letter #39

Letter #39

February 13, 2012

Mission Home

Greetings from a cozy warm office at the mission home!

Hello and how are you all this week? We are fine….but cold as our furnace is broken. We normally keep our home cool in the winter but this winter the mission home has been pretty much freezing. It was about 56 degrees in the house on all three floors after turning it up to 70. For me it is not as bad, as I naturally stay pretty warm without adding extra layers, but for dad, it is torture. Last night he had on six layers of clothes on including two thick sweaters. One being the sweater I bought him when I went to visit Libby in Ecuador up in Otavalo. We have a member of the FM Group (Facilities Management group operated by the Church) Andres, who is coming to fix the furnace. If he can’t fix it he will call the local oil company to come and fix it. So, we wait in the warm office where we have a tiny electric heater.

Every six weeks we have transfers, which means we receive all the new missionaries who have been at the MTC for two months learning one of four languages, English as a second language for those from foreign countries, French, Spanish, and Chinese. They arrive usually around 6:00 p.m. at Trudeau Airport where Pres./dad and I along with our assistants, pick them up. We must always have two vehicles, as there is a ton of luggage depending upon how many come. The times we received over twenty at a time, we have had to bring in our 12-passenger van along with a few other cars to get everyone in with their luggage.

As they arrive, they always have a “deer in the headlights look” on their faces as they are dragging and hauling all their belongings they need for two years, behind them. Their eyes light up as they see our nametags and realize someone has come to pick them up. They are always exhausted, exhilarated, wide-eyed, scared, hungry, thirsty, anxious and very happy to be in Montreal. All those feelings jumbled up into one moment. We greet each of them, I “BISOU” or kiss the Sisters on both cheeks, as that as how the women greet each other even when they first meet. We hand them a granola bar and a bottle of water and off we head for the mission home. We have them email home as soon as we get in to let their folks know they are safe and then we eat a nice dinner.

After we have a short get to know you session in the living room where we give them a Canadian lapel pin and a new Book of Mormon with a highlighter. We challenge them to highlight every reference to Christ, or God the Father in yellow, throughout the whole book (I think I counted only 26 pages where the name of Jesus Christ is not referred to in some way, that is why we teach people that the Book of Mormon is another testament of Christ ), then dad/Nels interviews each one briefly in order to make sure they are paired up with the right trainer/companion. Lights out at 10:00 and some times before that, as they are beat. The Elders always sleep in the finished basement on the carpet on Aero- beds we make up ahead of time and the Sisters always sleep up on our level with us, two floors above. We have five bedrooms on the top floor of our home with three bathrooms. In the basement there are two bathrooms with three showers. Pretty neat.

In the morning we have a big breakfast and a couple hours of training where we pass out their Metro or bus cards and their credit cards to buy food with. Then we load everyone back into the vans/cars and head down to the Berri UQAM bus station where all the missionaries gather to exchange new companions, get new ones or prepare to leave the mission. There is a lot of hugging, Elder with Elders, back slapping, pictures and laughing that goes on there. They have not seen each other in a while so this is a time to catch up for a few minutes with former companions, greet new missionaries and say goodbye to those leaving. It is also a time to send them on the buses to their various areas some being as far as eight or more hours away.

Once that is all done, we take the missionaries who have completed their missions, directly to the Temple, here in Montreal. It is a very special time as we gather with all our Senior missionaries who run the session for this wonderful time together. It is just all the CMM SENIOR missionaries, the outgoing missionaries and us in the Temple session. The dear Temple President and his wife, the Galbraith’s have allowed us this privilege since we arrived here in Quebec. It is a very precious time we spend with them in the Celestial Room. It is a sacred time of reflection, love and contemplation for all of us as we send these sweet, wonderful missionaries home.

Once we have finished the session, we head home where we have ahead of time prepared a special meal for them. This is one of my favorite times of the transfer. By that time, all the outgoing, who are very sad to be leaving have now settled into a peaceful and resolved kind of attitude. After a long dinner of chatting and story telling we sit around the table or tables and swap funny, wonderful, spiritual stories about the mission. I love this time. You see the stress draining out of them. You see them starting to relax after two years of giving everything they had to give, every minute, to furthering the work of our Father in Heaven here in the CMM. I love and admire them all so much.

After dinner, we have the sweetest, most sacred time with them as we share our testimonies of the work, the Father, His Son, the Book of Mormon, baptisms, and the many miracles we experienced along the way. It is a privilege to be in that small circle of giants. They are all great and wonderful giants in my eyes. I feel the same about our own missionaries on our family. I often think of Dane, Libby, Mark, Ben and James as we go throughout this mission knowing they were of the same caliber as our great missionaries. I love this work.

Pres. interviews them, I go over schedules, complete forms and tags for the airport and their bags, give them a letter we write, and a notebook with pictures and addresses of all the missionaries they served with while they were here. They also get a copy of every letter they wrote to the Pres. every week along with some money in case they have any problems along the way. I have them highlight their favorite scripture in a set of scriptures we have here along with their name and date. They sign an apron as well.

We try and get them to bed on time. Just before we leave for the airport in the morning, we have a huge breakfast, weigh all their bags, do last minute stuff and off we go. At the airport, we snap a parting shot of them with their luggage, then tearfully, bid them adieu…. farewell faithful warriors of truth and good. We miss them so much when they go. We are so blessed to be a part of this wonderful process.

Here is a delicious soup recipe!

Moldovan soup or better known as ZEAMA, in the country of Moldova. Yes, we know people from Moldova and the lady (dear Valentina) who worked for us for a few months before we realized she did not have a work permit, used to make this soup all the time. It is heavenly and I absolutely love it. So healthy. As I usually do, I changed it a bit to fit my taste. Instead of the fresh thyme, I used chopped fresh green onions and threw all three, the parsley, dill, and green onions in at the last minute so they were just warmed through. I was in a big hurry so I used Costco canned chicken with it’s broth. Tons of chunky carrots and some peas at the last minute. Delish. I am including this recipe below. The fresh lemon juice makes all the difference. I had a bunch of lemons I was not using so I juiced them and put the juice in ice cube trays, froze them then threw them in a zip-loc bag. I used four or five in the soup, as I doubled it.

Moldovan Chicken Soup

Um, yeah. Moldovan Chicken Soup (or Zeama) is THE BEST THING EVER.

And so totally easy. I keep saying this about many of the things I’ve cooked so far for this blog, but I will be making this recipe all of the time. Trust me – it’s a winner.

All ingredients for this meal were purchased at Findlay Market.

Both recipes in this post are from PapaBuna.com. My edits will be in a separate note at the end of each.

Traditional Chicken Noodle Soup – ZEAMA

A traditional recipe, Moldovan “Zeama” is typically made with homemade egg noodles and whole chicken, which gives the recipe a delicious flavor. You can find the recipe for the homemade noodles under the Miscellaneous category on Papabuna.com.

Ingredients:

1 smaller whole chicken (about 3lb), cut up,
about 12 cups (3 quarts) water (one time I did not have time to boil chicken so I used canned chicken from Costco and canned chicken broth and it was delish)

3 teaspoons salt or to taste
1/8 teaspoon black pepper, fresh cracked
1 medium onion diced
5 large carrots chopped
1 big fresh tomato diced
about 2 cups homemade egg noodles or store bought are fine
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 large celery stalk with leaves chopped
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh dill weed
3-4 small branches fresh thyme (optional)

1 bunch green onions chopped

Directions:

Wash the chicken, place it in a deep saucepan and add water. Boil on medium-low heat, until froth rises to the top and chicken is cooked.
Meanwhile, clean and chop all vegetables and herbs.

Using a skimmer, remove all the froth. Bone chicken and cut into bite sized pieces, put aside. Add chicken at the end, along with parsley, dill and green onion. You just wanted them heated through, do not cook the fresh herbs.

To the chicken broth, add salt, black pepper, onion, carrot, tomato and celery. Cook for about 3 minutes. Add the egg noodles and lemon juice. Continue cooking on medium-low for about 4 more minutes. Don’t overcook carrots you want them slightly crunchy.
Add the thyme, and finely chopped parsley, green onions and dill. If the celery stalk has any leaves, I usually chop them up and add them together with the other herbs.

Cover, remove from heat. If you let the soup stand for a little while, it allows flavors to blend in, making it taste better.

Serving Suggestions: Moldovans usually serve Zeama with traditional Moldovan corn bread.

I didn’t make homemade egg noodles; I used angel hair pasta and another time I used tiny circle pasta, whatever you want.

Now onto other things, we were just way, way up in Val d’Or where there is a tiny branch of about 18 members. They are strong and faithful. The community of Val D’Or (the valley of gold) is an old mining town which is just as active as ever. It is a town with tons of bars and girly clubs. It is a town with a very large community of Cree Indians. And our dear Elders are hard at work trying to share the gospel in this city which is the home of many drunks and lost individuals. So many are divorced, out of work and many are drug addicts. It is a town that needs the gospel of Jesus Christ. There are so many who are lost, friendless and feel hopeless.

We were asked to speak for the entire Sacrament meeting as we often do, (in French) and afterwards, one of the Brothers by the name of Frere Paille, made a lunch of soup, bread and pickles. It was so fun to be with them and sit around after church and get to know them. What a wonderfully diverse group of individuals. The Relief Society President made dad and I the most beautiful, delish sack lunch, to take in the car with us on the way, as we had an eight hour drive home that day.

We have two Elders up there who are stellar. One of them is from Alaska and is an American Indian. He has been a big hit up there. The Indians love him and he really connects with them. The other Elder is the nephew of Susan and Patrick Neff, Sousan….neat huh? Great Elder!! We love him. He kind of looks like he could be Susan’s son. Anyway. The night before we wanted to take the Branch President, his wife and the Elders to dinner, because they never see anyone from the mission as they are so far away. So we asked the Elders to find a place to eat. Yes, I know that was a risky request. We ended up at the local all you can eat, (of course, it’s the Elders) Chinese buffet. Need I say more. Delectable frog legs, soggy pizza, overcooked Spaghetti, and other things I simply was not able to identify.

As we were at the restaurant eating, I realized something amazing. I was listening to about five different languages being spoken all around me. And as I was in the buffet line there even more being spoken. I figured they were different dialects of Cree. I did not understand anything anyone was saying. It gave me an understanding of what it may have been like to be present during the time of the at the tower of Babel in the Bible when the Lord confounded the language of the people and suddenly everyone was speaking different languages and no one could communicate with each other. I love this place. Honestly, Quebec is the most wonderful mix of the world, so rich in culture, color, dress, food and language. I love it.

Well today, it is the 12^th of March and somehow a month has marched by, or raced by rather. I write in bits and pieces of time. I find it better to end this letter and start another as I have so much more to write. I will attach a picture of the Moldovan Soup, our new missionaries and a picture of one of our Elders who has kept track of all the countries represented by those he has met and taught here in Montreal.

I love and appreciate you all. Thank you for all you do for us. We love and miss you. Please know you are in our prayers morning and night and sometimes in between. I know that Heavenly Father watches over you all. We are SO EXCITED for the upcoming birth of Tracie and Danes, (our) new baby girl. We are looking forward to Libby and Mark’s first baby girl and to Wynn and James’ second beautiful girl. How blessed are we to add to this grouping of new baby girls starting with Nora! We are grateful for Andi, Clara and Eli and Acadia who bring such joy into our lives. And that’s just the grandkids, our kids, you kids, you are our “jewels”, the crowning jewels in our lives. You are precious in every way. We love you all.

Make it a great week and I promise to do my best to do the same.

Love,

Mom, meme, Grammah, Shir, Soeur Cannon

Go to link below for pictures from the mission etc.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/canadamontrealmission/

letter #38

Letter #38

Feb. 9, 2012

Mission Home

Dear family of mine,

Greetings from Quebec, or more specifically, Mont-Royal. We are well and have just returned from the beautiful city of OTTAWA where we have completed our fourth and final Zone Conference. All four went very well and we feel the conferences were helpful to not only the missionaries but to us as well. They, teach us so much. It is always so good to travel around and see our missionaries. They are the best. We love and appreciate all they do, day in and day out. I think of myself as one of the luckiest missionaries ever.

The weather here today was sunny and fair. We still have snow, still wear coats and scarves but oh yah, it is warming up….relatively speaking. I cannot believe how blessed we have been with the weather so far. Do I dare say, that up until now it has been very mild and I think we can expect it to remain so???? I hope, I hope, I hope. I heard Ottawa is supposed to get some snow tomorrow.

Next week we have transfers again. It seems like we just did this, but I guess six weeks has flown by. I am stunned at how fast the time goes by here in the mission. I fear, I will go home without having learned the language of French but I will have learned much else.

I got a call from one of our wonderful Elders the other night. They were calling to report a miracle. They had just arrived home, rather late, because they were teaching a new investigator. This is how it all happened. The one Elder, Elder G. told me that the night before, in a dream, he had seen a very tall red building and knew from his dream there was someone in that building who they needed to teach. The next day during companion studies and planning, Elder G. told his companion about his dream. They decided to go out and see if they could find this building. As they drove around visiting members and other investigators, they found “the red building” just as Elder G. had seen it in his dream. He does not remember seeing it before but none the less, they found it. Just as they were about to enter, a car drove up and a man got out. He was a tall Haitian man. They can determine nationalities very well. This man walked into the very apartment they were going to knock in. They felt they should follow him. They did so and found a Haitian flag in his window. This is always a good sign. The Haitians here are such good, kind, humble, God-fearing people. They are hospitable and willing to listen. They gave the man a few minutes to get his coat off and then they knocked the door. He answered still wearing his coat. It turns out he had been praying for some answers. He has prayed for someone he could talk to about God. He knew as soon as they told them who they were, that they were the answer to his prayers and he felt he had prayed them there to his house. They felt as if he was the answer to their prayers. He has been a blessing for them to teach. He asks great questions, has great faith, reads the Book of Mormon and prays about the things they teach him. He wants to find out for himself whether or not this is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. To me, that was a miracle. These things happen daily with our missionaries, our members and with those who are seeking truth. It takes earnest desire, real intent, great faith, and also a person who will pray, read the Book of Mormon and who will come to church. This man did all these things. He has come very far in his journey or quest for truth. He is on the road to baptism. He has changed so much. He was a very good man before but has become an even better man by the things he is doing. I am so grateful to be a part of this process of conversion. I am grateful for our missionaries and that they listen to the promptings of the spirit.

This past Monday we drove up to Quebec City which is two and a half hours N/E of Montreal as we had a Zone Conference planned there. The missionaries up there invited Pres. and I to go to the ICE HOTEL for the afternoon. We left early so we could meet them in the parking lot. It is a massive Hotel made of thousands and thousands of snow and blocks of ice. They start making snow for it in Nov. It costs about $15.00 to get in, so you can imagine, this was quite a treat for the missionaries as they would not normally spend that kind of money to do anything. It is a once in a lifetime visit for them. We roamed from room to room checking out the different designs on ice or sculpted into the snow walls in each of the rooms. They also have a snow chapel carved meticulously, where folks get married. Sounds like a chilly way to start a marriage if you ask me. The suite with hot tub and sauna costs $450.00 a night....to sleep in and freeze. They have a solid ice two story slide, a bar where you drink out of cups made of ice. I have often wondered how you drink out of an ice glass without having your lips stick to it and I was not about to find out. We took lots of pictures and had a fun time together. Outside the hotel was an "all things Maple" shack where you can pay three dollars and they will pour a foot long strip of boiled maple syrup onto snow. You then take a tongue depressor and start rolling the syrup which starts to harden in the snow, onto the depressor. This turns into a sort of maple, frozen, icy sucker that is super delicious. The Quebequois DO love their home harvested maple syrup and they will be the first to tell you it is the best maple syrup in the WORLD. I may concur with that.

On occasion, people invite us over for dinner and usually, along with the set of missionaries who serve in their ward or branch. I am so grateful for all those kind souls who make dinner for our missionaries. I pray the Lord’s choicest blessing upon them. This past week we spoke at a ward in Laval. A really nice member by the name of Brother Lahasche came up after and invited us over for dinner…. to experience his “famous” ribs. I noticed he did not even consult his wife. After, she came up and he told her we were all coming for dinner and she did not mind at all. Wow, I thought, she is very “chill”. I later found out, HE does ALL the cooking, ALL of it. We were actually free that night and accepted his invitation. I asked what I could bring and ended up making Ananas Fromage (Lemon, pineapple, mousse-type delight) which has become famous in the mission. This is the dessert we all know and love that my mom made for us every Christmas Eve of my life and what I made out kids every Christmas of their lives. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it. It is so good. They told us how to get to their house but found it so confusing, even with a GPS, we offered to pick up the missionaries so they could navigate the way. And the reason it was so confusing is because they live on an Indian reservation which has no street signs. They all know each other and where everyone lives because they are all related to one another. The only way you can live on the reservation is if you have Mohawk blood in you (he is half Italian).She is full Mohawk. And if you do….it is a sweet place to live because you are not required to pay the 16% taxes that we pay in Quebec. They have their own schools etc. Gas is cheap, stores are cheap etc. It is a very sweet deal. I think I am picking up the phrases of the missionaries...hence the use of the word...sweet. Sorry about that. I am so happy for them. They were so nice and had set the table with their very best. And yes, they were indeed the very BEST ribs I have ever in my life had. His rib sauce is a secret known only to him and his son which was bequeathed to him as an inheritance. He is going to sell it soon and make millions of dollars. And he probably will. He made a delicious array of entrees including egg foo young. We had a wonderful time sitting around the table listening to how he and his wife were converted, baptized and married. What wonderful stories we hear. But that is a story for another time. I am so grateful to know these wonderful people and hear of their remarkable and inspiring lives. And the ribs were great too.

Well that is all for now family. I love and adore you all. I miss you but know you are better off in the Lord’s Hands while we are away. I pray for each of you every day. Thank you for your love and support. We could not do this without your prayers. I am amazed at my stamina, day in and day out. I did not have this much energy and stamina in high school. It is because of the prayers. I am certain of that. Thank you so much. It is a privilege to be out here serving in Quebec with these wonderful young people. I know this Gospel that we share with so many, is the Gospel of Jesus Christ, our Savior. I know Joseph Smith saw God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. I am grateful for a prophet today, even Pres. Thomas S. Monson and I love the Book of Mormon. I cannot live a day without reading that book. It is my life’s manual. I find comfort, guidance and truth within it’s pages. It teaches me how to be the kind of person I know my Father in Heaven wants me to be. I am so grateful for the Atonement of Christ. I know He lives and resurrected from the dead. I am grateful for the third member of the Godhead, the Holy Ghost and the guidance I am given daily by way of the spirit.

Time for bed, good night, don’t let the bed bugs bite, sweet dreams and see you in the morning. I used to say that to you kids. Now I really mean it about the bed bugs in some of our apartments.That is yet another story....

Love you so,

Mom, Shir, mema, grammah, Soeur Cannon

For pictures of the mission click below:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/canadamontrealmission/

P.S. all pictures sent today are of the Ice Hotel in Quebec City

pics with letter #37

Pic#1 Em, Ben and the adorable kiddos

#2 Grammah/Mema and Acadia

#3 Our Quebec Zone missionaries after viewing the Ice Hotel or Hôtel de Glace

#4 One of our four Zone Conferences in Montreal

#5 preparing to go down the ice slide/Hotel de Glace

letter #39 delivery on this failed on so many mom/Shir

Will send pictures separately! 

--
Soeur Shirin Cannon

Sister Shirin Cannon
    

Letter # 37 mom/Shir

Letter #37

January 21, 2012

Mission Home

 

Dear family,

 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MONDAY THE 23, 2012 our dear sweet heart Clara. You are four years old now and you have a vocabulary of a fourteen year old. Hope your Unicorn party was so much fun. I wish we could have been there to watch the fun and eat cake with you. We love you and hope you had a HAPPY BIRTHDAY on Monday and every day. We love and miss you!

 

Well, it is time for another letter. We just arrived home from another baptism this time for a young girl whose name I really liked. She was sweet, and so happy to be baptized. Her name is Rayne. Isn't that cute? Her mom and dad moved here from Calgary and they are new to our ward. And guess who baptized her? The grandson of the man who baptized mom, Mor mor, Birgit, in Denmark! So Gaylen Young's grandson is Elder Pistorius and he is a Zone Leader in this area. He baptized Rayne. It is so great to have him here. He is a stellar missionary.

 

This week something funny and out of the ordinary happened. We had just given talks in French, in the Mascouche ward and were in the middle of Sunday school. The instructor asked that someone read something in the Book of Mormon out loud. A sister started reading when all of a sudden, out of no where, but from some where, and no one could figure out where, (from dad's phone), came a very loud man's voice reciting the scriptures this sister was reading. Everyone stopped, looked around, realized it was coming from dad and watched as dad fumbled around, tried to turn off the phone.It seemed as if the phone were a hot potato the way he was handling it. He seemed to try everything but could not silence it. He turned bright red and said "sorry it is coming from my phone and I can't turn it off". I was trying not to laugh but soon realized he was flustered. So I grabbed the phone and ran out in the hall. I turned it off, joined the class, handed dad's phone back to him and he promptly put it away. Everyone was so nice about it. They love the President so much. It was one of those funny moments I wish I would have had my camera rolling. These IPhones are great but unless you know how to use them they can take over. It was funny. It will be my turn next time but it will probably play some rock music or something. 

 

 

NOW IT IS JANUARY  24, 2012 SO HAPPY BIRTHDAY MY BROTHER FARHAD!!! I love you and hope your day was really wonderful. Maybe you will "lunched" with our brothers. I hope you did something fun anyway. LOVE you so much brother.

 

 We are on the way to Quebec to work with the missionaries there. I get to go out with Sisters Bize and Chadburn. Sister Bize will be going home this next transfer and she will be sorely missed. She is such a wonderful missionary. She is from France but her folks moved to the States so you can imagine her French. When she first came into the mission on our way home from picking the new group up from the airport she turned to me in the front seat and said "Sister Cannon, I will NEVER speak Quebequois"  I am determined to keep my French pure". Here in Quebec they have a very strong and unique accent. Imagine an old timer from Wisconsin who live way up North and ask him to speak French. This is the best I can do. I find it very difficult to understand the very strong Quebeqois accent especially when spoken with a Spanish accent or a Syrian accent etc. Anyway, she skyped her folks at Christmas and horror of all horrors....her mother, from France said to her, "you really have an accent".... and so it goes. She is a good sport and laughed it off. Hey worse things could happen right? 

 It is a little colder in Quebec and the snow is deeper here but really the weather has been very mild compared to last year. We were having a meeting earlier and a huge, bright, magnificent cardinal perched on a tree outside out window. Could that mean an early spring??

 

Feb. 1, 2012 OK, I guess this is why I don't write each week. We ended up going out with the missionaries for two nights teaching people from Viet Nam, Haiti, the Philippines' and  Taiwan. I am amazed at how our missionaries communicate with people from all over the world. I love Quebec. It is so fascinating learning about the lives of these folks and why they have come here. Most all of them, leaving all behind to seek a better life for themselves and their children. Many of them refugees.  Many trying to escape violence in their countries, seeking asylum.  All those we taught were so humble, very poor and  extremely kind. I used my feeble French at times and realized how much I don't know. Good thing I was with the missionaries. I love going out with them.

 

We have since had a Sisters' Conference, a Zone Council, have spoken in different wards four weeks in a row (yes  a few in French) and had two Zone conferences since I last wrote. That equates to a ton of planning, training, traveling and a lot of hand shaking. It is so fun when we get together with the missionaries. They are so full of love and life. Their energy and enthusiasm for life is contagious. I wish I could hug them all but that will have to wait. Elders are not supposed to hug women while on the mission. But they do plenty of hugging each other when they see one another. Same with the Sisters, they hug and bisous each-other (kiss each-other on both cheeks as they do here in Quebec). 

 

There seems to be a terrible flu roaming around the mission. I field all phone calls when our missionaries are sick. It is amazing the things I have learned. I am thinking of going into medicine when I get home. Just kidding. For instance this week we had a miracle, as far as I am concerned. These Elders could have been killed. They were driving down the freeway. The night before it rained then froze. Before that, we had had a huge snow storm. It was below zero the night before. But during the day, it warmed up a bit and  as they were headed down the highway behind a semi truck, an enormous plate of glass of ice came flying off the truck and busted through their windshield. It hit them straight on like you would toss a Frisbee. It completely busted the whole thing. The Elder was driving a bit close to the truck and somehow found his way to the side of the road as the semi sped off.  After three hours, standing on the side of the road, the police had come, taken a report, and the tow truck hauled the brand new car away. It hit with such force that it dented in the frame of the car. There was glass everywhere and the car was a mess. But our Elders were ok other than a few scratches on their hands and faces they seemed ok. The one Elder driving however got a sliver of glass in his eye but it ended up it was in the corner of the eyelid. After 8 hours of waiting in the ER a nurse came out and told them they had to wait another 20 hours to see a Dr. So she looked at it and picked out the glass and they  went home. They did not want to wait around. I really hope he did not have anything else in his eye that they did not detect. I told him to flush his eye out the second I talked to him but he forgot. I know there are guardian angels who watch our "angels" every day. By this time last year we had totaled a few cars so we feel very blessed. We are just grateful they are safe. During that conference my phone rang and it was Libby. I remembered they were going for an ultra sound to determine whether they were having a girl or a boy. They both felt that they were going to have a baby boy but Heavenly Father had something else in mind. THEY ARE HAVING A GIRL!!!! I am so excited. Eli, you are going to have a whole  bunch of girl cousins who will love and adore you and you will love them. You will be very close.  Now we just have to find out what Wynn and James are having. I have no predictions, if push comes to shove I will say a girl. All I want are healthy babies, girls... boys, we love them all!! We are so happy for all of our kids. We are happy for us!

 

We have been trying to keep up with the politics of the U.S. and wow, I wish we could take the negativity out of all campaigns but I don't think that will ever happen. I think it is a shame we cannot be civil, express our differences while showing respect. I long for the civility of long ago where one would never think of slamming others for the sake of gain in the manner we have witnessed in the past 15 years or so.  I intend on voting, as we arranged to do so from Canada. I feel it is important to do so. It is a privilege to be able to have my vote count. I am grateful for our great country. I still believe in a strong and good America. I know we can recover if we unite rather than divide. I am tired of this party and that party...I just want to vote for the man or woman who can BEST do the joy. It is that simple for me.

 

We have a mission song here in the CMM, Canada Montreal Mission. As we first began our service here, we heard it a time or two but never paid much attention to it. But then one of our missionaries left a copy behind and I played it. It is very good and the words inspire our missionaries. I have decided to burn a copy for each new missionary who comes in along with a duplicate of the lyrics. I will include the lyrics below.

 

 

 

 You are hereby called to serve as a missionary of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

 

 You have been recommended as one worthy to represent the Lord as a minister . . .

 

 We place in you our confidence . . .

 

 Greater blessing and more happiness than you have yet experienced in . . .

 

You are assigned to labor in the Canada Montreal Mission.

 

I've dreamed of this day. I've pictured it, so many times.  Our family and friends; we separate, and say good bye.  Now I'm taking my life.  I place it in your hands dear Lord.  I'll be who you want me to be.

 

 Oh my Father, for Thy help, I do pray.  As I testify to the ones who've lost their way.  My purpose is clear, I know I am here, to share Thy love dear Lord.  The field is white. The time is right.

 

We see through different eyes and walk in different shoes.  Ever searching to find the one waiting for truth.  In this place where few still believe.   We hold the light, and help them see.  But I know your plan.  Lose myself to find out who I am.   And I know you live.   All I have I'll give.

 

Oh my Father, for Thy help, I do pray.  As I testify to the ones who've lost their way.  My purpose is clear; I know I am here, to share Thy love dear Lord.  The field is white. The time is right.

 

Days felt like weeks, weeks felt like days. Two years felt like a dream. I've loved, I've lived, I've laughed, I've learned.  I've built so many memories.  The changes, the difference, I've tried to make.  The people and friendships that will never fade.  The best days I've yet to see. Quebec, you are a part of me.

 

 Oh my Father, for Thy help, I do pray.  As I testify to the ones who've lost their way.  My purpose is clear, I know I am here, to share Thy love dear Lord.  The field is white. The time is right.

 

 I'll go where you want me to go dear Lord.  Over mountains, or plain, or sea.  I'll say what you want me to say dear Lord.  I'll be who you want me to be.  The field is white.  The time is right.

 

Well, that is it for now. Sorry this was a lame, and fragmented letter. I just want you all to know how much I love and appreciate you and your amazing lives. I am having trouble attaching photos to this letter so I will send them separately. LOVE YOU!

 

Until next time,

 

Love,

 

Mom/Shir/Mema/grammah/Soeur Cannon

 

Click below for pictures if you want

 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/canadamontrealmission/

 

Soeur Shirin Cannon

Sister Shirin Cannon
    

FYI---THYROID CANCER.....PLEASE READ LADIES!

Thyroid cancer



On Wednesday, Dr. Oz had a show on the fastest growing cancer in
women, thyroid cancer. It was a very interesting program and he
mentioned that the increase could possibly be related to the use of
dental x-rays and mammograms. He demonstrated that on the apron the
dentist puts on you for your dental x-rays there is a little flap that
can be lifted up and wrapped
around your neck. Many dentists don't bother to use it. Also, there is
something called a "thyroid guard" for use during mammograms.
By coincidence, I had my yearly mammogram yesterday. I felt a little
silly, but I asked about the guard and sure enough, the technician had
one in a drawer. I asked why it wasn't routinely used. Answer: "I
don't know. You have to ask for it." Well, if I hadn't seen the show,
how would I have known to ask?
We need to pass this on to our daughters, nieces, mothers and all our
female friends and husbands tell your wives !! I just did, now you
send it on to your list. Someone was nice enough to forward this to
me. I hope you pass this on to your friends and family.

 

--
Soeur Shirin Cannon

Sister Shirin Cannon