STILL SNOWING! Sight-Seeing in Quebec City...lots of pics! Leading is serving...especially when it's hard.

Hello my dearest loveliest friends and family! :)

Man. That was a long greeting. Sorry.

Anyways. Great week! And hey! Guess what! It snowed again this morning! In the smack middle of May! Quebec is insane! :P

Well, taking a look at life... hmmm. Well, we got the chance to go see Old Quebec this past Monday! That was super fun! I did learn a lesson though: if you're going to visit historic sites... don't take the sisters in your district with you, because they will take a picture of everything in sight. We had to stop about a million times so they could get the perfect shot of the river or the castle or the gate or the cobblestone or that dress in the shop window. Every time they made us stop, us elders just turned and looked at each other and grunted something about football. :P Don't get me wrong. Sister missionaries are the best. They're super fun and they work super hard. I just might hide their cameras next time we have a district activity is all. ;)

Funny story. So Elder Peery and I were getting ready to leave our apartment. I walked out into our living room and Elder Peery said, "Elder. I want you to look outside."

"Why?"

"Just... look outside."

"Okay..."

So I walked over to the door and looked out onto the balcony... and there was a squirrel. Sitting on the edge of the balcony. On the third floor. I have absolutely no idea how he got there... because there's like nothing for him to have climbed to get there. It was pretty cool. So Elder Peery threw out a bunch of almonds on the balcony, and our friend the squirrel just started eating them right up. I took some pictures of him and will send them later. When we got home later, he was gone, and so were all the almonds. So that was fun. A few days later, we found him (or one of his friends) chilling in the grass below our balcony. We haven't named him yet... we'll see if he comes back. :)

We had a call last night with our mission president in which he emphasized the importance of leadership. I've been thinking a lot about this topic lately and I've come to understand more fully something I didn't quite understand before.

Highly visible positions of responsibility are not the epitome of leadership. If we take the Savior as our Example (as we all should), taking a look at His leadership, we can learn much. The Jews believed that their great Messiah would come flying in as a great militant ruler, with trumpets and banners and swords, saving them from the Roman empire. They expected a Messiah to hold a highly visible calling, recognized by all who viewed Him as the great Savior of the people of Israel. In stark contrast, the greatest King this world has ever seen spent His time walking in their midst, a common citizen like them. Many of the very people He'd come to save were those who despised and rejected Him. During His most important moment, in those dark hours on the slopes of the Mount of Olives, when He was performing His greatest act of love and leadership, only three men were there to see it, and they slept. And yet He continued to give everything He had to His Father's purposes.

So should we.

“Father, where shall I work today?”

And my love flowed warm and free.

Then he pointed out a tiny spot

And said, “Tend that for me.”

I answered quickly, “Oh no, not that!

Why, no one would ever see,

No matter how well my work was done.

Not that little place for me.”

And the word he spoke, it was not stern;

“Art thou working for them or for me?

Nazareth was a little place,

And so was Galilee.”

-Meade MacGuire (quoted by President Thomas S. Monson in a talk, "Your Personal Influence")

En avant!

Elder Bryan McOmber

 

 Looking out over the river and a bit of Old Quebec.

 We have chosen a name. He shall be called SquirrelyMcSquirrelySquirrel.

 "Uh... so that's a long way down... I honestly have no idea how I'm gonna get down from here. HELP!"

 

A street in Old Quebec. Take note of the random French guy walking.

 

 Another street in Old Quebec. Even more French people.

 I am a French nautical captain. Can't you tell by my short legs and my clothing in popular primary colors?

 A giant mural. The Chateau Frontenac is back behind the trees.

 A very old French looking square. You can tell it's French because of the way it is.

 Another road in Old Quebec, with a view of the Chateau.

 This is the oldest street in North America. Or Canada. I don't know, the plaque was in French.

 The Chateau! It's a giant hotel! :)

 A view from the Chateau of Old Quebec and the Fleuve.

 Do ya'll see the cannons???? Sadly, they are not loaded. :(

 Apparently, Elder Peery and Elder Obering don't know how to smile.

 

At the bottom of the picture is the wall that surrounds the Citadel of Quebec. On the left is a statue of some French guy. I didn't get the chance to read his plaque. Stay tuned. :)