Advisor

    One duty that I have been given while here is to help advise young missionaries on medical issues when the mission president's wife is unavailable.  While far from having any medical training, I did raise 6 children, and I had three years in Switzerland doing this very thing.  There I had to assess, among hundreds of other situations, whether an Elder should go home due to a severe shoulder injury (he did and he didn't want to), and if a sister was having an appendicitis attack and needed to go to the hospital (she was and she did).  So, I am happy to help out our dear, over-worked mission president's wife here.  She has eight children of her own, and must attend to all of their needs as well as the 200 plus missionaries, some of whom like to call because they have a slight headache.  I had to laugh one day, however, when I received a call from a sister missionary who said, "Hello, Sister Peterson, I hear you are a nurse." Thus, an example of the infamous missionary grapevine, the source of many missionary myths. I wouldn't be surprised to have someone ask me sometime where I got my medical degree.
     In fulfilling this assignment Paul and I have made three trips to Vermont in the past few months, a voyage of over 3 hours each way for us.  We have taken a sweet little sister to the doctor several times.  I don't think they have really found the source of her ailments, but at least we know it isn't anything urgently serious.  Crossing the border has proved to be an adventure every time, but that is a topic for another post.
    I admit I feel a great deal of pressure when trying to decide if a medical condition is serious or not.  It is a huge responsibility because these are beloved children of parents who have entrusted them to missionary service for 18 months to 2 years.  How would I feel if I told them to go back out and work when in reality they needed to seek immediate medical attention?  I pray for wisdom as I listen to their descriptions:   "Sister Peterson,  I have been coughing really badly for a week."  of "I hit my head on the handle of the freezer and I have sharp pains in my head even though the bump is now gone."   I try to remember that most of the time it really isn't serious; they just need a listening ear. There was one young man who called and said he thought he should go to the hospital 'right now' because he was "really sick".  I tried to pin him down on symptoms but he was vague.  I told him to rest a bit and try to go back out for a couple of hours and see how it went.  I saw him just two  days later at a zone conference and asked him how he was. He looked at me strangely and said, "Huh?' (as in what are you talking about?).  I have to assume he either was never all that sick, or that he now has amnesia.  
    No photos this time, but perhaps I should take a "selfie" of me in a white lab coat, drawing blood from Paul's arm.

Good to feel Good

    A week or so ago Paul had a really bad cold and we stayed in the apartment for several days.  Although it was only three days, it felt like an eternity since this isn't a huge place and we don't have much to do in it.  But, he is back to his old (used literally) self and this week we have been busy- which is just what we love.   Nothing like being sick to make one appreciate feeling good.
   Yesterday we helped prepare and serve dinner to the unemployed in Victoriaville.  Apparently there are no homeless as we have in the U.S., probably because they would literally freeze to death in a few minutes in the winter, so those who would  normally be on the streets are called "the unemployed".  I am assuming the government provides housing for these individuals, which is where some of the sales tax (15% on everything!!!!) goes.  Anyway, our little branch of the church here in Victoriaville volunteers once a year to provide one of these meals.  I cut up peppers, onions, and tomatoes for at least 90 minutes yesterday afternoon; when my back got tired, I enlisted Paul, who I do not believe had ever cut up a pepper before in his life.  He became fairly proficient so from now on I'll know where to turn.
     We went by a sister's home to pick up her food contribution and on to the church to wait for the others to bring theirs.  We loaded the car with the food, large bowls, utensils, and whatever else we thought might be needed.  We then headed to the place where the meal would be served.  We fed meatloaf, rice pilaf, salad and cake to 52, (or more) very appreciative individuals.  We did this without benefit of a kitchen or even a source of water except for the women's bathroom. It was a challenge, but we did it.  We had the help of the girl who spear-headed the activity, plus the young missionaries and a couple of branch members.  I then brought most of the dirty dishes home and washed them while Paul was at his branch presidency meeting last night.   It felt good to be doing good. And, the service was invaluable in helping people know who we are.  We forgot to take pictures of us in acton, but we did get this one. It is the notice which the director wrote to let the unemployed know about the meal:  

Basically it says "You are invited to a dinner respectfully, graciously prepared by members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints".  (translation is loose; please excuse my French, as they say!)  I think this is exactly the kind of activity missionaries should be involved with, and falls well within the "anxiously engaged in a good cause" category.

Doings

    I am not really sure if "doings" makes sense but oh well. Mom will be clicking her tongue up there in heaven and saying I should use the thesaurus ( she loved using the obscure words she found there).
    I was going to post this as "comings and goings", but realized that right now we aren't doing much of these.  Paul is quite sick with what I hope is just a head cold, but he is on day 3 and doesn't seem to be improving.  I tried every natural remedy I know including large doses of vitamin C, ginger root tea, and the netty pot.  Because of his heart medication he can't take any decongestant or antihistamine, so he is really miserable.  I have been spending my time trying to watch what he touches and disinfecting it because I do not want to get sick.
   Having so much time on my hands while Paul rests is stretching my creativity.  To my children who are consumed with work, child-rearing, sports and games, scouts, "Trek", homework, social activities, and relay races, this will seem as foreign as it gets. I remember as a young mother wishing for just a little time to do something I wanted to do.  Now that I am here it is less appealing and more of a burden.  It is true I am somewhat curtailed in what I can do for two reasons:   1) I am on a mission, and have a few rules to follow, and 2) I can't speak the language here well enough to go out much on my own. I have studied French for hours, listened to General Conference talks, written in my journal, crocheted, and even watched a few wholesome Hallmark movies online.  I will look back on these past 3 days with longing someday, I am certain.
    We are mentoring a young man who has, up to this point in his nearly 24 years, never set goals nor planned for the future other than the coming weekend.  We have been meeting with him twice a week and helping him set some goals he can achieve, and having him listen to some positive thinking CD's.  He says he wants to go on a mission, but at 24, he needs to hustle it up a bit.  We hope we are making some progress. He says he is keeping on track with our weekly reading assignment for the Book of Mormon.  We can't really know for sure if he is doing this, because when Paul asked him to list things "he is good at", one was, "I am a good lier."  He clarified that he meant only to his parents, but if he is that good at it, who knows?  He is a nice boy and I would like to see him make something of himself (as Helen Ann was known to say).
    In the past month or so we drove to Burlington, Vermont three times. It is out of our mission boundaries but there are certified U.S. doctors there who will take U.S. insurance, and yes, who speak English, and you can get an appointment in less than six months and don't have to wait four hours to be seen (all of which is not possible in Quebec).  We took a young sister missionary twice and I saw a doctor myself once.  It was funny how excited I was to be back in the U.S.  Seeing a Five Guys hamburger place thrilled me.  Despite all the problems in our government right now, I am proud to be an American. When we leave the Canada, Paul uses his American passport.  When we re-enter, he goes in on his Canadian one. This is necessary because he was not given a visa when we came because, they reminded him, he is a Canadian citizen.  The last time we re-entered, the official questioned our U.S. vehicle and even threatened to charge a tax on it.  He wanted proof that we lived permanently in the U.S. He was dumbfounded when we produced the American passport; he had to go ask someone about it.
   We are teaching a missionary preparation class every Sunday afternoon to about 8 members of our branch.  Mostly these are 17-24 year-olds-, but we even have a couple who anticipates a senior mission in a couple of years. We have had one class so far, due to the Easter holiday, but it is fun to be with them. I love being with young adults.  Of course, if Paul isn't better, and I have to teach, it will be a very short class tomorrow!
    Remember the picture I put in the blog of a snowman in a yard, installed in his spot in October?  His head eventually came out of the snow (yes, it was that deep!), and he was removed from the yard this week.
   Here are a couple of pictures of our Soirée de film (movie night).  This is what senior missionaries do, i.e., pop and bag 60 bags of popcorn:

All these candy bars were free from the IGA where we collect food every Saturday.  The trick was having the discipline not to eat them before we had the move in night.

Feasting

     Those of you who know me probably think I am going to write a piece on the delights of feeding my face.  I could do that, for it is one of my favorite activities.  However, I thought that I would like to document a recent spiritual feast that we enjoyed.
     On March 22, all of the missionaries in our mission were gathered together in one stake center.  This, in and of itself, is highly unusual because the church leaders don't like to have large groups of missionaries in one place, for safety, and other reasons, probably having to do with having a large group of barely-older-than-scouts assembled in relatively small quarters.  But when an apostle tells a mission president to do it, he quickly obeys. While in Switzerland, we sent as request to the area presidency to allow us to gather all the missionaries for a  Christmas zone conference- denied.   However, two months later, Elder Bednar was traveling in Europe and he told us to have all the missionaries come to Geneva.  It was a great experience.
    We were told in February that an apostle was coming in March, but we were not told who it would be.  Just a few days before, we were told it was Elder Neil L. Andersen. Along with him, and his wife, Elder Causé of the presiding bishopric would be coming, and Elder Holmstrom, one of the presidency of the seventy.  Not sure why we merited all of these, but it was a treat.  Wow--were we all excited!  We were not disappointed.
   Elder Andersen and the others took the time to shake everyone's hand. He said visiting General Authorities try to do this because it symbolically reminds all of us that the Lord knows each of us individually. Elder Andersen didn't recognize me (it had been 25 years since we knew them in Florida) but when he saw Paul he knew who he was immediatley.  I suppose I could cry that I am the one who is now unrecognizable, but I won't.   I got a big hug from Kathy, and both of them mentioned us in their remarks later that morning.  We felt a little 'special' for a few minutes.
    The surprising thing about the visit was that none of the General Authorities spoke about how to be a better missionary, or how we can find people to teach, or how to be more obedient, or any of the "normal" topics one might expect in a missionary meeting.  We were simply given wonderful insights and  ideas--those "nuggets" which can boost and inspire.  And thus, all of us came away with a greater commitment to be a better missionary.
    Now, today,  we await another opportunity to hear the word of the Lord for us, so needed in these troubled and also exciting last days.  For a missionary, the anticipation of General Conference is similar to Christmas.  Can't wait!    
   I must mention that when we went into the meeting on March 22nd there were a few snow flakes;  when we left 2 hours later we had 6 inches of heavy snow to navigate through.  Ugh.

A pain in the neck, and Spring???

    One of the joys of being "middle-aged", or maybe "late middle-aged",  is the appearance of new-found aches and pains.  One can go to bed feeling just fine and awake the next morning with some new irritation which sometimes leaves you incapacitated.  On other occasions a slight twist or turn develops into a real crisis.  Such was the case with me during the past couple of weeks.  Last week I awoke from a fairly good night's rest to lower back pain, accompanied by tingling and numbness in my foot.  I have had this before so I knew the best course of action is ice packs and rest. A couple of days of this and I was much better.  Monday and Tuesday this week I exercised in the morning, but didn't push myself.  However, as I was putting dinner on the table for the young Elders Tuesday evening (we feed them every Tuesday), I felt a light pop in my upper back.  Immediately it began to hurt, and as time went on it became full-out spasms, very  painful. I went to the church to teach my English class, but knew before it started that I wouldn't make it.  A nice member of the church who was at the meetinghouse, offered to drive me home;  Paul stayed to teach both mine, and his class combined.  Now, after a full day of rest and Tylenol, I am feeling much better.  Who knows what brought this on?  Perhaps it was the lifting of heavy dishes from a bottom cupboard at church on Sunday for the potluck, or the lying on the floor with the vacuum hose to clean under the fridge on Monday? (That was a site to see, I am sure!) Whatever the cause, I have spent part of the last two weeks "laid up" as they say, and none too happy about it.
    I try not to dwell too much on the weather, but given that today is the first day of spring I thought I would share a couple of photos I took this morning from our apartment.  Our branch president's wife told us recently that Quebec has three springs:  white, (because it is still snowing); brown (when the rains come and melt all that white stuff), and green (when we will really see grass and a few flowers).

 The above is taken from our sliding glass door to the street- yes, it is snowing.

 See these piles of snow outside our front door--those will one day (apparently) melt into masses of brown yukky-ness.

This is the parking lot of our complex.  This also happens to be our neighbor's truck, which Paul covets.
HAPPY SPRING!!!!!      

Icey

About a month ago we took a little trip on our preparation day to visit  L'hotel de glace (the Ice Hotel).  This is a relatively famous place near Quebec City.  Every winter (probably in late November) when there is enough snow (yes, definitely November!) a structure is erected, made entirely of ice. I had heard about it and wanted to see to so my companion (he's eternal) accommodated me.  The day we went was sunny, which in the province of Quebec, in the winter, translates into very cold.  Fitting to see the Ice Hotel. For a fairly decent price we were admitted.  We walked down "hallways"  which are open on each end to the outside.  No need to keep the cold wind out.  The rooms were open so we could go into as many as we wanted to.  Each had an ice bed, (that is ice, not nice) with a foam mattress and a coverlet on top.  Absolutely not sufficient for an night's stay, but I had read that if you want to spend the night you should dress very warmly (duh) and bring warm sleeping bags. A couple of them had a heater of some sort, but for the size of the room, insufficient.  There were no doors, just curtains over the entrances, so no privacy.  Of course the guests would be so wrapped up in heavy clothing and blankets, etc., just trying to survive, that there would be no need for privacy.  Most of the rooms have some kind of design cut into the walls of ice:  we saw a representation of Easter Island,  animals, horses and other themes.  There was a large gathering area where you could buy a drink in a totally ice glass.  I saw some people drinking these, but I couldn't imagine it given how cold it was. There was also a glass slide where you climb some glass stairs and can slide from the top-- we saw some children having a good time on this.  I do not know how much a room goes for, and I assume those with elaborate ice carvings in the wall would be more expensive, but it was certain that no one had requested a late check-out time.  Oh, and did I mention that none of the rooms had bathrooms?  There were two Don-Jons out front where, if nature calls, you better be quick about it or you will be found frozen solid the next morning.  I read about the hotel on the internet (so it has to be true), and they do have individuals who want to experience spending a night there.  I was happy to visit for a half hour or so, and then hurry back to my warm car, which has heated seats...  

 

The Strength of Youth

   One of the true highlights of being on a mission is spending time with the young missionaries.  In most cases, they are powerhouses in every sense of the word.  They work hard every day and they are fearless in talking to everyone.  Here in Victoriaville, we have come to know and love these young missionaries.  So far we have had five different missionaries in this city and when they have been transferred it has been so hard to say good-bye.
   Every week we attend District Meeting in a city about 45 minutes from here. We take the young elders with us to save them "clicks, which are the allowable miles they can use each month.  By riding with us, they have more to use on other days to get to appointments. At District Meeting we are instructed on differing aspects of missionary work by the District Leader, a young man about 20 years old.
  In addition to District Meetings, about once a month we go to a zone meeting where the zone leaders also teach about how to be more effective missionaries.  We attended one of these meetings this week. The zone leaders  gave a great presentation, and then two sets of sister missionaries also taught.  As when I was in Switzerland and France, I was once again reminded of how very capable, committed, and loving these young leaders are.  As I looked around the room at the 40 or so missionaries sitting in a large circle, I thought about what a privilege it is to associate with them.  We might be sacrificing a little bit, but these young men and women are taking eighteens months to two years out of their busy young lives, putting their educational, career, and personal relationships on hold while they attempt to find those who will listen to their message about our beliefs.  In addition, I reflected on the thousands of other similar gatherings of missionaries all over the world.  They willingly go door-to-door and have those doors slammed in their faces every day. Once in awhile someone listens, and lets them come back for another lesson.  Every now and then someone is willing to make the necessary changes in his or her life required for baptism, and what a great day that is for the missionaries. The amazing thing is, however, that even though there aren't many who will make those changes, the missionaries cheerfully keep on working and trying.  Associating with them always lifts us to a higher plane…
  This was our District in December.  We had missionaries from Switzerland, Denmark, Vanuatu, and the U.S.