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.

Departures and Grand Experiences

Our YSA wanted to have another Family Home Evening Monday and we jumped at the chance to do so. Our numbers are very small but that did not prevent us from having a really good FHE. Luc taught, starting with the Miracle of Forgiveness and continued with a discussion on overcoming the natural man. I really liked the quote he shared on the importance of never giving up on ourselves by Michael Jordan: "I've missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. Twenty-six times I've been trusted to throw the game-winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life, and that's why I succeed."

We will miss President and Sister Moffat ever so much but know we will be happy to have President and Sister Ogden come to lead us. It will be interesting to watch what changes will be made. The Ogdens are very lucky to have two great AP's, Elder Bearnson and Elder Brower, help them get a good start. President Moffat will be teaching an Institute class when he returns home which will make him very happy. Sister Moffat will be pulling her family back together, assuring them that they really don't love the missionaries more than them, which their probably believe, considering how much the Moffats love the England Birmingham Mission missionaries.

On Tuesday David Beale asked us to meet with him at Chepstow Castle. What a joy that turned out to be. David wants us to assimilate as much Welsh and English culture as we can while we are here. He is always looking for new places for us to visit and ways to do so. We had a good meeting with him and then toured the Castle which was fascinating. Most of the castles in Wales were built in the 1200's while the Anasazi were building or vacating their dwellings in the southwest part of the United States. The weather was perfect all day and we loved our lunch on the patio of the Afon Gwy pub overlooking the Wye River.

We then drove about seven miles to Tintern Abbey and went through the ruins there. It is surprisingly intact and grand, but missing the roof which allows the grass to grow inside, everywhere. It was beautiful and almost overwhelming. It was very large and much more intricate than I would have thought. Truly a lovely place to visit and a perfect day to sit outside and eat an ice cream cone.

James Snookes led the discussion of Henry B. Eyring's talk on Adversity at Institute in Roath Park Tuesday. He really brought out some thought-provoking ideas leading us to the conclusion that adversity in our lives can be a blessing if we respond to it well for it will refine and sanctify us we if respond to it properly. It will help us become what God wants us to be. James concluded, "This principle really strengthens my love for Heavenly Father."

While James was teaching, some rough, young guys walked by and started mocking James, and all of us. Without missing a beat James said, only loud enough for us to hear, "Ahh, the great and spacious building. Anyone want to join them?" We love James. Jess even came from Reading to be with us. Simon left for Seattle to coach football (soccer) this summer. He will certainly be missed.

Because Elder and Sister Owen are finishing their mission this week and they will not be replaced, we will now be inspecting nine additional flats for a total of 18 missionary flats from Swindon, England to Aberystwyth, Wales. We are now the only senior missionaries in all of South Wales.

Too Much Fun

The lessons this week by Luc on "hope" at FHE and by Simon on "covenants" at Institute on the Beach were so well done. I am always impressed at how well these young people teach. Of course these two are returned missionaries and that never hurts.

We had such a good time at the beach in Swansea. It was beautiful and the weather was great, but Elder Cable thinks he is as young as our YSA and tried to play Ultimate Frisbee with them but tumbled into the rocks and has a horribly looking (but not deep) wound on his forehead from the encounter. He just tried to have too much fun.

The sandcastle competition was great. We had great fun watching all of these young people work so hard for a long time to build the best tower to set their little rock on, and then fortifications to protect the tower. When the tide came in we watched with bated breath to see whose rock would stay above the tide the longest. The ones who won were the ones with the most experience and with the Captain Moroni approach. It was fun.

I have enjoyed the opportunity to do a little Family Search Indexing and was thrilled to find out that I can now use the Church's New Family Search and Family Tree. It is amazing to see the things they have on there and it will be fun when I have the opportunity to analyze and hopefully add to and, if necessary, change information right on-line. It is a great concept and brilliantly done. It will be so nice when all the bugs are worked out in Family Tree and it is out of the beta-testing.

We ended up at the Caerphilly District Meeting instead of our district meeting due to a communication glitch. It was great to meet with them and they were very kind to us. The spirit was present and we learned some very helpful things. Then Friday we went to Swindon to check one flat. It is fun to see the Elders even if it is just for a few minutes. Saturday we went to Cardiff and signed a new one-year lease for the Richards Terrace flat. I like that flat because it has wonderful lace curtains and you can hear the birds sing all the time as it is next to an aviary.

We are excited about Zone Conference on Monday but saddened by the thought that it will be the last one for President Richard and Sister Amy Moffat. They have been magnificent.

Changes, Transfers, Graduations and a Baptism

ROATH PARK RECREATION FIELD

Our students are going home for the summer and we will miss them, but at least some will still be around. Even in a week when you don't think much is happening, when you look back over the week, there have been quite a few memorable experiences. We all had fun at FHE playing "How's Yours?" a game my granddaughter, Melissa, told me about. Tuesday at Institute Luc led the discussion of Sister Lifferth's Conference talk on Respect and Reverence then they had great participation in playing Rounders. After that the men played Rugby while we ate goodies and talked. The weather was perfect even though the forecast was for rain. It was beautiful at Roath Park and so good to be outside.

Transfers brought many changes this time, as it is the last transfer day for President and Sister Moffat. I don't even like to think of them going home.

Seminary graduation was very nice. Of the eight graduates, six students have also been attending Institute: Melissa Dearden, Lydia James, Johnathan McColgan, Michael Parry, Laura Sutton and Michael Wilkinson. Michael Parry conducted and I haven't heard anyone do a finer job. He was amazing. He will be a great asset and a strong leader in the Church here in Wales. After the graduation they had ballroom dance lessons. They all participated and had a wonderful time. The treats by our Relief Society were beautiful and well received.

President Dearden's talk at Seminary Graduation was excellent, as usual. His points were (1) Learn what you need to learn; (2) Do what you should do; and (3) Be what you should be. One of the things he said when emphasizing that we must do what we should do is: "When you have trials and tribulations do not stop doing the things that will help you the most. Don't stop reading the scriptures, praying, attending Church, keeping the commandments. Don't stop. If you are drowning, don't stop swimming." He concluded by saying Seminary (and by extension, Institute) is a part of all three things. "We are to learn, do and become. The gospel of Jesus Christ is not about attendance. It is about perfection."

Edward Bruce's baptism was nice and he was happy. Everything worked out in spite of some early cliches. It was a nice evening. We enjoyed meeting the new missionaries in our area.

Flat Stanley

This week our granddaughter, Paige, who is eight years old sent us a Flat Stanley and asked us to take photos of him in his travels and send them back to her to share with her school class.  He had a great time with our Institute students, going to Family Home Evening, and playing frisbee at Roath Park.  He also enjoyed the Institute lesson given by Luc Rasmussen at Castle Coch, but only watched them play "wide games" and it is a good thing because the YSAs sustained quite a number of injuries.  Thank goodness none of them were serious.  

On Wednesday we went to Caerphilly to teach with the Elders but the investigator was not home when we arrived, she broke the appointment and Elder Ezard was especially upset because he hated to have us come all that way and not be able to teach with them. We said, "It is just a part of missionary work."  

Elder Stevenson serves in Pontypridd but was on splits this day. He joined the Church a year or two ago after being stopped on the street by the missionaries who came up to him and said, "We are Momons and you probably think we believe in polygamy, well we don't." That was a unique approach but it peaked his interest and he listened, learned and was baptized. He then met and became engaged to a life-long member and still decided to come on a mission. He is still engaged and he is still a great missionary. However, he seldom uses the approach that caused him to listen.  

Thursday we taught Peter with Elder Wood and Elder Gerber and it was a great privilege to be there. An experience like we had that evening is impossible to convey properly but it had a tremendous impact on all of us. I have seldom had such a deeply moving experience.  

We had such a good time at Nando's and love that our YSA thought enough of us to invite us to spend the evening there with them.  The "Student House Seven" photo was taken at the Bristol Convention.  Pictured are Luc Rasmussen, Jess Witts, Nancy Hole, Dai Hole, James Snookes, Sean Chen Chen and Paul Pratt.  Sean has gone back to China and we miss him terribly.  

Unusual Week of Great Experiences

There were so many things happening this week that I can hardly keep track. Having President and Sister Heidi Swinton come to the Bristol Conference to speak to us this Sunday was a special treat. Many of our Institute students have served as missionaries under President Swinton and loved seeing him and hearing him speak again. Sister Swinton was masterful in her talk to the Relief Society and our very own President Dearden taught us especially well. The activities, dances, talks and testimonies were memorable and an unusual experience for which I am grateful.  

Beth Hippard's vocal recital was well attended and a joy to experience. She has a beautiful voice and sang with great expression. I could truly understand why her email address is "songbirdbeth".  Many other of our YSA participated on her program and the whole evening was lovely.

Besides all the good, there was deep sadness. My father is not doing well at all and has been in the hospital for several days and it appears he will be unable to live at home again. In addition, Truman G. Madsen died and I keenly feel his loss. He was an impelling force in my life from the time I was 17 even until this day. He gave me much.  

We love the missionaries, especially Elder Bearnson as he was the first missionary we met when we arrived in Wales. He and Elder Adams came to visit us the first day we were here. It was so comforting and he has been incredibly nice to us ever since. 

Milestones and Opportunities

The school year is winding down and we will soon lose many of our students and friends to the summer vacation.  Most of the Uni students are going home to work for the summer. For those who live in Swansea and other places fairly close by we will hold summer Institute having the students themselves teach from the most recent Conference talks.  They have already signed up for every lesson.  We will hold them in various places in the Cardiff and Merthyr Tydfil Stakes, i.e., part of the time around Cardiff and part of the time in Swansea on the beach.  Our first evening will be at Castle Coch. The setting there is so beautiful and it fires the imagination with thoughts of knights and Robin Hood and damsels in distress.  

What an amazing opportunity we had of attending the Institute graduation in Bristol which went very well.  Elder Cable's Institute Choir sang, "If the Savior Stood Beside Me", and Luc did a fine job of conducting the ceremonies for the Cardiff, Merthyr Tydfil, Bristol and Cheltenham Institutes, all under the direction of David Beale and the Stake Presidents. 

The YSA Convention was held at the same time and there were about 300 YSA attending from all over England and Wales and Scotland.  It was well organized and service projects and the activities for the four-day event were really good. It surprised us that more YSA came to the Relief Society, Priesthood  and Sacrament meetings than the dance, especially as the dance was well attended and great, with a live band and several specialty numbers. We are glad they chose the spiritual. 

We feel very fortunate that our assignment at the YSA convention was to accompany a group of them to Bath, England to do street contacting under the direction of the full-time missionaries there. They gave us some materials, told is briefly what to do, and let us go. We had a street display, they sang hymns, and so many of them were very good at stopping and talking to people. We placed a few Books of Mormon and a lot of Pass Along Cards. In addition to those from England, we met people from Notre Dame, Montana, Las Vegas, and St. George. Small world. The best though were the long conversations they had with people. One young man wanted a copy of the Book of Mormon in French and was very interested in getting the Restoration and other pamphlets in French. The sweet girls I talked to from Notre Dame were happy to remain Catholic.  

While they went paint balling, had salsa dance lessons, etc. we stayed in Bath a couple of hours and looked at the wonders there. I have always wanted to see Bath and it was amazing. 

Mid-May Memories & Missisonaries

ENGLAND BIRMINGHAM MISSION MISSIONARIES

Full of Faith, Diligently Working, Obedient

Elder Bearnson, AP

Elders Wark and Walker in Swindon

I loved it when we inspected this missionary flat in Bridgend.

They have prayer mats beside their beds

so they can pray as long as they want to.

Elders Patterson & Bodily in Bridgend

Sisters Stillman, McGarvey and Mitte GQing at the bus stop

in front of the Church in Rwibina

Elders Wark, Larsen, Weeks and Moffet in Swindon

Elder Wright in Yate

Elders Wright and Israelsen in Yate

Elders Gerber and Wood in Cardiff

President Moffat - Last Companionship Standing

(Or how well do you know PMG?)

Elder Bearnson, Jack Kirby, Elders White and Brower

Elders Heller and Hickman in Blackwood Gwent

Elder Mackay in Newport

(and finally a spotless flat there)

It is hard to believe that we have already served one-third of our mission. We have had such incredible experiences and met so many amazing people who have enriched our lives. We only have one more Institute class to teach, then we start our summer program which will be much more relaxed (hopefully some will be at the beach) and they will be taught by the students themselves from April's Conference talks. I am so looking forward to it. Starting in September we will be studying the Book of Mormon and we are so excited. 

Keerqin Ji has returned to China, but she sent me an email in response to my promise, "Stay close to your Heavenly Father and you will be happy." She said, "I will always remember the promise I have made with Heavenly Father."  No finer words could have been said. We will miss her. 

Keerqin Ji and Sean (Chen Chen)

Zone Conference was an especially spiritual, motivating experience. The missionaries are so good and the feeling in the room was extra special. President Moffat, when speaking to them, said something I had not thought about before, "Right now, as you serve a mission, you are probably living the law of consecration as closely as you ever will in this life. You are out here for two years doing what the Lord would do if He were here." "Make it a celestial mission. There is no greater privilege than bearing testimony of Jesus Christ." He then went on to say, with great emotion, "There used to be things I wanted in life, but all I want now is for you missionaries to find people."   

May Flowers & More Information

Bluebells are at their peak so it was a 

 real treat to go for a walk in the woods. 

The bluebells stretch on and on, blanketing the ground.

We have been studying intensely for our up-coming Institute lessons on the book of Revelation. Kaylee Hillier reminded me of the scripture discussions on BYU Radio on the Internet that are so valuable in gaining increased understanding of the scriptures. We have listened to those on Revelation over and over again and they have been especially helpful, which was intimidating to me, but now I find rather interesting. Instead of concentrating on the symbols and descriptions as literal manifestations, I can now look at them as poetry, manifesting truths and testifying of Christ, His kingdom and the plan of salvation.  As Andrew Skinner stated, "It [Revelation] is principally a book about Jesus Christ from beginning to end." And, "If the book of Revelation is anything it is a testimony of Jesus Christ." Victor Ludlow added that it teaches us that "Christ will be the victor over all things."  I think Bruce R. McConkie sums it up for me, "Each pronouncement in the holy scriptures . . . is so written as to reveal little or much, depending on the spiritual capacity of the student."  I have much to learn.  

David Beale added additional insights to the book of Revelation, and he is a master teacher so we learn as much on how to teach as we do on what to teach. Now if we could only implement what he teaches us.  

It was so nice to be able to meet Elder Sessions, now Aaron Sessions, and his parents. After Elder Sessions went home and was released from his mission he and his parents came back and toured London, Paris and now are in Wales to see some of the people Elder Sessions taught the gospel.  His parents are fun and interesting and he is so very nice.  

Good-bye April Hello May

It is a very different experience to sit in sacrament meeting beside a new member as I did Sunday.  Harriet was baptized the night before.  Sunday morning we sang, "Praise to the Man" as the opening hymn. As we sang the words of this favorite hymn I realized this was probably the first time she ever heard that our beloved prophet Joseph Smith had "died as a martyr" and that "his blood" was "shed by assassins." It was a poignant thought to me.  It is amazing to see the gospel through new eyes.