FIFTY-TWO

Bonjour à tous et à toute!

So let's see... fifty-two. That sounds like an important num.... it's been a year already?! What! Crazy, huh? It's just as hard for me to believe! It seems like just a few months ago I was buying socks at CTR Clothing and packing my bags! I've had quite the year and I feel like I've become, bit by bit, a little more like our Heavenly Father would have me be. It is an amazing thing to spend all of your time doing things for others and even more amazing to watch the gospel work in their lives. I feel incredibly blessed to be where I am right now doing what I'm doing. I can't say that it's been clear blue skies the whole time, but the sun always shines somewhere above the storm clouds. It's been a positive attitude and outlook on life, coupled with a firm testimony of our Savior Jesus Christ, that have elevated my vision and brought me through difficult times. Knowing who I am, among all other facts of life, has brought me the most comfort. We are all here for a reason—to learn, to progress, to make choices that will shape us, and to prepare to meet God once again. Hang on to that knowledge and no matter what confronts you, you will be able to find the lesson to learn, earn it, and move on. Life is a lesson and it takes a lifetime to learn it. In all reality, though it has been a year, it's a flash in the eternities. So I guess that means, see you in a flash! 

Oh, and this past week! 

Quick updates and then photos...

Tao and Eliana went dress shopping and she had a little shopping miracle! She has a dress and they are ready to be married in a few weeks! The lessons are going very well them. We just finished the plan of salvation and she loved it! They are turning into quite the scripture readers! We also found another family of investigators—a grandfather, his daughter, and her daughter! Three generations! They are all reading the Book of Mormon together.

Found a cool street!

And another!

Taught English class with Elder Sloot's awesome drawing skills

And the plan of salvation!

Rode a deer...

Found a rabid missionary

And enjoyed some powerline shots.

Elder Ellis

FIFTY-ONE

Bonjour!

Bonne journée!

Hello!

Goodbye!

I ran out of time sending emails to friends. So I have an idea. I love letters. You love me! I love when you send me letters! As much as I love computers and emails and stuff... there's something special about paper! I know it kills trees but it saves time! (And trees can be planted again... time, well that's another story.)

Nonetheless, here's my week in a word or two! épanouissant! fulfilling! Tao and Eliana are getting married on September 21st and baptized on October 5th! I couldn't be happier! Plus I went on splits with the assistants and got to reminisce about high school with Elder Heder! Good times!

Elder Ellis

FIFTY

Bonjour à tous et à toute!

I'm sure you're all wondering what in the world I'm doing and facing in Terrebonne so I'll get right to it! I'm going out on a limb to try to send some pictures you can actually see what I'm up to and it might take a century and a half from this computer so... I'll upload the pictures and then comment on as many as I can with the time that I have left.

 

This is the apartmentship. Left to right: Elder Maryott (New Zealand), Elder Lucas (Tahiti), Me, Elder Sloot (British Columbia, Canada—my companion!)

Hannah, you have a fan.

We've been cutting this guy's grass and I almost hit this little guy. His name, the human guy, is Pièrre. We just dropped him...

Elder Sloot and I have so many spanish dinner appointments. Here we are at the Ampuero's making cauosa. Or something like that... It was so good!

The result of all of those dinner appointments...

Kidding, still looking good. Humility....

We've been teaching an English class. We have a regular student (seen in neon) named Claude. He speaks almost perfect English and we're questioning why he keeps coming back. We played some hangman after a lesson.

We just had zone conference last week (and a mini high school reunion!) Elder Austin Heder, Sister Lindsey Del Castillo, and me! Mighty Vikings '11!

Relaxing in a car wash on a super hot day. The weather here is nuts. There have been a bunch of tiny flash storms of rain lately. But it's mostly a million degrees all of the time.

On preparation days we play volleyball at the Poirier's house. They have the craziest backyard. They are a really nice family! There are always about six young men that come to play with us.

This game is the best! It's in Frère Poirier's backyard. I'm going to make one when I get home. The Uncles would love it at family reunions!

A funny sign that we saw in a hallway one day. If you look at it long enough you'll realize what's funny about it. 'vous êtes ici' means 'you are here' (the blue dot). 

A cool picture I saw on someone's fridge.

I love knocking. You find the funniest things... please, find me!

No solicitors. (Except school children.) Guarded by Clint Eastwood. Like I said, you find funny things.

There aren't any sunsets here. But there are powerlines. And these ones are geometrically beautiful!

I have about a minute left. But I wanted to tell you about our main investigators right now. The De La Cruz family has some extended family members staying at their house. We have been teaching them for a while but they're unlike any other investigators I've ever had because they only speak Spanish and so we have to use a translator. That can be difficult sometimes but we're making things work. They will be baptized on the fifth of October (in between sessions of general conference!) and we are planning their wedding with Bishop Munoz right now. They are doing really well!

That's all for this week! Thanks for everything you do! Keep being living testimonies of the Gospel!

Elder Ellis

FORTY-NINE

Bonjour tout le monde,

 

I'll just get this right off of the bat: I'm kinda stressing out right now because of something that just happened. I don't feel like sitting down to write right now would be a good idea. I've had one of the best weeks of my mission and I'm sad that it just ended this way. Elder Sloot is one of the best companions I've had and I'm so grateful that the Lord put us together. We have learned a lot together this week and have worked extremely hard to bless the lives of the people here in Terrebonne. I know I am where I need to be and that I was called by revelation to labor here and now.

"And if thou shouldst be cast into the pit, or into the hands of murderers, and the sentence of death passed upon thee; if thou be cast into the deep; if the billowing surge conspire against thee; if fierce winds become thine enemy; if the heavens gather blackness, and all the elements combine to hedge up the way; and above all, if the very jaws of hell shall gape open the mouth wide after thee, know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good.

The Son of Man hath descended below them all. Art thou greater than he?"

D&C 122: 7-8

I love you all and pray that the Lord watches over you!

Elder Ellis

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