October events on Vancouver Island

October is all but finished and November is upon us.  Tomorrow is Halloween and all the missionaries are to be in their apartments by 6:00, so it will be slow tonight  (Elder Nickels is out with the Elders) and  slow tomorrow, so a good time to update the blog.  
 
 
At the first of the month we decided that the sisters of the Victoria Zone needed a trip to Butchart Gardens on their P-day, so we took them all to see the beautiful gardens.  It was such fun, and they really appreciated the day of diversion.

 

I just couldn't resist showing this Chess picture, it is one of my favorite from my mission.  These are such wonderful sisters.  They work so  hard and it was fun to see them 'goof' off for a minute.

 

 

The gardens were beautiful in the fall, the sun was shining, and the sisters were beaming.  (And it wasn't even raining).

 

 

 

 

 

They all enjoyed the day.  Sisters Heggie, Van Tienderen, Benson, Ovard, Han, Christensen, Facer, Larsen, Lamb and Dexter.  Love them all.

The Sidney Elders finally get to baptize Crystal. 

 Elders Gleed and Thomas.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Getting ready for District Meeting. 

 I always try and take a treat.

 

 

Off  we go to District Meeting.  We attend a different District Meeting each week.  Al is just leaving our apartment and I am waiting in the car.

 

 

 

 

Judith's baptism in Duncan, BC.  Elders Orr and Stock.  We were privileged to help with her lessons.

 

 

 

 

 

Nanaimo Zone at Stake conference.

 

 

 

Sidney North Sisters, Sisters Johnson and Ritchie. 

 They are just too fun.

 

 

 

 

Sister Silver's daughter was having a baby, so I whipped up a 'Buggy Sue' pattern. She was thrilled with it.  Kind of fun to make a quilt again.  (Thank you Tara for finding the fabric for me and shipping it).

 

 

 

 

 

 

We had a real treat on the 10th as Byron, Luiza, and Kevin came for a short visit.  Kevin will be leaving for his mission to Brazil.  He came to see us before he leaves on the 21st of October.  We spent a day at Butchart Gardens. 

 

 

 

The gardens were very beautiful and a clear fall day. 

 

 Kevin just had to take my picture on the brass carousel horse.

So I had to take his, of course.

 

 

 

We all enjoyed the beautiful day.

 

 

 

 

Kevin took some beautiful shots.  Wish I could post them all.  The flowers in Butchart are beautiful.

 

 

 

 

The end of Butchart and the flowers and back home. 

 

The geese by our house are pretty amazing as well.  Chad would love my front yard.  (ha)

 

We were sad to see Byron, Luiza, and Kevin leave, but we know it had to be.  Our best wishes and prayers go with Kevin.

 

 

 

 

The next week it was onto the ferry and back to Richmond to  help with Transfers. 

 

 

 

 

Kind of fun to meet the new, incoming missionaries at the airport.  They are so excited to be there and ready to go to work.  They are a bit tired, however, they got up at the MTC around 2 a.m. to get to the airport.  I finally got Elder Nickels in one of these pictures.  He is the cute one in the overcoat on the back row right. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After we got home from Transfers, we loaded up the car and headed north.  We are going to visit companionships in the north.  North Island branch, Powell River branch, Campbell River ward, and Nanaimo.  Of course it was raining.  So hard at times you could hardly see.  The fall colors, however, were out in full color.  The picture below does not do it justice.  We saw some beautiful scenery. 

 

The trees along the road were just like an enormous hedge.  It was unbelievable how tall, and dense they were.  And they went for miles and miles.

 

 

 

 

We took a ferry and found the Powell River building.

 

The chapel at Powell River.  It was humbling to see where Saints meet.  We are so blessed in Idaho to have the spacious meeting houses that we do.

 

 

 

The ferry out of Port MacNeill.  It goes to the mainland.

 

The park at Port MacNeill.

There is so much fun to be said about this picture, but I won't.  Just my cute little 'bear' in his cove.




The scenery never stopped.  There was a  'shot' everywhere you looked.  Couldn't snap enough.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In Port MacNeill is the world's largest tree burl.  It was huge I must say.  Can't believe this was on a tree. 

 

 

So that about wraps up October.  It is the month we have traveled the most since coming to our mission.  We have seen some beautiful country and met some wonderful people.  The members are few in number, but are devoted to the gospel.  We hated to leave them.  We would of liked to stay in the tiny branch of North Island and help strengthen that branch, but I guess that will have to be another day.  We loved President and Sister Terry who work non-stop in their branch.  We feel bad at home when we have 2 callings.  I think they perform every calling in the branch.