Bonjour ma famille,
And how is everyone doing this fine evening? I am well as it is about 7:24 and I do believe we are done with this day. This does not by any means mean I have free time to do "nothing", as that does not exist, but it does mean I can use my time wisely by writing my weekly letter. We have 7 baptisms to attend in the next two days so this is the time to write. As I sit here I am experiencing one little problem. I seriously can't remember this past week other than interviews, food and cookies come to mind.
Lets start with food. I don't think I have ever cooked as much food, en mass, as I have in the past, almost, two months. Hard to imagine we have been here for two months on the 30th. Inconceivable. This is very difficult to get my mind wrapped around this idea. Anyway, today we fed 18 of us. Mashed potatoes as that is mightily filling. I made smoked pork butt with gravy. We had warm rolls, a huge salad, peas and hot Berry Cobbler a la mode for dessert. It is so funny, that through all the noise and wonderful chaos of having 18 missionaries here for a Zone training conference, that at dinner time...it is still and peaceful. Place food in front of these Elders and bam...it is as still and quiet as snow falling out in the middle of Northern Quebec. Not that I know how still that really is but I can imagine. They are the most ravenous, grateful, appreciative, polite, complimentary group ever. I had one Elder say, this is the best meal I have had in three transfers. They always speak in terms of time measured by transfers which is 6 weeks. It is exhausting but a great joy to cook for them. They do so much and this is such a small thing we can do to show our appreciation.
We had interviews this week. That is where we travel to each Zone and the President interviews each missionary in the entire mission.The purpose is to find out if they are doing well or have any concerns or problems. I chat with the other half of the companionship while they are in talking with Nelson. I loved having this time, one on one to speak with them and feed them some homemade cookies with a glass of milk. It is amazing how that opens them up to sharing what is going on in their lives with me. I sew buttons on while we sit there, that have fallen off their clothes or mend holes in their shirts or pants. I also them how to lead music correctly if they don't already know how. I had them write a paragraph to their companion, including all the things they love and admire about them. This fosters "looking for the good" in their companion. I will do this for every interview so by the time they go home, they will have a few pages of what others love about them. Sometimes we don't see all the good within our selves. But others are much more capable of seeing the good. It was a sweet experience to see them write feverishly. I asked 12 questions pertaining to health, keeping shoes shined, hair well groomed and short, apartments clean, eating healthy, and drinking plenty of water etc. So every night is cookie baking night for me. I can't say I miss it tonight. NO interviews tomorrow. I gave them the recipes of all of the cookies. They actually liked it which surprised me. They were the favorite recipes of all of our senior sister missionaries here in the mission.
One of the pictures I am attaching is of our Elder Sorensen and Pearson who just departed to go home. They are enjoying a famous choc. dipped ice cream cone from Chocolat Favourit in Quebec city. They are renowned for their 1/4 inch thick fudge that they dip their famous ice cream in. Oh mercy! I am pretty sure I mentioned them in another letter. It is the equivalent of poutine. Just as bad for you but tastes pretty good for the first few bites.
It is amazing to me to see the strength, faith and work ethic of our Elders. We had some of the best Elders in the field here in our home today. They are humble and think nothing or their calls as Zone Leaders. They do not think they are better than the others, just that they have more responsibilities to serve those they have been called to watch over and teach. We heard from one Elder today who was contacting on the Metro. He was contacting those around him and one man said to him, "don't talk to me and you shouldn't be in here talking to these people". By law they have every right to do so. So the Elder said, sorry to bother you and moved on to someone else. The man tapped him on the shoulder and said, " I said, you shouldn't be doing this, nobody wants to talk to you". So the Elder politely said, "well sir I actually have a list here of many people that want to talk to me". And then the man retorted or actually yelled in the Metro (subway car) "Hey does anybody here want to talk to this guy?" And it was a very embarrassing thing for our Elder, until a voice from the corner of the Metro was heard saying "I would like to talk to him". These kinds of things happen to our Elders every day. They are so courageous and determined. Why do they keep at it every day all day long? Because they know it is true. Or they could not face each day. They could not do what they do every day. We love, admire and respect them for it. That is why I cook or bake for them. A small thing.
Speaking of cooking. In that I am absent so often from the house, either teaching or traveling with the President, it makes it difficult to keep up with everything that needs to be done at the Mission Home. So much buying, cooking and cleaning up etc. Because the Church wants to make this possible, they have approved they will pay for help in the home for up to 20 hours a week. I have never had anyone help me in the home except for maybe 4 times. I must say it was heavenly to have that help. So, we have a nice lady who helps here once a week but she must quit as they moved and it is too far to come. She has been kind enough to continue until I find someone else. She must travel 1 1/2 hours both ways. At first she thought her husband was going to lose his job but it turns out he retained it after all. He is a kind man and in the Stake Presidency in one of the Zones here. So we have been looking. We put an ad in Craig's list. We had one woman from Moldova who needed and wanted the job come to visit us last night. I love her. Her name is Victoria. She is a pharmacist and her husband has a PHD in Biology. They have two cute kids. They left everything behind in search for a better life. She had a great job but said they gov. is so corrupt there, that they must pay out for everything and can't get ahead. There is no hope for anyone and especially those with an education. They are so disgusted with Moldova's leaders. They don't want their children to grow up in that environment. They both speak four languages. They speak Romanian, Russian, English and French. But because they are immigrants and want to stay, they are required to take French for six months, full time from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. five days a week. Wow, they really want to preserve the French language here. So she will not be able to work but she did say her mother Valentina who speaks great French, Russian and Romanian would love the job. Did I mention she does not speak English? Rats! She will come as soon as she is able. She has been an accountant for 30 years but their company went bankrupt. There is not hope of further employment and they need to pay for their twin sons to go to college. Her husband also lost his job. They are willing to sacrifice her coming to Montreal and the family being separated in order to help their sons attend college. The things parents do for their kids is truly amazing to me. The only problem I see is that there might be a language barrier or maybe I will simply be forced to beef up my French language skills. We will see how this goes. Stay tuned.
One of the other pictures I sent is a pic. of our downstairs when the Elders come and go. This is the Elders dorm when they arrive in the mission and when they leave. We blow up all these air mattresses, throw a pillow, blanket, towel, and packet of sheets on the mattress for them to make their own beds. We have three showers downstairs and we never hear any complaints. The Elders make do with whatever situation they are in. And the sisters, when they come, sleep upstairs on the same floor as dad and I in the bunk room with four beds. They have their own bathroom up there. This is a great arrangement and seems to work fine. I will also include a picture we take of them as they come in, with the Welcome to CNN (Canada Montreal Mission) sign and one with the Bon Voyage sign. We do this with each incoming and outgoing missionary and send the pix to their folks along with a letter of gratitude for their son/daughter.
I love this work, I am so grateful to be here and feel that it is such a privilege to work along side these wonderful missionaries both young and old or female or male. It has been fun for me to see the President learn how to take charge and make things happen. He is doing a wonderful job and the missionaries love him. He works tirelessly and really tries to cover all the bases. He does a great job at delegating what he can as he has much to do. He makes those who work with him feel needed and important. And they are. We could not do this without the loyal, trustworthy help of all of our senior missionaries and AP's. I love this work so much.
And I love you too, all of you,
Until next week or so,
love,
Mom,Shir
And how is everyone doing this fine evening? I am well as it is about 7:24 and I do believe we are done with this day. This does not by any means mean I have free time to do "nothing", as that does not exist, but it does mean I can use my time wisely by writing my weekly letter. We have 7 baptisms to attend in the next two days so this is the time to write. As I sit here I am experiencing one little problem. I seriously can't remember this past week other than interviews, food and cookies come to mind.
Lets start with food. I don't think I have ever cooked as much food, en mass, as I have in the past, almost, two months. Hard to imagine we have been here for two months on the 30th. Inconceivable. This is very difficult to get my mind wrapped around this idea. Anyway, today we fed 18 of us. Mashed potatoes as that is mightily filling. I made smoked pork butt with gravy. We had warm rolls, a huge salad, peas and hot Berry Cobbler a la mode for dessert. It is so funny, that through all the noise and wonderful chaos of having 18 missionaries here for a Zone training conference, that at dinner time...it is still and peaceful. Place food in front of these Elders and bam...it is as still and quiet as snow falling out in the middle of Northern Quebec. Not that I know how still that really is but I can imagine. They are the most ravenous, grateful, appreciative, polite, complimentary group ever. I had one Elder say, this is the best meal I have had in three transfers. They always speak in terms of time measured by transfers which is 6 weeks. It is exhausting but a great joy to cook for them. They do so much and this is such a small thing we can do to show our appreciation.
We had interviews this week. That is where we travel to each Zone and the President interviews each missionary in the entire mission.The purpose is to find out if they are doing well or have any concerns or problems. I chat with the other half of the companionship while they are in talking with Nelson. I loved having this time, one on one to speak with them and feed them some homemade cookies with a glass of milk. It is amazing how that opens them up to sharing what is going on in their lives with me. I sew buttons on while we sit there, that have fallen off their clothes or mend holes in their shirts or pants. I also them how to lead music correctly if they don't already know how. I had them write a paragraph to their companion, including all the things they love and admire about them. This fosters "looking for the good" in their companion. I will do this for every interview so by the time they go home, they will have a few pages of what others love about them. Sometimes we don't see all the good within our selves. But others are much more capable of seeing the good. It was a sweet experience to see them write feverishly. I asked 12 questions pertaining to health, keeping shoes shined, hair well groomed and short, apartments clean, eating healthy, and drinking plenty of water etc. So every night is cookie baking night for me. I can't say I miss it tonight. NO interviews tomorrow. I gave them the recipes of all of the cookies. They actually liked it which surprised me. They were the favorite recipes of all of our senior sister missionaries here in the mission.
One of the pictures I am attaching is of our Elder Sorensen and Pearson who just departed to go home. They are enjoying a famous choc. dipped ice cream cone from Chocolat Favourit in Quebec city. They are renowned for their 1/4 inch thick fudge that they dip their famous ice cream in. Oh mercy! I am pretty sure I mentioned them in another letter. It is the equivalent of poutine. Just as bad for you but tastes pretty good for the first few bites.
It is amazing to me to see the strength, faith and work ethic of our Elders. We had some of the best Elders in the field here in our home today. They are humble and think nothing or their calls as Zone Leaders. They do not think they are better than the others, just that they have more responsibilities to serve those they have been called to watch over and teach. We heard from one Elder today who was contacting on the Metro. He was contacting those around him and one man said to him, "don't talk to me and you shouldn't be in here talking to these people". By law they have every right to do so. So the Elder said, sorry to bother you and moved on to someone else. The man tapped him on the shoulder and said, " I said, you shouldn't be doing this, nobody wants to talk to you". So the Elder politely said, "well sir I actually have a list here of many people that want to talk to me". And then the man retorted or actually yelled in the Metro (subway car) "Hey does anybody here want to talk to this guy?" And it was a very embarrassing thing for our Elder, until a voice from the corner of the Metro was heard saying "I would like to talk to him". These kinds of things happen to our Elders every day. They are so courageous and determined. Why do they keep at it every day all day long? Because they know it is true. Or they could not face each day. They could not do what they do every day. We love, admire and respect them for it. That is why I cook or bake for them. A small thing.
Speaking of cooking. In that I am absent so often from the house, either teaching or traveling with the President, it makes it difficult to keep up with everything that needs to be done at the Mission Home. So much buying, cooking and cleaning up etc. Because the Church wants to make this possible, they have approved they will pay for help in the home for up to 20 hours a week. I have never had anyone help me in the home except for maybe 4 times. I must say it was heavenly to have that help. So, we have a nice lady who helps here once a week but she must quit as they moved and it is too far to come. She has been kind enough to continue until I find someone else. She must travel 1 1/2 hours both ways. At first she thought her husband was going to lose his job but it turns out he retained it after all. He is a kind man and in the Stake Presidency in one of the Zones here. So we have been looking. We put an ad in Craig's list. We had one woman from Moldova who needed and wanted the job come to visit us last night. I love her. Her name is Victoria. She is a pharmacist and her husband has a PHD in Biology. They have two cute kids. They left everything behind in search for a better life. She had a great job but said they gov. is so corrupt there, that they must pay out for everything and can't get ahead. There is no hope for anyone and especially those with an education. They are so disgusted with Moldova's leaders. They don't want their children to grow up in that environment. They both speak four languages. They speak Romanian, Russian, English and French. But because they are immigrants and want to stay, they are required to take French for six months, full time from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. five days a week. Wow, they really want to preserve the French language here. So she will not be able to work but she did say her mother Valentina who speaks great French, Russian and Romanian would love the job. Did I mention she does not speak English? Rats! She will come as soon as she is able. She has been an accountant for 30 years but their company went bankrupt. There is not hope of further employment and they need to pay for their twin sons to go to college. Her husband also lost his job. They are willing to sacrifice her coming to Montreal and the family being separated in order to help their sons attend college. The things parents do for their kids is truly amazing to me. The only problem I see is that there might be a language barrier or maybe I will simply be forced to beef up my French language skills. We will see how this goes. Stay tuned.
One of the other pictures I sent is a pic. of our downstairs when the Elders come and go. This is the Elders dorm when they arrive in the mission and when they leave. We blow up all these air mattresses, throw a pillow, blanket, towel, and packet of sheets on the mattress for them to make their own beds. We have three showers downstairs and we never hear any complaints. The Elders make do with whatever situation they are in. And the sisters, when they come, sleep upstairs on the same floor as dad and I in the bunk room with four beds. They have their own bathroom up there. This is a great arrangement and seems to work fine. I will also include a picture we take of them as they come in, with the Welcome to CNN (Canada Montreal Mission) sign and one with the Bon Voyage sign. We do this with each incoming and outgoing missionary and send the pix to their folks along with a letter of gratitude for their son/daughter.
I love this work, I am so grateful to be here and feel that it is such a privilege to work along side these wonderful missionaries both young and old or female or male. It has been fun for me to see the President learn how to take charge and make things happen. He is doing a wonderful job and the missionaries love him. He works tirelessly and really tries to cover all the bases. He does a great job at delegating what he can as he has much to do. He makes those who work with him feel needed and important. And they are. We could not do this without the loyal, trustworthy help of all of our senior missionaries and AP's. I love this work so much.
And I love you too, all of you,
Until next week or so,
love,
Mom,Shir
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