Elder Jordan DiReda - Canada Montréal Mission: Week 12

First transfer in the mission is already over!! Wow time flies! We are staying in Rimouski for at least another transfer so that's good because I'm good friends now with the people we visit and I'm getting a lot better at understanding them.

This week was up and down. It started off really slow as far as appointments and lessons, but it picked up towards the end. We made some cookies, mom's recipe, and took them to some families we haven't seen for a while.

Mom's cookies made by Me

One of our visits turned into a dinner appointment with an Italian family which was awesome! I've been doing salad dressing all wrong. Olive oil and salt is the way to go. Anyways, I think you'll enjoy this story. So we took some cookies to Ruud and Dora and it was a bit chilly so I was wearing my dad's long, wool, dressy overcoat and Ruud let us in, looked at me and said, "That is a sharp look!!! Dang man you look like stuff's about to go down." (He didn't say stuff though. Use your imagination. Another word that begins with S). Haha it was hilarious!

Elder Shaw has been having me take the lead on the lessons and spiritual thoughts in order to help me work on my french and it has helped a lot. It's still choppy, but I can really feel the support and strength of the Spirit.

Recently, I shared about the Sons of Mosiah and Alma the Younger being the vilest of sinner's and then turning into powerhouse missionaries because of their conversion. It is a testimony to me of how our trials prepare us to help others who are going through the same challenges and difficulties.

I also shared Jacob 3:1-2 about how praying with all of the energy and effort we have will bless us as God helps us get through our afflictions and trials.

We had an amazing lesson with Mélanie on Friday!! Mélanie is the referral we received from the Sister Missionaries in Saint Jean and she's the one who wants to be baptized. We met with her along with our Branch President and she has 5 kids, 3 of whom are over the age of 8!!! She was raised Catholic, but has had some issues with its teachings, mainly the baptism of infants. She expressed concerns about that practice because, as she explained it, infants don't make the choice to be baptized. We taught her about the Restoration and she was attentive and focused and asked good questions. We helped her understand what we believe the gospel of Jesus Christ teaches about baptism and other topics and she's super excited.

She was going to come to church and bring her 5 kids, but she lives an hour and a half away and she looked at her budget and realized she couldn't afford it this week :(

She's still super excited and so are we so we'll see what happens!! Church was great especially since our investigator Kathleen came to our meetings.

Kathleen is the daughter of a less-active member and is 14 years old. Anyways, she loved church and especially loved class because it was interactive, open to comments, thoughts, and feelings as opposed to her current church where it's more of a lecture the entire time.

Afterwards we taught her about the gospel of Jesus Christ and she told us that prior to coming to church she wasn't sure if there even was a God, but now she has renewed faith that God lives. She's progressing so much, but I guess her parents talked with her and said they want her to wait until she's 18 to make the decision to be baptized. That's a huge step because initially her mom was completely against her being baptized at all.

I love reading the testimonies of Ammon and Alma. It truly opens my eyes and teaches me what my attitude should be. In Alma 28:9-10 it reads, "I know that which the Lord hath commanded me, and I glory in it. I do not glory of myself, but I glory in that which the Lord hath commanded me; yea, and this is my glory, that perhaps I may be an instrument in the hands of God to bring some soul to repentance; and this is my joy. And behold, when I see many of my brethren truly penitent, and coming to the Lord their God then is my soul filled with joy; then do I remember what the Lord has done for me, yea, even that he hath heard my prayer; yea, then do I remember his merciful arm which he extended towards me."

When I see the wonderful people we visit becoming stronger in their faith and making progress and when I read from home the strengthening testimonies of my family and friends, I am truly filled with joy and overwhelming peace. More importantly, I remember all the tender mercies the Lord has shown me and how He hears and answers my prayers. Oh how wonderful it is that we can all be instruments in the Lord's hand by following promptings of the Spirit and being Christlike.

I love you all!

Elder DiReda

Here are some more pics!!!