First email from Canada

Hellllllo0ooooooo!~!!!!!! I' m a MISSIONARY!!! Is that insane or WHAT!!! Gosh, I love it! I love it more than I thought I would ever love anything... its kinda weird, there are some moments where you look at yourself and think "we're CRAZY! who DOES THIS??" but then you laugh and just keep on going and having fun :)

So first things first!! :):) I'm living in part of the city called BELMEAD but my area is SPRUCE GROVE. We're just staying in Belmead with the sisters there until our apartment is ready to move into in Spruce...apparently it was still being rented or something like that...I dunno..so right now we have to leave 30 minutes earlier to get there and then to get home...which has been kinda fun 'cause the drive out there is BEAUTIFUL!! Oh my goodness its gorgeous out here like it looks like a postcard everywhere..the trees and everything..even tho alot of them don't have leaves anymore its still so so pretty and I love it :)

So, mail here is weird.. could you tell everyone this actually... like... I wont ever get my mail personally cause we hardly every have mailboxes.. so I will give you the MISSION office address AND THEN my ZONE LEADERS pick it up once a week and give it to the DISTRICT leaders who then get it to US..... SOOOOO IT TAKES FOREVER and I' ll only get mail like every other week cause my district is SUUUPER spread out so we don't know how often well have district meeting...which kinda makes me mad... but no negativity is allowed in this mind of mine :)

SOOOO my address is as follows....

Sister Bronwyn Douglas

305-8925 51 Ave. NW
Edmonton, AB T6E-5J3
Canada

And if you ever do send a package up here make sure you clarify it's gifts only and that its not for a business, it's just personal so you don't get charged more...
that is all :)
please write me :) i like real letters better than emails 'cause handwriting is so much more beautiful and personable and YOU and I can re-read it :)

I love you all

Imma just answer all your questions Mom 'cause they are good :)

What stake and ward are you in?

I'm in the Spruce Grove Ward in the Edmonton North Stake (but Spruce Grove is in the very very west end of Edmonton...well actually it's not really in the city at all its kind of it's own town...you should google it its so cute :)

Where is your companion from and what is her name?

My companion is Sister Schofield and I LOVE her... she reminds me so much of kathie stienagel its insane...like even her facial expressions :) haha.  She's from Idaho Falls.

How cold has it been?

Ummm freeezing... hahaha right now its -4 C so...about 21 F so we haven't seen anything yet...apparently it REALLY DOES get to be -40 like... really. hahaha today we had to scrape ice off the windowshield to see..but we didnt have a scarper so I used my BYUI ID haha... thank you thank you BYUI

Did you go shopping for supplies yet?

Nope! Today will be the first!! :) Welllll actually I just lied..we did go shopping on Thursday night at a Superstore to get some food....bananas and spinach haha...I've been eating bananas and peanut butter for breakfast every morning...kinda weird, but then I don't get hungry till lunch again and it's healthy :):)

Have you taught anyone yet?

Welllll we haven't taught any INVESTIGATORS..this week we worked alot with the less actives of the ward and just got to know everyone cause GUESS WHAT!?!?! Sister Schofield and I are OPENING Spruce Grove...which means they haven't had any sisters here since like EVER and so we don't know anyone and we don't have any investigators anyone left us and we had to start completely from scratch... so my trainer says that it's fun cause then BOTH of us have no idea what's goin on haha

Where are you living?
Living...haha in Belmead :) in this ghetto apt..that's like...forest green and lace decorations downstairs hahah I love it....also we have a complimentary "smoothie BAR" hahahaha we're gonna make smoothies on halloween in martini glasses...we have to be in by 6 pm cause of all the sketchy peeps at night :D lotsa fun!! :)

Are you in a car?

we do get a car :) a 2013 chevy cruze :) its tight :) except apparently the Subarus are the coveted cars :) I'm just happy to have one.. and I have been a BOSS at navigating..well not driving but I have to use that MAP...FOR THE CITY and the city isn't like a perfect little SLC grid that I'm used it...it's nuts, but weve only gotten lost twice :):) its great :):)

Is your coat warm enough?

Definitely :) its very nice :) I MIGHT get a liner if I feel I need to when its a little bit more cold but so far so great :) also I might buy a couple longer skirts....'cause I just want to :)

Are your clothes still wrinkly after being vacuum packed for three weeks?

uh yes hahaha...but we have an iron thank heaven!!!

What do you do for exercise?

we do P90x in the morning :) we went walking on the first day but ran home cause it was FLIPPIN cold...and 'cause we were scared of people around there..its a lil sketchy..hahah the first night we got lost we just pulled into a parking lot to figure out where we were,...hahah we were in a club parking lot hahahaha...doors locked!!!

How do you like the Mission pres? What is he and his wife like?

I LOOOOOVE THEM!!!!! So so much, they are wonderful and I have no idea how they get everything done that they do!! like 24/ 7 busy busy busy

What's the strangest thing you've eaten so far?

Ummmmm I had raw chicken at a members house!...but I didn't eat it all cause halfway through she freaked out and apologized and said "its RAW!!!" (well it wasn't like pink PINK just..not all the way cooked) and sister Davies was so cute and was like "STOP EATING IT!!!"

What do you eat for breakfast lunch and dinner?

Breakfast is the bananas, sometimes oats...I also got some of the "Presidents Choice" oats, its good :)

How do you email us? Where do you go to access the internet?

Right now I'm in the library in Belmead, but we will have a library in  Spruce Grove that I'll use EXCEPT I WONT BE EMAILING ON MONDAYS the library there is closed on Mondays, so I will email on TUESDAYS, MY PDAY IS STILL MONDAY BUT NO EMAILS ON MONDAY ONLY TUESDAY :) so yes :)

Have you missed your phone, Facebook and music?

Oh my HEAVENS I ALMOST FORGOT TO TELL YOU...sooo no, I haven't missed FB..music a little, but... I TOTALLY understand why they don't want us to listen to non-churchy music now...even if it IS uplifting...'cause we went to this Relief Society social thing... and I'm sitting there just talking... oh and music was playing like "WORDLY MUSIC" haha jk it was nice but not what were allowed to listen to and then ALL OF A SUDDEN...... BRANDIE CARLILE song comes on and BAM never felt so homesick....man oh man... I didn't think missing home could feel like that... DUH of course I've missed you but I kinda felt like an elephant sat on me and I prolly pretended that a yawn made me all teary but realllllly....... stupid Brandie ;)

Well let's seeee what else....

OH, I WENT TRACTING FOR THE FIRST TIME!!! :D funnest thing ever I love tracting.... actually it sucks..actually it doesn't..it just isn't that effective in finding people...BUT, you always get the best stories..hahaha like the VERY FIRST HOUSE I KNOCKED ON...

this HIGH AS A KITE lady ANSWERS the door...and were just standing there smiling like HEY and Sister Schofield starts talking and sticks out her hand to shake her hand like "I'm Sister Schofield" and the high ladys all "ya...I don't shake hands...umm so ya, ummm I have to go cause I'm..umm... (and she like had her eyes were shaking weird) I'm waiting for my mom"

hahaha it was so funny!!!! oh and when she said "I dont shake hands", Sister Schofields like "oh ok thank you!! :)" hahahaha it was so funny I nearly died. Later that day I gave away our first Book of Mormon so were gonna go check back with them this week to see how its goin with them :) ya never know :)
There's this yummy place here called Tim Hortons thats like Starbucks a little bit except you can buy soups and doughnuts and hot chocolate...oh my YUM you would love it Mom..the soup is like zupa status :) MMMM!

I have a bunk bed :P I dont like bunk beds....but only when the ceiling is about a foot above my NOSE when I lie down..its kinda funny.

OH Elder HOLLAND came out here to do Stake conference for the OTHER STAKE so we didn't get to go!!!!!!!!!!!! :( :(:(:( BUT we listened to the broadcast from the foyer...that man...is like.... we're all motivated and gonna change the world now... so cool.

He called this work not missionary work but the salvation of SOULS 'cause it's not just for missionaries... EVERYONE should be hastening the work. Missionaries are here to help YOU the members..not the other way around.
So FAMILY get to work and save some souls!! :)

I'm not even stressed...it's weird.. well I'm sure i"m UNDER STRESSED, but Sister Schofield and I were talking about how strange but wonderful this peaceful calm assuring feeling has been with us this whole week. I haven't felt overwhelmed once or thought how can we do this once.. theL ord knows that we can do this and so I know we can do this.. we are here for a reason and we are going to FIND PEOPLE and BRING THEM TO THE LORD. JUST LIKE MY DREAM how COOL is that???????
I had that dream when I was TEN YEARS OLD about bringing people to the Lord. I am not capable of healing anyone. I am SO incapable of spiritual first aid, but I DO know who can and I know HOW to get them there!
It was kinda neat to realize that :)
The atonement is real.... the realest thing out there. The only person who can fully heal us from EVERYTHING is JESUS CHRIST. and He WILL heal you if you go unto Him!!!!
Thats it :)

Will you please hug everyone for me I LOVE YOU ALL!!!
Hug the Siniscalchis and tell Jill thank you for her letters and support. She is so inspired
and tell Aunty Bronwyn I love her and I will always feel so close to her.
Tell Coach and all of XC that I love THEM and that they better kick it into gear for Footlocker and do something CERAZY BIG :)
Tell the kids that I love them more than anything..the kids being my kids like Kyra and Morgan and Seth and Deryck
and MOMMMMMM that GOLD SKIRT IS HEAVENLY and aweil;fjd;aklsdfj;aklsdfl; WHO WOULD EVER BUY IT FOR THE ORIGINAL PRICE THE MANIACS!! hahaha but I LOVE it and I wore it on Friday :)
Mom and Dad I love you the most :) I love love love loooove you and I miss you and I will see you soon :) too soon :) I'm so happy to be here and  I'm happy you are there. We are all where we are supposed to be I love you!!!!

I love you!

Also I  really dont have time today to write to everyone so PLEASE send my apologies
I love you, I love you, I love you!! "What can I say more"

Love, 

Sister Douglas

"many are cold, but few are frozen."

hehe

My dearest, dearest, wonderfullest family, that I just love so so much more than I ever thought was possible,

Wellllll,  here I am in the laundry room at the MTC and I think its finally settling in that I'm not in a dream haha. I keep looking down at my tag like "no way this is real" haha I love it though. I don't think I have ever been so exhausted in every sense of the word than I have been lately, mentally, physically, spiritually and what else.. oh ya EMOTIONALLY haha... so tired :) but oh so dang happy...I dont even know if im allowed to say dang any more...heh... I'll have to double check that.

as I have said before my companions are wonderful, my room is nice and spacious... kinda. but I'll tell you a lil 'bout my schedule if you want?? ya???

Soooooo we get up at 6:00 or 6:30 depending on if we have gym or not in the morning which is nice either way we have gym everyday. there's a track that goes around the gym floor, so I have been able to go running everyday which has been a wonderful stress relief... tell coach I'm getting a sub 7 minute mile time which...I  know isn't that fast considering that I used to be sub 6, BUT I'm pretty impressed with myself :)

Except the track is reallllly little so its like 10 laps for a mile... kinda makes me go insane.. in a good way.

So ya, we get up.. get ready in like 25 minutes which is a miracle seeing as we are all girls with hair and faces then we go to class to study for an hour which I love 'cause I can study whatever I want... except letters... you aren't allowed to study those haha

I have to admit if I get a dear elder letter sometimes I take them to the bathroom with me so I can read them before lunch ahah... gross but happy :)

Um so ya, we study then we have teachers come in and depending on the day depends on the teacher and if we are learning WHAT to teach or HOW to teach..both my teachers are AMAZING like... stellar, prolly some of my new favorite people in the world kinda people. Also there are so many teachers that aren't OUR teachers that just come in to help with the lessons or role playing and what not and they are all so cool too!  Like I wish they would ALL BECOME seminary teachers 'cause they could change lives like a boss.

I have been learning about the fundamentals of teaching the gospel.  Things like revelation through prayer, through scriptures, the doctrine of Christ, revelation through church attendance.. things like that.. and its SO cool cause I knew all these things but to go on an even deeper level and gain a TESTIMONY and then be CONVERTED to something and then have other PEOPLE BE CONVERTED TO THIS... man...its so cool.
Something neat,  my teacher told us last week after a role play where I told him "I can't promise you that the situation can work out a certain way all I can promise is that it will work out." After we were done he said '"Sister Douglas!!! i want to share with you something cool. you are a representative of JESUS CHRIST for the next 18 months because you have the authority to do so... and obviously according to the spirit... but you can make specific powerful promises to people in the name of CHRIST because you REPRESENT HIM. you are called to say what he would say and do what he would do, and because of that and the authority and your call you can promise blessings to people so specific to their needs if you are worthy of that blessing." HOW COOL IS THAT!?!?!?!??!!??! I'm so excited to be able to pray about what I can promise people and then be able to do that :D ahhhh yeah!

Umm so ya the food is great. My district... ah man.. my district is so cool we only have 6 people in our district cause there's an elder trio and then a sister trio and we are like... all best friends, I love it.. the elders can get really side tracked sometimes... its funny but I think we work well together 'cause we help keep the elders focused and they help us chill out and not get so tense about what we are doing..l just to have peaceful faith and confidence in the converting power of the gospel.

So I'm typing as fast as I can just so you know that's why all the spelling mistakes (here I am fixing all of them for her)

Ummm,I' m trying to think what else I could tell you... honestly talking about the lessons and how special they are almost feels too sacred... like... there's no way I will ever be able to convey how powerful it is to look at someone you don't even know in the eye and testify that GOD IS REAL and that he LOVES them..... and to KNOW that that is true.... ya, I can't even explain it...I wish I could....

BUT ITS WONDERFUL....
Will you please tell Aunty Dara that due to the extreme shock of seeing her today I could only mumble "thank you" but really I wanted to say "Thank You so so soooooo much for the packages that make my whole day and my whole districts day". We all ate the milktart at dinner and I told them about South Africa...wellllll mostly about my african family :) heh I love that :)

DAD... is there anyway you can access or find that character of Christ video.. I wrote mom about it I think (she didn't write to me about it. not sure what video she is talking about?).... YOU ALL HAVE TO WATCH IT. I'm serious. DO IT.

I think they should just send people to the MTC to learn how to be like Christ... 'cause it really can do that for you... but (coach you'll laugh at this) YOU REALLY DO GET WHAT YOU PUT INTO IT! Now, I don't think you should work hard for the sole purpose of getting more out of it, but I promise if you work as hard as you can and just TRY, then its like..... HEAVEN! 

I CANT WAAAAIT to go to CANADA. I can't wait to freeze. I can't wait to teach. I can't wait to meet everyone and sing & smile and make new friends and be apart of people's LIVES CHANGING. I'm so excited :):)

Well, I think that is all for now!!!! Talk to you next week.  I love you more than I will ever be able to say :)
Love,
Sister Douglas

My Dearest Family,

WHAT A DAY! I seriously only have like 2 min before lights out to finish writing to you so I'm writing as fast as I can and imma try & tell you as much as I can.

My companions are awesome! Yup I'm a threesome! Sister Fellows is from Preston Idaho & Sister Robinson is from Star Valley, Wyoming.  Sis Robinson went to BYU-I and turns out we had art together.

I'll tell you more about my district and zone later.  Today we had orientation, then class, then more class then food then straight to "teaching" then to a meeting then to a tour then off to your rooms & I kid you not, I had AN HOUR, ONE HOUR to unpack, get ready for bed, get ready for tomorrow, study, read, pray, write to you.  It's impossible! Basically Everyone here is SO happy & friendly & wonderful.  I love my companions.  I'm having a great time so far. My head is a little overloaded. Definitely taking a Nutr-calm haha. 

After you dropped me off, you have NO TIME to even THINK! tThey wisk you here then here then here& your "host" is with you the whole time & they put a little "dork dot" on your tag to show that you're a noob and EVERYONE smiles and says "Welcome Sister!"

The food's good, chicken fried steak! :) I've gotten loads of compliments on my shirt & my boots.  I'm not allowed to say "guys", it's "Elders" or "Sisters"

Also one of the teachers reminds me of Dad :) and also they have scales here & I only got 2 lbs of books ;) so good on the weight :D

I have to go!

I love you all so much!

<3 B...wait

Sister Douglas!

P.S. My P-day is on Wednesday

Email around 9am ish?

We dropped our lovely Bronwyn off today. i guess she is now known as Sister Douglas. its going to be a great 18 months for all of us. Just for reminders, her MTC address is:
Sister Bronwyn Lee Douglas
OCT22 CAN-EDM
2007 N 900 E Unit 31
Provo UT 84602

duh duh DUH!! She is now set apart. Her missionary email: bronwyn.douglas@myldsmail.net. she gets those letters once a week.

Welp here is is folk the last day before she reports to the missionary training center. We are super excited you could say.I'm sure its plenty cold up in Canada so far...