Dear Family,
I am happy to start this new adventure in PEI, for however long it may be. My companions name is Elder Shambrook and he is from Wales, UK. He has such a cool accent but sometimes it is hard to understand what he is saying. I do like that he says the word rubbish a lot. He has been out three months and just finished his training. He is really funny/sarcastic so we should get along well.
We didn't get to do our transfer temple trip this time because it was closed for maintenance, which is the first time I didn't get to go since being on my mission.
We spent the last three days just visiting all the members so that I could get to know them. The Montague branch is small, there are only about thirty members and we meet in a room for sacrament that is pretty much the size of the primary room at home. It is very different going from a huge ward, to a small ward, to a small branch, but you get to know everyone very quick. In the ward at home I honestly only knew like half the ward it was so big.
Now that I am in a New Brunswick zone and not in a Nova Scotia zone I get to meet many of the missionaries I have never met before. It's weird that you serve at the same time as all these missionaries but many of them you may never meet, that's what happens when your mission area is so big.
On Sunday I did the usual introductions and testimony. For Sunday school Elder Shambrook and I taught the youth, all three of them, about learning and teaching in the home. There is one young man, Jason, and two young women, Hannah and Jacqueline. Apparently earlier in the week President Dourte, the branch President, asked us to do a presentation for third block and either I didn't hear or completely forgot. So on the spot I just took my talk that I gave in Sackville ward last week, thankfully I had it, and used the principles on becoming a member missionary from it, and made it into a lesson plan, which worked out well. I thought it would be really short but with the participation of the group we managed to fill the time.
Sunday evening there was a trek fireside that we attended to support the branch and it was a presentation and picture slideshow of the quad stake trek which all three youth were a part of. Seeing all the pictures just brought back such good memories of my trek and looking back I would have regretted it so badly if I didn't go. I would do it again for sure.
The days in Sackville were starting to get slow and drag on but now that I am in a "whole new world" the days have been going by fast, with lots of work to do.
Love you all more than the cookie monster loves cookies!!
Love, Elder Ray
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| This is our rad investigator Gary. |
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| This is Melissa, she is an investigator in Sackville. |
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| The Taylors, a couple in the Sackville ward, who love to feed the missionaries. I just think that it's funny because he is from England and she is from the Philippines. |
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| Had to say goodbye to the Haas family, one of my faves. |
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| Elder and Sister Burgan, the Addiction Recovery Program couple. |
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| All those in the Montague branch that went on Trek, they are "Trekkies" (and the missionaries) |
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| Some views are just too good. |
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| Six month mark Tie Burning! |
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| Thank you Grandpa Schnepf for the birthday money, it was used for a fun P-Day of candlestick bowling. |
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| Last but not least, Elder Shambrook, sharing a coke with Ray. |