Live Nativity Pageant

Every year for who knows how many years the members of the Church here have put on a live nativity. This year some of our missionaries were involved, but most of the actors are locals.

It used to performed in an empty field where the temple now stands, but now they use the back corner of the parking lot for the stake centre. They set up chairs in the parking lot, and some people choose to stand for the short program. This year they cut the performances back to one showing a night for three nights, the Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday before Christmas. Tuesday night got rained out, but the crowds came out in droves on Wednesday. When a lot more people than expected showed up, the missionaries brought out more chairs, probably scrounging from all the classrooms and doubling the seating. There still weren't enough seats, so lots of people stood.

The pageant lasted about 20 minutes and then everyone was invited inside the church for cocoa and cookies, with lots of free literature for those interested in learning more about our church.

It is very simply done but tells the Christmas story in a very powerful way!

We hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. We love this time of year when people around the world unite in celebrating the birth of the Babe of Bethlehem, the Savior of the world.

Christmas Devotionals

A couple of weeks ago we had several missionaries in the office for their personal interviews with President Pratt. While they waited, several of the Elders decorated the tree. We were pretty impressed with how the tree turned out:

Christmas Devotionals were held last week throughout the mission, along the same lines as zone conferences, but the theme was Christmas instead of missionary work. We didn't get to travel with President and Sister Pratt to all of them like we did for zone conferences. At first we were a little disappointed because we enjoyed meeting all the missionaries last time. But then we found out why the previous office couple got to go--to speak and sing and say goodbye. We were just fine staying home, especially when the weather kicked in. We didn't get as much snow as Salt Lake did last week, but driving on unfamiliar roads in any snowstorm isn't fun. Besides, our winds were probably a lot more fierce than anything in Salt Lake.

After hearing some great talks and several awesome musical numbers, we broke for lunch. Then the fun began with a "talent show." Apparently all the missionaries were supposed to perform in some manner, although some of them didn't know it until the night before. There wasn't really too much talent involved, mostly good-natured parodies, like a song from Frozen (Open Door) changed to reflect the way people throw away the pass-along cards. Very cute, well done, but no one will win any awards for their music from that day.

Elder Hart (Sandy, Utah) and Elder Breinholt (Gilbert, Arizona)

The show stopper was a pair of missionaries who lip-synced and danced to a medley of jazzed up Primary songs for about 6-7 minutes. If that doesn't sound like too much, it's only because you didn't see the way they threw themselves into it. High energy is an understatement. Elders Mitchell Hart and Braxton Breinholt were amazing! Watch this (click on the second of the two pictures). 

There are some absolutely WONDERFUL missionaries serving here, both old and young. They persevere in spite of a mountain of obstacles, including physical disabilities, language issues, weather-related problems, and an office couple who still can't answer all their questions. :) We love these people! 

Just as we were getting ready to leave the office one day a couple of weeks ago, the phone rang at 4:55. Fortunately the night phone wasn't on yet, because once it is, we can't pick up calls, and messages are retrieved in the morning. A man asked to have President Pratt call him. He said his brother is serving here, and his dad had just had a pretty severe heart attack and they didn't know whether or not he'd make it. So glad we were able to talk with him. People asked if he'd be staying in the mission. Not only did he stay, but they've been working harder than ever and have had a lot of success. Here's his Facebook post from a couple of days later:

Elders and Sisters,
I got news today that my Father passed away. He had been going through a rough time these last few days because of a very major condition that suddenly came on. I would like to thank you all for all that prayers and faith on my Father's and my Family's behalf, also on my behalf as well. I have been feeling strength and guidance from your prayers and I know that I am being divinely helped in this trial. I am very thankful for you all and I know that this is the best mission ever. Because of the people, the places, and most of all the Missionaries. The Lord does everything for a reason and I know that trials come into our lives to strengthen and help us. I know that God is real, I as well know that the Savior lives today and that he has been lower than us. He knows us and he knows our pains and afflictions and all that we have felt. We can receive strength each day only if we ask and show the evidence of our faith through our actions. I know that choosing to be here on a mission was and is the best choice of my life and I know that it is as well for each of you.

Philippians 3: 8-14

Keep pressing forward and help others to come to the marvelous truths that each of us have in our lives.

I hope that we can all continually 'press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.'

Thank you all very much.

Love,
Elder Allsop

See what I mean about awesome missionaries? Great people, strong testimonies!! And supported by their faith in our loving Heavenly Father. It's wonderful to be around them. They bless our lives tremendously.

This is the most blessed time of year. Merry Christmas to one and all!

Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow!

We checked the forecast on Sunday so we'd know whether or not we should plan to move some furniture around to various apartments on Monday. It showed 0% chance of rain, so we set everything up. And then we woke up to our first real snow! We thought we'd wait to take pictures until later in the day after it had accumulated. Then we started getting reports of the weather in Salt Lake. Way to take the wind out of our sails! Salt Lake hogged all the snow. So no pictures today, We can't compete, especially since by afternoon the snow had mostly melted. This morning we feared there would be black ice, but the overnight rain melted all of that. We'll let you glory in your beautiful white fluff while we try not to blow away--we've had some pretty fierce winds to move our rain around today, but no more snow. If our rain had been snow instead, we would have given Salt Lake a run for their money.

This morning there was an email from Church saying the offices in Salt Lake would close at 3:00 yesterday because of the weather. You don't hear of that too often.

This year we're supposed to have a very mild winter here. Let's hope they're right. That was the forecast last year too, right up until the snow started in February and forgot to stop.

Occasionally the stresses of the office get a little intense (understatement), but we'd rather be stressed and inside the warm, dry office than outside in the wild wind and heavy rain!

The Joys and Woes of Senior Couples

The Joy:

Benson David Holbrook
December 5, 2015 at 6:09 am
7 pounds, 2 ounces, 18"

The Woe: He lives next door but we're 4,828 kilometers (3,000+ miles) away from home

Congratulations Jeff and Becca!

Zone Conferences

Last week was a busy one. While still recovering from the busyness of transfers, we went to zone conferences around the mission. We got to meet all the missionaries, young and old. That's something we missed out on when we were in Russia--there we only got to know the ones who came to our town. There are some TERRIFIC missionaries serving in the Canada Halifax Mission. Since we're in the office, we'll get to know all of them.

Handing out candy bars at zone conference in an attempt to learn their names

We had a very minor part in each conference. Elder Holbrook told some good stories and gave examples of staying focused on missionary work, interspersed with some financial reminders. Sister Holbrook did her song and dance about mission "housekeeping" items, reminding the missionaries to turn in reports and necessary papers to keep things flowing through the office. Other than that, we sat back and relaxed.

President Pratt introduced his "le tour de Faith" (a take-off on le tour de France) where we really hit things hard for a week, focusing on different goals each day such as passing out Books of Mormon, most creative contacting, or the most invitations to church. The ultimate goal for the mission is to more than double 2016 baptisms from this year (they've dropped a little too much lately) and increase retention and reactivation. Very ambitious, but the with missionaries we've got, it's very doable.

We didn't think to get a picture of the entire zones until the last conference. These are the diligent missionaries serving in Newfoundland (we're missing half of one of the senior couples because he was out doing a car inspection). This is the smallest zone in the mission, just about half the size of any of the other four zones. Very good people. 

Newfoundland Zone with President Pratt on the front row on the left

Unfortunately, we got to Gander, Newfoundland, late at night so we didn't get to see much except windy darkness. The next day we had zone conference in the hotel and it was dark by the time we finished. Saturday morning we thought we might get a little sightseeing in, but woke up to a snowstorm and we chose to relax in our room rather than brave the icy winds. The people we met were warm and friendly. Maybe next time the weather will cooperate and we can see a little more.

Fun in our travels:
We got to Moncton the afternoon before the first zone conference. We'd heard about a place called Magnetic Hill and found it was close to our hotel so we decided to check it out. Because of stormy weather, the booth was empty and we didn't have to pay the entrance fee. We drove to the bottom of this hill (to the point it started going uphill again) about 200 meters in front of car, put the car in neutral, and coasted backwards up the hill to the picture site! Amazing. The car moved backward quickly, not just a slow roll.

Looking "down" Magnetic Hill

The airport in Gander had a fun waiting area. We didn't try out the low chairs (we weren't sure we'd be able to get out of them!)

Thanksgiving

Thursday we celebrated a quick Thanksgiving dinner with 5 other couples. Everyone brought a favorite dish. Like most Thanksgiving meals, we had way too much delicious food. For some reason, we can't get the pictures to transfer over, but trust me, there was lots of food and great company. Have we told you how great the missionaries are here? That goes for senior couples as well. The members are fantastic too.

It was nice to take a bit of a break and remember we have so much to be grateful for. Above all, we have a knowledge of our loving Heavenly Father Who sent His Son to atone for our sins. They love us in spite of all we do wrong! And They're beside us every step of the way, helping us throughout the trials--and good times--in our lives.

Refugee Dinner

This week is zone conferences and we'll be traveling over much of our mission with President and Sister Pratt, so this is a short post. We're excited about the opportunity to meet all the missionaries.

Last weekend we attended a dinner that was a fundraiser for Syrian refugees put on by a local Baptist church with a lot of support from our ward. The Canadian government will sponsor a certain number of refugees, but also allows groups in the community to sponsor a family as well if they raise enough money. They figure it costs approximately $27,000CD for a family of 4 for a year. That's setting them up in an apartment with furniture, clothes, and food and helping them adjust and find a job. The fundraiser group sold over 200 tickets to the dinner and turned people away. They served typical Syrian food--pita bread with hummus dip for an appetizer; tangy chicken, rice, and a type of tossed salad, all much spicier and with different flavors than what we're used to; and a cake with very flavorful orange drizzle. The portions were generous, and we wondered if each person at the dinner was given more than most of the refugees typically would eat in a day.

As part of the program, they gave us 3 Syrian proverbs and asked us what we thought they meant. Can you guess?

God gives almonds to those with no teeth.

The camel limped with a split lip.

The son of a duck is a floater. 

There was also a silent auction. Most, if not all, the items for it were gathered by a sister in our ward. We bought a painting of a lighthouse in the Halifax Harbor (painted by the member's sister-in-law) and a nice potted plant.

Already hanging on our wall

Sister Holbrook really likes that the Canadian have their Thanksgiving celebration on the second Monday in October. We got an early start on decorating for Christmas and don't feel like we were ungrateful! Christmas is her favorite season, but she always waits until after Thanksgiving to start decorating. In the meantime, Happy Thanksgiving to all of you on Thursday.

P.S. Roughly, the translations are

Sometimes the Lord gives blessings to those who don't need them, 

A bad workman blames his tools

Like father, like son

Remembrance Day

A couple of weeks ago we started seeing people with fuzzy red paper poppies on their lapels. We were told it was for Remembrance Day on November 11. The closer it got to Remembrance Day, the more poppies we saw. Many stores had a table manned by volunteers who were "giving" them away for a donation, the Royal Canadian Legion (we think).

Flag at half mast before the services

Last Wednesday we were able to attend a Remembrance Day Service. We chose to go to one in a nearby small town rather than fight the crowds and traffic in Dartmouth or Halifax. Thousands of these services went on in big cities and small communities across Canada. The woman who told us about this particular one said she wasn't sure exactly when it started, but sometime before 11:00ish, so we got there plenty early, about 10:15. There was a memorial with a cross in front of a small school, so we knew we were in the right place. We were glad we'd brought our Siberian coats because it was held outside. The temperatures had dropped overnight into the 40s and it was cooler than the weather we'd had lately, and with some wind and humidity, it was kind of cold. People slowly trickled up. By the time the program started, there were 400 or so people there for this "small" service.

Our first Mountie sighting, one male, one female
If you look carefully at the people in the background, you'll notice
many red dots, even on their coats

Just before 11:00 they started the program with "O Canada" (it would probably be a good idea for us to learn the words to that while we're here) and interspersed through the program we sang a few hymns. The program continued with prayers, a bugler, a long moment of silence, raising and lowering the flag, more bugle, scripture readings, then the "laying of the wreaths." It was refreshing to see that they weren't afraid to mix religion into it. A reverend or some other type of religious leader from the community led the services--this wasn't a parochial school and this wasn't sponsored by the school either. 

We think there were approximately 40 groups to put wreaths on the monument by the cross--various military, RCMPs, civic (Lion's, Knights of Columbus), local businesses, and many individuals in memory of a grand or great-grandparent or other relative. They were each announced and someone solemnly walked up from the school doors at the back of the lot to the monument at the front and set the wreath down, often saluting, before the next person was announced. They were very careful in placing the wreaths not to overlap, so they spread out  beyond the base of the cross monument. It was amazing and very touching how so many small children were quiet throughout.

One of the cub scout troops in the background of an
officer of some sort saluting the flag

The Laying of the Wreaths

He's wearing his poppy on his cap

Another cub scout troop with younger scouts

After the announced wreaths were laid, they said anyone else with wreaths could go up. A couple of cub scout groups had made paper wreaths and laid theirs down. All the wreaths had poppies on them. The names of fallen soldiers from WWI and WWII (we assumed they were people from that town) were then read with a general thank you given to others who had served or are serving. After a final prayer, we were invited inside for refreshments. Everyone headed first for the monument, took the poppies off their lapels and stuck them in the wreaths--those are the smaller poppies you can see on some of the wreaths.

It was great that we could take some time off to see the great reverence given to their soldiers. All businesses and most retail, except restaurants, closed for the holiday. The parking lot at Walmart was eerily empty. The mall by our apartment likewise. Our office that afternoon was very quiet.

We found out the reason for the poppies is the poem In Flanders Fields from WWI

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row,

That mark our place; and in the sky

The larks still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below. 

We are the Dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved and were loved, and now we lie

In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high.

If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, tho poppies grow

In Flanders fields.

                                   --Liet. Col. John McCrae

That night Sister Holbrook went to a member's home to get a haircut. (All beauty salons were closed that day.) After, the stylist flatironed her hair. Straight hair is something she's never experienced. Elder Holbrook did NOT like it. After she washed it, his only comment was, "That's the hair I fell in love with." And all these years she thought he'd fallen in love with all of her, not just her curly hair.

The weather here has been so nice for mid-November. This morning when we walked out to the car, Sister Holbrook had on a sweater and Elder Holbrook just had his suit coat on. During the day we had sporadic wild snow flurries interspersed by bright sunshine and the wind kicked up this afternoon. We froze on the way home and put off some errands until we are wearing warmer coats.

Our Apartment

     We have a very nice apartment. Every time we leave or return home, we go down a lane Elder Holbrook calls the Batcave, because it reminds him of the entrance to the Wayne Manor in the old Batman movie, like this, except there isn't a rock that moves out of the way and we don't have Alfred to clean for us. And Elder Holbrook isn't that crazy of a driver. Our Batcave entrance looks more like this:

     Because it's on a hill, our apartment building is three floors in front, two in back. The tenants on the second and third floors use the parking lot on the backside, through the Batcave entrance. Since our apartment is on the second level, we walk straight in. Our apartment is on the front side, overlooking the lower parking lot. The only time we use the stairs is to get mail or do laundry, which are both on the first floor.

Our building as seen from the Batcave parking lot

     The laundry room has two nice washers and dryers, but we try to do loads as seldom as possible, since it costs 2.50 (Can. $) to wash and dry a load. Makes us appreciate our own washer and dryer back at home in a new way. One day Sister Holbrook was talking with the wife of another senior couple in the mission. They have a washer and dryer in their unit. The other sister said she missed her dishwasher and didn't care about the washer and dryer. Sister Holbrook said she missed her washer and dryer and didn't care about the dishwasher. They both preferred the thing they didn't have. And life goes on anyway. We'll both get through our missions and not suffer too much for lack of anything (except seeing our grandkids regularly--that's where Skype and FaceTime come in).

For Halloween someone decorated the corner of the parking lot

     We almost have what one of our missionaries in Russia called a magic kitchen. He bragged that he could sit at the table and without moving, could grab a pan from the cupboard, fill it with water in the sink, put it on the stove and when the water boiled, take eggs from the fridge and cook them, all without taking a step. Our kitchen isn't quite that small and we have a dining room table rather than a table in the kitchen, but it comes close. It only takes three or four steps to get from the kitchen door to the sink. And yet it suits us quite nicely. We have a fridge, stove/oven, dishwasher, and a few cupboards and drawers, everything we need. Besides, the smaller it

Trash, recyclables, organics

is, the less work to keep it clean, right? We're learning to buy more often and in smaller amounts since we don't have as much freezer space as we're used to.

Canadians are into recycling. We're still learning how to sort all our trash, because some things we'd think to sort one way are done a different way here. For example, pizza boxes and empty toilet paper rolls go into the organic bin with things like banana peels, not with paper. These are the bins in the hallway at the office. Ours at home are, well, let's say a little less organized. :~) When Elder Holbrook takes out the garbage, he has to put it in the appropriate bins in the parking lot. They also have a bin for corrugated cardboard most places.

     Tomorrow is Veterans Day in the US. Here we will celebrate Remembrance Day. Same idea, but it's a bigger deal here. Most businesses are closed--even Costco! There will be Remembrance Celebrations all over. That will probably be our post next week. In the meantime, thank you to all who have served their country, whether they gave their life in that service or not.

We are loving it here. Fall is a gorgeous time to be in Nova Scotia. We feel so blessed to be able to serve another mission.

Peggy's Cove

Saturday we decided it was time for us to do a little sightseeing. We'd heard so much about Peggy's Cove that it was at the top of the list. We found there’s a good reason so many people recommend it.

There's a lot of water around Halifax and the neighboring cities, both fresh water lakes and the ocean. The hour or so drive to Peggy's Cove was delightful, punctuated by water sparkling between the trees along winding roads along countless bays and inlets, some lingering fall colors, many graveyards (some by quaint churches, some not), gently bouncing boats, small islands (think of a size that would accommodate 5-6 trees) with docks and slides and are the kind of things kids dream of for summer fun.

The town of Peggy's Cove was settled around 200 years ago by 6 families, and many of their descendants still live there. It is still an active fishing village. Beautiful setting. Harsh environment. Strong people.

The wind made things a little chilly, but with a few layers we stayed warm.

Unfortunately, the lighthouse isn't open to the public. Situated atop a high rocky outcropping, it's not very tall and is one we could have easily climbed! 

Our first visit to a Canadian lighthouse

The lighthouse from a distance

Periodically some big waves came crashing in while we were walking around on the walks, and splashed up the rocks below the lighthouse. 

There were a lot of tourists enjoying the view, not surprising for a Saturday, except the tourist season is supposedly over. The Visitor's Centre is closed for the season, even on weekends. While we were there reading some informational plaques, cars were constantly stopping. People would get out, try the locked doors, read the small notice saying they were closed, and drive off again. By constantly, I mean it was probably about 2 cars every 5 minutes. someone forgot to tell the tourists the season is over!

The route to Peggy's Cove from Halifax goes along either side of the peninsula. To return home we could have backtracked but decided to take a route a few minutes longer and saw even more beauty. Unfortunately, you can enjoy the pictures, but it's the "you had to be there to get it" kind of scenery that went on and on and on.

Our first Canadian lobster meal

In the Visitor's Centre parking lot we noticed the car next to us had Colorado plates. The man told us about about a lobster restaurant he'd heard about, Ryer's, that was supposed to be excellent. We decided to try it out. "Restaurant" is a bit of a misnomer for the hole in the wall we found, but the people running it were delightful, and the lobster we shared was delicious. For 15 minutes while our lobster was cooking, the owners told us all about lobsters and how lobster traps work. For example, a one pound lobster is about 5-7 years old, and smaller lobsters can crawl out of the trap but ones that are a good size for eating can't fit through the gap at the bottom of the cage. 

We ate at one of the brightly painted picnic tables in the parking lot. When we were through, we looked around the corner of the building and saw a little patio with covered seating (we were glad we'd had the warmth of the sun while we ate) with a view out over the water, so we we hung around a little longer and enjoyed that.

We saw lobster traps like this almost everywhere we turned

Interesting church architecture

We are SO blessed by all the beauty in this world, both man-made like the church above and natural from God!

WE HAVE ARRIVED!!

After a l-o-n-g drive across our beautiful country--we took 10 days to drive 3,500 miles and saw more rest stops than anyone should in that time--we finally arrived in Nova Scotia.

Here are some highlights along our way:

**Listening to Anne of Green Gables in anticipation of a visit (or two) to Prince Edward Island in the next year, as well as other audiobooks we'd borrowed from the library--it's nice that we don't have to worry about returning them since the library automatically yoinks ebooks back!


**An unplanned side trip to see The Wizard of Oz Museum in Wamego, Kansas

We didn't realize the Tinman was so big!

**Miles and miles of wind turbines, also in Kansas. 

And then hundreds more turbines after that. Kansas has a LOT of turbines. And apparently a lot of wind.

**The new Susquehanna Visitor's Center in Pennsylvania, the Priesthood Restoration site. It was just dedicated last month. Very interesting, and the two hours we'd scheduled weren't nearly long enough.

New Indianapolis Temple at sunset

**Attending temples in Denver, St. Louis, Indianapolis (only open a few weeks), and Boston.

**Our niece Valerie lives in Boston. She took a day off and spent it in the temple with us and then playing tour guide. Delightful day!

**Fall in New England. Someone said we missed the peak by about a week. What we saw was SO amazing and beautiful we decided she was wrong!

When we first arrived in Dartmouth (the city across the bay from Halifax--the mission office, mission home, temple, and our apartment are all in Dartmouth) we hurried to get signed up for internet. It took three days before we got it. That was hard for us, but now we're up and running! One minor glitch: several days after we got here, we found out Sister Holbrook's phone is one of a rare few that will not work in Canada, no way, no how, no matter how many extra fees we pay. Not even the Wizard of Oz could get it working.

We have settled into our home for the next year. We have a 2-bedroom apartment across the street from a nice mall, 10 minutes from the office and 12 minutes from the Temple (opposite directions). Between our home and the mission office are a Super Walmart, a Costco and a branch of our local bank.

We have a lot to learn about how we can best support the mission president, our missionaries and the local wards. The wards and stake seem strong. We've been assigned to the Sackville Ward, a different ward than the one where we live. Last weekend was stake conference, so this Sunday will be our first week in the new ward. We're looking forward to getting to know those ward members.

We've now had a week to become more acquainted with our office responsibilities. The biggest thing we've learned is that the MTC training, which seemed so wonderful at the time, has very little application to our actual responsibilities.

Just a side note: It's been a few years since we did the blog. Either the format has changed or we've forgotten how to do it. You can guess which! Watch for our skills to develop (we hope!)

On Our Way - Canada or Bust.

I think this picture is corny but Arline said it is a tradition so here is our mission location on the official map.

Not as far as Siberia but still 3 hours east in the Atlantic time zone. 

We only had 3 couples in our office training so it went fast. We got finished by noon on Thursday, checked out and headed home to pack.

Packing took forever but we finally finished Friday night with a trunk as full as it could get (it included things such as a Kitchenaid mixer, crepe pan and all the flippers and spinners, Belgian Waffle maker, Blentec blender, a year's supply of vitamins and prescriptions, books, and lots of clothes. We missed most of those items in Siberia but we're WAY over the maximum of 200 pounds we could fit 4 suitcases. We are glad for our large trunk.

Before bedtime we had one more surprise visit from our next door neighbors. 

It is tough to leave the grandkids. 

Had a short night after cleaning up to leave the house for a year and left early Saturday for Denver where we visited the Temple and that night watched the UTES game. We are now making our way to Canada as we drive I-70 through the heart of the United States.

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MTC

     We have finished our first week at the MTC. We met some wonderful senior couples and also watched the eating, studying, service, and dedication of approximately 1800 young missionaries. Our check in was crowded because they wanted everyone to arrive before Elder Scott's funeral at 11:00. This lead to a traffic jam at the front driveway.

     We ate too much, slept too little, and had many role plays as we learned more about Preach my Gospel in our first wonderful week. We are home for the weekend to watch conference but must return before 5PM on Sunday for another wonderful devotional. Next week we are trained in office procedures and will be home Friday Oct 9 to pack for our 10-day drive to Halifax.

     They showed a clip of Elder Holland speaking to the missionaries and he mentioned that water does nothing at 210 degrees but sit. If you add 2 more degrees to 212 degrees, you can move locomotives and cook many food items. He also quoted a poem I listed below:

"Come to the edge", he said.

"We can't, we're afraid", they responded.

"Come to the edge," he said.

"We can't, we will fall!" they responded.

"Come to the edge," he said.

And so they came.

And he pushed them.

And they flew.

-Guillaume Apollinaire

     We're perched on the edge and hope to fly and soar as we arrive in Halifax in ~3 weeks to start our service to the Canada Halifax Mission.

     Our blog posts will be sporadic in the next few weeks, but once we get settled in, you can look for our blog posts every week. Depending on our schedule, we think they'll be posted by Wednesday mornings.

Love, Elder and Sister Holbrook



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