THE FIRST THANKSGIVING!

Here is our first Thanksgiving celebration!

In Canada, they celebrated on the second Monday of October. For us we celebrated with all of the other Senior Missionaries in the Lower Mainland (basically greater Vancouver metro). It seemed strange to celebrate because there was no football games, Macy day parades, or "Black Friday" shopping to look forward to.  We did have a great dinner and fantastic company however.  We are all from the United States and will celebrate the "real" Thanksgiving in November.

Chomping at the bit!  Say the prayer and let's eat...forget the carving part and dig in.  We had all the usual trimmings besides the turkey. Sue and I even tried sweet potatoes for the first time in our lives. They were good.  My grandmother told us we were making a mistake by not having them and she was right.  Sue had to make them along with fruit salad.

We are in Sister Langford's and Spencer"s apartment (suite as they call it here).  Sister Langford and Spenser are the two in the back row (obviously) on the right.  Next to them on the left is Sister Healey and then Sister Lewis and Sue rounds out the back row.  The men are Paul on the left and then Elder Lewis and Healey next to him.  The two single sisters were widowed less than a year before they came on their mission.  When they got their calling in the employment center and found out who their companions were going to be they discovered that they knew each other and went to the same Ward 40 years prior. They have been fast friends again ever since.  After a year or so break they plan on serving another mission together.

This is a picture of the Surrey Zone when Elder Maynes (of the first quorum of the seventy) visted and taught at the end of September. Since his visit our Baptismal commitments went up 40%. He really helped us to understand the importance of our work and some new ideas on how to approach it.  It is always great to have a visiting General Authority come and teach new methods.