On a Spiritual High

And it's zone conference time again! We began the week by driving to Ottawa so that Pat could do the vehicle inspections. My task was to make certain a box from Sister Iverson was delivered to the Gordons so they could take it across Canada!  Mission accomplished!

While I was waiting for the Gordons to arrive, I walked around the Prince of Wales Chapel. In the back is a beautiful green area. Here are a couple of pictures of this lush area.

 And here is a picture of the Prince of Wales Chapel in Ottawa.  We have been here several times.

We attended a good portion of the conference here because Pat didn't start the vehicle inspections until around 9:30.  President Phillips acknowledged what we're all feeling: We're still on a spiritual high because of President Nelson's visit last Saturday. As part of the conference, President Phillips asked the question, "What stood out to you about Saturday evening?" I've thought a lot about that.  What stood out to me was when Sister Wendy Nelson, the prophet's wife, described how President Nelson received revelation-something that he had done prior to his calling but that has increased exponentially. Another thing that I think is critical is that each one of us, because of personal revelation, can have the same certitude about the 10 things President Nelson listed and discussed on Saturday night.

Wednesday, we headed to the Longueuil chapel which is right next to the Montreal Temple for the Longueuil Sud Zone Conference. Sister Puzey and the Drolets were with us. Pat's responsibility was car inspection--the rest of us prepared lunch for the missionaries. 

Longueuil Chapel

We left to go back to Montreal (about a 20 minute drive during non-rush hour traffic). Because I drive back and forth to the temple each week, I had seen a huge church and wondered what it was. Once when I was coming back to Montreal, I saw a sign indicating it's name and the directions to go to it. Today, I decided we were going to take a little detour. When you're the driver, you get to do that! This is the co-cathedral of Saint-Antoine de Padoue. It is both massive and beautiful. Here are some photos that I took during our brief visit.

Side views:

 Interior

Side altar

Pulpit

High altar at the front of the church

 These were on either side of the high altar.

Marie-Rose Durocher founded the Sisters of the Holy Name Mary and Jesus.  She was made a saint by the Catholic church in 1982. This is her tomb.

 Organ loft

Eight Jesuit martyrs. Pat said these are the priests he studied in school.

 Exterior of the church

Montreal has wonderful architecture. Here are a couple of interesting houses across from the cathedral.

I returned to Longueuil Wednesday evening to work in the temple.  The grounds, as usual, are beautiful:

I have driven to the temple often enough that I know the way and don't need to depend on Lucy. About 9:15 I headed for home. Within minutes I was in the middle of another unanticipated adventure.  The road I needed to be on was closed--and as is the usual practice in Quebec, there was no notice that it was going to happen. It's just coned off! So instead of heading home, I was forced to head toward Quebec City!  There were signs indicating that the tunnel was open. I knew that I could get back to Montreal using the tunnel but had no idea where I'd end up.  I took the tunnel. Meanwhile, I managed to get Lucy going. Once through the tunnel I was faced with one blocked road after another.  Finally Lucy, bless her little mechanical heart, got me to rue Sherbrooke. Once there, I knew how to navigate to rue Bérri!  If this had happened six months ago, I would have been in a complete panic.  It happens so often, I just take it in stride knowing that I may have to wander around for a while, but eventually, I'll end up where I need to be! Always, always an adventure when you're behind the wheel in Quebec!

When I walked to work on Thursday, there was a crew setting up something at the intersection of St. Hubert and Mont Royal. When I walked home that night, Mont Royal had been closed off for a type of street fair. The stores along the street had moved outside. Restaurants were cooking food outside as well. I had a good time on Friday when I walked along Mont Royal.

 Here's what I saw on Thursday morning:

 And on Friday, Mont Royal at Bérri (looking toward St. Hubert) looked like this:

In addition to doing the lunches for two of the zone conferences this week, we also started our apartment inspections. Sister Puzey and I leave the apartment building around 7:30 a.m. so we can arrive at a missionary apartment around 8. If we catch the missionaries early enough, we can typically do two apartments before they go into high gear with their day. Friday was the day. We hopped on the metro and about 30 minutes later, we were texting the missionaries that we were almost there. Happy to report that both apartments earned the treat we gave them--their apartments were very clean!

Although there is definitely a fall-like feeling in the air, there are still many lovely flowers to look at as we walk the streets of Montreal.  Here are some that I saw Friday morning on rue Girourd. I think they're quite lovely.

Meanwhile, the work continues, albeit slowly, in front of our apartment building.

Sometimes they begin around 6 a.m. The big pile of rubble is just across from our balcony. Because we are on the third floor, it can be very noisy!

Saturday found us at the LaSalle ward chapel by 11:00 for a baptism. A lovely Nigerian lady and her two daughters were baptized. I played the piano for the occasion. So very glad I have the skills necessary to help with the music--I do it a lot! Right after the baptism, we needed to go to Costco to get grapes, strawberries, blueberries, and apples for the lunch we're doing on Monday for zone conference. That turned out to be a fiasco.  We have to drive through old Montreal to get to Costco. We attempted three different routes to get there and couldn't because of rue barrée! (closed road). I don't know what was going on, but there were a ton of people walking around. Finally we decided enough was enough and we headed for Walmart--ran into detours there as well.  When we finally made it, I had to guesstimate the quantities because it was packaged differently from what Costco does. There were only three small packages of strawberries left and I need four large Costco sized ones. I improvised by purchasing blackberries and raspberries.  Somehow it will all turn out.

One of my favorite spots is a secluded, shady path in Angrignon Park. Years ago I visited the Sacred Grove. As I walk on this path, I'm reminded of that place and what happened there. Although the park is a very busy place, I rarely see anyone on the path.  Saturday, I took several pictures:

The beginning of the path . . .

 . . . farther along the path . . .

 . . . looking into the trees.

Sunday dawned wet and dreary. We drove to church today because we needed to inspect the apartment of the sisters in our ward.  They live quite a distance from the ward, so I always drive to save time. As it was, it took us 47 minutes to drive the 17.4 km (10.81 miles) to arrive home because of construction and detours.  Montreal roads are something--even President Nelson commented on them when he was here last week!

We spent a quiet Sunday afternoon in our apartment. Loved it! I was really quite chilly at church, so I wanted something warm for dinner. I made Sister Anderson's White Bean Chili! Wow, it is wonderful! We will use that recipe for the next round of zone conference lunches we do.  Made two more batches of Rice Krispie treats for tomorrow's zone conference lunch. We just finished FaceTime with our children and grandchildren-that is the perfect way to spend a Sunday evening.

Survived Another Transfer! And the Prophet comes to Montreal!

We hear the phrase, "It's a small world," all the time. We might also say, it's a small church!  Monday Elder Evans and I were talking about the differences between being a missionary in the 70s and now. That led us into a conversation about our fathers. I mentioned that my dad was on his mission in Hawaii when Pearl Harbor was attacked. Somewhat surprised, Elder Evans said, "So was mine!" A few minutes later he walked into the main office (he has a separate office) and showed me a list of his father's companions. My father was Elder Evans' father's 12th companion! How incredible is that!

This week was transfer week!  The first part of the week was pretty calm. Things picked up on Wednesday a bit and kicked into high gear on Thursday.  Thursday is the actual transfer day. The office is buzzing all day long with missionaries in transit. We also have the new missionaries who arrived Wednesday evening come to the office for training.  The five office missionaries greet them as they come in from the parking lot.  I remember so well what it felt like to be a new missionary.  I was completely overwhelmed by a new culture, a new language, a new life experience. These young elders and sisters walk in almost in a daze! They stay at the mission home their first night, have breakfast, and then come to the office. The staff briefly teaches them about the more practical aspects of missionary life, e.g., cars, apartments, etc., and then the assistants take over. By about 2 p.m. they have meet their first companions and are headed to their assigned areas. Then the departing missionaries arrive for their final testimony meeting.

One of my tasks is to get the missionaries checked in with the various airlines. I can do this 24 hours before their flights. We try to have the missionaries leave about 12:00 p.m., so my afternoon is plenty busy. Usually there are one or two missionaries that I can't check in for one reason or another. This time, I got them all checked in!

One of my favorite parts of working with the missionaries is going to the Temple with the departing missionaries the night before they leave. Often the session is in French. This time it was in English because there was a young man who was there for the first time. He is heading out on a mission in the next couple of weeks. His call: Arizona, French speaking! Who would have thought?

Usually the Friday of transfer week is pretty calm--not this one.  We were hopping all day long!

Saturday was a special day in Montreal as President and sister Nelson, Elder and Sister Anderson, and Elder and Sister Bennett visited Montreal and had a devotional in Palais de Congress. President Nelson is a remarkable man! Sitting at the foot of a prophet is an incredible privilege. We're so happy we were able to be there. He listed and discussed 10 things that he knows:
1. God is our father and he wants us to choose to return to him.
2. Jesus Christ is our Savior.
3. He created us in their image: Male and female,
4. God communicates to his children on earth through his prophets.
5. The scriptures are true: The Bible, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, The Pearl of Great Price, and ongoing revelation,
6. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is true.
7. Satan is allowed to function.  Why would God allow that? God honors the principle of free agency. We are here to be tried and tested.
8. The youth of Zion are a chosen generation--selected before birth to labor in his vineyard.
9. Joy comes through keeping the commandments of God.
10. Salvation is an individual matter; exaltation is a family affair.

It is now late Sunday afternoon. We left the LaSalle chapel right after church ended and headed to Ottawa. We had a lovely drive: not too much traffic, roads were good, no storms!  We are tucked away in a lovely motel room so that Pat will be ready to do car inspections tomorrow.

Here are some pictures that I took throughout the week.

Tuesday I walked to the pharmacy to pick up Pat's prescription and decided to walk around the neighborhood a bit before heading back to work.  I walked up rue Christophe Colomb and saw this beautiful yard.

On that same day as I was heading back to the office, I saw an interesting alley.  Most are pretty grim as evidenced by this photo of a typical one:

Here's the one I saw. It's obvious that someone took pride in this one.

Last week when Sister Clark and Sister Ticas were in the office, Sister Clark said that she thought she was going to be transferred. She and Elder Cowley were the first two missionaries we met when we arrived in Montreal and attended the Laurier YSA ward.  She is such a delight.  We invited the two sisters for dinner tonight.  I don't like having company for dinner on a week night because it is so hard to get everything ready, but we wanted to have her over one last time.  Good thing we did as she is going to Ottawa on Thursday.  Sister and Elder Evans had been moving sisters to a new apartment in St. Jean. When they arrived back at the office, they looked haggard and tired, so I invited them as well. I tried a new recipe that is supposed to be diabetic friendly. It was delicious. I paired it with a green salad made from local produce and had brownies for dessert. The sisters and Elder Evans were the only ones who had them, and I sent the rest home with the missionaries. As is their custom, before they left, they taught us. Tonight they taught about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. With President Nelson coming to Montreal on Saturday, they challenged us to prepare ourselves for that incredible opportunity to have a prophet visit our mission.

 And here we are for our post-dinner photo: Sisters Ticas and Clark, the Evans, and the McGees.

Here's a fun little story about Sister Ticas. Last week one of the mission cars had a flat tire. Pat was in the parking lot trying to get that resolved when Sister Ticas and Sister Clark came into the office. They wanted to know where Elder McGee was. When I told them that he was dealing with a flat tire, sister Ticas said, "I can fix a flat tire." She beckoned for Sister Clark to go with her. Because she was involved in something, she was not too eager to go.  Sister Ticas said, "Elder McGee needs our help now." Off they went. She changed the tire! When Pat asked her how she learned how to do that, she said, "Elder McGee, before my mission, I drove trucks!" Love these dear young missionaries.

Another well-kept house that I saw on my way home on Thursday.

 The entire street was lined with trees like this. I'm thinking they are trying to protect them.

 This is the sight that we saw across the street from our apartment on Thursday. Not sure what it was--maybe a wedding?

On Friday, Sister Ticas and  her new companion Sister Hunt asked Sister Puzey and me to participate in a missionary activity they were doing.  We were asked to write done our favorite word for Christ and then on Facebook write a short statement telling what that name is important to us. I chose Savior and added that because of our Savior I can have eternal life with my family--doesn't get any better than that.

 Friday we went to Restaurant Denos and had a delicious dinner in a relaxing atmosphere.  Pat had a chicken breast with a caesar salad, and pea soup.  I had viande fumée (smoked meat) a Montreal speciality with coleslaw and fries--didn't eat too many of the fries but loved the rest.  I took about half of it home and enjoyed it for breakfast on Saturday.

To celebrate the seniors' birthdays, I have made birthday cakes. I try to create something that they like, e.g., Elder Carlson wanted a German Chocolate Cake, Sister Evans wanted a white cake. We had three August birthdays: Pat, Elder Evans, and me.  Elder Evans has talked about a Swedish Princess Cake. This is a torted cake filled with raspberry jam, cream, and pastry cream. The cake is then covered in a green-tinted coat of marzipan and topped with a pink marzipan rose. I found a recipe on line, and Sister Puzey and I created one.  For our first attempt, it turned out great. Elder Evans was as pleased as could be!  Score!

Building the princess cake-it's ready for the last layer before being crumb coated in whipped cream and having the  marzipan put on.

The final product

A slice of Swedish Princess Cake

One of Pat's favorite treats is a lemon meringue pie:

One of my favorite treats—I have many—is chocolate chip cookies.  Sister Puzey was going to make a batch, but because I have to be so careful about my sugar intake these days, we decided two treats was sufficient. It made it easier for me to avoid the temptation of eating something I'm not supposed to! 

"Time Flies on Wings of Lightening"

Unbelievably, we have come to the end of another transfer cycle.  Most of the week, it was quiet in the office.  Next week it’s “Gird up your loins, fresh courage take” time as we welcome new missionaries and bid adieu to those returning!

Tuesday and Wednesday evenings were spiritual feasts for me. Tuesday was the seniors monthly trip to the temple. The Carlsons, Drolets, and Gordons were the only seniors who were not with us.  I love the senior missionaries that we serve with in this mission!  They, like the young missionaries, represent the cream of the missionary crop.  Each of us brings unique talents to our work in Quebec and Ontario. Together, I think, we accomplish a great deal.  

Before we begin our shift in the Temple each Wednesday, we have a brief prayer meeting. During prayer meeting on Wednesday, the small group that we are sang “I need thee Every Hour.” This is one of my favorite hymns and expresses so beautiful how I feel—I do need constant help from my Father in Heaven. We always sing a capella. President Carter, the Temple president, was conducting both the meeting and the music. He has a gorgeous voice, and he sings all the parts. Others began singing parts as well.  The result sounded like a choir and was absolutely beautiful! It was a lovely spiritual high for me.

Wednesday afternoon, I actually had a missionary moment at the office. Two little French-speaking ladies came into the office looking for a specific genealogy book. They knew that we do a lot of genealogical research and thought maybe we would have what they were looking for.  We didn’t, but I was able to talk to them about the Gospel. Although they didn’t leave with the book they wanted, they left with copies of the Book of Mormon. 

We had two speakers in Sacrament Meeting that were excellent. The first spoke on the need for second chances and connected it with our constant need for repentance so that we can take advantage of Christ’s Atonement. The second spoke about raising a righteous generation.  We enjoyed the company of Elder Ritchie and Elder Menzel and Sister Puzey for a simple spaghetti dinner with Sister Puzey's unbaked cheese cake this evening. We have a tie to Elder Ritchie.  His grandfather was the mission president when my mom and dad served their mission in Virginia. We finished Sunday with FaceTiming with Chris' family.  Both kids were having a rough go of it, so the visit was cut short.  We're so excited to have them come and visit us next month.

Sister Puzey and Elders Ritchie and Menzel

Spaghetti dinner with salad, Upper Canada Village Bread, and unbaked cheesecake served in classic senior missionary serving bowls.  It was delicious.

There isn't a week that goes by without a craziness moment.  Wednesday was the day. Pat and I had driven to Costco to get what was needed for the Mission Leadership Council to be held the next day. I was stopped at a red light in the lane closest to the parking on the right behind another car. There was a car to my left who was first in the line of those stopped to my left.  When the light changed, the driver of this car sped ahead of the car in front of us, cut across our lane and headed into the parking lane!  That's why, my friends, you always, always, always have to drive defensively in Montreal!

When I came home from the Temple on Wednesday, I was prepared for some delay because I couldn't go across the Jacques Cartier Bridge as it was closed for the fireworks. What I wasn't prepared for was not being able to get onto our street.  When I tried to go onto the section of Berri that we live on, there were workers putting barriers up, closing the Sherbrooke entrance to rue Berri.  I had to turn left on Sherbrooke, right up St. Denis and right again on Cherrier while I tried to figure out how I was going to get the car into the apartment garage.  When I arrived at the intersection of Berri and Cherrier,  this is what I saw:

Where the car is coming up the street on the left is where I needed to be only a few feet further down the road so I could get to the garage.  I saw that there were no other cars coming up the road, so I quickly drove to St. Hubert, turned right, and cut through the alley. Luckily, there were no cars parked in the alley. I inched to the edge of Berri, saw that the coast was clear and turned left—and made a beeline for the garage door, heading the wrong direction on the street!  I made it! I was so frazzled by all of that that I didn't bother with the last day of the fireworks. The reason for the road closure: The workers were moving the barriers that they put up a couple of days ago closer to the building.

In the morning, this is what I saw as I headed to work.

By Thursday afternoon they had taken down the retaining wall separating the two parts of the road.  Friday, I saw a sign saying that they were going to redo this part of the road and it would take until August 2019. So, for the duration of our stay here, we will have to deal with road construction in front of our apartment !

As senior missionaries, we try to do something together at least once a month.  On Friday, 15 of us went to the Bistro Tôt ou Tard to have a farewell dinner for Elder and Sister Gordon who are returning to Alberta, Canada, on August 22.  We will miss them so very much.

Earlier in the summer the Gordons told us about Upper Canada Village, a living-history site. The village depicts life in this part of Canada during the 1860s.  Period homes have been moved to the site, furnished as they would have been then. Additionally there are other buildings that would have been found in mid-19th Century Canada.  Individuals portray citizens of the time and do the work as it was done in that time. Nine of us hopped into two cars and headed for the Village on Saturday morning. It was amazing!  In many ways it reminded me of Nauvoo. The setting is gorgeous and is right next to the St. Lawrence River. A member of our ward said that the movie, Joseph and the Restoration was filmed at this location (and members of our ward are in it)! After an almost two-hour drive, we arrived.  (Lots of pictures of the village to follow)

We followed the traditional route on our way to the Village, but on the way home, we took the Long Sault Parkway. This is a highway linking a series of 11 islands that were created from high points of land left after the flooding of the St. Lawrence River during the construction of the Seaway in the 1950's. As I was driving, I couldn't very well take pictures of the islands, but I found a couple of images online. It was a beautiful, beautiful drive.

Now the Village:

As we walked from the entrance into the Village, we crossed a bridge and this is what we saw:

The first stop was the saw mill.  It is water powered. We watched as the blade sliced through a massive log, as the two men working at the mill removed the cut board, and as the process started up again.  They have wood for sale this is milled here.

The saw at work

Removing a cut board

Looking into the Village from across the lake

The next stop was the flour mill.  We listened as the worker explained how the wheat was stone ground. This is driven by water and steam engine. The milled flour is picked up by a horse-drawn wagon and taken to the bakery where it is made into bread. The bread is used at the restaurants in the Village and is available for sale in the visitor's center. It is delicious! The next three pictures are of the flour mill.

Then it was on to the woolen mill.  We listened as the workers explained how the wool is collected and washed . . .

. . . carded, made into thread, and . . .

. . . eventually woven.

Spinning jenny

Spools of spun wool

Table of tools in the woolen mill

Loom in the woolen mill

Here's the broom maker's shop:

Next it was the fire house:

Then onto the blacksmith and wheelwright shop:

Here's where the flour ends up—the bakery!

We passed the Willard Hotel and then returned here for a delicious lunch of beef stew, Village bread, and salad with an apple cider vinaigrette.

The next three images are of Crysler Hall. It was once the home of John Crysler, a prosperous landowner. It is now a museum.

Loved this window . . .

. . . and the piano!

We see lots and lots of squirrels, but this was the smallest one I have ever seen.

 T
he Louck's Farm - exterior and interior

Only sewing machine in the Village:

Barn

 Museum in one of the buildings by the Louck's Farm.

Small push sled

Making an animal drinking trough

One of the gardens at Upper Canada Village

 What we saw as we walked to the Signal Tower

Dickensen Landing Lighthouse

 View of the river

Views from the top floor of the signal tower

Interior of the Willard Hotel where we had lunch

 The Chrysler Store

He had the most clever apron - it buttoned on to his vest! 

Most expensive thing in the store $7.50

 Robertson House

Cook's Tavern - women would go into this room to have a drink because they couldn't be seen drinking in public!

Post office in the tavern

 From the upstairs of tavern: a course drawn wagon and the Robertson House

Christ Church for the Anglican congregation, one of the main Protestant denominations in Upper Cannada

Local Lutherans built their pastor a comfortable home. There were many German Protestants in the area who wanted a pastor who could provide moral and religious guidance. Inside the pastor's home:

This lady was sewing a  moss motto - I had never heard of it.

Another piano

Look at the size of that sewing kit!

Another garden

 The Masonic Lodge

The shoemaker's shop

Looking across the river

The tin shop

Stagecoach in front of the Robertson House

Providence Chapel a meeting place for the Episcopal Methodists.

Cabinetmaker

Using a horse walking in a circle to power a saw

Swings at the rear of the McDiarmid Home

The interior of the McDiarmid home houses an exhibit of quilting and spinning.

Printing Office

And here I am in front of the school house.

Interior of the school house

And our last stop - the cheese factory