Learning from One Another
Eight Americans; six Canadians; twenty-seven French men, women, and children; and one Canadian tour guide left Boucherville last Saturday morning for a four-day tour of Quebec called “On the Traces of Pierre Boucher.” Ray and I were among them. Our purpose was to visit and learn about various places in Quebec, but especially where Pierre Boucher and his family lived and had influence.
On the first day we stayed close to Boucherville. Our first stop was La Maison Amérindienne, where we learned about aspects of the culture of the First Nations who lived in Quebec. Our tour started outside, where we saw these native dwellings and fire pit.
Inside the museum, . . .
. . . we saw modern art that illustrates the First Nations. We also learned about original native methods of making maple syrup.
We learned that when crows make a certain sound, First Nations knew it was time to tap the maple trees. They did this by making a hole about 30 centimeters from the ground with a tomahawk and then inserting a wood chip. After gathering and transporting the maple water, they poured it into bowls. In order to heat it, they placed a heated rock in the bowl. They learned that they needed to repeat this process of inserting a hot rock forty times before the syrup was ready. To test the syrup’s readiness, they stirred it with a spoon like the one below and then blew through the hole in the spoon. When they could blow and make one or two bubbles through the hole, the syrup was ready.
Sugaring time was over when the geese returned from their migration.
Tour participants from three nations had the opportunity to learn together about people from other nations, the First Nations of Canada. We had the opportunity to respect the First Nations for what they knew.
All the people of the world need to learn the truth of the song I learned in Sunday School, as many of you did.
Jesus loves the little children,
All the children of the world—
Red and yellow, black and white—
They are precious in His sight.
Jesus loves the little children of the world.
An acquaintance from Mexico taught us to sing “Red, brown, yellow, black, and white.” One of our daughters used to sing “All the nations, all the tribes.” Within our nation and around the world, we need to get along and learn from one another. Those of us who are Christians, need to get ready for the great day when we all—red and yellow, black and white—stand together before the throne of God.
After these things I looked,
and behold, a great multitude which no one could count,
from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues,
standing before the throne and before the Lamb,
clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands;
and they cry out with a loud voice, saying,
“Salvation to our God who sits on the throne,
and to the Lamb.”
Revelation 7:9