Hatley

This week was not very eventful. Just regular missionary work. I eat about twice as much as my companion does which was a bit of a shock for him.

Before a dinner appointment we scheduled some time to go Port-a-port (knocking) we got cursed at in french but thankfully I had no idea what he was saying. My companion just said thanks for you time and we left. No success on that though. 

This Saturday we went out to a section in my area that we almost never go to. North Hatley. It`s a beautiful area! I`ll have some pictures. 

Had a cool experience contacting! We were out contacting because an appointment fell through. We were out walking down a hill and my companion said that it was my turn to talk to the next person we come across. I saw someone walking up the hill and started thinking about what to say in french. Way before we got close enough to start talking to him he yelled out to us: `Hey! Are you the missionaries?!` I look at my companion in a confused manner then we both greeted him as he rushed up to talk to us. It turns out he was a former investigator that had to stop taking the lessons because he did not have anymore free time between school and two jobs. We don`t have any records on him for some reason but my companion had heard of him and new that he lived on the other side of the city. We still don`t know why he was on this side of the city but clearly it was meant to be! So cool how things work out like that! I know this is the Lord`s work! Loving it here! Hope everything is still going well!

A long lost letter from earlier in Erik's mission!

Due to the history of the Catholic church in Quebec most people have a strong dislike for any religion or they are die-hard Catholics. When some one is finally ready to let us teach them one of the main stumbling blocks is why they have to attend an organized religious event every week. We have three people that had a problem with this. Marin, an inactive, stopped going to church several years ago and it was just recently that she decided to let the missionaries come and teach her. Peter, another inactive, stopped coming to church in 2008 and started smoking and drinking again. He also, recently let the missionaries come and teach him. Valli, an investigator, has everything down but church attendance. In the last week they all have taken large steps to follow the commandments. Marin stopped drinking wine again (apparently Quebec is very similar to France in that they LOVE wine), Peter gave up alcohol/smoking, and Valli is praying,reading/studying everyday.  Thought they just did not see the need to go to church. Elder Ritz and I were trying to think what they were missing and what we needed to teach them. As we sat pondering I thought back to a challenge that my MTC teacher (Frere Davis) gave us during are first week. His challenge was simple and one that a lot have people have heard of. It was to go to church with a question in mind with the intent of finding an answer. Excitedly I told my companion that I thought we should teach all three of them about getting personal revelation through church attendance. He look at me and said that was exactly what he was thinking! After We taught that lecon we only had Peter committed to come to church and we were a little bummed out because we felt really strongly that they needed that lesson. We continued with daily contact and when Saturday came around there was no change. On the drive to church my Elder Ritz had the impression to call Marin and Valli. We called Marin and no one was there. We called Valli and no one was there but we left a message asking how he was doing and if he has thought/prayed about coming to church. When fast and testimony meeting was about to start and we turned around one last time  and we saw Marin in the back seats! She ended up baring her testimony and she said that has not felt this calm for a long time! After the meeting we found out that she decided to try "try out this revelation thing again" by coming to church and she she said that the only reason she did not answer are call was because she was driving to church! Both Peter and Marin said that they found answers to their question and they said that they can't wait to come back to church again! Later that day Valli left a message saying that he really wanted to come to church but he was out of town for school (He's in the last step for getting his masters in micro engineering) and after the Soeur's had a lesson with him they told us that he was actually really exited to come to church! If you haven't started doing this already I challenge you to go to church with a question and to write both the question and the answer down. I know you will get an answer as long as you do it with faith and hope! 

I have more to say but not enough time! It takes longer to type on these strange key boards! I know this is the Lords work! I hope everything is going well!

-Elder Sorensen

Spreading the word to Narnia

It was a very `low key`week here.. We went over the allotted miles we get each month last month so we have been doing a lot of walking. This has been great because it has lead to some amazing (Also some very strange) experiences street contacting.. It was a slow week this week. We had a lot of lessons canceled for various reasons which has lead to more walking and contacting. Some people here are surprisingly anti religious so trying to talk to people on the streets is almost nonexistent. It`s an area that really depends on member missionary work.  

The mission President is coming down to the ward for a special Fireside on `Pioneer missionary work`. He`s been really impressed with Sherbrooke so we have a long fireside planned. The set up is rather humorousness. Most of the times the firesides here are held like a regular church meeting in the same room. The ward mission leader wants to take the fireside as literal as possible. They want to have it `beside a fire` but they are not willing to go out side... So their making a fake fire and placing it in the middle of the gym at the church, placing tents all around and having hot dogs to give it a camping feel like what they imagine a literal fire side would be like. When I told them that I have had firesides beside a fire they were very surprised.  They were not willing to go out side for this `fireside though`. That was too much I suppose! The whole set up is rather funny to me but it will be a very serious and spiritual fireside. Pres. Patrick doesn't do things like this often and he is very good at teaching with the spirit. The zone training's are amazing so we know that this could be something special!

Walking from a lesson we went into a park to get a drink of water and along the way we saw a random light pole in the woods so naturally this picture followed. Going to Narnia!

Everything is fine! 

-Elder Sorensen

First transfer

1st transfer done! Woot, woot! Only many, many more to go. 

Also went through my first exchange. It was a two hour drive to get to the other Elders and everything that was planned for that day was canceled. We did get to do some service done sorting old food for the needy. We sorted peppers. I have never seen SO MANY PEPPERS in my life. Seriously I wish I would have taken a picture! We spend about 1 hour and a half sorting edible and none edible peppers and we did not finish. It was great service and I wish we had a similar place in Sherbrooke! After we had a DA with a great amis. The rest of the day was just port a port and contacting. It wasn't bad all in all though!

We had a great Zone training! President Patrick is great!  We have a weekly news later here called the Trumpet in which we get mission news, goals, reports, and other similar things. A letter in the Trumpet titled `The Vision to Baptize` came out = almost a year before I showed up. Elder Ritz showed it to me the week that I got here and we have been thinking about the `Vision to Baptiste` and how we felt that we needed to start applying it to are actions in Sherbrooke. Then last week in the Trumpet Pres Patrick said that we were going to talk about The Vision to Baptize in the next Zone Training! We were so exited! It was an amazing training! The spirit was very strong!

The next day I had terrible allergies. Following that day I was very sick. Thankfully it only lasted for a day but it was on the Fourth of July so that was lame.Not that they celebrate The 4th in Quebec but we planned on doing some intense barbecuing that day but it had to but canceled. Thought Saint-John the Baptist day was several weeks ago and Canada day was on the first so we did see some fireworks. Saint-John the Baptist day is basically Quebec's 4th of July. They had a ton of singing in the park near by on that day (they don`t know how to sing here. It`s all done through the nose...). They didn't really celebrate Canada day here thought. That`s Quebec for ya!!

I hope everything is going well! Keep to the faith!

-Love Elder Sorensen

Greenie!

Here are some pictures from Erik's time in the MTC.

The picture below is one that Erik took in Quebec shortly after he arrived. Apparently only moments after he took the photo he got caught in a wild rain storm! But he has assured me that getting the picture was worth getting soaked. :)