Spring is Here!! --- oh-- never mind we just thought it was

Yes, we know it is the first of Spring, and things were starting to thaw and we even saw the roof of the little storage shed outside our window...  I went to the store without a coat ....  after all it was 35 degrees...  we were in a heat wave!!!!

Then we woke up the next morning (Sunday)and this is what we had to dig out of to get to church.

Ahhh....  the beauty of Canada!!!

But..  we took advantage of it on Monday and went snowshoeing in the Sunshine (did I say the weather was fickle?)  But it was a beautiful walk - while we were on the trail.  We did a little bushwhacking - that was a little stressful, but the park is beautiful.  I was trying to get a lot of the scenery in this shot....  well, got some of it and a little of me!!

I love this little playground....  notice where the seats of the swings and benches are - do you think the snow is a little deep?

I loved how in this part of the park that there a little tiny footsteps all around it.  Can you imagine how fun it would be to go down the slides and land in a pile of snow.... what a blast!!

 Last Sunday was our friend Hans' 70th birthday.  He doesn't have any family close by so we decided to throw him a surprise birthday party.  It was a real surprise and for a moment I was afraid it was too much of a surprise!!  But he was very happy and there were lots of people here to tell him how much he is loved.  Here he is with our missionaries.

Friday we visited some of the outlying towns.  What a beautiful place beautiful farms (all under a layer of snow) barns, farm houses, small town centers.   We love Coaticook.   It is about 30 min South of us and not to far from the border.  Besides all the above mentioned beauties... They make REALLY good ice cream and they have the longest pedestrian suspension bridge in the world!!  I tried to take a picture of it... but it is closed in the winter.. ..  so it didn't turn out very good.

so I got one on line ...  it is over a beautiful gorge and I can't wait to see it transform during the 4 seasons.

 We tried to drive down the gorge to see what it was like at the bottom....  but ....  after about a block of driving down the road - and no way to turn around we decided it would be better to back out than try to get to the bottom and not be able to get out....  so we backed up the road...  Elder Pete did a great job of navigating the snow, ditches, fences, and curves in the road!!

Then we were heading out and found another road that led to a park and trail head at the bottom of the gorge -  It was beautiful...  here is the river from the covered bridge.  The ice chunks were many inches thick but the water was running through them and it was breathtakingly beautiful.

 This beautiful covered bridge was over the river with the ice. I am not sure if you can see it, but it was built in 1887, renovated in 1988, destroyed (not sure when) and rebuilt in 1999.  I love covered bridges and this one was particularly beautiful.

Our SUV looks pretty good in this setting don't you think?

Yeah, I know...  this is a beautiful bridge!!  and the pic is not too bad for being taken through the front window.

This is the kind of town I could find myself living in.  Quiet, quaint, and BEAUTIFUL!!

After, we drove through more small towns and over to the boarder.  We visited with a family from the ward in Stanstead and then popped over to the good ol' USA and got some gas (saved $40) and groceries and then back.

We are loving being in this beautiful spot of God's creation.  The people are wonderful and even though my French is really not up to par (REALLY  - - NOT up to par), but they are loving and patient and hugs are the same in every language...  right??!!!??

It is so amazing to feel the spirit when we are in a lesson and the Holy Ghost touches someones heart and they tell us that they have been looking for answers about their Savior, and life before and after this life for a long time and they are starting to understand.  To watch as their prayers are answered and feel their love for Jesus Christ and thank Him for his sacrifice in their behalf.

We are so grateful to our Heavenly Father, for the blessings we have been given, for the opportunity to serve Him and our Savior "full time", and to be blessed to be serving in this beautiful area.

God bless you and have a great week. Que Dieu te Benisse.
Elder and Soeur Petersen