Summer Will Come- Someday!

Its been a busy Month here in Canada!  A GREAT month!  We had a loooooong winter.  Now we've had a looooong spring- which were glad about, but the natives have been complaining.  They're ready for some warm summer days.  We've loved watching everything turn green (it seems it happened overnight) and come into bloom.  The birds are finally coming back- slowly, but they're coming!

We've never seen a yellow magnolia before!

Our work has come alive as well.  Summer semester has begun and we're so excited!  Our numbers are up!  We thought we'd only be able to have two classes during the summer but we've got three on Wednesdays and we've started a Family History Class on Fridays! (this one is still a little slow.  We're hoping the spirit of Elijah can catch fire soon) Don't know what we'd do with out Sister Wells and Sister Munsell.  They are our resident Family History experts.  They help us a ton at class.  The kids actually know a lot- more than we do.   Hopefully we'll be able to add one more class next semester.  To me, the biggest blessing though, is the students themselves.  I'll go to class with questions and answers that I thought I'd thought deeply about so I could be prepared for anything, but really I find that I go and I'm the one being taught by the most amazing youth ever!  Anything they get out of class they get from each other and it is great!

We help at the Bishops Storehouse twice a month.  This Sat
we helped celebrate their first anniversary! This helps so many
people and its so much fun to serve there!

Weddings and baptisms!  the most exciting days of our mission!
These two are/were both in the ward.  He was our ward mission
leader.  They're both amazing youth!!

Isn't this a fun cake!  She loves the woods.  They both love
the outdoors!

It was fun to have the Putnam's come visit for a couple days.  We dragged them all over, talked their ears off, made them work, then sent them home worn out and ready for a rest.  But they gave us just the lift we needed! So grateful for good friends who lift and love us even though we're such a pain.

Checking out the government buildings downtown.

Ned and Jon fixed a wonderful dinner on Mother's Day!

Took them to the Arboretum near our apartment.  A beautiful
peaceful place.  

Dow's Lake was prepared and ready for the Tulip Festival
crowds!  It was just too cold for anyone to go out!

Fun at the tulip festival!

An early morning bike ride along the canal and around Dow's Lake

Just before Mothers Day this sweet sister was baptized.  A wonderful Mother's Day gift for her mother.  Her mom and dad were baptized about 5 years ago but she and her sister weren't interested.  She's been good friends with some of the young women in our ward though, and as she watched them and noticed the changes in her mom and dad, she began to ask questions and found that she was now ready to hear what the gospel is all about and she found it was like coming home.  She's an amazing young woman and so much fun!  We've all fallen in love with her.

There are several senior missionaries in our mission.  Every once in awhile they are able to take a day to do some site seeing together.  Because we are so far away from the mission office and because most of our responsibilities are at night, we rarely get to join in.  This time a few of them decided to come to Ottawa for the day.  Elder Mik had to scramble to organize some things for them to see. Which was great! We are two sticks in the mud. We haven't gotten out to historic sites much yet.  (Putnam's were glad too!  We were prepared for them as well)  

The Governor Generals Residence, Rideau Hall

This is the other CES couple we work with.  They teach in Montreal.
We learn so much from them!  Great people!  Great teachers!

The Tent Room

This is an all purpose room.  Its used a lot right now because
Parliament is closed for renovations.  The chairs come out to
make it a ballroom or a reception hall.

After seeing the tulips we walked over to see the Notre
Dame Basilica. Gorgeous!

Because of Canada part in helping the Netherlands gain their
freedom during WWII and because their Queen Julianna lived
in Canada, had a baby here, raised war funds...
the Netherlands sends 20,000 tulip bulbs every fall, and there
are big celebrations every spring.

Daniel and Sonina and our sweet Aria came to visit us too!!! They were supposed to come on Thursday but Wednesday we got a message saying Aria was sooo excited to see us. Came with this picture (Didn't see the Canadian flag in the background.)  Thought they were shopping for the trip. 

 Then got another text saying she was really excited to see us with this picture.  I said, "Great! we're excited too!  I looked at the picture and thought, wow, they build apartments just like ours in Indiana.

Next came this one from right in front of our building with a MOM!  She's REALLY REALLY excited to see you!!!!  I'd figured it out just as that last text came.  This old brain's just a little slow!

So glad we got an extra day with them! 

The Putnam's came on the first day of the festival.  Maybe
50% of the flowers had bloomed.  By the time Daniel came
they were pretty much all out. Spring has been colder than
usual with a lot of gray days and a lot of rain so all the blooming
is a little behind schedule. 

These reminded us of the Easter eggs in Downtown Kyiv.  Not
quite as elaborate but cool.  

Gorgeous blooms! Gorgeous Daughter-in-law!

By our third visit we were getting a little more creative with our shots!

The Canadian History Museum.  This was a huge room
filled with totems and surrounded by replica villages.

An Inuit pedigree chart- or maybe the original fan chart

It was a really interesting museum.  Didn't get a lot of
pictures of the rest.  I guess my favorite part was the
First Nation stuff :)

Misty picture of Parliament from across the river.

Daniel and Sonina spent a couple days in Montreal.
We had a temple trip planned with the ward.  We met
them there. We babysat (lucky us!) while they did
a session then we played in Montreal. We stopped for
some Putine on the way home.

Cant come to Canada without tasting this! Basic Poutine=
french fries, cheese curd and brown gravy.
Lots of restaurants serve it any way you want it.  We had it
at a Portuguese place with wood smoked bbq chicken.  YUM!

Temples are beautiful no matter where you are.

One day we went do Gatineau Park.  We had been told we
should go there.  Thought it was a park.  We were unprepared.
It was a BIG park- 385 sq kilometers of gorgeous mountainside.
(Not really mountain but it looked like it) This is pink lake

Not really dressed for such an outing but...

Our district just before transfers.  Sweet( but powerful) Sister
Shepley will be heading home.  These are great missionaries!

Didn't get a picture of the indoor soccer game but Sam's glasses
give you an idea of what it looked like.  they tried to tie them on
his head!

Apparently herbicides with anything in them that will kill a
dandelion are prohibited in Ontario.  They are EVERYWHERE!

Enough pictures!  One is a 1000 words, I've gone on way too long!  Missions are wonderful!  We miss our kids.  We really miss our kids! but we're learning a ton and it has been so good for us.  Still so much to learn.  Grateful everyone is so patient with us.

This semester I'm teaching a class called "Jesus Christ and the Everlasting Gospel". One scripture that I really love is John 14:6  "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."  We are learning more every day how true this is.  As new friends come to know the Savior, their understanding of all things seems to line up and make sense.  Youth who are struggling, if they consistently read the scriptures and come to know Him, are better able to cope.  We read a scripture in Hebrews,  

Hebrews 2:17–18

17 Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.

18 For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted.

Because of this, He can have a profound influence on all of us, if we will let Him.  Jacob shared a scripture with me that helps us to see how this can happen.  Doctrine and Covenants 93:12-13

12 And I, John, saw that he (Christ) received not of the ^afulness at the first, but received ^bgrace for grace;

13 And he received not of the fulness at first, but continued from ^agrace to grace, until he received a fulness;

Then in verses 19 and 20 it explains how we can be like Him

19 I give unto you these sayings that you may understand and know how to worship, and ^aknow what you worship, that you may come unto the Father in my name, and in due time receive of his fulness.

20 For if you keep my ^acommandments you shall receive of his ^bfulness, and be ^cglorified in me as I am in the Father; therefore, I say unto you, you shall receive ^dgrace for grace.

So if we learn of Him and keep His commandments, we can receive grace for grace just as the did.  He is the way, the truth, and the life! And He loves us!

And we love all of you!  

Have a Happy June!