3/6/11
Mission Office
Dear Famliy,
Happy Birthday Grandpa Cannon, we love you and hope your day with the family was extra pleasant.
I know you don't like fussing so I will stop there.
2/27/11Here I sit at the office desk. I got up way early today and thought I would go down and walk on the tread mill when I noticed it was 4:20 a.m. So I decided to see if my bed was still beckoning to me and it was. I was still tired. Usually if I wake up at that time, I find it difficult to fall asleep again but this morning, sleep came easily. The reason I mention this is because I had a dream so vivid and clear that I woke up thinking there was a puppy at the house. I mean the house in S.L. I dreamt we were home with Dane and Tracie. It was time to go to bed and I was the last one up. I was doing a few chores in the basement when I noticed a huge, magnificent, beautiful German Shepherd at the back door of the basement. I turned on the light and noticed she had a tiny puppy with her. That got my attention. The mom looked hungry and I could not resist feeding her so she could feed her baby. So I ran and got (I guess it was Jessie's food) a large bag of dog food and poured it along the grass. The Shepherd came back with that adorable, shy puppy and started eating. As I watched them, I noticed there was another dog that looked kind of like Jesse but smaller. And with them were about twenty tiny little puppies. One had stripes on his neck like a Zebra. They were all eating. Then I realized they needed water. But as I came back all the food was gone along with the dogs except for the German Shepherd and the first tiny, shy puppy. She seemed to want to leave the puppy. She turned to leave and I was going to open the door to get the puppy and as I did the last thing I remember before I got the dog was, I wonder how Jesse will get along with this new puppy? Anyway, that was my dream. So Dane and Tracie, watch out for German Shepherds in the neighborhood and if you see one, don't feed it unless you want a new puppy. Dreams for me are so elusive. They are like smoke that dissipates so quickly I NEVER remember them. I am lucky if I am granted three or four a year that I remember in their entirety. I so rarely remember anything so when I do, I wonder why I remember that particular one. Well, well, for what it is worth, that was my dream for the quarter. If any of you out there care to interpret my dream, feel free. Dad and I always play that game. However we are not as good at it, as Joseph of old.....
I so often write of the miracle hot line in the CMM mission. Once again, it is when the missionaries call me as they have a miracle they feel like sharing. This of course is optional and often they don't have time to make that call. However yesterday, I received a call from one of our missionaries who is way up North. He and his companion had an amazing miracle to tell me. There is a new member of about 6 months. He is married to a very dear young woman. Dad and I had the pleasure of getting to know them because of a series of interviews, they came to the house once and we had dinner with them as well. Anyway the Elders get a call from this new convert. He said a lady called him to ask if she could bring her husband over for a blessing and neither of them are members but she was taught by some missionaries a long time ago. She wanted to be baptized but her husband would not allow it. Her husband became very ill. He went to the hospital and he was diagnosed with a form of or a complication with Diabetes that had become so severe that they simply sent him home to die. She was beside herself. So she remembered the Elders and blessings on those who are sick and called this member, Israel. He called the Elders to come to his house so they could administer the blessing there. The man was completely out of it. He was breathing heavily he could not respond and his eyes were closed. When the Elders arrived they were freaked out, literally those were the words used to describe their feelings when they walked in the door. They were afraid the man was going to die while they were there. They anointed his head with the consecrated oil which is blessed for the purpose of giving blessings to those who are sick. This means they dropped a tiny drop of oil on his head then rubbed it in. A prayer was offered. Then a second prayer is given. That is when those holding the Priesthood listen for those things Heavenly Father wants to pronounce upon this man. Blessings have much to do with the faith of he who is being blessed and he who is giving the blessing. In this case it was the great faith of the wife, the Elders and Israel. When it came time bless the sick man, all three had their hands on his head and Israel said to our Elder, "What do I do now" and the Elder, responded "Bless him to be healed". He was caught off guard and did not have time to tutor Israel in the matter. So Israel blessed this man, he told him he would be healed, said he would be fine. After it was over, the Elders gave a short message about the Plan of Salvation, Christ and the hereafter I think. They left. that was the last they heard of this man. The next week at Church they were waiting for an investigator to arrive and they wanted to be sure to be there to greet him. As they watched, their jaws dropped, as the man they had given the blessing to, his wife and their little daughter came walking up the sidewalk. He was completely fine. He was beaming. He was so anxious to attend Church with his wife and child. This was on of those miracles that defies explanation other than there is a God in Heaven who is omnipotent. At His will, He can heal anyone at any time. I am so grateful for the knowledge I have that He lives. That His Son lives. They love each of us and know who we are and what our needs are every moment of the day. All He asks of us is to reach out to Him in prayer and keep His commandments. He had given us so much. We can never repay the debt. Those Elders learned a lifelong lesson that day. The Priesthood is the authority of God to act in His name. It is the means by which God blesses His children. I am so grateful to have received that call on the miracle hot line. I am one lucky girl.
3/6/11 I will make another attempt at finishing off this letter. I have had trouble attaching files/pictures as they always fail. Don't know what is going on but something has happened. So I will instead give you a site you can go on at the end that will enable you to view a few pictures if you choose. James taught me how to do this when he was here. I think this might work. If not I will check out Picasa again. Thanks as well for the reply Ben.
I had a bit of a miracle this week in the department of health. I am sure it is a result of all of your prayers. When I get a cold, a bad cold, it usually travels down to my lungs and stays there for four to six weeks. I cough all day long and it is really bothersome. However, and I think it is because I have been taking Norwegian fish oil each day, this time it lasted only three days. It started out badly for two days. My body felt like lead. Moving was a chore. My voice sounded like Ella Fitzgerald, which by the way isn't all bad as it is fun singing bass, for a short while anyway. I actually stayed in for a day. I drank lots of water with honey, lemon juice and gargled with salt water. For me this was amazing, it lasted only a few short days. I am so grateful as we have a huge three weeks coming up and there is no way I could have done what I need to do in the condition I was in. I admit I don't like the taste of the fish oil when I burp. BUT, look what it does for those hearty, lovely Norwegians. I will stick with the a.m. fish oil.
This is a very silly FYI thing, but another thing I have noticed about the people here as opposed to those back home. And this does not relate to everyone at home. But, I have noticed when in a store, any store, you ask someone to show you where something is, they take off so fast and walk so rapidly that I can hardly keep up. Granted I am not in the best of shape, but I have always thought I was a very fast walker. They seriously turbo walk here. I love it. It is because they are a society who walks everywhere. Check it out the next time you find yourself in a store in Quebec. Turbo walk. Maybe I should try it.
OK I just tried uploading three pix again and it worked this time but I will still put a link to a happy place I keep some of my 45,000 photos. And that is not a joke. The first picture is of a ward we just went to. See the size of that mountain of snow? Well, we are getting more. For the next two days. It has been snowing all day. But I still don't mind it. It is so pretty out. The temps are dropping rapidly however and I don't much care for that. The next picture is of our Assistants, Elders Corbett on the right and Magre on the left. Some say Elder Corbett looks like "Jacob" or something from the vampire show. Guess we are missing out huh? What do you think? And last but OH SO NOT LEAST. Look who came to visit us for three blissful days! James, Wynn and Miss Precious. I was stunned by her potty training. I still am. How do they do it? She was so adorable. Smiles and cute sounds. Waving and kicking her fat little "legginged" legs, and now pulling off the tiny booties Wynn crocheted for her. We loved every minute of having you here. Thanks James for driving and you too Wynn. Thanks Acadia for making them come. We love and miss you. That goes for the rest of you too.
We are headed out to attend a fireside in the cold and blizzard conditions. We may as well be mail carriers because not rain, nor wind, nor storm nor blizzard seems to stop us from doing anything. Well, I love you and hope this letter finds you all well and happy. Dianne, Ham and family, please know you are always in our thoughts and prayers. Hope your mom is faring. We love you and hope time will take the edge off of sorrow.
And my Clara girl? How is the potty training going? You are doing such a great job Clara. Mema and Pepa are so proud of you. Call me when you are all finished OK? I love you and tell Eli I love him too. Hey let's Skype sometime soon. I want you to read a book to me. Yes, I would love it.
Just returned home from the Missionary Fireside. It was presented by two young men who served their missions around 2005. They are home and married now but one went to Ghana but was transferred three other times because of war, splits in missions etc. and the other one served in Madagascar. After some of the stories they told, I was very grateful to be here in Quebec with running water, no reptiles crawling on the walls to stave off insects, constant floods, being fearful of daily muggings, having all my packages stolen and eating dog, kitty, goat, grasshoppers, varmints, crocodile, caterpillars and the list goes on. Does any of this sound familiar James? They had a ton of photos along with the presentation. It was really wonderful to hear how other missions run and how great the members are all over the world. They are so good to the missionaries. And so are the Senior Couples. Go Senior Couples, here is a plug for anyone who knows anyone who wants to serve as a Senior Couple. YOU will love it and you will make some of the greatest memories and lasting friends on the mission. We sure love all of our Senior Couples. We are so sad as the Hawkers left a few days ago. We had them stay with us the last night of their mission. It was a pleasure to spend time with them. They will be missed.
Ok I am going to bed. I love you all, sleep tight if you read this in the p.m.
much love,
mom/Shir/Mema
Here is the link to the photos, click below:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/canadamontrealmission/
Soeur Shirin Cannon
Sister Shirin Cannon
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