Easter and the Promise of Spring!

     What a great combination, Easter and General Conference, both on the same weekend!  As we were getting ready to go to the Mission Office on Good Friday, Elder Harding and I were talking about how the Halifax Temple was  open from 8 am - 8 pm that day, and we both just felt that we wanted to attend.

We changed our plans for the afternoon, called and booked a time to do our family names for sealings, and had a wonderful experience in the Temple. It just feels like "coming home" to be in this building, regardless of how much snow there is laying on the ground.I am just saying, it IS April ... snow, you can go now!  As we visited with some of our friends over supper  the next day, they told us that the Temple had done a record number of 1,000 ordinances on Friday and everyone was just so pleased. We are truly the beneficiaries as we were able to participate with the Saints here in Atlantic Canada.

Of course, Mother Nature had a late April Fool's joke up her sleeve, and we got yet another blizzard on the weekend --- I guess it really does not matter who delivers the chocolate, so long as there is chocolate, right?!?  

One just has to keep their sense of humor, and their shovel handy --- spring will be here soon, Maritimes!!

Food for thought ---- do those who wait longer for spring, in many different ways, appreciate it all the more? I would give a resounding "Yes" to that!

On Easter Sunday, we gathered at the Mission Home with about 16  other missionaries to eat and laugh together, and to watch the closing  Conference session. It was a really nice afternoon!!

I cannot say often enough how much we love these missionaries!  Their combined light and testimony is like a lighthouse on the shore. Their faith shines from their countenances and it lifts and strengthens my own.

We also had the opportunity to teach our friends from Nepal on Easter weekend, Archan and Pusza. We had ordered in some Church literature written in Nepali for them, and they were pleased and surprised to recieve it. They said it was the first time that they had seen their native language in book form since coming to Canada.  We hope this leads to more in-depth discussions with them. Elder Harding felt that we should teach them about the meaning of Easter this weekend, and as we got settled in and ready to teach, we first asked if they had any questions. Archan said that a family member from Nepal had asked him just the other day what Easter was all about over here--- he said he had no idea, so he asked us and, because Elder Harding had listened to the spirit, we were prepared to teach them. The thought went through my mind how this doctrine that we were sharing was being shared with others, across the world in Nepal, and it left me  sort of breathless.  I thought again how much God loves all of His children, around the world and wants them to know  Him. Humbling to be a part of the Lords work.

On Easter Monday, we got permission to take four  of our lovely District Sisters out to Peggy's Cove -- -three of them will leave for home in 2 1/2 weeks.

We had Such a lovely afternoon together!

These are the moments where time freezes...

and you remember the people and the place...

....for the rest of  your life!!

We ended by treating everyone to a warm bowl of clam chowder soup. This was the first time Sister Heritzler had ever tasted clam chowder soup --- she polished off the bowl, so I would say it was a success!

We love the Lord, we see His Hand in the work  and even though there are days when we wonder ...... will spring ever come, am I making a difference, there are also days when we feel that we are drinking from our saucer, 'cause our cup is overflowing.