Montréal Mission

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: