HALOWEEN AND BEYOND!!!

We thought that it would be fun to decorate the Mission office for the Haloween season; however, after counsel from President Tilleman about our real purpose and calling we decided to take it down so that the right spirit would be communicated to all that came into the office...He was right!

However after we left the office and went to our Ward "Trunk or Treat" all of the Halloween glee came out as witnessed by Elder and Sister Lewis.

We took Elders Williams (left) and Larson (right) out for their 21st birthdays. They have been our "Office Elders" for many months doing whatever we needed to have done.  They are both leaving to go back home after their Mission service in December.

Yet another "Transfer" with Elders Finlinson, Hayward, and Caten (new missionary).

Sisters Bosshardt, Post, Yao, and Kruzycki. Sister Kruzycki is leaving in December to finish her Law Degree and start her practice in Colorado.

President Tilleman (smiling still) after interviewing, training, and setting the mood of the Mission with all of those that came in for the Transfer...about 80 in all.

Elder Rameka, from New Zealand, was transfered from Zone Leader on Vancouver Island to the Zone Leader in Surrey which is in the Lower Mainland.

This is Elder Williams who served as our Office Elder for 10 straight months (a record) before being transfered up to Quesnel District in the Prince George Zone to finish his Missionary service before going back to Utah to continue his education.

Elder Tippetts and Elder Assaad (an Egyptian) who was not sure he wanted to be transfered to Terrace which is in the furthest north District in the Yukon.  He did not know if he would ever be called back to civilization during his Mission.  He left in faith and a happy heart!

Sister Doyle and Tsang are on the Isaland. Aren't they cute!

President Tilleman's 51st Birthday Party at Zone Leader Council.

A Canadian Flag with everyone's signitures and well wishes as the "perfect" birthday gift. Sarah and Sister Tilleman are standing at his side. 

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.

TRYING TO CATCH UP!!!

We haven't updated the old blog for about 2 months so we have a few things to catch up on.  Suzanne got to go home to Monument for 10 days (with President Tilleman's permission) to welcome our new granddaughter, Lily Suzanne Hopkins, into the world and to help out our daughter Cory.  The time went by very quickly but it was great to see Cory's and Stacy's family for even the short time that she was there. Sue got to be there when Lily was blessed and Stacy surprised Suzanne by sceduling her Patriarcial Blessing while she was home.  

It looks like we are always taking a trip to somewhere but we really do work most of the time.  We have been working hard enough that President Tilleman wanted us to take a few days off so we took him up on it and went to Vancouver Island with our fellow office missionaries...the Lewis'.  This picture was taken in front of the famous Empress Hotel in Victoria. We didn't  go in but wanted to prove that we got this close. We got to go shopping after this...yea?! 

On the shopping trip, Sue got atacked by the "you're not spending enough money" bear.  She conformed and went at it with a vengence...just kidding.  She is more conservative than her conservative husband.  Sister Lewis is a World Class Shopper as designated in the Ripley's Believe It or Not record book.

After shopping all afternoon it was time for something "light" so we held ourselves in check by having only double dip ice cream cones to last us until dinner and desert. This was an old authentic Ice Cream Soda Fountain that some of us remember going into as kids. 

This is the ice cream display in the Soda Fountain Shop.  It took all of our restraint to limit ourselves to the two dips. 

This is John Lennon's Rolls Royce that he had custom made in England and then shipped over to the US when they moved to New York.  They drove it seldomly because of the attention that it drew but one time when they did have it out an older lady hit the car with her cane and shouted at them that they had no respect for class or status!  That was the last time they took it out.  It was sold to the BC museum for $250,000...a bargain?

We visited the World Renown Butchart Gardens. The entry fee was high enough that we asked if we had bought an ownership interest in it!!! It was started in 1906 from the quarry of limestone by businessman Butchart. They lived next to the quarry and Mrs. Buchart spent the rest of her life reclaiming the scarred landscape into a huge beautiful garden. Quite a feat that continues to this day by their decendants.

This is the Ross Fountain in Butchart Gardens. For the 60th anniversary this fountain was developed in an abondoned limestone quarry. It reaches heights of 80'.

Elder Maynes of the First Quorum of the Seventy visited the Mission for 3 days.  This is President and Sister Tilleman presenting he and his wife with a Canadian Flag signed by everyone as a momento of their trip. We spent several weeks preparing everything for their tour of the Mission and he had the opportunity to meet and hold a series of training sessions with all 130 missionaries. It was a special experience for us all.

FUN IN AND OUT OF THE OFFICE!

Well as the days got warmer and sunnier the flys started to come out and began to fulfill the purpose of their creation...being a pest to mankind. I, along with Elders Williams and Larsen, decided to combat them in open warfare. We had to take extraordinary measures by buying "bug zappers" since these flies sleep for 11 of the 12 months and are therefore much faster and smarter.  I tried it out just to make sure and it took me to the mat with one blow to the finger.  Once we got them up and running all of the flies disappeared.  They are smart!  Elder Williams has now turned his zapper into a taser to zapp humans.  He is fulfilling the measure of his short creation.

It is P-Day so we decided to be of service by washing the Mission van, truck, and 5 cars that we have for sale.  After we finished that project we washed all of the missionary cars of those that came to help.  I mostly played the spayer and supervisor role.  This sounds easy but it was not so.  Getting 10 or so missionaries assigned tasks and completing them was a small challenge.  I have become "Mother Elder" to those who need the extra direction in their lives.

We finally got our official "CALLED TO SERVE" aprons from the Lewis' daughter in law. We are getting ready for the Zone Leader Conference and Transfer lunches which gets close to 100 hungry mouths to feed ...all at once....like right now...

In  order to take our picture above in the hallway, Elders Williams and Larsen had to open the BOM closet to get far enough away to get us all in.  They had to manipulate the storage boxes and get to where this could happen.  They are always good sports in trying to help us out with whatever we need to have done.

We decieded to take a 2 day week-end trip up to Whistler because we got Friday off for BC day.  It was a beautiful drive of about 100 miles from Vancouver going up the "Sea to Sky" highway.  We stopped for treats and shopping in Horseshoe Bay, went to see Captain America, and ate dinner at a chinese resteraunt (the first one since we have been here). This is the front enterance to the Holiday Inn where we stayed. The room was about $180 for the night!!!! The town is a lot like Vail or any other resort city in Colorado... very nice and beautiful.  We had a great time with the Lewis'. The highlight of the trip though was going to the small branch in Squamish on Sunday morning.  More than 1/2 the people were visitors and there was one new member who had been baptised the night before by Elders Lambert and Mulestein.  They taught the 3rd hour combined and we heard how well the missionary work is going in the area.  They volunteer 3 times a week in different community services and get to meet lots of people.

On our way home from Whistler, we saw and stopped by Shannon Falls which was right by the highway.  British Columbia is a wonderful and beautiful place when the sun is shinning...that is the one month that the flies are out with a buzz not to mention their pals the mosquitos.

I finally have made it to 65!  There were many along the journey that didn't believe that I would make it, but here I am as living proof that anything is possible.  We had a great day with many well wishers, songs, and a British Columbia flag signed by all.  THANKS TO EVERYONE!

STAYING FIT

Staying fit is part of our program.  Paul and I went for a bike ride on a beautiful Saturday afternoon.  Notice I am riding an "elders" bike and I couldn't get my leg up and over the bar.  Paul had to lift my leg for me.  I think I've reached the age where I need a stepstool.  It was pretty funny and we had a great time riding until it was time to quit and I had the same problem; I couldn't get off the bike.  We gradually laid it down.  WOW I DID IT!

We joined the SouthArm gym which opens at 6:00 every morning.  We are there yawning and ready to go 5 days a week and exercise for 45 minutes.  Paul rotates the bike, treadmill, and eliptical each time.  On days the gym is closed (like Easter weekend when it was closed Fri. and Mon. but opened on Sat. and Easter Sunday) we walk in the park right across the street from our house.  I work out on the treadmill every day where I have the only opportunity to watch the TV and see some US news.

It's Monday, the weekly preparation day ("P" day) and many of the missionaries from the lower mainland are here at the church.  They hung out for the day, playing volleyball, football, basketball and just socializing.  They come inside to get supplies, mail, and the treats we always have out for them.

Cute sisters.  Sister Pung (2nd from right) and Sister Hwang (in the middle) go home Aug. 5  Sister Pung is from the US and Sister Kwang is from Korea; she mailed a package home with some of her things in it last week and it cost her $87.00.

The football game takes a break while they pose for the camera.  We love these elders!  They are awesome and hard  working.  Last week there were 4 baptisms and 67 new investigators.  The work goes forward.

We're Changing!

Here we are again in front of the Vancouver Temple posing with Elder and Sister Lewis who are from Orem Utah.  Every 6 weeks when we have arriving missionaries, transfers, and  departing missionaries we attend a temple session with those who are going home.  It is a wonderful  experience and this time we had 3 elders, 2 sisters ,and 3 senior couples leaving.

Here are some of our sister missionaries at the transfer lunch where we fed about 80 missionaries.  We had a yummy lunch of subway sandwiches, grapes and bananas. Sister Barfuss (3rd from left standing) LOVES bananas and she usually takes 7 or 8 of them.  She is going home this time along with Sister Malmrose (in the middle kneeling).  We also have cut up vegetables, chips and cake.  We have to have a quick traveling meal because some of the missionaries have to come in, get their new companions, and  immediaely head out on the ferry, bus or plane. Each meal we serve has to have a protein, vegetable, fruit, and dessert.

These Elders are some of the Zone Leaders that we have that come in one time a month to plan activities and organize training for the coming month with the President.  They are in the office waiting their turn to be interviewed by him.

This is the changing of the guard.  President and Sister Nelson (on the left) return to their home in Kaysville Utah after serving as Mission President for 3 years.  President and Sister Tilleman and their 6 year old daughter Sarah have arrived.  They have dual citizenship  in the US and Canada and have been living in Arizona for the past 20 years.  Two of their sons are currently serving missions in Argentina and Paraguay (South America)  President has put his law practice on hold to serve the Lord for 3 years.  He is a former Olympic basketball player who played for Canada in 1980 and 1984. We are excited to serve with them.

We attended Canada Day celebrations in Steveston where they had their local parade, pancake breakfast, craft booths, shopping, and all of the rest of the gala events. Canada Day is on July 1st and is their celebration in declaring political independence from England. They still honor the Monarchy but only as a figure head. The big news was all about the 9 day visit of Kate and William through the Canadian Provinces.

The Canadian national sport of hockey is started early and was frequently displayed throughout the parade. These are the youngest that we saw.

These colorfully dressed chinese were representing one of their religious sects.

SERVING WITH FRIENDS!

This is in front of the Vancouver Temple with all of the Senior Missionary couples that we serve with. All of the couples except for us and the couple to our left (Elder and Sister Healey) will have completed their missionary service by July 1st.  They have all become good friends and we will miss them and their positive impacts on our lives.

This is the front of our Ward builing which also  houses the Mission Office where we spend our days.  Vancouver, with all of the rain, produces a beautiful landscape throughout the area. The flowers and shrubs are lush and beautiful.

This is the good bye picture of the Nielsens who are leaving to go back home to Idaho Falls. They have been so fun to work with and they gave us the start we needed on our duties in the office. We also welcomed the Lewis' as they went through the MTC with us back in January. They started their mission in Tokyo and were sent home after the earthquake and tsunamai in March.  We were lucky to get them re-assigned to our mission to complete their service. We are just getting our process down as we get ready to welcome President and Sister Tilleman who come June 27th.

This is Brother and Sister Tio. They are from Indonesia and then lived in Holland for 20 where they joined the Church and raised their family before immigrating to Canada.  Their daughter Anaya is Young Women's President and also cuts our hair.  Suzanne is Sister Tio's new Visiting Teacher.

Sister Neilsen standing in front of the "candy good bye card" that we gave them reminding them of our times before they left for home.