FORTY-EIGHT

Bonjour à tous et à toute!

Something has changed.... I can't quite put my finger on it... I wait! My fingers are on it! The keyboard! And the computer! And the... well just about everything else! I'm in Terrebonne! I'm doing my emails today in the public library. I hope I can figure out a good system for sending pictures. Oh, speaking of pictures. The worst thing has happened. I'm not completely positive on this yet, but I may or may not have (read: most likely have) thrown away my photo card on accident. I know, I know. It was only just a few weeks ago that I was asking about it and then it (finally!) came in the mail and then when I was in the middle of moving... well. Let's just pray that it isn't in a garbage heap up in Rimouski. 6 months of pictures.... Ugh. Anyways! Moving on! 

Yes, I'm transferred! It was incredibly tough to leave Rimouski. I've found some seriously great friends up there. I hope to be able to have another chance to see them again while still on my mission! I don't know if you remember or not, but on that first Sunday when I arrived there, we were met by seven unknown faces at church! I was a little nervous, seeing as I was training Elder Ruby and we both had a pretty tough time with the language and accent. As I was saying goodbye last Sunday it was almost overwhelming to look out over the makeshift pulpit at thirty-eight of the most happy, most friendly, most loving and caring faces I had come to know in the past five months. I will miss them so much, but I know they're in good hands! Elder Bangerter and I were going non-stop this past weekend trying to get everything prepared for him and his next companion. In between several "one last" breakfast, lunch, and dinner appointments we were able to stop in to say goodbye and give counsel to all of the members and investigators. That was one chapter of my life I'll not soon forget, and one that will be re-read time and time again throughout my life I'm sure.

I spent Tuesday evening and a good part of Wednesday travelling from city to city making my way down to Terrebonne. I drove the truck one last time to Québec City where we stayed overnight with the zone leaders. Then the next morning, Elder Wright and I left early with their car drove to Montréal where we arrived a little ahead of schedule and decided to stop by a few old favorite spots. We surprised Elder Ruby and his companion at my old apartment downtown (where Elder Wright will be serving now!) and came out to find a parking ticket on the car. Not cool. So if $52 just happened to show up in my account one of these days (preferably within the next 25) that would be much appreciated! We then went to the mission office for a meeting, then off the Berri-Uqam where I met my new companion Elder Sloot and finally up to Terrebonne (a good hour and half drive north of Montréal)!

We got straight to work and went to the Bishop's house to eat and to coordinate our efforts with his vision for the ward. It'll be so different working in a big ward but I'm excited! Sunday was so weird sitting in a chapel surrounded by members! Most of the members are hispanic and speak both French and Spanish. It is becoming pretty apparent, though, that I'm going to have to learn a good bit of Spanish soon. We have a few investigators where the language barrier is definitely apparent. We'll see, though. Other than that we've just been busy doing lots of knocking and getting to know a lot of the members. Elder Sloot doesn't know a lot of them and since I'm so convinced after Rimouski that the best way to work is with the members, we've made it a priority to get to know them and gain their trust. It's a little different living with two other missionaries (the apartment needs some work!) But I'm liking it so far. Okay, I'm basically out of time and this computer is older than the golden plates so I'm not going to try to figure out the picture situation just yet.

À la semaine prochaine!

Elder Ellis