stop, drop and roll.

Just wanted to give a quick update. Last week there was a small fire at St James drop in center; there was quite a bit of damage to the furniture and windows caused by the water to put out the fire. The center has since been closed and they are looking for a temporary location. Please pray that they'll be able to find another location quickly so that they can continue their work. For info on what is happening or how you can help check out their blog or you can send an email to info@stjamescentre.ca

I cannot get over what a beautiful spring it is here, cheers everyone.

Mario, and artist and member at St James. 

unlearning how to pray. (and other things i learned in the prayer room)

Last weekend I helped my friend from 24/7 Prayer Canada put together 48hrs of prayer for the city (like the one we did last year). The whole idea was to encourage folks from different church backgrounds to come together and seek God's heart for the city.

Because we didn't have as much help as we did last year, I ended up spending about 13hrs as the in-charge-person at the prayer room, both alone and with other people, over the weekend. However oddly enough, for someone trying to be so involved in promoting prayer for the city, I was really struggling with the idea of an event like this. Its hard to explain exactly why this is, I think I like the idea of prayer, it certainly has played an important role in my faith especially at specific times, but I think I was struggling with asking myself "what's the point of an event like this?" and even more specifically, "what's the point of prayer?"

I know what you're thinking... I mean I'm a missionary, I shouldn't question these things. But the questions "What kind of difference will these 48 hrs of prayer make? Is there really any point?" kept going through my head.

This made it kind of tough to promote the event with excitement. I kind of felt like a fraud encouraging people to come pray for the city while in the back of my head wondering if I really knew why I was going.  The night before my first long early morning shift in the prayer room, a friend asked me in a somewhat sarcastic manner, "So what do you expect to be different on Monday after you guys have prayed for 48hrs?" I responded by telling him that I didn't know what would be different in the city, but hopefully those who prayed for it will be changed.

There is was. Without even realizing it I had answered part of my question and frustration with prayer, especially in this context. Prayer changes us. But is that it? It seems like part of this mystery praying, but is it the only reason we pray?

Another part of the answer to my struggle came early Sunday morning. Not all of the prayer time slots were filled, so it was my job, as the in-charge-person, to pray until the next person arrived. So there I was, trying to pray for things that weren't really on my heart. Now, like many who grew up as Christians, I've always thought of prayer as one thing: me pouring my heart out to God, and then saying Amen. And no matter how many times I've been told that we should also pray by listening, meditation, contemplation, etc, I still end up finding myself following this specific "model" I learned as a child.

Anyways, that early morning I just couldn't do it; I couldn't force myself to "pray." So I just sat there and looked out the window as the city woke up, and I felt so much peace. I made myself sit still, and at that moment I experienced a much more real communion with God, without using words.

Everyday I receive a meditation from Richard Rohr from the Center for Action and Contemplation, the recent messages have been about wisdom. This is from one of his meditations a few days ago, "Enlightenment (referring to wisdom) is not about knowing as much as it is about unknowing; it is not so much learning as unlearning. It is more about entering a vast mystery than arriving at mental certitude... A too quick and easy answer is invariably a wrong one."

I think he is on to something. I believe once I think I know what prayer is, that is right when I probably don't really know at all. I realize now that part of my struggle has been wanting to know what prayer is supposed to be and really how to do it, but any "definitions" seemed insufficient. I think I'm realizing that prayer really happens somewhere between the learning and unlearning, between the knowing and unknowing. I think God is found between the seeking and the stillness. Maybe prayer is something we can describe but cannot define.

"Beauty resides where truth and goodness meet mystery..." I heard this said while listening to a podcast on beauty and art. What if this idea has something to do with prayer? What if in order to be real, to be beautiful, prayer shouldn't just contain truth and goodness, those things that are far more calculable, but also mystery, unknown, this thing that compels us but we cannot quite grasp?

During that time of stillness with God, he was reminding me that it is good to live with the mystery, to remember that in all the ways I know him, he is still unknown. And at that moment the Great unknown mystery was so very close to my heart.

Another beautiful moment came that same morning a few hours later when some friends from Echad came to the to pray together. We sat together on pillows and beanbags and each shared what was on our hearts, joys and struggles, and then together we talked with God about those things. It was in that time praying together with those people that I love, that i realized (again) that prayer also unites. It brings people together in a special, unique way.

So maybe at this point I still don't really know how to pray, but I think I'm just a little bit closer to the knowing, and also a little closer to the unknowing. Some things that are beautiful and important and necessary, aren't things that we can fully understand. But its good to live with the mystery.

finally back

About 6 months ago, while riding on a train from New York City to Montreal, I began writing. I was trying to as honestly as possible to begin reflecting and processing through the experiences I had had in the months prior: all that I had learned through the dts, and life outside of it; what I was beginning to understand about community; what I was beginning to understand about myself. My attitude at that moment was somewhere between joyful and confused... mostly confused though, it is harder to understand things while you are still in the middle of them.

A few weeks ago I was back on that same train riding through those beautiful mountains and I began writing again. Naturally my perspective was very different, although once again I was in a very reflective mood (gotta love the mountains, they inspire). It was lovely to spend those hours alone, soaking the view and good music, thinking, praying, wondering. Maybe its because it is fall (which happens to be one of my favorite things), but I'm pretty sure that train through those mountains is magic.

Maybe someday I'll be able to make sense enough of what I've written in all of these attempts to process life to share with the some of you. Maybe not, we'll see.

But at last here I am, back in the city and full of anticipation!
I realized why I have been terrible about updating this blog, usually I use photos to tell the story of what is happening with me, but due to quite a bit of trouble with my luggage, the camera I usually use (along with some of my darkroom equipment) hasn't quite made it yet (fortunately my cameras will be here any day now, however if anyone wishes to contribute to the safely-ship-Alyce's-darkroom-equipment-to-Quebec fund please feel free to do so with the donation button at the bottom of the page). So here is a brief update on whats happening with me:

I've started taking french classes, which takes up quite a bit of time, but I'm learning and reviewing much grammar and things that I've forgotten. I started helping out again at St. James drop in center for the homeless; I'm helping more in the art room now than before, which is really fun, and I've learned quite a bit from the guys who come there. I've been doing lots of different things for ywam; doing some work on the website, preparing for the a big ywam conference on the challenge of post-Christendom we are hosting this spring. We are also in the middle of a lot of transition (which is both exciting and frustrating, to say the least), so there have been many conversations about our vision, ideas and plans for the upcoming season, and how our presence in the city and the christian community should change or adjust, if we will have another dts, if we will do something completely different (feel free to email me for specific ways you can pray about this with us).

Thankyouthankyouthankyou to all of those who have encouraged and supported me. It means more than you know.

As I was writing this the mailman came to the door with the box containing my camera, running shoes, extra hard drive, and a few other things I've been missing. woohoo!

a quick trip.

Last week I went with my family to Montréal for a week. This visit had been planned for some time, it had been a while since we had all been together with Brendan and Caroline without any ministry happening, and originally this trip was supposed to be when I went up to Montréal to stay, before plans changed.

It was so lovely to be there in the summertime; everything is so very alive! You can imagine in a place that stays frozen for so much of the year, the months of warm weather will be lived fully.. unlike in the south where the heat is often unbearable. Almost everyday was spent outside enjoying the city and our time together as a family and with good friends.

It was a good respite from this odd in-between preparation time. I was sad to leave.

I want to thank you all for showing me support over the last week or so! Over the past few days a number of folks have decided to support me financially on this journey of ministry. I still need 17 individuals or families to commit to supporting me with $30 a month, please pray about joining me in this. You can give with the paypal donate button at the bottom of this blog, or for other ways email me at alycehardee@gmail.com

Downtown Montréal during the fashion and design festival

My ridiculously cool siblings

transition; reflections on a journey.

So much has happened in the month since I last posted anything on this blog. I left Montreal two weeks ago to come back to the Carolinas for a few months. My last few weeks of DTS in were spent processing and reflecting together and individually on our 8 month journey. It was a really good way to finish; there was just a sense, as we went through the last weeks, of the weight of all the Lord had done in each of our lives this year.

We were each required to do a presentation on our internships and sort of sum up what we've learned about ourselves through the process of this year. It was good for me to spend some time thinking through my art process (photography was part of my internship) and how I've grown. What has come to be so real for me in the past months through art making and life is that I see evidence of the Lord's work and presence everywhere. He is there with the things that are broken and hurting and he is found in beauty and joy. This brings me to a place of such wonder, joy and worship; a place where I wish to truly live and experience this life with God with abandon, allowing my photography to come out of that place.

I've also been reflecting a lot on what I've learned about the church and how my perspectives have changed. Its a bit strange being home, where, at least by comparison, Christianity is quite saturated into the culture. I realized at some point this past week, while thinking about the church in Quebec versus the church in Charlotte, that you almost cannot compare the two, they are just in completely different places.

That being said, the big question in Quebec is what should the church look like in a culture that is moving quickly into Post-Christendom, a culture which in recent history has walked away from the church, and barely recognizes the gospel? What's more, the few churches that are there, hardly reflect the culture of Quebec, rather they are like the evangelical, English-speaking missionaries' church culture of 40 years ago. It is a strange dichotomy. Its kind of like when you were a kid and you were given hand-me-down clothes from your cousins in Vermont; it was generous of them to give you their clothes, but they didn't always fit right, and the styles in Vermont are pretty different from what people wore back where you grew up. Sometimes you wanted to pick out your own clothes, but maybe their's were nicer than what you could afford, so you took them anyways. This is a bit like the church in Quebec, a reflection of the English speaking/American church model, complete with translated songs and books. What some Christian leaders and thinkers are realizing is that the American model is for the American people, and in Quebec it simply isn't working.

I have a lot more going on in my head on this subject, but thats as much as I'm going to write about it for now(stay tuned for more!). I love the Christians of Quebec, they have a profound love for Christ, and I've experienced such beautiful community among them. And now what I pray is for a missional, grassroots movement of the gospel coming from the French-speaking Quebecois heart.

My time at home has been very relaxing so far, I'm enjoying my time with family and friends. I am currently in the process of raising monthly financial support for my work up in Quebec. Please consider supporting me on this journey. You can donate through this blog using paypal or for other ways let me know and I can get you more information. Also please pray with me that God would prepare my heart and mind for my return to Montreal to live and serve among the people that I love so much. It is such a joy knowing that I will be returning soon.
                                                                                                             

Metro Parc 

Stairs at the Fraternité Monastique Des Frères De Jérusalem

a thousand steeples

A few weeks ago we went as a group to visit a handful of churches in the city. We spent a morning with each pastor and priest of the different churches, listening to them share a little about their congregations and their thoughts on what it means to be the church. I find the diversity of the church fascinating, and equally interesting to me is which of the traditions I am drawn to based on those short meetings.

One of the mornings, we visited the pastor of a nearby church that meets in an old theater. I had been to this theater before, and during the week when it is empty the building reminds me a of The Phantom of the Opera- kind of creepy and mysterious. Anyways, after a satisfactory meeting the pastor led us up through the theater to a little door at the very top which opened to the roof, and from there we went up a ladder to the very highest part of the roof.

If you can imagine a perfect (well almost, still slightly chilly) spring day, I was facing south and just ahead and to my right was Mount Royal, the tiny mountain situated in the middle of the city. A little further to my right was St Joseph's Oratory, its giant dome perched on the backside of the mount. Further ahead just before the water I saw downtown Montreal, with its modest skyscrapers... an old law makes it illegal to build buildings higher than the cross that rests on top of Mount Royal.

What was most incredible though were all of the churches that could be seen from the roof of this theater. Hundreds of beautiful churches, all telling a rich yet broken story; a story that left off with abuse, mistrust and rejection. The pastor mentioned that when Mark Twain visited Montreal he called it "the city of a thousand steeples." Yet so many of these churches are empty shells, testifying to the culture's speedy shift towards post-christianity.

The view was breathtaking. Montreal is lovely in the spring.

A few weeks ago I decided officially that I would commit another year to living in this city. After much prayer and thought I realized that it wouldn't make sense for my time here to be finished, I am still compelled by the story of this culture and a desire to see redemption in all spheres of influence.

My dts is quickly moving towards its end and I've been in the process of reflecting on all that I've lived and learned since I've been here. In about one month I'll be heading back to Charlotte for the summer to work and raise support so that I can return. Next spring I'll be on staff with YWAM doing a number of things: continuing my photography work, continuing my involvement with St James drop in center, assisting with an urban cultures night class, and taking over some administrative tasks.

I love that I can further invest here, and I am so thankful that I have the opportunity to return.

I wish I could show you a picture of the view of Montreal from the roof of that theater, but I didn't have my camera with me that day. Lesson learned.

a little update.

Quebec City

The Plains of Abraham, Quebec City
Reminds me of sand dunes 

In memory of my Pop pop
10.27.1927 to 2.5.2011
Silver Gelatin Print
I took this photo in October 2010, the last time I was with him before he died.

It has been a little while since I’ve updated everyone on Montreal and the ywam world. I’m going to attempt to be brief but a lot has happened in the past month and a half since I was home for Christmas.

It’s been a month since the 24/7 Prayer weekend. I worked with the head of 24/7 prayer Canada to organize 48 hrs of prayer for the city. It was fantastic! We had many churches from different regions of the city come together in Downtown Montreal right in between the Universities and the center of Montreal’s sex industry. What a powerful time… and a whole lot of work. I am honored to have been able to participate in this.

In January an incredible man named Paul Martinson came to spend the week with us, he was our speaker on ‘Knowing God’, which was actually an excuse to talk about whatever he wanted. The Lord used him to speak wisdom and truth to my DTS group, we have had some real trials as a group and he was really sensitive to what the Lord wanted to speak to us.

I’ve really loved my time at St. James drop in center. I am enjoying building friendships with a few of the folks that go there. I’m learning so much, these guys have faced some harsh realities, but they have built a beautiful and interesting community.

We had a great trip to Quebec City a few weeks ago. It was good to get away and spend some time growing as a group without the usual distractions. I really enjoyed the time we took to learn about Quebecois history and culture. We also went to Café Mosaic, a coffee shop started by a former pastor, who spent an evening with us sharing his vision. The whole purpose of the Café is to build loving friendships with those in the community, and because coffee shops tend to be places with lots of regular customers they have been able to establish many relationships. Volunteers and one paid manager run it, and all profits are sown into the community. Café Mosaic is one of the most interesting and fruitful examples of Christians loving their surrounding community that I’ve seen since I’ve been here learning about different ministries.

My brother and I drove down to New Jersey for my grandfather’s funeral last week. It was a very sad time, and harder than I thought it would be, but so good to be with family to remember him. I’m so glad I could be there.

It has been a very challenging few months for my group as a whole as well as for me personally. There have been a lot of changes and transitions and we have had a few weeks that were just emotionally exhausting. Thankfully the Lord is so gracious. It has been very humbling to find out just how broken I am and learning to trust the Lord to heal me and redeem broken relationships. But it hasn’t been easy, and the process has far from ended.


I'm looking forward to the visit of my family and a few others from Charlotte in a couple of weeks. It'll be fun to watch part of my Charlotte world and my Montreal world collide for a week!

Prayer for the city.

I had the privilege of being involved in organizing 48 hours of prayer for Montreal in a prayer room that was created downtown this past weekend. I was a really beautiful time of intercession and unity among believers. We were praying specifically for the downtown borough Ville Marie. I was asked to photograph specific key areas in Ville Marie that are somewhat representative of certain aspects and industries in the city so that we could pray over these places and the activities that take place at each of them.

The corner of St. Catherine and St. Laurent- praying for those caught in the sex industry

Place Des Arts- praying for the arts community

McGill University- praying for education

UQAM- praying for education

Concordia University- praying for education

Atwater parc- praying for the city's homeless

Place Ville Marie- praying for the business community

A man raising his hands in worship during the 48 hours of prayer for Montreal

Welcome, 2011.

One of the things I love about flying is that it forces me to sit still; it removes me from my normal world into an in-between where I can more easily reflect. Usually I don’t sleep the much night before flying, so I’m tired; too tired to read or make friends with other passengers, but not quite enough to fall asleep. So I get to let my mind wander.

Today’s airplane experience was no exception. I was up late last night spending time with good friends, packing, and talking with my little sisters. The soundtrack to my first flight was The Tallest Man on Earth, which is perfect for daydreaming. I was excited to see the Charlotte skyline from above just before settling in for the flight. 

I’ve been thinking through the past month or so and all that has happened and all that the Lord has done in my heart and mind. I am constantly amazed at how he works and his grace in my life. I am so thankful for the rich family heritage that I have been given, and the part that I play in my family’s story. I am thankful for the blessing and opportunity it has been for me to spend these months in Montreal. I am learning bit-by-bit more of the fullness and beauty of the body of Christ and what real fellowship looks like among broken people. I have seen Jesus work in some seemingly impossible situations to bring reconciliation. I am thankful to be able to enjoy such an incredible and unique culture. I am thankful for my many friends that are all over who continue to encourage and support me. How did I get so lucky to have such fantastic people around me? I am incredibly blessed to have them showing love and truth into my life.

This New Year is one of the first I have entered into with few expectations. It is an adventure following Jesus, and I am excited to see what we’ll do together in 2011.

Detroit Airport, 1/2/11

from the darkroom.

Here is a little sample of the 35mm work I've been doing in my darkroom. All photos were shot in Montreal. I love black and white. I love this city. 

Parc Jarry

Storefront, Parc-Extension

Metro Outremont

My neighborhood, Parc-Extension

Downtown Montreal

My Neighborhood, Parc-Extension

Metro Jean-Talon

Metro Jean-Talon/Metro Beaubien

Metro BerryUQAM

Metro BerryUQAM

Mont Royal

a quick update..

It has been busy month for me.. and I don’t think I would really be doing anyone justice to try to sum up everything, so I won’t.

A few weeks ago a man speaker named Jeff Pratt came and spent a week with us. All I knew about him was that he would be speaking to us about spiritual disciplines. I was excited, at last someone would clear things up for me in this broad and necessary subject. I had no idea that we would have very little actual discussion on spiritual disciplines. Jeff led us into many times of real self-examination and times alone with God to face the realities of our relationships with him, for good and for bad. For me it was kind of scary; I naturally have a difficult time opening myself up to the Lord fully, it is easier at times to keep him at an arms length than to truly become vulnerable. But what a beautiful and honest time it was. Spiritual disciplines are so much more about living than the theories I had always made them, and there is no formula, there cannot be. It has been so good to enter into communion with the Lord with no agenda other than enjoying his presence.

Much has continued to develop during my time here, one of which is my involvement with 24/7 prayer Canada. Plans are moving forward for a 48hour prayer event in the beginning of January, which I am really excited about!

I’m looking forward to heading home at Christmas for two weeks, and I’m looking forward to seeing lots of you then.

Lauren and baby exclamation!

 

 

A little bit of Toronto

Montreal is a Laboratory.

Right now I'm sitting by a window in La Grand Bibliotheque in downtown Montreal and have been reflecting on all that has happened over the past 6 weeks. First of all, I cannot believe its been 6 weeks already! Time has a way of tricking us, the more we fill it the faster it goes by. My time in Montreal certainly has been very very full, which is why blogging has fallen by the wayside, I've needed the time to process all that has happened before I could really write about it.

The only word I can think of to describe this DTS is holistic, it has been challenging and exciting and thought provoking in so many way; in areas such as personal spiritual growth, ministry in an urban context both theoretically and practically, community life, finding areas to get involved in the city. I've learned so much about the Christian network in Montreal, it is so small that everyone must work together. Every ministry is very connected with every other ministry in the city, I find this so unique, especially after living in places where there seems to be more division in the church than there is unity.

The past few weeks I've begun helping at St. James, a drop-in center for the homeless and destitute. Most of the folks who come are dealing with serious substance abuse problems and in most cases mental instability. St. James offers them the opportunity to spend their days off the streets, have a meal, take a nap, make art, and enter into a supportive community. The staff also helps them with handling their finances, and finding jobs and apartments. Mainly all that I do at St. James is build friendships with those who come and helping the staff with whatever they need. There is such a beautiful community among the men and women who come to the center, in spite of their circumstances they show so much love to each other. 

Last week we spent time with a (brilliant) man named Glen Smith, the head of Christian Direction. Together we went through what the bible has to say about cities, looking at God's heart for the city, and the call of believers in cities. Afterwards we took all that we learned in scripture and all that the Lord was speaking to us individually through scripture and each developed a 'theology for cities'. I was most moved by the Jeremiah 29, when God calls Israel who is shamed and in exile, to become intimately rooted in the city of Babylon and its structure (socially, economically, culturally), praying on behalf of the city, because "in its welfare, you will find your welfare" (Jer 29:7). He calls them to live as the people of God in this foreign place, seeking redemption and goodness for the city.

We also spoke with Glen about what this means practically for a city like Montreal. We met his daughter who has begun a project with some kids in poor neighborhoods, teaching them basic financial skills and budgeting. They recently gave this group of children $100 and have helped them start a business making chocolates to sell over the holidays. The kids decided themselves that whatever profits they make will be given to a charity. What an awesome and creative idea! Not only are they teaching kids how handle money and giving them practical experience, but most of these children come from broken families and live in difficult circumstances and Glen's daughter and the staff are believe in them and are showing them how to work hard and persevere.

I am so blessed to have been GIVEN everything I need for a darkroom, which I set up in my laundry room. I'm working on a handful of different photo project which are all really exciting.

Yesterday I had a meeting with a wonderful lady named Daria who is the director of 24/7Prayer in Canada. Daria is also involved with organizations that are working to bring awareness to the sex and human trafficking industry in Montreal. I learned that Montreal has one of the biggest human trafficking industries in North America, but what is crazy is that it is so well organized and hidden. We talked about what is happening in Montreal and how I (and Amy, another girl in ywam) can be involved. Right now Montreal doesn't have a prayer room, but we talked about what we could do to get momentum going in the city to start one. We will start working on the details of having a city-wide 48 hr prayer event with all the churches in an area in the middle of the major Universities as well as near where there is a lot of prostitution.

Please be praying for me and the DTS team. Pray for us as we are each finding our place to get involved in and serve the city. Pray that we will be open to what the Lord is speaking to us during our weeks of training. Pray for unity within our community, we have definitely been facing the challenges of living in close contact with people from other cultures and who came with different expectations. Pray that my French will continue to improve. Pray that the rest of my support will come in the next 1.5 months.

I'd like to thank everyone who has encouraged me over the past month and a half, you really have no idea how much it means to me.

2 weeks of DTS...

I'm sorry if this is an incoherent mess... It has been such an incredible experience being here for just a few weeks. There is so much that I could say but with only a short time to write I will have to be brief. The past weeks have been full of orientation and building relationships. I am here with a really great group of young people and am excited to share the next 8 months with them. Each of us is busy right now trying to meet the necessary people and find the right organizations for our internships and volunteer work in the city, both of which comprise the majority of our ministry. One really neat thing about this particular DTS is that we are given a lot of freedom to learn and explore ways to develop each of our gifts and learn what it means to use them in ministry. I have a met a few people and set up meetings for the upcoming weeks and am really excited about all the possibilities for me to get involved in the city.

Over the weekend I attended Street Level Quebec, a Christian conference on social justice in Quebec (which was all in French, I understood almost everything..). The conference itself was really great but I was really encouraged to meet a lot incredible people from different organizations and churches with hearts to simply serve the city. I find it really unique here just how closely linked all the Christian leaders are here.

I really love being here. Montreal is so alive and full of layers and texture. Yesterday, I went with a few friends from my DTS to hike to the top of Mount Royal (a large hill, right in the middle of the city), and at the base of the mount we were met by a huge crowd surrounding a large drum circle. Everything was clapping and dancing and just enjoying the music and the beautiful fall day. It was such a fun experience. After hanging around the drum circle for a while we hiked to the top of the mount where there was a breathtaking view of the entire city of Montreal. It was such a reminder to me of God’s faithfulness in my life, especially in bringing me here, something that I had been praying about for a few years. 

a beautiful beginning. DTS days 1.5

I arrived in Montreal monday evening after a a long drive and a few quick visits with my best friend, one of my dad's college friends, and my family in New Jersey. The immigration process wasn't nearly as terrifying as I had imagined it would be and thankfully I had no problems getting a "non-salaried religious workers visa." When we first pulled up to my brother's apartment, he ran out to meet us, gave me a big hug and said "welcome home." I spent the part of the week with my family, shopping, walking around the city, visiting a museum, and seeing friends. We threw my dad a surprise 50th birthday party (a month early...) with all our friends from up here, it was so wonderful, like a huge family reunion.

I moved into my apartment Thursday afternoon, and the DTS started Friday. We met at 8 am at the Jeunesse En Mission (YWAM) office at 8am to be given a task and to meet everyone. Our DTS has ten people from all over the world; 2 men from France, 2 men from Holland, 1 man from Brazil, 3 ladies from Canada (2 anglophones, 1 francophone), 1 lady from Switzerland, and me. The DTS staff gave each of a list of places and things around the city we needed to find and photograph, and a metro card. It seemed easy enough except they gave us no addresses and no map, and some of the places were pretty specific, for instance we had to photograph the 4th floor of one of the local libraries.

My partner was Jisca, a girl from Sherbrooke, a town about two hours from here. We managed to get find a handful of maps and metro maps and made a plan of the best way to find as many spots on the list. The first place we went to was pretty tricky, and we ended up wasting an hour and a half walking around aimlessly and waiting for a bus that never came. We decided after that to ask folks for help so we wouldn't waste so much time. We made it to about 7 spots before running into 3 other teams (who were chilling in the library). At that point we all decided that we were tired and wanted to take a break from the game so we all went to a little cafe and hung out until it was time to go to our rendezvous.

It was being forced to spend time figuring my way around the city, and even though it was just for a day I feel like I have a pretty good handle on the metro system. I've also enjoyed getting to know my group, everyone is from such different backgrounds and were all brought here by unique reasons circumstances. I've also spoken so much more french in just the past two days than I have in quite a while!

This morning (sat), one of the DTS staff members took a few of us to the Jean-Talon market, a HUGE farmers market with local produce, meats and cheeses, and pastry and bread shops. It was really fun! A few of us girls bought some produce for our apartment and did a little more exploring.

Thats all for now, things will really get rolling around here on Monday. Next week will be one of mostly orientation, and I believe we will begin studying Genesis together.

I really love this city.