Baptisms
These are the events we live for. LaSalle Ward is baptizing monthly.
Temple Trips
This is so special to us. Last year, when we were serving in the Montreal Ward, we worked with many new members and were very much involved in the missionary efforts both before but also after baptism. The photo on the left was a selfie taken after we had just taken a group of new members to the temple for the first time. Cordelia took the selfie and I didn’t know that the others had even gathered around me until I saw the picture later. The man just out of the frame on the left is Cletus. We were transferred from the Montreal Ward to the LaSalle Ward in October, so we lost touch with them. We attended the Stake Conference the last week of March (2025) and ran into both. They had just taken out their endowments!!! Oh, how we wish we could have been there! Both of them hugged us in the hallway and told us about their temple experience.
Sugar Shack
Early last year, we attended an outing with the Senior Missionaries in the Montreal area, where we visited a “Sugar Shack”. This is a maple tree farm where trees are “tapped” and their sap collected and ultimately made into REAL maple syrup. I say real because so much maple syrup in the world is made from corn syrup and flavoring and not the sap of the maple trees. Last year there was so many of us in attendance that we couldn’t sit together and visit. This year, it was our turn to take the (new) senior missionaries in the Montreal area to the Sugar Shack but there was only a few of us this time. Our numbers are way down.
I am so grateful for modern medicine
Just 1 generation ago, my father spent at least 25 years in tremendous pain as his hips slowly degraded until he could only walk hunched over with a staggering limp. When I left on my mission in 1971 my distinct memories were of his suffering and pain. When I returned in 1973, I was greeted at the airport by a man I hardly recognized. He was upright and walking with the demeanor of a much younger man. He had both of his hips replaced with steel joints! Now I have joined the club and am so grateful for modern medicine. Stainless steel has been replaced with titanium with ceramic cups. Two weeks after replacing my right hip, I was already back to my duties at the archives. There were many here that called my recovery “Miraculous”. I express my thankfulness to those who prayed for me and gave me their blessings.
Driving in MONTREAL
I know I have previously stated how bad driving is in Montreal, but I was reminded of this the other morning when I stood outside our apartment and took these pictures.
All four pictures are taken from the same spot. In addition to the stop lights or stop signs at every intersection, which ensures that you cannot go faster than 25 KPH (kilometers per hour—really slow), they have one-way streets everywhere! In fact, you will be driving down a street, come to an intersection, and realize that the other side of the intersection you wanted to proceed down, is suddenly converted into a one-way street going against you. The two intersecting roads out in front of our apartment, have 5 one way signs on them. Picture three seems to show one-way signs pointing in both directions. Picture four is the parking restrictions for the road outside our front door. The top sign says “No Parking from 12:30 pm to 1:30 pm” on Monday. The other signs indicate “No Parking to the left unless you buy a parking sticker numbered either 401 or 405 while to the right is parking sticker 14.” Each sticker is about $10 monthly. If you illegally park there and get caught, it costs $65. If you ignore the tickets, you get towed away at your expense besides the tickets. Some of the younger missionaries don’t have a good place to park their mission car so they leave them at the church parking lot.
Let’s talk about whether you should own a car in Montreal. Besides the initial expense starting from mid-twenty thousand dollars and up, you must yearly register it, insure it, maintain it, gas it, and park it which is why most people don’t own a car. The Metro (subway) and bus system pass costs $100 monthly and gets you everywhere in the city. What if you need to to the grocery store? People take a taxi for an average cost of $10 one way. Or you use one of many delivery services to pick up the food you order online and deliver it to your apartment. We see this everywhere.
A requirement for Senior Missionaries in North America is that we bring our car with us. We are constantly using our car to bring friends (who are being taught) or members needing a ride to church. Eventually, friends and members need to find their own way to and from the church as the church guidelines say we should not be used as a “taxi” service. We also take members to and from the temple but that is only on an occasional basis.
Winter to Spring
