PREPARATION DAYS AREN'T FOR THE FAINT OF HEART

                                                               1.

Eating is usually involved and the missionaries really like that



They also love Elder Owens - should of seen the cameras come out with this one!!!

Some of us play inside.....

and the rest play outside while the weather is warmer.

2.

The Elders organized a "Win It In A Minute" activity and Elder Owens

provided the 'finale'

Ready???

 Set.......

GO!!

                                                           
                                                         POP EM'

3.

~SMALLEST BOWLING ALLEY WE'VE EVER SEEN~

The elders planned for us to go bowling - Canadian style.  The Village of Stirling has a community center which houses a 2-lane bowling alley.... that's 5 pin bowling with small hand-sized bowling balls!!!

It was also Sister Owens' birthday and we made it into a PARTY

Elder Owens at the BBQ - Elders and Sisters always like food.

And we're happy to oblige!!!

AND THAT'S HOW OUR MONDAYS GO - fun with the Elders and Sisters!!

AND.... the chruch is true and life is good.

MISSION TOUR & A BAPTISM

We were blessed to have Elder Zivic of the Seventy come to our mission. The missionaries enjoyed a wonderful day with him teaching us.  He and his wife spoke and we felt the spirit strongly and were ready to go out and work harder than ever!!

The Canada Calgary Mission has set a goal to baptize 2,600 people in the next two years while the temple is being built. That is a whole stake to be converted before the temple is dedicated.  This chart is how they are keeping track of the baptisms.  They will uncover each part of the temple, as the baptisms take place.

Our zone has been blessed with quit a few baptisms already this month. This is a picture of a Young Single Adult whom Elder Owens was asked to baptize: Gino. This young man has done a lot to change his life.  How blessed we were to be part of that and watch the spirit work on him through his conversion!!

And...a small miracle happened.  The camera went down into the baptismal font, tucked away in Elder Owens' pocket.  No amount of CPR or resuscitation could bring it out of it's coma. It slept for 2 days in the bag of rice and 'lo and behold' IT WOKE UP. The poor camera has a few lingering handicaps, but it is taking pictures again!!!

Bye for now - will post more soon.

It's September and University has started

....and these crazy Candadians like to have their fun!!
It's time for Welcome Out Week for the Institute and it's 45 degrees out and raining ~ but that doesn't stop the YSA "Slip n' Slide" activity!!!

slide anyway you can

some are crazier than others

put on a garbage bag and coat with dish soap

 and slide on down!!!

 this is the way the missionaries do it!!!

WE LOVE WORKING WITH THESE CANADIANS!!!

Keeping busy - 6 Month Mark

At the end of April, we drove to Banff, British Columbia to meet our cousins who were there on a business trip. We went on a beautiful & SNOWY hike up Johnston Canyon to view a waterfall. It was fun being with Bill & Stacey and getting cold and wet!!

Lake Louise was still frozen over, hope to go later
in the summer and see it unfrozen.








Elder Owens cooked his famous banana, pecan pancakes for the Elders
and Sisters on the day of interviews.





Thanks to Aunty Pam for helping
to get the: fabulous Idaho Pancake Flour!!









Then we did something crazy - have any of you see this AcTiViTy before???



FIRST: you get long johns red long johns


SECOND: stuff them with as many
balloons as you can fit - EvErYwHeRe











THIRD: you get something like the

"Fruit of the Loom" guys













FOURTH: they have to pop the balloons without using their hands












FIFTH: you let everyone else help!!!

I think the ones watching had side-aches from laughing after it was all over.
hahahaaaa
Thanks for being good sports, Elders. (actually they have to be obedient :)

OK - we thought we were thru with
THE SNOW - yes, May 6th

probably 2 inches of wet stuff!!
and we already packed our

ice scrapers away










Then it got beautiful, again.
These elders are playing 'frisbee golf'.
There is a serious course at one of the parks.
They have different frisbee's: drivers, putters, and frisbee's that 'fall' to the left or right.
Has anyone done this before? It is serious - well, they take it pretty seriously.









This is Elder Madsen - one of our AZ
elders!!!




THE JOYS OF P-DAY!!






OOOOOh, by the way, it SnOOwed again: May
29!!


The saying goes in Lethbridge:

If you don't like the weather,

wait 5 minutes!!!










But then it got pretty again & we had the opportunity to help with a ward
Relief Society activity - dutch oven cooking in the back yard!!

Elder Owens was excited - the sister
in charge had alot of neat equipment and made it work in that small space.

We had another appointment - so SAD - didn't get to stay and taste!
They said a mission would be sacrifice.....










This is Elder Owens and one of the zone leaders on a trip down to the border to visit the ward in our zone that is just over the border into Montana. Look how pretty and green it is - we have had alot of rain in the last few weeks!!







NOW WE ARE INTO THE MONTH OF JUNE

We helped the YSA with their conference: One morning, it was a service project for the local Food Bank. This is Sister Owens with the full-time sisters.
















Elder Owens with FTM at the park feeding them all hamburgers - probably cooked 500 of them tastey things!!















This is our zone at a p-day BBQ in a members back yard - beautiful view overlooking the Coulee (river valley)















Another interesting tradition that we are becoming aware of is: Tie-Trading~ Can't understand the excitment!! (guess, cuz I'm not a guy)

HIKING TIME IN THE MOUNTAINS

WATERTON LAKE

(the far-side of this lake is in the U.S.A.)

Cameron Lake

Beautiful green forest with water running everywhere - the top was covered with snow, so we didn't go that far - but that's ok for a couple of
Senior Missionaries!!!




And on the way back - we saw a momma bear and her 3 cubs by the side of the road. All of a sudden, cars were stopped going both directions, couldn't
figure out what was going on, but soon saw..... sooooo cute - from a distance!!

JULY FIRST IS

CANADA DAY

We went with a family in our stake to the ball park

to SEE THIS......

You all

enjoy the

FOURTH of JULY

for us up here!!!

Has it been FOUR months?!? Time flies when you are busy...

The mission in Lethbridge has been busy, fun and rewarding. We have met so many Young Single Adults - don't ask us what all their names are, tho. It has been rewarding working with some of them and helping them change their lives and set eternal goals. The mission President also has told us that he is grateful for our involvement and help with the full-time Elders and Sisters. How blessed we have been to help these servants of the Lord teach, to have participated with them on p-day activities, and fed them quite a few times!!

The following are some pictures of what we have been up to for the last 2 months:

Another trip to the Temple in Cardston with our elders. Yes there is still snow on the ground! There are a few things we can't get up here: these are Canadian Oreos & they are not the same as Oreos from the US - we did a taste test. So the missionaries are always glad when we get a 'shipment' from someone in the states. The other thing we brought with us was a LARGE can of Rosarita refried beans -we made Tostados - the Elders and Sisters were happy - so you see. They are so silly!! So you remember the Olympics were in Canada? Did anyone watch the Curling Competition? Well, we learned how to curl: it's kind of like shuffleboard on ice, except the puck (rock) weighs about 40 lbs.

They had us all line up and practice "sweeping" with a broom The old people (the pros) behind the glass, drinking their coffee, got a great laugh out of us!!

So, you sweep really hard to get the rock to go faster - it is really harder than it looks

When you 'throw' the rock, you are not supposed to end up like this - hahaha

Elder Owens did a pretty good job of 'throwing' even tho the rock didn't get to the target very often.

This is an official Olympic torch that was carried through Lethbridge on its way to Vancouver

And...an official outfit worn by the torch carrier: isn't Elder Owens cute??

Now: a silly game made up by one of the missionaries: "The chocolate mint race"

The object is to start the mint on your forehead and by wiggling your eyebrows, your nose, your cheeks - or any other facial muscle - getting it down into your mouth without touching it.

This is a FHE group from one of the YSA wards trying it out.

The funniest part of this game is watching others trying: finally got Elder Owens to try

I think he finally got it!! And Sister Owens, chocolate lover, gets it every time!!

Elder Owens keeps in touch with the Elders by going to their apartments, cooking pancakes for breakfast and then polishing their shoes. They each get an 'LOI' in the process.

You don't know what an LOI is, you ask: it is a Lanny Owens Interview

This Elder Moore was the unlucky one to get the repentance lesson on his new white shirt.

He is from Gilbert, AZ which is near our home, we love our Arizona missionaries!!!

The Elders found and taught this young man in our home: Allen Stephen. Allen asked Elder Owens to baptize and confirm him. He is 18, living on his own and has a strong testimony.

Isn't Spring here, yet?? This is 8 inches of snow that fell on Lethbridge April 12 & 13. It was a very wet and heavy snow - our little tree needed help, so Sister Owens put on her boots and helped it stand tall again. The missionaries cars were 'grounded' for the morning and one of their cars: the Chevy across the street had a flat tire. After noon, the elders came, had to dig it out of the snow and change the tire. They also helped a couple of our neighbors dig out, and by the time they were thru, they were sweating. The sun had come out and it wasn't really that cold: 40 degrees.

We helped with the closing dance for the Institute and the YSA. It was a big deal, formal dance.

**This next bit is an example of missionary traditions. How many of you returned missionaries 'burned' things at 6 months, 1 year, 18 months, and the end? Crazy!!

These two Elders came out together and celebrated their year mark by burning a shirt (and catching themselves alittle burn in the wind) Lethbridge is famous for it's hurricane force winds in the spring!!!

Even the sisters get in on the traditions: Sis. Jackson goes home in 3 weeks. So she is burning a whole outfit: jacket, blouse, and skirt. Polyester stinks when it burns!! Notice the hairspray can on the ground? That was the fuel (the elders used insect repellent spray) CRAZY!?!

This is our district. We were together for a lunch because the Sister next to me got sick with Mono and the President is sending her home - even tho she only has 3 weeks left :(

We love being of service to these Angels in Suits & Skirts. Remember to be a missionary whenever you can!! We are happy, well, and busy here in Lethbridge, Canada!!