Between Sun and Snow

Flaming trees, frosty air, fabulous colors.

Mmm...Fall !

I must admit that despite having grown up in Minnesota, I have never in my life seen Fall colors as vibrant and beautiful as I have discovered here in Quebec. For a couple short weeks in autumn, the green trees burst into flames of yellow, orange and red before shedding their leaves for winter. It reminds me why I love Autumn, and how privileged we are to live in a part of the world that experiences the fullness of all four seasons !

This year we get to enjoy Autumn with Jude, who recently crossed the threshold from baby to little boy. He continues to grow and change, exploring the world around him, discovering his own emotions, and bringing incredible joy into our family ! He turns one year old already on the 31st of this month...where do the days go ?

A quick prayer update: for those of you who have prayed for Jude and the pretty intense skin problems he suffered from, THANK YOU ! Although we do see the occasional minor eczema breakout, in general his skin looks beautiful and no longer causes him any irritation ! We are praising God for this, and we are so thankful for those of you who interceded on his behalf.

Before we give an update on our ministry activities, we have an announcement to make. And no, we are not expecting another baby :-) As you may know, our two-year commitment here in Quebec ends this coming March (2019), and we have done some serious praying and thinking about what comes next. With God's direction, we have come to the decision that we will not be staying in Quebec but will move on to the United States where Elise will work as a nurse and David will take up studies to become a paramedic. That, along with an increased commitment to his work with RescueNet and his ongoing role as papa, will keep him hard at work ! I will be posting another blog article directly after this one explaining the decision-making process in more detail, so be sure to check that out if you are interested in the "why" and "how". This was not an easy decision, as we have made some incredible relationships here and our hearts are truly torn. We are so grateful, however, that both David and I are in agreement, as we understand that such consequential life decisions can be an area of conflict and stress in a marriage. Praise God for his goodness !

And now for a bullet-point ministry update.

• ALPHA: I (Elise) was thrilled to start leading an Alpha course (alpha.org) in the local women's prison last month. For those who aren't familiar with Alpha, it is a 15-week course that explores life's biggest questions and introduces non-Believers and new Believers to the Christian faith. We cover topics from "is there more to life than this?" to "how should I pray?", with time for fellowship and coffee and a short video on each topic followed by open discussion. What a privilege and joy for me to be part of God's work, visiting those in prison (Matthew 25:36) and bringing the love and good news of Jesus to those precious women ! It is a bilingual prison, and I am so thankful to have the opportunity to do some ministry in ENGLISH ! :-)

• TILT: Also in September, our team began a weekly program for pre-teens called Tilt. This program is a "rite of passage" course that includes teachings on practical skills (first aid, cooking, cleaning, basic car repair) and spiritual lessons (the influence of music, finding our value in Christ, what it means to be family, having a personal relationship with God). There are 10 participants, and David is one of the leaders, along with two of our team members. It's an interesting and incredible experience working with pre-teens who are in a stage of life where they are establishing their personal identities and beginning to think more like adults. We pray that they grow through this program, both spiritually and in their character and life skills.

• INDIA: It has already been a month since David returned from his trip to India to help those affected by the intense flooding in the South. He will be writing a brief summary of his time there and we will post it SOON (so sorry for the delay!!).

• TRIBU ENFLAMMEE: After a break for the summer, we restarted our family days ("Tribe on Fire") at the end of September, with nine families present for a day of fun, teaching, worship and learning together. The theme was Thankfulness, and we were reminded of the importance of keeping an attitude of gratitude as we go through our days. We all enjoyed spending the day outdoors in the woods, and we look forward to the next family day in November

• HOMEWORK HELP: This school year it is Elise's turn to participate in the after-school homework help program for Native American students. It is a refreshing challenge for her to explain grammar rules and math concepts in French, and she enjoys being able to serve this truly beautiful minority population that boasts of such rich history.

• PROVISION COMPASSION: Elise continues to work one day per week at the food bank, sorting and portioning food for distribution. We felt that she should keep this commitment until Christmastime, after which she will stop to have more time to prepare for our departure.

We have begun taking steps towards our departure in March (i.e., application process for David, figuring out how to cross the border with all our possessions, looking into daycare for Jude and work for Elise, etc.), but our goal is truly to be 100% present while we are still in Quebec, fully invested in the work that God has given us here ! We love this province, and we want to give our whole hearts to the people here before we leave.

As the physical seasons change, and as our family moves into a new season of life, we hold fast to the biblical truth that our God remains the same (Hebrews 13:8), constant in His character (James 1:17), faithful to Himself (2 Timothy 2:13), and true to His Word (Psalm 33:4). His promises are sure (Joshua 21:45), and He never leaves us nor forsakes us (Hebrews 13:5). Glory to God ! Thank you for your continued prayers for our family ! Here are our current prayer requests:

-Continued open doors to keep running the Alpha Course in the prison, including grace with the prison leadership and the technological aspects.

-Wisdom for David and our teammates as they instruct and positively influence the lives of the pre-teens participating in Tilt. -Wisdom and sharp organizational skills as we work out all the details of our move to the USA in March. -Grace as we pursue David's school applications...a complicated process for international students (transcript recognition, student visa, etc. etc.)

-Continued grace and wisdom as parents of an active little (almost) one-year-old boy !

We love and appreciate you all ! Blessings from the Therisod family.