One Month on a Mission

New week…. This week went by much faster than last week, maybe because we did not spend as much time going around in circles lost!

A big moment of the week was getting hooked back up to the Internet! On that same day we got to talk on SKYPE to Scottsdale, McAllen TX and Tucson! It somehow makes the world not seem so huge when you can sit in your own living room and talk to wiggling grandkids!

We headed out on Friday to an area of our Zone that is quite far away from us. One of our assignments as a Senior Couple is to inspect the sister’s flats once a month and the Zone leaders dwelling. We called the Bridgewater Sisters and made an appointment for 11 AM. Plenty of time to get there right? Wrong….Because the address was a fairly new our Navigation system took us out in the country. It was beautiful out there, kind of like driving through an old English novel. We ended up in this little tiny village trying to maneuver down very narrow streets to a street with the same name but definitely not Bridgewater. We phoned we were lost and of course the sisters did not know how to help us because they take public transportation. It was quite and adventure! We drove through narrow hedgerows. One section of road was completely overgrown with foliage. I mean completely…it was like driving through a tunnel!

 It took us an extra hour but we finally found them. Elder Preece finally decided that since the street we were looking for was St Mary that we would park near the local church by that name and stand out in front and call the sisters to meet us there. On the phone they guided us to their place. : )

Our next visit on the return trip was much more successful. These sisters live in a place called Weston-Super-Mare. It is on the sea! Their Flat is up the street from the beach; because we were a bit early this time we got to drive along the coast and watch the wind surfers and look across to Wales!!

 

Saturday haircuts and such. Then we went to the Downend Ward ‘Fete’, a carnival/fair like gathering in the parking lot that and grounds of the church with games and activities, rummage sale and food. We really had a good time! There were so many YSA there! We met a lot of new people and even purchased some things we do not need in order to support the cause. The idea was to raise money for the youth to help fray the cost of EFY. The final event was a cake auction. There were really some fun cakes and joyous bidding! It was a lovely way to spend a sunny Saturday afternoon!

                                                  This cake went for 30 pounds

More SKYPE calls to family filled the rest of the day! How wonderful is modern technology! Only  I could not do is kiss those little faces!!

Sunday, second week in our ward. There were a lot more people there and we had a wonderful Fast and Testimony Meeting. We truly are a Church of brothers and sisters worldwide. The Sunday School lesson was on the succession of the church leadership after the martyrdom. It was touching to me to realize that this history means as much to members from another country as it does to those of us who have direct heritage in its events!

After dinner a walk in the park on a Sunny fall afternoon!

Monday P-day we went for a glad day out! We visited both Stonehenge and Salisbury Cathedral. Both are in our mission and about an hour and a half away. The trip through the English countryside was stunning! Some little hamlets had mostly thatched roofs, some were very old stone houses , some were in the woods and some in rolling patchwork farm lands!

 

 

Stonehenge was amazing! I did not realize it would be so spectacular. I also didn’t think about the fact that it would be teeming with tourists. There were buses and cars and crowds! The site itself however is well preserved and the viewing is arranged so that you can photograph it without all those bodies in your picture. Have to admit that we were really in awe of the whole thing!

Salisbury Cathedral was magnificent! Parts of it were constructed in the 1100s. One of the remaining original copies of the Magna Charta is housed there. That was impressive. Again the shear wonder of how such an edifice was built so many centuries ago!

 

 

 

On the return trip we stopped in Bath and had dinner. That place is another wonder. It takes you back to Dickens and Austin just to stroll through it!

Tues. morning we woke up to fog, which was a surprise to me since yesterday was such a warm balmy day. When we came back from our walk my hair was full of little droplets! I couldn’t help but think as we walked through the mist that it was kind of like these last few weeks launching into this experience. Some of it we just have to move through not knowing the destination sometimes or the end result. It is good to need to use faith! I am not too good about being out of my comfort zone but it is good for me!

Wed. morning we had District meeting. Great experience! Loved watching the workings of the mission. These ‘kids’ know what they are doing. They teach and support each other and keep each other from slacking. We felt privileged being a part of it all!

 

This evening we have YSA dinner and tomorrow a lunch planning meeting with our ward Elders then off to movie night for the YSA in the evening. Enjoying this week a lot, we seem to be much more comfortable driving around and planning our schedule.

                              At YSA the High Council room can turn into an upholstery shop 

Friday and Saturday we have permission to attend our ward campout at Gadfield Elm and Benbow’s farm. Next post I will report on that.