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| The extortion plan failed. Marlene and her dog, Ben. |
Saturday, July 30, 2016
Unimaginably frightening ugliness.........I managed to only hear about the huge Norwegian rats that live in the hedges here in Hope. That is until last Sunday morning. Stan always takes out the garbage for us. It's in a huge rusty metal dumpster with heavy metal lids sitting behind our apartment building. I thought I could take the small box of garbage out Sunday before church. As I rounded the corner of the building I saw that someone had propped the metal lid open with a stick. That should have tipped me off. While singing to myself "welcome welcome Sabbeth morning ", I walked to the dumpster to throw in my box. He was more ugly than you can imagine, beady starring eyes, brown hairy creature, long beaver-like teeth and he stunk, really bad. I didn't wait to see his tail. I couldn't take time to pull the stick to slam the lids either. I held my breath run into the apartment screaming and jumping, shaking my arms at Stan who was sitting on the couch. After He was able to discern what all chaos was about; he went to the dumpster to see the rat for himself. I stood there trying to shake off the ugliness I saw. A terrible experience I was able to avoid for six months anyway.
To finish the extortion spy story from last week about Marlene and her sweet dog ; the Royal Candian mounted police were able to recover the dog. We told her it was because God answers prayers, because we know it to be true & to hopefully help build her faith in God. It was wonderful to see the joy on her face to have her little puppy back. I'll post her picture.
There have been several sightings of bears in town picking the berries which grow wild everywhere. They aren't that good but I guess the bears really like them. So Stan and I have been practicing how to drop to the ground and act like a dead rock. Our favorite excerise trail is one of the popular sightings. We walk it every morning before I'm really awake. Stan says,: "just keep talking & you'll scare the bear away ". I wonder if that's for the benefit of the bear or Stan. Ha !
We had a wonderful missionary experience with our non-member friends Hussain & Fetima. They had a broken dishwasher but no-one would repair it. Anyway..long story short, the repair man came, we went, I stood there and asked a hundred questions about everything he was doing and why. It wasn't an easy call for him but he did leave with the dishwasher working wonderfully. Bam ! Durning our visit we gave Hussain & Fetima a Persian Book of Mormon to read and had a great religious discussion. Hussain asked the famous questions every missionary longs to hear. "Where did I come from ?" "Why am I here " " Where am I going? " Stan taught a great lesson, we answered many questions and left them with a commitment. Wonderful. I was going to get two llamas for Hussain for his farm but Stan studied and found out they don't do anything but stand around and spit. So I didn't arrange to get them.
We had a big week of service. Stan and the zone leaders dismantled an old building for Jack. I provided the picnic.
Stan mowed the lawns for our non-member friend Martin who has arthritis and can't do it. I sat in the lawn chair and listened to Martin tell me how he used to grow olives in Italy. He taught me how they had a special stick that shook the branches so all the olives would fall into a net. The nets were gathered and taken to a warehouse where they were put into a vat. The donkey would grind the olives to mush. After that they were pressed into oil. The oil is put into a cauldron of boiling water. The worker scoops the oil off the top and it is bottled. Whew. He gave us a fig to try. They taste like a mushy plum.
I made breakfast for the missionaries at district meeting this week. They loved the hashbrowns, ham & cheese omelet, poppyseed muffins and orange juice. It was a hit. So this week I think I will do sausage, milk and waffles with strawberry, blueberries and whip cream.
A non-member put on Facebook he needed some help for a day & was paying minimum wage. So we went out to his place and volunteered to do the work he needed. Stan painted a trailer and I cleaned boxes. He was very grateful for our help and wanted to pay us. But then, it would'nt have been service.
We love being missionaries. We love our Heavenly Father. We are so grateful for all He has done for us. I am so thankful for the many miracles he has given me to allow me to be here. We love our Savior. That's why we're here . We are here just trying to give people a little hope in their lives, a little faith that God does exist. For some people that a start they need.
We love you all always,
Elder & Sister Fisher
To finish the extortion spy story from last week about Marlene and her sweet dog ; the Royal Candian mounted police were able to recover the dog. We told her it was because God answers prayers, because we know it to be true & to hopefully help build her faith in God. It was wonderful to see the joy on her face to have her little puppy back. I'll post her picture.
There have been several sightings of bears in town picking the berries which grow wild everywhere. They aren't that good but I guess the bears really like them. So Stan and I have been practicing how to drop to the ground and act like a dead rock. Our favorite excerise trail is one of the popular sightings. We walk it every morning before I'm really awake. Stan says,: "just keep talking & you'll scare the bear away ". I wonder if that's for the benefit of the bear or Stan. Ha !
We had a wonderful missionary experience with our non-member friends Hussain & Fetima. They had a broken dishwasher but no-one would repair it. Anyway..long story short, the repair man came, we went, I stood there and asked a hundred questions about everything he was doing and why. It wasn't an easy call for him but he did leave with the dishwasher working wonderfully. Bam ! Durning our visit we gave Hussain & Fetima a Persian Book of Mormon to read and had a great religious discussion. Hussain asked the famous questions every missionary longs to hear. "Where did I come from ?" "Why am I here " " Where am I going? " Stan taught a great lesson, we answered many questions and left them with a commitment. Wonderful. I was going to get two llamas for Hussain for his farm but Stan studied and found out they don't do anything but stand around and spit. So I didn't arrange to get them.
We had a big week of service. Stan and the zone leaders dismantled an old building for Jack. I provided the picnic.
Stan mowed the lawns for our non-member friend Martin who has arthritis and can't do it. I sat in the lawn chair and listened to Martin tell me how he used to grow olives in Italy. He taught me how they had a special stick that shook the branches so all the olives would fall into a net. The nets were gathered and taken to a warehouse where they were put into a vat. The donkey would grind the olives to mush. After that they were pressed into oil. The oil is put into a cauldron of boiling water. The worker scoops the oil off the top and it is bottled. Whew. He gave us a fig to try. They taste like a mushy plum.
I made breakfast for the missionaries at district meeting this week. They loved the hashbrowns, ham & cheese omelet, poppyseed muffins and orange juice. It was a hit. So this week I think I will do sausage, milk and waffles with strawberry, blueberries and whip cream.
A non-member put on Facebook he needed some help for a day & was paying minimum wage. So we went out to his place and volunteered to do the work he needed. Stan painted a trailer and I cleaned boxes. He was very grateful for our help and wanted to pay us. But then, it would'nt have been service.
We love being missionaries. We love our Heavenly Father. We are so grateful for all He has done for us. I am so thankful for the many miracles he has given me to allow me to be here. We love our Savior. That's why we're here . We are here just trying to give people a little hope in their lives, a little faith that God does exist. For some people that a start they need.
We love you all always,
Elder & Sister Fisher
We are still working on the food drive. We went to the city to get a full size map so we can plan the routes for the collections. The city wants between $40 to $80 to print us a map. They sent me a PDF file so I can print them out in 30 pieces and then tape them together. Really ? I don't care for either option.
Our branch was given all the leftover number cards from other wards for our hymn board which is at the back of the chapel. It has bugged me for awhile So I asked the branch president if I could make new numbers. He asked why ? After I explained I thought our branch needed nice good looking numbers, he said :" Sister Fisher do you want them in rainbow colors with glitter "? No, just nice black numbers on white card stock like everyone else in the church has. I did ask permission to move the hymn holder board off the back wall to where the congregation can see what hymn we're singing.
When we went to see Roy this week he said he would pay me $10 a loaf for my homemade bread. It wouldn't be fun to make homemade bread if I got paid.
Great week. Great mission. Great life !!!
I think I'm done now.
Our branch was given all the leftover number cards from other wards for our hymn board which is at the back of the chapel. It has bugged me for awhile So I asked the branch president if I could make new numbers. He asked why ? After I explained I thought our branch needed nice good looking numbers, he said :" Sister Fisher do you want them in rainbow colors with glitter "? No, just nice black numbers on white card stock like everyone else in the church has. I did ask permission to move the hymn holder board off the back wall to where the congregation can see what hymn we're singing.
When we went to see Roy this week he said he would pay me $10 a loaf for my homemade bread. It wouldn't be fun to make homemade bread if I got paid.
Great week. Great mission. Great life !!!
I think I'm done now.
Saturday, July 23, 2016
Sometimes I have to pinch myself to believe we are actually full time missionaries. It's a dream we have had for many years. We are thrilled to have the opportunity to give back a little of what we have been so blessed with. How does the hymn go ? " Because we have been given much, we too must give." It is hard to be away from our family and the comforts of home. Who would have guessed that at our age we can still learn and grow & grow & grow, (both spiritually and physically). The work is wonderful; to be here to help and serve others and to forget about ourselves. That has been a bit of a transition but we're getting much better at it.
Whew!! what a week. I have so much to write I don't know where to begin. As I wrote last week, we have been called to bring the community together, to get the name of the church to be known among the citizens of Hope and to provide for the food bank. Our emphasis is on the food drive for the next two months. We met with the Grace Baptist minister this week. He has the biggest following of members out of the thirteen churches in our town. Our job was to get a meeting with him, become friends, and get him to have his congregation work along side our church members to benefit the community. So far so good. We also have three other churches on board as well. We met with the town printer and asked him to donate the printing the 3,000 flyers we need to hang on the people's doors. He agreed . Bam ! We have been to the city offices to acquire a map so we can plan out the individual routes for 7,000 people. Next up we need to attend the Hope city council meeting and present our plan. Onward, ever onward.
It was a fun day on Thursday as we ground wheat and made five loaves of homemade bread. We delivered it hot to five non-members we are aquatinted with. Fun!!!
For our District meeting this week we cooked a mexican themed meal and made a birthday cake for an Elder who is far from his home in Tonga. We all sang and he blew out the candles , it was a five minute party.
Our non-member friends from Iran have a very nice dishwasher that doesn't work. They called the company who gave them the run-around & said they lived too far away to send a repair man. So we drove to Aggissiz where I called the company and told them to send a repair man immediately. The warranty is out in two weeks. Fetima & Hussein have been unable to get help for several months. I think it's probably because they only speak broken English. The company is sending out someone next week. You can be sure we will be there to communicate with the repairman & make sure he fixes the problem.
We engaged in another epic episode of which involved a dog, an 80 year old non-member, a bully, spies, a friend and the RCMP . That's the Royal Canadian mounted police. So the bully with threat, intimidation and brute force extorted and abused the elderly woman. He took her dog who is her sweet companion since her husband passed away. He wrote up a fabricated paper saying she gave the dog to him & threatened to turn her in for anminal cruelty if she didn't sign the paper. He took the dog, his toys, bed , food and all the vet paperwork and drove away. When we went to visit Marlene, our friend, she told us the story between sobs and uncontrollable tears. He told her: " you'll never see this dog again." So knowing our friend Betty is a detective incognito and understands the law here, we enlisted her help in retrieving the dog. She called the RCMP and reported the incident. They sent a policeman out to get the story from Marlene who could barley tell her side of the story because of the dept if her loss. Three spies who work in conjunction with the bully live in the adjoining apartments in our fishbowl. They were peeking through curtains, typing out texts and whispering as the police came & went. Of course I was at Marlene's side during the interrogation interview and could see the spy activity as it was going down. The little cute dog named Ben was taken on Wednesday. The police, spy connection was Friday night late. By Saturday at 5:00 Ben is still missing and Marlene is talking incoherent and white as a ghost. The RCMP was going to find the bully, arrest him for elderly abuse and return Ben to Marlene. I'm afraid the spies tipped the bully off last night and he escaped with the dog leaving Marlene inconsolable in his wake. We are praying for Ben's return, Marlene is praying for death of the bully.
Sunday Stan is the sacrament meeting speaker along with the first counselor if the stake presidency. He is also playing the piano and I am doing sharing time and teaching a primary class. We love our little struggling branch. We can feel a wonderful spirit in our meetings each week. Last week the temple president and matron spoke. Durning the end of the temple president 's talk Marlene ,who was a church with us, said out loud " does he think he is a travel guide ? Talk, talk, talk, ". Then she said :" if I was married to him, I'd get a divorce." Non-members can be embarrassing. But we love her.
We love our Heavenly Father, We love our dear Savior. The church is true. Always hold to the iron rod. Keep the faith and follow our beloved prophet to keep safe. We love you all.
Much love,
Elder & Sister Fisher
Whew!! what a week. I have so much to write I don't know where to begin. As I wrote last week, we have been called to bring the community together, to get the name of the church to be known among the citizens of Hope and to provide for the food bank. Our emphasis is on the food drive for the next two months. We met with the Grace Baptist minister this week. He has the biggest following of members out of the thirteen churches in our town. Our job was to get a meeting with him, become friends, and get him to have his congregation work along side our church members to benefit the community. So far so good. We also have three other churches on board as well. We met with the town printer and asked him to donate the printing the 3,000 flyers we need to hang on the people's doors. He agreed . Bam ! We have been to the city offices to acquire a map so we can plan out the individual routes for 7,000 people. Next up we need to attend the Hope city council meeting and present our plan. Onward, ever onward.
It was a fun day on Thursday as we ground wheat and made five loaves of homemade bread. We delivered it hot to five non-members we are aquatinted with. Fun!!!
For our District meeting this week we cooked a mexican themed meal and made a birthday cake for an Elder who is far from his home in Tonga. We all sang and he blew out the candles , it was a five minute party.
Our non-member friends from Iran have a very nice dishwasher that doesn't work. They called the company who gave them the run-around & said they lived too far away to send a repair man. So we drove to Aggissiz where I called the company and told them to send a repair man immediately. The warranty is out in two weeks. Fetima & Hussein have been unable to get help for several months. I think it's probably because they only speak broken English. The company is sending out someone next week. You can be sure we will be there to communicate with the repairman & make sure he fixes the problem.
We engaged in another epic episode of which involved a dog, an 80 year old non-member, a bully, spies, a friend and the RCMP . That's the Royal Canadian mounted police. So the bully with threat, intimidation and brute force extorted and abused the elderly woman. He took her dog who is her sweet companion since her husband passed away. He wrote up a fabricated paper saying she gave the dog to him & threatened to turn her in for anminal cruelty if she didn't sign the paper. He took the dog, his toys, bed , food and all the vet paperwork and drove away. When we went to visit Marlene, our friend, she told us the story between sobs and uncontrollable tears. He told her: " you'll never see this dog again." So knowing our friend Betty is a detective incognito and understands the law here, we enlisted her help in retrieving the dog. She called the RCMP and reported the incident. They sent a policeman out to get the story from Marlene who could barley tell her side of the story because of the dept if her loss. Three spies who work in conjunction with the bully live in the adjoining apartments in our fishbowl. They were peeking through curtains, typing out texts and whispering as the police came & went. Of course I was at Marlene's side during the interrogation interview and could see the spy activity as it was going down. The little cute dog named Ben was taken on Wednesday. The police, spy connection was Friday night late. By Saturday at 5:00 Ben is still missing and Marlene is talking incoherent and white as a ghost. The RCMP was going to find the bully, arrest him for elderly abuse and return Ben to Marlene. I'm afraid the spies tipped the bully off last night and he escaped with the dog leaving Marlene inconsolable in his wake. We are praying for Ben's return, Marlene is praying for death of the bully.
Sunday Stan is the sacrament meeting speaker along with the first counselor if the stake presidency. He is also playing the piano and I am doing sharing time and teaching a primary class. We love our little struggling branch. We can feel a wonderful spirit in our meetings each week. Last week the temple president and matron spoke. Durning the end of the temple president 's talk Marlene ,who was a church with us, said out loud " does he think he is a travel guide ? Talk, talk, talk, ". Then she said :" if I was married to him, I'd get a divorce." Non-members can be embarrassing. But we love her.
We love our Heavenly Father, We love our dear Savior. The church is true. Always hold to the iron rod. Keep the faith and follow our beloved prophet to keep safe. We love you all.
Much love,
Elder & Sister Fisher
Saturday, July 16, 2016
So we actually met the devil himself this week. Absolutely terrified me. Even after we left him, both of us had a dark, terribly dark feeling we couldn't shake. It stayed with us until we could get home to the safety of the spirit in our home. We have been assigned by our mission president, our stake president and our branch president to put together a community food drive in Hope to fill the food bank. It's a huge undertaking for us because we've never done anything like it before. We are in charge of contacting 7,000 homes. So we made a big list. I totally love lists. Stan tolerates them. We decided to visit every church in the town. There are 13 different denominations counting us. So we called all twelve to make appointments. We got none. We drove by several but because it wasn't Sunday, no one was there. However we knocked on the door of a huge Victorian style house church. There we found the devil. The sign outside said : "Abundant Life Fellowship."As we knocked on the door , a surly fifty-ish man with penetrating eyes, pulled open the door. "We are Elder & Sister Fisher from- looking at our badges, he snarled " false false " . I tired to explain we were helping with the community food drive. He wouldn't listen. He screamed with his face all contorted, "you are a cult ! " and slammed the door in our faces. The wicked, evil, ugly feeling penetrated through the door. It followed us to the car and stayed with us. "Let's go home," I said. In the safety of our humble missionary apartment we prayed for relief. And to think I was afraid of the witch in town.
This week was a busy one. Stan did a lot of service jobs which is part of our calling. As his companion, I watch him fix things. He put a cute wicker basket on a members bike, mowed the next non member Italians lawn, fixed a non - members flat tire, looked at a broken dishwasher for another non member. We also took some members of our branch to the temple on Friday night. We were stopped on the freeway for an hour and half and so missed the only session they have on Friday nights. We were able to do sealngs so it all worked out. The craziest thing about Canada, well one crazy thing, when there is an accident on the freeway they don't move the wreck to the side. They just stop the freeway traffic until the police and everything is done. We have been there for three crashes. All were about an hour and a half to just sit in your car. Even if it's a fender bender. There are so many accidents here, so many.
Marlene 's little dog is really hurt. We spent a wee bit of time trying to give her some comfort. She has no-one. She made us a really pretty pillow for the couch and gave me some fabric to make her an apron so I did. She goes to the Lutheran church every other week and ours on the opposite weeks.
We have a less active sister in our branch. She is a mother of four and her husband works out of town. When we visited her she said she wish she knew how to can. We fount a nice cold pack canner at Value Village and took it to her. She was so excited. I guess I will still be canning even here.
Our calling here is to help this little branch. It's getting littler ( is that a word ?) smaller. Several families are moving. Sometimes we have thirty-five to church and sometimes ten. Last Sunday we didn't even have a primary. Not one child came. I taught Relief Society and Stan taught the priesthood. We heard a talk by a Stake authority last Sunday who said : " the Lord loves his little branches, they are a treasure to him ". We understand who we are working for and whose they are. We are supposed to have a summer branch picnic. It was scheduled for June, then July. Possibly we will have it in August if it stops raining. As we are surrounded by tall mountains, it is hard for me to remember we are only 134 feet above sea level. Between being so close to the ocean and being in a rain forest , it's not a surprise that it always rains.
We meet new people this week. Wally is eighty-five and his wife is fifty. Marnia says she can do anything a man can do. She sailed from Vancouver to New Zealand and all the beautiful islands in between. She has the most unique shells I have ever seen. I will take pictures. There is only one thing she doesn't know how to do. So Stan will teach her how to weld. Ha ! His multi talents come in handy here.
We love being missionaries so much ! We are so happy we came, so blessed to be on the Lord's errand. Senior couples have different responsibilities and assignments. The rules are relaxed for us but the blessings are not. We don't have a TV which is a great blessing as well. We're out meeting people and getting the name of the church out where most people have never heard of us. The food drive is a huge tool, our leaders tell us, to put the church out where it can be seen. We are to be examples of Jesus Christ. So we are doing the best we can in our little vineyard of Hope. We love the gospel, we love our Savior Jesus Christ. The church is true and we are blessed every day.
We love you all, Elder & Sister Fisher
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