Hunkering Down

We have a meeting with our Mission President and his wife,  (President and Sister Leavitt).   We have a Gospel Discussion which is always fun, and then go over vehicles, apartments, schedule for the next month etc.  It keeps us all on the same page and allows us to get some feedback on what we are doing.

We thought we would play a little trick on President Leavitt and get his reaction.  He told us once that he has never said no to a Missionary Couple so we thought we would help him with that.   After we reviewed the schedule I said "We were looking at the Calendar and thought things were slower in January and we were considering taking off a few days to travel."   We anticipated his response which was,  "where were you thinking of going."   I said,  "We were looking on the internet and noticed a really good sale on a trip to Mexico."   I could see the wheels turning and Sandra and I held his gaze until we couldn't help but start laughing.

I felt bad after, because he has lots of things on his mind and didn't need a prank pulled on him but he handled it really well.   I think we jinxed the weather from our prank.   This is the 1st snow storm of the season.  (Snowed a little Dec. 31st, not enough to stick and then Jan 1st it dumped)

Much of the Maritimes get a lot of snow.  In fact Newfoundland has had record snow falls for Canada. But here in Dartmouth it is much milder.  We left Calgary in September right after a snow storm.  Hasn't snowed here since then but now we are hunkering down.

 This is the view out our patio door.  

I have a beautiful Canadian wife.  So great to be here with her.    She slipt and fell coming out of the apartment the other day.   We were grateful that it wasn't serious and Sandra is rebounding quickly.

President and Sister Leavitt when they heard Sister Harding had fallen brought us over a Swiss Chalet supper and we had a lovely time together.  They are the epitome of hard work and kindness. They certainly strive to follow the Saviours example in all they do.

We all have spring and winters in our lives.   We have found the key is to learn from both experiences and to recognize the Lords hand in all that we do.

"Some Shockin' Good"

It is almost January-- does everyone else feel like the past month was a wonderful whirlwind of activity?
There are a couple of songs that are classic Newfoundlander songs -- "Isa by" and "Some Shockin' Good". Well, December has been "Some Shockin' Good!"  that is for sure.

Here is a picture of our Dartmouth District. Note the apple toss, caught in mid-air!  He was pretty happy about that!  See the many cameras lined up on the desk, as everyone wants a picture of this group. About half got transferred so this was a sweet, temporary goodbye. I usually do not like saying goodbye, I get quite attached to people, and so it was sort of hard to see so many of our group move, but everyone puts thier best foot forward, smiles and talks about opportunities ahead. Just a great attitude, that is infectious!

Here is one of our Zone conferences, held before Transfers, because it was so close to Christmas this time. The large white stuffed toy cow was the hottest "white elephant" gift there, as many usually  kind and considerate missionaries unashamedly took turns "Stealing"  the cow from each other!

  I Love these missionaries!

Elder Harding and I got real close to these two fine young men. They reminded us of our son. We were sad to see them go, but we vowed to stay in touch. Elder Harding can give them a big old hug, but I cannot hug                                                      them , so we settled for a "Hand Hug!"

The highlight of our month was having our son, Dallin and his wife, Marie, come out from Calgary to visit us!  We had five days of traveling and sight seeing -- it was a blast!  We went to Peggy's Cove, Mahone Bay, and to Lunenburg. 

 It was a cool, windy day on the coast, but we had such a great time!  We had "gospel discussions" as we drove from place to place,stopped and looked at amazing sights, and ate ourselves absolutely silly everywhere we went!

           It doesn't get much better!

We had to take a "Group Selfie" to capture the moment.

The best part, though, was when Dallin and Marie came with us to teach our Nepali Friends another discussion. What an amazing feeling to sit and teach the gospel to people you love and care about, With family that you Love and Care about!!  As soon as Dallin and Marie arrived here in Halifax, they wanted to get involved in missionary activities, coming into the office with us to work, despite the 3 hour time difference, from Calgary to here. Where ever we stopped to eat, one of us gave out a pass along card and tried to initiate a gospel conversation with people we met. Dallin challenged us to get a baptismal committment!!  He was all pumped up! But  to be able to teach a lesson with our family, involve them in our mission, and also to see them assist in teaching non- members, gave us an inside peak at what Dallin's mission was like!  I would not trade that experience for anything. It was a treasure.

At the Farewell Dinner and Testimony evening, one of the Departing missionaries words especially touched me. He was transferred into our mission from Ukraine 7 months ago, when his mission was closed due to political strife. He wept as he spoke about packing all his things, and boarding a train to leave the Ukraine, with 1 days notice, and waving goodbye to his Mission President and wife, and the ward members in the Ukraine. At the end of the evening, as we sang "God Be With You", he wept again!  What a life changing experience a mission is for these young men and women, and also for us Seniors. How amazed and Humbled I am to see the Lords hand in all of our lives, to know how He loves and desires to Bless us all. 

How grateful I am to hear about and experience these things---  

These last pictures are of a Christmas gift that our Friend, Elder Green, made for us...."ugly sticks"!  He did a fabulous job, turning these mops into traditional Newfoundlander musical instruments!

 Then he had to show Elder Harding how to play them. What  a riot!

Never a dull moment here, folks!  It is "Some Shockin' Good" in the Maritimes. Love to all!

December Blessings!

One of our favorite things to be involved with here in the Maritimes, is attending FHE with these fine people every Monday evening. Below you can see, Sister Brown,(Left), Brother and Sister Green (centre and right)The Greens work in the Mission Office with us.

We meet at the home of Brother and Sister Nieforth, below, (centre and right), and some evenings, Bill Green brings his guitar, and we all sing together. It is a lot of fun! The Green's regularly go to Senior Nursing homes and entertain the Seniors there. They are well known for their many hours of service.

Below, is Sister Harding and Greta, another fine member of our Dartmouth ward.

This is Brother and Sister Morrison, more wonderful Dartmouth ward members. Everyone has been so kind and welcoming to us, we feel like these people will be life long friends!

Another one of the highlights of our mission, is our District Meetings, Wednesdays from 10:00-12:00. This is our current District, going left to right, Elder Harding, Elder Henderson (DL), behind him is Elder McNabb , with Elder Densley tossing an apple in the air for good luck, next to Henderson, is Elder Corbett, Elder Ashby, (out for only 4 weeks), Elder Woodbury, Elder Johnonson (leaves in 2 weeks), Sister Howell and Sister Turner (our Sister Training Leaders ) and Sister Brown, who helps us in the office. What a happy young group of dedicated young people~

This past week, we had Christmas Zone Conferences, and that was so much fun!  We got to travel to New Brunswick with the Leavitts, stayed overnight, then attended the NB zones, watched Meet the Mormons" with the group, had a turkey dinner served by the Moncton Ward RS --- thank you!  Then we had a Talent Show -- everyone is highly encouraged to participate, and so the office staff all went over to the Mission Home and pre-recorded two songs with the Leavitts --"Isa by" and "Some Shockin' Good". It was hilarious!  Elder Harding was handed a brass sculpture of a lobster,, about 14 inches long, and he stood in the back, underbeknown to the rest of us, and bounced the old lobster merrily up and down in time to the music -- we did not realize this until we played it back!  What a fun guy!  We also contributed to the Talent show by doing a couple of other numbers, as it could not get any worse than what we had already done --- Elder Harding dressed up in old coveralls and told two Southern stories, reminscient of  his days as a Missionary in Florida, and I recicted, "The Touch of the Masters Hand", with Elder Waldie playing the violin part way through. We had a blast  watching the wide variety of Talents the missionaries came out with --- throat whistling, original piano songs, quirky dance and song routines, juggling, and so on. It was great!

The best part,of course, is when "Santa" comes !We all got to have our picture with "Santa" --- Elder Jason, a french speaking Elder from Qaudalope, really really wanted to be Santa this year --- so here he is , in all of his glory!  He came in on a trolly that you stack church chairs on, pulled along by two Elders --- "Santa" explained that he had spent the summer in the Caribbean last year, so his skin was nicely "tanned" --- many of the Elders were so happy to see Santa, they ran and jumped right onto his lap -- Santa was a very good sport, and said to several of them, "Oh my son, it looks like you have been eating a lot this past year!!"

 We drove back to Nova Scotia and did it all over again on Wednesday, then the Leavitts flew to NFLD and repeated the process on Friday!  So we Seniors are now a bit tired out, but a good kind of Tired!

Another highlight of our week, was Elder Katcher, of the 70, came and spent 3 days in our mission a week ago. We were able to hear him speak several times and have supper with many of the senior couples at the Mission Home with Elder Katcher.  These are some of our "December Blessings", for which we are grateful. 

We feel the Love of the Savior, and are grateful for this opportunity to serve Him.

May God watch over and Bless all of you, in all the good work that you do in your own circle of influence. 

A Volunteer Hospital, Part 2

I had to laugh as I read Elder Hardings last account of his trip with Nelson to close two missionary apartments --- what an adventure they had! Life is never boring in the mission field, that is for sure.

I thought I would just take a few minutes and write some more about us all being volunteers in a Hospital. Elder Harding and Nelson were definetly volunteers in the Hospital, meeting needs and doing things that needed doing, and having some fun along the way, despite opposition.

Back to this thought that I mentioned previously, that President Leavitt shared at a meeting:

"In the mission field, it is like being in a volunteer hospital. Sometimes we are the patient and sometimes we are the doctor, nurse or administrator. Through our participation in this exercise we not only assist in healing others but in the process heal ourselves" .."for he that shall lose his soul for my sake shall find it"  President Leavitt. 

   A Returned Missionary spoke in church three weeks ago, about a man that she and her companion had taught on her mission. She said that when they first started to teach him, he had a LOT of things to overcome, then she stopped and just repeated, a Lot!  She said that he struggled and at times would feel like he couldn't do it, it was just too hard. One day, she told him that on his own, he would not be able to overcome these things, but with the Lord's help and faith in the Lord, he would be successful, so he got on his knees and humbly asked God to help Him. And, she said, God began to work in his life, and to heal him. He was finally able to change, to give up his many addictions,  and to be a different person.She said it was a miracle for  them all. 

   How many times have we been in need of the Atonement, of Gods help in our lives. We are all in such need, at different times in  our lives, and then at other times, we are called upon to be the one that strengthens and gives help. 

   
   Last week was a challenge for some  missionaries in our mission, there were some "emergency" mid-transfers that had to happen.   As our District met for District Meeting, it seemed as though many of the young missionaries came in sort of discouraged, maybe because of things happening around them, or for other reasons, but the Spirit told me right away that  I needed to speak up in the meeting and help strengthen these young missionaries that day. So, as the meeting went along, I tried to listen carefully to what the spirit was telling me to say, and then said it --- things began to change as we let God's   insight and spirit "heal" and lift us all back up. Also, our District Leader, a young man who is only on his third week as the DL, got to his feet, and spoke calmly and in a straight forward manner about things that needed to be talked about ---- it was wonderful to watch.  I marvelled at how things changed in that room ---- it went from a definite feeling of some discouragement, to laughing at ourselves a bit, feeling the spirit, and being lifted up again. As the Missionaries left, they were happy, chatting with each other and ready to face the world again.

I leave you with my Testimony that Christ is the Great Physician and as He turn to Him, He can and Will, heal us and will even allow us to assist in healing others, as we listen to and act upon His wise counsel.   As President Leavitt said, through our participation in this, we not only assist in healing others, but in the process, heal ourselves!

There is an amazing story of courage and healing that you can read online, about a young man named Glen Cunningham, born about 1909, who was badly burned, told he would never again walk, yet never gave up --- in 1934,  he ran the mile in four minutes, 8 seconds, the worlds fastest indoor mile! His story continues to inspire, encourage and "heal" as he went from being a patient in a hospital, to the equivalent of a Doctor, who assists in inspiring and healing others through his personal example.

 "They who wait upon the Lord shall mount up as on Eagles wings"

On a lighter note, here are some things that we saw and did on the weekend, eating some excellent seafood chowder, in a chilly restaurant where we had to keep our coats around our shoulders,

Enjoying the view of the many boats in the Harbour,

and laughing at these lobster traps all decorated up for Christmas!

Laughter is healing, the Spirit Heals us, the world is a good place to be.

Blessings to everyone -- we love you all.

What can you do in 24 hours

Had  a real busy couple of days but loved it.  I am tired but satisfied.   Went on a road trip to close a couple of apartments.   I took a young man, Nelson from Dartmouth Ward with me.   I couldn’t seem to find a traveling companion and then I saw this Young Man, he is about 30 years old, head out of Priesthood and I ran after him.  He was excited to go.   He has been a member for five years.  We had a good time together and I hope it was enjoyable to him.

Left 8 pm. Wednesday,  drove to Hopewell rock which was really cool.   This is on the Bay of Fundy which has some of the highest tidal wave changes in the world.  It is a huge tourist attraction in the summer but it was all closed.  We ran down to the shore line and took some pictures of the low tide and could see where the high tide comes in.   Amazing, where I am standing the water would be over my head at high tide.    We then stopped for fifteen minutes at a train museum which Nelson loved.  

I was dressed half way between casual work clothes and missionary clothes.   It was that kind of trip. 

Made it to Fredericton New Brunswick which is a beautiful City with Old Buildings and bridges.  Very picturesque.   We had 30 minutes to spare but we were sent to the wrong Uhaul.   This now put us 30 minutes behind.   In  the next  24 hours, exactly, we accomplished the following.

Picked up a 26 ft. Uhaul.   Moved all the contents out of an apartment with four Missionaries and cleaned as required.  Bought them supper.   Did a final inspection with the Landlord.  (We heard that their was snow coming and I said.   “As long as we can get the uhaul and load the apartment before it snows I will be happy”   While we were having supper with the Missionaires it started snowing.

Got Gas and almost took out the Gas Station.    Another story in and of itself.  No injuries, no damage claims.

Drove 4 hour in a Blizzard. (Usually a 2 hour drive)   Got to Moncton Apartment.   No beds so we slept on couch and floor.   Visited a member from Dartmouth that was in Moncton for Cancer treatment.  (Had to park the beast in the middle of the road because there was no where to park  and put 4 ways on)  

Emptied Moncton apartment with 5 missionaires, cleaned and inspected with Landlord.  

Drove to Amherst and picked up another bed   Snowing all the way until we hit Nova Scotia again and then it turned to rain and eventually stopped.  

Met four Elders at Storage unit in Dartmouth, emptied all contents and then took Uhaul back.   Not bad for 24 hours work and it was a lot of fun.   Better than sitting at my desk although it looked like someone had take a wheel barrow and poured paper on it when I got back.    All part of being a Mission Office Couple.

A Volunteer Hospital, Part one!

IItIt has been a super busy time in the Mission field with Transfers and then Zone conferences. November has flown past, and soon we will be at the three month point. The Tempo picks up, and a bit of anxiety kicks in as young missionaries wonder where they will be going at Transfer time.   We always have a Seniors Conference call on the Friday before Transfer week, as President Leavitt has all of the Senior couples come online at the same time, and we take turns sharing what we are doing in our different areas, and chatting together. Then  President  tells us what transfers are going to happen the next week and who will be going where. That way, we can be on the look out for new Missionaries coming into our areas, and be ready to welcome and help them along. He always warns us, though, that the young missionaries know about the conference call, and they will be very tricksy in trying to get us to tell them everything we know about transfers!  So about 1/2 hour after the Conference call was over, three young missionary sisters wandered into the Mission Office and came right up to the desk where I was working away,  and they  were so smiley and chatty, wanted to know how I was doing, etc., then one asked how the conference call went!   It took all I had not to laugh --- I said it was great, as always, then she asked if there was anything that I wanted to share with her, and I looked confused and said No, I didn't think so,  So then they got more "direct" and just out and asked what I knew about transfers, "Come on, they said, the other Senior couples always tell us!"   - Good try girls!  Ten out of ten for effort, for sure!  I just laughed and replied that it was all just so confusing for us Senior Missionaries, and the  President went so fast, I just could not remember anything! Good fun! Love these  young missionaries to pieces!

   Our fellow Maritimers have commented more than once on the weather back west, and commended us on our "good sense" in being out here in the East where the climate is so much more mild! Our friends here  have a pretty fun sense of humor and we really enjoy it --- as we were driving into the office last week, I looked around and said to Elder Harding, look at how green the grass still is, and I had to roll my window down and take a picture. Except for the fact that there are no leaves on the trees, you would think it was spring or summer. As I was getting my hair cut at J. J. Choo's, from Dartmouth ward, she said that they wonder each year whether they would have a "Green" Christmas or a "White" one ---- I thought for a second and then replied, "Back home, it is a choice between "Brown" or "White",  "Green" is not an option!

So, not to rub it in or anything, but this is what the  ground looks like here right now! On the bright side, they are needing more senior couples here, and we have a couple of empty apartments! Ha Ha! 

 I am not sure if this video will upload onto the site or not --- it will show a picture of my program, at the Family History Fair last weekend, but it is a recording of 3 women singing "Farewell To Nova Scotia". I did not want to video their faces while in the chapel , so I just recorded the music as the audience joined in with the singing -- it was great! So much of the history here is about the comings and goings of the Fishermen, and now also of the younger generations that leave the Maritimes to look for work out west. It was a great conference, and the event was posted in the local community newspaper, to invite non-members and members alike to come out. Very well attended, with the missionaries acting as Guides.

An interesting thing happened that I wanted to share with you. Part way through the Family History Fair, we had to leave and go find an empty classroom because we were scheduled to join in, via Skype, with the Zone conference in Newfoundland, and assist  in doing some training for the group for about 1/2 hour. Elder Harding was setting up  and I was standing in the hallway, about to go into the classroom, when I saw two of our Sister Missionaries sitting  in the entrance way and I had a distinct feeling that I should go over and chat with them.

 I hesitated because I did not want to be late for the Skype call, but again the spirit prompted me to go over, so I walked over and said Hi. They asked how I was, etc.. and I told them that we were about to do some training for the NFLD zones, and they said, "But Sister Harding, didn't you know that the Wii Fii is turned off in the Building today for the Family History Fair".   I sort of froze and looked concerned, and they said, "Don't worry Sister Harding, do you have an I-Phone? Then all you need to do is Tatter with your phone and create a hot-spot!"  I looked at them like they were speaking another language, which they sort of were, and said, "You ladies need to come with me and help us!"  So up they jumped and in a few  minutes they had us connected to the Skype call in NFLD and we were good to go!  We were only a few minutes late and President laughed when I told him about our experience and he said,  our motto here is 

"We cannot be stopped!!" 

So my testimony to you is that God is just SO mindful of us that He knows what we need, even before we know that we need anything!  And He will help us and guide us, and bring people into our lives to give us the assistance that we need, even before the situation itself  happens. How wonderful it is to Know that we have a Father in Heaven who loves us, watches over us, and  stands ready to help us, if we will but listen to and act upon the promptings that He sends to us, through the Holy Spirit. I pray that we will know and feel of His great love for us. I love Him and  I am so grateful for the direction, guidance, comfort and love that He sends to me.

"In the mission field, it is like being in a volunteer hospital. Sometimes we are the patient and sometimes we are the doctor, nurse or administrator. Through our participation in this exercise we not only assist in healing others but in the process heal ourselves" .."for he that shall lose his soul for my sake shall find it" ( President Leavitt.)

I will write more about this quote another time ---this thought is intriguing to me.

 Love to all! Elder and Sister Harding, from Green Gables and Green Grass country! 

A Divine Work

 I was really taken by the words that our Bishop spoke last week in Sacrament Meeting --- he said, "We are all called to do a Divine Work as Trusted Servants of our Heavenly Father. It might be missionary work, or Temple work, or helping someone move, or serving in our families --- whatever it is, as we feel and act upon the Spirit in our individual lives, as Trusted Servants of the Lord, we can collectively do much good."    Where ever we are at, whatever stage of life we are at, we can all contribute and do much collective good in so many different ways.  There is a young deacon in our ward who was born with some kind of disability, I am not sure what,  and it doesn't really matter, but what does matter, is that he is willing and trying to contribute!  Each Sunday, either his father or another young man in the ward, stands behind and helps this young Deacon as he joins with the other Deacons to pass the Sacrament. It is perhaps one of the most touching things I have seen, to watch this father stand patiently behind the young Deacon, ready to prompt and guide him as he passes the sacrament. The father stands steady and calm, the young Deacon occassionally looks back at his dad and   gets the help that he needs to do his part. I am almost brought to tears  -- is this not a Divine Work?  How many others stand  patient and strong in the background, with a steady eye, ready to help, and how many children Know their parents are there, ready to support them.
  This young man's mom spoke in church recently and said how important it is not be discouraged, to just do our best, and to know  that through Grace, which is a Divine means of Help, given to us through the Savior, we are enabled to do good works on this earth. She speaks from the heart, from experience!

This is another example of a Divine Work --- this is a picture of our District. We get to meet with these fine young people every Wednesday in the Mission Office, and  hear them repeat their Mission Commission, and share their testimonies and experiences. It is so fun to associate with and learn from them and we are growing to love them more all the time, and  getting attached to them.

We had this group over for supper before transfers happened, as we knew they would be going to other areas to serve. Elder Steimle, Hansen, Watson and McNabb.  Look at the light in their eyes ---  serving the Lord and bearing testimony cannot help but bring more light into a persons life, even if there are times when those you teach are not yet ready to accept the message you bring. Someone always benefits and that can always be the missionary.

On Thursday, we had the farewell dinner for the Departing Missionaries at the Mission Home and we had to take a "Fun" picture. There was a Lot of sparkle and joy in this group of young people, they had served with all of their hearts, their testimonies were strong and sure, they Knew and Testified and Loved the Lord and they were Happy!  I came home from this meeting feeling I needed and wanted to increase my own personal testimony. I need to share it more often!

We took a little time on Saturday to go and see the Military fleet that is only about 20 minutes from our apartment. Sometimes we can even hear the horns on the boats in the evenings -- pretty cool. This is a picture of the Angus MacDonald bridge, and the Military fleet is to the left and the right of the bridge.

Nice to get to see a bit of the history of the area, and appreciate our country. Especially with Remembrance Day this week, I am reminded of the sacrifice that many have made so that we can have the religious and personal freedoms that we so abundantly enjoy. We are indeed blessed here in Canada.

I just want to end with my Testimony that God is so mindful of each of us, He hears our every prayer, He desires to bless and help us. He will strengthen and assist us, in whatever Divine work we are called upon to do , in our community, our families, our church. I know that all of it works together for the common good and as we get involved and act upon the promptings we receive, we will be so blessed and happy. There will always be some uphills parts, that is an essential part of the plan, but we can overcome, we can persevere, we can learn and grow and be happy in our lives. This is my testimony.