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.