Some additional pictures just for fun. I get such a kick out of the English and French on the groceries, I couldn't resist sending another photo. I don't remember if I explained the Mission and mission cars. There are 56 missionaries spread over the entire mission (Saskatchewan, Manitoba and a piece of Ontario). This number is just the young missionaries, so each companionship (28) has a car. It's just to cold and spread out to be on bikes or walk. The mission cars are Chevy Malibu's, a couple of Chevy Cobalt's and some Colorado 4x4 crew cab pickups. In the Manitoba Zone the Assistants to the Pres. and Zone leaders drive the Colorado's. They will eventually try to swap out most of the cars because they don't do as well in deeper snow. The cars are prone front bumper damage. If you pull into a parking spot and hit the concrete parking stops (they are extra high here) with the air dam under the front bumper it cracks (the cold helps the breakage) and then works into the bumper. It costs $1800.00 to replace the front bumper assembly. There have been three crashes this winter, none were the fault of the missionaries. Everyone else keeps running into them.

Wednesday we attended our first District Meeting. We missed the first two because we didn't know we were supposed to go. Just like a couple of newbie's. The District leader is from England and within 3 months of going home. I was impressed with his skill and enthusiasm. All the young Elders and Sisters handle themselves very well. Our meeting lasted 90 minutes and was filled with instruction and involvement from everyone present. The other neat thing here is the open affection between all the young missionaries. A great group of young people and with them as our future leaders we will be in good hands.

Today we were out visiting and had only one set appointment. We found the place and had a nice visit with a Filipino family. We did notice it seemed a bit brisk as we left their home but didn't get the real force of the cold until we parked the car and started walking. It was only a short distance to a small apartment complex where we were searching for a less active member. As the wind picked up Mom and I started gasping for breath as we walked into the light cool breeze. We were out for maybe 10 minutes and were frozen. It was a mild 10 degrees F. After we found the place the lady had the nerve not to be home. We searched out another less active man and found his place but not him. Nobody home today. We parked about two blocks from his apartment and slipped and slid down the sidewalk and back.

The Canadians are a hardy bunch and find humor that we think it's cold at 5 or 10 degrees F. These folks ride bikes, wait for the city buses and walk all over the place like it's normal and tell us wait until it gets to - 20 or 30 C. which translates to -4 to -22 F. The young missionaries have to be out until it's a -40 C. which is where celsius and fahrenheit equal one another, so -40C and -40 F. are the same, darned cold. Did I mention that everyone wears black including the missionaries. Black hats, coats, pants and boots to their knees. It's OK in daylight hours but at night it's hard to see them especially in downtown Winnipeg. The pedestrians dart out and run across the first three lanes of traffic and take refuge on the median until they get a break and then sprint across the remaining three lanes. Of course this is mostly done between cross walks. I have been impressed with how fast some of the old people are. One day we saw an older woman with a walker jogging across the street like everyone else. Sure enough she made the median and after a few breaths she was off across the last three lanes.

One night last week we had an evening appointment and were early so we went up the street and parked at school parking lot. As we sat there we noticed a kid hockey game in progress on an outdoor rink. We watched awhile and I noticed over on the wall of the school a sign that said Park at Own Risk. I thought what could be the risk. We thought it might be from snow or ice sickles falling on cars from the roof. After a brief discussion we saw the hockey puck crash into the side of the school right where cars could park "at their own risk". It still makes me smile when I see a kid packing a hockey stick like you would see a kid in The States carrying his basketball or baseball gear.

Tomorrow Mom and I get to go on apartment checks again with Sis. Paulson. Their are four apartments to check. It will prove enlightening I am sure. Love you all. Dad

 This is what $10 at the car wash will get you.

Mission cars, or should we say trucks.

 Ouch! A little mission car mishap.

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