Training the Mission

April 11, 2016

Dear Family,

Now this is a story all about how my week got flipped-turned upside down. I'd like to take a minute just sit right there, I'll tell you how Elder Quinton and I have many stories to share.

On Monday night we drove to Halifax to stay the night with the assistants, then we spent Tuesday morning driving to Amherst for the first zone conference. I was stressing out pretty hard, I have never given a training and my first was about to be in front of half the mission, and President Pratt. But our training on member missionary work was after lunch and brother Cartier, the man over CES in the Atlantic provinces, did a training first. He taught about the doctrine of Christ and went pretty in depth about Faith and how really it is everything, it's hope, it's obedience, it's keeping the commandments, it really all comes down to Faith. It was a very powerful training that helped me deepen my understanding of what Faith really is...Doing the Will of God.

Wednesday was the Nova Scotia zone conference, where the training went much better the second time and I think it's because we had a feel for it and knew what to expect, so the stress was a lot less, and it became more fun than work.

Thursday night, now this ones a story. We drove into Halifax to meet with Elder Hansen and Elder Argyle to catch our flight to Newfoundland, but they got out of a lesson late and by the time we got to the airport, no one was there to help us with the tickets. Turns out the plane left ten minutes early and we missed it, the only flight in that airline for the night. Yeah we freaked out a little, and then we said a prayer out loud in the middle of the airport. And we got a hold of one of the airline workers who was off of work for an hour but still helped us out. She tried to switch our tickets over to another airline but could only do two. So Elder Argyle and I were going to take those and he would do the announcements and I would do the training at the conference the next day, and Elder Quinton and Elder Hansen would try and get a flight in the morning and make it in time for the last half, but when she was in the process of trying to book those two seats one of them was taken and I was left without a ticket at all. So we came to terms that we wouldn't be going to Newfoundland, and then a guy from the other airline came over and he was like, "Let me see what I could do." He worked his magic and all four of us were put on stand-by for the next flight out, which was supposed to be full. And we all got on the plane, turns out there were fifteen empty seats by the time the plane left. Miracles happen. God is Real. We got there around one and were in bed about three in the morning, having to get up at 6:30 and be all bright and shiny for the last conference.

The last conference was great though, it was held in a hotel in Gander and being in three of the same conferences, you still learn something new every time. And we are probably one of the only missions to have more than one conference at a time because you just can't, it's way too spread out. A group of us after the conference traveled to Twillingate just to take pictures because President Pratt said that it was supposed to be a great spot, and it was. Plus this was Elder Quinton's only time in Newfoundland because he goes home in a month. On the drive though we were trying to keep up with the sisters car, and both cars got pulled over, but let us off with a warning. So many miracles, how great a week it has been. Plus with all the driving and flying really we've just been living off of junk food. I don't know how my areas been though because I haven't been there all week. But crazy weeks are the best weeks, that's what I always say...not really.

Don't worry I'm being safe.

Love You so much!

Love Elder Ray