"There is no need for you or for me, in this enlightened age when the fulness of the gospel has been restored, to sail uncharted seas or to travel unmarked roads in search of truth. A loving Heavenly Father has plotted our course and provided an unfailing guide—even obedience. A knowledge of truth and the answers to our greatest questions come to us as we are obedient to the commandments of God." Thus have we heard from a modern, living Prophet of God, even Pres. Thomas S. Monson.

In Jeremiah 6:17, the prophet tells us that the Lord has placed watchmen upon towers to watch for the coming of enemies, to sound their trumpets to alert His people so they may not be surprised by a sudden attack of the enemy.  In our own day there are watchmen set to give us warnings of impending danger from our greatest enemy, even Satan and his angels.  Last week those watchmen sounded the trumpet once again.  Did we hear?  Were we listening?  Our call to the world is to listen to the watchmen, to be obedient to their calls from our Father in Heaven, so that we're not overrun by evil and temptations.  We pray that all may listen intently and sincerely to their messages of love and sincere desires to help us be obedient to the commandments of God.

The First Presidency and
The Quorum of Twelve Apostles -
Our "Watchmen on the Tower"

 

 

We are in the process of visiting seminary and institute classes around the mission.  During the first week of April we attended class in Truro, Nova Scotia.  This is the chapel in Truro, where we also took part last night (4/14) in a musical fireside. 

Anyway, this is the Truro seminary class, with Sis. Mahoney teaching a great lesson on Paul's writings in the New Testament.  We are not saved by grace alone, but also by our works, and faith in the Redeemer; obedience to His commandments are an absolute must.

Too often, people are misled to believe in one or two scriptures taken out of context, and base their entire salvation on that one thought.  Like a home, it is not complete until ALL things are in place and properly fit together.

Two Elders and two Sister Missionaries came to our apartment to have their planning day meeting.  We have here Elder Henderson (back left), Elder Gibbs, Sister T, Sister Drew (back right), and Sister Hart.  It was interesting watching them put together their plans for the coming week.  An absolute must for success.  If we fail to plan, we plan to fail.

And, of course, since they're here, we might as well feed them.

Elder Gibbs is one of our favorites.  We've known him since his first day in the mission, last summer, and he attended our institute classes in Bridgewater last fall.  He's now in the Halifax North area where we live, and is a great young man.  Here he is with Dan Pringle.  I didn't get a picture of them in their baptismal clothes, but Dan is the newest member of the Church and the YSA Branch.

We had an opportunity to watch the Sunday morning session of General Conference in the Bridgewater chapel.  This couple is one of our favorites - Bro. and Sister Laurie and Althea Wentzell.  Laurie was one of Elder Tiff's counselors when he was Branch President there 40 years ago.

This couple also ranks as one of our favorites.  Maynard and Delma Dorey took care of Elder Tiff when he was a young missionary in Nova Scotia 50 years ago!  At that time, Maynard was in the Branch Presidency, and Delma kept the young missionaries shirts looking nice.

Between sessions of conference we blessed a very special baby.  Here we have the missionaries.  Then Sauesi, Andrea, and Leilani Marie Pahulu, then Papa(?) and Nanny Roger and Anna Davison.  Sauesi was home from Alberta oilfields for about five days, Andrea came straight from the hospital to the church for the blessing.  Don't they look great!

     And doesn't Roger look pleased!?!

Meet Brother and Sister Peter and Linda Ripple.  Sister Ripple is the early morning seminary teacher in Liverpool.  Brother Ripple is a former branch president of the Liverpool Branch.  They are a very lovely couple who serve diligently in the church.  They currently serve at the temple in Dartmouth, and are returned missionaries from a temple mission in South America.  He is a retired shop teacher and built his own beautiful home.

While we were in Liverpool to visit the seminary class, we decided to spend the day with family.  This a luxury that missionaries rarely have.  It is missionary work, however, because none of Sister T's family belong to the church, but have become very supportive of us and the work we're engaged in.  Here we have everyone trying to make a choice for lunch at White Point Lodge.  Nat, our niece-in-law, is taking advantage of the photo shoot. 

 

Sister Tiff, sister-in-law Sylvia, and brother-in-law John are enjoying really great fish and chips, a favorite dish in the Canada Maritimes.

Sister Tiff on the balcony outside the dining room of White Point Lodge.

Elder Tiff obviously enjoying his time at White Point.  This Lodge is one of the most popular tourist sites in Nova Scotia, just a short drive from Liverpool.

Our final stop on this trip was at the home of Bro. and Sis. Wayne and Diane Hunt.  She is an amazing cook and they are very close friends.  Wayne was a member of the first Canada Halifax Temple Presidency and Diane was our Relief Society President when we lived in Mahone Bay, attending the Bridgewater Branch.  They were recently released as Family History Missionaries.

JJ Choo is our daughter from a different mother.  Being a hair stylist, she does really great work with Sister T's hair.  We had a better shot of Sister T while her hair was being done, but she insisted it be deleted.  But the finished product sure looks great!

Elder Tiff is obsessed with the Halifax/Dartmouth Bay and the shipping traffic that passes through it.  This shot is looking out to sea from the McKay Bridge, the MacDonald Bridge in the distance.

Canada Coast Guard keeping our coasts and shores safe.

Taken at 70 kilometers/hr (about 45 mph) - a photo of a freight ship filled with shipping containers being pushed out to sea.

Another freight ship of containers coming in from the sea with more containers.  We're continually on the lookout for the container carrying our possessions from home, hoping we'll never see it here.

 

We were given the assignment to feed a crowd of about 75 institute students and guests at the Institute Closing Social.  Here we have Sisters Drew and Hart, and Amber Jewers (back left) giving us a hand in the kitchen.  Sister Tiffany is a genius in the kitchen and came up with a menu that was loved by everyone.  ET just followed directions and tried to keep up or stay out of the way.  We spent a good part of the week planning, purchasing, and preparing for what was consumed in less than 30 minutes.

Banquet Prep!

Elder Tiff did get to prepare the dessert. And there was still some left for others to enjoy.

Two tables ready to serve.

Just a part of the crowd that enjoyed the evening.

Last night (4/14) we participated in a musical fireside in Truro with some missionaries from Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.  It was very entertaining and a spiritual feast.   It was identical to the Easter fireside we did at the stake center in Dartmouth, with instrumental and vocal solo numbers by the younger missionaries, combined with testimonies of the divinity of the Savior and his love for us.

 

As you can see, our missionary assignments take us a lot of places, doing a lot of things that not every missionary couple gets to do.  We were given an opportunity to change our assignment, at one point earlier in our mission, but we chose to continue in the calling given us by the prophet, and we don't regret it.  Heavenly Father blesses us continually, and we pray constantly that we may be sharp instruments in His hands to accomplish what He has sent us here to do.  We believe the end of our mission here will be a bittersweet moment - leaving one family to go home to another.  But we knew that would be our lot when we received our call to this mission, and we gladly accepted the challenge.

 

 "And he was withdrawn from them about a stone's cast, and kneeled down, and prayed, saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.  And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him.  And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and he sweat as it were great drops of blood falling to the ground."  (Luke 22:41-44)

 

"And behold, I am the light and the life of the world; and I have drunk out of that bitter cup which the Father hath given me, and have glorified the Father in taking upon me the sins of the world, in the which I have suffered the will of the Father in all things from the beginning."

(3 Nephi 11:11)

 

 

"Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou?  whom seekest thou?  She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away.  Jesus saith unto her, Mary.  She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master.  Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God."  (John 20:15-17)

 

The Easter celebration should call to our minds the line we hear so often at Christmas: "Remember the reason for the season!"  The resurrection of our Savior has been called the greatest thing that has happened for mankind in the history of the world.  We now have an everlasting life, going on beyond the grave, not just this life only and that's it!  Let us move beyond the bunnies and colored eggs and candy, and give thanks for the mission and sacrifice of our Savior Jesus Christ.

 

Sister Tiff is a master cheftess and puts together some pretty awesome meals and treats.  Here she is making cookies for the Dalhousie University students, as well as a cake for Elder Tiff's 70th birthday!

 



Doesn't that look good?!  Yes - it was!!

This is Sister Ott, one of four lady missionaries in our area.  She had her birthday a few days before ET's, so she was allowed to share some of the cake with him.

We went to Windsor a week ago, and while there took a few pictures.  Elder Tiffany's fascinated with the colorful homes.  Sadly, they don't show up quite as bright in pictures as they do in real life.

This yellow house is right next door to the purple one above.  Many streets throughout Nova Scotia sport multi-colored homes.  It's like a rainbow on every street.

This is an LDS chapel in Windsor, Nova Scotia.  It's not functioning right now, as the number of saints in the area isn't large enough to support such a large building, due to transient and migrating members.

This is the Halifax YSA Branch Presidency - Pres. Richard Moses in the back, Bro. Aalders in the front, and Elder Tiff.  On ET's birthday, they served a cake and wished him many more (birthdays).

This was actually the third cake for Elder Tiff.

This is a group of YSA waiting for Elder T to stop talking and cut the cake.

More YSA.

We had an opportunity to visit a couple of Sister T's siblings.  Above, we have Sister Tiffany, sister-in-law Sylvia, and Lil, Joni's sister.

This is three of the four Roy family children still with us.  Lil, Albert, and Joni.

Of course we're going to eat!

Because Albert's birthday is March 29th, the two of us were honored with another cake.  Notice only two candles for us to blow out.

Sister Tiff at her parent's grave site in Liverpool, Nova Scotia.

Yet another cake (this makes 5!) at the Davison's.

 A very dear friend for many years - Anna Davison.  Always a wonderful hostess (and a great cook!).

Andrea and Ofa - daughter and granddaughter of Anna -

whom we love very much.

Also at dinner at Anna's was John and Linda Caulfield.

They don't come much better!

Stewiacke is about 30 miles north of Halifax.  At this point, we're just as close to the equator as we are to the North Pole.

If you want to see the famous Green Gables, Ann's home,

this ferry will take you to Prince Edward Island.

But you'll have to wait until later in the spring, unless you drive across the 8 mile long Confederation Bridge between P.E.I. and New Brunswick.

This is one of the first signs you will see when departing the ferry from PEI.

And this directs you to Pictou, Nova Scotia, home of the first Scottish settlement in this part of the New World - established in 1773.  Nova Scotia means New Scotland.

The Hector was a ship famous for having brought the first Scottish settlers to Nova Scotia. It carried 189 Highlanders and took 11 weeks, with smallpox and dysentery claiming 18 children.

This is a home in Pictou. Notice the door above the add-on.  This is called a "mother-in-law door." Normally these doors have nothing below them but a lot of space between them and the ground.  Many homes have these!

We visited New Glasgow, a town close to Pictou, to monitor a seminary class and do a little in-service with the teacher.

Elder Roberts, April -1/4 of the seminary class, Sis. Laura MacKinnon -the teacher, and Elder Widdup.  Often there are only two students, with four registered, but tonight only one made it.  Sis. MacKinnon is a YSA in the branch and volunteers to teach whomever will show up, and she does a good job, too.

Short Elder Henderson, a new missionary, and tall Elder Gibbs (6'8") have just been assigned to the YSA branch.  They are wonderful young men whom we love dearly.

We took Carmelita, a relatively new member from the Philippines, to Peggy's Cove on a beautiful sun-shiney day, with temperatures in the high 40s F, and wind chill at about 20 F.

On Easter Sunday we had a fireside at the stake center in Dartmouth.  Pictured above is our member/missionary choir at rehearsal on Saturday.  Our conductor was Elder Call who took a sabbatical from his position as music department chairman at BYU-Idaho, to come on a mission with his wife.  He and his wife are amazing musicians.

Sis. Drew (right) and Sis. Broadhead -missionaries, were vocalists for the fireside.  Their singing talent is very professional and even more beautiful.

Here we have Sis. Call (piano), Elder Woodward (cello), Elder Waldie (viola), Elder Call (violin), and the two sisters in rehearsal.  Sis. Hart (missionary, not pictured) played the flute for a different number. The fireside was very spiritual, with talks given by Samantha Jong (YSA), Pres. Leavitt (mission president), and Pres. Evans (Stake President).  300 were in attendance and all were very impressed by the spirit and talent. Elder Woodward is from Centerville, Utah.

After rehearsal we went to dinner at Jungle Jim's Restaurant with (from left) Sisters Tiffany, Broadhead, Kowalski, Lee, and Ott.  We enjoyed our first burger in about 6 months, and poutine - a favorite dish in the Canada Maritimes of fries, cheese curds, and gravy.  Sounds gross?  NOT AT ALL!!  Very yummy!!

These young men are our Assistants to the President of the mission - Elder Baskin and Elder Morin.  Elder Baskin, from Kaysville, Utah, served with us previously and Elder Morin is from Quebec, French speaking, and new to our area, but both are fantastic missionaries and loved by everyone!

 

We had a great opportunity to serve at the temple twice for both of the last two weeks.  We were there for our usual service on this last Thursday evening, then back on Friday early morning until noon.  Because it was Good Friday, there were extra services throughout the day, with filled-to- capacity rooms in all areas of the temple all day long.  Canadians take their holidays very seriously, with almost every business closed on those days - even Walmart.  There were no cars in any store parking lot all that day!  It's the same for all of the major holidays.  You have to plan for it, but it's very refreshing to see them give their workers a day off.