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| A beautiful December day; Good morning Bristol! |
Great week with a lot going on!
Last Tuesday after posting
blog entry, we visited some great YSA members from the Downend ward. The
exemplary lives that they lead in a difficult world is up lifting to us. Every
day there are choices that are challenging. It was great to share with them the
importance of filling our lamps with righteous oil every day.
Wednesday was a nice missionary day! We had District meeting
in the morning. We studied for our Institute lesson. That evening YSA dinner
and games. I played Disney Monopoly till about 10 then decided to call it quits
and go home.
Thursday we had to be out in Taunton again and back to a
Stake YSA leadership meeting and Institute. Well Institute was interesting. We
both prepared the lesson because we were not sure if we were needed in both
classes, as a result I tried to use my outline to teach Elder Preece’s power point…
we won’t try that again!
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| Bench Ball for an activity, new Stake Pres. Byrom playing also |
Friday the flat was in need of some serious cleaning so part
of the morning was spent cleaning, mopping and ‘hoovering’. Elder Preece had a haircut
appointment so he took the bus and I stayed home finishing up the house work. The major project of the day was to get all of our Christmas packages off! That
was a a big project to check that off the December list!
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| Picking up our packages |
In the evening the
Elders scheduled a meeting with Georgia. Alex a YSA university student and
newly baptized convert also came. She is a great young lady with a very solid
testimony. She shared her story and we watched a talk by Elder Anderson titled “You
don’t know everything but you know enough”. It was a hard day for Georgia… We
love her and spent time listening to her and letting her know we are here for
her.
Saturday was BAPTISM day! We attended the Baptism of a YSA
sister in the morning in Bath and another YSA age sister in Bristol 1st
ward (Downend) in the evening. Each was a very sweet experience with that
wonderful spirit that always accompanies such occasions. Each new member bore
their testimony with great power and conviction! Truly the Lord’s sheep hear
His voice!
Two more very important baptisms happened Saturday also, on
the other side of the ocean. Our grandson Jacob in Arizona was baptized Sat
morning and our granddaughter Stella was baptized in the evening in Virginia.
We were able to talk on SKYPE to each of them. Jakey we talked to after he got
home from the service and boy was he one excited little guy. He was literally
bouncing all over the chair while we were talking to him because he was so
happy. He said that it was the’ best day in his whole life!’ Stella’s Baptism
was not until 7:30 east coast time but we were able to talk to her as she was leaving for the church. She looked so pretty, even glowing in her lovely
white dress. I asked her what she was most excited about, her friend party or
getting baptized and she answered enthusiastically ‘getting baptized’! It was a happy sad day. So happy and blessed
for their choice to be baptized and sad that we could not be there….
Sunday was marathon missionary day! After staying up until
midnight so we could talk to Stella we had to get up at 6:30 am. We were scheduled
to attend Ward Council meeting for the Wells Road Ward at 8:15. We stayed to
all of their meetings. Guess who ended up being the Sacrament meeting speakers?
After I recovered my heart from my throat I was able to pull something together.
On a previous visit to a ward in the stake we came prepared with talks but were
not called on. I am learning about this missionary thing.
We hurried home from meetings to put dinner on the table for
the Elders and Georgia. We had a very enjoyable afternoon answering her
questions and teaching her. We visited so long that we all ended up going to
the Stake Fireside. The Fireside was a musical put on by a neighboring stake
about Church history here in England. We met Hanna met there. A sweet couple
from our ward gave her a ride. When we got everyone dropped off and got home we
still stayed up and visited on SKYPE with Michael and Caitie and boys. Again it
was closer to midnight when we finally got to bed.
MONDAY wow! We have really had a memorable adventure! The
entire mission is invited to the Visitor’s Centre and Temple for
a Christmas meal and temple session. There is only room for about 76 at a time
so our turn was Tues the tenth. We decided to take the coach (bus) with the
missionaries which left Monday
afternoon. It was quite a trip. We caught the coach at Bristol Temple Meads station
at 2 pm, the coach then drove down to Plymouth to pick up more missionaries
then turned around to drive back near Bristol again and on to Surrey to the
Temple. We arrived there at about 10:40 PM. What a long day! I thought we would
just catch up on our sleep on route… not so, the bus was buzzing with 34
excited Elders and Sisters! Wow what a lot of happy energy! They lovingly accept and
include us as one /two, of them. What an energizing experience! Part of the
time they sang, Part of the time they roamed the bus visiting and one group
played a card game called ‘scum’ for 3 hours.
TUESDAY the rest of the story… We got up early, for us not
so early because I set the alarm for pm instead of am, had pancakes and
potatoes at 7:30. We were asked to be in the Temple at 10 o’clock so that we
would be quietly and reverently prepared for the 11 o’clock session. We were then joined by the rest of missionaries who drove up. President and Sister Millar were
sitting in front as the chapel filled. It was apparent by the smiles on
their faces and moist eyes that they felt joy in their hearts. The President
spoke to us as we got ready to go to the session. He expressed how grateful he was that there
were no empty seats and how much he desires this to be the case when we all
leave mortality to enter the next estate.
The session was one of the most powerfully spiritual temple visit
either of us has ever experienced! The worthiness of these young dedicated
missionaries, the profound effect of the new temple film and the occasion that
brought us together gave an eternal lenses to our souls that was poignant.
The ride back home was just as long… It was a late arrival,
rather an ‘early’ Wed morning arrival but so worth it! I can understand why
Saints in some parts of the world will travel for days and make great
sacrifices to attend the Temple. It truly is the place where Earth meets
Heaven!
Our prayers and love is with all of you as you celebrate the
sacred birth of our Lord and Savior. We are so thankful to be serving as His representatives
during this magnificent period of the world’s history!
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| a wonderful Christmas dinner served to us by the office |
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| Pres Millar greeting and singing with his missionaries |
Just beautiful!!! What a wonderful and treasured memory forever.
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