Missionary work!

     In Preach My Gospel, there is a section entitled "Talk to Everyone".   One day a couple of months ago we were at an A&W, treating the young Elders to lunch after district meeting in a city about 45 minutes from Victoriaville   No judging please, about the fast food choice.  Paul is insistent on eating as quickly as possible so the missionaries can get back to work after the meeting each week.  Fast food fits the bill, and, unfortunately, expands the waistline, but that is a topic for another time.           Anyway, one day as we sat to eat, each of us, as usual, bowed our heads and said a silent prayer to bless the food.  A man observed us and said a few words to Paul, in English.  Paul and the young elders struck up a conversation with him.  He really liked to talk, and knew both French and English, so the conversation was fluid (ha, ha!).  Paul explained a little about what we were doing here and the young elders spoke to him also.   We asked if he would like to  talk to the missionaries who live in that city and he agreed to give us his name and phone number.  Just like that, we had a referral for the other missionaries and they began to teach him.  Today he came to a child's baptism here in Victoriaville and as we visited with him he told us he had been studying the Book of Mormon and meeting with the missionaries for 5 or 6 weeks.  He said he is going to be baptized on December 6th.  We told him we would come to his baptism.  This was a great experience- to see that a simple conversation with a friendly man has led to someone receiving the fullness of the gospel.  See, we have done some missionary work here!
   As a side note, it is interesting to hear this story from the young elders here in Victoriaville.  They have essentially re-written the event at A&W so that Paul is out of the picture.  In their young and eager minds, they are the ones who talked with him and got the referral.  It really was Paul, with them chiming in appropriately, but oh, well, we don't care.  We are just grateful to have been able to further the work in some small way.  
    

This time I know!

Yesterday was November 15th.  Last year, in early October, we visited friends we met in Switzerland who now live in Quebec.  They told us that, without fail, the weather changes just about exactly on November 15th.  Truly, last year on November 15th the temperature took a dive and we had snow.  This year we had the first flakes on the 14th, but today we had enough to cover the grass.  And, it goes without saying, the temperature is now in the low 30's during the day.  The anticipation of the coming winter last year has been replaced with shear dread because I know what is coming.  Thankfully, we may be out of here before the frightening negative double digit "highs" become common place.
    We often drive on a particular street enroute to a member's apartment, and have loved seeing this cute statue in a yard:

     One day in mid October as we drove by we saw this and now knew why the owner goes to great lengths to protect it:

    As I put on my tights, scarf and boots today, I am not smiling very much...