Wasn't conference wonderful!!!

Wasn't conference wonderful and could you believe all the references to Calgary: President Hal Gardner, the Stampede parade, and the new Apostle, Elder Neil L. Andersen was in Calgary last August. Some of the missionaries have suggested that next time there is a vacancy for a new apostle we should see who has been up here in the past 9 months and we will have a good idea. (The past three apostles fit that category.)

This picture of the Calgary temple site was taken right after Zone Conference on March 23. We had a great round of Zone Conferences with great conversion testimonies of somewhat recent converts. Some of those sharing their testimonies were taught or baptized by some of you.

We have had some real miracles this past little while. President Balderson's (Magrath stake president) father (age 91) joined the church last month. So did Danielle (Ryan Jolley's wife!!??) from Cranbrook. Jane Blum from Okotoks is getting baptised tomorrow and Makenzie Romanovitch was baptized today. Makenzie's mother, Amy remembers many of you and wants you to know you did make a difference. Danielle said the same thing. Keep sharing your testimonies, remember to be the member missionary you wish you had up here.

Our baptisms for March were up, but we didn't quite reach the goal to double. Keep us in your prayers, we are so close to reaching the goal. There are lots of good things happening.

The Bloxhams went home yesterday, we will miss them. They are speaking in their ward in Springville on the 19th of April @ 1 pm. The address of the church is 2nd North 900 East. You can also reach them at (801) 489-4228. We are losing several couples in the next few months and have few replacements. Encourage your parents if they are able to come join us. They will learn to love the great CCM as much as you do.

We have visited with the new Mission President and his wife. They will be great, they already have a great love for the CCM. Just like all of you when you opened your call letters, it is amazing how the Lord prepares us to care for others around us and those we have stewardship 0ver.

For those of you who have come to visit and wondered when I will update the blog. Here it is. We have been exceptionally busy since the first of the month!!!???!!! President's computer has been having problems and died earlier this week so we have currently lost all the new arrival and departure pictures. :( February baptisms were down, but we think it was partly because there were only 3 full weekends and March is off to a great start. We just hope transfers in the middle of the month don't slow us down.

We have been enjoying visits from several of you - thanks for stopping by. The new mission president has been called. Alan and Pamela Archibald, they will be coming from St. George, Utah where he as been serving as stake president of a YSA stake. We haven't visited with him yet but have received an email. They sound wonderful and they already know some in the mission (a nephew and several others have connections). Their picture and biography was in the church news January 31, 2009.

We do need several of you to send your current email address to presandsister@gmail.com. I have set up a group for returned missionaries in my gmail account so we can reach you all quickly. That way we can let you know when we are planning reunions and etc. so please respond.

We made it through transfers, with concerns for the weather all the transfers for BC ended up going by bus. So....we just got back from taking mail and planners out to them. The roads were great and the country is beautiful, even in the winter. Attached are the pictures of the coming and going group as well as a few other events that you may all remember - filling out the blue customs form.

Thanks to all of you who have sent us Christmas greetings, we love hearing from you and how you are doing. A copy of this picture which we took at last years January Zone conference was given to each of the missionaries for Christmas. For those of you who were here last year you may have been there. Those of you who started a Christmas tradition - did you do it again? We are following up!!!

In the middle of November we had a great mission tour with Elder Paul Sybrowsky and his wife Lynne. They really helped us figure out how to double convert baptisms. We were able to have 50% more baptisms for the months of November and December. We are off to a great start this year and should be able to double each month this year. We are seeing miracles in the mission and the missionaries are excited. Keep us in your prayers.

We are starting the new year with new traditions. (We started in December, but they are here to stay - at least until we go home)

We are now holding Zone Leader Council during the first week of each month. It is a day meeting, starting at 9am and ending at 4pm. No more "sleep overs". Medicine Hat and BC zone leaders come in the night before and stay with the assistants and office elders. We aren't presenting "game plans", but focusing on who is being taught and if/why we lost some from last month, what we can do to help the missionaries with our progressing investigators.

We are also tracking baptisms monthly, instead of by the transfer and each zone is setting monthly goals. We are trying to double baptisms from the same month last year instead of the previous month.

We are also printing the newsletter monthly listing the convert baptisms. Finally we are getting focused!! While we have been busy, we are continuing to improve and plan to end strong.

We have sent this blog to all those we have an email address. Please let other returned missionaries from the mission know of the blog and also our email: presandsister@gmail.com Feel free to add your comments or email us your news and if you would like it posted. Marriages, births, etc. Time is somewhat limited and I am still learning how to do this so don't expect too much just yet. We did want a way for all of you to keep posted on the mission and each other.

Finally up and running

I know, I know, it's about time. We hope this one will work - the last one had a problem because it was set up with an email address that will become obsolete. Hopefully this one will last. Please feel free to send comments to this site. Let us all know what you are up to. We love you all.