Welsh Proms, Institute and Caerphilly Castle

Serendipity!

You never know what you are going to see when you walk to Whitchurch Village to mail a letter.

Many Miles

It was incredibly kind of President and Sister Ogden to take us to dinner Monday evening after a long day of interviews in Cardiff and Swansea. They were delightful and seem to be very capable. They have been in the EBM 10 days and they have already made three trips to Wales. They certainly aren't afraid to work hard and all the missionaries we have spoken with are very impressed with them. The misssionaries are still struggling not to mention the name of the Moffats because we love them so much, but they all seem happy and optimistic about the Ogdens. I think being a Mission President & his wife would be two of the very hardest jobs in the Church. Three years is a long time to be away from home and family and the problems and demands on them are constant and varied.

We inspected flats in Heads of the Valleys, Aberdare and Merthyr Tydfil on Tuesday and in Aberystwyth, Cardigan and Haverford West on Friday. You never know what you are going to find when you go to a missionary flat. But I will say that the huge "Super Heroes" mural in a room of one of the flats was unusual.

We saw some beautiful scenery in West Wales even though it was a very rainy day. We took advantage of the trip and went on another 15 miles to St. David's the smallest city in Wales and perhaps the whole U.K. To be classified as a city you must have a cathedral, and St. David's has a cathedral, built in 1180 A.D. on a site that had been used for worship since 500 A.D. St. David is the patron saint of Wales and this seemed like a must-see place. We were not disappointed.

Whitchurch Village

We love our little village.

Visitors and Visits

It has been a week of variety. We have been to Swansea twice and enjoyed the beauty there while having our Institute lesson and activity. We have been to Bristol for training. Seventeen BYU women are here studying Welsh history or the Welsh language and they are meeting with us when they can.

I can't tell you how much I love our missionaries. They set such a good example for me and I learn from them every time I am around them. They inspire me to try to do better and to have the kind of faith they have which is unshakeable. They actually do teach with power and authority, with no discernible fear. They are led by the Spirit.

I have done a lot of FamilySearch Indexing and we have studied the Book of Mormon, the life of Joseph Smith, and related materials. It is wonderful to have this time to study but doesn't make for interesting postings. More next time.

Missionary Week

There are so many flowers in bloom all the time.

The hydrangeas are spectacular right now.

Merthyr Tydfil Chapel

(David O. McKay's mother was from Merthyr Tydfil and he dedicated this chapel.)

We have had a very good week with some especially good missionary experiences. District Meeting was exceptional and we have such respect for the missionaries in our Zone. We are busy with flat inspections, teaching the marriage class in Sunday School, Family Home Evening, Institute, a Single Adult lunch, FamilySearch Indexing, trying to teach with the Caerphilly Elders (flogged again the third-time in a row we have tried with them), and a baptism for the Cardiff Ward. It was especially nice that the missionaries invited us to the Zone lunch at Pizza Hut on their P-day, courtesy of our Stake President, President Dearden. It was so good to be able to talk to them in a fun, relaxed setting.

We also went to the Merthyr Tydfil Stake Seminary Graduation. It was nice and they gave David Beale a Miners Lamp (Davey Lamp) in appreciation for the many years of service he has given to the Seminaries and Institute. He was surprised and loved it. It is so cool and so symbolic of the safety and illumination it gave the miners and the safety, light, and illumination the gospel gives us. This is the second time I have seen the miner's lamp presented and it is a wonderful thing from Wales as they have such a strong coal mining history.