Hello from Winter Wonderland!

I now know first hand why they call Canada the Great White North! It just keeps getting colder.... what a difference between just cold and when there's wind! haha well enough about the weather i had a CRAZY busy week this week. Poor sister Milburn isn't getting her newbie studies in but i think real life training is better then sitting reading out of a textbook anyways!

Well let's see if i can remember it all...

Anne Peters is doing great! she's reading the scriptures and going strong, she came to all three hours of church and to our ward potluck because it was ward conference! Of course her fiance Neil came too and i think he really enjoys church! They are super cute together and through a wonderful miracle Anne and Neil were both able to find their divorce certificates and are getting married by bishop Lowry tonight at the chapel at seven o clock! It's so funny.... Neil - age 84, is
sooooo nervous to get married in front of people that he has to go to the doctor to get a pill for his anxiety! it's going to be fabulous! i asked a lady in the ward who does weddings to decorate, I'll take lots of pictures!

Something fun this week! The Kasners in our ward are breeders of my favourite dog! an Australian sheep dog! they have five puppies and they are so cute! I'll have to go back in a couple weeks when they are running around!

Thursday we had a crazy experience, we were planning on going to this sister missionary cookie thing in Edmonton and on the way there we realized we didn't have our phone.... we went home and couldn't find it! well we had no way of knowing the numbers or address of the place so we missed it.... we were so upset and spent four hours looking for it! we ended up driving up to Edmonton that night for the Christmas conference the next day and just had fun. The Christmas conference was awesome! three hours of training, a great turkey lunch and three hours of hilarious random talents by the missionaries! i sang a Christmas medley including chestnuts roasting on an open fire and have yourself a merry little Christmas with elder smith (from my first district, he's from Toronto). we sang it jazzy at a keyboard and it was super fun! we then found out at ten to four that we being outlying missionaries could go to the temple at four! o man..... we ran! it's a good thing i had my recommend on me!

it was so wonderful to go, i haven't been since April ish! it was so peaceful AND the officiator was Brother Patrick!!!!!! I also saw a guy from one of my ysa wards and a lady came up to me in the celestial room and told me i was pretty ha ha it was a good day :D

well.... later that night after searching for the cell phone more sister Milburn said i wonder if we threw it out in the trash? we decided that couldn't have happened but it wouldn't leave my mind so at ten thirty i said wanna go dumpster diving?!?! we did! when we got to the church parking lot she got out of the car and right there in the snow was our phone!!!!!!! it was a Christmas miracle for sure! it was nearly dead when we lost it but was still alive working in the
snow after two days of -20 degrees!

Another blessing.... Stephen during finals week called us and set up an appointment and invited us to a Christmas band concert at the seventh day Adventist college! he then came to church and he's just plain awesome... Last night i also performed in the red deer Christmas stake fireside singing a song with the choir along to bells!

it's been a crazy week, so many blessings! i know this email was super long but i hope you enjoyed something! thank you all for your emails and your cards and packages! i feel so loved and know that my blessings come from your prayers!

love you all so much! and i really miss you. Happy Holidays!

sister wotherspoon