END OF 2011 AND START OF 2012!

We had heard alot from the locals about the Christmas Lights at Stanley Park so on December 26th which is their "Boxing Day" holiday, we had to physically go to the Park to get the tickets 3 hours before our 5:30 scheduled time.  After we finally got the tickets we talked about where to go for dinner  and Pam thought a buffet would be a good idea....we looked it up on our GPS and choose the "Grand Buffett" which was only 10 miles away in Burnaby.  No problem since we had about 2 1/2 hours.

Here we are after getting our train tour tickets...happy!  We got in the Jeep and started driving the short distance but it took us a long time to get there....an 1 1/4 hours later.  Vancouver is all two lane roads with stop lights and no highways or freeways.  When we finally got there it was a Japanese Sushi buffet. We made an immediate U-turn to start heading back to Stanley Park and stopped at a Denny's for breakfast.  Not exactly what we had in mind!

The tour was worth it however.  It is about a 20 to 25 minute train trip showing millions of lights depicting many different Christmas scenes with accomping music.

It is put on each year by the BC Firefighters for the benefit of the children's burn center. They raise a tremendous amount of revenue and good will for the cause. It was raining, but the train which was open air did have a roof on.

January 18th and 2012 is underway with 13 new missionaries coming in and only 4 going home.  We are increasing our missionary complement over the next few months by about 20 which means 10 more vehicles and 10 more apartments.  The Mission is improving and we are growing.

The start of this escapade was their 2 1/2 hour wait in customs in which they only got their 1 year visa instead of the usual 2 years.  When they got to the mission office, we started right in with snacks and training since we were on the late schedule and they had to go to their Welcome Dinner at President Tilleman's at 5:30 PM. At 5:15 all of the electricity went out in Richmond.  The result was a shortened training scedule with flash lights, a testimony meeting in the hall under the two exit sign lights, and a cancelled dinner. This resulted in a pizza party at the Abercorn Inn where they stayed. They will always remember their arrival in the mission field in British Columbia.

Happy Chineese New Year for 2012...THE YEAR OF THE DRAGON!  The Chineese Branch put on a new year party with dinner and a talent show.  To kick off the event is our Stake President, President Soll (who comes from South Africa).  He is giving his remarks in English and the Chinese sister is translating it into Mandarin.

One of the talent acts was the "Dance of Joy" by some of the Chinese Relief Society.  This year the talent was really good but we didn't like the dinner.  It was NOT the American Chinese food that we know and love. The Chinese Branch is really growing and we are getting a lot of new converts.

CANADIAN CHRISTMAS!

While we are gone from our normal Christmas traditions and our loved ones back home in the United States, we recieved one of our BEST EVER Christmas gifts from Cory and Adam which contained each of our daughter's and their families personal memories and testimonies.  We enjoyed their comments so much and touched our hearts so deeply that it brought tears to our eyes as we read it. THANK YOU SO MUCH TO EVERYONE...YOU MADE OUR CHRISTMAS!!!

We had our Ward Christmas party and these are the 3 Chinese Elders...Wu, Warner (who goes home on January 4th) and Gibson. Below are the Chinese Sisters...Sun (pronounced soon) and Okada.  It took the english speaking Elders and Sister 12 weeks at the Missionary Training to learn Mandarian Chinese.  They are all very special! 

Ted and Christine Newman sat at our table with the Lewis'.  They are both converts to the church.  Ted was a Buddist and Chistine is from the Phillipines where she joined the church.  Ted was 55 and Christine was in her 30's when they both got married for the first time.  They met at a single adult dance.  They have a son, Brad, who graduated from High School last year and is now preparing to serve a mission.  They are a great couple.

The regulars (us) and some of the Chinese Branch members behind us.  This branch is growing very rapidly and has some tremendous new converts.  The man behind us in the yellow and black stripped shirt joined the church 2 months ago and is already serving in the Elders Quorum Presidency.  They are all growing in faith, testimony, and works!!

Instead of Santa Clause, our Bishopric, recited in the Christmas story and handed out gifts to all of the children (oranges and candy canes). Bishop Cook has the microphone, Greg Umbach is in the white shirt and is the 1st Counselor, and Steve Brodie wearing the bath robe is the newly called 2nd Counselor.  This was much better than the traditional Santa routine!

We were very fortuante to have our calendar full for the Christmas week-end.  Here we are getting ready for Chrismas Eve dinner at Brother and Sister Wolsey.  They had 15 people there for the dinner and activities which included all of the children acting out the nativity story.  We had a great time visiting and coming to know them better.

 Before we started the Christmas Eve dinner we did the "Chinese Crackers ".Sue is holding one. This is a holiday tradition in Canada.  Everyone has a cracker, crosses their arms and joins hands with the people on each side of you.  You then pull them and they split exposing a gift inside for the person that retained the center part.  The other person doesn't get anything.  Sue won the paper crown that she is wearing.  CUTE!

This is Christmas dinner at the Lewis' apartment with our office Elders...Muhlestein and Tippetts.  As you can see Sue is wearing a new coat and scarff...a gift to herself from herself.  She is very generous! All in all it was a wonderful Christmas.

ITS A BUSY DECEMBER!

This is Kin's Fresh Fruits and Vegtables Market where we buy our produce instead of at the grocery store. Their selection is greater and includes alot of things we have never seen or heard of that are common amoung the Asian people. 

Elder Larson, who has been in the office for the past 6 months helping us with computer and other technical problems, was released on December 9th and his parents came up from Utah to pick him up. He was always cheerful and a lot of fun to be around. 

December 8th was transfer day when all of the new missionaries come in and the existing ones get transfered to new areas.  This was the biggest one that we have had since we have been here and included about 100 total missionaries with thier luggage.  The travel arrangements by plane, bus, ferry, and train was a nightmare!!

Here are just a few that are in the office getting their supplies ordered from Sister Traxler and Lewis.  This is a very busy time for all of us no matter what our duties are because this is their one chance every six weeks to get problems solved and things replensihed...plus a free lunch!

Here are the 3 Seniors trying to catch up.  Elder Boehmer (far left) came over from Salt Sea Island to help out while Sister Bohemer assisted with all of the lunch preparations. We are taking a five minute break before we have to pack up and take all of the departing missionaries to the Temple in Langley (about 45 minutes away) before they leave for home. 

Believe it or not President Tilleman gave us a few days off to recuperiate.  This happens once every 3 or so months.  We went down to Seattle with the Lewis' which is about 145 miles to the south.  Above is the house that we rented. It was located on Alki Beach which is in West Seattle.  The house was very nice and had been re-modeled from its original construction.

This was the view of the Seattle sky line at dusk from our deck.   It was a beautiful sight inspite of the telephone wires.  Seattle is a beautiful but very wet city...but we were fortunate in that it did not rain once while we were there for 4 days.

Here we are at the top of the Space Needle which was part of the Worlds Fair in 1962.  It is 560' high which made my nerves tingle.  Great site of the panaroma of the greater Seattle area.

We took a 2 1/2 hour Harbor Locks Cruise around Lake Union, Lake Washington, and the Puegent Sound.  On our way we passed the house that was in the "Sleepless in Seattle" movie with Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan.

This is a recent convert from the Yukon territory.  Actually it is Elder Lewis in disguise wearing the new hat that he bought at the "Public Market".  It cost $80 but he thought it would be worth it when he went snow mobiling and snow throwing.  He obviously did not buy it for the looks. The market is the home of the famous Pike's Fish Market which has been in marketing and business seminars for years.  The great value was the flower bouquets for $5 and $10.

We have been busy and now it is time to settle down and get into the reason for the season!!!!!!

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.