CHM Memories: 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.