March 27-April 2, 2023

Nothing spectacular to share this week - I'll just do a quick recap of the highlight of our days.

Monday - Senior Missionary Council via Zoom.  We currently have 17 senior couples and 4 single seniors serving in the Canada Montréal Mission.  Five of the couples and two of the singles go home in the next three months and probably won't be replaced any time soon.

Tuesday - We woke up feeling like we really needed to visit Agnes and not wait.  We arrived at the hospital as the nurses were changing the dressings on her infected bed sores/wounds.  We could tell it was extremely painful for her.  She was having difficulty breathing because of the fluids in her lungs.  She is on oxygen and has an IV drip to keep her hydrated.  Her face, arms and legs were all very swollen from the build up of fluids.  She had not expelled any fluids for five days at that point.  The resident came in after the nurses left and told Agnes they might consider dialysis on Wednesday if her blood pressure and oxygen saturation remained stable.  When she left John asked Agnes if she would like a blessing.  Agnes never complains or says much but tears were running down her cheeks as she nodded yes.  As soon as the blessing finished, Agnes closed her eyes and went to sleep.

Wednesday - Temple Prep class #5 completed.  In this class we discuss symbolism and temple clothing/garments.  We watched the church video that explains the clothing and garments.  Simon asked about wearing the garments "every day."  We explained a bit further and said yes, "every day."  "Every day?"  Yes, "every day."  Oh! "Every day" you go to the temple!  No, "every day, every day, every day."  He still looked a little confused so John explained it in French.  We thought he finally had it but a few minutes later he asked again, "every day?"  We have more work to do on that.

Thursday - District Council with the young missionaries.  President Harkness dropped in to observe.  He didn't say a lot until we were practicing teaching a principle from the PMG lesson the District Leader presented.  This practice is part of district council each week.  The DL and his companion (on his second transfer so has only been in the mission less than 3 months) were teaching us (Elder and Sister Cooper) about our pre-mortal life.  In our role, we were members of another faith and not aware that we had a life before coming to earth.  We asked questions about it and the Elders attempted to answer.  President quickly corrected most of their answers.  At one point the newer Elder said, "what I really meant was ..." and President said, "then say what you really meant so we aren't confused!"  Of course he said it more lovingly than it sounds.  It was kind of fun to watch him interact with them that way and I felt kind of sorry for them but that's how they learn and it's the purpose of having practice sessions constantly.

It rained heavily all day.  A lot of the snow has dissolved and we can see grass in some spots.

After DC we went to the temple to complete some initiatory that have been waiting a long time for us to get it done!

Friday - Service at the food bank, then to visit Agnes again.  Her nephew from Brooklyn, NY was there when we arrived.  We didn't know she had a nephew that close (7-hour drive).  He was very loving and attentive with her.  He got her daughter and grandchildren on the phone so she could see them.  She still doesn't talk much, as she doesn't have enough oxygen to get the words out.  But she nodded and smiled as they talked and sang island songs to her.

On Tuesday we weren't sure she would make it through the night.  Apparently they came later in the day on Tuesday and did dialysis.  They had another opening on Wednesday and did it again.  The swelling has decreased and she was actually eating real food.  We asked if dialysis would continue and if she might return to the nursing home.  The answer was a little vague, but basically no.  They only did the dialysis to give her some relief and prolong her life a few days.  I don't understand that reasoning and disagree with it, but I know we don't have all the details and aren't part of the decision making.

Saturday - Just when we thought spring was coming - it started snowing around 3:00 pm and snowed late into the night.  There was about 3" of new snow when we came out of Stake Conference.

This was our new Stake Presidency's first Stake Conference.  We were both scratching our heads and wondering what happened after the adult meeting Saturday evening.  It began late, was disorganized, disjointed and went on much too long.  We both were disappointed and didn't feel like we had had any spiritual enlightenment.  We chalked it up to being nervous their first time.

The general session this morning was much better and we came home feeling better about things.  The temple president and matron spoke briefly.  We have new Service Missionary Leaders in Montréal.  They are from Gatineau, Ontario and will have responsibility for all the service missionaries in the Ottawa Stake and all of Quebec.  President and Sister Harkness also spoke briefly about the importance of having the members involved in missionary work and teaching with the young missionaries.  All three of the Stake Presidency spoke again.  The focus of conference was building our spiritual foundations.  We will all have cracks in our foundations from time to time; with repentance and continued effort on our part, Jesus Christ will fill in those cracks for us.

One of the councilors reminded us of Joseph Smith's experience of having his leg operated on and  infected bone being removed when he was a young boy.  His recovery took years.  We don't understand why he had to endure that but it prevented the alternative of having his leg amputated.  We think of the restoration as spiritual, which it definitely was, but it also took physical effort that would have been so difficult for Joseph to accomplish had his leg been amputated.

I loved the introduction to next week's Come, Follow Me studies.  We are all blessed with so much potential and are asked to do so little in return.  I know I can do better.

What could have inspired Peter to leave the safety of his boat in the middle of the Sea of Galilee during a boisterous storm? What led him to believe that if Jesus could walk on water, he could too? We can’t know for certain, but perhaps Peter understood that the Son of God came not just to do wonderful things for the people but to empower people like Peter to do wonderful things too. Jesus’s invitation, after all, was “Come, follow me” (Luke 18:22). Peter had accepted this invitation once, and he was willing to accept it again, even if it meant facing his fears and doing something that seemed impossible. Perhaps the Lord will not ask us to step out of a boat in the middle of a storm or contribute our meager supply of bread when thousands need to eat, but He may ask us to accept directions even when we don’t fully understand them. Whatever His invitations to us may be, they may sometimes seem surprising or even frightening. But miracles can happen if we, like Peter, will set aside our fears, our doubts, and our limited understanding and follow Him in faith.

"God does not begin by asking us about our ability, but only our availability, and if we then prove our dependability, He will increase our capability (Neal A Maxwell)."