Gretchencompleteshermission!!!

You have heard from gretchengoestocanada for almost 18 months now! But the time has nearly arrived for gretchencomeshome!


Yes, you will no longer have to put up with sporadic, lame blog entries from her Dad! You will very soon be able to hear from Gretchen directly and in the first person and in all her glory as a proud returned missionary! Sister Chemmy (as she has often been called on her mission) will fly home next Friday (August 27th) and will formally be released from her mission that evening. It is hoped that we (her parents) can drive her straight to the Missionary Training Center (MTC) in Provo from the airport so she can briefly visit her younger brother, Phillip, who will have entered the MTC two days before her arrival home (to begin his two year mission to the Dominican Republic).

As you might suspect, her parents could not be more excited to see her! She has served honorably and has blessed the lives of so many through her selfless service. And no doubt she will say that her life has been blessed beyond description over these many months of hard work and service.

For those interested, Gretchen will be speaking in Church on Sunday, September 12th beginning at 10:50 a.m. and ending about 12 Noon. You are also welcome to drop by our house afterwards for treats and mingling with Gretchen whether you come to the meeting or not.

Gretchen has been keeping her focus on missionary work these last few weeks of her mission despite the natural anticipation of returning home that comes near the end of any mission. She and her companion had a baptism a week ago and they have two more scheduled for this weekend! After all, that is what missionary work is all about. In her own words from her last email: “This week is going to be amazing! I love you all! I love being a missionary!”

Oh Canada, I Stand On Guard For Thee!

Remember, July 1 is CANADA DAY!

If you'd ask me last year if I loved Canada, I'd have said, "Sure, it's nice. The people are okay and I think it's pretty." Now I've turned into one of those semi-annoying missionaries who loves the country where they serve and thinks that the people are the greatest people in the whole world and doesn't ever want to go back to the United States.

In honor of Canada Day, here are the top ten things I LOVE about Canada.

1. Tim Hortons--especially their apple fritters.

2. The way Canadians say the word "Sorry." Gilbert Blythe says it all the time in Anne of Green Gables ("Soary, Anne..."), so I think I've always loved this, but I may or may have not picked it up myself.

3. Their love for hockey is adorable. Canucks forever!

4. From the National Anthem: "O Canada! Where pines and maples grow. Great prairies spread and lordly rivers flow." Lordly rivers, indeed. I don't know if I've ever seen a more stunning coastline.

5. Poutine! Need I say more?

6. Where else can you get sushi and doughnuts and maple syrup all at the same convenience store?

7. Canadians are mildly obsessed with recycling...way to save the world one milk carton at a time, guys!

8. If a maple leaf can be used, you better believe that it's there. Instead of an apostrophe in the Wendy's sign, they've replaced it with a little maple leaf. Aw!

9. Canadian chocolate truly excels anything that we have in the States. Mmm....Dairy Milk Bars.

10. "Eh?" So simple, yet so useful. Who knew that one little syllable could win over my heart?

To paraphrase a very wise man, "May your toques fly as high as your dreams!" Happy Canada Day!


Sister GAL

Ten Pictures Tell a Million Words

Picture 1: Haircut!

Picture 2: Gretchen doing her part for the oil spill

Picture 3: Smart Car and Smarter Driver

Picture 4: Commandment Jeopardy (I'll take the Law of Chastity for $300 Alex)

Picture 5: Tim Tam Slam Part One

Picture 6: Tim Tam Slam Part Two

Picture 7: Sisters Three: Sister H., Sister P., and Sister L.

Picture 8: Hmmm, Canadian Maple Leaf or Canadian Sensimilla?

Picture 9: Deep Fried Snickers Bar Thank You Very Much! 

Picture 10: At the Comox Estuary (Gretchen: "I still don't know how I got to be so lucky to serve here!")

A MISSIONARY TRIBUTE TO MY ANGEL MOTHER ON MOTHER’S DAY 2010

These are the Top Ten lessons my Mother has taught me:


Lesson #1: Write thank-you notes. Mom, consider this my thank-you note for everything you have done for me. Along the same vein, she always taught me to give thanks to my Heavenly Father.

Lesson #2: Read from your scriptures daily. She led by sheer example on this one. I can recall her sitting in the living room with her scriptures open, deep in study. I love her letters because she often shares something that she learned from her personal study that day. One of the pivotal moments in my life was when I was 13. I was sick and mopey and she came into my room and asked me if I'd been reading my Book of Mormon. "No," I reluctantly answered. She then bore her testimony of the Word. I pulled out my scriptures and started to read that night.

Lesson #3: Never underestimate the power of fresh flowers. If I know my mother (and I think I do), there's probably a gorgeous arrangement of fresh flowers up there on the podium at this very moment thanks to her. Much like the Primary song, I can lovingly say, "Dear Mother, all flowers remind me of you."

Lesson #4: Be in nature as often as possible. I don't know if there is anybody that loves being outside in the sunshine as much as my Mom. She understands the immensity of the designs of a caring Creator. I can think of so many occasions where we would be driving somewhere and she would point out how beautiful everything was and then she'd tell us to take a picture in our minds.

Lesson #5: The greatest joy in life comes from serving others. The longer that I've been out on my mission and interact with families, the more I realize that the service and love of a mother most closely resembles the sacrifice of our Savior. My Mom once told me that the greatest thing she gained from her mission in Korea was that it helped her realize just how much she wanted a family someday so she could serve them. I can honestly say that this would be the lesson that has most closely resonated with me as I have been out. Some of the wisest words I have ever heard her say were, "I have never regretted being giving or kind."

Lesson #6: Learn how to play tennis so you can play it on dates. Yeah, this doesn't really have anything to do with missionary work, but it has always stuck out in my mind as one of those lessons that Mom tried to teach us kids. Fun fact about my Mom: She once came in 2nd place in a Silver City tennis tournament and even got her photo in the paper and everything. Well, on account of it being a small New Mexican town, there were actually only two people in the tournament.

Lesson #7: Make the temple a priority. Having just spent two-and-a-half weeks at the Vancouver Temple Open House, I can say that my testimony of the temple has grown at least a hundredfold. I'm so grateful to live in a world where the temple ordinances have been restored and we have access to them, not to mention in Utah where they are so plentiful. Mom is always telling me her plans to attend the temple and I love her for that. Like Elder Ballard said in his recent talk to mothers and daughters, "Make sure they know that keeping covenants is the safest road to eternal happiness. And if needed, teach them how to repent and how to remain pure and worthy" (M. Russell Ballard, Conference Report, "Mothers and Daughters," April 3, 2010).

Lesson #8: Do things that are good for your soul. Listen to uplifting music, read good literature, enjoy beautiful art. My Mom has instilled in me a love of learning that I wouldn't trade for the world. She believes in being happy and in finding the good around her. No wonder he favorite scripture is "A merry heart doeth good like a medicine" (Proverbs 17:22).

Lesson #9: Don't forget to go to bed. This was her constant reminder to me at college and now that my brother, Phillip, is home for the summer, I know he's going to hear it a time or two hundred.

Lesson #10: Gain a testimony of Jesus Christ and His Atonement. I have never once doubted that my Mom knows the Gospel to be true, and for that, I am eternally grateful. She wrote in my set of missionary scriptures a reference to Ether 12:41, which reads: "And now, I would commend you to seek this Jesus of whom the prophets and apostles have written, that the grace of God the Father, and also the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost, which beareth record of them, may be and abide in you forever." This is what my Mom has done for me—invited me to seek out our Savior and follow in His footsteps. I would invite each of you to do the same. Of course, I have to give my Dad credit as well, so Dad, thank you for marrying Mom and being sealed to her for time and all eternity. I love you all and will talk to you soon!

Pictures below: Gretchen in a flower garden, daffodils at the Vancouver Temple, Gretchen wearing the "tulip sweater" her mother sent her that was apparently a big hit (for laughs) among all the sister missionaries, and Grechen's angel mother!

The Vancouver Temple Open House

Gretchen (along with all the other sister missionaries in Vancouver) was assigned to help with the tours for the new Vancouver Temple Open House. The open house runs for about 2 1/2 weeks. To learn more about the Vancouver Temple and to see pictures of the interior go to:

http://www.newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/news-releases-stories/public-invited-inside-vancouver-british-columbia-temple

This is a grand opportunity for the missionaries that keeps them extremely busy. Gretchen barely had a chance to send a quick summary of her experience from last week. A few excerpts follow:

Tuesday: Drove to Nanaimo and ate lunch with the elders at Zone Conference. Drove ON the ferry and OFF the ferry with success! We managed to manuever our way around the lower mainland and only got lost twice. Hallelujah! Arrived in Abbotsford and went to IHOP with Sister W. and her new companion.

Wednesday: First day of the VIP tours. We welcomed tour groups, started the video, and introduced the comment card. Easy peasy. Talked with a United Church minister who says that she's bringing 25 people from her congregation on Saturday. Her family is mostly LDS, so she was thrilled to go inside a temple. Ate nothing but the appetizers & sushi that were available in the reception area for the VIPs.

Thursday: Second day of the VIP tours. Slow day...fairly boring. All of the sisters were getting restless. Had a hilarious conversation with an older gentleman who owns his own consulting firm. We talked about everything from the weather to business to piano music to neuroscience.

Friday: The temple is officially open to the public! About 1500 came through. By this point all of the sisters are getting to know each other better. Spoke with a professor at the nearby Trinity Western University. Realized that even though we aren't proselyting, it feels like the Spirit is even stronger here and is guiding our words even more than usual. Had a brief conversation with a Sikh woman who could barely even express what she felt, but she told me that the temple was so beautiful, that "it felt like her heart was burning inside her" and that she cried in the Celestial room because she felt so good.

Saturday: SO busy! We had 3600 visitors. The minister from Wed. came back with her group. I somehow ended up in the middle of about 6 or 7 elderly members of the United Church who asked me all kinds of questions about the church. I think I handled it pretty well. (See above re: the Spirit) A church member happened to listen in and told me that I did a great job answering their queries....that was good to hear. We drove to Chilliwack to spend the night with Sister S. and Sister N. Stayed up and did "Tim Tam Slams." Their apartment is straight out of an episode of Full House or something. There are mirrors and 90s decor everywhere!
 
Sunday: Had Sacrament Meeting in Chilliwack and Zone Conference all afternoon. After Zone Conference, we went back to Chilliwack and drove back to Abbotsford.

Monday: Fairly busy. About a 1000 people came through and I think that'll be average for the weekdays. The day went by quick, since the tours end at 5 PM. Sister P. and I went to the store and she made us Spam Stirfry. Oh my heavens, I KNOW it sounds disgusting, but it was divine.

Tuesday: We went to Value Village and I got a MoTab cd for $3. Woohoo! Now we're back at the open house and gearing up for a long day tomorrow.
 
The first picture below is a picture of the Temple that Gretchen took. The second picture captures Gretchen holding a real signed photo of Elvis. Mission life can be pretty random sometimes!
 

Gretchen Goes Body Surfing!

E-mail Sent from Gretchen to Her Family on Friday, March 12, 2010

...and great was the fall thereof.


Let me just begin by saying that yesterday started off by being extremely boring and uneventful. Nothing like an injury to spice things up! We had been doing a few less-active drop-bys and no one was home, so in an attempt to try something else, I finally said, "You know what? I'm so sick of this. Let's go tracting." I was driving the car and found a side street that looked like it had some potential. We prayed, stocked up with pass-along cards, and paused. "Which side do you want to start on?" I asked. Sister W. pointed to the west side of the street and that was the one that I was feeling good about, too. A couple doors into it, we met the pastor of the local Salvation Army church. Her and her husband were both raised in the Army and both of their parents were pastors. She had four kids and was very friendly and we left her with our phone number. The man at the next house wasn't interested and so we continued. We walked up the sloped driveway and talked to a man who said he was at work there as a caretaker. He didn't want to chat, but said that we had a lot in common with him. 

So we walked down the driveway of doom; the paved edge was uneven and rough. I, being the klutz that I am, stepped right on the edge and my ankle turned. I rolled down the driveway one and a half times and landed on my back. My ankle didn't feel sprained or broken, but I could tell that it was in bad shape. I struggled to catch my breath and Sister W. was quite alarmed. She noticed my right knee first of all. I couldn't see it because of my skirt, but she told me multiple times to NOT LOOK.

Sister W. ran down the street and I'm crying and looked like a complete wreck. This older lady with a dog came over and said, "Are you okay?" I explained that someone was getting help and the lady tried to make conversation with me. She told me that she had just been over at the church using the family history centre and wanted to know where I was from. I think at one point she even told her dog to "say hi to the girl and make her feel better."

Right at the same time that Sister W. and the Salvation Army pastor arrived, the man from the house steps out and asks if everything was alright. The pastor looked at my knee and immediately said that I needed to go to the hospital to get it checked out. At this point I still haven't seen it, but I guess you could see right through to the bone. Sister W. left to get the car, and as she left, I pulled out the keys. "You might need these." "Oh, right." I was helped into the car and off we went.

We arrived at St. Joseph's and we said a prayer. I stayed in the car while Sister W. tried to figure out where to go. She even asked the security guard, "If I have someone that's hurt, do I talk to you?" We pulled over to the front entrance and the guard actually did help me into a wheelchair.

At the ER, I talked to the nurse at the front desk. She was filling out the paperwork and I noticed the sign on the wall that said that if you weren't a resident in Canada, you had to pay $735 to go through the doorway into the ER and then whatever additional charges for the care on top of that. (Talk about one pricey doorway.) She had the doctor come out and take a look and he recommended just going to the walk-in clinic.

Sister W. drove me over to the walk-in and the nurse gave us a side room to sit in, but warned that it might be a bit of a wait. Sister W. and I traded injury stories about our families and joked about random stuff and I've decided that it's a very special talent to be able to make someone feel better when they're in pain. No less than TWO HOURS LATER, the nurse took us back to the operating room. It looked just like Dr. Joel Fleischman's office in Northern Exposure. (Kidding.)

The Doc came in and assessed the situation. He told us what was going to happen and then left the room so I could take my tights off. (Side bar: I was so bummed about wrecking my tights--they were my nice black, ribbed ones. My skirt didn't get ripped, but it did get pretty blood-stained and muddy.) Taking my tights off was probably the most painful part of the day because I had to gingerly pull them off of the wound and that was when I got a really good look at it. It was not pretty. The Doc came back in and I was super queasy. Fun fact: Did you know that it's impossible to faint if you're lying down? He put a few freezing shots in my knee (Canadian translation: "Freezing" equals "numbing") and let it sit while he prepared the table. The whole time he's trying to talk with Sister W. about BYU and history and I think she was closer to passing out than I was. She said I turned completely gray while he was giving me the shots...yikes.

He gave me one deep stitch next to the bone, which will take the pressure off of the skin and eventually dissolve. I got five stitches on the knee--the scar will be in the shape of a V and I'll have them for 12 days. The Doctor told us these crazy stories about doing medical work with the Natives in Saskatchewan and he also told us about the man who invented the freezing method and in the process become a cocaine junkie because he used crack as his first technique. I told him the story of Joseph Smith and getting part of his leg bone cut as a small boy.

I was incredibly grateful to have everything work out and for modern medicine. We grabbed a burger before going home because neither of us had eaten in eight hours and I was so blitzed. Sleeping last night was painful and my left ankle is still sore and swollen.

Fortunately we've got a fairly easy day ahead of us. Your prayers are so very appreciated and I'm sure that there will be immense lessons learned from this experience, as well as further missionary opportunities.

Love,

Sister Hop-a-Long Gretchen

P.S. I told Sister W. that my new theme song was that Primary song, "If you don't walk as most people do/Some people smile and laugh at you/But I won't, I won't."
 
The pictures below were taken on a beach on Vancouver Island during Gretchen's pre-fallen state!
 

The Vancouver Olympic Edition & Gretchen Gets Transferred & Some Pictures

On January 25th the Olympic Torch Relay went through Penticton where Gretchen was serving at the time. Then on February 4th her companion (Sister B.) completed her mission and Gretchen was transferred back to Vancouver Island (this time to Courtenay). Gretchen and Sister B. worked very hard and loved the people they served in Penticton. She is now assigned to serve again with Sister W., her Missionary Training Center (MTC) companion! Below are some excerpts from her emails on January 25th and February 8th.

January 25th:
"Okay, so I just had one of the coolest P-day experiences of my whole mission. The Olympic Torch ran its relay through Penticton this morning and I got to be a part of it! The Salvation Army was handing out free hot chocolate and needed volunteers, so we were the first to sign up. John and Christine--two of the Majors in the Salvation Army--were helping out and really like us missionaries. They made sure we got to hold the Olympic Torch AND bought us official Olympic mittens (kind of like the berets of the 2002 SLC Olympics) AND took pictures of us by the mascots AND got shots of us next to a real Canadian Mountie! I can die happy now. I honestly never thought it would happen on my mission, but I actually met a Canadian Mountie. Coca-Cola is the sponsor for VANOC2010 and "Open Happiness" is their slogan--I thought it was cute. Anyway, it was a fantastic morning. Remember, the church IS true!"

February 8th:
"Hello from Courtenay! (Pronounced Courtney...I've decided that if I have three girls, I will name them Victoria, Courtenay, and Penticton....ha.) Sister W. and I are off to a rolling start in our companionship. It's like we share the same brain. Lots of laughter, lots of reminiscing about the MTC. Here's a brief example of why I love her. At one of her very first dinner appointments in Courtenay, she was giving the closing prayer and in her extremely tired state, she said, "We pray that our farts may be filled with love," when she really meant to say "hearts." Also, she loves emailing just as much as I do, so you can be grateful for that. It's been fun to see the ways that we've both grown and how our attitudes about missionary work have changed for the better. We cover the area of Courtenay, Comox, and Cumberland. The total population is probably around 35,000. The weather here is rainy and chilly, although spring is breaking through. The trees are all covered in moss and there is green everywhere! About 100 people come to church each week and we do have a ward. Yes, we do live in a cabin. After spending 4 months in a beautiful home, it's a bit like being kicked from the Celestial Kingdom to the Telestial Kingdom. Opposition in all things, right? When I served with Sister H., she would tell me all her Courtenay stories and I would say, 'I can't help but feel that I'm hearing these things just so I can be prepared to serve there someday myself.'"

Some fun pictures from the Olympic Torch Relay day:

Gretchen Sends Christmas Greetings To Her Internet Friends

Subject:
Well, yeah, the traditional calendar says it's the 8th, but if we're going by my chocolate advent calendar, it's totally the 22nd already.

Blog:
Hello from Canadia! Celine Dion says hi. I must apologize that I haven't written in a long while, but things here have been crazy busy. (The good kind!) How are things in internet-land? Did any of you attempt/finish a NaNoWriMo novel? Canada is wonderful—it is great, it is white, and it is north. I have eaten moose, poutine, and real maple syrup (thankfully not all at the same time), but I have yet to meet a real Canadian Mountie. Someday!

So you want to know what's crazy? As of Christmas Day, I will officially be halfway done with my mission. (Shameless plug: TwitterWit makes a great stocking stuffer! *cough*...especially page 152...*cough*) Even though I've got nine months left, I can confidently say that this is the best thing I have ever done in my life. I've pushed myself, stretched my comfort zone, and taken a stand. I've had a few good cries and even more good laughs. I'm learning how to love—this has probably been my biggest challenge, but my heart has grown immensely and still has plenty of room to grow. I'm becoming the person I was meant to be and that wouldn't have been possible without this experience.

Never before have I realized just how much the gospel of Jesus Christ means to me. I am infinitely grateful for Joseph Smith and I know that Thomas S. Monson is the living prophet today. The Book of Mormon is the word of God. Not only does God exist, but he knows us and loves each of us!

This Christmas time, I want each of you to know that there is a reason for each of us being here. If any of you are wondering, searching, or questioning, I can't urge you enough to turn to the Book of Mormon or your local LDS missionaries for answers. The Atonement of Jesus Christ is strong enough to heal all wounds and because of Him, eternal life and eternal families are possible.

This year, I've discovered that Christmas is all about giving. (I'll take "Blatantly obvious statements" for $500, Alex.) Not so much about the giving of tangible gifts, of course, but about giving of our time and our service and our heart. May you all feel the joy of Christmas in your homes, not just now but all year round. I don't care how cheesy it sounds, but I mean it for reals. I miss you guys like Canadians miss Terry Fox. I'll write again soon!

Love,
Gretchen Alice

About Food & Faith: A Few of Gretchen’s References to Meals on Her Mission

When it comes to food and eating for the full-time missionaries, it is either “Feast or Famine!” (pun intended). The topic of food comes up frequently in letters home from many missionaries. What follows are a few excerpts from Gretchen’s e-mails over the past few months wherein food and eating are referenced. As you will soon tell, Gretchen is not starving on her mission.

We have also posted a few of her “food pictures” as well!

From Gretchen:

“Have a great Thanksgiving this week! We do have a dinner appointment, but I doubt it will be anything too Thanksgiving-y. But at Zone Conference yesterday, they did make us a spectacular turkey dinner with all the fixin's, so that's good enough for me.” [A reminder that Thanksgiving in Canada is celebrated earlier in the year]

“A church member took us out for an all-you-can-eat shrimp with his family. Phil, you would have been in heaven. There was lemon, garlic, Cajun, and battered and I think my total count ended up being 36 shrimp!”

“Thursday night we had a very enjoyable dinner with a couple from the ward. The husband absolutely loves to cook, so we had an amazing meal. (Pork Parmesan, vegetables with a dijon mustard sauce, fettuccine alfredo, and tapioca for dessert.) I taught a brief lesson on Elder Bednar's talk about consistency and then we chatted for a while.”

“On Tuesday we ate lunch with a couple that reminded me so much of Grandma Teedie and Granddaddy Vic that I had to remind myself I was in Canada and not in Utah. They're both French and completely delightful. He's a fantastic artist and she is very proper and an excellent cook. The husband tries to talk to me in French at church and even calls me ‘his little French Frog.’"

“We visited a ward member that wanted to give us some homemade apple juice.”

“We ate dinner with a family whose daughter is getting baptized in a river in Alberta this week. Her parents wanted to do a special presentation with the missionaries and we were happy to oblige, especially since we got food. Every Sunday they make nachos, which I think is an awesome tradition.”

“Tell Granddaddy Bob that if he wants real peaches, he's got to try some from the Okanogan Valley someday.”

“Everyone insists on serving us dessert, which we unfortunately can't decline without looking ungrateful. Ha!”

“Earlier today we ate brunch with some ward members. After an amazing breakfast (we never get real breakfast food), we taught them the 3rd lesson and it went pretty well--we're getting better at identifying what we need to improve on.”

“One church member had us over for dinner last Tuesday with one of her friends. The food was incredible--we had grilled shish-kabobs with sirloin and shrimp and vegetables. There was corn-on-the-cob and homemade chocolate cake and potato salad the way I like it. The absolute best part, though, was the grilled curry lamp chops--gourmet spices and the meat just melted in your mouth. Words can't describe it--probably one of the best things I have eaten in my entire life. So the upside of summer is that everyone does barbecue for dinner and the downside is that everyone else is out of town.”

“After emailing you last week, the elders were all going off to play soccer and my companion and I went to the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria. It wasn't very large, but had some great pieces there. There's a famous Canadian artist named Emily Carr, so they had a whole exhibit of her stuff. Dad, I think you'd really like her work. We ate dinner with a fun family in the area. We made individual vegetarian pizzas on tortillas and they were very good.”

"Today, however, isn't quite that interesting. We did take a walk down by Elk Lake and then after that, we came home and ate organic cereal with organic soy milk and I'm pretty sure that those two things make us official Islanders."

"Ah, poutine! I don't know why I've gone so long without trying this Canadian delicacy. For the uninformed, poutine is french fries with cheese curds and gravy poured on top, so the cheese curds get all melty and the gravy makes the fries all beautifully salty. Pretty much the most unhealthy thing ever, but that's Canadian junk food for ya. Also, it's AWESOME."

Bon Appetite!

A Few Pictures Prior to Gretchen's Transfer to Penticton!

Gretchen was transferred last week from Victoria to Penticton! The Picture above shows how grueling tracting was for her on Vancouver Island for nearly six months!

Penticton is a town of about 50,000 people in the Okanogan Valley situated 260 miles East of Vancouver. The area is known as the "breadbasket" of British Columbia. We are told there are numerous wine-tasting events in the Okanogan Valley during the month of October but it is not anticipated Gretchen and her new companion will be engaging in many of those activities, though Gretchen reminded us there are a lot of stories in the Bible about vineyards!

Here are some pictures of Gretchen before she left scenic Vancouver Islands. A potential title for each is as follows: 1) Finding Margaret Thatcher; 2) Supermissionary; 3) Missionaries on the Beach; 4) A Bunch of Missionaries on the Beach; and 5) Testing a New Missionary Vehicle

Gretchen is Still a Missionary and Doing Great!

Note from Gretchen’s Dad: I apologize for such a long delay since we posted information on Gretchen’s mission. Gretchen is alive and well and doing great. Much of the content of her letters is focused on the people she is teaching and so most of those details would not be shared on the blog, however, I have gleaned a few excerpts from her letters over the past few weeks below. My new plan is to provide a monthly update with excerpts and pictures (as they are available):

On the Weather:

“Hello! Victoria continues to be resplendent in the summertime. We’ve been the recipients of so much fresh produce that we’re not entirely sure what to do with it. The Okanagan Valley is famous for its cherries and now I know why. I hear the peaches are incredible, so I’m pretty stoked for those to start rolling in."

On Missionary Fashions:

“I read Seriously So Blessed (and my scriptures) everyday.” [http://seriouslysoblessed.blogspot.com] Or so says my new T-shirt from my BFF TAMN. They were handing out mail at Zone Conference the other day and I was way surprised that a package had come from my favorite Mormon mommy blogger. TAMN also included a card to Sister Gretch-a-sketch and said that she was rooting for me and thought that the shirt might make for some righteous PJs. How awesome is that?! I showed it to everyone else. They didn’t really get it, but I assured them it was hysterical.”

“Everyday is ugly skirt day when you’re a sister missionary.” [A quote from Sister H.,  Gretchen’s current companion]

On a Local Ward Open House:

[A few weeks ago, Gretchen and her companion proposed to local Church leaders that they do an open house to invite people from the community to get to know the Church members. They were surprised at how excited the local leaders were at the idea. It became a big event that would have been held yesterday. We have not yet heard how it went.]

“The ward loves our community open house idea and got a little carried away with it. They said we should plan for a 1,000 people! Um, we were hoping for maybe 200.”

“In trying to figure out the bread situation for the open house [they planned on doing a BBQ], we called one of the local grocery stores to see if they’d be willing to donate some buns. The guy said they wouldn’t be able to, but that they could probably give us a $20 gift card to help us out. Of course, we said that would be great and went in on Saturday to pick it up. While we were there, I suggested that we go and see exactly how much a bag of a dozen hamburger buns would normally cost. It was the last day of the big sale and not only did they have both hamburger and hot dog buns, but they were only .99 cents a bag. Wonder of wonders, we were able to stock up and get the elders to pick them up from a store near their house.”

On Canadian Holidays:

“Happy British Columbia (or BC) Day! Someone described the holiday to us this way: ‘Well we get Canada Day off in July and someone decided that we needed a long weekend in August. Therefore BC Day (or whatever province you live in) was born. Church was SO empty yesterday because of it.”

 Pictures:

A few pictures below include two of Gretchen at Butchart Gardens, one of Gretchen on the byway, and one of some peacock feathers for colorful good measures!

Gretchen Gets Her First Baptism!

Gretchen and her companion have been teaching a gentleman for a number of weeks and he was baptized last Saturday! After all, that is the very goal of missionary work. She had commented in an earlier e-mail:

"Another huge push is to place an emphasis on the doctrine of Christ. I didn't know until now that the actual doctrine of Christ happens to be baptism. It's very cool--in the scriptures, the very few times we hear from the Father Himself is in relation to baptism. (See 2 Nephi 31 for example.) Anyway, I feel very fortunate to be here at a time where things are really starting to get going. Mission leaders have also said that the temple is going to bring thousands flocking and we have to be ready for it. So it's a very exciting time to be here and I'm beginning to feel like things are actually starting to click."

Back to the baptism, Gretchen noted that the gentleman being baptized was "was very excited, but also a little nervous (understandably). His mom came, which was a big deal, and we had a great turnout from the ward. Everyone brought treats and had a great time. (The only downside was that the church got really hot, because I SWEAR Canadians don't believe in air conditioning.)"

Gretchen seems to be having a number of Chinese cross-cultural experiences that she has discussed in her letters home. She and her companion are teaching several Chinese families and she went on a missionary split (a temporary assignment with a different companion; typically for a few hours or a day) last week with a Sister Missionary from China serving in Vancouver. Last week she also noted: "Today we went to Chinatown again because we had to get our oil changed. It was lots of fun and I took some great pictures."

Unfortunately we don't have any pictures to post this week but should have some for our next entry!

Gretchen's Quote for the Week:

"Love books and reject idleness." -Camilla Kimball

Gretchen Addresses Her "Internet Friends"

Dear Internet Friends,

Wow, time flies like an arrow...and fruit flies like a banana! Oh yeah, I should mention that going on a mission has completely killed my witty sense of humor. (But I must admit that I'm getting pretty darn good at making scripture jokes--remind me to tell you a few sometime). So this little note is just to let all six of you that still read my blog know that a) I'm alive, b) I miss you guys but I'm still not leaving Canada, and c) that it's my birthday this week and I need you all to tell me that you love me. Kidding, it's really c) I love being able to talk to people about the restored gospel of Jesus Christ and that His Church truly does exist in the world today.

Long story short, missions are insanely difficult but they also happen to be very rewarding. I'm still figuring things out and there is much I have to learn, but every day is a little bit less overwhelming than the one before it. Victoria is absolutely *gorgeous*. I absolutely cannot believe that I get to live here. Once a week we get a "Preparation Day" (or P-Day as we call them) and I love being able to explore and experience the most stunning place on earth.

Canada is also lots of fun. Newsflash: It's actually very different from the United States. I know, right? Plus, Canada has better chocolate and they're the ones that brought Celine Dion and For Better or For Worse into our homes. We really have a lot to thank them for. Anyhow, that's pretty much all I have time for at this moment, but periodically I'll try and send out special updates just for you lovely people.

Much <3,
Gretchen

P.S. Is twitter still cool? I heard Bristol Palin had her baby and I'm kind of bummed I wasn't around for that. (Yeah, that's a weird thing to be trunky about, but whatevs.)

Gretchen Becomes an Official Islander!

We talked with Gretchen on Mother's Day and she sounded wonderful! (Missionaries can call home twice a year: Mother's Day and Christmas) We all laughed very hard as she tried to describe how she and her companion did exercises every morning from 6:30 a.m. until 7:00 a.m. We told her going up and down two short flights of stairs once or twice didn't count as an exercise regime.

Here are some excerpts from her letters and some pictures she sent as well!

"As usual, time is short so I might not get around to all of the stories I was planning on telling. Sister Weber and I are running off to a lunch appointment and then we're going to see the Wax Museum, which I am inordinately excited about. But it was so much fun to talk to you last night--I don't think I've laughed that hard in a long time."

"We had a cool experience last week with a girl named Katy. She's taking some college classes at UVIC and living with her family. Her parents are not church-goers, but she recently started attending a Christian church downtown. We gave her a church tour and also taught her the first lesson. When we taught the Restoration, the spirit was so strong and she described it as being "really intense." We're meeting with her later this week."

"So today is Victoria Day and I'm assuming it's to commemorate Queen Victoria or something. On big holidays, EVERYTHING closes down (except for the staples like grocery stores--thank heavens--and gas stations) and we really needed to get our oil changed, so that'll just have to happen somehow next week."

"Last week we did end up going to the Royal London Wax Museum, which was an absolute hoot. We got some awesome pictures with some famous people (including Brigham Young, "the founder of Mormonism"--ha) and then once that was over, we walked down by the waterfront. We also stopped in to the Church of Christ Cathedral and ate at the Beacon Drive In for dinner. Best butterscotch sundae EVER. That was one of the best P-days I've had so far. Today, however, isn't quite that interesting. We did take a walk down by Elk Lake and then after that, we came home and ate organic cereal with organic soy milk and I'm pretty sure that those two things make us official Islanders."

"After knocking on many doors the other night, it was time to go home and we started back to our car when a girl yelled out to us from in front of her townhome, "Hey, can I talk to you?!" Sister Weber and I basically looked at each other, like, "You really want to talk to us? Nobody EVER wants to talk to us!" She told us that even though her mom turned us down, that she heard us talking to her neighbor. So she waited for us at the bottom of her stairs because she wanted to "talk to some of the girl missionaries, because I only ever see boys." We answered a few of her questions and set up an appointment for this Wednesday. So we're really looking forward to that."

 

Questions and Answers About Gretchen's Mission

Gretchen's mother asked her some practical kinds of questions about her mission. The following are some of those questions followed by Gretchen's answers. At the bottom of this entry are two pictures. The first is a picture of Gretchen not long after her arrival in Canada sandwiched between country and provincial flags and President and Sister Nelson. The second picture is a scan of a very old hand-colored postcard of the Provincial Parliament Building not too far from where Gretchen lives that Gretchen's Dad recently picked up at Ken Sander's Rare Book Store in Salt Lake City.

How big is your district?
I think there are about twelve of us. We make up the lower half of the Island.

How big is your zone?
Two districts make up our zone. The other district is the Northern Island. (Duncan, Nanaimo, etc.)

How many missionaries are in your mission?
Last I heard, there were about 110ish.

How many sister missionaries are in your mission?
Fourteen of us, loud and proud! Two of those are specifically language missionaries, so they serve in Richmond/Vancouver. I can't remember all of the areas where sisters currently serve. As far as I know, we're in Victoria, Courtney, Kelona, Surrey, Penticton, Vancouver Language, and there's one I'm forgetting.

Do you eat at member's homes?
We have eaten at member's homes and they're always more than willing to feed us, but in the past week we've decided to tract between the hours of five and seven. I guess the Tacoma Washington Mission (word to Emily!) started doing that as a mission and their baptisms skyrocketed and about 80% of those baptisms came from tracting. So even though it's not a mission rule, we've decided to try it out and see what comes of it. Anyhow, that's going to change how we eat because then we'd only be able to make dinner appointments at four or at seven and nobody really eats during that time. At the very least, though, we'll be getting more lunch appointments and we'll probably start a grocery list to help us out with that.

Are people letting you in the door?
Hahaha. Um. Not really. We have gotten a couple of return appointments and we taught one guy in his backyard (more on that later) but I don't think we've actually gotten in the official door YET. But soon, I'm sure.

What stands out as a major event for the week?
I'd say that our best tracting experience so far is that guy we taught in his backyard. Sister Weber was trying to decide if she had knocked on that door before and I said that we should just go for it. No one answered and so we were in the process of sticking a pass-along card in his door when he walked around the corner. We gave him our typical introduction and he said that anyone who had the guts to come door-to-door talking about religion deserved to be heard out. He was doing paperwork from home and on his lunch break, so we had to be quick, but we (and when I say we, I really mean Sister Weber) taught him the condensed version of the first lesson and then told him about the Book of Mormon. He asked for a copy (!) and then we had him read Moroni 10:3-5 and when he read it, he made some comment among the lines of, "wow, that's really powerful stuff." Sister Weber asked him how he felt and when he told us "peaceful," she told him that was God telling him that it was true. It was INCREDIBLE. Long story slightly shorter, we got his number and when we called him back, he said he'd been reading, but not as much as he'd like because he's working something like 12-14 hour days for the next week or so. So we're calling him back next week and hoping for the best.

What has surprised you the most so far (with just over a week of experience) since arriving in Canada?
Hmmm...I can't really think of anything super surprising. I'm still at that stage where I learn something new every hour, it seems. I guess it's surprising to see people's reactions to us and what we're doing. It's not always positive, but you learn to laugh those off and move on.

Mom, here's a story that you'll like. We got a referral from the elders for this older couple. We dropped by after an appointment last Saturday and Mom, you would have loved their house. They have at least 5,000 daffodils in their yard and they've been featured in at least five magazines. In the mid-summer, they grow peonies and the whole yard was absolutely stunning. I got some great pictures. I'm not sure how useful it was for us to talk to the lady about religion, because the majority of Islanders tend to think along the lines that "why can't everyone be right?" So we did our best and she gave us lavender soap that her daughter makes and at the very least, it's a seed planted. (Ha--pun.)