Last week we drove to Montreal for a zone conference with Elder Piper of the Seventy. He was here to conduct a "mission tour". How well I remember these from our other mission! It is a time of high stress for the mission president and his wife, but also a chance to be taught what the prophet and apostles want us to know. The tours now are conducted almost solely by the Seventy because of the number of missions throughout the world. Even though they come to provide support to the mission president, one still is anxious to have everything perfect so a good report will be made on "your" mission. As I listened to Sister Patrick give her remarks in beautiful French with no notes and then saw her dealing with her four children, one of whom wasn't necessarily thrilled to be spending a scheduled school holiday in a stake center with at least 100 missionaries, I marveled at her capacity to be unflappable. She had called me on Sunday evening to ask that I talk to couple of sick missionaries because she was "trying to have a nice dinner with the Pipers." I was happy to accommodate and gave both of them my normal spiel about drinking lots of water, getting some rest and taking Tylenol if necessary, which always seemed to work in Geneva as long as I added a few "motherly "words of sympathy and encouragement. Anyway, the conference was great and it gave all the missionaries a spiritual lift, us included.
"L'hiver commence" (winter begins) here in the north. We have had highs in the 30's but so far just a little snow. More is on the way for this weekend, if the forecast is correct. I purchased some lined boots and a long wool coat, and Paul got some leather "boots" that are more like shoes, but they go up over his ankles. He is more concerned with looking fashionable and "sharp" than I am. The Arctic geese are still here and most days the entire surface of the lake/reservoir is covered with them. One day as we drove past a huge flock of a hundred or more took flight at the same time. But we are assured that once we have some real snow they will head south. I guess 21 degrees at night doesn't seem unpleasant to birds from the Arctic. I will post some pictures in the next couple of days of how the locals prepare for the onslaught.
I never got this posted, so will add a few more things and get it done. It is now November 24th, and although it is nearly Thanksgiving in the U.S., there is no sign of a holiday here. We went to Costco yesterday to purchase some food for a family in the branch; I searched in vain for one of their famous pumpkin pies. I did find a couple of frozen turkeys. It is strange to be so removed from all the hoopla of Thanksgiving dinner and 'Black Friday'. We will be teaching our regularly scheduled English class on Thursday night, and will go to bed early with absolutely no thoughts of getting a deal at a store.
We are going to begin teaching the temple preparation class to two single individuals; we already are teaching another who is nearly ready to go to the temple. We are also planning a marriage class, and we meet weekly with a man who is participating in the addiction recovery classes via phone. We continue to work with several less-active members, and a couple of investigators. It doesn't always seem like we are busy, but the days fly by and I have much to put into the record of our work. Once again recently I had a confirmation from Heavenly Father that we are here for a reason. One of the sisters who is preparing to go the temple looked me in the eye and said, "You may sometimes think you are doing anything very important here, but I an assure you that, if for no other reason, you are here for me." She couldn't possibly know how important this statement was to me!
Sunday, November 24, 2013
Sunday, November 10, 2013
Really?
On November 3rd we were on our way to visit a family when we saw this , all lit up in a yard:
This may be the earliest date I have ever seen holiday decorations other than in Walmart. Nov. 3rd, really? I suppose they are just getting a jump start on the impending snow storms, predicted to begin this next week. And, to their credit, this is a Snowman, not a Santa...
Speaking of colder temps, we have already been 'enjoying' (enduring?) some 20 degree temperatures, complete with a brisk wind. And we have learned that the temperature has a huge impact on the Arctic geese. The members of my English class told me that the geese arrive in early October and will remain until the first significant snow, which could be up to two months from October 1st. (I, for one, am hoping they are here well into December.) As I said, they leave the lake every morning and return later in the day. They head off to nearby fields to feast on the remains of the harvested crops, mostly corn and corn husks, then come back to the water for the night. Every morning about sunrise, we can hear deafening honking above as they fly to find food. Then, later in the day, they return. It defies description. We have taken numerous pictures, but what we really need is a good video recorder. (Now where is that huge monster camera Paul used to haul around on his shoulder when the kids were young?)
To add to my previous post about receiving little ( and big!) heavenly encouragements to help us continue on, we received a nice email from one of our former missionaries the other day. He is a ward missionary in his ward and he wrote to tell us that one of the zone conference teachings from 6 years ago had been very useful now, in his new calling. He wanted to thank "President Peterson" for his insights. What is interesting about this is that we had forgotten those ideas, and now we can use them in our own member/missionary work.
Speaking of colder temps, we have already been 'enjoying' (enduring?) some 20 degree temperatures, complete with a brisk wind. And we have learned that the temperature has a huge impact on the Arctic geese. The members of my English class told me that the geese arrive in early October and will remain until the first significant snow, which could be up to two months from October 1st. (I, for one, am hoping they are here well into December.) As I said, they leave the lake every morning and return later in the day. They head off to nearby fields to feast on the remains of the harvested crops, mostly corn and corn husks, then come back to the water for the night. Every morning about sunrise, we can hear deafening honking above as they fly to find food. Then, later in the day, they return. It defies description. We have taken numerous pictures, but what we really need is a good video recorder. (Now where is that huge monster camera Paul used to haul around on his shoulder when the kids were young?)
To add to my previous post about receiving little ( and big!) heavenly encouragements to help us continue on, we received a nice email from one of our former missionaries the other day. He is a ward missionary in his ward and he wrote to tell us that one of the zone conference teachings from 6 years ago had been very useful now, in his new calling. He wanted to thank "President Peterson" for his insights. What is interesting about this is that we had forgotten those ideas, and now we can use them in our own member/missionary work.
Friday, November 1, 2013
More on those who pop up; and language faux-paux
We continue to have confirmations that Heavenly Father is aware of us. He keeps nudging us onward at just the right times so we remain motivated and encouraged. Specifically, often when we go out to do an errand we run into someone who asks us about the church, or about what we are doing here. I wrote earlier about the woman at the coat store. Recently, on another evening as we waited for our Kentucky Fried Chicken order (you know Paul and his concept of "eating out"), a young man engaged us in conversation about the "Mormons". He was a member of a pentecostal organization, but was very nice. Again, a positive experience for him and for us. Another evening we were at Sears (the most 'up-scale' store here- ha!) where they had a couple of coats on sale. The young man working at check-out asked us if we were Mormons. He was very cordial and told us his father is a Mormon. We have had other encounters as well.
In another little validation, while we at stake conference last weekend the visiting authority showed the congregation a new video on member/missionary work (excellent, by the way) which he encouraged all to watch and use in their families. We had discovered this video the week before and have already been using it with the families we visit. We weren't smug, but grateful that we had been led to do something which was approved of and encouraged by our church leaders.
Maybe I need these assurances more than most, but these seemingly small events serve to remind me that this isn't my work, and that He knows my needs, and those of each of His children.
On another topic, we continue to provide some comic relief to those around us by saying dumb things in French. I thanked a lady for bringing one of our less-actives to stake conference, using the word for bringing things, not people- I guess you had to be there to get the full effect of its stupidity. Yesterday we had to get our car winterized and while waiting we watched in awe as the young woman who handles the office made calls, printed out receipts, talk to customers, etc. In trying to pay her a compliment Paul said to her "You are the brains of this operation". She looked a little startled, then smiled politely. Later we were told by a native that this expression doesn't make sense in French, and that what he has really said was "You are the brain in this surgery." I have been known to get flustered and say "Au Revoir" instead of "Bonjour". This happens sometimes at a grocery store, where one would normally say hello to the clerk at check-out; I say "good-bye". In my defense it is because I am distracted with worry that I might be asked a question I don't understand, like "paper or plastic", or "Do you have a rewards card?". I know the definition of idiot is in order....
In another little validation, while we at stake conference last weekend the visiting authority showed the congregation a new video on member/missionary work (excellent, by the way) which he encouraged all to watch and use in their families. We had discovered this video the week before and have already been using it with the families we visit. We weren't smug, but grateful that we had been led to do something which was approved of and encouraged by our church leaders.
Maybe I need these assurances more than most, but these seemingly small events serve to remind me that this isn't my work, and that He knows my needs, and those of each of His children.
On another topic, we continue to provide some comic relief to those around us by saying dumb things in French. I thanked a lady for bringing one of our less-actives to stake conference, using the word for bringing things, not people- I guess you had to be there to get the full effect of its stupidity. Yesterday we had to get our car winterized and while waiting we watched in awe as the young woman who handles the office made calls, printed out receipts, talk to customers, etc. In trying to pay her a compliment Paul said to her "You are the brains of this operation". She looked a little startled, then smiled politely. Later we were told by a native that this expression doesn't make sense in French, and that what he has really said was "You are the brain in this surgery." I have been known to get flustered and say "Au Revoir" instead of "Bonjour". This happens sometimes at a grocery store, where one would normally say hello to the clerk at check-out; I say "good-bye". In my defense it is because I am distracted with worry that I might be asked a question I don't understand, like "paper or plastic", or "Do you have a rewards card?". I know the definition of idiot is in order....
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