Since my last blog we have been through welcoming new missionaries, working the Giving Machines, driving in snowstorms, visiting some far away members and doing temple baptisms with our new members. It’s been crazy busy in between the storms. Our friend and new member, Alphonse, worked at the Giving machines with us just two days after he was baptized and then again for another 4-hour stint the following week. He speaks fluent French which was a huge help to us as most people we encountered at the mall were French speaking. I can say, “Eclairer le Monde” and “Machine a dons” but Alphonse was great at telling people about the whole idea. On our second time to do the Giving Machines along with Alphonse another sister from the Maustuche Branch who also speaks French joined us. We continue to study French in our spare moments, but it is slow in coming. This was the first year to have the machines in Laval, so they are very new to everyone. It was fun to see how many shoppers loved the idea.
We have a new sister missionary, Sister Pruvost, in our branch who is from France. She is a sweet addition to the branch here and her English is pretty good too. She and Sister Miller make a great team. Our British Sister Somerville was transferred to Ottawa. It has been bitterly cold for the past few weeks, in the single digits, though our Quebecois friends tell us this is just a prelude to their real Canadian winters. Last year was apparently a mild year. We are starting to see the huge snow trucks carrying off the tons of snow out of the city.
Yesterday we had the privilege of taking two of our new members to the temple for the first time. Alphonse and Ibunkunolu, took the names of their parents as well as a few other family names to do proxy baptisms. It was a sweet and very spiritual experience for both of them. Elder Glenn was asked to do the baptisms. Our Branch Mission Leader, Brother Vanderleo, who is also African insisted that Elder Glenn do the baptisms rather than the young elders as a cultural respect for both of these men who are from Africa. We continue to learn so much about cultural traditions in our very international congregation here. Then Mathius, another African brother who just received his Melchizedek Priesthood, was given the opportunity to perform baptisms and confirmations for the first time. We had to share our temple appointment with another group, so the time was somewhat limited. We are planning to take them all again in January along with a few of our other newest members.
The holidays are upon us, and we are busy getting Christmas food baskets arranged for some of our members. Our Branch Christmas party is next Saturday night, and we have two zone conference dinners to do before Christmas, plus a Christmas Eve dinner for our African brothers. Today was almost a tsunami for me at church. I had planned a cultural “cookie” exchange for the Relief Society to happen right after our second-hour meeting in the cultural hall. Communications about it failed with almost every attempt, so I was expecting it to be a flop. The teacher for our RS today called in sick early this morning. I was to conduct and now also to teach the lesson and pull off the cookie exchange. Everyone seems to be sick these days. Half the women in our branch were absent for illness or other conflicts, so I was sure the activity would be a flop. Then at the end of sacrament I found out that our Stake RS President was visiting. One of my counselors was absent and the other was delayed. I was about to start the meeting when the RS president from the St. Jerome Branch informed me that they were planning to use the cultural hall for their second hour and were setting up as we had tried to set up our tables. I made a quick decision to do our activity in the RS room instead. But then I had no time to pass the word around. It was bound to be a flop, right! I had really been praying for the Lord to strengthen me through this busy time. On top of all that, the sister missionaries had just introduced me to a friend who was interested in the church. This person was bi-sexual, and our lesson today was on The Family Proclamation by Elder Rasband.
I should have been extremely nervous during the lesson, that I had little time to prepare. I also wanted to help our visiting friend to feel included. As it turned out, I was not nervous at all. Our Stake RS president was wonderful; the sisters contributed to a good discussion and the sister missionaries continued to teach their friend who seemed genuinely interested in learning. I really felt the spirit as I was leading the discussion. After the meeting my counselor and I quickly pulled out the treats that had been contributed, with decorated table and Christmas music. When you bring out the cookies, people will find you. We actually had a good selection of cultural treats from Philippines, Brazil and Columbia and mine from America. The Stake RS president was so impressed, she videotaped our table and told us she thought it was the best idea she had seen. So, my predicted flop turned out to be a spectacular success.
These past weeks have been challenging but I have found that I can lean on the Lord for strength and that with God nothing is impossible. As I continued to pray for strength, I have felt His calming influence in my life. I believe that is why I was not nervous today. I really felt the joy of the season even as I felt pulled in all directions. Christmas is about loving others as Jesus did and sharing the joy of His holy birth. It is a time of forgetting self and thinking of others, especially those who are lonely and without family. We are finding great joy in ministering to our wonderful brothers and sisters of Chomedey.
Joyeux Noel,
The Glenns
(Gigi & Papi)