The Melting of Ottawa

We couldn't capture with our phones the beauty of these mornings.
It was crisp and clear and the trees sparkled like they were full of
lightning bugs or twinkle lights and the sun created streets of gold!

The sun is back to stay.  The piles of snow made by plows no longer obstruct your view of oncoming traffic.  We're no longer completely surrounded by a blanket of what was once white but is now gray or black from being splashed on by passing cars.  We can't walk on top of the snow any more. And I think we're going to have to put away our boots and heavy coats.

In the mornings we could walk on top of the snow.
poor people who had to walk these paths in the
afternoon!

Stairs everywhere used to be slides but most of them
are beginning to be useful again.

There are stairs under there

To the left of all those piles is the parking lot.
Most of the piles are almost gone now.

Took this picture just before the rains came.  we were walking
across the benches.

This was after the rains.  there was a wall of snow under those
windows that we thought would take a month to melt.

Starting to see pathways again

 We're are really going to miss it!  It's been absolutely beautiful and not nearly as cold as we thought it would be. We quite enjoyed watching the snow fall from our 10th floor vantage point and it was an adventure checking the weather every morning to see how to dress.

This was in our parking lot. Never seen icicles
on the snow before.  The whole hillside looked
fascinating actually.  Cant tell but it was full
of castles and passageways and sparkles.

Taking bets on when this one will disappear from in front of our
building. Here its about half of what it was.

Overtime it snowed the mounds on the sides of the roads would
turn white again.  Doesn't take long, once it warms up, to turn
them gray and dingy again. 

We have, however, had a great time trying to catch the new beauty we see each day as we watch it all melt away.

We love the crunch the ice as we walk along but this
was absolutely beautiful!

People did a lot of cross country skiing on the canal behind their
houses. Saw a guy out for exercise one day last week and the
next day his spot was gone.  Things are melting fast!

This is what the paths in the arboretum looked like
just as things started to melt.  They were
gorgeous.  Streets of glass!  Good thing we had spikes

The squirrels are out and running again.

Almost that time for Lawn service to start

Oops this is the sign on the other side of the driveway
Snow removal 

Oh the geese are home to roost

The water in this tunnel was almost a foot deep

Boat dry docked in the canal 

So, what else have we done this month?  Not sure!  We forgot to take pictures to document most of the month :(   Here's what I remember (or at least what I can find in Ned's journal ;)

Certain things happened in the last couple months that made us realize that we weren't doing a very good job at being apartment inspectors so, in Zone Conference we taught what I` thought was a really gentle lesson on the importance of keeping your apartment clean.  Then we told them that we would teach some quick simple skills each time we come around.  I guess the message was more powerful than we thought.  They all were so prepared when we got there, in fact some got the dates wrong and were prepared a week ahead.  We were even served some amazing crepes by one set of elders.
(Here's a link to the Ensign article we used to teach them.  It's a GREAT one! https://www.lds.org/study/ensign/2012/07/unspotted-from-the-world?lang=eng )
Elder Mikkelsen brought his tool box with him this time and he has to use it almost weekly.  He is amazing.  He is continually putting things back together for the missionaries.  He has even learned how to blind hem a pair of suit pants!

Hogs Back Falls are always beautiful but right, with all the
run-off they have become beautifully treacherous!

We spent quite a bit of time this month getting apartments ready for two senior sister missionaries who have come in to work at the archives downtown scanning books and microfilm to be used in Canadian genealogy.  The church has partnered with the government to scan over 20,000 books.  We provide the machines and the manpower and they provide the books.  These sisters have gone through extensive training.  It's pretty technical stuff and they are amazing.  One sister said she has worked outside on the farm from sun-up to sun-down and has never been this tired, but they love it!

Sister Munsell and Sister Wales

We got to help shuffle everyone around during transfers again.  Its so fun to meet all the new missionaries but always sad to see the old ones leave.  We've been to trainings. We've given trainings.
We've delivered supplies, people, and gifts of cheer.  It was our wards's month to clean the church so most Saturday mornings we were there.  We've been to a million meetings, all of which were amazing!  Our favorites are Zone Conference and District Council.   District Council is just with our district- just 6 missionaries.  These youth never cease to amaze us.  We are taught so much every week things that are helping us to be better teachers and better missionaries- just better people!  We got to go to the temple with one of our YSA sisters.  We always love that.  We helped at the storehouse.  I got to go to a stake RS activity.  We learned about Spiritual Self-reliance, did a little yoga, make about 100 baby blankets to donate... It was a great activity.  We cooked for munch and mingles and Break-the -fasts...

Transfers!

Sweet sister missionaries teaching and making friends at the
station while waiting for the bus.

Our last night with the amazing Sister Tuttle.  Love her!
Love them all!

District picture before transfers.

Fun times after institute.

 We had a wedding this month- two of our members got married! Two of our youth got mission calls (one to the Congo and the other to the St George Temple Visitors Center!)  And we had an amazing baptism! A young man met the sisters on the bus.  They taught him, invited him to come to Family Home Evening (I think).  He came but was so shy and felt so not worthy to be there that he ran out.  He kept coming back but would always leave.  He finally realized that he was not only welcome but loved and what he was being taught felt so familiar that he began to stay.  He gained a firm testimony of the truthfulness of the gospel and was baptized last week. His mom stood up at his baptism and again at church the next day and expressed her appreciation for the changes she had seen in him.  He has a light in his eyes and an excitement for life that is a joy to see.

This is the one going to Congo.  When they have no family in
town, they share the opening with the ward family.  We had
over twenty ward members there.  So cool!

Our newest member! He is loved by all and sooo happy!

A couple times our meetings were basically snowed out.  Those who could came but our numbers were few.  One Sunday we were sent home right after Sacrament meeting.  A couple times the bishop was called out during the meeting and then at the end he explained that because of some construction that had been going on during the week out on the street, the sewers had backed up so we would all need to go home.  Everyone left the chapel but no one wanted to go home.  We were supposed to have a munch and mingle that day.  They all ended up sharing their stuff out in the foyer as they were going out the door.

Had a couple birthdays this Month.  HAPPY BIRTHDAY ERIK AND JACOB AND RILEY!!!

So glad Daniel and Sonia could go to Rileys
Birthday!  Sonia made the cute matching shirts!

Just looked out the window.  It's snowing again!  Welcome to Canada!  It looks like about a 40 or 50% snow.  Not much.  Won't last long.  Got up to 40 today.

Mostly this has been a month of learning for us.  We have learned so much from all those meeting and classes.  I have had to read so much to be prepared for my lessons!  I love it!  And our area directors have taught us so much about how to teach in the Saviors way.  It has really changed how we prepare and present our lessons.  I'll let Ned explain about some of the new ideas we've been given.  Its been a great month.  We work with the best youth!!!  We are so grateful for all that we are being blessed with.

Love to you all!!!

So the training we received was how to SWIM, SNORKEL, or SUCAB DIVE.  When we teach in the swim mode we are just on the surface just getting from point A to B. When we snorkel we relax a bit and get our face in the water and are able to see the wonderful sights the gospel can bring to us.  But to Scuba Dive we become one with the spirit and are able to feel and experience the full blessings of the gospel. It is our job as instructors to get our students off of the surface where they are just splashing around and get them to participate more fully with the gospel experience.  They need to dive down into the gospel and experience the full blessing of having the Holy Ghost Testify to them of the truthfulness of the gospel.  May we all get more fully immersed in the gospel and have a total Scuba Experience.