Transfers & Thanksgiving

Sister Russell has departed for home and Sister Strein was sent to Leicester (for you Americans, that's said "Lester"). Now we have Elders in our ward instead, and Elder Clark was so excited when he heard he was being transferred to our ward he could hardly contain himself. We are just as excited to have him come, and his companion, Elder Halaufia, is great too. We hope they have great success and love the work here.

It's always exciting when we have investigators come to Family Home Evening and Institute. You really think about what you are teaching and how you teach it. The members of our classes are all on such different levels, but somehow it all works out. Best of all, some who have been fairly inactive have been coming regularly and even volunteering to do extra things to make the gospel come alive for all of us.

We had such a great time with the senior missionary couples in our mission at the home of President and Sister Ogden. The food was unbelievably good and such a great touch of home. As long as we couldn't be with our dear families, this was a good alternative. It is wonderful to talk to other missionary couples and compare their activities to ours. Elder & Sister Karren are amazing S&I missionaries serving in Birmingham. It is so fun to talk to them.

We have so much to be thankful for at this time of year. We are blessed with wonderful families and with a marvelous heritage from our ancestors. Our daughters are so precious and so helpful and caring for one another. Our grandchildren are delightful and bring us joy beyond anything we ever expected. The opportunities we have had to associate closely with the wonderful young adults here in Wales and to learn from and be inspired by them is a high privilege, one that we will sorely miss when our mission is over. The time we spend with the young missionaries is rich and rewarding. We do treasure every opportunity we have to be with them, and especially the times we can teach with them. It is at those times we are shown the operations of the Holy Ghost and how great things are brought to pass through small and simple means. We love and admire them. We are thankful for our Savior and have learned, more than ever before, to appreciate his atonement and the incomparable love manifest by the Father and the Son in providing this gift for us. We find great joy in knowing that Joseph Smith truly saw the Father and the Son and did all that was required of him to bring about the restoration of truth upon the earth. Our gratitude is deep for all we have been given.

Things Will Never Be the Same

The Stake President made a lot of leadership changes in the Rhiwbina Ward this week.

We learned that there will be no more CES missionaries here after we leave.

They are "whitewashing" our area by taking the Sisters out and replacing them with Elders.

Someone once told me change is good. I hope so.

Elder Cable still feels very poorly, but it has been so good to get a little more back into our regular routine. We miss our Institute students when we don't get to see them. And we love every minute we get to spend with the missionaries.

Not Everything Was Good

President Uchtdorf's CES Fireside talk was exceptional. He said exactly what the YSA need to hear with an unbelievable delivery. He was charming, friendly, fun and yet powerful. He gave so much good advice and challenged us in such a way that I want to live better and be better. This was a choice opportunity, and we can even watch it again on lds.org, which we have done a couple of times.

President/Dr. Dearden has been so caring of Wayne during this illness. He is very much appreciated. We appreciate all everyone has done for him and hope he will now get better, become stronger, and that we will be able to resume our missionary duties. I had some very interesting chats with the various taxi drivers as I went back and forth to the Heath Hospital. One wasn't sure whether there was a God or not (I told him there was and that He loved him), another was mad that the English newspapers don't report the big Welsh rugby match scores, and another thought George W. Bush should have dropped a nuclear bomb after 911. Go figure.

The weather has been miserable with driving rain and 68 mph winds so when Sisters Russell and Strein dropped by just before their mealtime on Saturday, even though they have a car, they were sopping wet and very cold. So I fixed them some piping hot tomato soup and toast while they warmed themselves by the space heater. They were gladdened and soon went on their way. They have a new appreciation for the Elders who are on bikes in this weather.

Good Friends and Beautiful Autumn Weather

We were so pleased that Luc invited us over to Student House 42 for dinner on Sunday. It was so good and made us feel all warm and cozy on this cool autumn day because he made a delicious Acorn Squash Soup. Chen Chen was here and that is always a great bonus. We miss him. His parents came by and as usual it was great to visit with them.

Lynne Pearce invited us to dinner Wednesday. She is a great cook and she made her amazing fresh blackberry and apple crumble. I always eat too much of that. Friday night Elder Gerber and Elder Wang fixed an American dinner with Chinese dishes added for the Chinese new member and her investigator friend they are teaching. They invited us to join them and I was so excited because Elder Gerber made Stove Top Stuffing. Such a wonderful taste of home. They had several other very good dishes, but I was happiest with the Stove Top.

Guy Fawkes Day or sometimes known as Bonfire Night is an interesting British holiday. In 1605 some men who thought the government was persecuting Catholics decided to get rid of the government by blowing up Parliament on its opening day when the King and the Prince of Wales would be present. In the nick of time the plot was discovered and Guy Fawkes was discovered in the basement of Parliament where barrels of explosives were hidden, ready to be lighted. Guy was captured, tortured and hung at the age of 35. Since then children make an effigy of Guy Fawkes, carry them around town asking for "a penny for the Guy" then they take the money to buy fireworks. They then have a big bonfire and burn Guy Fawkes in effigy. This has been going on for 400 years. We have heard fireworks for several nights. Our YSA had a big bonfire in their back garden, with effigy and all.

Remember remember the fifth of November
Gunpowder, treason and plot.
I see no reason why gunpowder, treason
Should ever be forgot...

Zone Conference & Achievements

Elder Cable is so happy that he finally has his British driver's license. With the 163.00 pounds for the application fees, the 30.00 for a computer learning program and 148.00 for driving lessons, it cost 341.00 pounds stirling or about $575.00 to get his license to be able to drive for the next seven months, but he did it on the first try. Most need to take the tests more than once, paying for fees again each time. We are thrilled.

Zone Conference was excellent this time. Elder Rapana spoke on Our Purpose - "To invite others to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and his atonement, . . ." He used the example of the brother of Jared who had such faith he saw the finger of the Lord, and his faith was so strong, Jesus Christ revealed himself to the brother of Jared as he would be when he came to the earth to bring salvation to all who would believe. So it is with us. As we develop our faith, God will reveal himself to us.

We have lost 10 companionships or 20 missionaries in the past year. President Ogden said Gideon's army was drastically reduced so they would clearly know that it was God's hand that gave them success. By the end of the year we will be down three more companionships, or six more missionaries. We have zero Americans coming to our mission this next transfer. In our Zone Conference of the Cardiff, Cheltenham and Merthyr Tydfil Zones we have missionaries from Germany, Italy, the United States, Scotland, Finland, Sweden, South Africa, Tonga, New Zealand, Switzerland, England and Canada.

Elder Bohn was one of the missionaries who shared his departing testimony as he will go home next transfer. He said, "When I was preparing to go on a mission, my Stake President asked why I wanted to go on a mission. I said, as an 18-year-old, 'Because it will make me a better person.' Now I know the real reason. We are sharing the greatest message ever given to man."

Sister Russell said, among other things, "There have been so many people who have tried to get me to deny the gospel. I will not do it. I cannot do it. I love the Book of Mormon. I don't want to go home. I didn't want this day to come."

President Ogden had Elder Gerber come to the front, then related the experience he had when he had Elder Gerber transferred back to Cardiff. It was clear that this is where the Lord wanted him even though logic, policy and past experiences would preclude it. But it was certain that the Lord wanted him back in Cardiff so he is here. Much of it had to do with Peter, his prayers for direction and prayers that the Lord would intervene in his life now that his wife has died. President Ogden said Elder Gerber is that intervention.

It is so great to have Elder Gerber back in Cardiff. We always have great spiritual experiences every time we teach with him and his companion. Elder Wang is such an asset and a happy, pleasant person. It was really nice to go teach these Chinese women with them. We went to Fang Lin's baptism in April, and now they are teaching her friend. They taught everything in Chinese and when they had us bear testimony, Elder Wang would interpret what we said. It was an unusual, but rewarding experience.