The Canada Halifax Mission covers all of Atlantic Canada-New Brunswick, Nova Scotia (Where Halifax is located), Cape Breton Island, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador, the Magdalen Islands,
Newfoundland resisted
joining Canada
and was an independent dominion in the early 20th century. Fishing was always
the dominant industry, but the economy collapsed in the Great Depression of the
1930s and the people voluntarily relinquished their independence to become a
British colony again. Prosperity and self-confidence returned during the Second
World War, and after intense debate the people voted to join Canada in 1949.
4165 Lake Mary
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a small portion of Northern Maine (Primarily Aroostook County) and the overseas collectivity St. Pierre and Miquelon from France.
The Maritimes were once apart of the New France colony Acadia where the settlers traded and lived in harmony with the local Mi'kmaq tribes. During the mid 1700s, there was a mass forced deportation of
Acadians from Canada because
they refused to swear allegiance to the British Empire .
(They were French settlers, after all.) The British saw them as a threat and deported them. Many of them sought refuge in the US along the east coast all the way down to the south because most of that was still New
France at the time. That's where there's still a French presence
in Louisiana
and why those people are called Cajuns (A corruption of the word "Acadian" which was a corrupted word of "Arcadia"). Later, the British government employed more liberal measures in the 1890s to allow the decedents of the Acadians to return to their homeland which is why there is a significant French population in New Brunswick. (I will arrive in Canada during the Acadian festival, a large holiday in the Maritimes!)
The first brief European contact with Newfoundland
and Labrador came about 1000 AD when the Vikings briefly
settled in L'Anse aux Meadows. Around 1500 European explorers and
fishermen from England , Portugal , France ,
and Spain
(mainly Basques) began exploration. Fishing expeditions came seasonally;
the first small permanent settlements appeared around 1630.
The French communities combined with the accents and expressions from the Celtic communities (Irish and Scottish) will make this a very enjoyable place to serve!
The scenery is absolutely gorgeous: Prince Edward Island, Hopewell Rocks, the Magdalen Islands, Peggy's Cove, the Bay of Fundy, and Cape Breton Island are only a few of the things that will prompt me to take lots of pictures.
Some cool people from Atlantic Canada
-Sarah McLachlan from Halifax-sings the ballad that accompanies that famous animal abuse commercial and some songs in Toy Story
-Robert Maillet from Moncton-the large 7-foot henchman that plays Dredger who fights Sherlock Holmes in the first film.
-Sidney Crosby from Halifax-apparently a big-time hockey player (I'll need to watch more hockey before I go so that I can connect with the locals more)
The weather is very humid and the area gets plenty of rain and snow throughout the year.
As far as the church goes, out of the 2 million people I will be serving, there are about 6,000 members throughout Atlantic Canada. Missionaries have served there since the early days of the restoration of the church. The first missionaries came to Nova Scotia in 1847 such as well known leaders as Truman G. Madsen, Boyd K. Packer, Paul H. Dunn, Lorne C. Dunn, and David B. Sorensen.
In conclusion, I am very pleased to be serving in such a beautiful part of the world where there is a rich history and kind people. My goal is to be more selfless and friendlier than the Canucks I'll be serving-not an easy task.
Can't wait to join the 'eh' team-the missionaries in Atlantic Canada! Where many are cold but few are frozen!
Come join me this Sunday for my farewell talk!
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