Canada Calgary Mission, presenting............. Sister Blommaert!!! :)

Yes!  I am back in the land of the Great White North!  (not so white right now and I'm sure glad for that!)  So happy to be back in my home country and ready to serve the people of the Canada Calgary Mission!

It has been a busy 3 weeks since I have arrived.  So first off, my first meeting with President Nicholas was great!  He is such a sweet, funny man whom I love, adore and respect greatly.  The moment he asked to see me he put his arm around me and said, "So, you are from Edmonton and called to Calgary.....how does that make you feel Sister Blommaert?"  I told him that I was proud to serve in not only my home country but my home province too and that I'm ready to go!!  He smiled, laughed and said he had confidence in me and that I would fulfill the purpose of my being here, he had no doubt.  His wife is a sweetheart! She reminds me so much of my Grandma Shields.  She is a loving, incredible woman.

Me with President and Sister Nicholas



 My first assignment has brought me to the wonderful Chestermere Ward, of the Calgary East Stake, located on the eastern border of the City of Calgary.  My area covers a small eastern chunk of Calgary, Langdon and Chestermere.  It is a beautiful little town, well actually small city sized (15,000 people) that is situated on a lake and, oh yeah, the ward is great!!  More about that later......

My new companion's name is Sister Martin and she is from Highland, Utah.  She has been out for about 3 months now.  She has a bright personality, is super sweet, has a great knowledge and testimony of the gospel and connects well with the members and those we teach.

Here is a picture of her and I on our first day together along with some of the Airdrie sisters, Sister Lamont and Sister Mortensen (she was in the MTC with me!)

Sisters Mortensen and Lamont and my companion, Sister Martin and me!

So back to Chestermere Ward.  The members are super sweet - there are a lot of older couples that love to talk with us and give us advice in helping the missionary efforts move forward.  There are also lots of great families with young children and older kids too that are excited to serve missions when their time comes.

 

Our apartment is on the top floor of our building and it's actually quite nice.  We have our bedroom, bathroom, laundry room, living room/exercise area, study room and dining/kitchen area with a balcony.  It's one of the nicer apartments in the mission so we are kinda spoiled! :D

 

We have 5 investigators currently:  a wonderful single mom with 2 small boys, a single young woman, a middle aged single man, and a young couple with a young daughter.  They are all so awesome and have open hearts to listen to our teachings.  They are all at different stages of learning and testimony growth but excitingly enough, our young couple will hopefully be able to be baptized soon!



Twin girls of a family in the ward who are aspiring to be future "sister" missionaries!   Aren't they cute???

 

 So you all are probably wondering how we faired during all the rainstorms and the flooding in Southern Alberta.  Rest assured we are safe and sound!  We obviously have been stuck in this crazy rainy weather for awhile!  We sure have had our fill of it but thanks to hot cocoa we have gotten by on those rain soaked days.
The day of the flooding in Calgary we had permission to go teach some investigators at their shop in the south end of Calgary.  Since we do not have a computer, radio or TV, we had no way of knowing what was happening to our fair city and southern Alberta.  It is kinda funny and makes you think about how the Lord works sometimes and is watching out for us.  We were just about to leave for our appointment when some of the elders in our district called and asked us our plans for the day.  We told them where we were going and they were quiet and then told us what was happening with the flooding and all.  We rushed to a member's home and they showed us some pictures on the internet and we saw some of the TV news reports.  We were shocked beyond belief about what was taking place.  We went back home and called our investigators and found out they were ok.  We then had a companionship prayer for all those in harm's way.
I can report that all the other missionaries that were affected are safe and sound;  staying with members or at the mission home.  We have all been organized in helping the flood victims in a variety of ways.  I'll report more on that in my next post.  One thing our Ward Relief Society sisters did was make over 1,000 sandwiches and food stuffs for those in need and for the volunteers working non-stop to help.  It warms and uplifts my heart to see the true kindness of humanity towards those around them who are in need.  I am so ready and willing to help do anything to get this city back on it's feet and to reach out to my fellow brothers and sisters in dire need at this time.  I know that this will definitely provide more missionary opportunities for all of us as a mission.

Thanks again to everyone who has sent me letters and emails.  I LOVE receiving them!!  And I will write back too (it might take a bit of time, but I will write back!)  I strive to be sincerely happy everyday, but it is so easy when you love the people, you love your companion, and you love the work.  I can't help but BE happy!  :)

God bless and be with you until we meet again!  Oh, and HAPPY CANADA DAY!!

Love always,
Sister Stephanie Blommaert