February 19th and 26th

Here is a "traditional" missionary food photo. It is my experience that all missionaries send such pictures home.

Hey Momm!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So, what happened this week? Nothing really big or exciting. We just saw the people we normally see, and taught, and went finding. We wanted to make a plan with one of our investigators to stop smoking. When he was first met by the Elders, he was smoking 75 cigarettes a day, and over the past year or so, he has cut down to about 30 cigarrettes, so he really wants to.

   So, some interesting knocking stories: 

 We knocked into this Quebecquoi man who was REALLY drunk. Like, he burst out into tears in the first 5 minutes of the conversation, and we didnt really talk, it was just him talking and talking, and I didnt understand a word of it, because he was so drunk. Then he got mad, then he started sobbing again, and I'm sitting here making plans of howw to run away, and making sure he has no weapons near him, etc. But it turns out ( as later explained to me by my companion) he was just really sad, and thought he was worthless. We testified to him that he was a son of God, and had value. He cried and hugged us, and then we left. [I keep this story in, because I have found that a lot of times I have made "snap judgements" when I don't understand what's really going on, and I really need to be better at not being so judgemental!]

 Later that day, we knocked on a door, and a man with long hair jumped at us, "Rawr!" With a big smile, then he looked very surprized, and ran back in the house, apologising as he went, to put a shirt on. All I saw was he didnt have a shirt on, which is normal in Quebec, but he said that he thought we were his "Blonde" which is the quebecquoi word for girlfriend, and he wanted to scare/surprise her, so..... We talked with him, and he was SUPER interested in our message. Like, prepared interested, but he said he doesnt want us to come back, because his blonde, with whom he lives, is athiest. AAARRGGGHH!!! he was so prepared,too! so we left him our # and a book of Mormon, and we hope he calls us back. 

   How many houses that we tracted smelled like pot? I can't remember. But, we had a super cool expirience with two guys. They were two students, one had dreadlocks, and the other was Quebecquoi. They both had tooks on, and dreads, so they looked like Jamacans, or serious Bob Marley fans. Oh, and the house REEKED of pot, and the posters they had up were of Pink Floyd, Bob Marley, Bruce Lee, they had a Bob marley doll, and a Guy Fox mask in the window, a Soviet union flag (there seems to be a lot of those here) and a Quebec flag with pot leaves instead of fleur de lys,  and drawings everywhere. I loved that apartment, aside from all the profanity, and pot, I would live there. The discussion was pretty interesting, and they seemed mildly interested, and were really friendly. One was studying videogames, and they told me there was a video game college up here! I'm sooooooo tempted!

  Anyways, really weird week!

  The reason I dont send KALDT anymore is because this computer cant download it in a sendable formatt, so I send pictures instead, because my comp has a card reader! I hope that is a good trade. :)
  Love you LOTS!!!!! 

I hope everything continues to go well for you!
I'm doing great, dont worry!

LOVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Calvin

We had a really tough week last week. It seemed like everything hit at once, and was relentless. We spent time on our knees pleading for a feeling of peace and comfort and the knowledge of how to deal with various situations. So Calvin's letter was extra nice this past week, and we did feel his love very much, which is good because this week was very difficult too.

Momm,

SO, I guess your week HAS been crazy! Wow, I`m just mad I wasnt there to help you all out through all this! So I will try to put as much love, brotherly protection, and support as I can in this letter. I want to tell Chantal, that I am sooooooooooooooo sorry that BYU snubbed you like that. I`m sorry, and they dont know what they are missing. Oh well, their loss! You will do amazing things, and be an amazing person, and they will miss out! I`m not even sure I will really ever go there, There are lots of places offering better than that. anyways, go where the Lord tells you, follow your heart, and everything will work out somehow. [I need to add here that Calvin was rejected by BYU when he applied too. We have taught our kids that they need to have a Plan B, Plan C, and even a Plan D! Calvin stayed here at home and was able to finish his Associate's Degree, and graduate from BCC two weeks before he left on his mission. So in a way it was a good thing he was rejected by BYU. Chantal has been accepted - so far - by 5 other colleges she has applied to, and we're still waiting to hear from 4 more. Yah, she has lots of other plans.]

Secondly, Miranda, I`m soooooooo sorry. No one deserves to be another's whipping post. 

Momm, just do your best. You cant please everyone, unfortunately, but what you can do is say `Sorry`and not let it get you down. I hope this is giving you support. 

Sophie, I love you! 

Its interesting, but one of the questions I asked myself this week was `How are we ALL going to  live in harmony in the Celestial Kingdom, if there are people you REALLY dont care for who get there too! I dont know how it will all work out, but somehow it will. 

So, I guess I'll give you a little rundown of what happened this week, [our investigator] fasted for help in his journey to quit smoking, and he reduced the number of ciggaretts he smokes again!!!!!!! That was a cool miracle. Then at District Study, we found out that transfers was 2 weeks earlier than we originally thought, and this transfer is going to be 3 weeks long. We were the only ones in the whole district taken by surprise by this. And at transfers, [my companion] got transfered to Montreal, and the Island. I am staying, and becoming the District leader for our District. 

We met and taught some interesting people this week as well, but nothing too insanely wierd. Then I met a family who is investigating!!!!! Soooooooooo awesome! I hope they accept the Gospel! I love them already! 

I love you all, and hope that things get better. I wish I was there to help you all out, but if you do need help, just write, and I will try to write back as soon as humanly possible. 

I love you all very much, and hope that you all know how much I miss you, and how much I love each of you!

LOVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Calvin