Cool Things

We got the first snowfall today, but it did not stay. We are ready for the next time, though, because we have just recently put snow tires on our car. We have not yet had to turn on the heat in our apartment, though. Two of the three things we have received in our mailbox, other than bills, were advertisements from the local funeral home. They must know that we are just dying to get some mail. :)

Because the New Brunswick Province is officially bilingual, everything everywhere is printed in both English and French. Most store clerks will wait to see how you respond to a greeting, to know which language they will speak with you. One elder from Quebec says that the Accadian French is very different from what he speaks. And, just like we have "Tex-Mex" in the southwestern U.S., some people here will speak in a mixture of French and English words.

We got to go to the Halifax temple on a ward temple trip. It is a small temple, but really beautiful. Just as in homes, everyone takes off their shoes and coats in the foyer when they come in. The temple presidency and workers are very friendly, and personally welcome everyone they can get to.

Last week, we took 5 days, and traveled up to Bathurst, New Brunswick, over the Appalachian mountains to Caribou, Maine, down to Houlton, Maine, over to Woodstock, New Brunswick, from there to Fredricton, New Brunswick, and home again to Moncton, New Brunswick. We met with lots of ward leadership, and seminary and institute teachers. At one point, as we drove on the highway, we passed a moose, trotting alongside, just to the right off the road. (Fortunately, he stayed in his own "lane", so we avoided any collisions.)

On Friday, we stopped in Maine for breakfast at a diner in a town called Mars Hill. A bunch of men, about 70-ish, were all sitting together in a booth there. As we passed them, one saw our black name tags and asked, "Are you here for the meeting of the Reverends?" It seems that all the town's church leaders regularly meet together for breakfast each Friday morning in that diner. We opted not to interrupt them this time.

The on-line seminary course is running pretty well, but still takes a lot of curriculum preparation.

We are getting to know lots of nice people here, both in the Church and out.