Cold to Serve

THE BIG GUNS ARE OUT IN YELLOWKNIFE!!
When we first arrived here it was already cold and snowing.  So I was surprised that people were just wearing jackets or hoodies. But the colder it gets the bigger the coats get!  So I thought it would be fun to show you some of the winter wear around here.  They layer it on because soon it will be forty below!!!  For instance tonight it will be -20 but that is Celsius in Fahrenheit it is -5.  But by next Thursday it will be 20 below in Fahrenheit.  So they say up here "this is just the beginning."  We are looking forward to checking out the "ice road."  There is also a crew that builds an ice castle and that is open for viewing in March.  They have been doing this for about sixteen years and I hear it is pretty spectacular.

This is Brother Bellis, the Priesthood leader here.  He and Elder Garrett have already become fast friends!  They talk to each other just about every day and have been doing some home teaching together.  I took his coat to hang it up and almost dropped it, it was so heavy!  All the coats have hoods with fur around them.  We saw this coat at a shop here, it was $1,124.00.  Brother Bellis says it is very warm.  He's ready for that forty below temperature!

This is the President Garside.  He lives in Edmonton - yes, it's pretty cold there too!!!

This is Brother Nestman, counselor to Elder Garrett.  He works downtown, close to us.  He walks home from work every day.  It's about twelve blocks.  He needs this coat.

This is Sister Milnes, the Relief Society President.  Sister Garrett was called to be her First Counselor.  She lives about four blocks from us and usually walks here.  She is ready for the cold.

This is Sister Bellis and her daughter Julia coming to a Relief Society activity last night.  Julia says this is not even her winter coat!!  Hey, Wade Julia is your age - don't you wished you looked that good!!  She has two sons, one 22 and one 18.  They are both putting their missionary papers in.  How awesome!!!

This is Elder Garrett gearing up for a five block walk to visit a member.  You have to wear a hat and scarf.  You need to wrap the scarf around your neck so you can pull it over your nose to keep it from freezing.

This is Elder Garrett all geared up and ready to go!!  He has to have help stuffing the top of his gloves inside his coat sleeves because there is Velcro on the sleeve to make them tight so the cold air won't blow in.  Also, you have to leave pretty quickly when you get all geared up or you will start sweating immediately!!!

Also the days are getting shorter.  I understand by Christmas it will be only four to five hours of daylight. We are doing fine with that so far because when we are in our apartment it really doesn't matter!  Brother Bellis was telling us the worst part is in March when the sun comes out.  The days are so long and the sun is shining so much that the ice and snow will start melting when it is twenty below.  Eventually in the summer there will be only three to four hours of darkness.  What an adventure!!