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"Québec isn't that different from the US, is it?"
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Well, the other night, we had our downstairs neighbor over to eat dinner with us. As she and I are finishing up meal preparations, I pulled the milk out of the fridge. (Side note: In Québec, milk comes in little bags. We've been pouring our milk from the bags into a cute little pitcher we found at the store.) As I'm pouring the milk into our bowl of mashed potatoes, we had the following conversation, in French:
Neighbor: "Have you ever used bagged milk before?"
Me: "No, not really, we've just been pouring the milk from the bags into this little pitcher."
Neighbor: "You know you're doing it wrong."
Me: "I'm doing it wrong? What do you mean, I'm doing milk wrong?"
Neighbor: "You aren't supposed to pour the milk into the pitcher. You're supposed to put the bag into the pitcher and the pitcher holds the bag upright. Then you snip off a corner of the bag, and pour the milk like that."
I laughed so hard, y'all. I didn't know there was a way to do milk "wrong" but we sure found it!
So yes, Québec is quite different.
Besides funny stories that highlight cultural differences, there is a spiritual darkness in Québec that we haven't experienced elsewhere. As we sit and drink coffee on our deck every morning, Allen and I are repeatedly struck by the amount of lostness here. We're praying God uses our time here for His glory and for much fruit!
You can learn more about the spiritual climate here in Québec by clicking here and accessing the Joshua Project website. Note that while most of the country considers itself Christian (Roman Catholic), only 0.8% of the population is Evangelical believers.
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A Behind-the-Scenes Glimpse at Our Life:
1. We've loved plugging into ministry here on campus! We host Saturday morning Bible studies and Wednesday morning prayer times in our apartment. We try to invite families or students to dinner once or twice a week just to hang out some and build relationship.
2. We're also serving in our local church. Melissa is helping out in the girls' Sunday School classroom, translating for the Anglophone students. And we're hoping to plug into helping with a young adult ministry at our church here, too.
3. Our kids have started learning French more intentionally through a program called "Whistefritz." They can each greet someone, introduce themselves, say goodbye, and more. We're so proud of our little learners!
More behind-the-scenes looks at life and ministry are available on our blog, which is updated several times a week!
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Ruth lost her third tooth this month! She loves when people come to our apartment and asks almost everyday who can come over next. Pray that her heart will continue to be open to others and that she'll turn to Christ for salvation.
Clara has been feeling a lot big emotions lately, but loves running to and from the garderie every day, doing math worksheets, and snuggling. Pray for peace in her heart and for her salvation.
Hudson is all boy and climbs on the furniture in our living room every time we turn around. He loves his sisters, waking up at 5:00am, and trains. Pray for his continued growth and development.
Allen and I are plugging along in French, building relationships, and drinking lots of coffee. It's a great season for our family and we're so thankful. Pray for our continued progress in French and for good rest.
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Thank you for praying for our family!
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