Tenacity -- the Parable of the Toque!

I love this picture of a toque that someone dropped on the edge of the road leading to the back of our apartment. It was lost back in about January, when the snow started to fall. A passerby picked it up and hung it from a dead twig. The yarn  must have gotten tangled in the branch, because this toque stayed there the entire winter, through multiple storms.

It even became completely buried in the snow at one point,

only to reappear in April as the snow finally  melted.

Each day as we drove up and down the lane, I saw the toque --- it just kept "hangin' in there", through the worst winter that the Maritimes has seen in a long time. That is one tenacious toque --- I just had to take a picture and write about it --- I told President about the toque in one of my weekly letters,  and also about some of the people that we had been able to work with on our mission. Some were at a place in their lives where they were receptive and ready to make changes, while others were not. 

We have not given up on those who struggle, but continue to reach out and invite and encourage.President said, "Before you leave, go and get the toque, and take it home with you. It will remind you of your service here and how it is important to become "tangled" in peoples lives and not give up on them."  That is a great insight ....

This young couple is also showing a lot of tenacity!

They have been through some challenging times, but they did not quit. This weekend, Elder Harding and some other members of the Dartmouth Ward are helping them as they move into a new apartment together, with their 2 year old daughter, Lily.

Lily has gotten quite comfortable with Elder Harding and will now come and sit on his lap.

When Matt and Andrea started coming back to church, Elder Harding would take Lily into the nursery so her parents could attend Sunday School class together. 

We were assigned to home and visit teach Matt and Andrea a few months ago and we are so proud of them and the choices and changes that they are making!

It is humbling to see what the Lord can do in our Lives as we open the Door and invite Him in. So grateful that we got to be involved in the process, and to play a small part. Meeting Matt and Andrea has been one of the highlights of our Mission.

Another highlight has been to see how the Lord has opened our minds and our eyes to see how the Saints in three different branches, throughout Newfoundland, could receive some much needed Training  . A few weeks ago, when we attended District Conference in NFL, and most of our group could not attend because the Ferry was cancelled. This meant that those scheduled to talk and teach could not make it --- as I later thought about how all of NFL joined into the conference via skype, the spirit impressed upon my mind to ask if the Stake Leaders

in Nova Scotia would allow the Branches in NFL to join in on  their stake training, twice a year, via Skype. 

This way, NFL would not miss out on valuable training due to uncertain weather conditions And the hearts of the Stake in NS would be turned towards their Brothers and Sister in NFL, to assist and help them out.

President readily agreed, and assigned me to follow through on it, so I called the Stake RS and Primary Presidents and they not only were willing, they volunteered to contact the NFL branches a few weeks ahead of their next training and get everyone on schedule. The missionaries will set up the Skype call, which takes the technical burden off the Stake -- this is the first time that this has happened and we are all  so excited! The Lord saw what needed to be done, He planted the thoughts, and showed us the way.

This month in the Mission, all of the Missionaries are reading the entire Book of Mormon, cover to cover, in one transfer.  I am Loving it!! I have never read the Book of  Mormon in that short of a time before and my testimony and love for this sacred Book of Scripture is growing each day as I read. All of the parents of our missionaries were invited to read it with us. It is a great experience. 

Elder Harding and I are both enjoying this, and are having some good discussions about what we are learning.

Our friends  from Nepal were very worried about their friends and family back home during last months terrible earthquake -- they were relieved to hear that all of their family is safe, just tired out from spending a couple of nights outdoors, waiting for the after shocks to stop ---- what a horrible tragedy, over 4,ooo dead. 

  Our hearts and prayers go out to our brothers and sisters of Nepal.