Dear Family, September 29, 2014
What a crazy week! I'm sorry I didn't take a whole ton of pics, the leaves are changing and it's absolutely gorgeous! Mom, you would be in heaven out here. I swear heaven will look like Atlantic Canada without all of the cold and druggies. We were on our way over to Maine this morning for emailing when we got stopped at the border for the random inspection that they do. Haha, I bet they were disappointed when they saw missionaries rolling up for the drug-check. Took about an hour and this area as I have mentioned is filled with drug trafficking. Canada is safe don't worry :)
The chill has become to come up full-time. We are heading out to Fredericton for Zone Training this week so that's when I'll be buying my winter gear. The coveted coat out here is a Canadian Goose. I'm going to get one because when we were back in Moncton with the other Moncton Elders, Elder Johnson had one, and wow, you could sleep standing up in that thing it's so comfy. There's also some other options for coats, but if it doesn't have an Antarctica seal of approval on it, we aren't allowed to get it. It's supposed to be a particularly cold winter from what I have heard from the people I've spoken to.
When I tell people I'm from Arizona, they're like "Oh you're in for a treat!" Then I try to explain that I was raised in the mountains and they just smile. I've been fair warned, Canadian winters are apparently intense.
Elder Collett and I are continuing to move along the revelation we have received for this area. Lots and lots of service which I love doing. I can't wait until we do what is referred to as "Snow Shoveling Contacting"-we dig people out so that we can teach them about the Restored Gospel :))) I'm excited because some of you might know I love to shovel snow, but then again, this is Canadian snow, and fourteen feet is the average. Woohooooooooooo
I'm having a little bit of a rough time talking to all these Born-Agains. It's a large concentrated area, even outside of St. Stephen. All they want to do is bash and argue and I have a huge temptation with arguing the Gospel. We were in St. Andrewson Tuesday (Definitely taking you all there if we ever tour this mission), doing some street contacting, and I was just tired and didn't have the Spirit and talking to people wasn't going well. My tone was very unhappy which isn't conducive to being a representative of Christ. Needless to say we were headed back to the car when two men approached us out of the tavern and I stopped them. Explained who we were and tried to get the ball rolling. This one man came at me with the whole "saved by grace" thing (Sidenote: we were stacking books at the library and I found this children's book about a girl going to a new school and it was called "Just Grace" Elder Collett and I got a kick out of that") and I just didn't want to hear it. I rebuked him rather unpolitely and it was a low point for me. Elder Collett chastised me pretty hard and told me if I don't have the Spirit with me when I'm talking to people then I can't be a missionary. Very humbling.
We then went over to Sister Bubniuk for scones. She's a less-active woman who is so nice! She told me not to worry about what happened because I will be steadfast and firm in my beliefs as I continue to study the scriptures. You might even know of her, Mom. She's Irene Bubniuk the concert pianist. She had a stroke, but we talked music for a little bit which is something I really needed that afternoon. Lots and lots of less-active visits this week. We had 8 less-active/recent convert lessons which was a huge blessing.
On Thursday we drove up to St. John to pick up Elder Wolvers. He's got a huge testimony and is great at relating to everyone whom we speak with. He's the Canadian of the bunch and is therefore the most polite (Sidenote: I've begun to start saying eh, pardon, sorry, and right-pronounced 'rate' out here in New Brunswick). He's come from an even rougher spot than I was a year ago and he is a rock. Elder Wolvers has ADHD and a little bit of Asbergers, but he makes everyone we talk to laugh. I'm excited to have probably the next 12 weeks with him.
Speaking of Born-Agains, we ran into some nice ones this week! (2 out of 80ish) One was a trucker from BC who was really into Family History until he got stranded here in St. Stephen. He was very kind to us and wants to come out to the workshop we're having in a few days. He politely tries to bash with us, but I think he just needed some intelligent conversation after being on the road for so long. Another Born-again we talked to was this very nice woman who really opened up about her past and was giving us all these compliments. Then Elder Wolvers invited her for a church tour and she was so two-faced "I'm trying really hard to be nice right now!" We now openly quote her as a companionship. It's good to have some inside-jokes to keep the morale up.
Thank you all for your prayers for Brother Al Wood. I could see a change in him this week as we talked about The Plan of Salvation. He reminds me a lot of Grandpa McGuire. He's very humble, a little older, and loves Elvis. Unfortunately, he has gotten back into some old habits he quit before his baptism. We're trying to get him off of coffee and him to pay his tithing. He'll come around, but please keep praying for him.
This upcoming transfer I've been inspired with a lot of goals. President Leavitt is great at getting us motivated to work smart and hard as missionaries. We all form visions-what we want something to become-ourselves, compansionhip, the area, the district, the zone, the mission. And then create goals, then plans, and a way to monitor those visions to accomplish them. My vision for this transfer is "A business-minded scriptorian." I'm going to be memorizing a scripture a day (Sidenote:this is an apostolic promise that President Monson has made, if I do this diligently, I'll come home with a photographic memory) and juicing and eating nuts to keep my energy up. I'm tired of being tired all of the time. I'm so excited for this transfer.
Kind of a funny story. So I'm juicing, right and we have ran out of fruit and most of our carrots. So I decided that I'd juice peppers and onion. Literally was the dumbest thing I have done for myself. It was like the ear-frankinscense thing all over again except for my stomach. Wow was I in so much pain good gravy. NEVER juice an onion whatever you do. whatever you do.
My favorite scripture for the week is 2 Nephi 9:41
41 O then, my beloved brethren, come unto the Lord, the Holy One. Remember that his paths are righteous. Behold, the way for man is narrow, but it lieth in a straight course before him, and the keeper of the gate is the Holy One of Israel; and he employeth no servant there; and there is none other way save it be by the gate; for he cannot be deceived, for the Lord God is his name.
I love you all!
HURRAH FOR ISRAEL!!!
Elder McGuire
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