I have now spent nearly 6 months in Montreal, Quebec and
have a sense that I really belong here and that this is where God wants me. I
feel that my presence is needed here at The Open Door to help with its daily
operations and, as a team, we are praying for more staff members to be added to
the team and that the hours of operation will be increased. I am looking
forward to experiencing and being a part of that transition. This process of
growth is new territory for me, both personally and in my work environment. Not
only am I experiencing a difference in ethnicity, language, but my job is also
much labor intensive than at Christ’s Body. With the help of Caleb, the
Director of The Open Door, I am learning and becoming proficient in my role as
Operations Coordinator. I am helping and guiding the volunteers and community
service and welfare program workers to build a team that operates the drop-in
center for our poor and homeless clients.
It certainly hasn’t been a bed of roses since arriving in
Montreal, but I have enjoyed the transition from living in Denver. Neighborhoods
are closer and more compact, with grocery and other stores all within walking
distance. I am realizing that there is a definite need to learn French, or
Quebecois as French Quebecers refer to their dialect. If this is where God
wants me and if I am to be employed here in the future, I will definitely have
to learn French, or suffer. Since we are on the subject of suffering, I have
struggled with some personal issues in the last few months that have affected
some of my personal relationships, but it is nothing that is too much for the
power of Christ to overcome. Getting to know myself better and who God created
me to be is a daily experience that I have enjoyed.
If you know me, then you know that I don’t have a hard time
making friends and I already feel like I am surrounded by great friends here in
Montreal. I would have to say that I have definitely been much more physically active
than in Denver, but I knew that coming here! I have been working hard to keep
losing weight, which has given me a boost in energy and endurance. I still have
some nagging injuries, but I am learning that much can be improved upon with
proper stretching and by changing my diet.
This is gluten free bread!
After surviving four months of winter, with extreme
temperatures that dropped close to -40*F, and still having to walk practically
everywhere, short sleeve weather finally starts at 55*F. Winter seemed to be
here forever, but once Spring arrived it only took two weeks for the trees to
bloom… it’s a remarkable transition from cold and grey to the leaves and
flowers blooming. Humidity is starting to rise as well and my body has not
quite acclimatized to that yet. I’m starting to get used to sweating again and
I actually enjoy it (I know I am burning something when I’m sweating), I just
need to find the right balance in activity to keep me from soaking my shirts. When
summer comes, I imagine I will be back to taking three showers a day just to
cool off.
For the past five months, I have been living in a neighborhood
of Montreal called Verdun, which is really close to the St. Lawrence River. This
past weekend, however, I moved to another neighborhood called Notre-Dame-de-Grace,
aka NDG for short. It’s farther away from the water, but in a trendy part of the
city. There is a lot more variety of shops, stores, restaurants, parks and
recreation close to where I will be living. And the best part of it all is that
it’s closer to where Sarah lives. It’ll also be an easier commute to The Open
Door. If the metro breaks down, which it does from time to time, I will have
more transportation options, including multiple bus routes, or the choice to
bike or walk.
