"The Lord Doth Provide"

  I talking to my parents the other night, reassuring them that we were safe and well in spite of the wild winter weather in the Maritimes.  I was telling them about the leak in the office roo, ---- we got a heavy snowfall, then it melts, then rains, then a flash freeze hits where the temperatures drop by 10 degrees in one hour, and then it floods, etc.. SO the lucky part is the water leaked through the roof right over a cactus plant in the office that I keep forgetting to water!  Mom laughed and said, "The Lord doth provide!"  How true!

This is a picture of the front entrance to the chiropractors office that  I go to --- this snow fell  in one week!  It is like entering an igloo -- all nice and cozy inside. 

As we met in staff meeting yesterday, a few stories surfaced from the wild weekend of snow --- two Elders in New Brunswick did not hear that church was cancelled, arrived at the church, no one was there, so they decided to just stay and get caught up in their area book, etc.. When they exited 3 hours later, 18 inches of snow had fallen, the snow plow had done its job well, and gone by 2-3 times, and their car was totally blocked in! After consultating with their Mission President, they decided to wait it out, eat the frozen peas and stove top stuffing someone had left in the kitchen, and see what happened --- at least they would not starve! By 8 pm, they choose to walk home, and NOT sleep overnight in the church, arriving safely home after a long walk, waiting for another day to rescue the car!

  In another part of New Brunswick, a young Elder left his apt, without his coat, mitts or toque and went to church ---- 3 hours later, no one who had attended church on this fateful day, could get out of the parking lot. All were snowed in!  So the Elders gallantly walked the Sister Missionaries home, then turned around to walk to their place, but got so cold, they had to go to the nearest house, knock on a strangers door, and ask for shelter --- the good Samaritan took them in, warmed them up, let them sleep overnight and gave the young Elder A warm coat to walk home in the next day!

The weather may be nuts, but the people here are good and kind!

The last story at staff meeting this week, was of an Elder (Elders seem to feature a lot this week!) diligently clearing the ice off his truck, then throwing the scraper towards the back of the truck, only to misjudge the distance and hit the back windshield, which shattered in the cold!

Okay, so we just could not help it .... we all burst out laughing!  Of course, we were grateful that no one was hurt, everyone got home safely, but it was just  the most amazing stories ever!!

On the plus side, we had the best lesson ever with our Nepali neighbours --- we waded through ankle deep ice and slush to get to their apartment and I was holding onto Elder Harding for dear life, questioning our sanity in venturing out, only to have a wonderful experience !  They had lots of sincere questions about prophets, how our church was started, how to know if God is answering your prayers, etc.. We arrived cold and left warm!! Another week, another lesson learned !

Winter Ice and Snow Storms

The Maritimes have been been hit with several good old Winter ice and snow storms, one right after another, this past month. We went out one morning last week  to head to the mission office, and found our  van absolutely covered in about an inch thick of pure ice, with snow drifted all around it --- Yes, we do sort of miss our garage back home on days like this, but that is all right. It's all good! 

We took a look at the van, walked around in amazement, looked at each other, and then I said, "I'm going back inside, dear ... I will see you in about 20 mins."  So Elder Harding cheerfully agreed, and went to work chipping the ice off, while I chickened out!

We saw one lady from our apartments out with a hammer and a chisel, trying to free her car from the frozen grip of winter. A friend said that they had lived here for years and never seen it this bad --- you just have to look at it like it's an adventure, right!

       This past week was also another wonderful round of Zone Conference training,  February 3rd to 7th.  The mission motto is, "We cannot be stopped!", so on everyone went, despite the weather. We were told that in New Brunswick, the path to the Church door had snow drifts at least 6 feet high! We felt very  blessed to have safety for everyone in their travels s they attended these spiritually uplifting and strengthening conferences.

     Elder Harding and I were able to join in, via skype, with the New Brunswick West and East Zone Conferences, plus the Newfoundland Zone. It is getting easier and easier to train this way and it gives us an opportunity to see everyone, look into their faces, and do our Training right from the Mission Office, with President Wentzell joining in, via skype, from Bridgewater.

We are getting to know quite a few of these great young missionaries, so it is fun to see each group, and say "Hello" to them through the Skype camera. We talk to them about things like cleaning their apartments, keeping their utility bills down, getting baptism records in on time, doing Family History, and learning how to navigate the new Media Referral site.

We tell them that in these areas, as in other areas of our lives, throughout our lives, it takes self discipline and practice to attend to all of the "Details" that need taking care of, and as we do this, it will build, strengthen and change us.

This is a picture of the Leavitts vehicle in front of ours, as we were both driving to the Halifax chapel on Friday, February 6th, for Zone Conference.

 The 20 minute drive took over an hour, because of a large tanker that had tried to cross the Bridge that goes across the Harbour, and could not make it up the other side. You can see it in this picture. But we eventually got there, and the Conference continued in good spirits.

We also had the opportunity to attend a convert Baptism last month -- those are always wonderful events!  Afterwards, as we had our coats on and were waiting in the foyer, President Leavitt came along and was looking for his coat --- then he looked over at Elder Harding and said "You're wearing my coat!"

 Elder Harding replied, "What ---- I am?"  Yes, sure enough, the name tag on the coat said "President Leavitt!" We had a good laugh at that senior moment, with all black dress coats looking alike, you have to be careful what coat you put on - - what if the "job" goes along with the coat????

With only a few months left in their time here, President and Sister Leavitt are not gearing down -- just the opposite, they are gearing up! We now have a new "mission vision" for the next 6  months, and it is time to "Sprint to the Finish line".

I don't think that we will coast or slide into Heaven --- looks like we will weather all kinds of storms, push through some tough conditions, put on our best self, and "sprint", as much as we Seniors can "sprint". 

I am so grateful for all those who are such a great example to me, and most of all for the Savior who watches over us, helps us along the way, and stands ready to inspire  and direct us all as we do His work. 

Please feel free to leave comments if you are reading this --- we love to hear of your experiences also, and know what you are thinking and doing so that we can all see Gods Hands in our lives.