Halifax Mission Month 2, August 2017

Halifax Mission - Month of August 2017

We have been really busy and our weekly blog has become a monthly blog!

We have had some wonderful experiences at the temple over the past month. Our temple President, President Veinot, is always very concerned about each patron who comes to the temple and he has added some extra sessions in the past month to accommodate families and groups. One young man that had come to the temple for his first time didn't bring some of the paperwork that was required, so he wasn't able to participate as planned that day. President Veinot made sure that there were some baptisms that he could do and that his parents could go through a session. Then he planned a special session for this young man and his family to accommodate their schedule since the young man was going on a mission 1 ½ weeks later and they had come from PEI which is about a 3 ½ hour drive after crossing the Confederation Bridge, which is costly.

We also had a special missionary session that is held once every six weeks for the missionaries in the area and those who will be going home that transfer. We were excited to see Jinaye Cartwright from Calgary who is serving her mission in Halifax and who was in our YSA ward in Calgary. She is doing really well and enjoying her mission. 

We also appreciate the inspiration that we receive in our callings and also the way that we have been magnified to be able to do things that we thought we couldn't do. Because this is a small Temple, and because many of those who serve in the temple from this area live hours away, they serve less frequently and much more of the regular work is done by the Temple Missionaries. Both Kathy and Fred have needed to learn so much, but it has been a rich, rewarding experience. We are basically responsible for all the Temple office work and scheduling appointments, ensuring that all ordinances are recorded correctly, and organizing all the shifts for the shift coordinators so the shift is ready for them when they arrive at the temple. We have needed to learn who all the ordinance workers are and what their capabilities are so that we can schedule them appropriately. It has been very hard but also very rewarding. The Lord has definitely blessed us with added strength and capacity.

We do a lot of work on the computer, especially on one program called TIS. We were having some challenges entering some information that we needed to put in there to update some existing records and all of a sudden Fred found a way to put the information in. We knew that was inspiration from our Heavenly Father! There have also been days when we have worked really hard and we are so exhausted by the end of the week. But it has been a wonderful opportunity for Fred and Kathy to support each other and we have grown even closer as we have served together.

We have also had some wonderful opportunities to travel around this area and see some of the beauty that it has to offer. We had an opportunity to go and see the “Parade of Tall Ships” with another missionary couple who also serve in the temple, the Randalls. The parade started with a tugboat shooting off a water cannon in several directions as a display. It was fascinating! Then we saw the Bluenose II, a couple of pirate ships, and many other sailing ships from around the world as they sailed through the Halifax Harbour.

Another weekend we went to the South Shore with the Randall's. In Mahone Bay, we saw a pewter shop where they showed us how they make pewter. They make it into jewelry, other ornaments, cups, etc. Then we went to Lunenburg, the home of the Bluenose II but the Bluenose wasn't there. We had the greasiest fish and chips that we have ever had -- I think the people here like them greasy! There was a long line to get into that restaurant. Afterwards, we went to Sand Dollar Beach and looked for sand dollars and sea glass. It seems to be quite a past time for people here to collect sea glass. Some of it is very beautiful.

Another weekend we went over to PEI. There is no charge to go to PEI either by ferry or by bridge, but to get off the island, you pay for either route. We decided to take the ferry over to the island and then to come home via the Confederation Bridge. We have some friends, Wayne and Lynn McLeod, who used to live in Cranston and have moved out to the island. We visited them, then went to the Cape Bear Lighthouse. We were able to climb up into the lighthouse and have a tour with lots of history. Fred especially was fascinated with some of the history of the lighthouse and the area. The Cape Bear Lighthouse was the first Canadian lighthouse that received a distress message from the Titanic after it hit the iceberg. Fred especially enjoyed learning about how the island of PEI is eroding slowly into the sea and they have had to move that lighthouse three times to keep it on safe ground. Kathy enjoyed going to Cavendish and looking through the house that inspired the Anne of Green Gables series. Kathy even had a picture taken with Anne! Later that evening, we went to the musical of Anne of Green Gables performed at the Confederation Centre in Charlottetown. That night we stayed at a cute little bed-and-breakfast and the next morning our hosts served us a nice breakfast. When all the guests had gathered around the table, Fred asked if anyone minded if we said a blessing. No one objected, so Fred blessed food -- it was very nice. That afternoon, we drove home across the Confederation Bridge. What a marvel of engineering it is. It is 12.9 km long – I think it is the longest free-standing bridge in the world!

It has been really interesting to be on this mission. Fred and Kathy are both very busy working in the office, so we both help each other at home. Because Kathy does most of the cooking, Fred has become the expert at doing dishes. He's very good at it! We also bought some fresh haddock the other day and cooked it. One of the spices that Kathy used was cayenne pepper and she got a little generous with it! Fred loved it and Kathy enjoyed it as well as long as she had lots of water with it!

Another highlight of the past few weeks is that a sister that started attending our ward with the missionaries got baptized. Her name is Debbie Doyle and we have been attending the Gospel Essentials class with her. She's a very sweet lady and we have enjoyed getting to know her.

We have also been invited to a few members’ homes for dinner as missionaries. At one of the members’ homes, they showed us a program that can tell if you're related to other people around you. We found out that Fred is related to some of the members out here. In fact, one of his ancestors, Edward Henry Dixon, came from Nova Scotia and travelled to Utah. So we do have some ancestry in this area as well!

We received some very sad news this week. Kathy’s Mom’s husband, Charlie Burns, passed away after an extended battle with cancer and pneumonia. We were very sad and he will be greatly missed in our family – he was always so kind to all of us and a great participant in all of our family activities. This week (August 28) is the beginning of the 2-week Temple Maintenance Shut-Down so we have permission to leave the mission and we will attend a Celebration of Charlie’s Life in Kelowna.