We attended the Mt. Pleasant YSA Ward today. A speaker shared the following quote which I really like.

“I would rather be what God chose to make me, than the most glorious creature that I could think of. For to have been thought about—born in God’s thoughts—and then made by God, is the dearest, grandest, most precious thing in all thinking.” George MacDonald (sometimes incorrectly attributed to C. S. Lewis)

Yesterday Sandy and I went to the Old Strathcona Farmer's Market in Edmonton. It's an indoor venue with lots of things for sale including fresh vegetables, candy, and jewelry. It's like the Costa Mesa Swap Meet, but on a much smaller scale. As we were leaving we noticed a street car preparing to leave for downtown Edmonton. We had a fun trip and took the following pictures.

The Kerrs, Mayers, Traveling Sisters (Hall and Dearden), and Burnetts

The traveling sisters gave Sandy and me a card with the following message: "Thank you for your wonderful service to us in the Canada Edmonton Mission! Elder Kerr, your training never fails to inspire us. Sister Kerr, hearing your voice on the end of the line always makes our day! You're both so positive and patient with all of us. We are so blessed to know you and are grateful for the sacrifices you've made to be here!"

The president invited all of the senior couples to come to Edmonton this week for Zone Conference. A BBQ was held yesterday for the senior missionaries at the Appleton's cottage on Half Moon Lake. Brother Appleton is a member of the mission presidency. The cottage is on the lake, but lacks running water (think outhouse). It was a nice evening.

Elder and Sister Venturi stayed with us so they could attend Zone Conference. Their home is in Carlsbad, CA. They are serving in Yellowknife, Northwest Territory which is the farthest point north in the mission (15 hour drive time from Edmonton).

A Message from Drake Charles

Gavin's wife, Kristen, is not LDS but she is a devout Christian. She posted  a video on Facebook with the following comment: "Sharing a video my mom encouraged me to watch featuring the testimony of Drake Charles - head of Linfield Christian Schools. Drake's message will bless anyone who will spend the time to listen, such a powerful message. God bless Drake and his family and the many who will enter the Kingdom of Heaven due to his faithfulness and love for our Father in Heaven." (Gavin and Kristen's boys once attended Linfield Christian School.)

Sandy and I have watched this video and find its message to be remarkable, regardless of one's denomination. We commend it to you. Here is a link: Drake 

Leo and Kathy Mayer

The Mayers are recently set apart Church Service Missionaries. Sister Mayer is training with Elder Burnett to become the mission finance secretary. I am training Elder Mayer to be the vehicle coordinator. They are Canadians and live in Spruce Grove, a community west of Edmonton.

Today Brady received the “Excellence In Teaching” award from The Inland Empire/Desert Regional Consortium (IEDRC), which consists of 12 community colleges. It serves as a regional framework to communicate, coordinate, collaborate, promote and plan career and technical education in the Inland Empire/Desert Region. Following is a statement about Brady found in the awards program:

"Brady Kerr [Commercial Music Instructor, Norco College] provides exemplary teaching experiences for students preparing for careers in the music industry, including preparing students for ProTools certification and a variety of music production styles. He is a Grammy nominated educator, certified ProTools expert, and voting member of the recording academy. Brady empowers and motivates students to achieve their full potential by teaching students to write and record their own music, offering a supportive learning environment for developing both music knowledge and professional skills. Brady's commitment to industry-standard learning experiences includes embedding new and emerging technology and trends into student classroom and performance experiences."

Cydne, Becca, and Brock came to Edmonton the end of April for Brock's work. Cydne and we toured the Provincial Legislature and the Muttart Conservatory.

In front of the Legislature Building

In front of the Legislature Building

There is a tribute in the Legislature building to five Canadian women who were instrumental in gaining for women the right to vote and to be recognized as "persons."

Muttart Conservatory

The conservatory has four glass pyramids, each a different climate zone. Plants representative of each zone are on display. 

Brock likes socks. Last time he was here I gave him a pair of Hudson Bay socks. He reciprocated this time with bacon and eggs socks.

As we were driving in Sherwood Park we saw these two female Royal Canadian Mounted Police

Elders Lin and Nethercott

There is a nice hockey rink at the West Edmonton Mall. We were there yesterday and saw these boys playing a game. They were fun to watch; it made us think of Brayden.

We've wanted to see the Northern Lights (aurora borealis) before leaving Canada. With the help of an iPhone application that calculated there was a chance to see them tonight, we drove several miles northeast of Sherwood Park to be free of city lights. About 11 pm we saw them for the first time. The stock photograph below is an approximation of what we saw, except they were wispy white. At one point the lights stretched from the northern horizon to directly over our heads.

The following information about the Northern Lights comes from the internet: "The bright dancing lights of the aurora are actually collisions between electrically charged particles from the sun that enter the earth's atmosphere.The lights are seen above the magnetic poles of the northern and southern hemispheres. They are known as 'Aurora borealis' in the north and 'Aurora australis' in the south. Auroral displays appear in many colours although pale green and pink are the most common. Shades of red, yellow, green, blue, and violet have been reported. The lights appear in many forms from patches or scattered clouds of light to streamers, arcs, rippling curtains or shooting rays that light up the sky with an eerie glow."

This past winter Edmonton had 167 consecutive days of minimum temperatures at or below zero degrees, making it the longest stretch on record. It was the coldest April in 16 years.