JANUARY 23-29, 2022

The names of many places in Wales begin with Llan. It means “Church” – or, rather, the enclosed land around the church where Christian converts had settled.   We live in LLANFAIRPWLLGWYNGYLL (the shortened name!) We are grateful to have a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints near us where we weekly attend with others to partake of the sacrament, worship, socialize  and support those who choose to receive the ordinance of baptism.

We have had another busy week. We love being busy in the Lord’s work!  Families in the ward continue to invite us to their homes for dinner, which they call TEA.  We enjoyed an evening with Joseph and Elaine Wall, their son, Jordan, and girlfriend Eliza Rose (newly baptized). Another night we ate with Nathan and Jana Gill's family.  Jana had just completed her final chemo and radiation treatments for cancer - and we all happily celebrated.  We went out to dinner with two YSA in our ward.  Gem is a returned missionary who served in Greece.  He is from London and is studying at Bangor University.  Sophie,  is a relatively new member of the church and is also studying at the university.  Neither has family who are members of the church, and we want to teach, influenceand be a good example for them.  

After enjoying these dinner invitations, it was our turn to cook!  We prepared food for a zone conference for 55 hungry missionaries!  We enjoyed the day interacting with wonderful elders and sisters and President and Sister Johnson, receiving good instruction, and then driving elders back to their flat, and on to our flat almost 2 hours away. LONG DAY! GREAT DAY!

We joined the weekly ZOOM calls for ward council, zone meetings, district meetings, EMM (England Manchester Mission) devotional.  We attended a youth activity at the church, and while they were playing basketball, we cleaned two rooms with the bishop.  That may not sound very impressive, but junk overflowed both rooms, collecting for over 10 years!  It felt so satisfying!!! I was in my element!

We taught our first weekly institute lesson to the young adults.  We are following the Come Follow Me instruction, studying the Old Testament.  They had been ‘teaching’ themselves - and seem grateful to have us teach.

We also spent time finding ‘friends’ to minister and invite to return.

-Mavis Gibbs, a widow, with no family in Wales.  She had fallen and broken her nose, had swollen black eyes and was in uncomfortable pain.  She has progressing dementia and told/retold us stories about her hard life.  We tried to lift her spirits.

-Sara Thomas, a single sister from South Africa! Who lives alone, also with no family in the country.  She lives within the city walls of Carnarvon Castle in a very modest small single room flat. Why hasn’t she been to church for over two years? Terrified of Covid, severe health issues…which we are discovering is an issue of many we are visiting.  She asked for a priesthood blessing, which Michael was happy to give, and she tearfully appreciated.  She also hasn’t received the sacrament for two years.  We will ask the bishop for permission to return and offer that ordinance.

-Jules Law, a single, never married sister.  She is a professor at Bangor University, with a PhD.  We are the first ones she has allowed ‘inside’ her flat in two years!  Another sister terrified of Covid and unwilling to attend church.  Michael had another opportunity to offer the Sacrament to her, which she gratefully partook after 2 years.  She has asked us to be ‘email buddies’, and we hear from her almost daily.  We hope to help her feel loved and confident sometime in the future to join us at church.

We taught a 2nd discussion to Kev and Elisha.  We feel so blessed to be the ones teaching them the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  They come to our flat prepared and excited to learn more and more.  They have conversations with each other during the week, come with questions - only to discover it is the very thing we are talking about that day.  It is clear to them…and to us…how Heavenly Father is in the ‘details of our lives’!  They are reading the Book of Mormon, attending church, partaking of the sacrament, keeping all commitments.  I’ve never been a part of anything like this before.  I find myself smiling every time I think of them, more importantly, praying for them!

Our Chester/Newcastle zone conference at Runcorn Chapel