We have been so busy and
it is way past time to update our blog. November 11 was Remembrance Day in
Canada. It is the three day school and government holiday for November. For
some people it is a day for the family to get away. But there were also people
who were celebrating Remembrance Day. Every Community had a Cenotaph. We
enjoyed seeing how Armistice Day is observed in Canada. In the United States it
is called Veteran’s Day and has parades, poppies and memorial services. School
doesn’t typically get out, but there are assemblies in most schools where
Veterans are assembled and honored by the student bodies. And in both Canada
and the United States, it marks the 11th month, 11th day
and 11th hour that ended World War II.
The word cenotaph is derived from the
Greek kenos taphos, meaning "empty tomb." A cenotaph is a
monument, sometimes in the form of a tomb, to a person or group of persons
buried elsewhere. Ancient Greek writings tell of many cenotaphs, although none
of them survives. Existing cenotaphs of this type are found in churches (for
example, in Santa Croce in Florence, where there are memorials to Dante,
Machiavelli, and Galileo). The term is now applied to national war memorials.
For the missionaries, November
11, was a zone conference. Some of our zone came to Grande Prairie the night
before because of the distance. Those companionships who are 1 to 1.5 hours
away came in the morning. We all met at the church and carpooled to the hockey
arena for a Cenotaph.
We
all had been wearing our poppies since November 1.
All
22 of us went to the top of the arena.
It is not a huge arena,
bleachers seat just under 3,000. The ice was covered with plywood and by the
end of the ceremony the floor was frosty. The room was cold. Cold air blasted
the whole time from all the vents.
These
two military men came in first and maintained this pose for the whole program,
1 3/4 hours.
They
didn't move at all.
The
floor filled with processions entering to the pipes and drums.
The
Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) was impressive.
The
two groups in front, closest are the Canadian Beavers, Cub Scouts and Scouts.
The
front groups farthest are the Canadian Brownies and Girl Guides.
The
Grande Prairie Boys Choir sang Oh Canada, and that was followed by 2 minutes of
silence at 11:00 A.M.
There
were welcomes and prayers and someone recited Flander's Field. (It was written
by a Canadian Army doctor.)
There were special
musical numbers from the choir. There were 43 separate departments, groups, and
organizations who were escorted by cadets with pomp and ceremony to lay their
wreath on the Cenotaph. At the end about 15 families brought wreaths to be laid
on
the Cenotaph.
This is the last family
placing their wreath. The entire congregation sang How Great Thou Art at the end. Then attendees could place their
poppy on the Cenotaph.
Attending the
Remembrance Day Memorial with the Grande Prairie Zone was such a great
experience. We all grabbed a bite to eat and met at the church. President and
Sister Pattison drove from Edmonton and met us at 1:00 when we started the Zone
Conference. The Zone Leaders and the Sister Training Leaders gave us good
training. It was good to connect with Sister Pattison again. We hadn't seen her
since we arrived on July 11, at her home.
President Pattison
interviewed the 20 Elders and Sisters the rest of the afternoon and evening. We
met with Pattisons at their hotel at 7am Saturday and had breakfast with them.
They both enjoyed hearing about our missionary experiences so far. Next time
they come, they want to meet the Dude.
I am thankful to those
who have served their country in foreign wars to maintain peace and security at
home. I am thankful to those who gave their lives and for their families. I am
thankful to be serving a mission in the Canada Edmonton Mission. We are having
some really great experiences. A 76 year old man walked up the stairs to the
top of the arena, sat on the step next to me and we talked for 15 minutes
before he returned to sit with the group of veterans down on the floor. I am
thankful for the letters and prayers from our family and friends to support and
encourage us. We love and appreciate all of you. Jon, we are praying for the
job to be your job.
Love,
Mom, Grandma, Sister Brown and Robyn
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