Will We Ever See Warm, Sunny Days?

Montréal continues to be dreary and wet! The sun dares to poke out a couple of times in a day—if we’re lucky—then it quickly retreats! We’ve had rain showers all week long, and they are in the forecast for next week. I did clean and store our winter boots and boot trays yesterday. Here’s hoping that we won’t need them again until next November or December.

We just finished the zone conference portion of the transfer cycle. Pat attended all five of them because he had to do car inspections. I attended four of the five—two because I was the chauffeur getting the Vehicle Coordinator (Pat) to Ottawa and Quebec City, and two because I helped with the luncheon. What I love about going to these is the chance to see the missionaries. They all come into the mission office when they arrive in Montréal; some come in for various and sundry reasons; some come in quite regularly as part of their assignments; but all of them do not come in regularly, so seeing them at zone conference is a wonderful delight for me. These young people are the cream of the crop. How we love them!

This week the four zones that are in Montréal had their zone conferences. On those days, the office is very quiet as the missionaries who usually come into the office are at zone conference. Wednesday the four other office missionaries were at the conference and I manned the office until around two when Pat and Sister Puzey came back. I was able to get a lot of my tasks done—it’s amazing how much easier it is when I’m not constantly being interrupted!

Yesterday was a low-keyed day. I cleaned the apartment, prepared more baked potatoes, heated more cans of chili, and decorated a cake so that the seniors could have dinner together to use the leftover ingredients from zone conferences. We have such a great group of seniors. We enjoy being together.

Happy Birthday Drolets

Elders Drolet, McGee, Sisters Hyde, Carlson, Elder Carlson, Sisters Chatterton, Iverson, Puzey, the Evans, and Sister Drolet - I was taking the picture

As always, Sunday is a delight. Not only do we love FaceTiming with our family, but we love the beautiful spirit that we feel in the LaSalle ward each Sunday. We marvel at the insights that these wonderful people have into gospel principles. We feel so blessed to be missionaries here in Montréal to support the work of the Lord in this part of his vineyard.

Coming to the End of April!

Can’t believe we’ve been here for another week!  Time seems to fly by.  Part of the reason, I’m sure, is that we very busy!

I didn’t write an email yesterday because we were in Quebec City, and Saturday I didn’t have time to do it.

This last week was almost as interesting as the week before.  Instead of dealing with bus issues, we were dealing with awful weather.  As we drove to Ottawa on Sunday evening after having the Drolets and two elders over for dinner, we experienced a horrible ice storm.  At one point, we ended up behind two snowplows.  I had no idea what you do in that situation, so I just followed the one on the right.  Within a few minutes, cars approached, pulled into the left lane, passed the snowplow in the right lane, re-entered the right lane and passed the snowplow on the left.  I followed suit!  Now I know what to do if I’m ever in that situation again.  I was so glad to make it to Ottawa safely!  We pulled into the parking lot of the hotel where we were staying and experienced another first – there was not one, no not even one, car in the parking lot!  We knew we were in the right place because we had been there once before. Then I noticed an underground parking garage—bingo, that’s where everyone was parking! 

The reason for our trip to Ottawa was to do the vehicle inspections. As the vehicle coordinator, that is one of Pat’s responsibilities.  Since I drove up there with him, I helped him.  Burr! It was awful.  When we arrived at the church,  the sidewalk and parking lot were covered in about ½ - ¾ inch of ice.  Neither one of thought to bring our winter boots (thank goodness we had sense of mind to have our heavy coats with us!). We had to break the task into two parts so that we could go inside and thaw out.  Pat didn’t have gloves but he was in the cars for most of each inspection going through the paperwork and working the controls.  I was on the outside checking to make sure the lights, wipers, turn signals, etc. were working.  By the time we finished, I could wring the water out of my gloves!  We left right before the missionaries broke for lunch—we had the heater in the car blasting all the way home.  Again, the drive was horrid! About 15 miles outside of Montreal, the ice storm abated and it was somewhat easier.  Enjoyed seeing the missionaries in Ottawa; hated getting there and coming back!

Wednesday the Drolets and we crossed the Jacques Cartier Bridge and headed for the church right next to the temple in Longueuil.  While Sister Drolet and I prepared lunch (baked potato bar), Pat and Elder Drolet did the car inspections.  Although it was still very cold, it wasn’t storming.  Hallelujah! After we had lunch cleaned up, we drove home and I took a two hour nap then I returned to Longueuil so that I could serve my first shift in the Temple.  I loved it!  I was working in French! So, so glad that I can do this again.

Table setting Zone Conferences in Montreal and Longueuil Sud

Pat and I share and share alike—he was sick at the end of the week. He left work early on Thursday and then spent Friday and Saturday down. I was sick on Tuesday-sick enough that I stayed home from work although I had to go in to activate a phone SIM card. Pat was feeling good enough to go to church on Sunday.  We were home from church around 1:45, had dinner, quickly threw a few things together that we needed for our sleepover in Quebec City, and headed out the door.  The drive to Quebec was not bad except we nearly were in an accident. A large IGA tractor-trailer truck was on the shoulder.  I was in the busy right lane. I saw the truck ahead and to the right. The goof put on his left turn signal, and pulled into the lane! I had to slam on the brakes to avoid hitting him!  The car behind me was following much too closely. When I slowed down so quickly, I thought we were going to be rear-ended.  That unfortunate event was avoided because the driver had enough room to go over on to the shoulder.  So, so grateful for divine protection!

 We had a delightful day in Quebec City. I helped Pat with the car inspections.  We experienced something of a heat wave!  It was in the 50s and 60s when we were outside.  We also helped the Smiths with the luncheon.

This is Sister Smith. She does the Zone Conference luncheon by herself! Once when we were up there, she had made about 10 pies! Amazing lady. Not only does she do the food, she always has a theme and decorations on the table. You can tell by the photo above that all we do for ours is set it!

Once everything was cleared up after lunch, we got gas and headed for Montreal.  We were in a near collision again!  The traffic ahead of me slowed and so did I. The driver behind me was so close that he/she nearly rear-ended us.  Again, it was off to the shoulder for that driver.  Good reason to remember Driver’s Ed and leave adequate space between your car and the car ahead of you.  We also had a rather strange thing happen.  When he pumped the gas, Pat put his sunglasses on the roof.  Just before we crossed over into Montreal, a driver honked, motioned to his eyes, and pointed to me.  I didn’t have a clue what he meant.  I was just hoping that nothing was wrong with the car.  Once we were over the bridge, we were stopped in traffic. A lady honked, and tried to communicate something—I rolled the window down as did she—in English she told me that there were sunglasses on the trunk. (Utah license plate dead giveaway although she could have used French because I was the one speaking with her.) Apparently, when we were driving out of the station, they slid down the back of the car and lodged between the spoiler and the trunk.  They were dirty but none the worse for wear!

It is currently 7:05 – we have FHE at 7:30. Then we’re going to call it a wrap for the day.  Tomorrow we’ll be busy at the office, I’m sure.

Love to you all.

One for the Record Books!

Transfer weeks are always tough. We have missionaries coming and going constantly.  Because of an issue with Greyhound, this transfer was unusually difficult.  I received the transfer list about 3:30 and began purchasing the bus tickets. Unknown to me, someone was trying to hack into the Greyhound website. Unfortunately,  each time I tried to buy a ticket and received an error message, the mission’s credit card was being charged.  I tried over and over to purchase the tickets.  I finally had to call them and purchase them over the phone.  The individual I spoke with said that there were issues with the website in Canada, the United States, and Mexico! It took until 10:00 p.m. to complete all the transactions.  The next morning, I received a phone call from the assistants telling me that they had made a mistake with one of the tickets. If it had been with Orleans Express, the problem could have been resolved with one phone call.  Not so with Greyhound.  I called and was told the only way the ticket could be changed was to do it at the bus station. So, off to the bus station I went.  I had to pay a $23 fee to change the ticket. I explained to the agent that the people who needed to the tickets were in Ottawa and I needed a way to get the ticket to them.  The agent assured me that all the missionaries needed to do was go to the ticket counter and give them the confirmation number.  The agent printed off two tickets.  When I went back to the office, I discovered that one missionary had two tickets and the other one had none.  Back to the bus station! The agent said that because the tickets were printed, they couldn’t be changed. I ended up talking to a supervisor who spoke with a Greyhound representative (it was then that we found out that the folks selling the tickets don’t actually work for Greyhound!) who authorized a refund.  The Greyhound agent informed me that each time I had attempted to purchase a ticket, the credit card had been charged.  Once back at the office, I spent 2 ½ hours on the phone trying to get the mess resolved. They assured me that they would refund all the duplicate transactions.  Whoever was hacking into their site was very sneaky.  It looked like the transaction didn’t go through because of an input error—encouraging the purchaser to try it again!  Greyhound is difficult to work with, but I actually felt sorry for them.  This has to be a huge mess for them.  It is a lot of work for everyone involved. I was able to give the financial secretary a list of all the confirmation numbers that were accurate so he will be able to look at the mission’s account and identify which charges are in error.  All in all, it was a pretty awful experience. Pat felt so bad for me that he suggested we go to Bistro Tot ou Tard for dinner—no argument from me!

After the nightmare of Monday and Tuesday, Wednesday was calm!  We made certain that everything was ready for Thursday transfers and Thursday orientation for new missionaries.

Thursday we had missionaries in the office constantly.  Some had come in early with companions who were departing; some came in with companions who were transferring; some came in to meet new missionaries.  It was chaotic, but in a pleasant kind of way.  The highlight of the day for me came that night.  Sister Puzey and I went to the Temple with the departing missionaries. (Pat was sick with a nasty sore throat! Luckily, he’s feeling much better tonight.) The session was in FRENCH!!!  I loved, loved, loved it.  I also loved being with those wonderful young missionaries who have completed their missions honorably and who are returning to their families.  We miss them when they go but are so grateful that our lives intersected for a few months. One sister that we met when we came was sister Salvador.  We thought she looked like our niece Sally, so we called her Sally.  Here she is when she came in prior to leaving the mission field. She lives in Spain but is coming to the US to go to school, so we hope to connect with when she does.

Sisters Adams, Perez, and Salvador - all departed on Friday

More departing missionaries: Sisters Martin and Davis; Elders Landetta and Maire 

Even though it is still cold, we saw this when we were out and about - balcony with chairs--portent of spring!

Another portent of spring: Loaner bicycles

Today, we had a senior outing.  We went to the Hippi Poutine!  This is the first time I’ve dared to try it—the thought of eating French fries with gravy just didn’t do much for me.  Surprisingly poutine is actually delicious! What was amazing is that we were able to go to into the metro station connected to our building, exit on the other side of the street and walk 2-3 minutes to the restaurant!  Sister Alp is leaving for home tomorrow, so it was very good to be with her.  

Hippi Poutine

My first poutine.  I quite like the cheese curds!

Across from Hippi Poutine

And here we are: Elder Drolet, Sister Drolet, Sister Iverson, Sister Alp, Sister Carlson, Sister Hyde, Elder Carlson, Sister Evans, Sister Puzey, Elder Evans, Sister Chatterton, and the McGees

I’m writing this on Saturday this week because we are driving to Ottawa tomorrow  at about 7 so that Pat can do the vehicle inspections on Monday.  I am a chauffeur because Pat doesn’t drive up here. Tuesday we’ll drive to Quebec City for the same reason.  

Tomorrow, we’ll take the metro to church, come home prepare dinner for two elders and a senior couple and then head out of town!

Elders Luna and Ricks, the Drolets and the McGees

Please know that the McGees are doing well.  We love you and are grateful for your support.

It's Gird-Up-Your Loins-Fresh-Courage-Take Time!

And this week ends the current transfer cycle. For the next three weeks it will be gird-up-your-loins-fresh-courage-take time as we welcome new missionaries on Wednesday, have missionaries transfer on Thursday, and say good-bye to departing missionaries on Friday. Then the following two weeks we have zone conferences. We have been here long enough now, that we know what the cycle looks like and can plan and prepare for it to a large extent. I have two big jobs: purchase bus tickets, scan them, and email them to missionaries needing to travel to and from Montreal. I’ve had to purchase quite a few bus tickets, so it is not as frightening as it was a couple of months ago! I also have to try and check in the departing missionaries on their various flights out of Montreal—sometimes I can do it, sometimes I can’t—depends on the airline.

Except for one couple who works in the church education system, the 13 seniors in Montreal and who all live in the same apartment building meet together for Family Home Evening on Monday evenings. We decided that the first Monday of each month we would not gather together but would go to the temple as a group the next day. Each time I go to that beautiful little gem of a temple, I treasure the experience. With a full office staff, my workload has been reduced considerably, so I think it’s time I give serious thought to working in the temple one evening a week. I’ll mull that around for a bit longer to make certain it is the right thing for me to do and that I can do it in addition to all the other things I have to do.

We are also celebrating birthdays. One of the things I learned to do years ago was decorate cakes. As we became parents and our lives became more and more hectic, I didn’t do that very often. However, I’ve been able to pick up some cake decorating tools here and am creating birthday cakes. Each one that I do gets a little bit better—it’s fun for me to do that. My mom, my sister, and I all took a cake decorating class together right after I came home from my mission in the 70s, so as I work with the cakes and icings, I have such wonderful memories of my mother. That’s always such a good thing!

Not bad - But I've got to get the writing figured out!

The last week of the transfer cycle tends to be rather quiet. During our down time this week, the three sisters in the office came up with seven menus for the lunches we do for zone conferences. Combining these seven with the three we’ve already done will give us a really good tool to use. Because there are missionaries in and out of the office constantly, we ran our ideas by them—they all thought our plans were wonderful! I’ve started to make a cookbook that will have the ingredients, directions, and shopping lists for each of them—that way we will not have to reinvent the wheel every six weeks, and we’ll have something we can leave for those who follow us. We have menus for warmer and cooler temperatures as well as a Christmas menu. There are two zone conference lunches that we do in Montreal. We will use the same menu and buy as much of the food as we can in bulk—I’ll be making a Costco run in the next week or so! We also came up with a list of activities we can do as a group. Those activities include going to Quebec City, Ste. Anne des Beaupré, Upper Canada Village, Fort Lennox, a Montreal church trip (there are unbelievable church buildings here!), and the tulip festival in Ottawa. All of us are rarely together: Five of us work in the office, six work in the government archives preparing and photographing documents, and six work in the church education system but in three different cities. We do have a good time when we’re together. By doing activities together, we build bonds of friendship and support.

Missionaries are coming into the office all the time.  Sisters Whitchurch and Clark were in this week.  Oh, how we love them!

Last night and today we had stake conference. It was held in the building where we attend church. Until last night, we’ve always driven. Last night and today we took the metro, and walked through a pretty little park. It took us maybe 10 minutes longer to do it that way than to drive—and it is so simple and stress free! In many ways, the Church is exactly the same here in Montreal as it is in Cottonwood Heights, yet in important ways it is so different. Here participating in any church activity is an experience in multiculturalism and multilingualism. That is something that both of us love. There are church members from all over the world in Montreal who speak a variety of languages. Also, there is a heightened spirituality—Pat and I have talked about this extensively. We can’t figure out if it’s because we’re more in tuned with spiritual things now that we are missionaries or if there is something that is different about the members here. Whatever it is, it is wonderful to be a part of it.

Pictures of our walk through Agrignon Park and our ride home on the metro.

As office missionaries, our role is to support the young missionaries. We do that constantly when we’re in the office by helping them with whatever issue they’re having. Here’s an example: This week, Pat received a call from a couple of missionaries who reported that their car had been attacked by a turkey! At first he thought it was a joke, but it actually happened. A turkey flew up on the car, left a messy deposit, and tried to bury its little gift, scratching the car in the process. That was one of the more amusing issues we had this week. We have missionaries call in because they need bus tickets to go on exchanges or to report that there is a problem with their apartment or to order materials. Those are the kinds of things we deal with every day. Another way Pat and I try to support the young missionaries is to invite them to our apartment for dinner. We’ve also started inviting at least one senior missionary or senior couple to join us so that the young missionaries can get to know those missionaries who work in the archives. Although I don’t like having to fix dinner for a group on a workday, we did it on Friday when we had three sisters and three seniors over. The senior sister had to bring two plates because we only have six and the couple had to bring two chairs to add to our six. We hauled the small kitchen table into the living room, shoved it against the larger table and managed to have eight people around the table! We had a raclette again! (I’m making really good use of the raclette grill I found at Walmart!) We love these young missionaries so much. One of them will be returning home this week. We surely do miss them when they leave. Before the three young sisters went, they left us with a spiritual message. Sister Davis began by asking each one of us what brings joy to us. For me, my family brings incomprehensible joy. So does the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I am so fortunate to be able to serve a fulltime mission with Pat so that others can learn of the joy that comes from that source.

Seniors: Sister Puzey, the Carlsons, the McGees
Youngsters: Sisters Davis, Louder, and Poussard

And so the week comes to a close with the exception of our FaceTiming with our family. We’re looking forward to that event this evening. We love you our family and friends, and we love what we’re doing.

Joyeuse Pâques

Such an incredible weekend: Listening to General Conference in Montréal, participating in a Solemn Assembly, and marveling at the messages we received. I was touched by so many! And the announcements: visiting and home teaching replaced by a much more person-centered way to care for one another; Elders and High Priests in the same quorum; and when we didn’t think there could be anything more: seven, yes, seven new temples, including one in India and one in Russia! What an extraordinary time to be a member of the church. And we get to be missionaries. Doesn’t get better than that!

Technology! We had three sites where we could go to stream live all the sessions of conference! We had my cell phone and two computers all carrying conference. Simply amazing!

We finished Easter weekend by having Easter Dinner with all the seniors in the mission with the exception of the two in Quebec City. Originally, we were going to have it in one of the sister’s apartments in our building, but Sister Phillips offered their home. Can’t tell you how wonderful it was to be in a real home! A home with a garbage disposal, a dishwasher, two normal-sized ovens, and carpet! Our apartment is comfortable, but it is not anything like our home in Cottonwood Heights. However, for the time being, this is the sacrifice we make willingly to further the work of the Lord.

The rest of the week was routine. We are now starting to gear up for the next transfer week that will occur in two weeks. 

The McGees send their love to our dear family and friends. We are so grateful for the Gospel of Jesus Christ and especially for the Atonement He made for us.

The new first presidency.