We had another transfer in February with great new missionaries coming in. It has been sad to see great missionaries going home.
In February, Elder McBeth (on the right) went back to serving in Toronto and speaking Farsi again, which he loves. Our new AP is Elder Kimball, on the left. He and Elder Ballard (middle) are now our APs. We have had such wonderful APs the whole time we have been here.
We have had lots of Family Home Evenings on Monday nights at various homes. We love the people of Brampton. I found out last month that one of the brothers in our ward is my third cousin. I was helping him and his wife with an e-mail about an ancestor that they did not recognize. As we followed the line, I started to recognize his family members. My second great grandfather and his second great grandmother are brother and sister. In February, I taught a Family History class on how to organize your digital photographs and documents. We had some technical teaching to do as well to help some.
The last Saturday in February, we went to Toronto to see the beaches and harbour. At the Waterfront (right downtown) we saw this beautiful swan and this really cool ship. We then drove a bit further east and stopped at Woodbine Beach. They had several architectural ways using the lifeguard towers as a base. We also discovered a piano on the beach that people could play. I also had to take my shoes off and walk in the sand for a bit. The sand was cool, but not cold.
March 2nd was Elder and Sister Donnelly's 50th anniversary. They are the medical advisers in the office. On March 1st, the office couples and President and Sister Shields all went to Vesuvios for the best Italian food. It was amazing, especially the dessert - a chocolate and raspberry mousse.
The first Sunday in March, I taught another Family History Class. This one was on How to Prepare Names to Take to the Temple. It went very well. I heard later that several were able to find more names and get them ready.
This past weekend was Stake Conference. It was excellent. Both Saturday and Sunday we had a new convert speak. Their talks of their conversion were amazing.
Last week was zone conference for three days. We went to Oshawa, London, and Barrie. We drove over a bridge in London that crossed the River Thames. Our missionaries all are using smart phones and Facebook to help with their teaching and reaching out to their investigators. They are amazing to watch as they are all posting very uplifting thoughts and scriptures. We have so many "new" friends on Facebook now.
Yesterday one of the members in Orillia asked to be my friend. It turns out that he was my very first friend when I was a little girl living in West Hill, Ontario. He is about 3-4 years older than I am. His wife joined the Church in 1975 and he joined in 1978. When I asked how he found the gospel, he said it was because my mother was such a good friend to his mother. My Mom wasn't a member back then. She was just always gentle and kind and helpful to all.
We are loving being here in the Canada Toronto Mission as missionaries serving in the office. We love all our wonderful missionaries. The gospel of Jesus Christ is the plan of happiness and can bring much joy and peace into your life. Our Father in Heaven loves each one of us, as does the Savior. The Bible and the Book of Mormon are the word of God.
