It's been a good, sort of slow past two weeks. Everyone goes on vacation at this time of year, but we've still found people to teach. I tried to think of some out of the ordinary things I did the past two weeks that I really enjoyed...I helped paint a fence...We drove up to Sorel...We've been doing genealogy...probably some other stuff. I'll write a little bit about those things :)
We helped our Ward Mission Leader paint someone's fence this past Saturday. Didn't know that's what we would be doing; it took about 6 hours. Still, it was fun because I like painting and it made me think of Tom Sawyer. But even more than that, it would have been a really big job for our WML if he did it alone, and for the person whose fence it was! He kept thanking us throughout the job saying how it would have taken a forever if we hadn't helped him. That made it worth it! Service is great
Our drive up to the nether regions of our area was fun because we take a road along the Richelieu River which is really pretty -- lots of green trees and fields. Also, Sorel is a cool town, it has the vibe of a coastal town. And the Saint-Laurent is cool too. But even better than the drive and the scenery, was visiting with the members that live up there. They make lots of sacrifices to attend church about 60km away. Would I go to church every Sunday if I had to drive an hour both ways? As a missionary, we are to strengthen the church. And visiting the members in their homes is a great way to do that!
It's been fun to be able to do some genealogy work, especially to study my Québec ancestors. Have not found anyone with the name Cabana yet :( We have an investigator who lives along the Richelieu, same direction as Sorel. We pass through St-Marc-sur-Richelieu, where my 5th great grandfather Jean Baptiste Cabana was born in 1829. I like imagining what it was like for him back them in the same area I'm in now. Even better than that, is thinking about all my ancestors and the sacrifices they made and lives they lived that led to me! Even better than that, is thinking about the blessings of temples, and how even though these ancestors can receive the blessings of the gospels through the ordinances we can perform there. And even better than that, is the chance we have to help other people who haven't done any genealogy start theirs, and realize the blessings of temples and eternal families.
Every missionary activity is (or should be!) to the ends of helping people come unto Christ and receive the fullness of His Gospel in their lives. I'm grateful for the chance I have to do this every day, and the people I'm able to help. Missionary work is great! Have an awesome week!
Elder Rosenlof
