Things that have surprised us in Québec…
We have been here for just over a month, and we discovered many things that are different than what we are used to:
*Milk: the cost was higher than we expected at $5.65 per gallon however the real surprise was how they sell it…there are no milk jugs! They sell it by the gallon, divided into 3 smaller plastic bags. There are special milk pitchers you place one of the bags in, cut one corner off the milk bag, and pour directly from the bag. [On our first trip to Costco here, the checker accidentally ripped our milk open while scanning it, and milk went everywhere…the Webster’s said they’d never heard of that happening…what a welcome to Québec style milk]
*It is much cheaper to buy pre-made or boxed foods than the ingredients to make your own. (???)
*As we expected gas is sold by the liter (about ¼ gallon), what we didn’t expect was the price jumps. One morning it was 99.4 cents per liter, that afternoon it was 107.4 cents. That’s a difference of 32 cents a gallon! Just like the States, however, it goes down much slower.
*It is not uncommon to see cars and minivans with receiver hitches…towing things! Our favorites were the minivan with an 18-20 foot camp trailer, and the 2-door Explorer with a huge 4-horse trailer. There are very few full-sized SUVs and pick-ups. Our Suburban looks massive around here!
(Yes, we are aware that we will have a much longer list when we arrive in Congo!)
Ruth
Thank you for all your prayers for Ruth. PRAISE THE LORD!!! She is doing very well now, since we removed the chairs we think held her allergen. It could have been most anything: the glue they used, something the chairs had been cleaned with, something they had absorbed at some point, etc.
It was special to be able to share with her how God answered our prayers by provided for us to figure it out, and for His healing. Isn’t it a wonderful thing to have a God that cares about everything in our lives! This is the first time she has really been aware of God answering one of her prayers. She often says, “God made my spots go away.” Could this all have been so she will see her need for a Lord that can heal her soul, as well?
Address Apologies
The correct address is:
Sparky and Myndii Clancy
2215 rue des Tours
Québec City (QC) G1G 2B6
Canada
(You do need to write it just like this, even the “Canada” at the bottom.)
**THANK YOU for all the letters, cards, and packages so far!
Our Schedules
Thank you for all your prayers concerning our schedules:
Ruth (w/ Catherine)Monday 11:15 am – 4:45 pm; Tuesday, Wedednesday, and Friday 7:00 am – 12:30 pm
Martha & Titus (School) Monday - Friday 8:00 am – 3:30 pm
Martha and Titus walk home each day for lunch. Their break is from 11:20 am to 1:00 pm. Catherine watches them at lunches, before school, and/or after school if we are at our classes.
Sparky & Myndii (Classes at Laval) Monday 12:30 pm –3:20 pm Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday 8:30 am –11:20 pm
Sparky and Myndii: Monday: Pronunciation, Tuesday: Grammar, Wednesday: Oral, Friday: Writing. On Thursdays, we take turns volunteering at the kid’s school library; this gives us LOTS of practice as none of the other volunteers or kids at school know English.
Looking Ahead
Please remember that our updated calendar is on our website at www.theclancychronicles@blogspot.com just click on “Calendar” at the top of the page.
October
18th – 22nd Mid-term exam week at Laval
25th – 29th Semaine de Lecture (“Week of Reading”: a week off for Laval)
20th – Nov. 8th Catherine will be gone. We have not figured out
an alternative arrangement for the kids yet…
December - January
14th – Jan 10th Back in Idaho
9th Grace Baptist in Twin Falls, ID
Back in Idaho
We have purchased our plane tickets to return to Idaho on December 14th, and to return to Québec on January 10th. There are obvious reasons for the timing like the scheduled break from school(s) and being back for our last Christmas before Congo. However, there are many other reasons for this trip. We had such a short time-frame to get ready for coming here, we left many things undone. We need to finish the Congo pick-up, sort things and pack for our container going to Congo, get the “borrowed house” ready for other missionaries to use, etc. We also had previously scheduled to share at a church in January. This is a necessary but costly trip. Will you pray about helping with the expenses?
If you would like to schedule us to speak at your church while we’re in the area, please let us know. Also, if you are having any special holiday events during that time, we would love to take that opportunity to fellowship with you. Please feel free to contact us.
Serving Him together, (Philippians 2:1-2)
Time in Kinshasa