Another great transfer week!

As always we had another great transfer week!  We sent 5 wonderful elders home to their families, and welcomed 13 missionaries from 8 different countries-Finland, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Italy, Spain, Cook Islands, Japan, and the United States!  It was our most diverse group yet and so fun to have them here!
 We had a wonderful temple session with our 5 departing elders on Tuesday evening as well as a special testimony meeting.  I always love hearing their final testimonies as missionaries in the field.  It is so powerful.  It is quite remarkable to see their growth over the two years they have been here--nothing short of a miracle, really.  We always pray that their faith will continue to remain strong as they go home and start their new era of life!
We went to the airport a total of 4 times on Wednesday getting missionaries to and from the airport!  Well, Steve went 4, and I went 2!  He took two elders out that had to go really early--he got up at 3:30 for that.  And we picked up our last little sister at about 11:30 Wednesday evening--so by the time we got home, it was 12:30 a.m.  We climbed into bed about 1:00 a.m. and were up again at 6:00 to be ready for our training meeting with our new missionaries.  It is always so fun to get these new missionaries straight from the MTC!  I love their enthusiasm and excitement and faith.
Thursday they all met their new trainers and went to their areas, and the rest of our missionaries being transferred all met their new companions and went to their new areas.  Transfers are such a great thing--it's a new beginning every 6 weeks!  A time to recommit, re-evaluate, and rededicate themselves to the work.  Sometimes there is some anxiety that comes with transfers and I always share this quote with our missionaries:  'Stop being afraid of what can go wrong, and start getting excited about what can go right!'  I always tell them that this might be their best companionship yet, their best area yet, and the best part of their mission--so be optimistic and hopeful and happy!
The past 3 Sundays we have actually been able to be in a sacrament meeting!  I have truly come to love being able to partake of the sacrament, because there are times when we will go 4 weeks without being able to.  I look forward to being able to renew my covenants.  Our next 4 weeks will all be stake conferences, so the next time I am able to partake of the sacrament is when I am home--that is a weird thought!  But, I have come to love this gift the Savior instituted to help us always remember Him.  I love Him.

At the temple with our 5 departing elders!
Elders MacJanet, Zolman, Reed, Pugmire & Paletua

We piled 5 elders and some big pieces of luggage into our car to get them to the hotel!

Elders Grinwis, Chapman & Grider-enjoying Chick-fil-A while waiting for new missionaries to arrive!

Elder Grider (our new assistant), Elder Grinwis (our assistant who is going back into the field)

Our brand new missionaries from the MTC!

Sister Ichimi who arrived late Wednesday night.

Hotel Living, Preparing for Transfers!

Well, we are officially living in a hotel as of Tuesday evening!  For the past month while the top floor of the mission home has been under renovation we have been living in the basement, which has worked out ok.  We still had access to the kitchen, but everything in it was full of sheetrock dust and sawdust from all the work; even though it was 'shielded' with a plastic tarp.   Then the decision was made to also tear up the floor in the kitchen and redo it with the same hardwood floor going throughout the rest of the main floor--so this brought on a little bit of a problem, being that we would not really be able to be in there, and it was so dirty, you wouldn't want to be in there!  This, compounded with the extreme noise from the hammering and sawing was making it not real conducive to studying and working.  So, on Tuesday night we moved into a Marriott Residence Inn for the next 30 days until construction is complete.  We are in a little one bedroom suite with a kitchenette, and it has a little desk area we can work at, and it's clean and quiet.  So, we are good!
We can still go to the mission home in the evenings to use our computer and printer there when we need to, so it will all work out.
This past week has been a good one--we've been preparing for our transfer week this week, so we did the interviews with the 5 departing elders that will be leaving us on Wednesday.  The missionaries always enjoy this last, longer interview with Steve.
On Friday we also held our 'New Trainer's' Meeting, with the 13 missionaries that will be training the 13 new ones coming on Wednesday.  This was a great meeting, and we are so excited for these trainers.  We think they will be just fantastic, and will teach and help these new missionaries as they come into the field.  We also called a new assistant, Elder Grider, as Elder Grinwis will be going back out to be a 'regular' missionary for his last transfer.  We have been so grateful for his service and diligence and example.  And we are excited to have Elder Grider on board with Elder Chapman.  They will play key roles as they help with the transition to a new mission president.  We know they will be great, and will be just what is needed for President and Sister Keung when they arrive.
Friday evening we had a fun visit with Evan and Kathy Thorley who served here in our office for 18 months.  They completed their mission last summer, and had come back up to visit.  It was great to see them, and I realized after they had gone, I had forgotten to get a picture with them!
Saturday we also had a visit from one of our returned missionaries, Charlotte Romney and her dad.  That was also fun, and especially to know that she and another one of our returned missionaries, Creig Jewkes, had just gotten engaged!  It has been really fun to see the weddings that have come from our mission!  What better place to meet your spouse?
We are enjoying beautiful weather and love every minute of it!  This week it could actually hit 29 celsius--which is HOT!  About 88 Fahrenheit!  That is considered high in the middle of summer!
Our missionaries are really liking it.  This past winter was so brutal, and long and cold, and the snow just kept coming.  So, no one is complaining at all about what we have now.
Today we attended the Spanish ward and enjoyed that.  It was nice to be able to partake of the sacrament again.  We will have one more week to be able to be in a sacrament meeting and then we have 4 stake conferences in a row--so I cherish the time I am able to take the sacrament.  I have come to love and appreciate it more on our mission because we haven't been able to take it on a regular basis.  It is so nice each week to recommit, and to reflect on what the Savior's atoning sacrifice means for me personally, and to just feel the power of it.  
We are looking forward to this next week and welcoming our new missionaries into the great Canada Calgary Mission!  It is always a fun week!

Our new home!

Our 'New Trainer's' Meeting! They will be great trainers!

Visit from Charlotte Romney!  Love these returned missionaries!

Spring is here!

Today we had almost 80 degree weather--it is wonderful!  Our missionaries are in such good spirits because of it!  We were able to attend a great district meeting this morning with the Heritage District in the Calgary zone, and they all remarked on how great it is to have nice weather!  We love going to district meetings--our district leaders are doing such a nice job leading their districts, and in today's meeting everyone in the district had the chance to participate in some way, and they all were so good.
We are training in district meetings on Chapter 11 of Preach My Gospel on Helping People Make and Keep Commitments.  This is such an important part of helping investigators progress; and so we really need to focus on what commitments we will extend to them, like reading the Book of Mormon, or praying; and then we need to do all we can to help them actually do it.  As they do, the spirit comes into their lives, and their hearts begin to change.
We were able to complete all of our interviews for the transfer last week.  We traveled from BC in the west to Medicine Hat in the east!  A lot of miles were put on our car!  Steve was able to go out teaching with Elders Grider and Wolfe in Medicine Hat and they had a great night out teaching.  And we were actually able to drive to Brooks on Highway 1 with no incidents!  Highway 1 has been our nemesis this past winter!
On Friday we had a great Retrainer's meeting with our new missionaries that arrived a month ago and their trainers.  We had a lot of discussion and focused in Preach My Gospel for our answers.  We always love this meeting and to see how much the new missionaries have grown in such a short time!
Saturday we were able to attend the baptism of Jessica McGaughey which was really sweet.  She has some physical challenges and it was really tender to see her enter the waters of baptism, and to see her excitement and joy.  Her non-member parents were there, as well as many friends, and they were all touched during the service.  We were able to visit with them afterwards, and they were all proud of her.
After her service we drove 1 1/2 hours to Fort Macleod so Steve could speak for a few minutes at a Missionary Youth Conference.  They had combined with the Cranbrook stake and had our missionaries help teach the youth how to teach lessons, and role-play, do p-day activities, service, and other things missionaries do.  It was fun to go down and eat dinner with them and see them.  We drove back that evening and crashed!
Mother's Day was a great day--we were able to actually attend a sacrament meeting!  We miss so many sacrament meetings because of Stake Conferences, that I really miss them.  And so, we really look forward to Sundays when we can attend a sacrament meeting.  I've grown to love the sacrament more than ever on our mission, and taking that time to reflect on the Savior and renew my covenants.
It was also great to FaceTime with all of our children and grandchildren!!!  We miss them like crazy and love to talk with them.  They are really beginning to count the days until we come home.
This week we are preparing for transfers next week.  So, we have lots to do!

Elders Wolfe and Grider--they had a great time teaching with Steve in Medicine Hat

Retrainers Meeting! All the new missionaries with their trainers!

Mother's Day Flowers from our kids!

Elders Crockett & Vance at interviews-they came from doing service!

Sisters Bailey & Romo with Jessica at her baptism

The Fort Macleod & Cranbrook Youth at their Missionary Youth Conference

Elders Williams, Fish, Horne, Bailey, Sisters Follett & Fetters at district meeting!

Pics from last zone conference!

Just had to add a few pictures from our final zone conference on Friday that was held in Raymond.  We haven't had one in Raymond for a long time, so it was fun to be back there; and wow, did they spoil us with their beautiful buffet!  All of the breads were homemade!  The missionaries ate just about every thing on that table!
After the zone conference we went back to Lethbridge for the night, and then the next morning we completed the interviews with our Cardston zone by doing interviews in Raymond, Magrath and Cardston.  Following that we drove back to Lethbridge to participate in the leadership meeting of the Lethbridge North Stake Conference with Elder Donald L. Hallstrom as the visiting General Authority.  It was a great stake conference with a wonderful spirit!  When it was over on Sunday we drove to Cranbrook, BC, to do interviews there.  And we are now having beautiful weather!  Driving to Cranbrook it was 25 celsius, which is about 80 Fahrenheit!  Spring is definitely here and we are loving it!

The incredible buffet from the Raymond Relief Society!

Our cute sisters ready to dig in!

Elders Allred, Ward, Snyder & Ellefson-celebrating birthdays!

Zone conferences! So good!

This week we have been holding our zone conferences.  So far we have held 3, and have one more to go tomorrow.  We LOVE zone conferences!  There is such a great spirit in each of them, and we just have so much fun with our missionaries and enjoy them so much.  In these conferences we have focused on seeking personal revelation as President Nelson has counseled us to do.  Each of the missionaries were able to go for 15 minutes and pray and 'pour out the longings of their hearts' to the Lord and seek their own personal revelation.  It was really a great experience for them as they really listened to the spirit and wrote down the things that came to their minds.
We also practiced teaching the lesson on the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ in 6 minutes!  We did this to help them learn to teach simply.  It was really fun to hear them role play in companionships, and then we had 9 missionaries volunteer to come up front and each one would take a concept and they would just go in order and teach the whole group the first lesson.  They did a great job, and we all learned how to just teach the basics, and cut out the things we really don't need to say.  Then we discussed how just asking inspired questions to get our investigators talking, and using specific scriptures would really be the only other things they would need to add.
We also had great trainings from different companionships on how to develop a Christlike attribute--how to choose one (being prayerful about it), how to study about it,  and basically just how we could do our best to emulate our Savior and try to be more like Him.  We had asked each missionary to come prepared with a 3 minute talk about the attribute they are working on, and Steve asked two to randomly come up and share their thoughts.  It was great!
We also did a little training on preparing for baptismal services...how to make them sacred, special experiences for our investigators.  To do this requires planning and preparation, and we read through the guidelines in Preach My Gospel to help us with this.
Following lunch we had the assistants lead a discussion on using social media and share 'best practices' and also addressing challenges the missionaries are having.  Being that we are new to using smartphones and using Facebook and all that, it is definitely a learning process!  So, we are all trying to help each other and use technology to enhance our work!  We emphasized following the Safeguards for Technology always!  We know that as we stay in tune with spiritual promptings, stay focused on our missionary purpose, be disciplined, and be one with our companions, we will be able to use technology the way it was intended.
We ended the day discussing a talk on the atonement of the Savior by Elder Bednar entitled, "In the Strength of the Lord".  It is an amazing talk which taught us that the gospel of Jesus Christ is to help bad men become good, and good men become better, and that only happens as we rely on the atonement of Jesus Christ.  Our missionaries have such incredible insights!  I am so impressed as we listen to them share their thoughts.  Studying the atonement together has really helped our missionaries' testimonies grow in such incredible ways.  It is such a wonderful thing to witness.
Following that we had a testimony meeting which is always a highlight for us.  We love hearing the testimonies of our missionaries.  We really cherish these times.  We love seeing them grow in the gospel and faith.  Our greatest desire is for them to have deep, abiding testimonies for their entire lives...we want them to really know that this gospel will bless their lives forever, and bring them so much happiness as they stay true to their covenants.  Our lives have been so abundantly blessed because of it.  We love this gospel!

Love all these elders! Zone Conference in the north!

Love our sisters!

Yummy lunch of chili and cornbread!

Elders waiting in line for lunch!

Lunch is the best!

Elders Neulinger, Grider, Darden & Wolfe with their birthday bags!

Zone conference pics from Lethbridge!