P-Day # 28 - Emergency Transfer, Saying Goodbye's and The Apostle Picture...

Wow, a lot has happened in the last week!

Elder Hank and Elder Perry

The CTM President Shields called us two days ago, and said that he needed someone for an emergency transfer.  A missionary was going home, so he needed a trio to be broken up and he said I had two days to pack up. I am now in Kitchner, Ontario in the Waterloo Ward with my new companion Elder Hank. I just got here late last night.  I like him and we are getting along very well. Elder Hank is from Draper, Utah and he is really awesome. Him and I say movie quotes already and he is a "Good Fella". I now also have a car. That’s cool now and no more waiting for a bus in the cold and snow. Also, I have my very own bed, not just a mattress. All the comforts of home!

It was hard to say goodbye to Elder Monson and Elder Strong. These 2 companions are VERY GREAT MEN and strong in the Gospel. I appreciate their friendship and look forward to meeting them again, somewhere, sometime.

Oh, I might have forgot my glasses…. NO I DIDN'T FORGET MY GLASSES. ARE YOU CRAZY?!

Elder Monson, Elder Perry and Elder Ballard
Future Apostles...Maybe???

Guess who I ran into at transfers? Elder Ballard. He was in my Camp Helaman Zone as one of my District Leaders. Elder Ballard is in the Weston Area and is Spanish speaking. I was happy to see him and we were pretty close. It was cool to have someone I knew before the mission there with me.  This is a picture of the apostles.

The CTM President had some jaw surgery, so I almost didn't recognize him but then we talked. it was cool to see him. President Shields and His Wife are fantastic people.

I am finding out that the mission field is suffering. In general, either people come on missions and it’s too hard for them or they don't come at all. All the languages are suffering and we need Missionaries. Most of the Spanish Speaking Sisters and Elders are leaving to some degree and so they need to be replaced. The problem is having no one to replace them with.

We also had the opportunity to meet with another investigator. She hadn't been keeping the specific commitments that we had given her. So, we were re-teaching the lessons again, to see where she had gotten a little lost or confused. But she said that she would like to come to church.

Where there are Missionaries, There is Food! Me and My Peeps in the Food Court of the Big Mall in Brampton, Ontario

I was able to go with one of the members of the ward to get a food order for a recent convert family. We were able to see them and they were very grateful for the assistance. The snow messed with our plans and we were not able to meet with very many people, but we were able to set a couple appointments and between us and the Weston North Missionaries, we were able to discuss some different ideas we thought could help the ward improve with retention. Also, with giving our investigators another way to interact with the ward beyond just the Sunday connection.

I also had to say goodbye to and investigator who called us her sons. She promised me that she was going to give us a baptism date tomorrow. Whenever we see her, she always says "it's to cold and we should stay inside". She has quite her coffee, I will be excited to hear when the baptism is. This is the 2^nd baptism I have missed due to transfers.

Elder Perry at his Favorite Burrito Shop...
Did You See the Size of that Burrito???

The snow was bad this week and what would normally take 15 min for a bus ride, took an hour and a half.   I am pretty confident that Weston is better than when I found it and so am I. I feel that I did some good there and I was able to help some people along the way, but I feel I'm better having served there with great companions. It’s great to have a feeling of success.

Hey, just a reminder, P-Day will be on Tuesday February 21^st next week because of Family Day. Family Day is observed in the Canadian provinces of Alberta, Ontario and Saskatchewan on the third Monday of February. This holiday celebrates the importance of families and family life to people and their communities. Imagine That...Canada promotes Families. Isn't that what the Missionaries are trying to do, also? Maybe the US needs a Family Day!

Love You and Pray for You every Night!

Elder Perry

Kitchner, Ontario

Waterloo Ward

Canada Toronto Mission