April

We went for a walk with the Elders and Sisters the other day.  The talk drifted to dealing with "Change".  That was natural because our District Leader is heading home to Belgium this week and one of our sisters is going back to Montreal.   They asked how long we had and I said ...  Oh we have a while we have almost 3 months left...  and one of them said...  oh my that is less than 2 transfers.  I almost had a panic attack!!!  3 months is a long time...  1 transfer and a few weeks is not long at all!!!!   I had better get moving on reaching my goals.  The deadline is coming way to fast!!!

And talk about fast.  Didn't we just start April?  How did I get to be the end of April already?

We are still going to the temple every Friday.  We have been able to take some members who where just baptized, some who are going for the first time after being baptized for a while, and some who like to go regularly.  It makes for a wonderful way to finish the week.

Conference was absolutely wonderful.  It always is, but this April seemed to be directed especially to topics I needed.

Some of our favorite quotes:

*Don't be a victim twice by carrying around the hate, pain, etc.
*Win with grace, Loose with grace.
*Our genuine concern should be for the success of others.
*Life isn't fair.  If it was truly fair, we couldn't be saved.
*Family council meetings are the best defense against the evils of the internet.
*Choose the harder right....  instead of the easier wrong.
*Choose Faith over doubt.
*You know it - do you believe it? - Do you live it?
*Forgive yourself.  Don't dwell on your faults.
*It doesn't matter how bad things are or how bad you think you are...God can fix it.
*You are worthy of His love - just because He loves you
                    - there is no other requirement.
*The more distractions around us the easier to make bad choices and loose faith.
*Agency and opposition are central-only Satan wanted everything perfectly equal.
*If you did find the perfect women-do you really think she would want you?
                           (to single men looking for the perfect wife)
*The Lord blesses those who WANT to improve. You get credit for trying.
*See yourself in the Temple.

Some of those are not direct quotes, they are what we had in our notes...but you get the idea...  right?

The 16th was a wonderful day.  We have a family who recently moved here from Peru.  She was the only member in her family.  On the 16th both her husband and her 9 year old son were baptized.  It was a beautiful event.  We are blessed to have this beautiful family joining our ward.

 Elder Blake and Elder Thomas, Brother Salvador, Abel and Gloria, Sister Guzman, Sr. Areola, Sister Richards.

Andre, his 2 bothers. (a sneek in from another family :)

Those who were in attendance at the baptism.

 Elder Petersen had his big "65" birthday on the 23rd.  It started with a morning of missionary work.  He spent about 3 hours with a member of the bishopric and one of the Elders visiting members.

After I got home from doing the same thing (but with different people) we went to lunch to celebrate his wonderful life.  He is an amazing person and I am blessed to be able to spend not only this life but the eternities with him.

We have been eyeing a restaurant downtown called "Cafe Bla Bla"  and it means the same thing in French as it does in English....  bla, bla, bla.  It was like a French Bistro.  He had a great 3 bean chili and we shared a Swiss burger.  Quite the birthday dinner.  After, we decided to take a walk in one of local parks.  I was unaware that instead of doing our regular walk around the swamp, he wanted to head to the top of the mountain.   So, here I am in my dress and carrying my purse and heading up the trail to the mountain top.  But, what the heck.....  it's his birthday...   he can do what he wants...  right!!

Sunday we got a new bishop and bishopric.  The bishop we have been working with has been in 5 years and was released.  He is a great man and is going to be missed.  The new bishop is 32 years old and has 2 little ones (under 5) and one on the way.  He is going to have his hands full!!!  But he is a good man and will do a great job.

Monday was the last P day for our District leader before he went home to Belgium.  He wanted to hike Mount Pinacle.  So we did.  (Yes that makes 2 big hikes in 3 days...  and my legs survived!)


It is always fun to run into a grove of Maple trees.  There are everywhere around here, and a lot of them don't use the old tin bucket to gather the maple, they use blue tubing that gathers it,  runs it into  larger black tubing, then it runs to the gathering bucket...  or in large operations...  gathering tank.

 Even looking up this beautiful creek you can see the blue and black tubing.

We decided to take the shortest trail up.  Oh...  it also happened to be the steepest... It was a work out, but we made it.

The view from the top of the Pinacle is stunning.  You can see the USA in the background, the lake is huge and a long ways down, and the valley is breathtaking.

The missionaries had to go out on the rock.  I threatened them with their lives if they went out on the point...  they wanted to...  but they respected my PANIC.

 Down the trail and around the corner was another lake.  They decided this was there private little heaven and wanted to just chill for a while.  I didn't object.

 Further down the trail we found this frozen waterfall.  They are quite common around here during the winter, but it is late enough in the year that most of them have melted.  But, this one was on the North side of the mountain and must have been sheltered enough so that it was still there and even had some new ice cycles that were forming.

 

 Elder Petersen decided that it was time for a little refreshment...  I hope it is clean!

 Back down the mountain we went.  It was a good day with good people.  These missionaries work really hard at doing what they were sent here to do.  It was a nice day to enjoy the creations of their Lord, whom they have devoted their lives to.

 

The Three Musketeers.  Can you tell which one is 65?

 

 Happy Spring to all of you.   Life is wonderful here and we hope it is where you are, also.  God Bless.