15 Facts about Calgary/Canada

Since I'm a researcher and I like to research about things pertaining to me, I did a little research about Calgary. So, here's 15 facts about Calgary!

1. The Calgary Stampede, an annual 10-day event (starting this year on Friday, July 6th) bills itself as “The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth.” It features the world’s largest rodeo, concerts, a midway, First Nations exhibits, chuckwagon racing, agricultural competitions, stage shows and a parade. (I'll get a little piece of home with me with the Rodeo)
   
2. It’s a youthful city and full of energy. The average age is 35.7 years.
   
3. English and French are the official languages of Canada, but more than 120 languages are spoken in the city.
   
4. Canada uses the metric system: Celsius, Kilometers, Centimeters, etc.
   
5. According to Forbes.com, Calgary is the cleanest city in the world!
   
6. A Chinook in Calgary (a warm wind) can raise the temperature by as much as 15C and in a few hours, you can go from parkas to short-sleeves.
   
7. The coldest temperature ever recorded was -45 C (-49F) in February, 1893. The warmest day ever recorded was 36.1C (97F) in July, 1919. The average high is in the 70’s F. (I have to buy a separate coat when I get to Calgary because the coats here aren't good enough...)
   
8. On average, 36 days of the year have winds greater than 52 KMS per hour (or 32 MPH). The windiest days occur in December and January – that’s why you get wind chills down in the -40 C range... or worse.
   
9. There is no provincial sales tax in Calgary – or Alberta for that matter, so you only pay 5% tax on Goods and Services. (Here in Utah it's 4.7%)
   
10. You can walk 18 KMS (11 miles) in downtown Calgary without having to go outside! The Plus 15 , a feature unique to Calgary, is an inside walkway that connects 100 buildings with 6o suspended bridges 15 feet above the ground
    
11. The tallest building is the Calgary Tower (the space needle of Calgary) and it is 191 M with a spinning restaurant at the top (see? space needle)
    
12. Canada actually has a Monarchy and is under Queen Elizabeth II with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (he's 45 and eye candy)
    
13. They use Canadian dollars. 1 Canadian dollar is .78 US dollars.
    
14. Canada Day is July 1, similar to Independence day for the US on July 4.
    
15. Thanksgiving in Canada is held on the 2nd Monday of October instead of the 4th Thursday in November like the US.

That Big, White, Envelope

After nearly eight very long-awaited weeks, my mission call arrived on Saturday, December 2 and yes, you read that correctly, Saturday. However, Saturday was a very busy day for me and after four days of checking the mail prior and not seeing that big white envelope, I was aggravated and wasn’t even going to check the mail on Saturday, because I figured mission calls never come on Saturdays. As I woke up Sunday morning, I figured I would check anyway. I had a feeling since I had given up hope, it would be there, and it was!

I sat through three hours of slightly distracted church… and afterward, gathered my friends and family together to read my call to… CANADA, CALGARY! Which, is exactly where I wanted to go. I had a dream previously about going to Canada on my mission and both me and my mom knew I was going to Canada. I know this is exactly where I’m supposed to go, and this is a calling from the Lord. I feel so blessed. I will arrive at the Provo MTC on March 21 and teach in the English language. I couldn’t be more excited to serve the people of Canada and I can’t wait to teach about the greatest gift that has had such a strong impact in my life, the gospel of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

-Heather

Waiting Game

For those that know me, they know I like to plan. I like to know exactly what’s going on and when and will follow up on the minute details of something. When I order something from Amazon, I can’t even wait the two days it takes for prime shipping! So, waiting for my call has been…interesting. I’m trying to focus on other things and work and school keep me busy enough to not think about it 24/7, but I wish the process could be more like ordering a pizza from Dominos. I know exactly when they’ve started making my pizza, when it’s in the oven, when the delivery guy has left, and when he’s arrived. It tells me the exact timeline (that’s why Dominos is my favorite.)

           I think it’s more than just waiting to find out where I’ll go, it’s all the prep work that I want to be doing, that I can’t until I have my call. For example, buying clothes, I don’t want to buy a bunch of skirts and blouses and find out I should’ve gotten a million cardigans because I’m going to Alaska. Or buy a bunch of long sleeves and thermal stuff and find out I’m going to the Philippians. I want to start selling my car and contract, but I don’t know when I’m leaving so I can’t do that. And I want to research everything about the place I’m going so I can know what to expect. I guess I hate not being able to plan and am getting antsier by the day. But, I know I need to trust in the Lord’s timing and I know this is a sacred process that can’t be rushed and I am very glad for that; after all, this is the next year and a half of my life that’s being decided, so I guess I wouldn’t want it to be decided in a couple of days.

           Hopefully my next update will be my mission call! Until then,

-Heather

Papers Submitted!

My papers were submitted Tuesday! After an incredible interview with my stake president, my papers have been submitted, and now I just wait for my call! The guesses have been pouring in and I can't wait to find out where I'll serve.

I have to be honest, I sat in my car before my interview and was asking myself if I could do this and if I really wanted to. For those who don't know me very well, I tend to get excited about a new thing and do it for a couple months and then get burnt out. I did this with gymnastics, dance, voice lessons, acting, etc. and I was worried this might be the same kind of thing. Then there was the worry about my health and maybe I was just biting off more than I could chew. Maybe I was pushing my limits too much. I then got a notification on my phone with two emails from two different friends who are out on their missions. The one I read had something that put me at peace, he said, "He would not invite us to do anything he knows we are not capable of doing."
This really helped me with my worries and I pushed the feelings down and went in.

At the end of the interview, my Stake President said he had a prayer in his heart about whether or not this is what I should do and his response silenced all my doubt. He said,
"Sister Nielsen, I want you to know that my prayer has been answered and through the Holy Ghost, Heavenly Father has confirmed to me that this calling is extended to you; I'm going to submit your mission papers." I couldn't stop smiling for the rest of the night and I told myself that whenever I feel doubt or fear about this decision because I inevitably will, I will look back on today and remember how I felt and remember what was said.

I'm so excited to share the gospel as a Missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and I can't wait to find out where I'll be serving. Feel free to leave your guesses if you'd like.

-Heather

"Wherever the Lord Needs me."

Hello! This is where I will be posting missionary updates up to when I leave and then will be posting about my mission! Check out My Personal Conversion story and how I made My Decision to serve a mission.

So far, I have my mission papers filled out and just need to complete my dental evaluation, and then it’s just waiting until October 16^th (4 months before my availability) to submit them.

People have frequently asked me where I want to go and I’ll respond with something like “If I had my choice, I think it’d be cool to go somewhere in Europe.” But, the honest to goodness answer is, “wherever the Lord needs me!” I’m not going on vacation and I’m not going where I want to go, I’m going where I need to go, where I’m called to go. It’s fun to speculate and think of the places I could go and it can also be a little nerve wrecking with my health issues, but in the end, I’ll go where I need to go and everything else is just a side thought. If I go somewhere a little sketchy, it’s okay, I know I’ll have the Lords help and he’ll help me overcome obstacles I may come across, so long as I trust in him and am righteous in his doings.

This whole process has been a waiting game and I know I need to be more patient, but I’m just so excited and antsy. Here’s to hoping I have my call around the beginning of November!

-Heather