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