Fort Mac Chapter 1

Well I'm on a new book of my mission. I'm now in Fort McMurray. I'm loving it so far up here. The ward is pretty awesome and we have a lot of things going on for us.

I'll start with my week. Remember it started in Tofield and then to Fort Mac. 

Monday

Well we went to Kastendieck's acreage that morning for breakfast. We got the call on the way. It was fun to be there. I'm going to miss the acreage. It was fun out there. We then drove back to grab clothes and then we went to Veg. We emailed and then went to say goodbyes. In all we saw Chuck, Sis Yost, Sis Gillespie, Grandma Deal, Soren, then Stennes. I'm going to miss them all. 

Tuesday

Well it started with packing. We had a lesson with Roni with Pres Hillyer and Sis Fisher. It went really well. We then drove over to Hillyer's to say goodbye. We went and saw the Chutes. We then went to supper at Kastendiecks'. It was a great last supper. :) Going to miss them. They made a candy poster for me. Don't worry Mom. I haven't finished all of it. Barely eaten any of it. We stopped by Gillis' and then went to Fishers one last time. 

Wednesday

Well I got everything packed up and in the car. We took off a little early and went to Jannell's in Edmonton. We then went to Transfers. It was cool I got to see some friends in the mission. It was fun. I'm now companions with Elder Barber from Lehi. He lives super close and we never knew each other. Funny how that works. Well the other Fort Mac elders are Elder Hentunen and his trainee. They had to get some stuff while we were in the city. It was weird, because we went to all of these places in Londonderry. It was a trip back in time. Really strange. We then left for Fort Mac. It is a 5 hour drive. That was the rest of the night. Driving. YEAH!!!.....not. Elder Barber and I got to know each other really well that night. :) That's a plus. 

Thursday

I don't really remember much. I didn't get much of a chance to write down our plans. I know we had District Meeting and then lunch. We dropped off our car for an oil change. We met with Bro O'Brey about some young men that we could work with. Picked up the car and then had supper. We then went to a memorial for someone in the ward that had just passed away. We then went and met the Fitzner's. 

Friday

Well we had weekly planning then lunch. We then tried some potentials and tracted. We met Bud. He is an older LA in the hospital. We then tried more potentials and tracted. It was kind of miserable because it was raining and cold all day. Not too much fun. We had supper and then met the Roy's. They are a fun family. We then went and met with the Simpson's. We then tried by the Reitz and they let us in. She is a member and he isn't. We were able to get in and share a message and say a prayer. It was pretty awesome, since he didn't seem too thrilled that we were there. :) It was incredible. 

Saturday

We went and did mormon.org time and tracted. We had lunch and then tried potentials in Timberlea. We at one point ditched the car and walked around trying people. It was really effective. We were able to talk to a few people on the street. I love this feeling of missionary work. We had supper with Soares. That was interesting. We then tried by some La's and potentials. We then went to Mackay's. They are an awesome couple. 

Sunday

Well we had Ward Council. We then had church. It was very interesting. We ended up helping Sis McPhearson with the Food Drive. Didn't really get to go to class. Still got to talk to a lot of the members. We then did studies. We had coordination at Fitzner's and then went to supper at Stewarts with the Diggle's and Crouch's. It was a ton of fun. Small world moment again. Sis Stewart is Sis Pilisko's (Londonderry) sister. Small world. We then were supposed to have a lesson with Lisa. We stopped by yesterday and set up the appointment. We knocked two girls answered the door and told us that she left for Las Vegas. WHAT? I guess that happens up here. Lots of money lots of people just leave. We then stopped by some other people. 

Well that was my week. I'm loving my time so far up here in Fort Mac. It is a great area. A lot going on. We are working hard and doing lots. Slowly trying to learn the area as well. I'm still driving. We are now driving a Chevy Equinox. We call it a Soccer Mom car. It's a tank. Oh well :) It's fun. :)

Love,

Elder Colin O'Neill

Tofield Chapter 24-Final Chapter

Wow I can't believe it has already been 4 transfers in this area. It doesn't seem like it as been at all, but I guess I have seen the snow leave and now it's coming back. Well I am getting transferred. I'll tell you about the week to leave some suspense on where I'm going until the end. :)

Tuesday

It was pday since Monday was Mission Tour. We emailed, had lunch, then went to the church for a bit. When left and went home for supper. We didn't do much the rest of the night.

Wednesday

Well we went on the last exchanges. I was in Fort Skat with Elder Reynolds. We got there and had lunch. We went out tracting for a bit and stopped by some people. We had supper with the Shipley's. We then had a lesson with Jordan, she is a member's girlfriend. It had been a while since Elder Reynolds and I had taught a 1st lesson. The last time we taught a first lesson was when both of us went to teach Roni. It went really well and she is super excited to learn. It was awesome.

Thursday

We did our interview and then went and picked up the other Fort Skat. We drove to Lamont for lunch. We then exchanged back and drove to Tofield. We helped at Busy B then went to Ryley. We stopped by a few people. We then went to Trent and Khristina's for supper and the rest of the night.

Friday

We did some Weekly planning and some cleaning. We went and did Mormon.org time. We then drove to Holden to try some people. We were out there for a bit and then drove back for supper with the Fishers.

Saturday

We drove to Veg. We came out after lunch. We tried by a few people. We went and talked with Soren for a bit. We picked up some things and went to Stennes. Helped them move some of the heavy things. It was fun. They then took us to A&W for supper.

Sunday

Well we had Branch Council and the Stake came. Well the Stake and the Zone Leaders. It was ok. The Stake stayed for the rest of church. We had church and...Roni came!!! It was awesome. Don't know what she thought of it yet, but she came. :) We had a coordination meeting and then they had a Farewell for the McDaniels. There was a luncheon after church. Free food. :) It was fun. I also got to say some goodbyes to people I probably won't see before I leave. We then ran home to quickly change and then we drove to Pillings. I was going to say goodbye to them, but they weren't home. We tried by another potential p there, but they weren't home either. We then drove to Schachers for supper. They are recently new to the Branch. It was a lot of fun.  

Well today is Monday. It's Pday and we get to email since we came to Veg so I could say goodbye to some friends up here. I'm going to miss this area. I have been through a lot here. It's going to be fun in my next area though. I haven't not like an area that I've been in.

So now to break the news. I'm going to...............................Fort McMurray. :)

It's going to be a new adventure. :) I'm excited :)

Love you all
--

Elder Colin O'Neill

Tofield Chapter 23

Wow this week was pretty crazy. Not as crazy as this upcoming though. Well to start off today is actually Pday. We usually have to wait until today since the library is closed on Monday/pday, but we had a Mission Tour yesterday which pushed our pday back. :)

Tuesday

Emailed, Lunch. We then had a lesson with Roni. We did some things at the church then we went to Gillis' for supper. Didn't do much the rest of the night.

Wednesday

Veg Day! We went and met with Sis Yost and Gilliespie. We had supper with Sis Skeem. We went bowling and then to thompsons.

Thursday

We had District Meeting and then lunch. We went on exchanges and I was with Elder Jenkins in Tofield. We went and helped out at Busy B. Tried by some potentials. Had supper with Sis Roughely, her friend Della, and the Chutes. That was interesting. We somehow started on a conversation about their growing up. WOW! I didn't know half of what they were talking about and I thought I knew a little about old farm life. apparently not. It was really pretty fun. We then drove out to Trent and Khristina's and they weren't home. After we were in for the night I helped Elder Jenkins learn Violin. I was able to help him make sound out of it and try and tune it. It was a very different thing. :) Go Music :)

Friday

We did our interview and then exchanged back. We came back and had lunch. We went to Veg and did Mormon.org time. We then went to Chuck's and he took us to Bruce Motel for steak dinner. It was so good. :) We then came back and had a lesson.

Saturday

Veg Day. We did the rest of our Mormon.org time then had lunch. We tried by Soren and he wasn't home. We then went and found Fran's house. She is a LA who is super nice, but we didn't know where she lived. We found her house. We were talking with her for a bit and then helped her put in a window in her sisters house. That was interesting. More experience. :) We then went to Chuck's supposedly to pick some stuff up and ended up staying for supper. Then had another lesson with them.

Sunday

We had Branch Council then Church. We went home and had lunch, then went to Kastendieck's for a bit. We then had supper at Gillis'. After that we went to stop by and pick something up from Bro Fisher and stayed talking with them for a bit.

Monday

Well we had Mission Tour with Elder and Sister Martino for the Seventy. It was really good and inspiring. It was truly amazing. Got to see some friends I haven't seen in a while too. :) We then drove back to Tofield. We had supper with Hoag's.

Well that was our week. I'll probably email next Monday since we are going to Veg. :) Transfers are next week. I hope I stay outlying. :)

Love, Elder Colin O'Neill

Tofield Chapter 22

Well I don't really know what to say about this week. So I'll just tell you about it. :)

Tuesday

Well we emailed and then had lunch. We did some things around and then we had a lesson with Roni. It went really well. We then had supper with her. She made chili and the fruit cocktail thing that grandma makes with whipped cream. It was actually pretty good. We then played basketball that night.

Wednesday

Well we went on Exchanges. I was with Elder Benson in Veg that day. We drove to Chipman to exchange and then went to Veg. We did a few things that I needed to get done. We had lunch. We then went and visited with Sis Yost then Sis Gillespie. We tried by some potentials. We were going to go to Shirley with Bro Bates, but when we got there, no one answered. It was weird. We then went to see the Thompson's. After that we went BOWLING. Yes Bowling is back. :) I'm so happy. We then went and had supper with Stennes.

Thursday

Well Thursday was fun. Elder Benson got up and ran to the church, played basketball for a bit and then walked back home. It was actually pretty great. We did the morning and then had our interview. We had District Meeting at the Akitt's and then went to Lunch at the Chinese western diner. We went back and went to Busy B. We then went to help Roni. Elder Laulu mowed her lawn while I dug up her Rhubarb plant. I didn't know what a rhubarb plant's roots looks like. It is a pretty colorful plant with the roots. Green leaves, red stalks, and orange roots. Didn't know that. We then went and visited with Daniel. We had supper with Hoag's and then went to Trent and Khristina's. That was an experience. We had to help them hold one of their dogs down so that Trent could pull porcupine quills out of her nose. It was an experience.

Friday

Well we had weekly planning then lunch. We then went and helped Bro Kastendieck at the acreage. They were going to have a Boys and mens camp that night. We went up to "Camp Gerald" and helped pull out trees and clear some of it out. It was crazy. It was pretty fun to grab some of the little trees and pull them out. We were there for a few hours and then left to help with the Farmer's Market. Well we drove past and there wasn't a Farmer's market. We went home to clean up a bit and then made some food and went back out to be there for the night. It was pretty fun.

Saturday

Well We didn't do much Saturday morning. We did Mormon.org. Around 3 we went and helped with the prep of the Corn Bust. It was so much fun. A lot of corn too. It was pretty great. Of course no one that we invited came. :P We stuck around for a bit. Playing around with some of the kids. Well Kastendiecks are in charge of cleaning the Church this month. Well we were playing around and their son broke his wrist. Bro Kastendieck took him to the hospital. It was just going to be Sis K and their other son cleaning. We stayed to help as well as the Woodruff's. Lot's of work.

Sunday

We had church. Nothing too exciting happened. Khristina surprised us and walked in during Sacrament, which was cool. We actually had Gospel Principles. :) After church we drove to Holden. We had lunch and supper at Lue's. It was a fun night. Not much else.

Monday

We had Pday. We didn't do like anything. We didn't really want to since we had snow!!! Yes September 8, and we had snow. :P We hung around the apartment till we were bored then went to the church. I played piano for a while. We then went to Cahoon's for supper and I got a haircut. We drove back and stopped by some people, but nothing.

Well that was my week. Nothing too exciting happened. It was a busy weekend for the branch, but a slow week for us. Oh well. Can't always be super exciting.

Tofield Chapter 21

Wow this week was an adventure. I had a lot of fun. I don't know how my companion feels though. :)

Tuesday

We emailed and had lunch. We had a lesson with Roni. We were able to help her answer a lot of her questions. We also got a little side tracked and started talking about other things. I love what she said. "You guys are normal". Well we try to be. We then made some quick copies. We had supper and then went to Pilling's. We more just stopped by and it was just bad timing.

Wednesday

Well we went on exchanges. We left and went to Chipman to exchange. I was in Fort Skat with Elder Merkley. We then drove to Fort Skat. They needed their car serviced so we dropped it off. We couldn't get a hold of the other Fort Skat to pick us up, so we walked to Mucho Burrito. It was the best Mexican food I've had in a while. Fort Skat 1 finally came to pick us up. We finished lunch with them. We then went to pick up the car and then we drove around finding service opportunities. It was a fun day. We went out to Brudderheim and tried some potentials and LA. We had supper with the Forsyth's and were supposed to do service, but it didn't work out. We then went to the Cowards and talked with them. They are the family that used to run the Diner in Lamont.

Thursday

Well we had our interview and then waited till Tofield came for District Meeting. Had a quick meeting and then went to Boston Pizza to celebrate Elder Merkley and Elder Reynolds year mark. We later drove to Tofield. We had supper with Wilson's. We then went out to Trent and Khristina's.

Friday

Well we cleaned up a bit and then had lunch. We did Weekly Planning. We did Mormon.org time mostly so we could do a PMG survey. We tried by some potentials and then had supper with the Chutes. We then played basketball with some people.

Saturday

Well we didn't put on our proselyting clothes today. We went out and helped Stennes for a bit. We then drove into Veg and helped Chuck with the rest of the weeds by the trees. He took us for supper and then we shared a message and went home.

Sunday

Well we had church. Bro Stennes and their daughter came. That was exciting. We then went home for studies. We had supper with Kastendiecks and then went and visited with....The Ellis'!! It was fun. They are visiting the missionaries that have served there.

Monday

Well we got up and had breakfast with the Ellis'. We then played basketball for a bit. We went and cleaned up and then went in to Sherwood Park for P-day. We met the Fort Skat elders at Panada Express. We then went to the church. Well the Ellis' were parked there waiting for Elder Sorenson. All in all Elder Sorenson stayed out there and talked with the Ellis' for a while. We then went in and I talked with some other missionaires. We left and went to the Pillings for supper and the rest of the night.

It was a super fun week. We are really trying to get the work moving ahead. There is so much potential and so many good things happening. The Lord's hand is really in everything.
 Love,
Elder Colin O'Neill

Tofield Chapter 20

Sorry Mom forgot to post this last week. Enjoy!!!

 

Wow just writing this subject line is weird. 20 weeks in Tofield. I'm almost out of here. That is crazy.

Tuesday

Well we emailed and had lunch. We went to South Cooking Lake to meet up with the ZL's for exchanges. I was with Elder Burnside in Sherwood Park. It was a great exchanges. We went to Sherwood Park and stopped by their apartment. Elder Burnside made some calls and then we went tracting. We were tracting this one street where they knew a less-active lived. We found where they lived, knocked on a lot of empty houses and then talked with a guy who met with missionaries years ago in Saskatchewan. He wasn't interested. We then went to the Wendover's. They are semi-LA. We then went and helped their investigator Stefanie move somethings at her dog grooming store. We then ran back grabbed a few things for supper and went to the church to have a lesson with Stefanie and Wes. Yep same one. It went really well. Elder Severson was upset that he had to miss the lesson, but we knew that this exchange was needed. Wes had some issues with death and what happened. They had taught them the Plan of Salvation, but still had some hang ups. Well I went through what happens after this life and bear my testimony of the Spirit World. It was an amazing lesson. We then took them on a church tour. It was so great.

Wednesday

Well we got up and did studies. During Comp study we had an amazing practice. We went to the church for the interview. We had lunch. We then went picked up somethings from the housing coordinators for Elder Laulu. We then drove out to Tofield to exchange back. We then left for Veg. We met with Sis Yost and Soren, had supper with Sis Skeem and Olsen, then met with Thompsons and drove home.

Thursday

We had District Meeting in Lamont. It went really well this week. We then had lunch at some little place. It was a Chinese Western restaurant. It was pretty good. We then drove back to Tofield. Helped at Busy B then went to Ryley. Tracted a bit. No one else was around. Had supper with Brockhurst/Tiedemann/Hackenschmidt Family. Tiedemann's just had a baby the day before. Very weird setting for a missionary. After we went to Trent and Kristina's.

Friday

Well we had interviews with President Manion. We drove into Sherwood Park. We drove to the chapel and ended up waiting for half an hour. No one was there. Texted ZL's. They said they were at the church. Called Fort Skat since their interviews were right after us. Found out they were at the Mission Home. Miscommunication. They were supposed to be at the church, but Fort Skat showed up at the Mission Home. So we went to the mission home and had our interviews. We drove home. We helped at the Farmer's market. We then had supper with Woodruff's. We then went home and did some planning.

Saturday

We went to Veg and helped Dwayne from VTSS serve food at the Vegreville Bunnock competition. If you want to know what Bunnock is...look it up. I still don't really know. It looked really strange. We then visited with Sis Gillespie. We then went to Chuck and Mary's. We were finally going to pull the weeds that we promised. Well we started. The trees weren't growing like we thought they would. Chuck ended up mowing and tilling up most of it except for a few spots where the trees were coming up. We planted shoots of his trees. All of them had died, but around a few of them the same tree was starting to grow. Don't know how it worked. There is now a lot less weeding. They took us to supper at the Train Station. Homemade Ukranian food. I think I'll stick with Perogies and Sausage. :)

Sunday

Well we had Branch Council, then Church. We had some non-members at church this week. They were kind of crowded by everyone else that we didn't get much of a chance to talk with them. We went home and had lunch. We then went to Kastendieck's. We had supper with Gillis'.

Monday

P-day. We went to Kastendieck's acreage. We had some fun out there. I got to mow the lawn on a riding mower. Those things are the best. I don't know what it was, but I wasn't very scared of the wasps or snakes or the other bugs. We cleaned up an old wood pile. There used to be a snake nest in it. They cleared that up a while ago, but we found a few that were still there. We also dug up a wasp nest in it too. We stopped for a min with that one. It was a lot of fun. Bro Kastendieck then took Elder Laulu and I on a tour of the acreage. I love it out there. Fun times. We came back and I took a shower. We then went to the church. Elder Laulu played some basketball and rugby while I played the piano. We then went back, got ready and went to Fishers for supper and FHE.

Well that was my week. Wish we could have done more, but amid everything I ended up with a cold. I think the worst is over. It's still not much fun. Can't really do much when you have a cold on the mission. Oh well. Life happens. :)