WHO Created This??

This is the street where I walk every day to get home from the archives. I've been watching them paint the side of the Hyatt Hotel for several days now. One of our Canadian missionaries tells us that this is typical for "Québecois", Québec people. They like whimsical things. 

A woman in my ward from home sent me a website telling of musical swings in Montréal where you make music as you swing. DEFINITELY going to go in search of THOSE next week! It's these kinds of things that make Montréal so fun!

Here's my food bank dream team. I love these gals. When I showed up to help with the food bank drive last Saturday, a service missionary approached me as soon as I walked in the door. She said there were some young missionaries who needed to be hooked up with a driver. Lucky me! I got to spend the morning with these lovelies. I was inspired by the people of the LaSalle neighborhood. They were incredibly generous with their food! There are still many, many good people in the world!!

Don't you love this row of God's army??

Don't worry, they aren't really yellow elders and sisters. It's the lighting from the stained glass windows in this circular church where we gathered to get instructions for gathering the food.

This sister is ON FIRE with missionary work! She has a goal to knock 100 doors in one week!

We ran into some cool homes while gathering food. See the beaver and the maple leaves at the top?

I am the queen! I finished a project. But it was an awful one. Many of the documents had ancient cellophane tape on them which cracked, fell off, and made the project just plain awful to work with. I wrote a song about it. . .

Sing to the Rubber Ducky song from Sesame Street:

Cell-o-phane tape

You're the one.

You make captures

Not so fun.

Your inventor should be drawn and quartered. . .posthumously.

(You have to just say the last word because I ran out of notes in the tune for it.) 😂

Whenever I broke out into this song in my cubicle, my archive teammates knew that I was fighting with old, old cellophane tape.

See what I mean? UGH.

This was a smallish project, one with only 24 boxes.

I went to district council with these lovely people this week. I didn't even KNOW I could attend district council with the young missionaries until I started poking around and asking questions!! I love being with the young missionaries. I'm going to start attending two district meetings every week, 1- the Lawry District (this is what I call our senior district because President Harkness says we should be called "seasoned missionaries" instead of senior missionaries...seasoned SALT is Lawry's so I just borrowed their name for our district), and 2- the La Plateau District council.

This is the first picture we took where Sister Jones has a look of shock on her face because Sister B just held  her hand up in the air and the phone camera clicked. I DIDN'T KNOW YOU COULD DO THAT!!! #newtechnology/oldmissionary

This missionary! Ohhhh, how I love this missionary! He is our district leader but I have known him for several months now because we both serve in the Mandarin branch. Early on, we were sitting at the same table for a linger longer to break the fast. He is an incredible young man. The Spirit told me that in a powerful way as we sat and talked that first time. He is kind, gentle, and a diligent missionary. He has a powerful testimony of the Book of Mormon. He decided to read it while he was in his first year of college to "prove his parents wrong". Oops! He didn't figure on the power of that book sucking him in! That exercise in faith is why he is here today serving a mission in Montreal.

I am blessed to have been able to attend the very last district meeting he will ever preside over in this mission. He'll be going home next week and I'm going to miss him terribly. I cry every time I think about it. But I best get used to comings and goings because that's what missions are all about. Well, that, and bringing our brothers and sisters unto Christ. These young missionaries had better watch out at my first mission reunion after I get home because I'm going to give them the hug of a lifetime next time I see them! I really hate that I can't give them a hug when they go home.

This woman had the most fascinating story to tell. . .

And then I poked her eyes out. Which made a man who was walking by stop and talk to us. We asked him if he wanted to come to church with us. 😂 

The young missionaries inspired me at district council as I listened to them talk about their weekly goals. I realized that I've been missing a piece of goal setting! I have a goal to find one person, ONE PERSON, for the young missionaries to teach. I know it's a tiny goal but I'm going to reach it first and then I'll broaden my horizons. The young missionaires told me that they think they talk to about 20 people before they find one that is willing to have a follow up appointment with them. I realized that I need to have a goal of talking to 20 people about the gospel in order to achieve my goal of finding one person for the missionaries to teach. So far I've talked to four. Gotta long way to go!

. . . reminded me of my childhood

I have a whole new apprectiation for the Creation after today. Sister C and I visited the botanical gardens this afternoon. It's huge! We only saw half of it in 2 hours. We'll go back another day. Now I know where my 15% taxes are being used every time I buy something.

These are not manmade. They are some kind of huge lilypad type plant...fascinating!

This spot in the garden reminded me so much of the Sacred Grove where Joseph Smith saw God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. I was nearly alone so it was very quiet...except for 3 mosquitoes.

I have plans to visit the Sacred Grove on the way home from my mission. It's a place I've always wanted to see.

Don't miss the turtle in the upper left in this photo. This is my first glimpse of a Canadian goose IN Canada!

OK, I look at this plant and think, "WHO designed this??" Let's combine pink, purple, and orange and then to make the individual leaves stand out a little more, let's put a tiny, white scalloped edging on them. See what I mean about being in awe of the Creation?!?

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