La Cathédrale Saint-Michel

Last week, we had the privilege of having a field trip day. As a class, we toured Saint Michael's Basilica and Cathedral. The cathedral is home to the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Sherbrooke. The Pope Pius IX created the diocese of Sherbrooke in the late 1800s making St. Michael's a cathedral. The building was completed in 1957 and in 1959 the cathedral was given the distinction of being named a basilica.

The church is filled with over 105 stained-glass windows, each crafted by master Parisian artist Raphaël Lardeur.

The building is filled with a variety of artwork, including paintings, sculptures, and mosaics.

The cathedral is laid out in the shape of a Latin cross, with the points to the east where Christ was born.

There is an organ located in the lost that has more than 2,000 pipes and 35 stops.

There is a crypt below the basement that was once the original chapel. The crypt is currently in use and you can purchase your spot for a mere 3,000$ (CAD), which is actually quite costly for a burial spot in Canada (this information is what we deciphered from our admittedly limited knowledge of French funeral vocabulary heard in a very echoey location).

We spent the day in awe of the beauty of this landmark. But I think the kids were not as impressed with their surroundings.

Polar Plunge

Our school likes to perform in a "Polar Plunge" every winter. It is something very popular with the Canadians (not just something a school does for fun). It is said to be very medicinal and will make your immune system stronger, what do you think?

A Halloween in Pictures

Knowing this Halloween might be our only opportunity for Adah to celebrate in a western fashion got me all excited! I found a cute, warm and cozy costume on sale! We took lots of before-hand pictures and got her all excited! Our little flower was ready to shine! So, we dressed up the munchkin and went to hang at a local church.

We met some of our language school missionary families and one of them has a son Oliver who is 6 weeks older than Adah! They like each other (much to Kevin's dismay)!

We played some games (in French)!

We made others smile!

Then we took our basket to go knock on one door! (Adah didn't need the candy but mama needed the pictures!)

"Cogner" means "to knock"! And you say "Halloween" instead of "trick-or-treat"! Also note, you say "Halloween" with a French accent (Owl-oh-win!)

YAY! Another day practicing French, enjoying the culture, and being a silly family!

Le Gros Pierre

Today was our first school field trip in literally 14 years. We visited a local apple orchard with the language school students from Parole de Vie Bethel!

What does that have to do with French language school? Parole de Vie Bethel asked all the families to get together to practice their French knowledge! We were not allowed to speak in English (exceptions were made for the more than occasional beginner slip-up and minor-crises). It was fun just being together as a huge group of missionary families! We come from all sorts of groups (Pioneers, SIMAIR-similar to MAF, Church of the Nazarene, MAF, etc.), but we are all here for one common goal - to learn French so we can spread God's word!         

These are just 3 of the families. Side note, the kids outnumbered the adults almost 3-to-1

There is a baby in there somewhere

After a brief buggy ride through the fields, Clement taught all of us how to pick the apples. He only spoke French to us and the children. Mariette (left) translated for the children. He told the kids they had to ask for permission from the apples to pick them. So they asked for permission and then greeted the apples! We found out these apples are named "McIntosh". The kids were giggling! He was so good with them (kids and apples alike).

Then, we all gathered enough apples to fill a 3 lbs bag. We were also instructed to pick one extra to eat. 

Baby even had her first lick of an apple! 

After the outing was "fin", we went home to enjoy the spoils! We made applesauce, apple chips, apple muffins, and just ate regular apples by themselves! Also, we found a "forbidden" treasure - raw milk cheese! It is "illegal" to purchase in the states, per FDA or USDA regulation (can't remember which).  The same goes with regular raw milk, but we have not found that for sale here. Kevin says the saltiness of the cheese goes really well with the crisp tartness of the apple.YUM!

What's your favorite apple recipe?