Christmas Fun! Cougars? Being a light in the darkness.

Merry Christmas to everyone!!!

So... while I have dreamt of a white Christmas for months... it was not to be. All of the snow from last Monday melted before Christmas Eve. On Christmas Day, there was not one snowflake to be found in the entire town. It was slightly depressing. However, two days after Christmas, we got about 6 inches of snow and the temperature plummeted to like -15 degrees Celsius. It's getting pretty cold now. I have this feeling like, "What did I get myself into...?" But I also am having a TON of fun driving in the snow. I have learned how to drift with the hand brake. No Mom, I promise I don't use it all the time. Just when we need to take a tight turn to get out of a parking space or something. And possibly a couple other times. :P

Christmas dinner here was something else. We ate with a Haitian family, the Jeremie's. Sister Jeremie told us like a week in advance she wanted us to come over for dinner and told us to free up our night for three hours. Then her daughter, Claire, walked up to me and said, "Trust me. You don't want to eat for three days before hand. Mom told me what she's going to make and you will explode." Well, we didn't believe her.

We should have.

We had turkey and ham and vegetables and rice and more rice and more vegetables and seafood lasagna and some sort of really good potato soup and like five other dishes I forgot. Every time Elder Gutierrez and I finished our plates and said we couldn't eat another bite... she brought out another three plates of a new dish. We thought we were going to die. Seriously. Then she gave us cake and ice cream and we REALLY thought we were going to die. We both had to sleep on our backs all night because if we tried to roll to either side we would have blown up. It was the worst. And also the best. Yay for Haitian food!!! :)

I suppose the funniest thing that happened this week would be that I was told by one of our members that, as 18 and 19 year old elders, we are "in danger of cougars." I was like, "What?" Here I am thinking there are real live cougars roaming the streets of Victoriaville.

No. That's not what he meant. And now I'm a little weirded out by that particular member.

Oh. And his wife also had a dream that she told us about. Apparently she dreamed that she was attending Elder Gutierrez' and I's double wedding. She told us she couldn't tell us what our wives looked like in the dream, then started laughing at our confused and slightly freaked out faces. We walked away. Marriage is a long long ways away. No need to worry about that.

Alright. Now that the weird stuff is out of the way.

I want to talk about Matthew 5:14-16. In these verses, the Lord compares those who follow Him to the "light of the world." He makes an important comparison between Christians and candles.

This particular analogy has been on my mind for a while. Why did He use the imagery of a candle? I would imagine it is because a candle, once lit, can be picked up and placed anywhere that the Master deems needs its light. The only thing we, as His candles, need to do is to keep our light of faith lit and keep sharing it with those around us.

As I've been thinking about being the Lord's "candles," I realized something very key. If the Master needs us to light up the world... isn't it natural that we would be placed in the darker corners of His worldwide household? What good would a bright candle be if placed next to ten others in a brilliantly lit room?

For all who believe and desire to follow Jesus the Christ, the call will come to stand as a light... in the darkness. Let us recognize the ability we have, as servants of our Redeemer, to fill the shadows of doubt and disbelief with our faith in Him, who is the Way, the Truth, and the Light.

I love the Savior. I love our Father in Heaven. And as this year rolls around, my New Year's Resolution is to show my love for them in every way that I can.

En avant!

Elder Bryan McOmber

SNOW!!! Ran over my comp's foot. Being truly Christian to everyone.

Well Merry Christmas everyone!

It. Is. Snowing.

FINALLY.

I am quite excited by this. And though I imagine I will be dreaming of anything BUT snow within the next few months, for now, I love it. So... I'm totally cool with the change of weather. Snow is my friend. Some of you may or may not know this, but my family has compared me to Olaf from Frozen. I happen to agree with the comparison... for once. :P

Hmmm. Something funny that happened this week... let me think... oh yeah! Probably that one time I ran over my companion's foot with the car.

So. Let me explain. We were trying to find our GPS which had mysteriously disappeared somewhere in the backseat area. (Yes Mom... we keep it very clean... sort of... okay not really. Sorry :P) I was sitting in the driver's seat, and Elder Gutierrez was standing in the open back door, leaning into the car and looking under the seats for the GPS. I was reading through some paper or progress record or something we were working on, and I heard him say, "Hey. Pull forward a little bit." And, as any other driver would do, I placed the car in drive and pulled forward a little bit.

Onto his foot.

Elder Gutierrez started YELLING, "GETOFFGETOFFGETOFFGETOFF BACKUPBACKUPBACKUPBACKUP."

How was I supposed to know he meant to pull my SEAT forward? I was just doing what I was asked! Being obedient and stuff! I suppose he didn't see it that way. :P Don't worry, nothing's broken or anything. He was just a little uncomfortable for the next hour or so. So... all's well that ends well, right? :)

Something has really impressed me this week as we've gone about trying to find new investigators to teach. We have a list of people who have received the missionaries in the past, but stopped for one reason or another, and when we don't have any lessons or meetings or anything, we go and visit those people to ask if they'd like to hear more. I've discovered there are basically three types of people here.

1. Those who hate us. They aren't as common... but they do exist, and they are very, very rude. We've been insulted, cussed at, flipped off, and a million other very un-Christlike things have been done to us. It can get discouraging when we meet people like that.

2. Those who are indifferent. They are the most common. They're usually slightly rude as well. They usually interrupt us before we can say anything more than, "We're the missionaries of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints," say, "I'm not interested, thank you," and shut the door before we can say another word.

3. Those who are kind. They are rare, but they are miracles. And that is whether or not they're interested in the gospel we share. These people invite us in, offer us water or something, talk to us for a while, ask us how we are, where we come from, how we're liking Quebec. I want to emphasize that many of these people aren't even interested in our message; and yet they are kind and considerate and truly Christian.

Do we do the same? Regardless of what religion we are a part of... do we recognize that we are all children of our Heavenly Father? We don't have to be interested in everything that every missionary (or even salesperson!) has to offer who comes to our door... but is there any rule that says we can't invite them in for a few minutes to have a glass of lemonade or a mug of hot chocolate?

I hope we can all recognize that it is our responsibility to be kind to those around us who are loved just as deeply, and were atoned for just as fully, by our Elder Brother and Savior, Jesus the Christ.

I love my Heavenly Father. I love His Son, Jesus Christ. I love being a missionary, and I know that the message I am sharing here, thousands of miles from home and family, is the truth. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't.

En avant! And Merry Christmas!

Elder Bryan McOmber

 

I hung up my Christmas lights! YAYYY FOR CHRISTMAS SPIRIT!

 

 

That would be me and Elder Gutierrez in the car. We had come to a full and complete stop when I took this picture. Right Elder? Right. Cool.

  

 

 LET IT SNOW LET IT SNOW LET IT SNOW

 

 

 This is our chapel. I love it dearly. :)

 

 

 I just love the snow. It is the best.

 

I'm dreaming of a white Christmas...PLEASE. Faith and Math. Missionaries and Cows (pictures)?

Hello all!

Well. Quick note to all of you.

Canada is not cold.

Not even joking. Seriously. It's mid December and there isn't one flake of snow on the ground. It's currently raining outside and it's only like 4 degrees Celsius. Everyone lied to me. Snow isn't even real; I think Santa made it up. Because he's real. Right? Cool. But honestly, it's a little depressing to be walking around getting closer to Christmas and not have ANY snow. I thought I'd be having a white Christmas... guess the joke's on me. XD

Funny moment from this week was actually last Monday when we got home from emails. Elder Gutierrez had a big headache and so he went to take a nap at around 4. As we have to be out working again at 6, he told me to wake him up at 5. So I wrote letters and listened to music for an hour, then opened the door and turned on the lights in the bedroom and said, "Aight Elder, it's 5:00."

Armageddon.

He let loose a growl that would have sent a full grown grizzly bear scurrying for cover. "Turn. Off. The. Light."

I didn't really know what to do. "Whoa. OK. I'll come back when you're.... different."

So I came back at 5:35, cause we really had to get going so we could be at our next appointment at 6. I opened the door (much quieter now) and turned on the light (with quite a bit more apprehension). He growled in a slightly less terrifying manner. 

I said, "Hey Elder, it's 5:35. We really gotta get going. You good?"

"Maslkdjfknaskdhf."

"I apologize; I speak French, not Inuit. But... we really do gotta go."

"FIVE THIRTY-FIVE."

"Um. Yes. It is 5:35. That means you gotta get up."

"JUST... FIVE THIRTY-FIVE."

"Huh?"

"ELDER. FIVE THIRTY-FIVE." He was gradually sounding angrier and angrier. I began to fear for my life.

"I'm confused. It IS 5:35. Come on, let's go!"

"FIVE THIRTY-FIVE." I was sure he was going to start throwing punches in a few seconds.

"So... what exactly would you like me to do here, Elder Gutierrez?"

"TURN. THE. LIGHT. OFF. NOW."

So, considering I would prefer to remain intact, I turned off the light. Ten minutes later, a very grumpy and tired looking Elder Gutierrez walked into the kitchen. He proceeded to apologize for whatever he had said, as he apparently wasn't in a perfectly clear frame of mind at the time. But, ca va. I thought it was pretty funny. I told him what he'd said and he had no clue what it meant either. It was interesting.

The idea of faith has been on my mind for the past week. A comparison came to my mind the other day that I would like to apply to the sometimes abstract idea of faith. I believe it correlates well with math.

When I came across a situation in my Calculus class that went against what I thought I knew was how things should work, it could get a little bit frustrating. I would continue getting answers that were not correct, even though I was sure I was inputting the formulas and variables correctly. When this occurred, did I simply give up and throw the calculator to the ground, proclaiming, "Since I don't understand this, math must not be real. Calculus is false."

Of course not. Because that would be silly. I continued to work at understanding, knowing that with time and effort, I would figure it out. And eventually, it all worked out and I found myself able to do well on the tests and quizzes that came my way. But first, I had to acknowledge that a) I didn't know everything, and b) my understanding of math could not decide whether or not Calculus was a valid concept.

This is how faith works. Sometimes I think we all run into these questions that seem to run against everything we think we know about our Heavenly Father and His plan for us. The answers we get don't seem to fit into the gospel formulas we think we understand. And in those cases, I have seen many declare that God must not exist, or that a particular true and valid doctrine, which has been testified to by prophets and apostles, must be false because their own understanding seems to clash with the new information they've received or learned.

There is a reason that one of the most important principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ is the ability to endure to the end. That concept INCLUDES enduring those crisis of faith and questions that come with our eternal learning curve. Faith is that motor that continues to push us forward when doubts and questions would have us stop and quit.

The counter argument arises, "Math is different. You can prove these theorems and formulas."

Well, is that not also true of God? There are miracles all around us; things that cannot be adequately explained UNLESS there is a God who lives and loves us and the principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ are as true and living today as they were when He established them in the first place! Ask any faithful Christian and they will be able to find miracle after miracle. The living proof surrounds us.

The answer to an equation cannot be found without putting the correct variables into the correct formula. In the equation of eternity, miracles and answers to questions cannot come before putting the variables of time, effort, and faith into the formula of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

So when the road seems long and the mountainous trials grow steeper, when questions arise and doubts threaten to overthrow the faith we have, let us remember that our loving Heavenly Father has established the method to find our answers. And with time, effort, and faith, the answers to the questions we have, and the miracles that provide proof of His existence and His loving kindness toward each one of His beloved children, will come. I know it. I've seen it in my life, time and time again.

We have a Heavenly Father who lives and loves us. We have a Savior, Jesus Christ, who does as well. We can know of these truths, as well as all others, through prayer with real intent and a humble heart.

I love the Lord. And I love serving Him here in the mission field.

En avant!

Elder Bryan McOmber

 

So... there were these cows that we drove by. And for no apparent reason, we decided to take pictures of them. Why? Because we're Elders. That's why.

 

 

When we got closer to the fence, all the cows started walking towards us. Probably because we were mooing at them in a very mature and dignified manner.

 

That would be me and my companion.

 

 

This cow is my favorite. So I took a selfie with it. It is now my friend forever.

 

Ghostbusters? Yes, we are still teenage boys ;P. The REAL Christmas. More pics.

Hi everyone!

So. First off.

Everything you've ever heard about the Canadian accent is true.

We have this member who we go to visit who lives about a half hour away. He only speaks English. And he seriously sounds EXACTLY like the hedgehog father from Over The Hedge. Not even joking. It's insane. I have perfected my Canadian accent because of him. It's hilarious and I love it. Here are some statements he uses often.

"No way, there, eh?"

"That's crazy, there!"

"Yeah I went on up to Yellowknife, there!"

"How you doin' there, eh?"

But it's also funny cause we teach with a French-English member who has REALLY good English but isn't perfect at it, and the English member we're teaching uses some big words that aren't exactly common. Like, the other day he threw out, "Yeah, that's an interesting juxtaposition, there!" The French-English member turned to us with an EXTREMELY confused look on his face and mouthed, "juxtaposition?" Elder Gutierrez and I almost exploded trying to hold back from laughing. It was great. Partly because neither of us remembered what that word meant either. We're both losing our English.

In the same lesson but on a completely unrelated note, the French-English member said at one point, "What are you going to do? Who are you going to call?" And Elder Gutierrez looked at me and mouthed, "Ghostbusters."

I lost it. It was the worst. Both members just looked at us while we tried to get ourselves back under control. I swear, we're not always like this. Normally we're very mature and controlled and dignified in lessons. But that night we were both just super weird. Any normal human being would not find these things funny. But sometimes we are so in need of humor that we will laugh at anything. It's sad, actually. :P

My companion asked me the other day, "Are you excited for Christmas?" And I thought about it. I really wasn't sure. I started thinking about Christmas a lot; how I'll be missing my family for the holidays and it'll be pretty tough not to be homesick. But after a little while, my thoughts shifted to the true meaning of Christmas. Maybe this is overstated, but I suppose that justifies its truthfulness.

Christmas is a time to renew our remembrance of He who never forgets us.

Two thousand years ago, the Son of God walked the Earth, healing the sick, raising the dead, lifting the broken, and teaching the humble. The recently published video by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, A Savior Is Born, has two main lines that stick out.

A Savior Is Born... Discover Why.

Why was He born? The simple answer is for us.

He was born for us.

He lived for us.

He set an example for us.

He bled for us.

He died for us.

And He rose again, a resurrected and immortal Being, for us.

He is our Savior. He is our Lord, our Redeemer, and our Friend. He spent His entire life in the service of others. Because He lives, we can live. He gave everything so we could have the chance to gain everything. And we are His whole world. He will never leave any of us alone, no matter how far we may be from Him. So during this season, let us set the bar higher for ourselves. Let us show by thought, word and deed that we remember Jesus The Christ, who never forgets us.

I KNOW that our Redeemer lives.

En avant.

Elder Bryan McOmber

 

No, Mom. You are not hallucinating. I am, in fact, doing the dishes. Of my own free will and choice. I know; I will make a good husband someday. ;)

 

 

 We eat well here. We made Tahitian chicken with rice and... chocolate chip cookies. A full, well balanced meal. :P