Transfers, MLC, Blessings after car accident

Well, last week we had our regular transfer day on Thursday and we had a lot of movement going on within the mission!  But everyone seemed happy about where they were going and who their new companions were.  It's always a fun day to watch it all unfold.  It's a good day to have over, know that everyone has gone to their area and are ready to go to work for the new transfer.  This week though we did do one thing a little differently.  We held our MLC on Friday, the day after transfers.  Usually we hold it at the end of the month, but because of our mission tour at the beginning of December and then Christmas, we did it on Friday.  We had 11 new members of our MLC--new zone leaders and sister trainer leaders.  It was really a great meeting.  We discussed things such as how to use our area books more effectively in the work, how to better plan a day, the assistants trained on asking inspired questions and listening (all out of Preach my Gospel), and we had one sister train on being diligent, and one elder do a white handbook training.  We also counseled together on how to correct disobedient behavior as leaders and how to show more love.  Steve spoke with them about coming to know Christ through the ordinances of the gospel, and how the power of Godliness is manifest through the ordinances, and that is why it is so important for people to be baptized, because it is the first ordinance which unlocks the power of Godliness.  It was a great meeting, as always, and we love working with these mission leaders.  They really have a great desire to do good, and to help their zones, and they themselves want to find people and bring them into the gospel, or back into the gospel, whatever the case may be.  And they are just fun to be around!
Later that night while we were at dinner we received a phone call from our BC zone leaders, Elders Ajeman and Austin, and they had been in a bad car accident heading back to BC.  Apparently they hit black ice and began to slide into the oncoming traffic, and there was a semi coming towards them.  Somehow they slid back into their own lane, but they hit the end of the semi's trailer.  Well, it totaled their car, but they were completely safe and walked away without a scratch!  They were definitely being protected from above.  Because when you see the car, you can't believe they weren't hurt!  We were so grateful for their safety.  In my prayers that night I just thanked Heavenly Father for watching out for them.  It could have been tragic!
On Saturday and Sunday we participated in the Calgary Stake Conference with President Litchfield.  He is a good man, and recently had a series of 3 heart attacks in a row, where they almost lost him!  So, we are grateful he is recovering and still able to preside over his stake.
On Sunday evening we held a meeting with all of our Mandarin speaking missionaries to discuss ways to further their work, and things they could do in the Mandarin Branch.  We have a new senior couple also working in the Mandarin branch, Elder and Sister Wong, from SLC, and we are so grateful for them!  It was also a great meeting, and we came up with some good things that could be done.  We love those Mandarin missionaries, and we know there are more people for them to find.  At the meeting we learned there are 50,000 Chinese people just in the northwest part of Calgary alone.  So, we determined we need to be more diligent in finding them!!
Today we had our meeting with our senior couples serving in the office and now we are in Medicine Hat because we begin interviews with this zone tomorrow.  We'll be doing interviews and zone conferences over the next 4 weeks.  It will be a busy time-but it will be great.  We are looking forward to having them more often, we think it will be very beneficial.  This is great work, and it is amazing to see the faith of these young missionaries.  We are so proud of them!

So grateful our elders were safe after this accident!

Our first Missionary Leadership Council of 2017!

Our meeting with our Mandarin speaking missionaries!