It seems like years since I last wrote but it has only been three days. We had a great trip from Flint to Toronto. The roads were nice, especialy in Canada.
We had a fun time at the border, we decided that since we are missionaries we would be cheerful to everyone. We waited for about 15 minutes to get to the check in station and then we were told to go to the customs building next to the station. We went there and had to wait in this room where we were helped by the custom's people and when they had all their questions answered then they sent all the info through the computer to see if we were terrorists. We had a really nice lady wait on us who had torn her rotator cuff and we talked to her about that and she asked what we would be doing in Canada and as soon as we said we were missionaries for the Chruch of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints she softened and asked us to wait while she checked everything.
While we were waiting a family came in and we started talking to them and found out they were from Detroit and on their way to Rochester, New York; then another man came in and we all started talking while we were all waiting to be processed, soon two other men came in and we were all having such a good time that when we all left we said goodbye to everyone, I think the officials were a little surprised to see people having such a good time at the border.
We arrived in Toronto at 3:00 and called the mission headquarters and were told to come directly to our apartment because it was late and they wanted to us to get unpacked before Friday.
We were so tired that night that we just made our bed and went to sleep. Our apartment is beautiful, it has a nice livingroom with a dining room attached a nice kitchen and a sun room that overlooks the city of Toronto, I am sitting here in the sun room (this is where we have our office and it is 8:00 p.m and I am looking out at this magnificent view. All the lights, cars going on the roads and an airport that is over from our apartment so we can see the planes coming and going. We have a little park below with a pond that is just beginning to have the ice thaw and soon the geese will be comng in from the south to lay their eggs and have their little families for summer.
We went in to work yesterday and Elder Ward was great, he already has started to implement new procedures for the money. We have over two million dollars a year aloted to our mission. I am trying to learn all that my trainer is trying to teach me. I am going to start Monday to go on the computer and I am looking forward to that. She already had me answering the phones and it was so hard for me not to so: "PickMeUp Medical Transport, this is Jannet". I told the president that and he said that he sometimes still has that problem because of his business years.
Last night after work Elder Ward and I were invited to have dinner with the mission president and his wife (President Middleton). It was so nice we were there for almost two hours just talking and laughing and having spiritural conversations. They asked about our family and were so impressed with our children and grandchildren. They don't have as many as we do.
President Middleton asked us to be the office managers for the mission and bring some stability to the office, because everyone is new and they want us to help bring calm to them. (This is a stretch for me!)
President Middleton also asked us to work with two new singles branches that have been consolidated into one. He wants them to also have stability with married people to guide them, we will be working with a couple who have just been released as the temple president so it should be nice. President Middleton asked the stake president where he wanted us to work and was realy thrilled to have us help with these singles. Many of them come from homes where they are the only members and from single parent families, so they don't have much example to follow.
Today Elder Ward and I finished putting all of our stuff away and washed and then when to a near by mall, it was huge. We are really ready to go to bed tonight.
It has been different because we have a queen bed instead of a king but it has been nice to be closer together, even with Dad snoring.
I was ironing all of Elder Ward's shirts today (about an hour) I was getting tired and then it came to me that it was a priviledge to do this for my priesthood holder, Elder Ward came in just then as I was thinking this and asked how I was doing and I told him; he looked at me a little strange and wanted to know if I was all right; I looked back and told him to "shut up" and he said, "now you are feeling better".
President Middleton told us that our family would be blessed in many ways, temperal but more importantly spiritually and that is what we should all be striving for.
We love you all so much, how very blest we are to have you in our lives.

Love,
Elder and Sister Ward

We made it to Flint, Michigan in 5 hours, Dad did such a great job of driving, especially around Chicago, so much polution, bad highways and traffic. Once we got on the highway to Michigan, the scenery became beautiful. It brought back all the memories of the times that we visited here. All the trees and lakes and ponds.
Flint is a very nice town with nice people and places to see.
Thank you Jon for your message, it meant so much. We too are proud of our children and our grandchildren, we are always so excited to tell people about all of you when asked. Out in the world to have 4 sons and 11 grandchildren is really something.
We talked to the mission home today and they are anxiously awaiting us and we are glad to finally be able to start serving. It should only take about 4 hours to get there tomorrow.
Kellye, I can't get the pictures on this blog, when I get a chance, I'll call you and have you talk me through it. We have some fun pictures to share with all of you.
Dad had one of his crowns come off of his tooth and will have to have it taken care of in Canada. He called he dentist and he will refund the money to have it done. Thank goodness.
Tell the grandchildlren that we have brought our pancake starter and will take care of it until we can come back and have our breakfasts again, we hope the children will still want to do it when we get back. Please kiss them all for us.
Love, Mom and Dad

I am sorry that I didn't write last night, but we were so tired from driving all day and then Dad had to work with Chris to get my computer going. I hope it will work, it seems to.
We enjoyed the ride through Nebraska, the rolling hills with ponds of deep blue water next to the highway. There were more trees than in Wyoming and better scenery. We used the GPS and yes Matt, I wish we would have bought one for Dad at Christmas, but he really enjoys it and has names her Chrystal because she makes everything clear. We would never have found our motel last night in Omaha without her. We have decided that on our way home we are going to stop in the smaller towns, they are more fun. (We hated Omaha!)
We are in Joliet, Illinois tonight and are not as tired as we were last night. The scenery was pretty today with all the beautiful farms and land ready to plant for the spring harvest. The farms are all so well taken care of and where there are large rolling hills in Iowa they have the electric windmills again and they are huge. There are so many of them that you can see them for miles as they gracefully turn.
The radio told all about the farm crops and cattle and sheep prices. In Nebraska we saw herd after herd of Black Angus cattle and every now and then we thought we would die from the smell along the highway by the feed lots.
The highways in Illinois are the worst so far; Nebraska and Wyoming the best.
After we checked in tonight, Dad and I went and saw the old Joliet Prison that was used in the movie "The Blues Brothers", boy was it fascinating. We then went to a totally different WalMart, it was huge with high ceilings that made it seem like a BIG hanger at the airport. It was fun.
Dad and I have almost got the first discussion down and really enjoy it. We are memorizing the first vision where the Prophet tells about seeing the Father and the Son. Dad picks it up fast and I pick it up then lose it. I am getting better though, by the time I come home I should have it memorized!
How grateful we are for the Gospel of Jesus Christ and his Atonement for us.
We love you all and pray for you night and morning.
Mom and Dad

Sorry about all the errors in the new blog, I sent it before I checked, sweet old age!

Friday was probably the worst day since we started our mission papers, we spent the day cleaning and getting our house ready to leave and then in the afternoon we packed all of the clothes that we were going to take, by the time we got to the clothes we were so tired we didn't care, we just threw them into the suitcases and sat on them to close them.
One nice thing about the day was that Matt and Teran came with their family to say goodbye. It was so much easier to have closure, we were very blest to see our grandchildren one more time before we left as well and our children, and we appreciate all the work Chris did to help with our computers. You have all be so great.
We didn't get to bed until 12:00 so Saturday morning we actually slept in and didn't get out until after 9:30m but it was all right because we arrived here in Cheyenne around 6:00.
Grandma Deleeuw brought over a care package (very big) with all kinds of goodies and fun things to eat, Dad has really enjoyed them, as well as Mom.
Matt gave me some advice, to enjoy things and remember what I see and look for new things and we have been doing that.
As I sat in our living room yesterday as Dad was packing the last of our things, I remember all the good times we have had in that house and realized again how very blest we have been. As we traveled though Provo Canyon we looked at the beautiful mountains and were amazed at the beautiful highway that is there now; we remember Heber and the times we spent there with our family. As we came into Wyoming I remember Lyman where my Mother was raised and I spent a year when Mark and I were young. We couldn't help but remember that short distance on the map that took us to South Dakota! We laughed and remember when Dad rode through the truck lane outside of Evanston in our old Caddy.
We were anazed at the semi trucks, over 75% of the traffic on the freeway was trucks. At the side of the road we watched the many trains as they went their way and also watching all of this were the antelope, they are such tiny little animals and very beautiful. I love how Wyoming uses the wind power with windmills on the ridges as we pass by, they are so pretty as they turn with the wind.
We end to church today and met the local missionaries and had a good time meeting with the members. The church is the same everywhere, isn't it wonderful. After church we drove around Cheyenne, it is a pretty town, we checked out the old town as Matt suggested we do and found the old train station, airport, the State Capital Building, it has a gold dome but is not as pretty as Utah's. We will be starting out tomorrow morning for Omaha, and we will be watching for new things.