September 12

I just came from a funeral. I hope this e-mail isn't too much of a drag because of it. An 11 year old passed away from cancer. I never got to meet him, but his parents are in the ward here and Sister Davis knows them well. It's so sad to see people grieve. Everything we teach is so important, but sometimes it gets routine until something like this wakes you up and you realize how each of God's children needs to know what we know. Life is so short. I see all of these college students and high school students on the streets down town and think, "what do they think the purpose of life is?" "do they understand their potential?" How sad that more people won't accept our message. But how wonderful it is for those who are humble and who are seeking for truth and light. My testimony has been reaffirmed that there is life after death, and what we teach is real and of great importance.
The Thomas family is a less-active family here. The sisters have been teaching them for a few months. Their daughter Anita is 12 and their son Adam is 8. We had challenged the family to think about and pray about a date that their kids could prepare for baptism. Last night they told us that they decided on Oct. 15th! We're so excited for them! I love going over to their house, their kids are so full of energy. Families are so important and I know that by them preparing together as a family for the baptisms that they will be even more unified.
Pegah came to church on Sunday. She's the one we met last week who is from Iran. Everyone was so welcoming and friendly to her! I love it when members talk to our investigators. Even if they just say hi and introduce themselves, oh man I get so excited! It means so much to a missionary to see members take the intiative and be so kind. Pegah seemed to like church, but she only came here 10 months ago so she couldn't understand some of the speakers. I'm grateful that the Spirit speaks all languages. :)
Speaking of which! Elder Oaks gave this phanominal talk at the CES broadcast last night! He talked about the 2 twin pillars of truth and tolerance. Highly recommend reading it! I love how bold he his. He just lays it out for you clearly so you can't misunderstand. If only I could teach with that clarity and boldness like he does.
I'm so grateful to have been blessed with the knowledge of the gospel all my life. It's amazing how much we take for granted. Last night as we watched the broadcast one of the YSA members here asked me if I had ever gotten the chance to be in that building that it was being broadcast at. I said that I had, that that in fact was my school. She asked me what it looked like and I told her about the Marriot center. How amazing is it that I've gotten to be in that room with apostles and prophets and hear them speak! I just can't say enough how much I've realized on my mission how blessed I am, and how selfish I have been. How lazy. I'm so grateful that Heavenly Father allows His children the opportunity to serve, that He has allowed me to come here and to look outside myself and to help someone in whatever way I can. What we share is true. God does live, He does know us by name, and our Savior lives and we will live again too. If only I could help others see how important our message is and how it applies to them! I'm so grateful for the companionship of the Holy Ghost. Without it I would not be able to do this work. I'm grateful for this time that I have on a mission to focus on eternal things. I get so caught up in day-to-day matters and so often forget about our eternal progression. What a blessing and a gift to have the gospel restored on the earth today! To have the chance to be apart of Christ's restored church! To be able to repent because of our Savior. I'm so grateful for the temple and for the authority that was restored to the earth to bind families together eternally. This is a great and a marvelous work and I'm grateful to be apart of it.
Love,
Sister Crane

September 6

I think it's so hillarious when people tell me to my face that I'm brainwashed. It's so funny, because if they really understood what missionary work was like they would know that not even the most intensely brainwashed person would do this kind of work. Oh these people, if only they knew.
This week was so great! We didn't teach as much as I wanted to but it's picked back up since yesterday and we are ready to go! Happy Labor day everyone, I hope you enjoyed it, I don't think Canadians really celebrate it, it's just another day off of work for them as usual. That means good news for us because we found so many people at home! woop woop! And we got a new investigator! hooray! Her name is Pergah and get this, she's from IRAN! how cool is that? I'll tell you...SO COOL! She speaks persian. (I know even cooler) and she's searching! She was Muslim all her life, but moved here 8 months ago and started exploring Christianity. In our lesson yesterday she kept saying, "I want to be sure, I want to feel it in my heart." It was such a cool lesson and she had so many great questions. Now we just need to figure out how to get a Persian Book of Mormon ASAP. Sister Davis and I have decided we're going to get a globe and for all of the people we teach we'll mark there countries in one color and for all of the people we meet we'll mark their countries in another. It's insane how many times I've met some one, asked them where they are from, and then thought, "where is that?" I really need to brush up on my geography.
Jerome, who is our investigator from the Phillipines is doing so great! He's now successfully completed the 7 day stop smoking program! We've set a few baptismal dates with him, but they've always been delayed. Sister Davis and I wanted him to feel prepared so we set Oct. 8th, but when we asked him about it he said, "oh I was hoping it would be sooner!" ya you were! sweet! So he chose September 30th, and we all prayed about it together. I am so impressed with these people that I've seen who have given up addictions. It's tough stuff! The cravings never really go away for them but they do it, and it's pretty amazing.
Jing and Chen are our investigators from China. They are the cutest couple ever. Jing likes to talk and Chen doesn't. Whenever Jing tries to explain something and Chen thinks that she's talking to much he'll say, "ok ok" and try to stop her and then she slaps him on the leg or pinches him. It's really so funny watching them interact. They also have the most amazing questions and insights! Chen said yesterday how he felt the Spirit at church, or a "gut feeling" as he called it, while people were bearing their testimonies. He then went on to say that in the church he keeps hearing everyone say, "I know this is true, or that is true." but he wants to hear the process not just the end result. It thought that was a pretty cool note. I love foreigners, they are so bold and straight to the point. And when they try to express themselves in English, they choose different words than you would expect. Forinstance a lot of our Asian investigators explain the Spirit as "confidence." Isn't that cool?
For the life of me I cannot figure out why Canadians do not frost their cinnamon rolls! WHY? That is the best part! I just don't get it. Please someone explain this to me. We recently ate over at Sister Lyons house. She is a baker by profession so lets just say it was pretty much the best meal ever! We had rolls, and battin bread (fried goodness), and homemade donuts! ah! so good! She took them right out of the deep frier and we rolled them in sugar and boy was it good. Members have been so nice about feeding us lately. Such a blessing.
Oh ya, we had zone conference this week! It was so good! President and Sister Simpson came and the missionary couple who are in charge of our mental health came and spoke. They cover a TON of missions, so it was cool to meet them and hear what they had to say. I felt like I was in one of my marriage and family classes at BYU. I love it when President and Sister Simpson come and visit. They really are the parents of the mission. Sister Simpson always expresses her love for us at the begginning of meetings, it's so nice to have them here.
Can you believe September is here? I can't. Time has just flown by and continues on. I've lately been thinking about all the things that I've learned on my mission. I can't imagine the kind of person I would have been if I hadn't of gone. It's crazy. One thing I'm very grateful for is the Spirit. At doors lately people have been complimenting me on being very articulate. It's such a nice compliment, but they don't realize that it's not me, it's that they are feeling the Spirit! There's this really cool scripture in 1 Corinthians 2:4. It explains it so well. I could not do this work without the Spirit. Nothing I say to these people could really touch their hearts without the Spirit. I'm so grateful for the amazing power of the Holy Ghost that can touch my heart and help give me power so that our message can then be carried to their hearts. The church is true! And even if so many people think I am brainwashed, at least I know I'm not, I have found the truthfullness of this gospel and that is why I chose to come and continue to stay, it's all because it's true. No one needs to convince you the Book of Mormon is true, it does it all on it's own. Thank you for your letters, and your support!
Love,
Sister Crane

Hot Pot Party

Hurricane Irene

The Hurricane! If I look soaking wet it's because I was.

August 29th

I had to come all the way to Canada to exeperience my first earthquake! Seriously?! We were in a lesson and I felt the couch rock back and forth, I looked to either side of me and saw that no one next to me was rocking so I didn't think too much of it until I came outside and saw fire trucks and downtown buildings being evacuated. Apparently earthquakes don't happen here often because people were freaking out. oh canada.
In other news I worked in a hurricaine for the second time! I don't even know what hurricaine this one was but the same thing happened this time last year. The Elders decided they wanted the car back on Sundays, because one of the Elders can't fit on our small girly bikes, and they took the car back just in time for us to have to bike and walk in the hurricaine. Awesome. So we booked it up the GI-normous hill to our apartment. Half way through I took off my hood and embraced the rain. There was no point trying to stay dry. We started singing called to serve at the top of our lungs in the pooring rain with the crazy wind and people driving by giving us weird looks. I am such a missionary sometimes.
Have you ever heard of Hot pot?! pretty much the coolest invention ever. We went over to Affe's for supper the other day and she and her 3 other chinese friends made us hot pot! It's where you take this huge pot and put it in the middle of the table and it's full of spicy soup mix. Then you take all this food and dump it in and it cooks it and you take your chop sticks and get the food out and put it in your bowl and eat it. It's like fondu but without cheese, just soup, and chop sticks. I have to say it was pretty much really embarrassing trying to master chop sticks in front of 4 chinese people. Not my talent. But I ate the craziest stuff! I ATE COW'S STOMACH! Yes me. I actually ate it. I know you don't believe me. I didn't believe myself. I also ate Lamb for the first time. It was pretty good. Tofu is ok, the cabbage was the best, and the bean curd sheets were pretty good. Pork balls were a little chewy, do not recommend those. Overall it was a cultural enlightening experience. I love foreigners.
So let me tell you about a couple, Claude and Janet. They are so cool! They are both on date for baptism for Oct. 8th! woop woop! Last lesson we got there and did a bit of small talk and Claude excitedly said, "ok well should we get started with a prayer?" before I could say, "hey that's my line!" he got on his knees! We don't normally start our lessons with a kneeling prayer so Sister Davis and I exchanged a look and then hurriedly got to our knees. Claude looked at us and said, "oh you don't have to get on your knees, I just really want to...ok so who's going to say it?" ..."uhh...Claude did you want to say it?" I asked. He beamed and then said a great prayer. At the end of the lesson we started to talk to Janet about baptism, Claude had already agreed to a date but Janet had not. I extended the commitment and she said she wasn't sure. Claude then chimmed in with, "well that's because you're not reading the Book of Mormon every day! you need to read and pray and then go to church and open up your heart." Claude just kept stealing all of our lines! It was awesome. I felt like he was the 3rd missionary. So I then extended it again and said, "Janet I know you can be prepared by Oct. 8th, will you.." She then cut me off with, "oh I know I can!" haha! ya Janet!
I really love the members here! They have been so generous to us! It moves me to tears sometimes just thinking about how generous these people are. The Hatt's gave us a ride to and from our supper appointment yesterday because the member that we ate with didn't have a car, and the Hatts didn't want us to bike across the bridge in the hurricaine. One couple who was only here for the summer and went back to British Columbia on Sunday, gave us all of their food that they didn't finish! Our fridge is now full! Another cute young couple went with us to an appointment, but it was a no-show, so they drove us home to get our rain jackets and then to our next appointment and in the middle of all of that bought us these amazing things called BEAVER TAILS! ah! sooo good! It's like fried dough with cinnamon and sugar. To die for! ah! Andrea, this amazing member who is 21 and getting ready for a mission comes teaching with us all the time and drives us places. Gloria, our investigator, (not a member, but she might as well be) bought us these sweet Canada shirts! Mine has a moose on it, it's the best, and she gave us New Bruswick pins. Saweet! Who are these people that are just so generous and kind? It's the nicest ever and I just feel so grateful that people care about the work we're doing and want to help out. It lightens my load so much when a member serves me.
The church is true! Oh P.S. I played the organ on Sunday, I was a last minute fill in because the organist was sick. I was crazy nervous. Didn't even attempt the peddels. yike. Missionary work really makes you step outside your comfort zone sometimes....more like all the time...Wish me luck in the rain today, hopefully this hurricaine is over for good!
Love,
Sister Crane

August 22

Hey remember that one time when we got 7 new investigators? oh ya I do. It was the BEST! We are now teaching all of Napal. Don't know where that is? Me either. Well now I do, they explained it to me, it's somewhere by India and China. We go to teach Nari, a college student here, and her 2 siblings and her friend are there. We teach them all and bam, 4 new investigators! It was the coolest ever! 3 of them are Hindu and the other is Christian. Their friend, Anuba prayed in Napali at the end. That is basically the coolest language I've ever heard. Lately I've heard a lot of people pray in their own language, but Napali is insane. She was talking so crazy fast I was hoping she'd take a breath or something, but I don't think she ever did. At the end I looked at her friends and said, "ok, what did she say? you gotta tell me!" She said she prayed for us and for her friends. I thought, "seriously? that was it? you were praying for at least 5 minutes." I love these culture experiences. I have all of these places I want to travel to now!
Josh was another new investigator we found....well...he found us. We volunteer at the local community kitchen every week and he was there volunteering too. He came up to us and told us that he's always wanted to learn more about our church and if he ever joined a church it would probably be ours. Saweet! We had a lesson at the church and gave him a tour of the building, then as we sat down to start the lesson he said, "I'm going to be honest you've got me convinced already, I think I want to join your church." uhhh ok! you want to get baptized tomorrow?...If only it worked like that. He is really enthusiastic about it though, it's awesome. He really wants a change in his life and he met us at the right time. Isn't it cool how that always seems to happen?
Our other 2 new investigators are an older couple, Claude and Janet. We met Claude street contacting and then went to teach him and Janet. They are both enthusiastic about the Book of Mormon. Claude's at page 100 already! Janet came to church on Sunday and said she really enjoyed it, she said she felt like she was at home as soon as she came in.
I love having people to teach. It's the best. I feel so grateful that Heavenly Father has placed me in 2 amazing areas to be apart of. Truro was so ready to grow and I got to be apart of it, and now Fredericton is ready to grow and I get to be apart of it. I feel so blessed.
On Sunday I gave a talk. It was kind of cool because all 4 of the missionarys in the ward gave talks. We just took the 4 lessons in Preach My Gospel and taught each one. I had the Plan of Salvation. I cried. What's new. The other talks were really good, and I think it was nice for the members to see what we teach.
TIP: do not work down town on Saturday night. That's when you get some...interesting characters. Seriously. We were walking by the bus stop and these guys stop us and want to talk about our religion. One of the guys tells me it's his birthday tomorrow and he's half drunk, but would really like to come visit our church. cool. The other guy was a bit vulgar, so won't repeat that one. We also ran into a woman named "Bunny Love" she writes gospel music and told us she loved us and kept hugging us. I felt the love, keep spreading in bunny. Then we go to an appointment and it falls through, so we're standing outside the apartment building figuring where to go to knock and this little girl walks out. She yells out, "hey what are you guys doing here?" She walks over to us and makes us hold her doll, "libby" and then insists that she goes with us. uhhh yike. We tell her we'd like to meet her mom aka we'd like her mom to take her so she's safe. Finally, she takes us to see her mom and we tell her mom that we just wanted to make sure her daughter was safe. Her mom says something like, "oh ya she's fine she just stepped out." ok so do you not realize that your daughter who is 3 who claims to be 6, is out by herself on a busy street? yikes! We try to leave and her daughter follows us. When the mom tells her to come here the 3 year old says, "no you come here!" ATT-I-TUDE. wowzer. The little girl then takes the Lord's name in vain and says she has to change her doll. oooookkkk......You meet all kinds of people on your mission that's for sure.
My new favorite pass time is contacting people on the bus. It's the best. Sometimes it's hard to start a conversation, but every time I listen to the Spirit I know what to say. It's so strange how something so simple as talking to people about the gospel on the bus can make you so happy. But it does! I'm so grateful to have this time to be a representative of Jesus Christ. It's such a blessing to wear this name tag. Now I'm off to ride my bike in the rain...wow I feel like such a cliche missionary. Isn't it the best?
Love,
Sister Crane

More Bike Adventures

I actuallly crossed the highway on my bike!!

My injury when I stepped into a puddle

The puddle!



My first Samosa