Service Auction

Friday night the YSA of the Bristol 2nd -Southmead Ward planned and conducted a great Ward activity. It was a Service Auction. All who wanted to participate could donate some kind of service in the form of a pledge. In order to buy the items a tally sheet of kind acts of service had to be kept by each family during the week. It was great fun and everyone attending offered and rendered service to others!

The whole evening was a great success! Thanks to the YSA

Registration desk, make your service pledge
Alex, Francine, Georgia visiting Sister Camacho

Ben was in his element! Best auctioneer ever!

The days grow longer, brighter and warmer…

Last week there were definitely some good moments. I will try to record them all as I re-cap another week in the life of ‘S and E Preece’ as Bishop Nelson refers to us.

I left off last week with Wednesday’s events. That means I need to begin with last Thursday. The main event of every Thursday is Institute in the evening. Sometimes as we spend the time fervently preparing for the class we teach we get a bit frustrated. We only have 45 minutes to cover a lot of material and there are weeks when no one can come. We have 3 regular students and once in a while an investigator comes to our little class. Last Thursday was awesome! It was kind of a fulfillment of all our work. The Downend Sisters brought an investigator and YSA member we have not seen in a while. The investigator is Chinese so Shera came to help translate,  Tina and Will Farrell YSA advisers, Nathan, Lorna and Ben were also there. The room was overflowing with happy faces. It was truly a pleasure to watch as the spirit led the discussion and we were able to draw from the material we had prepared the appropriate message for the class!  “Yea, behold, I will tell you in your mind and in your heart…” Always a very sweet experience!!

Shera translating the lesson for Medea

During the day Thursday we took our dear friend Hanna to lunch. She is struggling with some health issues and challenges at school. It was good to spend time with her. The week seemed even harder because every day we got up to very thick fog. It would take a while to clear every day. I think there are lessons in the weather.

Friday we had a very fun senior outing again! It was quite a foggy morning so we left a little later than we had anticipated. By the time we reached London and Hampton Court Palace the fog had lifted. We headed straight for the Tiltyard Café to meet the other couples for lunch. There were about ten couples. It is always nice to meet with them and get a little glimpse into their goodness and their successes.

Hampton Court Palace: yes little granddaughters, Queens used to live here!

We really enjoyed the day. The sun was shining, there were daffodils everywhere and birds were singing happily. We have visited Hampton Court several times in the past so instead of rushing to see everything we just strolled around and enjoyed being there. We spent some time in a new section depicting what life was like for the “young” King Henry VIII.

The gardens were spectacular. I could not help thinking how much you little grand children would love to be running around such a fun place. There are several guides who dress in period costume and strolling about the grounds creating a wonderful atmosphere.

It was back to missionary work on Saturday, meeting at 10 am in our flat with the YSA from the Southmead Ward. Our Bishop has assigned them to be in charge of the ward activity coming up this Friday. The meeting was great, everyone came to help. The activity will be a service auction. I will report more about that in next week’s blog after the event.

At the conclusion of meeting we had pizza, then Bill had to pick up Elder Davis and act as his companion as they split in order to teach two lessons at the same time. Afterwords we had a nice missionary teach in our flat. In the evening we had our Baptism celebration dinner with Georgia. Finally our schedules were in line. That was a wonderful evening. I feel like such moments need to be embedded in our minds and memories. What a miracle is the conversion process! Such memories need to always see us through the rough spots of life!

Sunday was nice as always. Bishop Henley gave a phenomenal talk using the first vision to illustrate his message. The Elders had three investigators there. All of our YSA new members etc. were there to hear his powerful words too. I should have taken notes, I was just soaking it all in.The Southmead Young Single Adults handed out their awesome flyer and made the announcement to the ward members inviting them to the ward activity for Friday.

Sunday after our dinner we went for a walk on the Downs along with half of Bristol. It was a beautiful day; children running and playing, kites flying and people of all ages out enjoying the bright sunshine!

Francine and her friends enjoying the celebration of spring too! 

YSA FHE in the evening was very nice. Lorna our FHE chair person has decided to ask young couples to give the lessons every now and then. Such a great idea, Simon and Annie Evans gave the lesson and conducted the activity, a fun game involving characters from the scriptures. I would admonish those of you from the Bristol YSA who may be reading this to try to come to these evenings, they are so enjoyable!

playing chess with Ben, I am losing...

Monday was a true indeed P-day: we cleaned house, went shopping and then had FHE at our flat in the evening. Bill taught a lesson on being an example of the believers and we had BROWNIES for refreshments.

Tuesday we went to Costco and studied. Wednesday was Transfer day so we picked up the Portishead Elders and took them to Stains. Dropped one off picked up his replacement and got back by 3:30. It was the smoothest Transfer day yet! Evening meal was nice with good people to visit with.

missionary luggage, transfer day

Thursday Institute again; good classes, we had more investigators and good activity. There was an emergency situation.  One of the young women fainted, the paramedics had to come and all. With faith prayers and Priesthood blessing all is well today. She will be fine, just needs to rest and recover.

This past week I pulled out my ‘Keep Calm and Carry On’ notebook to read over the words of our setting apart blessings that Lindsey so kindly recorded for us. The phrase “your family will be looked after by our Father in Heaven… and the blessings to your family will be tangible” leapt out at me. I know that life has not been smooth sailing for some of you in the past 7 months. Sometimes I try to dictate what those ‘blessings’ ought to be, but I am not in charge. Elder Eyring in April of last year made this statement:

"My promise to you who pray and serve the Lord cannot be that you will have every blessing you may wish for yourself and your family. But I can promise you that the Savior will draw close to you and bless you and your family with what is best.”

So I say to you my dear family, The Lord is mindful of all you are experiencing! He is blessing you. Thank you so much for your prayers love and support! I know that He is blessing us!

Port Issac

)

Short but sweet.

The Bristol Stake Presidency photo bombing a YSA selfie!

After two posts last week I am kind of at a loss for words for this week. For those of you who read this regularly I will try to be inspiring!

The end of last week involved Institute class Thursday night, going to see the movie ‘The Book Thief’ on Friday. Saturday morning the missionaries taught Fran in our home. I got to spend time on SKYPE both Saturday and Sunday with family wishing me Happy Birthday. Sunday evening in FHE we were able to listen to Sister Burton’s CES talk. It was very good. If you get a chance it is on the Church’s web site.

Monday was a day for catch up and rest since Bill has a little cold. I did have a hair appointment. Tuesday we were able to do flat inspections for two flats. We first went to Downend to see Sister Moangare and Sister Nenadovic. They had worked very hard you could tell. The flat is very old and has served missionaries for about 10 years. I was so pleased with how nice they made it look. The best part was to see how proud they were of their hard work! Next we went to Bath. Sister Steffensen and Sister Karyan also live in a very old flat. They have kept it so homey and comfortable. It is sweet to get to visit with them and feel their enthusiasm and dedication.

District meeting was in the morning Wednesday. It is difficult to explain how enjoyable that experience is. To watch these very young, enthusiastic missionaries follow the priesthood order and conduct a meeting every bit as effective as Ward Council meetings I have been in my life.

Institute tonight covers the beautiful account of the Savior as he visits the American continent after his resurrection! Only 45 min for the lesson certainly will not do it justice. If any of you reading this have a minute today to just read 3 Nephi chapter 17 it will lift your spirits and brings perspective to life!

Some days are filled with joy and some days are mundane, all are a part of this mortal life. If we remember to keep and eternal perspective and remember that no matter what our challenges are we shouted for joy when the great plan of happiness was presented to us and given the opportunity to come to earth.

Happy St Piran’s day!*

We had a blast!!! Loved Cornwall, there was so much to see and wonderful sights for the eye! We left Monday late morning and headed to Penzance.This was a much anticipated trip to celebrate my Birthday. It took a little over three hours and we drove through some patches of driving rain. The terrain began to change from actual evergreen forests to very green open fields.

*Just for clarification St Piran is the patron saint of the Cornwall tin miners and we were there on the annual celebration.

Monday afternoon and evening we slogged around the city in the rain. We saw The Turk’s Head a famous pub from the Crusade era. We stopped in at Admiral Benbow's Inn for a soda and to get out of the rain. The most amazing thing that I noticed as we made our way around town were the palm trees, camellias and prickly pear cactus growing about. It really is a milder climate there because of the gulf stream. It reminds me of California.

 A rainy afternoon in Penzance.

We happened on to the Navy Inn for dinner and afterwards discovered it in our Rick Steves’ travel book! Good food, especially the homemade bread! We were then ready to head back to our warm and cozy B&B. The new owners had just purchased The Camilla house on March 1^st, we were their first guests.

Up at 7:30 Tuesday morning for our breakfast and then off to the shops to see what Penzance had to offer. FYI there is a definite pirate theme about, the buccaneer motifs were everywhere. We took our umbrella this time though it we just sprinkling.

Shopping in Penzance

While I was waiting for Bill to buy a banana at a fruit and vegetable stand a short white haired, wrinkle faced old lady came and stood by me. She addressed me in a quiet tone kind of out of the side of her mouth: “do you buy things off a gypsy?” I replied that I did not, she continued: “I can tell your fortune, you are going to a blue wedding and you will be a teacher.” I told her that I had already been a teacher, “You look ten years younger than your age” then “You would never judge anyone and you cannot stand any one to be dishonest to you”. Next she tried to get me to remove my glove so she could read my palm… “I am Welsh, I really am a gypsy” I told her I did not want to pay her money for her to tell my fortune, she said it would just be a small donation. No thanks I replied, she walked away. There you have it, my first gypsy encounter!

Of course we had to find a good bakery so we could have an authentic Cornish Pasty for lunch. We found one a desert-added-in deal. It was good, kind of like beef stew in a pastry shell. It was a little bland. The origin of the Cornish pasty comes from the tin miners. They could have their whole meal in one as they came up out of the mines for lunch and sustenance for their long day’s work. The thick crust gave them something to hang on to with their dirty hands while they ate.

After making some purchases and enjoying our filling lunch we drove to Land's End, the most Western point in the England. It is the sight of the either the last or the first house. You can see it below. Our guide book said that it would be a bit of a disappointment because it is just a tourist trap with cheap trinkets for sale etc., but I loved it! First of all because it was off season there were very few people there. It was rainy and windy and kind of eerie! The landscape is stark with rolling ‘tundra’ like hills and craggy rocks with sea spray crashing over them. It was like being in a suspense movie! Apparently there is a deaf cat in the area so watch out.

Lands End, The Merry Maidens and deaf cat warning.

On our return trip we found an ancient circle of stone similar to Stonehenge but much smaller. They are called the Merry Maidens. In earlier centuries the local people had a legend that some wayward women went out in the field to make merry on the Sabbath and were turned to stone, hence the name. They are just in the middle of the field on the side of the road.

When we returned to our little room we found a note under the door with a recommendation for dinner. It took us a while to find the Inn but well worth it, the food was phenomenal! It was gourmet food in a little pub in Newlyn.

Beautiful St. Ives.

Wednesday dawned with sun shine! I have decided that if you live on the sea side you need to get used to how noisy sea gulls are! At breakfast we met a lovely lady named Barbara who was visiting Penzance for a gallery appearance with an artist she had written a book about. She was so enjoyable to talk to.

We packed up our stuff and checked out and headed toward St Ives. The drive was beautiful and we loved the city itself! Such a quaint place with a lot to see and enjoy. We both decided that we needed wool sweaters. I got a cardigan and Bill got a ‘jumper’ (slip over). We were now nice and warm with a useful keep sake!

Our final destination for our trip was Port Isaac, the little fishing village where the TV series Doc Marin is filmed. The scenery was so beautiful on the way there and the town itself was not a disappointment! It was really fun to stroll around Dr. Ellingham and Louisa’s town. We felt quite amazed that we were actually there and that it is as beautiful in real life as it is on TV! We had lunch there and walked around for a while taking pictures. We noticed that we were not the only mature couple walking about.

We bid good-by to Cornwall and headed back to Bristol late afternoon. We truly had a wonderful holiday! Now back to our work!

A new life begins...

I am feeling quite reflective today. I have been writing down a list of things that I am learning as a missionary. I thought I would start by post today by listing some:

• You feel joy and sorrow with the people that you teach 
• You learn so much about yourself that you never understood before 
• Every time you bare testimony your own conviction grows enormously
• You get to experience the everlasting love the Savior has for the people with whom you work

And there are many more lessons and benefits, these are just some I have been thinking about lately. Where did I leave off last week? Sometimes everything gets all mixed up together. 

Thursday was Institute day and we had 3 people come to our class. Hanna came! She had had a very hard week with university studies. Thursday was a breather between deadlines so she came to Institute. We learned about Samuel the Lamanite! A lot of the YSA stayed for activities after and everyone had a good time.

Friday we had a lot on the calendar. Bill had a Dr. appointment, Georgia came over to finish working on the baptism program and at noon Elder Carver, the Zone Leader, was coming for her baptismal interview. The missionaries were late, but I still fed them all taco soup and corn bread (in which I had forgotten to add the sugar).

We drove the Zone Leader back to Chippenham. He was on exchange with Elder Moore so we had to make the switch and bring back Elder Davis. We did a flat inspection while we were there. I have decided that my two sons were not that unusual in their housekeeping skills. All young men that age seem to have the same standard. It is not the standard I would be comfortable in.

Friday evening the elders taught Francine at our flat. It was a lovely discussion with such a sweet spirit. Georgia’s baptism dress needed to be hemmed up so Fran brought needles and thread and we each took a different end of the skirt and sewed as we discussed the gospel. When we were finished we had each used a different stitch but not to worry, with a wet cloth and hot iron I was able to steam it so it looked great!

Saturday was a very interesting day. Our sweet neighbor across the street, an elderly very ‘English’ lady, had invited a few of us from our block of flats to tea! She said we all needed to get acquainted! We were not to bring ‘that book’, it was just a friendly get together. It was really quite a lovely experience. We had sandwiches and meat pastries, pizza and lots of little cakes etc. Besides coffee and tea and lager there was lemonade and juice to drink. We talked about places where we all have lived and mostly talked about childhood memories of much loved doggies. I wish I could have had a secret camera, it was a very fun and oh so British!

The baptism was a great occasion. So many came to support Georgia. The YSA came from all over the Stake. Many of Georgia’s friends and flat mates came. The Stake President also came. The service was sweet, the talks were inspired and the spirit was strong. It was still a very difficult time for her because of the absence of her family.The rest of the evening was quite emotional, after some comforting reassurance from Bishop Henley and some beans on toast everything settled down for the night and anticipation for the confirmation the next day.

Sunday was lovely. Fast and testimony meeting was exceptionally poignant as each person’s remarks were so appropriate to this new step in Georgia’s life. All in all it was a happy day. Sunday evening YSA FHE was held at Southmead Chapel and Bishop Henley spoke. We had a very nice evening enjoying the company and activities. The day ended great!

Monday we headed out for my birthday trip to Cornwall. I am going to write a separate post for that adventure. Now I just want to close this entry with my testimony that the events that have taken place in our flat the last few months with our dear friend Georgia have been life changing for Bill and I. To watch firsthand the miracle of conversion is truly an honor and a great blessing!

While preparing my Institute lesson for this week I came across this wonderful message from Elder Jeffrey R. Holland about the events of 3 Nephi that I would like to end with today:

“However dim our days may seem, they have been a lot darker for the Savior of the world. As a reminder of those days, Jesus has chosen, even in a resurrected, otherwise perfected body, to retain for the benefit of His disciples the wounds in His hands and in His feet and in His side—signs, if you will, that painful things happen even to the pure and the perfect; signs, if you will, that pain in this world is not evidence that God doesn’t love you; signs, if you will, that problems pass and happiness can be ours. Remind others that it is the wounded Christ who is the Captain of our souls, He who yet bears the scars of our forgiveness, the lesions of His love and humility, the torn flesh of obedience and sacrifice.

“These wounds are the principal way we are to recognize Him when He comes. He may invite us forward, as He has invited others, to see and to feel those marks. If not before, then surely at that time, we will remember with Isaiah that it was for us that a God was ‘despised and rejected … ; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief,’ that ‘he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed’ (Isa. 53:3, 5)” (“Teaching, Preaching, Healing,” Ensign, Jan 2003, 42).