Zarahemla Week 3

La Banquise

Thank you so much to everyone for all the birthday wishes! They meant a lot to me.

The day after last P Day was my birthday, and although it was a regular day with lots of work to do, I still got to do a few special things! I decided to actually cook something for breakfast, so I made some German pancakes! The egg shells and off flavor made me miss my mom's cooking, but they were still good! We got to find someone on the metro which was cool, but she was French so we won't be teaching her. We also had dinner with a family in the ward, the Pina Family, which was super good. I didn't tell them it was my birthday though, I didn't want them to do anything crazy. My parents also figured out a way to deliver pizza! There was A TON and we have been using it for lunches almost every day which has been so amazing. All in all it was a pretty great day!

Birthday Pizza!

On Wednesday we had Zone Conference, which is when the whole zone gets together for a 8 hour meeting with the President, his wife, and a few other senior couples. It was so cool! It was focused mainly on developing Christ like attributes, and it was super inspiring. We also went to a leadership meeting, since my trainer is a district leader, and it was such a cool meeting! I got a TON of great insights on how to be a good leader that would be very applicable both on and off the mission. It was so cool! After Zone Conference Elder Colunga and I were so pumped to try out some of the things we learned, that after we got home, we went straight to the Metro to do about 2 hours of contacting, and we found 5 new investigators! It was so amazing, we saw so many miracles.

Zone Conference with my Zone

Thursday was the first day it finally started feeling like fall. The rest of the week was really hot and humid, upwards of 35 degrees Celsius (95 Fahrenheit), but on Thursday it abruptly dropped to about 10 degrees Celsius (50 Fahrenheit). It's starting to get chilly, and hopefully I'll get my winter stuff before the prices rise!

General Conference was such an amazing experience. I was not prepared for amount I would learn in only 10 hours of instruction spaced out in 2 days. I took so many notes, and learned more than I ever have. Being in the missionary mindset truly makes you sensitive and receptive to learning and to the Spirit. It was easily the best Conference I have ever had, and I hope you all got a lot out of it as well.

Le Poutine Reggae

I have to save the best for last. On Friday, I had my first Poutine on my mission. We went to a place called La Banquise, and they had so many different kinds. It was pretty expensive, so missionaries usually only do it once a transfer (period of 6 weeks). Elder Colunga said that I had to get a large size, which could feed a family of 4 for an entire meal. He also said I had to EAT IT ALL. The pictures don't do it justice; it was absolutely massive and weighed about 3 pounds of pure fat. I wasn't planning on finishing, but peer pressure is such a real thing. The one I had was classic Poutine, with TONS of ground beef, tomatoes, guacamole, and peppers. It was super good.

Last bite!

There are many distinct stages of finishing large amounts of poutine (as opposed to just eating it). Let me go over them briefly according to my experience. 1st: Excitement. You look at the pile of fries, cheese, and gravy, and it looks SO good, and you just can't wait to try it. 2nd: Enjoyment. You start eating and it really is good! 3rd: discomfort. You eat probably 3 or 4 bites, and feel a feeling deep in your stomach that just isn't quite right, but you still continue. 4th: Beginning to climb The Wall. You are about 6 bites in, and you start to feel a bit full, and you've only eaten 5% of the Poutine. 5th: The Poutine Sweats. These are so real. Right when you start climbing the wall, your forehead and pits begin to perspire. 6th: Disorientation. This actually happens. Your eyes can't focus. You feel dizzy. Your brain is overwhelmed by the stimuli in your mouth and stomach, that it shuts down your other important functions. 7th: Hot and Cold Flashes. You feel waves of heat and cold emanate from your body, alternating from hot to cold. 8th: Discouragement. You're about 20 bites in, and you should be almost done, right? But no. You're not only half way done (Note: All the previous stages of climbing The Wall continue and just build up upon each other as The Wall is climbed). 9th: Hope. After what seems like hours of shoveling down cement into your throat, you realize that you only have what looks like 5 bites left. You're almost done! 10th: Overcoming The Wall. ALL of the previous ailments go away at the sight of only a few bites left. You feel a little more room miraculously appear in your stomach. You can do this! 11th: Triumph. You finish that last bite, and although your body should refuse it, you accept it gladly and stand amazed at your wonderful accomplishment. You could do this all day! But then, about 15 minutes later, you begin the next stage. 12th: REGRET. This stage lasts for the rest of the day, and into the next. You can hardly stand. You can't breathe. The sight of any food makes you want to die. All you want to do is drop down and pray that the pain is taken away.

I actually can't believe I finished it!

Well, there's the summary of how my Poutine eating experience went. However, later that night, we had a dinner appointment with a family in the ward, and you CANNOT refuse food from Hispanics. So, amazingly, I managed to eat the massive plate of rice, chicken, and vegetables that they so lovingly prepared for us. Although (I hope) they couldn't tell, inside I was dying. I don't think I've ever indulged so many calories in a single day in my entire life. It was probably one of the hardest days of my entire mission (kidding of course). I exaggerate a little bit of course, but ONLY a little bit. It truly was an interesting day.

Anyway, it was such a good week. A little different from the rest of my mission so far, but it was really fun. I'm absolutely loving the opportunity I have to serve others, and I'm so happy to be here. Montréal is growing on my more and more, and I can't wait for the days to come. Love you all so very much, I hope you are all doing great!

Elder James