Notes from Montreal

Birthday Cake!

Howdy, folks! I hope things are peachy, though - from what I've heard - after two weeks of earth shatteringly frigid weather up north, y'all are experiencing some pretty nasty stuff down yonder. Stay warm. And Safe. And healthy (that last one is directed mostly at Charity, but it's for all of you). This week has been pretty packed. And while the temperature is definitely much higher than it has been, the results are less than keen. For example: as a result of the warming, melting, and freezing which has taken place of the last few days, entire parking have turned into sheets of ice. No joke. And the ice is thick. And there's really no way to find spots which aren't slippery - because everything is ice. Everything. It's....and adventure, to be sure. And it is only by the grace of God that I have not fallen on my face - several times. I have no idea how I've managed to stay vertical. It is maybe a not so small miracle. 

So...my companion and I are very blessed right now. We have a lot of people to teach. For missionaries serving in a fairly snobby suburb of Montreal, we feel tremendously fortunate. And our amis are really cool. And loving, and just good people. Occasionally we have a hard time understanding how we balance being friends while still teaching the gospel, but it works out. We also work with a lot of recent converts and less -active or returning members. For the most part, we just love all of the people we see. A lot. But no matter who we're teaching, one of the biggest difficulties we have is controlling time. It's. Just. SO. Hard. Our job would be easier if we had enough time to talk to our amis about everything that's going on their lives, help them with whatever they need help with, AND teach them the gospel, but there's just never enough time for anything.  

Everyone needs different things - Sometimes the goal of our visits is to teach new information, sometimes it's more about reminding people of things they already know. Sometimes the work is really hard, and sometimes - when my days are just so profoundly enriching and rewarding - I feel guilty for ever thinking missionary work was hard. . .

Ok. Time's up. Pour le vrai. I love y'all far too much. It makes my insides squirm when I think about it. You're just the very best. 

Until next week!