We only have two more sleeps until we head out on our epic year. We still are not fully packed or ready to leave our home. Yesterday I worked on getting my sewing machine packed and doing some more sorting and cleaning of my sewing room. It feels like some agenda items are very last minute but I may be fooling myself. Erik said yesterday that it feels like we are in a holding pattern.

This morning we drove to Red Deer to see President Higham and get set apart for our mission. What that entails is sitting in a chair and he places his hands on your head and pronunces a blessing for you and details your responsibility as a missionary. It definitely was geared to me and my concerns plus it was telling me some experiences that I will look forward to. Erik was then set apart after me and his blessing was geared to him and also gave him specifics. Receiving a blessing is such a wonderful experience; knowing that God knows you indivually and knows what you need in your life. In June of 2024, I was visiting family in the Cold Lake area. The day that I was leaving, I received a prompting to go see my dad and ask him for a “Father’s Blessing”. I was anxious to get on the road and get home but I did as I was instructed and stopped to see my dad. I ended up spending 2 hours with him, visiting and getting counsel. I also told him that I was instructed to ask for a father’s blessing. He gladly did just that. Dad laid his hands on my head and blessed me according as the spirit directed him. The last father’s blessing I received was when I was 18 years old and leaving home. As then, dad gave me valuable advice as now. What a beautiful experience to receive a father’s blessing at 61 years of age from your 81 year old dad!

Now, we are officially missionaries for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We will serve in the Palmyra New York temple for 1 year. That gives us an opportunity to show love and kindness to all the patrons who enter the temple. As members of the church we go to the temple for various reasons. For me, one of the most important is to feel God’s love for me and to feel the peace that comes in the Lord’s house. As a temple worker, we have a sacred responsibility to help patrons feel that love and to be able to be in the Lord’s house to feel peace and joy.

We will be assigned to a congregation in the Palmyra area. It will be wonderful to meet new people and also wonder at the connections that we will make. In my mind nothing is a coincidence; only instances that are meant to be. The world is far smaller than we understand. Maybe because the older we get, we have met so many people. The 6 degrees of separation doesn’t even get to the 6th degree many times.

As senior missionaries we have many things to consider and deal with; houses, belongings, vehicles, mail, etc. Right now, our fridge is still looking too full. It’s going to be a hard cull! The Savior taught his apostles to go without purse or script and yet I think of the verse that says to be prepared for every needful thing. (D & C: 80 That ye may be prepared in all things when I shall send you again to magnify the calling whereunto I have called you, and the mission with which I have commissioned you.) Maybe my needs are a little different than others because of being celiac. I’m taking a few small appliances that I know have not been glutenized. A sewing kit (with one of my sewing machines), toiletries, pantry foods, towels, bedding and the list goes on. Thank goodness we are driving and that gives us a little leeway in the amount that we are bringing.

There are six couples who are arriving to work in the Palmyra temple. Four couples are from the Salt Lake City area, one couple is from North Carolina and then there’s us, the Canadians. We will have a whole bunch of new friends. One of the couples knows and served with friends of ours from Carstairs when they served in Samoa. It’s a small world! It feels like we are joining a fraternity of people serving missions. It’s a wonderful feeling and I look forward to sharing more with you as I have some photos and stories to tell.