Transfer Week!

Transfer week!

This transfer was only 5 weeks which is crazy short. I feel like we just finished getting things settled for this transfer and then it was almost time to plan for the next. That is probably a bit of a preview of life though. This coming transfer will be 7 weeks so that will be pretty nice!

Monday I had to go to fight my parking ticket that I got. Here in Manitoba traffic tickets are astronomically expensive (more to come on that). My parking ticket was $70 but I thought it was bologne so I decided to take it up with the "parking Judge". On Monday I went into the Parking ticket center and i took a number. When they called my number i went up and explained that I felt i was being unfairly fined because I was parked next to a post that had no sign on it. Presumably in the past it had a no parking sign on it. I explained that because there was no sign I thought I could park there. She explained that I was parked illegally any ways because on the other side of the parking lot I was parked next to was a no parking sign and that a no parking section cannot be broken by anything other than a public street. Because in my case it was interrupted by an entrance to a parking lot I was GUILTY. I said thank you for that wisdom that will keep me from making the same mistake again. She then went into the back to make her decision. When she came back to her desk she called me back up and gave me a piece of paper. On the paper it stated the offense and underneath it said "Amount due $0.00". I said thank you and walked out of there feeling like $1 000 000. That night we had to get things set for the week like making the calendar, finalizing travel plans and things like that. 

Tuesday was the day of all the training meetings for new trainers and new leaders. I really enjoy those meetings because they are the exact same every time but I actually gleam different things every time. We also had the seniors meeting which is where we review the transfer week schedule that we have made and we discuss logistics for the week with President and Sister Craig and the Senior missionaries. Senior missionaries are so funny, I really like them. The bad thing about Tuesday was that in the mail at the Mission office came 3 Photo Radars. One was for me... Elder Quinton got one too, at the same place on the same day as me. It is such garbage, it is a school zone but the school is in like the basement of a church so you would never know it. Since Manitoba is insane my ticket was $221.00 and was the cheapest of the three that day. The Mission has a rule that the driver and the co-driver have to split the fine which I think is dumb but anyways we were on exchanges so I was with Elder Gregson so he owes half of it. I an letting him go fight it though so hopefully we can get it reduced! That night we went to go try to find Rico who was supposed to baptized on Saturday but disappeared. We could not find him so we went tracting instead. 

Wednesday is the best day of transfer week (Maybe). That is the day we get to go pick up new missionaries from the airport. Elder Wright and I got to the airport a little early and there were these kind of sketchy looking dudes waiting there ad taking pictures with these black people getting off of the plane. There was also a bunch of Limo Drivers there so something was up. I don't think I would have done this before my mission but in my ignorance I just walked up to these sketchy looking guys and asked them what was going on there. Turns out it was some old school Hip Hop show going on at the MTS center that night. (someone should look it up so i can know who I actually met that day). I think the biggest name that came through was "Salt and Pepper". That was kind of neat haha. I was really hoping Tupac and Biggie Smalls would be there :). Eventually the missionaries came out of customs and we met them. New missionaries are so funny. One of two things happens, 1. They don't say much and they look like a 9 year old who just got yelled at because their eyes are bigger than a cows or 2. They come out of that terminal knowing everything there is to know about everything. ( I think in large part to convince them self they know more than they do). Either way it is hilarious. We took the 2 new missionaries to the mission office and then they went to the mission home to catch up on sleep because they were up at 2:30 that morning. On that day we are in charge of the mail and mission supplies for the whole mission so we have to fill our truck with mail, Teaching materials, Bibles, Book of Mormons, and whatever else and take them to the St James Chapel where the transfer meeting will be held the next day. When we got there the sister missionaries were inside so we could not go in until they left. It was a nice day so we just waited in the parking lot and I did the craziest thing ever. I took a cherry tomato and I threw it up over a lamp post in the parking lot, ran around the lamp post and caught it in my mouth! And we have a video of it. I was pretty stoked hahaha. That night we had dinner at the mission home and then a testimony meeting. we had to have it early because after the testimony meeting we took the new missionaries to a baptism. Elder Quinton performed the ordinance!

Thursday is transfer day, so we had breakfast and companion study with the new missionaries at the mission home. We spend so much time there during transfer week and it is such a privilege. That day we gave the new missionary orientation training and  that was nice. Elder Birchall (who went home) was driving the transfer van from Regina was flying so it was ahead of schedule which put our travel plans off (He must have just been trunky and could not wait to get home haha) . That was OK though, we got everyone on the road 4 minutes ahead of schedule! That afternoon Elder Birchall was with us and that evening we had dinner and a testimony meeting at the Mission home. That is my last one as an assistant because that time next transfer week I will be en route to wherever I spend my last transfer. That was a really good testimony meeting. Elder Birchall stayed the night with us that night because he was the only Elder going home so he could obviously no stay at the mission home with the Sisters. 

Friday Morning we started early by driving to the mission home at 5:30 am. We then dropped the missionaries at the airport and went to Cora's with President Craig. Then it was time for the much awaited "recovery nap". That was nice! We then we got to weekly plan with President Craig. He is trying to work more with the missionaries is proselyting and things but he decided to try weekly planning with us. That was interesting... probably some of the best weekly planning i have done. we wee just very thorough. Near the end President was like "Elder Stewart, I think you are getting sick". He was right but I don't know how he knew. He is impressive. He told me to take a nap. I didn't really want to so I justified not taking one by going to bed early that night. It worked and I am healthy now.

Saturday we learned why Rico had stopped contact with us. He wanted to be Catholic for Easter and did not ant to feel pressured into baptism. I am not sure what will happen now but it is good to know he is still alive.

Sunday was a good day but all of our lessons cancelled and no one came to church. Other than that it was great! 

All in All a fantastic transfer week. By far the easiest yet. The tuth of th scripture "if ye are prepared ye shall not fear" is unparalleled". Good life lesson that I will probably never remember to apply haha.

Love Elder Stewart

Here are some keepsakes

Transfer Week Schedule

(April 11 – April 14)

Tuesday, April 11^th, 2017

12:00 PM-  Seniors Meeting

1:00 PM-  New Trainer Meeting (Elders Holbrook, Maciel. Sister James, Hudson)

3:00 PM-  Leadership Training Meeting (Elders McCoard, Holbrook, Atkinson, Fuster. Sisters Davis, Hilton, Miranda) 

Wednesday, April 12^th, 2017

12:45-  Winnipeg Airport  

Missionaries arriving at 12:49 PM (2): Elder Braley, Elder Delano

            Transportation to the Mission Home:                                               

President and Sister Craig: (2 Elders)

                   Luggage in Assistants’ Vehicle

1:45 PM-  Arrive at Mission Home (Paperwork – Sis Meldrum + Assistants will copy Passports/Driver’s License and Health Cards)

5:00 PM-   Dinner at Mission Home – (15) Total: Arriving missionaries (2), Assistants (2), President and Sister Craig (2), Office Staff (4), Robisons (2), The Brookers (2), Sister Vasquez (1).
6:00 PM-  Testimony Meeting
6:45 PM- Train departs from Saskatoon Regina (Arrives at 8:20)

7:00 PM-  Depart for Baptism at St James Chapel

8:30 PM-  Arriving Missionaries stay at the Mission Home

   

Thursday, April 13^th, 2017

6:50 AM-   Train departs from Regina to Winnipeg (10): Floater Van (4) Wanuskewin Truck (3) Retired Sunrise Sisters Subaru (3) Picked up on the way: (2)

8:30 AM-   Breakfast at Mission Home – 2 new missionaries, Assistants, President and Sister Craig (6)

                  Transport luggage from Mission Home to St. James Chapel– Assistants’ Vehicle

9:30 AM-  New Missionaries Study or Proselyte with Assistants

10:30 AM-  Missionaries depart for St. James building           

                        Assistants Vehicle: (2 Elders)

                                                             Orientation Meeting

                        11:00                        Welcome, Opening Song, Prayer

                        11:15                        Sister Meldrum and Sister Howell

                        11:50                        The Smith’s

                        12:40                        Break

                        12:50                        Assistant’s Training Portion

                        1:20                        Sister Craig’s Portion

                        1:40                        President Craig’s Portion

                        2:10                        Introduction of Companions

                        2:30                        Closing Prayer/Blessing on Food

2:30                        Train Arrives at St. James Chapel

                        38 bag lunches in total

3:00 PM-  Transfer Train Leaves for Regina (11) =Going west

Wanuskewin Truck and trailer (4) Regina Floater Van (4) New Regina ZL RAV (3)

                        

*Missionaries Depart -Stress on Time Departure*

Transportation from St. James chapel to Mission Home

President Craig: (1) Elder Birchall

Sister Craig’s Van: (5) Sisters Smith, Crystal, Geddes, Osborn, Tilby

5:30 PM-  Dinner at Mission Home – Thank you Sister Vasquez! – Guests (19): Departing Missionaries (6) Assistants (2) President and Sister Craig (2) Robisons (2) Office Staff (4) The Brookers (2) Sister Vasquez (1)

7:00 PM-  Testimony Meeting @ Mission Home

9:00 PM- (Refreshments – Sister Craig)

            Housing in Mission Home (5) – Sisters Tilby, Smith, Crystal, Geddes, Osborn

            Staying with the Assistants – Elder Birchall

                                                                  

Friday, April 14^th, 2017

5:45 AM-  Depart from Mission Home to Airport

            Transportation to Airport:

President’s car: (5) Sisters Tilby, Osborn, Crystal, Geddes, Smith

Assistants’ Truck: (1) Elder Birchall

Luggage in Assistants truck!

All missionaries: Delta 7:30 AM to Minneapolis

Regina dispersal 8 AM, depart to Saskatoon at 8:20 AM                       

7:00 AM-  Breakfast at Denny’s! (Transfer Debriefing) 😊