Week 32 - Cabane à Sucre

Salut à tous! 

How's springtime? I only ask because we are still having snow storms so I'm not too positive Québec even has spring. Anyways this week we had a great lesson with our investigators Sarah and Noémie. They both opened up more and we helped answer their questions using the Book of Mormon. For example, they asked why God allows bad things to happen in the world so we turned to 2 Nephi 2:11 and talked about opposition in all things as well as agency and how agency is a gift from God given to everyone, but the problem with agency is the consequences that follow certain actions. They also asked about how to find the motivation/strength to change their entire lifestyles around to live in accordance to the Gospel. With that question, we left them with Alma 32 to read.  We will talk with them about that next time.

On Saturday we were invited by Mark and his family (he was back in town from Texas for Easter) to go with them to their cousin's Cabane Sucre. This was my first cabane sucre and I had no idea what to expect. I had heard rumors that it's a giant potluck where you drench what you eat in syrup, as well as it being an event where you see how syrup is made from the maple water from the trees through all the processes. My experience was neither. Basically what happened was they gave us these small wooden spatulas and we stood behind this long trough-like structure made of wood that was filled with snow. 

Fresh maple syrup is then poured onto the snow in front of us and as it cools you wrap your wooden spatula in it and eat it like taffy. For a solid 10-15 minutes they would come around and pour more and more and let me tell you it was rich! So good though! That was only stage 1. Stage 2 was a plate of maple butter the size of my palm. SO MUCH SUGAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Inside the little store where you can buy maple products the air was thick with the smell of maple. I thought I was going to get a sugar high/diabetes just from being in there! Such a great experience though! 

How was everyone's Easter? We had an incredible talk and lesson on simplifying our discipleship (Elder Uchtdorf) and choosing liberty and Eternal Life (2 Nephi 1-2). We learned about simplifying our lives and focusing on basic truths as we move through more complicated times in our lives. What an incredible series of lessons for Easter as we reflected more on the Atonement and Resurrection of our Savior Jesus Christ. As we each spent time (introspection) considering things we need to change in our lives to be better and the mistakes we need forgiveness for I thought about how, at least for me in my life, the things I've struggled with have resulted from a lack of the simplifying. 

Busy days, late nights with homework and sports, left me in a condition where I never made time for scripture study and fervent prayer the way I should have. Without those two basic things in my daily life I became more stressed, less patient, more quickly angered, more selfish, judgmental and arrogant. Alma 37:6 "Now ye may suppose that this is foolishness in me; but behold I say unto you, that by small and simple means are great things brought to pass; and small means in many instances doth confound the wise." 

Even during my mission I've learned this lesson time and time again. Days are long, the work is at times hard and stressful, but we start everyday with a few hours of fervent dedicated study and prayer to start the day right. It brings the Spirit and puts you in a good mindset to go about the day in whatever lays before you. It brings a happiness and a feeling of love that is hard to lose. It puts the Savior and our Heavenly Father at the forefront of our minds where we constantly think of them and may say more silent prayers throughout our day. It teaches us things we may need that very day such as a message of charity, service, and kindness. 

By small and simple means, great things are brought to pass. Being in that mindset with the companionship of the Holy Ghost we are better able to be where the Lord needs us to lift another or to be an answer to a prayer. Never give up on the little things. They pave the way for miracles. 

I love you all and pray that you all had a safe and joyous Easter! I hope as we advance toward this General Conference weekend that we all do a bit of introspection and searching.  And I hope that as we listen to the words of our Prophet and his Apostles that we have open hearts and minds to find the things the Lord wants us to know. 

Stay safe, stay faithful!

Love,

Elder DiReda

Mark, Elder Perkes and I

Mark and his Family

Mark and I by the St. Lawrence 

Trough of snow and maple syrup

Don't even think about taking my
maple goodness

My wooden spoon

Elder Perkes loves maple syrup!!!
And so do I!!!!!!!

Maple butter - yum!!!

Week 31 - Easter

Well this week was chaotic to say the least. Since Elder Shaw was leaving after serving here for 9 months every one wanted us over for a last visit. On Monday we had dinner with the Puglisis and the Worners. The Puglisis made real Italian lasagna. It was so good! I'm not sure how they made it, but I know it involved eggs, ham, noodles, sauce and other ingredients that made it amazing!!! It was one of the best meals I've had since being out here! On 

Tuesday we visited Sœur Lafourtune, Chantale and Yvan and had one last English class. It was a lot of fun. It was cool to see the impact Elder Shaw had on the people we visited. It reassured me that we are making difference in people's lives and in the importance of the relationships we are establishing with these amazing children of God. 

On Wednesday we drove to Québec City and Elder Shaw got on his bus and left for Montréal. A few hours later my new companion Elder Perkes rolled in on another bus. Elder Perkes is from Logan, Utah, loves improv., doodling, and quoting movies/tv shows/comedians back and forth with me (similar to what my brother and I would do with the comedian John Pinette). 

While in Québec we went on splits with the Elders of St. Foy. Elder Noorda and I visited a member and shared with him the Easter video and gave him some pass along cards (if you haven't already I encourage you to watch it and share it). 

We also visited a member and had a discussion about General Conference. His name is Max and Max is amazing. He always has gospel questions that take us off on some tangents but we were able to help him answer his questions and we had a strong Spiritual lesson that ended with him committing to come to the institute to watch the Priesthood Session of General Conference. 

On Thursday we went to District Meeting!!! That doesn't seem like a big deal but when you spend 6 months hearing half of the meeting through the telephone it's a huge deal to be there in person! We talked about the Easter Initiative and how to best use the video and the cards. 

After District Meeting we went with the Ste. Foy Elders and got ice cream at Chocolat Favori. Now what they do is take a cone with vanilla ice cream and they dip it in hardening chocolate of your choice. Holy Cow it's incredible!!!!! Elder Perkes and I drove back to good 'ole Rimouski after that and I introduced him to Yvan, Ruud, Sœur Lafourtune, Michael (over the phone), André and Kathleen, and everyone else he met at church. 

I love this time of year and the power and Spirit that comes with the time of the Glorious Atonement of Jesus Christ and His Resurrection. The Spirit has been so strong as we've shared the video and talked of Christ with our members and our investigators. Why wouldn't it be? It's centralized on the single most important event in history. Through Jesus Christ and His Atonement we can find new life. We can be cleansed from our imperfections and start again. The Church has a 12 step program for addiction recovery and with each step there is a video and a story of someone's journey to recovery. One story that has really struck me powerfully is Step 6: Change of Heart: Become entirely ready to have God remove all your character weaknesses. With this step and video this man has gone through the steps but doesn't feel better. He was still pained by everything he went through. At one point he recounts reading back through all the steps to see what he missed and on step 6 he could't remember truly praying and asking Heavenly Father to remove his character defects so he decided to do it.

"I didn't know what I was expecting to happen so I just thought to myself, if He was here, in front of me right now what would I want Him to say? And I thought well I just want Him to take it and say thanks I got this. But instead at that moment I heard a question and it was, will you let me take this? I realized I had done all this work to be relieved of this misery and that question, will you let me take this completely changed the trajectory of my recovery in my life. I had a good friend tell me recently of an African proverb that says, If there is no demon within, the demon outside can do you no harm."

We are all on a road to recovery from a state of imperfection and pain to incomprehensible happiness and perfection and that road is entirely dependent on our acceptance and faith in our Savior Jesus Christ. We have to be willing to let Him take our pains, sorrows, trials, and sins from us. When we allow Christ to enter our lives and to take our burdens we feel a giant weight be taken off our backs and we find the light in the dark times. I testify that is true. I have experienced it in my own life and my life has been changed because of it. I testify that Jesus is the Christ and He is our Savior and Redeemer and He will heal us if we let him. Three of the most meaningful words, in my opinion, that someone can say to us is, "I love you". How much more powerful are those words when we feel Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ saying them to us. Answers to our prayers are all around us, we just have to know where to look. 

I love you all and hope you have great weeks and as always stay safe and stay faithful! 

Happy Easter!!!!!

Love,

Elder DiReda

Service with Elder Perkes

Chocolat Favori with the St. Foy Elders

No explanation necessary

Elder Shaw and I with Soeur Lafourtune

Week 30 - 5 Transfers Come and Gone

Bonjour à tous!

This week was the last week in the transfer so we received transfer calls! I will be staying in the boonies of Rimouski and my companion/trainer Elder Shaw will be going to Montréal to be a Zone Leader. So this week we will again return to Québec City. 

This week we were able to meet with our members quite a bit. We helped the Dupont's and Worner's put in their new washing machine and I, under the direction of Salomé (the Worner's 4 year old daughter) cut out a door and window in the washing machine's box to make a house. It turned out pretty good if I do say so myself ;). 

We met with our two investigators Sarah and Noémie this week and we had a good discussion on the commandments and how they aren't restrictions but rather a path to blessings. For example we talked about abstaining from alcohol and how to some people they see that as restricting them from partying and having fun with their friends, but in reality when we refrain from drinking we avoid the consequences that come from losing control of our judgement when we drink too much and we also have corresponding health benefits. 

It was a really good discussion and they asked really good questions. They are progressing and learning so much. It's so incredible how much they are doing on their own. We went to Québec City this week for Zone Training so we were gone from Thursday afternoon through Saturday afternoon. We had a lot of fun. In the training we were instructed on goal setting and on accountability. What struck me from this training was how the two go together. With goal setting the focus was on centering our goals on Christ and relying on revelation and inspiration when making the goals and in working towards them. For me the tie in was when, after a long day of working towards a particular goal, we pray at night and give an accounting to the Lord of our day and all that we did toward accomplishing our goal. 

We report on the things we did that worked well and the things that maybe didn't work so well. From there as each day goes by we work harder to maximize the things that work well and fix or eliminate the things that didn't work so well. Each day is an improvement. Thinking about it, it seems really basic, but for some reason it really struck me when they taught it at our Zone Training. For me it was a reminder to continuously try harder to be better each day. It's far too easy to get stuck in a rhythm and to become comfortable in a routine, but it's important to continuously look for things we can improve on and change. 

After the training we went and ate poutine with the Elders assigned to serve in St. Foy. It was really good. Interesting fact about poutine: when you are really hungry it is extremely good.  However, after it is digested it sits in your stomach like a rock and acts as a triple dose of tryptophan. After poutine, we changed and went mall contacting for a bit then we met a less-active member for dinner. 

We went back to his home and talked with him and his dad. I've been able to visit these two twice now since I've been on my mission and something I love is each time we are there before we can say or start any lesson the dad will always ask if we can have a spiritual picnic. When we have spiritual picnics we talk about a favorite scripture or an experience we've had. This time we talked on Moroni 10:3-5. We focused on three things in these verses: 1) It's up to each individual person to learn for themselves if the Book of Mormon is true 2) The Holy Ghost will answer our prayers to know if it's true if the person asking is sincere and 3) By the power of the Holy Ghost we will know the truthfulness of all things. 

What I love about the third point we talked about was the word choice. The truthfulness of all things. We won't necessarily understand all things, but by the power of the Holy Ghost we will know the truthfulness of all things. This is an important aspect of the scripture because each person will have questions or maybe a few doubts about aspects of the church here and there, but what this scripture teaches is that although we may not understand completely or totally agree, through the Holy Spirit we can know of its truthfulness. 

What an important process in the development of faith. To have something we struggle to understand and accept and then know of its truthfulness. Then comes the trial of faith as to whether or not we will act and live according to the principle even if we don't completely comprehend it. 

All in all it was a really good week with good lessons both taught and received. That's what I love about being a missionary. I learn just as much as I teach. 

I love you guys and hope you all have an amazing week! As always stay safe, stay faithful, and know that you are loved dearly by Our Father in Heaven. 

Love,

Elder DiReda

Salome getting ready to direct me
in the construction of her playhouse

I think she likes the window

The smiles say it all!!! I think she'll 
hire me again when she adds on.

Week 29 - Worner's, Court, and Ice

Bonjour à tous!

For starters this week the Worner's are back!!! It's been amazing to see them and spend time with them and hear about life in good 'ole Utah. It's so great to have them back! They are such a strength to us! 

Also, we went to court this week which was interesting. Back story: Last summer the two Elders that were here were knocking on doors trying to find potential investigators and they were outside talking to a guy when another guy came out of his apartment shouting and waving a knife and he proceeded to attack the guy they were talking with. Police showed up and the guy was arrested and that was that. Well the court case was this past week so one of the Elders who witnessed the attack had to come back to Rimouski to testify, since the other has since finished his mission and returned home. 

So this Elder, Elder Stothart, is on a 8 hour bus ride from his area of Cornwall to Rimouski when I get a call from the court saying that the guy pleaded guilty and there wouldn't be a need for Elder Stothart to come back. Unfortunately he was already on the bus so we were told that if we came by the court the next day with all the relevant court paperwork that Elder Stothart would be reimbursed. It was kind of confusing, but we went to the courthouse and the court reimbursed Elder Stothart and that was that.

The weather has been weird with a lot of freezing rain so the walkways are really icy. Elder Stothart and I managed to slip multiple times. We were walking to the courthouse and we were crossing at a crosswalk and just as we reached the sidewalk I lost my balance and almost fell. Immediately after that I hear a groaning and I turn around to see Elder Stothart on the ground flat on his back. On the way back from the courthouse it was a downhill walk... so I bet you can guess what happened. I slipped and since it was downhill gravity took over and it turned into basically an unintentional slide tackle into Elder Stothart. Gotta love ice.

In religious news, we had several good lessons with our members. They've been reading in the scriptures more and have been more involved since we started reading the Book of Mormon over with them which has been incredible. I hope one day I get to meet our member Michael. He works up north, a plane ride away, so he is unable to make it to church or even to Rimouski, but we call him multiple times a week, read in the Book of Mormon, and discuss different things that we liked and learned. What I love about Michael is that when we discuss different verses and chapters he doesn't focus on the well known scripture mastery. He talks about verses that sometimes I don't think twice about and we have a good five minute conversation on the different spiritual applications. He is such an example to me about ongoing conversion. He could quite easily just say I'm too busy and too far away I'll just read my scriptures when I have the chance, but instead he arranged a system many missionaries before me to have them call him and have lessons with him. 

In church we had a great Sunday School lesson about three different Liahona's we have in our personal lives. We have the Holy Ghost, Patriarchal Blessings, and our own consciences. All three guide us to make righteous decisions and be better people, but similarly to the Liahona Lehi's family had, it works better with faith. Faith to accept God's will over our own and faith to do whatever is asked of us. Faith is a principle of action and of power. I know for myself personally I still have a lot to work on when it comes to faith. I hope that we all improve and become better day by day continuing to be more faithful, more obedient, and more responsive to promptings we are given. As servants of our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ we should always be on their errand but to do so we have to be attentive to the still, small voice of the Holy Spirit. 

I love you all so much and miss you just the same! Have a great week and as always, stay safe, and stay faithful!! 

Love,

Elder DiReda

Week 28 - Hi Ho, Hi Ho, Its Off To Work We Go!!

This week was packed with service! On Tuesday we went to Sylvie and Vianney's around 8:00 a.m. to help them redo their wood floor. We started around 8:30 a.m. and ended around 9:00 p.m. In all fairness, that includes meal breaks and English class which is an hour and a half, but it was still a long day. It was hard work, but it was well worth it. I learned so much and they are an awesome family so I was happy to spend the day with them.

On Thursday, we made and delivered my mom's Oreo cookies for our investigator Noémie's birthday and then went back to Sylvie and Vianney's to paint their kitchen ceiling with a second coat of paint. We finished that fairly quickly and then went out to dinner with them.

Friday we had service at the Friperie (second-hand clothes shop) which was awesome because we haven't been in several weeks because we have been really busy so it was good to make it back and help them and talk with them.

This whole week we were battling colds so we were out of commission a few of the days with nasty headaches and coughs but we were still able to have some really good lessons with our members.

On Sunday, I was asked to give a talk on the parable of the Prodigal Son which I liked because there are so many perspectives to consider when looking at that parable. For my talk, I focused on two. The first perspective I considered was from the father's view -waiting, hoping, and praying for our "sons" or our families and friends who may have lost their way or haven't yet found their way.

I liked what Elder Brent Nielson of the Quorum of the Seventy said when he spoke about this parable. He said, "after all we can do, we love that person with all of our hearts and we watch, we pray, and we wait for the Lord's hand to be revealed."

A lot of the times we help our friends and families the best we can but it seems like it isn't making a difference. What Elder Nielson focused on in his talk was love. To love, to serve, and to wait for the Lord. Sometimes the only thing we may be able to do is to love them and to wait, but that alone can work wonders. As we think about and pray for these individuals I have found that we are given opportunities to be there for them. To offer advice, support, to be a friend, whatever it is we are there for them to show them we love them and care for them and to provide an opportunity for the Lord to soften their hearts and for them to feel His love.

The other perspective I talked about was the perspective of the prodigal son. We are all prodigal children of our Heavenly Father. We are all imperfect and we all make mistakes, but as we repent and continue to do our best we become closer to Him and we return to Him. I love how Elder Nielson described it, "The Savior's words in the parable as He describes the father greeting his prodigal son are powerful, and I believe they may be the description of the experience you and I will have with the Father when we return to our heavenly home. They teach us of a father who loves, waits, and watches. These are the words of the Savior: 'When he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him' (Luke 15:20)"

What an incredible experience that will be when we are reunited with our Heavenly Father. We must be in the world but not of the world. We must be examples of righteousness and continually improve ourselves and reach out to others. I pray that we may all have opportunities to be the answer to someone's prayer and to be a shining light to those around us. I love you all so much and I know this church is true and that our Savior Jesus Christ is merciful and is aware of everything we go through and He is there for us. I know that our Heavenly Father is waiting lovingly for us and is ready to welcome us back into His presence with open arms.

I love you all so much and I miss you just the same. Continue in righteousness, and as always, stay safe and stay faithful!

Love,

Elder DiReda 

Week 27 - Faith is a Principle of Action and of Power

Once again our investigators surpassed our expectations by a landslide. On Wednesday, we were having a lesson with them and we were talking about baptism and how it's different from the Catholic Church and before we could even ask if they would be baptized, Sarah looked at Noémie and said, "I'd be cool with getting baptized in the summer in the river, what about you?" To which Noémie responded, "Yeah if I come to know this is true why not?" We love these two so much! Not only are they progressing so much on their own but they have become really good friends of ours. They're amazing.

This week we went to Québec City for our monthly Zone Training which was amazing. Our Mission President talked about Faith and how it's the important first step for all of us, because faith leads to obedience, which leads to sacrifices, which results in keeping commitments, which results in real intent. Faith is a principle of action and of power. As missionaries we testify of the Savior and invite the Spirit into the lives of others to help them develop faith. Faith to pray with real intent to have the strength and the courage to follow the guidance of our Heavenly Father. Faith to bring about repentance and obedience. 

The more I've learned about faith the more I realize how much I struggle with it. I know our Heavenly Father lives and I know Jesus Christ is our Savior and Redeemer. I know this church is true without any doubt in my mind. The struggle I have and that I realize a lot of the people in Rimouski have is that it's hard to follow the promptings of the Spirit when it concerns something we are scared of or are uncomfortable with. 

I like how Elder Golden said it back in October when he visited. He said that discipleship isn't easy. If we understand faith and following the Spirit then we'd better buckle up because we are going for a ride. Heavenly Father knows who we can become and He has a way for us to get there. To reach our potential there are things we will and must struggle with that we have to work through and overcome. 

Through prayer we receive spiritual knowledge and are guided by the Holy Ghost. The things we are prompted to do may not be easy for us but that's where our faith is tested. To see if we trust God enough to know that anything He tells us to do is for our benefit and will leave us better than when we started. I'm still working on that part and I hope you all are too. As hard as it is I know Heavenly Father loves us and wants what is best for us. We will go through difficult times and face all sorts of temptations and trials, but I know that He will always prepare a way for us to accomplish the thing He asks of us. 1 Nephi 3:7. It probably wasn't easy for Nephi and his brothers to travel for a few weeks to return to Jerusalem, get the plates, and come back, but Nephi knew the Lord would provide so he went willingly and did what the Lord asked him to do. 

I hope I will reach that point in my life and hopefully while on my mission to be able to act immediately and swiftly to anything the Spirit prompts me to do, whether it be a house to knock on or a person to talk to. A lot of the time we, unknowingly, are the answer to another's prayer. We as members are constantly on the Lord's errand. As we increase ourselves spiritually through prayer, scripture study, and striving to be good people, we will be strengthened and we will have a greater trust in the Lord and greater courage to do anything He asks of us.

I love you all and am so grateful for your examples in my life. You have each been an answer to my prayers throughout my life and I am forever grateful for that. You are the greatest family and friends anyone could ask for. 

I pray for you all everyday to have the strength to continue in faith and to be able to overcome anything that comes your way. I pray that we all can become greater instruments for our Heavenly Father to use to advance His work. Stay strong, stay faithful! Know that I love you all!

Love,

Elder DiReda

Pics:

-MTC brothers, Elder Valencia et Elder Buck

-Elder Shaw and I with the Ste Foy Elders, Elder Noorda and Elder Morris

Week 26 - Joyeuse Saint Valentin!!!

Bonjour!

I hope you all had a great Valentine's Day and are having a great President's Day!! This week in Rimouski we went to the funeral for our member Chantale's mom. It was a really good service and at the end Elder Shaw and I, along with a few of our members, sang "Je suis enfant de Dieu" (I am a Child of God). We sang it for her mom in the hospital a few weeks ago and she asked Chantale to sing it for her everyday until she passed. There is such a powerful Spirit that is brought when that song is sung. 

This week were able to meet with our two new investigators Sarah and Noémie. We went back over the Plan of Salvation with them and answered their questions and we introduced the Book of Mormon to them. They are both bilingual and since we weren't sure which language they were more comfortable with, we gave them each an English and French Book of Mormon. It was kind of funny because they asked how long they could borrow the books and when we said they were theirs to keep for free the looks on their faces were priceless haha. 

They were so happy and when we read Moroni 10:3-5 with them the Spirit was strong and we talked about how Heavenly Father answers prayers. Elder Shaw compared it to the best cake in the world. We could tell them that it was the greatest cake in the world and they could see it, but until they tried it for themselves they wouldn't know for sure. Sarah said something I really liked. She said that it was cool to her that it was her own personal spiritual journey and that we were there as her guides to help her and to answer questions. I really liked that because 1) it was a really cool analogy and 2) it showed me that she really understands that it's up to her to find out for herself the truth of what we are telling her.  It also showed me that she understands the things she needs to do to make that happen. They are amazing. We love them so much and we are so happy they are progressing. 

Our friend Mark, who is really good friends with Sarah, told us that she has started reading through the pamphlets. Nothing is more music to our ears than to hear that our investigators are going above and beyond the commitments they have made with us. 

Although we are losing our building in a few months we are seeing blessings! Investigators are progressing exponentially, members are returning to church, and we have been receiving investigator referrals. We are truly being blessed. 

In church yesterday the lesson was on trials and why they are necessary for our growth on this earth. It was a lesson I needed and it strengthened me. It reminded me that trials help us with our conversion and that the main points of the Plan of Salvation are Agency, Adversity, and the Atonement.  I also realized how each is necessary for a different reason for our growth and development. That's not to say that trials won't be painful, hard, and wearing on us to a point where we may feel we can't continue, but it is to say that Heavenly Father is aware of us in everything we go through and that because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ He knows exactly how to comfort and strengthen us through everything we will go through. 

I love you all and I love our Heavenly Father and our Savior Jesus Christ. I know they live and they are right beside us helping us through this life. Again I love you all and I am praying for you all!! 

Stay safe, stay faithful!

Love,

Elder DiReda

Week 25 - Eternal Families

Bonjour mes amies et ma famille!

This week was a harder week emotionally. We met with two of our investigators for lunch this week and talked about the Plan of Salvation. It was awesome and they started reading the Book of Mormon on their own. We are meeting with them again next week. 

After our visit, one of them, Sarah, texted her friend Mark, our buddy and recent convert going to school in Texas. She asked him about baptism and how it worked and she told him she wants a temple wedding one day!! 

On Friday, our good week took a downward turn. We were getting ready for our upcoming church services when we received a call from our Branch President's wife. She told us that Chantale needed us at the hospital as soon as we could get there because the doctors told her and her family that her mom wouldn't make it through the day. We rushed over to the hospital where we saw Chantale, her husband and daughter and her siblings all fighting back tears. 

They had given her mom morphine for pain, but before she slipped out of consciousness for seemingly the last time, Elder Shaw and I were able to give her one last blessing. Chantale asked me to give the blessing and I had to fight back tears as I spoke. Being led by the Spirit I told her of our Heavenly Father's love for her and that He was with her and was aware of her pains and trials and that He would support her. I expressed her family's love for her and told her that Heavenly Father would watch over them. I couldn't help but cry as we stood in the hospital room with her family and witnessed their sorrow and pain. Over the past month she had become like a grandmother to us. We had visited with her numerous times, talked with her, laughed with her, and shared the gospel with her. 

John 11:33: "When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping which came with her, he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled"

John 11:35: "Jesus wept" 

Standing there in the hospital, I gained a stronger understanding of these scriptures. I know without a doubt that her family will be with her again. I know without a doubt that she is now free of pain and sorrow. However, seeing their sadness, worry, and pain caused me to cry as well.

I learned yesterday that one of my older sister's (Hayley's) best friends was killed in a car accident last week involving carjackers. A few summers ago I was able to become close to this friend and her brother as my sister invited me to go on hikes with them and to have night games and board game nights. As I read what happened in an email from my parents I found myself experiencing mixed feelings.  I was extremely sad for her family and at her senseless loss of life. But I also had a feeling of hatred in my heart toward the people who had done this terrible act. As I read the rest of the email from my parents, I learned that the parents of this young lady had forgiven these people and wanted others to do the same. 

They have heartache beyond anything I can ever imagine, but the strength and testimony to extend forgiveness to the people who had hit and killed their daughter. This act of forgiveness and the strength of their faith is beyond anything I can comprehend and more than I could ever hope to have in this life. 

I know that our Savior Jesus Christ lives. I know He loves us. I know that He took all of our pains and sorrows and sins upon Himself so we can live with Him and our families forever in a state of never ending happiness. I am thankful for the knowledge I have of the Plan of Salvation and the hope it gives me while on this earth. I hope I can share that knowledge with everyone I come in contact with because the peace and comfort it gives me is indescribable. 

I love you all and pray for your safety everyday. I hope you all press forward with faith to overcome the challenges that come your way. 

I love you all more than I can put into words. Stay safe, stay faithful!

Love,

Elder DiReda

Week 24 - Elder Shaw and I are Staying in Rimouski

Bonjour à tous!

J’espère que vous allez bien :). We got our transfer calls and Elder Shaw and I will be staying in Rimouski! 

This week we taught several really good lessons and had some pretty funny experiences. We got back to Rimouski from Québec on Wednesday morning and our Branch President called and invited us for dinner (they always feed us amazing dinners!!). So we went over ate dinner, talked, they gave us a referral which was incredible, and then we shared Matthew 26:30 and talked about why we sing hymns in church and why music is important. 

We then sang a berceuse for them, which is a lullaby, and we compared it to our Heavenly Father and how he answers our cries. When we finished singing our Branch President said, "Whoa Simon and Garfunkel" which made me laugh quite a bit. 

We met Mimi for lunch one last time before she leaves for school in Australia. Mimi is one of our friends we met through our buddy and recent convert Mark who is at the University of Texas. People ask every now and again what the hardest part of a mission is. I wholeheartedly agree with my companion that the hardest part of a mission is saying goodbye to amazing friends that you grow so close to on your mission and that you realize you may never see again. 

We returned to the hospital quite a bit this week because Chantale's mom was re-admitted due to inflammation and infection in 88% of her heart. We visited her quite a bit, read to her from the Book of Mormon, gave her a blessing, and just talked with her. 

After our second to last visit with them last week Chantale called us and said that a nurse and her mom's roommate in the hospital were interested in learning more about the Church. Truly a testimony that you never know who or when people will be interested in learning about the gospel. 

We went back last night to visit and the roommate was hilarious. She's a super nice 92 year old woman with light purple hair. When she saw us she kept saying that we looked like angels and had a light about us and that we had a goodness that was within us. She was hard of hearing and we weren't sure how all there she was, but she asked for a blessing of comfort, because she heard us give one to our member's mom the other night and the member had explained to her what it was, so we gave this sweet lady a blessing. 

Before we left I held her hand and said goodbye and she said she wasn't sure who we were or what exactly we were doing but she was going to pray for us and ask the Lord to keep us safe so that we can continue on the good path. She knew we were working for the Lord and she was so grateful for us. She was a wonderful lady. She said multiple times while we were there and as we were leaving, "Vous êtes des beaux garcons, vous avez un visage d'un ange. Merci, merci." (You are fine boys, you have a face of an angel . Thanks thanks.) 

I felt the Spirit strongly while we were there talking with her. It's incredible when you meet people feel the spirit and who without knowing anything about you can tell there is something different about us as members of the Church. 

I love you all! Have a great week. Stay safe, stay faithful!

Love,

Elder DiReda

Week 23 - Zone Training in Quebec

Sorry I'm late to email! On Monday we had to go to Québec for Zone Training on Tuesday and we didn't have a lot of time to email because of other stuff we had to do, i.e. food shopping, laundry, packing, all that fun stuff. 

This past week we had a missionary-wide broadcast training for the first time in over a decade I believe.  It was really cool! One of the biggest things I took from the training was that I need to have Christ's name always on my lips. With our members we have been focusing lessons on increasing our faith and obedience and repentance. However, Elder Anderson said that we need to always have His (Christ's) name on our lips.  I realized that in my recent testimonies that I have shared I hadn't said a word about Christ. My testimony focused on the blessings of faith and how I've seen it help me through difficult times, on how obedience brings blessings, and on the importance of daily scripture study and prayer. But I forgot the center point of our message and our gospel - Christ. 

After the training, I changed. In all the lessons I bore testimony not only about what we had just learned from the Holy Ghost, but also bore testimony of the Merciful Atonement of Jesus Christ and how He is our Savior and Redeemer. Although they were short testimonies and I struggled with my French grammar, I felt the Spirit so strongly as a confirmation that no matter who we are teaching and no matter what we are teaching, it is always necessary to testify of our Savior Jesus Christ. 

This week we helped the Dupont's repaint their kitchen and after we finished we went on a snowshoeing hike with them on their property which encompasses many many acres. We had a bonfire and hot chocolate. It was so nice to make a bonfire again! 

Church this week was really good. We a member from the Stake come and speak along with his wife. They gave amazing talks on forgiveness and letting go of grudges and loving everyone as much as we can. During the lesson a member went out in the hall and came back and said we were needed in the entryway of the local (our branch). We went out there and met what I can best describe as a nomadic hippie. Haha 

He was a really nice guy who just needed a drink, a place to rest for a bit and get warm. We talked to him a bit and he told us his story about how he travels and he loves being free to do what he wants and how he was trying to get to Gaspé which is the tip of the Gaspésie Peninsula 5 hours from us. He told us that he would've made it there but he met a woman and got together with her and spent all the money he had trying to help her. She was a bit mentally unstable so he left because it wasn't safe for him with her. It was funny though because he was talking to us and he said something like, "I know I gotta think about me sometimes and take care of myself, but I'm a man and I'm weak in the flesh. When I see a beautiful woman it's just uhhh (grunting noise) you know?" He was hilarious. He went on his way and during Branch Council the member of the Stake told us we would be losing our local (branch) in a few months because we don't have enough priesthood holders and tithe payers to qualify for the building we currently use. That was sad for us to hear, but it'll only make us work harder. 

We had an amazing Zone conference on Tuesday. We did a lot of role playing which was great for me because I am still struggling with talking to people in French. We worked on extending commitments, discerning needs of the people, and teaching repentance. After Zone Conference I went on a split with Elder Noorda who's serving in Ste. Foy and we were the walking team which was great because it's been a while since I've walked since we have a car. The downside was it was a freezing rain outside so although I was plenty warm my head was drenched haha. 

When we got back I looked like I had just showered. Oh, I FINALLY GOT MAIL!!! Letters/packages I've been waiting anxiously for since Christmas!!! "It's like I don't even care what happens the rest of the day!" 

Love you all!! Stay safe, stay faithful! Have a great week!!

Love,

Elder DiReda

Week 22 - Walk on Water

This week was slower for Elder Shaw and I because we both were battling colds all week. 'Tis the season I suppose. We've started reading the Book of Mormon over again with all of our members. We are taking it chapter by chapter leaving them with commitments to read and pray. It's been amazing. In the past, commitments were forgotten or they simply weren't a priority, but since we've been reading the Book of Mormon over from the beginning our members have done so much better.  They remember to make the time to read. There is real power that comes through diligent prayer and study of the Book of Mormon! 

Our member Chantale's mother is still in the hospital and they called us to come and give her a priesthood blessing. I had a feeling she was going to ask me to give the blessing so the whole time we were talking with her and Chantale, I'm fighting off nerves, trying to stay calm, and praying for help. I've been struggling a lot with understanding and speaking the language the way I would like. I'm okay with the language when it comes to prayers and lessons because I pray and teach so frequently that I am able to quickly learn and fix my mistakes. 

When it comes to blessings, however, I find myself overwhelmed with fear. Fear that the person seeking the blessing needs to be blessed with something I don't know how to say. Fear that I'll be so focused on how to say things that I won't follow the Spirit completely. Fear of inadequacy. 

Well I was right and she asked for me to give her the blessing. I honestly was shaking a bit and had to take 2-3 minutes before giving the blessing to calm down and to memorize the words to start the blessing. From there the Lord took over. I was able to give the blessing completely in French and although I can't remember a lot of what I said, I felt the Spirit and the love of our Father in Heaven so strongly and all my fear fell away. D&C 84:85, "Neither take ye thought beforehand what ye shall say; but treasure up in your minds continually the words of life, and it shall be given you in the very hour that portion that shall be meted unto every man." 

Church this week was really powerful. In the lesson we learned about peace. How we obtain peace, how we feel peace, and where we find peace. What hit me about this lesson was the picture at the beginning of the chapter where we see Christ pulling Peter out of the water when he had begun to sink and and was overcome with the fear of drowning. Jesus Christ is the source of all peace. When we come across times when the sea is tossed with waves, the wind is boisterous, our faith is questioned, and we feel ourselves drowning, we must strive to walk towards Christ while the sea around us swells.  As we do so, Christ will save us. "And immediately Jesus stretched forth his  hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?" Christ will always save us. We need not ever doubt if we are following Christ and walking towards Him. "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.



May we have the faith to walk on water, to perform miracles, and to change lives. I love you all! Have a great week! Stay strong, stay faithful!

Love,

Elder DiReda