Sometimes it just feels right

Once everyone got back from holidays and school started, the wards started having ward council. During our first ward council the Bishop asked us to try and check on a member they hadn't seen for quite a while and they wanted to be sure he was OK. His name was Mel and he was one of the founders of the Church in the Peace Country. Heavenly Father helped us find Mel's house which was unmarked and out in the bush. His son Peder wasn't so sure he wanted us on his property. But when he saw we were missionaries we were greeted. He even invited us in to see his father, Mel. Unknown to us, that day was Mel's 93rd birthday. He was eating a bit of supper. He reminded me so much of my Dad, I just wanted to hug him and hold on to him. I'm sure he wouldn't have liked that.

It just felt like we were supposed to meet Mel and Peder, so we went to the house again and took Mel some oatmeal raisin cookies so we could get to know them better. They are his favorite and he enjoyed eating them. We intended to get back, but before we could make a third visit, Peder called us and Mel was in the hospital. We made a visit there. We visited every couple of days at first and then a little more frequently. One day Peder called and said "Dad just passed away, can you come?" We went to be with Peder and stayed with him 7 hours until the doctor came and pronounced Mel dead. Normally it wouldn't take that long, but Peder wanted the family doctor.

We had known Mel about 6 weeks. He didn't say many words to us, but we talked to him. We visited with Peder while he was at the hospital with his Dad and at a care center as he visited the "Dude". He told us lots of stories about his Dad, and with his Dad, and about the Peace Country where we are serving.  We love both of these special men, Mel and Peder.

The "Peace Country" known for its Prairie, the Boreal Forest, the Rocky Mountains and the Peace River, one of the longest river systems in Canada. Cities include Grande Prairie AB, Dawson Creek BC and the city of Fort St John BC. The Peace Country includes many Hamlets, Towns, Cities, Rural Farms and Ranches in north western Alberta and also north eastern British Columbia. Many refer to it as the Mighty Peace Country. 

Mel on his 90th birthday.

Mel had been a scouter in the Peace Country since he moved there from Saskatchewan in 1961. The local Scout Council wanted to have an Honor Guard at the funeral. Peder wanted me to be part of the Honor Guard. (I knew bringing my scout uniform would come in handy.) I read the tribute of the Old Wolf.

The Old Wolf has gone on to the Happy Hunting Ground.

We wish him all the best as he continues on his journey.

May the wind always be at his back.

May his compass always point true.

May his canteen always be full.

May he always have a warm bedroll.

May he always have dry matches and dry wood for his campfire.

May each night be a celebration - a big roaring campfire with songs and laughter.

And, may every hunt be a good hunt.

May the angels watch over him.

Good night, good hunting.

We went with Peder and the rest of the family to the cemetery. I took pictures of the road because you would never believe it, but they are nowhere to be found. I can explain it and I think you can imagine what it was like. The road in front of the little country cemetery was a mud quagmire. The cemetery is little and cars don't go into it. The cars parked on the side of the road and just sunk into the mud. The middle of the road was like sticky slime. It splooshed and splashed with each very careful step, so that mud was splattered on our lower clothes. It was snowing so we didn't stay long.

We returned to the church and all the people from the funeral were still there for a luncheon of finger foods. There was an  outpouring of love for everyone who knew Mel.

Now let me tell you about Chris, the "Dude". Chris was in a quading (four wheeler) accident 28 years ago, when he was 17. His injury left him as if he is paralyzed. He has full sensation in his body, but has no control over it, so he can't sit, stand or walk. He can't swallow so he has a feeding tube and he can't talk. His mind is totally functioning. He was from Grande Cache, two hours away. After he came out of the hospital in Edmonton, he came to Grande Prairie to be closer to his family. In 1998 Mel and Peder were assigned to home teach Chris. He didn't have a lot of visitors at the time. Mel and Peder have visited Chris three times a week ever since. They have taken other members of their family to see Chris, who has been nicknamed the "Dude" They have also included the missionaries serving in the area to see the Dude on Saturdays. We started to include ourselves in this as well. Mel stopped attending these visits in December.

Peder has the Dude's room decorated with things to look at. He keeps the Dude engaged. He gives him a spiritual lesson every time. He walks him around the care center and on good summer days will push him to a park a mile away. Peder quips that he has told the Dude more about his mission to North Carolina longer than he even served the mission.

The Dude loves his lumberjack hat. He has a hat collection of all sorts of hats.

All the missionaries have written their hometowns on labels and they are all over the wall.

This wall has some of his memorabilia.

He can sometimes make his right arm do what he wants, especially in a sword fight. He is taking on Elder Brown and two other elders in these pictures.

There is a small refrigerator in his room. Peder keeps a few of Elder Holland's favorite soda pop in there in case Elder Holland ever happens to visit the Dude. I don't know the significance of this. Every guest is offered a beverage when they visit Chris.

It takes a long time to communicate with Chris. He can answer yes and no questions with two of his fingers. It is slow going, but can be important. Chris communicates really will with me with just his smile and his eyes. He has heard all of Peder's stories for years and he seems to be enjoying mine on the times we go in to see the Dude and Peder is not there.

One of the highlights of our mission is meeting all three of these special men. God knows and loves each of these men.

I know God is our Father in Heaven. He knows all of us personally and loves us more than we can comprehend. He wants us to be happy in this life and return to live with Him. He provided a plan for us to accomplish that. The plan is called the gospel of Jesus Christ. The gospel of Jesus Christ blesses all who accept and live it. It is in the family that we learn these truths and happiness the best. Family relationships can be challenging at times, but our Heavenly Father blesses us as we strive to learn and follow the teachings of Jesus Christ.

God talked to His prophets and His word was recorded to His children who lived in the Holy land in the Bible. Some of the prophets He talked to were Adam, Noah, Abraham, and Moses. He also talked to His prophets who were living in the New World, the Americas. And those prophets recorded God's word given to His children living there. Some of those prophets were Lehi, Nephi, Samuel, Mormon and Moroni. God's word to His people in the Americas is recorded in the Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ. All scriptures teach about God and are a special witness of His Son, Jesus Christ. He gives revelation (direction from the Lord) to the people,  Prophets hold the priesthood, or the authority to speak and act in the name of God to lead His children. When people follow the prophets they receive the blessings God has promised to His children.

The prophet who is Heavenly Father's representative today, is Thomas S. Monson. I know President Monson is our prophet. It was revealed to me by the Holy Ghost. I testify that these things are true.

I know God knows and loves all of you. And I love you, too.
Sister Brown, Robyn, Mom, and Grandma

Thanksgiving is over. Winter is here.

Thanksgiving is over in Canada and winter has come. It is not rare for an early winter, but having it this early is unusual. The Farmer's Almanac predicts a really bad winter in the Peace area this year. Maybe everywhere in Canada.

We were getting the oil changed in our car when we got a message from the Mission Office to park all cars and continue with activities on foot. We did go home first and waited for the storm to finish.

Dealership car lot. They plowed the parking lot.

View from our patio.

Parking lots don't get plowed. And neither do main or side roads.

The plan of attack for roads is to let them get a little snow packed and then to put gravel on the road for traction. And of course you can't plow a gravel parking lot. You would just have more mud.

More differences about driving in Canada. We have seen two accidents while living here. Both were animal caused. We have never seen even a fender bender while being here. I'm sure there are a few. The speed is tracked by robo cop. The fines for speeding are stiff. A camera will take a picture of the back of your car as you run a red light and the ticket mailed is expensive. So, people stop on a yellow light. And the speed limits are less than in the states. If there are people picking up trash, or mowing, or work of any kind on the shoulder of the road, you better not go over 30 km/hour. Fines are doubled. They only put out a temporary sign to warn you. School zones have one simple sign, no cones or blinking lights. The speed limit is 30 km/hour, ALL day.

30 km/hour = 18.6 mph, School zone and workers along road.

50 km/hour = 31 mph. Residential streets

70 km/hour = 43.5 mph. Divided bypass road in city, and any highway construction zones.

100 km/hour = 62 mph. Highway, 2 lane. Cross traffic.

110 km/hour = 68.4 mph. divided highway. Cross traffic. There are no freeways or interstates.

The speed signs posted say Maximum speed limits. There is no wiggle room for 1 or 2 km/hour over.

There are so many trucks. Pickup trucks make up the majority of personal vehicles. And then there are the commercial trucks. Logging, and lumber trucks are three trailers long. Gravel, fuel, sand, trucks and flatbed haulers are 2 trailers long. There are specialty trucks - drilling rigs, crane trucks, vacuum trucks, and specially outfitted oil patch trucks carrying fuel and supplies for the equipment in the field. Trucks make up a huge portion of traffic.

  

All Greyhound buses pull Greyhound trailers.

We got out to Saskatoon Island Provincial Park before it snowed. The trumpeter swans were in range for us to watch. And we also saw a red squirrel so close he could have sat on Elder Brown's shoulder.

Red Squirrel

Frost on the grass.

Canadian Geese standing on the ice sheet.

Ruffed Grouse

Swans moved away from the ice as we approached.

Swans were close to the ice until we got there.

Large gathering of geese in sheltered bay.

We continue to find neat places as we explore the Peace river countryside. This old barn and this Lutheran Church are nearby.

We headed to Fort St. John and had thanksgiving Lunch with the YSA there. They wanted to make sure we had Canadian food. We had ham, poutine, corn, salad, candied yams with marshmallows, butter tarts, and Smarties. We made Lion House rolls, definitely not Canadian. but, the raspberry jam I took is. Raspberries grow well here and are plentiful. Poutine is Canadian. However it is showing up in places around the States. Smarties turned out to be a version of M&Ms. The butter tarts with the pecans sure looked like pecan pies to me and the plain tarts just didn't have pecans. They were proud to tell me that pecan pie is Canadian because the French invented it. We reminded them that the pecans come from the Southern United States and maybe Creole French cooks from New Orleans invented it, but they were definitely Southern bakers and chefs.

We have been on our mission 3 months and a few days. We still feel new. YSA is a constantly changing field. We still have many more ysa to find. Our October activity for the entire stake will be this weekend. We are excited about it, just not sure the participants are. It is too bad that the weather turned bad.

We also love teaching Institute.We are studying Foundations of the Restoration. Last night's lesson was the organization of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  And what we learned - - it is the same organization as the Church of Jesus Christ that Christ established during His ministry. Christ's church went away for almost 2000 years. It was called the Apostasy. Heavenly Father knew there would be an apostasy. Through an Old Testament prophet, He said:

"Behold, the days come...that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord: And [people] shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the Lord, and shall not find it." Amos 8:11-12

After the death of Jesus Christ, the members of His church were persecuted and the Apostles were killed, and the priesthood authority-including the keys to direct and receive revelation for the Church-was taken from the earth. Because the Church of Jesus Christ no longer had the priesthood authority, the teachings changed. There were many good people who still believed and searched for truth. People like Martin Luther and John Calvin recognized that things had changed and many parts of the original Church of Jesus Christ were lost. They tried to reform the churches, but without the priesthood authority, Christ's gospel could not be returned to its original form. Christ's church was like a beautiful plate. The plate broke. Many churches had pieces of the beautiful plate. But nobody had all the pieces and could put it back together.

That is why we are on this mission. To tell the people in this little part of the world, Grande Prairie, that the plate has been put back together. All the pieces have been found. The Church of Jesus Christ that was formed while Christ was on the earth, has been restored in the latter days. That is now. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, aka Mormon Church, is on the earth today. Our Heavenly Father has brought back-restored-divine truths that you can learn and live. If you don't know this and would like to know more, ask us. We can share more.

We were both born in families where our parents were members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We were taught these principles. But being born into is not enough. Even if you have heard these things all your life, or you are hearing them for the first time, you need to find out for yourself if they are true. Everyone can know if the things they are learning are true. You can ask your Father in Heaven if it is true and He will testify the truthfulness to you by the power of the Holy Ghost.

I know God is my Heavenly Father and He loves me. I know Jesus Christ is His only Begotten son. I know Jesus atoned for my sins and voluntarily allowed Himself to be taken and crucified that through His resurrection we can live with Heavenly Father and Him when we leave this life. I know the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the same church as the original Church of Jesus Christ. I am glad that I am a member. I'm thankful I am on a mission, so I can share with others, that they may also know. I know these things are true. I know you can pray and find out for yourself.

I love all of you. I pray for all of you. I miss all of you.
Sister Brown, Robyn, Mom and Grandma

Trivia and Significancy

We had a great time watching General Conference via satellite at the church on Saturday and Sunday. Saturday it was just us, and the Elders, one of the YSA, and two other men who don't have computer wifi in their homes. All other members watched from their homes. There were quite a few men and boys at the Priesthood session. I went with Bruce to the church, but took the opportunity to play the piano in the Primary room. I had a delightful time. Sunday morning had about 30 people plus those who were there Saturday. The afternoon was us, the Elders, and one of the men. We loved all the talks. What great messages of hope and joy. And such good advice. I took pages and pages of notes and will watch my favorite talks again on the internet. I am also looking forward to the Ensign (Church magazine) so I can read them.

A week ago, on Saturday, September 24, when I came home from Woman's Broadcast, (a meeting for women and girls 8 and over broadcast over satellite)  it wasn't dark. The Saturday, one week later,  October 1, was different. It was actually quite dark and had been stormy all day. The high for the day was 3C (37F). It rained all day and sometimes there was some of that white stuff in the rain. And the wind was blowing. That Saturday night, conditions were: Rain at times mixed with wet snow ending early this evening then partly cloudy. 94% humidity. Fog patches developing after midnight. Wind northeast 20 km/h gusting to 40 becoming light early this evening. Low minus 2.

We wanted cold and it is happening.  We're ready. We were told to buy our winter wear in Canada and we bought coats for both of us and my boots, yesterday. We think Bruce is set for footwear, time will tell. Sunday morning was cloudy, not raining and by the time afternoon session was over, the sun was shining brightly. It was 6 C (43F).

We have also looked forward to seeing the Northern Lights. On Wednesday night, September 28, we were able to see a faded version of them. It was 9:42 and we were still up. We drove a little way out of town and watched for about an hour. We tried to take pictures, but we would need a camera that we could manually set. But it was a really neat sight. We repeated the event on Monday, Oct. 3 and watched a faint version of Northern Lights for an hour between 9 and 10 pm. When we got back to town and were surrounded by traffic lights, commercial lights and street lights. All of a sudden, the sky lit up for about 5 minutes with the brightest colored display of Northern Lights. It was so exciting and one we will watch for in the long dark months to come.

We have watched the days get shorter, really fast. The unusual length of night and day is something we have looked forward to in Canada.

The bridge over the Wapiti River at O'Brien Provincial Park

Wapiti River at O'Brien Provincial Park

These are bear tracks by the river at O'Brien Provincial Park

It is noon, September 20, 2016, looking South. The sun moves from East to West, but it hangs in the sky on the South.

 

The shadows are long even at noon.

There are many other things that are Canadian and we are getting used to. One very different practice is shoes. We have taken our shoes off in our house for years and years. Our mission papers told us that all Canadians take their shoes off and to prepare accordingly. There are some things we weren't prepared for. We really weren't prepared to take our shoes off in some public places as well.

There are shelves in the churches to put shoes. All kids take their shoes off, most adults leave them on. The winter will be different, and especially if the shoes are wet.  I'll bet the kids take shoes off at school. 

This is a public washroom at one of the picnic/campgrounds.

We've spent hours at the hospital. At least they make it convenient. Also, everyone pays to park at the hospital; 1/2 hour = $1.

A Rubbermade tray like this is outside each door at a care center we visit. Homes have them by the front door, or in entryways. They are very nice to have. We have a rug. They aren't available to buy in the stores at the moment, but with the really bad weather coming they should be out on display, soon. I think they are awesome, so, I will bring some home with me at the end of the mission. 

In order to get a shopping cart at the grocery store, one places a loonie ($1) in the cart which releases the chain. Then you remove the cart from the other carts and proceed to shop. When you return the cart and put the chain in the back of the handle, the coin pops out.

We love our mission in Canada, even with the things that are different. They are just fun trivia. But we love the things that are the same. And the biggest thing that is the same everywhere is, Christ is our Savior, He atoned for our sins, He died on the cross for us. He makes it possible that we can be forgiven of our sins and return to our Heavenly Father and live with Him, again. These are the words to a Primary Hymn (LDS Church group for children 3-11). You may not recognize the story and want to know more. Please write to me and I will provide the explanation.

1. I lived in heaven a long time ago, it is true;

   Lived there and loved there with people I know. So did you.

   Then Heav'nly Father presented a beautiful plan,

   All about earth and eternal salvation for man.

   Father said he needed someone who had enough love

   To give his life so we all could return there above.

   There was another who sought for the honor divine.

   Jesus said, "Father, send me, and the glory be thine."

   Jesus was chosen, and as the Messiah he came,

   Conquering evil and death through his glorious name,

   Giving us hope of a wonderful life yet to be--

   Home in that heaven where Father is waiting for me.

   Words and music: Janeen Jacobs Brady, b. 1934

   (c) 1987 by Janeen Jacobs Brady.

   
   
2.  I love you all so much. I pray for your well being and happiness. Until the next blog....
3. Love, Sister Brown, Mom, Grandma, Robyn

T

Peaceful day going to Peace River

We have been so busy and are having such wonderful experiences. The Lord is showering us with many tender mercies. It is becoming more apparent that Heavenly Father really knew what He was doing when we were assigned to Grande Prairie, Alberta, Canada. And we thought it was because we wanted to go someplace cold. Could someone else do the same thing we are doing in Canada? Yes, for sure, eh. But the important thing is Heavenly Father knows us, Bruce and Robyn. He knew we could do it and that we would rise to the challenge and do our best.

Our prayers are being answered. Last week we found one occasion where we really felt that our prayers were being answered, but we don't know yet what to do with the answer. Sometimes it is like that. But other examples abound where we know we have been prepared for the task at hand.

On Sunday, we drove to Peace River to go to church in that Branch (small LDS unit of people). We called the Branch President so we could meet with him and talk about organizing YSA. We also had a list of names the Elders (male missionaries) had sent us. They had talked to some of the young single adults and felt there was interest. We called some of the names on the list and invited them to meet us after the block and talk about YSA. Two girls were waiting for us after Sacrament Meeting. The Branch President approached our group and told us he would meet us after the block and then welcomed the girls, saying he was glad to see them. They said, "Sister Brown invited us, so we came." I really do wish it was that easy, eh. It isn't, but it worked this time. The time was right and we were just instrumental in helping Heavenly Father's plan. We are excited to be helping the Peace River Branch. We have to drive, one way, 2.5 hours north, but if the weather holds out for a bit we can get YSA activities going. Our meeting after the block was with the Branch President, (like the minister), the President of the Elders Quorum (Priesthood men the age of young fathers), and the secretary from the Relief Society (all women over 18 in the congregation).

Taking picture into the sunrise. Really not this dark.

These two pictures are looking south from the sunrise.

Elder Park and Elder Stephens, church building in Peace River

I believe in the tender mercies from our Heavenly Father. And He is keeping us safe. We had planned to leave at 7:30 am to be there by starting time of 10:00. (Some people drive 1-2 hours to get to church in Peace River.) We were ready a little bit earlier, but I didn't want to leave that early. So we waited. It was light, but the sun hadn't come over the horizon, yet. And it was overcast making the day gloomy and darker than it would usually be. As we left Grande Prairie County we came on an accident between a car and an elk, that had happened about 10 minutes before. That could have been us, and I've been there done that before. Everyone but the elk was OK. A mountie was on the scene. The tow truck had to still come. I'm thankful we didn't leave 10 minutes early. 

      

This little lady was really agitated. We stopped because she wanted to cross the highway. She is running in both of these pictures, and just kept running around. We crept out of her way, then drove off.

As we came into town and crossed the bridge over the Peace River, we saw a mother and young moose right by the side of the road. We couldn't stop and take their picture.

On the way home we saw a bald eagle sitting in the top of tree in the river valley. It made him level with the road. We couldn't get a picture at that time either.

The rest of the ride home was uneventful. Most of the leaves on the trees have fallen. There were a few stands of the aspens in the pines that made a pretty contrast. We saw fields in different stages of harvest. We got into a bit of rain, just enough to make the car dirtier. It is hard to believe, but elder Brown doesn't worry about a muddy car here. It is part of the status quo. It gets washed on P-day and lasts maybe 6 hours.

 

Looks like castles on the prairie.                                                                Fall colors on the prairie.

More blogs will be coming. Love you all,

Sister Brown, Robyn, Mom and Grandma

This is what we do.

I'm sorry it has been so long since we updated our blog. We are fitting into a routine and it is busy. I think it is because we are new, and the mission president is new. Our second zone conference had interviews the night before. We were doing lots of things with YSA (Young Single Adult, 18-30 years old) in Grande Prairie, but not going to many meetings. That changed. Plus, the Stake President thought about it and decided we should also teach Institute, and we are.

Last Sunday was a Worldwide YSA Devotional broadcast from Washington D.C., via satellite. Yay, I now know how to set up the satellite for any broadcast. We started with a potluck supper and then watched the broadcast, followed by our first Institute class. Elder Brown taught the first lesson. We did not have everyone who could have been there in attendance. But we will build.

But the Friday before we had the biggest crowd we have ever had to an activity. It was the first YSA activity not on Monday. Monday is FHE (family home evening) with the YSA. We attend but are not in charge of it. We facilitate other activities on other nights. At the first activity we had a make your own pizza night. Everyone made a pizza, played silly games and had a fun time.

Everything is ready.

Lots of activity. Some were heart shaped.

The sister Missionaries were there because of the 3 investigators. One was new today.

One of the games involved stickers. Elder Brown had the most.

We will be going to the other branches and help the YSA get started in their areas. We would like to get it all done before the snow hits. But time is now a little more limited. On the first and third Sundays we are in meetings from 7:00 am until 4:00 pm. We go home for dinner and then go back to Institute which will start at 6:30. It is a long day. On the other Sundays we have meetings from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm and then Institute. But, you know what, it is not bad. It keeps us busy, but we are enjoying it.

There are two meetings on Saturday. We go to a long term care center to visit a man named Chris. I am going to have another blog on Chris.

Each week is District meeting and we skype with the other companionships in the district. At least once a month we get together for district meeting all together. When it is British Columbia, Elder Brown and I drive the Zone Leaders and the Sisters so they don’t have to use up their allotted kilometers to get there. It is a long day, but with good company. There are four companionships and then us.

At this District Meeting in Dawson Creek, BC, we played chair soccer.

If you are sitting down, you are out.

Elder Brown is going at it. He kept up with them on all rounds. Obviously I'm out, I'm taking the pictures.

This week has been transfers. Every missionary companionship in our District has a new Sister or Elder. And we have a new set of missionaries. So now we will have five. We have a Tagalog Companionship. They will be servicing all of Grande Prairie Stake, the whole zone. There are a lot of investigators, and members, from Philippines. Sister Lacno is from the Philippines but she couldn’t possibly keep up teaching them all.

There is a zone conference every 6 weeks. Our first one was on the second day after we got here. The second zone conference was six weeks later. And our third one is next week. Time is going fast.

That is filling you in on the hows and whys. But, our mission is so much more than that. We are having spiritual experiences as well. So many of these YSAs do not come to church. Some come to FHE. A lot have moved, and some are just lost. I found 1 last week on Facebook and 2 this week. We make contact with them and send them messages about their jobs and hobbies. We visit them at work. We take lots of treats. In essence, we love them and pray for them. The other people at YSA are happy to see them at activities and welcome them and play with them. And, when they come to church we get so excited. They are starting to remember Christ and feel the love He has for them. Some of them never had a firm footing, but they are building new footing. And it is equally exciting when we have investigators. These are people who are just learning about their Brother Jesus Christ and their Heavenly Father. It is fun and fulfilling to be part of this work.

I mentioned treats. I do a lot of baking. I am in to my second 10 kilo bag of flour and my second 5 kilo bag of sugar. I make lots of cookies, some cakes, brownies, and sweet rolls. I have made tapioca pudding and I’m collecting recipes for gluten free treats. The missionaries are always glad to get treats, and the YSA knows I’m good to fill in when someone is out of town. Other people we visit like them, too.

I have more material for blogs and I will get them sent soon. Until then, know that I love and miss you all.

Mom, Grandma, Robyn and Sister Brown

Canada is BIG

We love what we are doing in Canada. We are serving in the Grande Prairie Stake to help YSA take hold. The Grande Prairie Stake has 4 wards, 5 branches.

In Grande Prairie there are two of the wards. The Wapiti and Bear Creek Wards. The Young Single Adults, YSA, from both wards meet together on Monday nights for Family Home Evening, FHE. We go and be with them. There are 5 or 6 kids who are regular attenders. About 14 others come, not at the same time, when work allows. Three of the number have now gone South to attend school. South is Edmonton, Calgary, Lethbridge, or the States. We have a list of potential YSA who have stopped coming. We are trying to find them and tell them we are meeting and having fun. We are also trying to have a monthly activity in addition to FHE. Another part of our mission is to organize YSA in the other 2 wards and 5 branches.

We did find out just this week that Fort St. John Ward, in British Columbia, has a functioning YSA Group. They have 4-8 attend depending on work schedules. However, two of their number are going South to school. A few of those kids live an hour away from the church, and can't make it every time. Long travel is pretty much the norm in Grand Prairie Stake.

One of the favorite things we do is give rides to the Wapiti Elders and the Bear Creek Sisters when we go to District Meeting once every transfer. (About 6 weeks.) All the other times we have District Meetings via Skype. Having them ride with us saves both companionships some "klicks". (Kilometers put on their cars.) The first time we drove to Fort St. John. It was a full day.

Our District is the Elders from Wapiti Ward, and the Elders from Dawson Creek Ward.

The Sisters are from Bear Creek Ward, and Fort St. John Ward. The Fort St. John Sisters drive a truck.

This is a park in Dawson Creek, B.C. at mile post 0 of the Alaskan Highway. It is on the way to Fort St. John. Our second time going to District meeting just last week, was at Dawson Creek.

This is the Railroad Museum in Dawson Creek, B.C. It was a stop to use the washroom. There are no rest stops along many highways of Canada. You look for visitor's centers.

This is the sign welcoming us to British Columbia. Alberta doesn't have a place like this when coming back. There are lots and lots of rocks strewn in this area. People write their names on them and put where they are from and the date they passed through.

We did take a short side trip to see, and drive, on this old bridge still in use along the old Alaskan Highway. It goes to a Provincial Park in British Columbia.

OK, we did show you a map of the Grand Prairie Stake in one of the first blogs. We have both worked at this, doing the math, and using Google. Here is a repeat of the first map, in color this time. And two other maps.

This is a map of half of our mission. the little inset in the bottom corner shows all of North America. The red portion is the area of the Canada Edmonton Mission. Pretty amazing isn't it. It is the largest mission by area in the Church.

This is the same map as the first time showing the area of the Grande Prairie Stake. The circles with plus signs are the locations of wards and branches. The kind of empty areas have members scattered. 

Some of the areas are forests. 

I'm sorry the lines are so light, and Hudson Bay is messed up. But this map is traced from a map to show the scale. The Grande Prairie Stake is roughly the same size as Utah, Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico. We were shocked to realize this scale. 

The distances are:

Grand Prairie to Valley View 1 h 10 min.

Grand Prairie to Dawson Creek 1.5 h

Grand Prairie to Fort St. John 2.5 h

Grand Prairie to Fairview 1h 20 min

Grand Prairie to Peace River 2 h 20 min

Grand Prairie to High Prairie 2 h 40 min

Grand Prairie to High Level    281 miles    4 h 35 min.

Grand Prairie to Fort Smith, NWT 644.8 miles 10h 42 min. to Watson Lake

Grand Prairie to Hay River, NWT 476.4 miles 7 h 47 min.

Grand Prairie to Fort Nelson, BC, 363.8 miles 6h 5 min

Grand Prairie to Fort Resolution NWT 565.1 miles 10h 4 min.

Grand Prairie to Whitecourt, 173.7 miles 2 h 45 min.

Fort Smith to Watson Lake (top boundary of mission) 1141.8 mile, 16 h 36 min.

Western boundary is continental divide a little farther south from Jasper National Park.

Grande Prairie to Yellowknife 725.2 miles 12 h 7 min.

Yellowknife to Slave Lake 196.8 miles 3 h 13 min.

435.7 miles 6 h 50 min to Lloydminster

378.9 miles 6 h 6 min to St. Paul

Distance by crow fly

Length x width

Utah is 350 miles x 270 miles

Colorado 380 x 280

Arizona 395 x 340

New Mexico 370 x 342

Grand Prairie Stake is 750 x 624 the same size as UT, AZ, CO, NM

Now we are glad we didn't bring the Suburban on our mission. It only has 124,000 miles, but is 20 years old. Our mechanic just didn't want us in some wide open space in the middle of nowhere, stranded. We feel that was a tender mercy. And, the mileage wouldn't have been too good. 

People here are just so used to driving long distances. Of course when they travel 5 hours to Edmonton to go to the Temple, they have relatives they can stay with so they don't have to drive home the same day. Then when they want to go to Calgary, Lethbridge or other places South, they have other relatives they stay with. We understand when they come to Grande Prairie for Stake Conference, people from GP open their homes for out of town people to throw out their billet. (Sleeping bags.) Meetings and activities happen on Saturday, and then the Sunday Conference. We will have a big YSA activity on Saturday night.

We love our mission. We are looking forward, even to the travelling. The countryside is beautiful. We see lots of nature and wildlife. We just don't want to find that wildlife on the highway with us. 

Keep travelling with us. Thank you for emails you send us. Don't try to mail anything. We got a picture mailed from Quinn that took 19 days to get here. Postcards from Nevyn and Delaney got here weeks after they mailed them. Jill mailed a package to us the first of August. It got to Vancouver on August 8. We still don't have it. We went to the post office to trace it. They said maybe we will get it by next weekend, 26th or 27th. Pray that we get it. We will be royally messed up if it doesn't get here.

Love,

Sister Brown, Mom, Grandma, Robyn