CHM Memories

Saturday, October 26, 2019

October 25, 2019--the end of another transfer week

Saturday, October 25, 2019

This past week was transfer week and it was CRAZY!!! The APs and I started a week ago booking air travel for those who who needed to fly to and from Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Newfoundland. Elder Newman, on of the AP's worked on the bus travel. We thought we had it all organized but we had a few glitches along with many things that went off as planned.
The 16 missionaries that came to the mission on Tuesday night from the Provo MTC got here without a hitch which is the first time that has happened since we have been in the mission field. Wednesday morning we were having new missionary training in the office when I got a call that the two missionaries flying over from Truro got to the airport 1/2 hour before they were supposed to leave and they were not going to be able to check in--it seems that it is a law that you have to check in 45 minutes ahead of time. The two Elders felt really bad but we had no choice except to try and get them rebooked. The person who helped me at Air Canada was very friendly and kind and got us rebooked and didn't even charge us rebooking fees.
The next day, Thursday, things got really exciting--The Zone Leaders in Halifax took the Gander Elders to the wrong airport-one I hadn't even heard of--very small--and they missed their flight and had to be re-booked. This one cost some money. The two Sisters coming from Bathurst had their early morning flights cancelled because of weather and the Airline rebooked them for later in the day. Sister Santana was coming to Montreal but Sister Long was supposed to change planes in Montreal to go to Ottawa. Well, the airline forgot to rebook the 2nd half of the flight. I again called Air Canada and and they kindly rebooked her a flight for Friday morning so she ended up staying with the STLs. Every time someone didn't arrive when expected it meant that the people assigned to pick them up needed to be informed and it changed their plans for the day. It all has a domino effect.
We had instances of a couple of the new missionaries being dropped off at the office waiting for companions to come get them, but they missed their flight and we didn't have a contingency plan. Other missionaries were dropped off at the Mission Office when they were supposed to go to the Mission Home and vice-versa. Then on Friday morning Sister Long missed her flight to Ottawa because no one told her what time her flight was and when she needed to be at the airport which was 6:00 AM. Again the kind agents helped us to re-book.

Oh! and one more thing--Elder Morrell brought the keys to the Miramichi Car in his pocket--on the airplane--to Montreal. They had to be shipped back.

Elder Hall served as one of the Tech Elders since we came to the Montreal Office and helped me so much especially with our weekly newsletter called the Trumpet. He is on his way to St. John's in Newfoundland. Very excited for him.

The view from my desk. These missionaries are all Spanish speakers welcoming Elder Castro, from Mexico, to the mission. It was fun to listen to them all conversing in Spanish and laughing with each other. Sister Little-in the red sweater- is offering them all a tangerine.

Sister Brown and Sister Heggie are now companions and Sister Heggie and Sister Brennan are friends from when they were in the Nova Scotia Zone together.

Sister McGee

Elder Poznanski from France waiting to meet his new companion

Elders Ramos Chen, Nipko, Wood, Salmon, Gordon, and Montana

Now we add Elder Furrows, Elder Hawk, Elder Toledo, and Elder Pierson. Elder LeMay and Elder Davis are down in the front. Elder Pierson was a great help to us while we were in Halifax. He helped us to learn to crochet and encouraged us to learn French. He returned home the day after this picture was taken. We will really miss him.

Friends from Halifax. Elder Robinson came to be a companion with Elder LeMay and to be a Tech Elder. Sister Powell is returning home. She is from Highland, Utah and we have a date when we get home to go to Olive Garden.

New companions - Sister Vargas and Sister Keller

Elder LeMay -our Tech Elder

Sister Little and Elder Ramos Chen discovered that they were both introduced to the Gospel by the same Johnson family in Washington DC.

Sister Heggie and Sister Brown--new companions

Thursday was long, hectic, and noisey and also a good day. It was fun to see the missionaries come into the office to meet up with their new companions. Some hadn't met before and others knew each other but hadn't seen each other for a while. We went to the Mission Home to have dinner provided by Sister Low for the 6 missionaries going home the next day. We followed that by all attending the temple together. The session was in French so we wore headphones to hear the English but I kept mine low so that I could try to concentrate on the French. It was nice and it even kept me awake. Going to the temple more often is something that we need to work on.

Today was a sunny day and we decided to go on a drive to see some of the pretty scenery but when we were about an hour out of Montreal I got sick and so we had to turn around and come back home. I felt really bad for messing up Cary's plans but he said he was OK about it. The fall leaves are pretty much off the trees by now because we have had some rainy and windy days. So we came home and relaxed for the rest of the day. We have so many things we want to do and see especially when we get a sunny day. We know that winter is coming.

Souer Boyle

Sunday, October 20, 2019

September 11, 2019

18 years ago our world changed forever when 2 planes flew into the World Trade Center Towers in New York City. For a brief few days our country came together with broken hearts searching for answers and saying prayers-even in the public square-to our God for comfort, help, and peace. Since that time our world has become more devisive, angry, and bitter. We are turning away from this same God and we no longer believe in His love and think we know best. But God is still there. He is real and this world was created so that we could come here to learn how to become more like Christ, live in families, and serve each other. Life is good because of our faith in this plan called "the Plan of Happiness" and my belief in the goodness of God's children on this earth today has been strengthened as I watch and serve with the missionaries in this - the Canada Montreal Mission.

Life has been crazy busy since we moved to Montreal. I hope to be able to catch up somehow with this blog before our time is over. Today was a Zone Conference in the Longuieul Sud Zone. It was the 2nd one held since we came in July. It is a smaller zone with 10 companionships and they are all French speakers and the area of Longiueil is pretty much French speaking. It is also where the Montreal Temple is located. These young people are amazing!! Most of them know 2-3 different languages and they work so hard to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with the people of Quebec and Eastern Canada.

We did a little shopping after the Conference and couldn't understand most of the people trying to help us- except for the man in the Dormez Vouz store where we bought a new bed. The lady at the Tim Horton's even yelled at us because she couldn't understand what we were trying to order.

Longueuil Sud Zone Conference--September 11, 2019
in front of the Canada Montreal Temple

This mission experience is full of great testimony building experiences. Last week Brother Ken Packer from the Missionary Department came to spend the week with President and Sister Low. From the time they were called, he has been their trainer and that is what he does is travel around the country visiting missions and training mission presidents and missionaries. He actually goes out with the missionaries to observe them planning and teaching. He is Elder Boyd K Packer's grandson and was also the Mission President of the Kiev Mission after the President that was there when Skyler Dunford Carter was there. He told me he thought her remembered Skyler with her long red hair, but she thinks she was gone before he and his family got there. He was called when he was 40 years old, they had four young children, and they had 6 weeks to get there because the couple called to be the President and Companion weren't able to come for health reasons. Amazing person with a pretty cool job. Anyway, he held New Missionary Training (NMT) with the new missionaries and their trainers and it was pretty amazing to watch and listen as he taught them to set goals and then plan how to meet those goals--not plan how to spend their time and then set goals.

Sister Brown and Sister Milad and Sister Nelson

Sister Atkins, Sister Hall, Sister Stanford, and Sister Drake

Elder Passe-Carlus and Elder Hindley

Elder Davis and Elder Salmon

Sister Lawrence, Sister Contreras, Sister Gomez Godoy, and Sister Lazo

President Low talking to Elder Tung and Elder Pinkney

Sister Murray and Sister Scott

Sister Catalan Contreras and Sister Meza

Brother Packer making a point

Elder Alley and Elder Saffery

Elder Montano and Elder Hawk

Brother Ken Packer and President Low

Elder Larsen

Elder Christensen - we are 3rd cousins

What a great experience for these new missionaries!!

The next day, on Saturday, Elder Haynie came back to the Mission to check on how things were going with the merge. He wanted to have a MLC - Missionary Leadership Council-- which is all the Zone Leaders and the STLs (Sister Training Leaders). My part in all of these meetings is making sure that lunch is provided. I had a lot of help on Friday and Saturday so I was also able to sit in the meetings and listen.

Elders Teikiutapu, Tarati, Holman, Bluth, and Elder Tran

Sisters Stephensen, Livingstone, Remington and Moore

Sister Roux and Sister Black

Elder LeMay, Elder Hall from Hillsborough, and Elder Haynie

Elder Tait and Elder Bonny

Elder Wang and Elder Hsu

Elder Musgrave and Elder Holman

Elder Musalo and Elder Musgrave

Sister Chonger, Sister Mau, and Sister Brennan

Sister Bates and Sister Clark

Sister Shaw and Sister Newman

Sister Edwards and Sister Powell

Sister Nelson and Sister Dudley

Elder Bowler

Elder Stewart

Elder Bluth, Elder Christensen, Elder Tran

Elder and Sister Bowler

Elder Christensen and Elder Pierson

MLC - September 2019

Saturday evening we were invited to a Barbecue at the Mission Home with Elder Haynie and President Morin of the Mission Presidency and 2 Stake Presidents from Montreal and President Spragg from the Saint John New Brunswick Stake. Sister Low asked us Friday night if we could bring a side dish. Our MLC was long and then we had lots of missionaries trying to get back home but a hurricane was coming to the Maritimes and their flights were all cancelled so I needed to help get that all straightened out. Elder Boyle and I rushed to Costco to buy some kind of salad and then we had to rush to the mission home for the dinner. It was the same with the other two office couples. It was a fun dinner with good food and good company. We were all entertained with Elder Haynie and his stories.

Just a side note--Elder Haynie is from San Diego and that is where they lived until he was called as a General Authority but his Haynie roots come from Manassa, Colorado, which is where my dad was born. There was a Donald Haynie who would talk at many of the funerals in Manassa including some of my relatives. Elder Haynie says that this Donald was his dad's cousin.