Ontario Conference President, Dr. Edwards, with Sis. Beswick
Preparing for any journey is always filled with excitement for the average traveller. I was happy to be a part of the Ontario Conference Senior’s Group and privileged to go on a once-in-a-lifetime journey to see the Once Upon A Time exhibition in Quebec City. This exhibition promises its visitors a foretaste of our new home “over there” and we were not disappointed.
Early on Monday morning, the 12th of September 2022, several of us travelled to Oshawa, the site of the offices of the Ontario Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. Despite the rain, we arrived there on time and were excited to greet friends from various Ontario churches – friends who were also booked for this unforgettable journey to Quebec City. Before leaving this compound, we had our devotion led by our coordinator, Sister Ruth, and as we journeyed, we sang some of the most beautiful hymns written for God’s people. These songs were enjoyed by all present, including our faithful bus driver. Our first stop was in Kingston at the Mandarin restaurant where we had lunch, compliments of the office of the president of the Ontario Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. After enjoying a delicious meal from a variety of dishes, we continued on our journey and, encouraged by our coordinators, we got acquainted with our seat partners by sharing with each other a brief history of ourselves.
On arriving in Quebec City at The Hotel Universale, we were ushered into the main dining room where we worshipped before heading to our rooms to enter Slumberland. As we’d come to expect, our coordinators were very helpful in issuing our keys and ensuring that we were able to locate our rooms.
Early on Tuesday morning, everyone was up and dressed in their green Walking Club T-shirts and blue caps displaying, in green letters, the words Seniors’ Walking Club. We had our breakfast in the main dining room, after which we boarded the bus to the Mosaic Cultural Park, which had everything that’s beautiful. This exhibition of nature in the park was one of the best I had seen, compelling me to reflect on what God’s original creation must have looked like. Large animals like elephants, giraffes, lions and tigers, were all placed in an environment befitting their lifestyles. The alligators were in a swamp-like terrain and the water buffaloes were similarly placed. Birds lent an air of reality by chirping and whistling as they flew around in the trees. The smaller animals were everywhere, looking as real as ever and we, the visitors, were very happy to see nature as it unfolded. However, the most picturesque of all the scenes in this garden park were the flowers of varying colours and shapes from different countries. The green grass all around, with the lofty trees casting their shadows on them, made the whole scene an unforgettable picture that is forever etched in our minds. In the evening hours of that same Tuesday, we were taken on a bus tour of the city of Quebec. While some of us remained on the bus, others ventured out, returning with a glow on their faces, which said it all – It was a very good experience!
Our trip had come to an end, so on the following morning, Wednesday, the 14th of September, after breakfast and worship we boarded our bus and headed home, ending a most memorable visit to one of North America’s most scenic cities, Quebec City.
Finally, I must say that all the coordinators – Ruth, Dean and Vernon, all did a fantastic job; however, our head coordinator must be mentioned because of the fantastic job she did on this trip. So, on behalf of the seniors of Ontario, I would very much like to thank Sarah for her enthusiasm and the help that she offered to all of us so willingly. Thank you again, merci beaucoup, gracias, and may God continue to bless you. Let’s continue to pray for each other, visit each other and help our brothers and sisters in our communities and elsewhere. On this journey, we experienced three things:
- We became better acquainted with our brothers and sisters from our sister churches.
- We formed a new fellowship with each other
- We were able to share our LOVE with our new relatives.