We live in the church

I would say it is about time I got a blog written. People ask us, What does your apartment look like? How far do you travel to church? We thought we would show you, because it is hard to believe and imagine.

We live in the church!!!

This is the back of the building where the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints meet. Our parking space is right next to the building. 

This is the wheelchair ramp that goes into the building.

This is the parking lot to the church.

 

We do have a foyer.

Oh, there are other tenants in the Church Building?

Hey, look! Elder Brown is home.

                    

     This staircase is right outside our door.                                    These stairs go down.
     It goes up to most of the church rooms.
     We walk to church, it is not far, up these stairs.

Opposite the senior couple apartment is this area going into a small hall with  - - - -

two washrooms,

               

         and a custodial closet,                                              the door to the Baptismal Font.

Going down the hall between the stairs and the washroom area, is the Relief Society room on the left side and the back doors of two businesses that take up the front of the building.

Borealis Accounting straight ahead.

Northern Safety Association, plus a washroom just to the right.

The Relief Society Room has become so much more than Relief Society Room. I pointed out the wheelchair ramp, but I haven't shown you the elevator. Because there isn't one! We have two members who can't get up the stairs, and one is in a wheelchair. We use the Relief Society Room for Sacrament Meeting. It may not be every week, since they are both in their late 70's. The room is also used for Baptisms, and English Class.

   

Baptismal Font behind high doors. Other door is the Relief Society closet. It takes about 45 minutes to fill the font and 13 hours to heat the water. We have had two baptisms since we got here.

Entering the front of the building brings one into a main foyer to the two business 

Front entry

 

Accounting Office

                                                                                                       Safety Training Office

and stairs going up to the Church, and down to another business . . .

The Girl Guides of Canada.

Northern Safety Association also has a training classroom in the basement.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has a Family History Library in the basement.

Then there are the various maintenance rooms, electrical, computer, internet, satellite wiring closet, boiler room, heating oil tanks, and storage room are in the basement.

          

And this one little space became the resting place one night for a squatter

                            I think he has been here before.

                       

Going up to the rooms used by the Church of Jesus Cjhrist of Latter-day Saints, Yellowknife Branch, Edmonton Millwood Stake.

 Top of the landing at second floor. Going to the left to offices and classrooms. The right goes in to the meeting room called the Assembly Hall.

The hall to the right also has the woman's washroom . . .  

and the member custodial closet.

View of the parking lot and house across the alley, from the balcony at the end of the Assembly Hall.

 View from the back of Assembly Hall

The organ at the back is not used at this time.    

The two rooms at the front are little classrooms.

Room on left is a nursery, if we had little kids.

The classroom on the right is where the Relief Society meets at this time

This storage closet is on the right hand side of the Assembly Hall.

            

       

 Also on the right side of the Assembly Hall is a small, kitchen area.

This is from the front looking back.

Front upstairs hall.

View from front upstairs hall.

Waiting area in front upstairs hall.

                                                                     View of the hall.

       

  

                                  Branch President"s Office                                                                   

  

                              Other side of Branch President's Office.

 Clerk's Office

                                                                                  Media Center, Library

 Primary Room looking to front.

                                                                            Primary Room looking back.

Young Women's Room

View from balcony in YW's room.

This is the front of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

This used to be an apartment building and was changed into a church and businesses. The business part is unusual, but the space was big, and the businesses offset the cost of a big building with very people in the branch. This church is downtown, however there are houses around us, too.

Across from the parking lot are apartment buildings, dentist office, and a deli.

West of our building is a residence business. The front part of the house is a business. The front and back yards have grow boxes full of flowers, herbs, and vegetables. Our neighbor is generous with her spoil, and she likes the things I bake.

A large parking lot is between the residence and the tall green building. That building is the Norwest Building - wifi, cell phone. There are also mining offices in there. The diamond mines are part of the Rio Tinto holdings.

This is a view west from our part of the alley to Franklin, the main street. The alley enters Franklin. We often go that way if we turn right. Or we come in our parking lot and out through another parking lot. Parking is a premium in Yellowknife. There are parking meters in front of the homes in the area. If you live there you have a sticker and don't have to feed the meter.

The east end of the alley is a dead end. There is a path

at the end that people walk up and down. The path is on 

a huge rock. There are people walking up and down our

alley all hours of the day and night. At first we thought they were

out because it was light all the time. But they are also out

in the dark.

These are houses on the other side of the alley.

On the east is a store, Fiddles and Sticks. They sell musical instruments. Two brothers own it and they live on the top floor. One of the families has two boys who will not speak to us at all. We were on the wheelchair ramp one day and he walked back through the parking lot, down the street, and came into the alley between two houses; just so he didn't have to talk to us. We are good friends and talk to the adults.

The space between us is gated and locked at both ends.

 Now you know that we live in the church. It is a little strange. When we lived in Grande Prairie a lot of our driving was to the church. So, it saves on gas to live in the church. Nothing is very far. We do walk in the downtown. We are going in to new stores all the time. Living in Yellowknife is still an adventure.

I loved Woman's Conference and we are looking forward to Conference. We only have to walk upstairs. In Grande Prairie we were almost the only ones at the church watching conference on Saturday and Sunday afternoon. Lots of people did come to the church and watch Conference on Sunday morning. We kind of expect the same thing here.

I'm excited to hear the talks and listen to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. I am thankful for the Prophet. I know he won't be in the conference center this year, but President Monson will be attending from his home and I am thankful for him and pray for him and his children and grandchildren. But all the rest of the talks from the special witnesses of Jesus Christ will be awesome to hear. All of you enjoy them as well.

Love,
Sister Brown, Mom, Grandma, and Robyn