him.  Ruby, his wife, thought it was pretty funny, but didn't say much.  He is such a good and humble soul.

The classes at Dalhousie are small, but we didn't expect a large group.  We hope what we are doing there for them is worthwhile.  It is a real challenge to try to put together a lesson that will get them into the scriptures and into their hearts.  We pray for direction in preparation and presentation that will build testimonies and strengthen their conversion.  As we are preparing our Book of Mormon lessons our testimonies are strengthened more and more that Joseph Smith could not have made this stuff up.  All of the precise and exact things that are in the Book of Mormon are things he could not have known or had access to, especially with his limited background and education.  Joseph Smith was a prophet of God!

Pres. Leavitt asked us if we would consider changing our assignment from CES and move to a small branch somewhere in the mission.  We appreciate his confidence in us that perhaps we could be of some assistance out there in one of the struggling areas, but we feel that our call to work with the YSA and the CES program was an inspired calling from the prophet.  We are now accepted and feel comfortable with the youth, as well as with our teaching assignment, and to disrupt that confidence and love we feel from the YSA and the seminary and institute instructors we work with would be detrimental.  We are very happy where we are and love our work.

 We had an opportunity to go through a session at the temple on a Saturday with a number of Bridgewater members.  To see these people in the temple that we once served with and lived with when there was no temple within thousands of miles of us is very heartwarming.  We felt like Alma in the Book of Mormon, when he met his friends, the sons of Mosiah, at the end of their missions to the Lamanites after 14 years.  To see them still friends in the gospel, still with a love of the Savior and His work, is so joyful and satisfying.


Winter in Nova Scotia this year is very different from winters we've witnessed here before, and from almost any winter we've lived through elsewhere.  There was no snow until after Christmas, with temperatures generally mild and with a lot of sun.  Since the end of December we've had a lot of snow, a lot of rain, a lot of sun, frigid winds, temperatures from sub-freezing to low 50s F.  Sometimes all of this in one day!  Because of the continuous changes in weather and temperatures, a lot of flu and sickness has been felt.  Elder Tiffany picked up a cough a week ago that came from the bottom of his toes, and rocked the apartment.  That is starting to calm down now, but it has delayed some plans we had to visit early morning classes and do missionary apartment inspections.  Hopefully next week we'll be back to normal, whatever that is.

The Halifax District

We did have an opportunity to attend a district missionary training meeting with the young missionaries last week.  We really enjoy getting together with them, to feel their enthusiasm for the work, and to listen to their testimonies.  In our district we have four Elders and four sister missionaries, Elder and Sis. Wiebe, and us.  Technically we're not part of the district because we aren't proselyting missionaries, but we live in the area so we join in when we can.  We do love to go on visits with them when asked.

After that meeting we drove to Truro (about 40-50 miles north) to inspect the sister missionaries apartment.  While there we visited some non-member friends we stayed with there last summer.  Donna and Ronnie Singer are friends of Sister T's that go way back to her single days as a telephone operator in Truro.  They are very nice people that treat us like family.

From their home we drove to the chapel to attend an institute class.  The teacher, Sis. Brogan, is a young mother with lots of things to do, but she loves teaching the class of two or three, and she does an excellent job at it.  She is very well prepared and has a good spirit with her and about her.  Her lesson was taken from Elder Boyd K. Packer's General Conference talk of last October, "The Atonement."  Very briefly, he said: "It was understood from the beginning that in mortality we would fall short of being perfect.  It was not expected that we would live without transgressing one law or another...so a way was provided for all who sin to repent and become worthy of the presence of our Father in Heaven once more...That is the promise of the gospel of Jesus Christ and the Atonement...that at the end of their life, they can go through the veil having repented of their sins and having been washed clean through the blood of Christ."  That is the message we share with the world.  It is not new doctrine, it is not our doctrine, it is not false doctrine, it is His doctrine, and we testify of His divinity and His love for us - no matter what!





John Caulfield - 6'8" -
physically & spiritually





Linda Caulfield -
a really great woman (and cook)

We drove down to Bridgewater on Wednesday to inspect the Elder's apartment.  They rent a nice little cabin from one of the members, that's very nicely kept and tucked away in a grove of trees.  We took Elders Steed and Woodward (from Centerville, Utah) to lunch, where we visited with a waitress whose brother is a member of the church in Halifax.  We gave her a pass-along card for more information on her brother's church.  We visited with the Davison's then went to dinner at John and Linda Caulfield's.  They're members who recently moved here from British Columbia and lived in Pres. Leavitt's stake when he was Stake President there.  It was a wonderful evening and we were going to stay for the institute class at the church, but it was cancelled because of a very heavy snowfall.  Because of that snowfall we headed for Halifax.  All-season tires and unplowed roads make for slow travel, taking us two hours to get home, but we were safe.

Thursday was class day at Dalhousie.  Because of the snow, a lot of students didn't get to class, so because of Elder T's cough, we left early.   We did meet with Gordon and Judith MacMichael and Wayne and Pat Jewers for a late lunch at Wharf Wraps in Eastern Passage.  That was a very pleasant time.  Gordon was the doctor who delivered our daughter Kirsten just 39 years ago - oh, sorry Kirsten.  They're from Nova Scotia but are now living in Ontario - very good people whom we love dearly.  The Jewers' live in Lunenburg.  We were supposed to go to the temple that evening, but because of E T's cough, we came home instead, not wanting to share that with temple workers and patrons.

Elders Woolsey, Johnson, Fisher, & Moss
(back to front)

The only time we went out on Friday was to inspect the local Elders' (4 of them) apartment.  The wind was freezing!  They had spent the previous day cleaning, so it looked pretty good when we got there.  We bought them a couple of pizza's and came back home.  Elder T has been inside since then, and Sister T has been babying him along through his cough.

We will begin teaching at Dalhousie University again this week, for the Winter Semester.  We will have two classes on Thursdays, the first being the Book of Mormon, and the second being Teachings of Modern Prophets, using the Ensign magazine edition of last November.  Our first selection will be the talk given by Elder Quentin L. Cook, titled "Can You Feel So Now?"  We've heard and seen this question come up a lot in our missionary journeys, so we thought we would address it.



Elder Quentin L. Cook,
Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ

This question comes from Alma 5:26: "If ye have experienced a change of heart, and if ye have felt to sing the song of redeeming love, I would ask, can ye feel so now?"  I quote from Elder Cook's talk: "This question...rings across the centuries.  With all that we have received in this dispensation - including the Restoration of the fulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the outpourings of the spiritual gifts, and the indisputable blessings of heaven - Alma's challenge has never been more important." If we have felt the love of our Savior and had a desire to be more like Him, will we strive to get that feeling again, so we may continue to follow the straight and narrow path which leads back to Him and our Father in Heaven?!

Winter has arrived in Atlantic Canada, at least for a few days.  It has been snowing on and off for the last week.  Yesterday, Sunday, we had a big snowstorm that left a lot of white stuff on the ground.  But the winters here can be deceiving.  On any given day we can receive snow, then rain, then wind, then sunshine, then snow again.  Not necessarily in that order, but fairly consistently.  So, we may have 5-6 inches of snow by noon, a little sunshine in the afternoon, maybe some rain in the evening, and lots of cold wind, and tomorrow there may be no snow left - but wait until the afternoon.  Maybe!  Anyway, the humidity and wind make it very cold here.

At least the sun was shining!

Joni's brother Milford -
postcard picture perfect!

Peggy's Cove on December 30th is beautiful but the wind and temperature is wicked!  We picked up Sister Tiff's brother, Milford, and drove out there.  He is a former Mounted Policeman in the Marine Division, so she thought he might like to go for a ride out by the seashore, and Peggy's Cove is the most picturesque spot she could think of.  We were almost blown away by the Arctic wind.  We took a couple of pictures, went into the gift shop for a hot chocolate, then huddled back into the van with the heater on high.  Milford said the next time we want to go out there, be sure to not ask him to go along, "Only crazies do that"!.  We mentioned all of this to Sis. Robinson, the temple president's wife (from Utah), and she thought it would be great.  So she and Sister Tiff may be making a trip out there some stormy day while Elder Tiff and Milford stay at home close to a fireplace or something else that's warm.

Well, some were dancing -
some were not

On New Year's Eve we danced the night away - well, the young single adults did.  We were at the church for the evening, chaperoning them at their dance.  A recent convert, Carmelita, is living here by herself while her family is in the Philipines, and we invited her to come with us instead of sitting home by herself.  She's older than the YSA, but she enjoyed being there very much.  She even joined in with them (these days you don't need a partner to dance, you just go out there and join the crowd).  We volunteered to take her home early, but she wanted to stay, so we were there for the countdown.  Senior missionaries don't have the same schedule as the younger Elders and Sisters, so at midnight we cheered, then headed for home.  I think we were in bed by 12:30.  HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Rick Cartier, our supervisor, came to our apartment for lunch last Friday.  Sis. T made a fabulous fish chowder that can't be beat!  We've had fish chowder quite often since we arrived, which Elder T doesn't mind at all.  With the price of chicken and other meat being so high (chicken breasts at $6.99/lb - on sale), and fresh fish so available, it's the only way to go.  How about fresh lobster right out of the ocean at $4.50/lb?  Anyway, we discussed our spring schedule and expectations with Rick, and we are excited to get under way.  We'll start next week as we go to Yarmouth and up the Fundy shore inspecting missionary apartments, we'll also try to make it into a few seminary classes for observation and inservice. 

Snacks at our district meeting
provided by Sis. Wiebe

Our District Leader Elder Wolsey &
Our Zone Leader Elder Moss

Our temple assignment is a spiritual high for us each week.  We love serving there with those who attend, as well as the other temple workers.  We now have just one temple session on Thursday evenings, so we go a little later and come home a little earlier.  That will help when we start teaching on Thursdays at the university so we're not pushed for time.  We still spend a little time with the young missionaries at District Training Meetings at the chapel.  We love the time we have with such great young men and women and other senior couples.  Elder Jensen, one of our favorites who has been here since arriving in the mission field, was transferred last week.  He'll be a leader before he goes home - fantastic young man!

Sister missionaries!

Elder Jensen and two anonymous
folks

Yesterday, Sunday, we had a very long day.  Starting with church at 9:30 with the Halifax 1st Ward, a family ward we attend just to keep the feel of families young and old, then into the YSA church meeting.  Being Fast Sunday, we heard some beautiful testimonies of the gospel, that helped buoy our spirits.  The first Sunday of every month we fast from eating and drinking for 24 hours, and pray for extra strength through the Holy Ghost.  The money we would have spent on food for those meals is instead  contributed to the poor and less fortunate.  Church meeting is then used for sharing the added spirit we feel through fasting and prayer by bearing our testimonies of what blessings we have and our love for the Savior and His redeeming love for us.  It is our opportunity to express appreciation for the part the Gospel of Jesus Christ plays in our lives.


After church we picked up Stefan Aulenbach (a son of our friend Melissa) and his girlfriend, Sharlene.  They were stranded in Dartmouth after a week or more on the road, they hadn't eaten for a few days, were very cold,  and needed a ride to Kentville (about 50-60 miles away).  It was snowing very hard when we picked them up, but we took them to a restaurant for a meal then headed down the highway.  By this time it was dark and the snowplows had not been out.  We made the journey on slippery roads in a much slower than usual speed, and delivered them safely at their home.  After getting their car started with our jumper cables, we headed for home.  It was quite an adventure of about 6 hours time, but we're glad we were available for them.  As it says in the Book of Mormon, in Mosiah 2:17 - "And behold I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings, ye are only in the service of your God."  Or, in Matthew 25:40 - "And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me."  Missionaries or not, this is our responsibility and blessing as children of God.

We hope everyone had a very enjoyable Christmas season and their new year will be better than the one just past, Mayan calendar and all.  We and our family have been truly blessed this past year.  A bike accident, a few surgeries, some tangles with rosebushes, football injuries, etc., but we're all still alive to talk about it.  May our Heavenly Father bless everyone at least as much as He has blessed us.

Thomas S. Monson, Henry B. Eyring, Dieter F. Uchtdorf -
First Presidency -
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
 

"We the First Presidency and the Council of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints proclaim that marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and that the family is central to the Creator's plan for the eternal destiny of His children...Husband and wife have a solemn responsibility to love and care for each other and for their children...Parents have a sacred duty to rear their children in love and righteousness, to provide for their physical and spiritual needs, and to teach them to love and to serve one another, observe the commandments of God, and be law-abiding citizens wherever they live..." (The Family, A Proclamation To The World, Sept. 23, 1995)

Our favorite wall-hanging!

The family's favorite pastime

Dave and Nat,
Keegan and Norah

Another family
favorite pastime

We dearly love our family and are especially thoughtful of them at this time of year as we celebrate the birth of our Savior.  We had a wonderful Christmas holiday, spent with friends and loved ones.  We had the special opportunity to spend a few days, including Christmas day, with Sister T's siblings and their families.  After church on December 23rd, we drove to Mahone Bay for dinner with Roger and Anna Davison and Sauesi, Andrea, and Ofa Pahulu.  They have been so kind and giving in so many ways and so many times; they are loved dearly.  After dinner we went to Bridgewater Ward's Christmas celebration.  That was very well done
and put us deeper into the Christmas spirit.  From there we drove to Liverpool and spent the next three days visiting and celebrating with Joni's sister, brother, and sisters-in-law and their families.  We even had a special guest, Jacob Huskins - a good friend of John's, come and play his fiddle and banjo for us.  It was a holiday spent entirely with family.  The only thing that would have been better would have been to have our own children and their families here with us.  We felt very loved.  On the way home we stopped to have dinner with some very good friends in Bridgewater, Patrick and Anna Hirtle.  They have been good friends of ours for many years.

Nephew Keegan

Dave - the outdoorsman

Santa John

Lil -chief cook

Nat & Dave

Albert & Sylvia

Betty and her grand-daughter
Hailey

Fiddler Jacob

Thursday gave us a Nova Scotia snowfall - it snows really hard for a few hours and makes things white and slippery, then it rains for a few hours and washes most of it away.  We were in the temple in Halifax (actually, it's across the harbor in Dartmouth) for most of the day and were well protected from the weather and the cares of the world.  Saturday was spent in the temple also, with a LARGE group of youth coming in from Prince Edward Island, St. John, New Brunswick, and Sydney, Nova Scotia.  The temple is the most safe and calming protection from the world, and to see the youth come to serve there gives us hope that the future is in good hands as we recognize their trust in God to be worthy to be there.  They must be good citizens as well as followers of Christ to be in the temple, and this is such a sacred place that, if they continue on their current chosen path, they will lead us correctly in the future - both temporally and spiritually.

Halifax, Nova Scotia Temple

"When members of the Church are troubled or when crucial decisions weigh heavily upon their minds, it is a common thing for them to go to the temple.  It is a good place to take our cares.  In the temple we can receive spiritual perspective.  There, during the time of the temple service, we are 'out of the world.'"  (Pres. George Q. Cannon)

"Every foundation stone that is laid for a Temple, and every Temple completed according to the order the Lord has revealed for His holy Priesthood, lessens the power of Satan on the earth, and increases the power of God and Godliness, moves the heavens in mighty power in our behalf, invokes and calls down upon us the blessings of the Eternal Gods, and those who reside in their presence."  (in "The Logan Temple," Millenial Star, Nov. 12, 1877, 743)

Sister T and Sis. Roberts

Elders Raymant and Sloan

Friday at lunchtime we were with Sis. Evelyn Roberts and Elders Sloan and Raymant.  We had a very good visit and very tasty food.  The young missionaries give us such a boost, because of their spirit and great enthusiasm to be serving a mission.  We are always uplifted when we are around them and attending meetings with them.

Senior missionaries enjoying dinner

Elder & Sis. Duncan

Elder and Sister Tibbits
(She's a definite twin in personality to Sis. Tiff) 

On Friday evening the senior missionaries from Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island all got together for a dinner at the mission home.  It was a wonderful affair and time to spend with others of our same age to enjoy, commiserate, and celebrate.  Elder and Sister Duncan, from PEI (from Wyoming), shared slides and narrative of their previous two year mission in Chuuk (Guam) where my brother and his wife (Dixon and Rosemary) are now serving.  Seeing their pictures and hearing their stories helped us all appreciate our mission to snowy Canada so much more.  The Duncans are so full of life and enthusiasm it makes the rest of us feel old.  That night we had Elder and Sister Steffen stay with us, as they were going to the temple on Saturday morning before going back to their area.  The Steffens are from Fruit Heights, Utah, and were in the MTC at the same time as Dixon and Rosemary.  A very nice couple.

Speaking of snow, we are currently sitting in our apartment watching a blizzard outside.  The winds and snow are fierce enough to cancel church today.  So we are finally seeing winter arrive in the north country.  We have had so much nice weather, with sunshine and warm temperatures that this is quite a change.  This is called a Nor'Easter. The snow might not last very long, depending on how much and how soon the rains come, but it's cold and white right now.