Some questions that men and women have been seeking answers to for centuries are: Where did I come from before this life? Why am I here on earth? Where am I going after I leave this life? Is there something I need to be doing or learning while I'm here in mortality? As missionaries and representatives of the Lord Jesus Christ, we are often asked these questions. Our responses to the second question narrow to what the Lord has revealed through His prophets in latter days, as well as in times of old: We are here to gain a physical body and to be tested to see if we can be faithful to Him through trials and challenges we face here on earth (Abraham 3:24-26).
Our mission has been our opportunity to invite others to come unto Christ and to share what we know to be true concerning the resurrected Lord, His restored gospel and priesthood, the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon, the importance of keeping His commandments, and how all of these things can lead us back to Him. Not all at once, but a little at a time, as we are able to grasp and instill within our lives.
Our son Brad and his fiancée Nancy were here to visit us two weeks ago. Brad was born here and hasn't been back since we visited here in the '80s. He and Nancy are going numb while they get their picture taken standing in the freezing North Atlantic.
Sis. Tiff's brother Milford, his wife Ruby, her sister Dot, and our friend Melissa were at our place for dinner while Brad and Nancy were here.
Ruby, Nancy, Brad, Milford after a great dinner!
The Kitchen Wizard in her small but very convenient food preparation area. EVERYBODY loves it when she performs here.
Canadian Thanksgiving occurs on the second Monday of October. Brad and Nancy happened to be here at that time and we spent the weekend with family in Liverpool. This dinner was actually on the day before.
Sylvia and Albert (Sis. T's brother) were very excited to have a visit with Brad and Nancy after so many years away.
It was a beautiful day at Summerville Beach, one of our favorite spots when we lived and visited here.
Kevin (with his wife Sherry) is Albert's son. If we want to know what Brad will look like in ten years we look at Kevin.
As we travel around the province we keep seeing this guy, or one of his family. His name is F. I. ReHydrant, and most of his family look just like him, all dressed exactly the same.
A Roy family pastime is being observed here. Don't interrupt! We had dinner on Thanksgiving day at Clayton and Karen's (our niece) home. With her is Nora and her dad David (our nephew).
Aunt Helen is one of Brad's biggest fans. She hasn't seen Brad since he was about 8 years old, and she was overjoyed to have this reunion with him.
Eric Weed is the seminary teacher for the Halifax Ward while attending dental school at Dalhousie University. Eric is actually from Utah, attending school here for 4 years, with his wife and children to keep him company.
This is Eric's seminary class, and they're all pretty good participants. He meets with them once a week and they do online work with him the other days.
In Nova Scotia lobster season is year-round, somewhere along the coast. It's quite inexpensive here, compared to Utah prices, but very fresh and tasty. This was part of a thank-you meal Brad and Nancy prepared for us.
Megan Coish joined the church about 4 months ago, and about 10 days before this picture brought Lillian into the world. She's a wonderful young woman who has been attending the YSA Branch with us and we've spent a lot of time with her.
Bro. Bill and Sis. Alice Green serve at the temple with us and are a very fun and delightful couple. There home is in Newfoundland but they're living in Dartmouth. we have fun trying to translate what he says in his Newfunese language.
Sisters Laxton (No. Carolina) and Renda (Herriman, Utah) have been assigned to the YSA branch and are really spiritual and energetic young ladies. Sis. Renda was in the MTC in Provo, Utah, just four days ago!
Elders Clark and Nzojibwami (both from Alberta) are newly assigned to the YSA branch also, as well as being the assistants to the mission president. They are real fireballs and very spiritual giants. We love working with them and the sisters.
The colors are just beginning to fade. These pictures were taken two weeks ago, and the whole province looks just like this - taken along the river towards Sis. Tiffany's family's home.
This is the scene behind Lil and John's home (Sis. T's sister and brother-in-law).
What we see from our apartment window in Halifax.
Brad and Nancy at Summerville Beach. We really loved having them visit and to give Nancy a taste of where Brad used to live.
Brad had a special attachment to Nannie and Bompie Roy, as he spent his first three and a-half years with them. This was his first opportunity to visit their gravesite and to pay his respects and love to them.
As we sojourn through this life, let us focus more on what we can do for and with others, and less on ourselves. If we want to get to Heaven, let us make sure we do what we can to help others to get there, through our loving acts of kindness and compassion. Family is so much more important than things. We'll probably never see a U-Haul trailer on the back of a hearse. As a latter-day prophet has said: "Man's earthly existence is but a test as to whether he will concentrate his efforts, his mind, his soul upon things which contribute to the comfort and gratification of his physical instincts and passions, or whether he will make as his life's end and purpose the acquisition of spiritual qualities" (David O. McKay).
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