Its all Relative

Yesterday was a day of service.  We drove to a town about 25 minutes from here to pick up our friend Gisele and bring her to the church so she could work in the library.  She is perhaps the most dedicated ward librarian on the planet. She likes to come in at least once a week (this was her 2nd time this week) to organize and inventory the books, etc. in the library.  She got the approval to purchase some office supplies but since she doesn't have a car, we volunteered to purchase them for her, and then the branch will reimburse us.   Later in the day we drove her to Trois Rivieres (Three Rivers), a city about an hour north east of here for a dentist appointment.  On the way home I noticed the temperature on the car's gauge said it was 3 degrees fahrenheit.  Wow, I thought, it is cold outside!  We were happy to return to our warm apartment.  Luckily I reminded Paul to plug in the heater for the car engine.  This morning I realized that everything truly is relative:  this morning the temperature was -25;  that is negative 25 degrees fahrenheit!  I have never experienced anything like this.  We had an activity with the leadership of the branch and the stake presidency today where we went to visit individuals who haven't been to church in a long time.n's morning, and I was amazed at how everyone, although they mentioned the cold, acted like it is normal.  I bundled up in several layers and I wasn't too cold, except for my face.  I am so grateful for my lined boots and a long wool coat, worth every dollar. Tonight the temperatures will rise (it will be a warmer minus 4) but then the snow arrives.  We are expecting 10-12 inches by tomorrow evening.  I know the schools were closed in Virginia for two days because of the 3-4 inches of snow they received, but church and school will continue as usual here.  Paul is absolutely giddy about the challenge of driving around in the snow tomorrow to pick people up for church; me,, not so much.

Winter is coming

With highs for the day in the low teens, one might consider us in full-out winter.  Not so. We have been told by the locals that, come January, we will relish a day with a high of 17 degrees.  Am I smiling?  No, I am not. We have had a couple of snow storms but not much more than a few inches.  With the cold temps, however, the snow doesn't melt.  The beautiful reservoir near us is frozen over, as is the river that runs through town. We spent a little time the other day taking some pictures of how the Quebecois prepare for winter's onslaught:

These green tarps are apparently placed on the grass to protect from the huge amounts of snow that will be dumped/pushed onto yards from the snow plows.  We suppose that they must really work because we have seen them everywhere.

These lovely plastic structures are erected early in November in anticipation of the snow.  Do they do this in the Northeastern parts of the U.S.?  I don't know.  While hardly attractive, one has to admit they are less expensive than a permanent garage, which isn't needed in the summer months.   And, shoveling one's driveway is eliminated. We have seen blocks of cement laid at the base to hold these in place during the frequent winds we have (Oh, so lovely to be outside at 2 degrees F with a stiff wind!).  The plastic at the entrances to the front doors supposedly cut down on wet junk getting into your home.  We have even see a few really serious residents connect their "garage" to a door covering, making it possible to walk from car to home without going into the snow. And here is a "double" garage:

These Quebecois are serious about being as comfortable as possible in the winter.  I guess they need to be since we have been told that winter lasts until sometime in April. 

Feasting

    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!    
   

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.

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....    

Les Oies Blanches-White Geese!

    Apparently all the stories of birds flying south for the winter originated here.  We have a nice-sized reservoir near us and about a week ago we noticed large groups of white birds resting on the water. The number has increased over the last week to the point that the water looks more white than blue.  A few days ago we noticed that Victoriaville was holding a fete this weekend to celebrate the white geese. A little googling provided some interesting facts about this annual phenomenon.  Apparently the geese congregate here because hunting is not allowed; they somehow know this, and thus can rest safely.  Most of these are white Arctic geese, not the Canadian geese we sometimes see in the U.S., although there are some these darker ones as well.  They seem to come in the early afternoon, and by early evening hundreds of them are flying, in formation, away from the lake.  It is something to see and hear, but it is nearly impossible to capture the whole effect in  a picture. However, here are some of the fabulous pictures my talented Elder Peterson took:
       

Guest Birthday Posts #5 & #6

Today, on Dad's birthday, we will end our guest posts with the 2 youngest of their children.  We (your 6 children, 5 son/daughter-in-laws, and 17.5 grandchildren) are truly grateful for the service you give and the example you continually set for all of us.  Thank you!

Guest Blogger: Brett

Mom and Dad,

Happy Birthday!

While I was a missionary up in the northern part of the new territories in an area called Fanling, one afternoon while on exchanges we had a small but subtle prompting to go to an area that is not very conducive to street contacting. It is a large square in the center of some apartment buildings that contained a big fountain in the center of the square. We were walking around the fountain and contacting people who were walking around the square. At one particular time we stopped someone and my companion was talking to this person and trying to have a street discussion with them. I was praying in my mind that this individual would open their heart and feel the spirit testify of the truth and the intent of our message. I remember seeing a kid about 8-10 years old (its hard to tell how old Chinese kids are because of their misleading size) out of the corner of my eye walking along the edge of the fountain. The fountain didn't have any water in it. The drain at the bottom of the fountain was about 2 feet by 1 foot and had a metal mesh sheet covering the drain. The corner of the metal mesh sheet had been bent and was pointing up into the air about a half of an inch. My companion continued to talk to the person that we stopped as the kid continually went around and around the edge of the fountain. All of a sudden the kid tripped and fell into the fountain. He landed head first on the corner of the metal mesh grate and it lanced his head. Instantly as he stood up his head began to gush with blood. My companion and I ran over to the kid and began to administer to him. As if I was reading the boy scout handbook word for word, I pulled out my handkerchief and put it on his head to try and stop the bleeding. I then told my companion to help me lay him down and elevate his legs. We were quickly surrounded by a group of people just watching what was going. We were the only people helping! After a few minutes the mother of this kid comes running up and starts screaming etc... my companion calms her down and I ask someone standing nearby to call for an ambulance. Eventually the paramedics arrive and take over for me and my companion. We then go to a nearby restroom to wash up etc before we head home.
This was an awesome experience for a lot of reasons. Some that I can think of:

1. We were in full proselyting gear helping someone

2. We were actually recognized by bystanders for the help that we were giving

3. I had an overwhelming confirmation on the bus ride home from that experience that I was in the place that I was supposed to be doing the things that I was supposed to be doing at the right time.

As I reflect on this experience, I only wish that bystanders seeing us teaching someone the eternal truths of the gospel on the street would garner such acceptance of our message as the physical help that we were able to give that little boy. Because at the end of the day we are all in need of this same emergency assistance, only spiritually.

I loved my mission. I loved my mission for the experiences that it gave me the good, bad, and the ugly. It made me appreciate the place where I was born, the family that I was born and raised in, and the blessings that I received while growing up. It also helped me to understand that all things are for our good and are given or presented to us for our benefit.

Guest Blogger: Jaclyn (in her own words - it's "short but sincere" - I'll add that it's a fabulous and most perfect way to end our birthday posts!)

One of the things I loved most about moving to North Carolina after being at BYU for so long was attending a ward where we actually had investigators. The missionaries would sit at "the pit" on campus once a week and talk to students going to and from classes and invite them to church or institute. I was able to attend several baptisms in the two years I was there and it was always so uplifting to see the faith and courage of my peers who were accepting the gospel, many of them doing so without family support. It had a great impact on my life and caused me to look more closely at the way I was living my religion. It helped me focus on making sure that I wasn't only active in the church, but active in the gospel as well. I'm so blessed to know those people.  It has been so wonderful to see many of them serve missions, get married in the temple, and take on leadership responsibilities in the church in the last few years. It is a testimony to me that the gospel of Jesus Christ changes the lives of those who embrace it for the better.