Many are called, but few are frozen.

Sister Meiners
Jan 3, 2018
4 min read

many are called, but few are frozen. actual pic of me this week!

….defrosting….. Please wait.

Well, I’m just gonna dedicate this email to teaching you all about the Canadian culture here in the winter. Like mentioned before, its AlBURRRta. After our balmy, almost exotically warm winter- the joyous Christmas came, with light white snow. It was sparkly and peaceful.

Well christmas passed and BAM!!!

It's cold. Remember in Maryland when it was -1F and they cancelled school cause the buses wouldn’t start?

Well it reached a low of -41C with windshield this week. In perspective, -40F is the same as -40C. Your thermometer would probs crack.

exchanges w/ sister follett! She was my comp over the summer but this wasnt our first snow together.....

Meiners celcius conversion scale:

0 (32F) ah, its freezing, who cares.

-10 (14F), its kinda cold out!

-20 (-4F) put on your gloves and scarves. Your nose is gonna get runny!

-30 (-22F) please dont make me leave the house.

-40 (-40F) Beyond mortal comprehension……………………….

bundling up so we dont die

Let me remind you-- we don't have a car! Thankfully some kind civilians cat-called us and were like “hey sisters u need a ride????” all albertans know missionaries r the only ones walkin these streets. But i’ll admit, it does put me in a pickle sometimes......

Here's a play by play of walking to an appointment:

-you open the door and immediately start coughing, the cold swooshing air jumps down your throat and you feel like your insides are frozen.

-you start walking FAST. i’ve made a bad decision cause I put on my booties rather than my duck boots. (booties are sooooo much faster tho getting off so like, kinda worth it???) mountains of snow are piling in my layers of socks.

-my cheeks go baby pink and my nose crusts over. My hair starts to freeze and i hide my self in my scarf.

-we trip on a bunch of electric snakes on the side walk--(everyone has longgggg extension cords plugged into their car batteries so they dont freeze).

-We get to the house and the doorbell is frozen so we cant ring it… we do mental rock paper scissors to decide who has to take off their mittens this time to expose their dainty fingers to the harsh cold. It was my turn and as my fingers leave the pocket of warmth they internally scream and start crackling in the cold temperatures.

-we wait and NO ONE IS HOME.

-we look at each other, tears couldn't even swell in our eyes if they wanted to because they’d freeze, and we turn around and head home.

-we get back to our apartment and we shout “draw a bath!!!!!” we fill up our humble tub as a make shift jacuzzi and peel off our pathetic “thermal” nylon tights. I see fleshly salmon legs and quickly immerse my feet in the rushing boiling water. I splash and splash until feeling comes back to my legs.

i walked outside for 2 minutes and my hair froze. gives the hair style "frosted tips" a whole new meaning, eh?

On to the next appointment.....

but its ok, people are like "its gonna be warm next week, the high is -19! cause the high this week was -27!"

sigh.....................................

we had fun tho cause we threw hot water in the air and it froze and turned into snow! i felt like bill nye the science guy.

Ok ok ok,

Besides being a drama queen about the snow, this whole Canada place is really awesome. Good thing we got the Spirit of God burning inside us to keep us warm!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Weekly highlights:

-I went on exchanges with MY BABY sister follett!!!!!!

-I had the plague and all manner of pestilence this week, and a member drove to the store and bought me Orange Juice. I FELT SO LOVED. OJ goes so far in my heart.

-i heard that my investigators i taught in Barnwell are getting baptized next weekend. I taught them in JUNE--- finally!!!!!!!! :) #seedsplanted #butreallyihelpedthemharvesttheircropslolol

2017 Tribute:

On facebook back in the day people used to post cheezy things and photo collages about what they learned that year. People still probably do that-- i wouldn’t know tho. Well I’m about to do that.....

Last January i reported the the MTC, and my little life changed forever! I really can say that my mission has taught me hard but important lessons, and that I have become a better person from it. This year would have been meaningless, had I not focused my time and my life on Jesus Christ. I know I’ll look at this time in my life with fondness and gratitude. It’s a good life when we keep Jesus as our friend.

I love you all!!! And Happy New Year-- (in jail!)

Love, sister meiners

pics 4 ur pleasure:

canada life.

Akelio's son Mumutz!!! so precious

we're outside and instinctively I'm like "wow what beautiful blue tractors all lined up!" and sister follett was like "those are porta potties!!!!!" hahahahhaa, ive been southern alberta too long.. tractors are just instinct now.......