May 8-14, 2023

Happy Mother's Day!

We are beginning to experience the start of our "lasts."  Thursday was the last District Council before transfers next week.  Several of our missionaries have been in this area for some time and we suspect there may be changes this transfer.  Next week will be the last transfer of our mission.  Not that we get transferred, but sometimes it is difficult to love the young Elders and Sisters and then watch them move on without us!

Lasalle District Council May 11
Elder and Sister Kjar leave next Sunday

This is also our last spring in Quebec.  Our timing was all wrong - we should have come to enjoy the beautiful spring/summer/fall seasons twice rather than two nasty winters!  It is finally warming up and we see signs of spring everywhere.

Beautiful trees in Angrignon Park

Squirrels in the park


The window washers have been busy at our apartment complex.  They reach all the way to the sixth floor with this brush gadget, attached to a hose for the water.  It looks like back-breaking work.



It's not quite the glamour of Temple Square in Salt Lake City but the tulips at the Montréal Temple were beautiful on Wednesday evening.

Saturday morning we took a walk along the Châteauguay River.  It is nice to be walking outdoors again.  We parked at a soccer field, walked toward town, crossed the bridge and walked along the opposite side of the river, which we have never done.  We usually stay on one side, walk a while, turn around and return on the same route.  The river is quite high right now and we saw several large trees that have been uprooted during recent wind/rain storms.




We walked past City Hall and stopped at a roadside marker telling us more about the river.

Châteauguay l'hôtel de ville (City Hall)

The Châteauguay River starts in New York state.  It drains an area of 2,543 square kilometers and flows for 127 kilometers (78.91 miles), until it reaches the Saint Lawrence River.  In Quebec, it crosses the Saint Lawrence lowlands, where land use has changed dramatically over the last few decades.  Forests and wetlands have given way to agriculture and urbanization.  These changes have given rise to problems, one of which is riverbank erosion.

We found an abandoned railroad bridge with a wooden walkway attached to the side.  We crossed the river again and walked to our car.


It was a picturesque walk across the river

Sister Masiala, one of our recent temple prep participants, greeted me at church today with a bouquet of tulips for Mother's Day.  She was excited to tell me that they have an appointment next month to receive their patriarchal blessings.  After they receive their blessings, they will make plans to attend the temple.


The rose is the gift to mothers from the ward



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