The End of January 2009

And so we end the month, and certainly more happened than we expected at the beginning of the month. Besides all the great experiences we have had with our very dear Institute students for whom we have the highest regard and have come to love, and the wonderfully spiritual experiences we have had in teaching with the young missionaries, and the opportunity to participate at a baptism, all the reasons we are here, who would have thought we would also be able to visit St. Fagans and learn about Welsh history and culture, as well as visit Stratford-on-Avon and fulfill a life-long dream.  

Of course the very best times have been those when we have felt the love of our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ as it has been manifest to us by the Holy Ghost.  These times have been so much more frequent and are so much more powerful since we have come on a mission and they are sacred and humbling. This cannot be explained, but these experiences are deeply felt and are treasured. I know the Lord is in this work and it is a marvel to see His hand work in the lives of those who are seeking Him and in the inspiration given to His missionaries. Hearing about it is one thing, as we did before, but it is entirely different to experience it day by day. 

Week of January 22nd through 28th

We have had some amazing teaching experiences with the young missionaries, especially in teaching black Africans, one from Sierra Leone and one originally from the Congo who most recently came from London. I am so impressed with their strong desire for a better life, their faith in and love for Jesus Christ, their thought-provoking and important questions, the depth of their character and their determination to live each principle taught. Peter has a wife and two children in Sierra Leone and is studying here in Wales for a year and hopes to make a better life for his family. He believes the Gospel will help him do that and wants to be baptized. 

Not long ago Syr, a black asylum-seeker from the Congo joined the Church. All his family have died except one sister. He had no friends, no money, absolutely nothing, but he decided to reach out to others and tell them about the Church. He found Norland and they are now friends and Sisters Morris and Martinec are now teaching him. The Church has changed Syr, helping him overcome some of his shyness and reach out to others. He blessed the sacrament for the first time Sunday and his prayer was full of the Spirit and it was powerfully done. I've never heard anything like it, especially from a man who seems afraid to talk to you. When teaching, if Norland did not understand something, Syr would explain it in French or an African language. They both speak more than four or five languages. Norland is studying plumbing and Syr is just hanging on waiting until it is legal for him to get a job. He had one set of clothing, though he always looks neat and well groomed. A member bought him another. Hopefully his status will change soon. It has been such a blessing to be involved in the teaching of these fine young men. If all goes well, Norland will be baptized on February 7th. I hope we can get Syr and Norland to come to Institute and maybe even Family Home Evening. 

The Sisters had eight investigators to Church on Sunday so we were all busy welcoming and helping them. Three were Christians from India and they were very impressive. We shall see what develops there.

On Tuesday we went to a training meeting put on by all the important area people who want the Outreach Initiative extended to England and Wales. President and Sister Moffat as well as David Beale and so many other of our line authorities were there. President and and Sister Moffat took us to dinner before the meeting and they are always such a delight. I love them and they are so kind and good to us. 

This meeting at the Solihull chapel was very close to Stratford-on-Avon so we easily got permission to visit there. It was delightful even though it will be much nicer in the spring and summer. I was thrilled to be able to visit all the places I have heard about and have always wanted to see. In addition to many other sites, we saw Shakespeare's gravesite in Holy Trinity church. It was most interesting. Stratford has been so commercialized, but it is still wonderful to me. 

Week of January 15th thru 21st

Elder Gerald Causse was the General Authority who came to our Zone Conference this time. He is from France and has been a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy for a year, and he is Julie's age. I could be his mother! That certainly made me feel old.

It was so rewarding to have Institute go well this week. It did so much to encourage me and make me want to keep trying. We taught, "I Know That He Lives" and shared testimonies from some of the presidents of the Church then opened it up for them to bear testimony of the things we have been studying, especially of the Savior Jesus Christ. Their testimonies were exceptionally sweet and meaningful. We ended with some testimonies from the "Special Witnesses of Christ" DVD and it worked out very well. 

Let me share a couple of the testimonies of the Institute students so you can get an idea of what I am talking about: 

(A lovely young woman) "[A friend boy] and I cycle to Institute from Student House (about 4 or 5 miles) every week and it is really hard and I often do not want to do it, or I want to quit, and I am so tired, especially when we come up that last hill toward the Church. But I know it is so important for me to be here. Institute has saved me. I have regained the testimony I thought I had lost a long time ago. I know my Savior lives and loves me." 

(A young man) "I have been told through the Holy Ghost that God lives. The thing I am most sure of is that God loves me. I know that God loves me."  

(A young woman) "In taking Institute this year I prayed I would understand the scriptures and they have been opened to me and I know I should be in Institute." 

(A young man) "The gospel is really such a light, a bright thing in my life. It helps me to be optimistic and have hope for a better world."  

(A young woman) "I have had a need recently to depend on my Heavenly Father. I have studied the atonement and it has helped me so much." 

(A young man) "It has not always been easy to live the gospel but as I try it becomes easier. Being with you at Institute and YSA activities helps me. I know it is only because of the Savior that we are here together. I feel grateful so much that He was willing to go through that pain for me." 

I really feel that the best lessons are when they can learn from each other and bear strong testimony of the truths we are discussing. What a privilege it is to serve among them.

Missionary Missionaries

Keergin Ji and Elder Cable

I've mentioned that we have been told not to look to the "missionaries" to do things when we meet people. In fact, we have been told, "You are the missionaries." Well Saturday we felt a little more like we actually were missionaries. I went with Sisters Morris and Martinec to teach the second lesson to Raymond, a Jehovah Witness, in his early 60s, I would guess. He was so nice and though he wanted to talk about so many other things off the subject, he did agree with what we taught him about The Restoration. He said, "I'm not going to tell people in our congregation yet because I don't want to upset or offend anyone, but when I am a Mormon then I can let them know gradually. When Sister Morris told him about the First Vision he said, "Isn't that lovely. Joseph Smith. I will have to remember his name. Maybe I will put it on a piece of paper and tape it to the wall. He is important." I truly enjoy going teaching with the missionaries and it was great to be able to add my testimony to the things they were teaching Raymond. He said the prayer at the end of the lesson. Very sweet. 

Sister Martinec, Keergin Ji, Sister Morris

In the evening we went to the baptism of Keergin Ji, a YSA age Chinese student. Jack Kirby came and Raymond came, as well as many, many of our Institute students and several from the Ward. It was a beautiful evening, filled with the Spirit. One of our students, Jess Witt, spoke on baptism and I spoke on the Holy Ghost. And Wayne was honored to do the baptizing. It was a lovely evening. Keergin was so happy to be baptized and has such a pure radiance about her. 

Jack Kirby is still being "persecuted" by members of his former congregation for joining the Church. Someone comes almost every day and tells him what a horrible thing he has done. They are mean about it. He said, "I don't understand. They didn't pay any attention to me before I joined the Church so why are they spending so much time coming to tell me what a terrible thing I have done now that I have joined the Church." Kind of like Joseph Smith when he told the ministers of his First Vision. He wondered why so many people would be so upset with what he, a boy, said. Satan is still alive and well. 

Raymond came to Church today and I sat by him. After every hymn, every talk, everything that happened he would say, "That's lovely." He asked me while the sacrament was being passed if it was okay for people to pray during this time. I said yes, so he bowed his head put his hands together and I could hear him say, "Dear Heavenly Father," and he continued to whisper a prayer. It was very sweet.

Second Week of January 2009

Now that we have learned to find our way around a little better, we actually love inspecting the flats for the missionaries. They are always so kind, fun and impressive. It is great to see good missionaries doing what they are supposed to be doing. Elders Hepworth and Hansen are the very cleanest missionaries ever! Elder Hansen is from Sweden and he insists on cleanliness and order. He is a cute, fun missionary and he showed me a long scrapbook type card that "a friend" had sent him for Christmas. He was so pleased. I said, "I can't believe he would spend that kind of time on the card. He smiled but didn't admit he had a girlfriend.

The Stake Seminary meetings are great. It is a real privilege to watch David Beale teach and it is fun to watch the response from the students. He divided the glass into groups of three or four and gave each an "adventure" scripture reference from Acts, had them read the scriptures and then draw what happened on a white board. Then one from each group came to the front and explained their picture and what happened in the scripture. The students absolutely loved it. He has such a great way with people.

Wayne absolutely loves his new suit and I think he looks good in it. Notice the name of the Church in Welsh. I am so sad about losing Liyang. He is brilliant and so very nice. The Chinese students all have chosen an English name to make it easier for people. Liyang Zhou goes by Alex, but just among the YSA. He is Liyang in our ward. Chen Chen goes by Sean. Keerqin goes by Betty. She is being baptized Saturday and has been dating Sean. They are so very quiet it is hard to get to know them well. I will be speaking at her baptism.

It is such a privilege to teach about the Savior's life and atonement. I had several very spiritually moving experiences while preparing for the lesson, but then the lesson did not go well. I don't know exactly why but I was, and am, very discouraged. I want so much to reach these young people and to make a real difference in their lives. When it does not flow, does not go well, you can't get good responses to questions it is very disappointing. I will keep trying.

I have actually done my "365 Day Challenge" for fourteen days. Only 351 to go. I think that is the longest I have ever kept a New Year's resolution, but I am also still trying to "do better". 

First Week in January

I have decided to accept The 365 Day Challenge to record something every day. I think it will be a fun way to remember our mission and perhaps give you a glimpse of some of the things we are doing. We shall see how it works. I do hope to blog some other things as well when I can think of something especially interesting. Remember, you can click on the photo to enlarge it if the writing is too small for you to read.

New Year's Resolution from Cardiff, Wales

1.  Do better.  

That's all.  Just do better.