Golfing ! ? !

To be clear...Elder Pacis is long gone and is back in Washington.  I am in Dryden, Ontario working with another set of missionaries for a week then I am being sent into southern Winnipeg for a week and---not totally sure, but hopefully---going back to Kenora.  Kenora is proving to be a refining place, but I have the desire to go back and "finish what I started".

Now what I wanted to do for my email was to attach a picture of me golfing because I TOTALLY WENT GOLFING TODAY!  I wanted to just send a picture of me on the tee box and wait and send the big email later and see what you thought.  I took tons of pictures but these computers in Dryden are from the stone-age and won't accept my SD card, so you all will have to wait on the pictures and videos.  We played 9 holes and one of the missionaries kept score.  Even without golfing for over a year I still have got it!  I shot 43, (on a) par 36 with a couple of big drives.  As Bro. Crandall would say, I played with a couple of "amateur gomers", but it was SO fun.  I stepped up to the first tee without any practice swings or anything and belted a 265-yard drive dead straight down the fairway.  Still got it!  (Still humble, too!)  My short game was garbage but I managed to play with what I had and roll with it.  Problem was that the junky clubs I was playing with (rentals) hit the ball WAY too far.  I tagged my 8 iron over 200 yards, and it had a beautiful 8 iron arc, not like I hit it poorly or anything.  On the last hole I belted a PW about 170 yards and went about 40 yards past the green.  These clubs were insane, but so was my competition.  My furthest drive was 280 yards, dead straight down the fairway on hole 8.  Not bad for using a real wood driver.  I forgot how fun golf can be.  I'm glad I see the fun side and not the frustrating side of golf.  Club rentals, 4 balls and 9 holes for $11.  Ka-ching!

Northwestern Ontario is my absolute favorite place to be in the summer and fall.  I have NEVER seen so many vibrant colors before.  Wow!  I love the leaves on the streets, the lakes, the wetlands, everything...

Almost forgot I was emailing because I was dreaming there for a bit:  golf and leaves...back to missionary work.  Yes, the past few weeks have been some of the most trying weeks on my mission for so many reasons.  I won't go into it, but wow, it’s been so mentally grueling, and Conference was a huge relief.  I loved Elder Holland's and Elder Callister's talks the most.  I have used that 2-point analogy on my mission a lot.  Makes sense how by having 1 dot you can draw many lines through it (many interpretations of the Bible), but by having 2 dots (2 testaments of Christ) you can only draw 1 line through them--1 interpretation.  Makes sense, eh? I will show you dozens more analogies when I get home...they are limitless.  I like playing this game called "Telephone Pictionary" to illustrate the Great Apostasy.  Still haven't totally given up games!  Works great too.  Even though the past few weeks have been difficult, Zone Conference is in Winnipeg this week and I am excited for that and to see many missionary friends and then (hopefully) go back to Kenora next transfer.  Transfer calls are this week, and I should know by next week what my fate will be.  I will go anywhere and do anything, but I would love to stay in Kenora.

Do you remember in Conference when President Monson quoted an obscure scripture about being ready to share the gospel and your testimony when called upon to do so?  Well, I found that scripture in 1 Peter 3:15 about 2 weeks ago and have been telling people in Kenora to "be ready alway to give an answer for the hope within you".  I think that is it, I am not great at memorizing yet.  I thought that was really neat!  I liked when Sis. Dalton said that fathers spending time with children creates lasting memories.  It is so true.  Dad, you may not remember many things, but you will be surprised at the amount of things I remember.  I still remember when you took me to the redone original Star Wars movies, I still remember bike rides in Grasslawn.  That is the power of those memories!  Thank you so much for those memories. But they aren't done, let’s make our way back up to Seattle next October and go to the Car Show!

I am still praying for the house!

Hey, the mission office wants to know the email I use back home. Good question. What is it?

Love ya much, I will include pictures next week (if the computer will let me). The time on the computers in Dryden is almost up, super short. Love you!

Elder Galbraith