PatDawnMontreal2022

 We have started the Cape Breton Video History Project!  We've met so many interesting people here.  As we have gotten to know them, we realize that no one has a boring or ordinary life - everyone is an extraordinary person and the experiences of their lives are fascinating and memorable.  We started a project to preserve their life stories.   We realized that we had nearly all the technology in hand that was needed.  All I had to get (easily sourced from Amazon.ca) was a ring light and small tripod.  My iPhone 13 has a great camera, and clips into the center of the ring.  The light is variable for color and brightness, we use just enough to take the shadows out of the person's face. We made a list of 35+ "prompts" that we get to the person beforehand to jog their memory and get their thoughts organized.  It starts out with:  My name is .  .  .  I was born at .  .  .  My parents are .  .  ....

 As most of you know, in 2015 we served in Cusco, Peru, the home of llamas and alpacas.  The alpacas are smaller, and are prized for their wool, as it is so fine and soft.  My skin is sensitive and I can't tolerate sheep wool against my skin, especially my neck, but alpaca wool is so fine and soft that it never irritates.  We were quite surprised to discover that our new Branch President an his wife have an alpaca farm!  We made a plan to go help them on shearing day.  Here's a "before" picture, the fleece is quite dense and about 3" long Here's the same critter after shearing.  They look quite different. Here's Sister Johnson helping to calm the animal during shearing.  The fleece comes off in 3 sections:  back/blanket is the best grade, leg and neck fleece are bagged separately.  I assisted with securing the front and back legs with ratchet straps so the shearers could do their work.  Halfway done requires a flip to the other side...

  We had an extraordinary experience last week.  An international missionary discussion.  It was only slightly challenging to set up, but it turned out very well.  A photo of my computer screen is attached.  The description is below:   We have a Vietnamese family here in Sydney that has been attending church for 2 months with a member friend.  They have asked to have the missionary discussions.  Sister Uyen and her 2 children are recently from Vietnam, their English is at a minimal level, but they are learning it quickly.  To communicate with them in a discussion setting, I thought it best to teach in their language, so I put in a call to the Mission to see if we had any Vietnamese speakers, which we do not.  So Elders Rothenberger & Williams put out a call on a worldwide MissionARY Facebook page to locate VN speaking missionaries.  Almost immediately, a pair from California responded!  Elder Huynh’s family is from VN, and ...

  We were in downtown Sydney at the Genealogical Society of Cape Breton, which we joined, and will be doing video histories with them and the communities (more about that later).  I saw the stacks of a cruise ship over some trees, so we walked down to the harbor as it was pulling away.  From now until the end of October, 3-4 cruise ships per week dock here.  There are numerous tours and sights for the tourists (especially the fall colors), and of course shops to entice them.  Sister Johnson thought I looked dashing in this Tilley hat, a famous Canadian brand, and she induced me to buy it.  I've never paid that much for a hat before, but I decided to go for it.  She also found one that she liked.  Notice our light jackets in June.  When we are outside we need at least these on.  It's in the mid 50'sF most days which is very pleasant if there's not a big wind going.  It rains about every 3 days. This is Poutine, the National Dish of F...

Wherever Sister Johnson goes, it's a cleaner place than before she arrived.  Her long-handled picker has been with her ever since our first mission to Mississippi in 2012.  And it's getting a lot of use here.  Whenever we go for a walk, the picker and a garbage bag go with us.  There is a spring cleanout going on here through the entire Province.  Unused or broken items are piled alongside the street, and at some time (soon, we hope) they will be picking them up.  Right now when the bag gets too full to carry, we just leave it on one of the piles. One of the joys of our missions has always been associating and getting to know the other mission couples.  These are destined to become our dearest lifelong friends, like the other couples we have known in Cusco.  Just past us are the Cohens, from California, serving in Newfoundland, the only place remoter in the mission than we are, and they own that title by a 6-hour ferry ride, plus a 10 hour drive t...

The week that we arrived in the Sydney Branch, we were just in time to participate in the baptism of Brother Friday (he got that name because he was born on .  .  . Friday).  He is from Nigeria via France, where his wife and children still are.  He is enrolled at a local University here, and as soon as he completes his studies, he will be able to bring them over to join him.  He's pretty motivated to do it, as you would imagine.  His English is very good, especially in writing and text.  He is very faithful and participates fully in the Branch at all meetings, activities, and projects.  His friend the very faithful Brother Jim helped Friday with his learning and conversion, and was invited to Baptize and Confirm him.  We are delighted to get to know him better. Well, its not all work here.  The Saturday after we arrived the Elder's Quorum held an activity at one of the member's homes who lives out of town about 1.5hrs away.  He has ...

 1 June 2022 Hello again.  For all those who thought we must have fallen off the edge of the earth - not quite.  But we're at the end of it.  This is the Sydney end of the Cape Breton Peninsula where we are assigned.  If you look way over the top os Sister Johnson's head, you can see Ireland.  Well, not really, but it's the next landfall. We arrived in Sydney on May 17.  Excluding a 2-day stop in Montreal, we drove 650 miles a day, every day, for 7 days just to get here.  Our apartment has been vacant since March 2020, when the last senior couple who was here had to leave in a rush due to covid.  The Mission miracle working housing couple, Elder and Sister Roberts, along with a few of the local members got the old furniture out, cleaned, and brought in new furnishings.  As all you who know Sister Johnson will attest, the state of clean and arrangement of furniture didn't meet her standards, and she spent nearly a week sanitizing and rear...