Four weeks ago the Burnetts started teaching an English class for Mandarin-speakers at the Institute. The first week they had one, the second week three, and the third week nine. The fourth week, last night, the Burnetts and the Mandarino-speaking missionaries organized a Thanksgiving dinner hosted by the Millwoods Stake. There were about 38 in attendance, of whom 26 were Mandarin-speakers. The Burnetts, as part of a BYU program, recently spent two years in China teaching English. The opportunity to use their experience in China to assist the work here in Edmonton has been a blessing for them.

Today, October 9, is Thanksgiving in Canada. We joined the Burnetts and helped serve free meals for three hours to all comers at a school. The event was sponsored by an Edmonton Rotary Club.

The following article about Thanksgiving in Canada comes from Time Magazine--Waxman, O. (2017, October 18), The Surprising Origin of Canada's Thanksgiving:

     "Between turkey dinners and family reunions, Canadian Thanksgiving--observed on the second Monday in October--can look pretty similar to its U.S. counterpart. But in fact, part of the reason Canadians first petitioned for the holiday was to celebrate their luck at not being American.
     "In the wake of a crisis of faith catalyzed by Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species, Canadian religious leaders began in 1859 to petition the colonial government for an official day to thank God. Initially, they thanked God for plentiful harvests. But over the next decade they became even more grateful that they were spared the bloodshed of the U.S. Civil War. 'It was a solemn, holy day in the middle of the week when people would go to church,' says historian Peter A. Stevens, 'and thank God for how fortunate they are to be Canadian.'
     "As the idea of a national Thanksgiving spread in the  U.S. too, the two holidays began to look alike, with American publications promoting the idea of a harvest feast. Even so, the neighboring nations kept the dates separate. Canadian Thanksgiving first moved to a Monday in 1908, after railways lobbied to turn it into a long weekend that could be used to visit family--by train, naturally--and that day change later became permanent. In the years since, the early-autumn timing has been a boon. With the holiday now detached from its religious beginnings, most Canadians think of it as a time to savor the last mild weather before the northern winter starts."

Yesterday we attended Church at the Millcreek YSA Ward. On the way home we took pictures of the North Saskatchiwan River which runs east from the Rockies through Edmonton.

Yesterday, October 2, was Sandy's birthday. Our kids got together and sent these gifts to her. Also, several missionaries called during the day to sing happy birthday to her.