March 28-April 10

Visits-dinners-teaching-lunches-service-lunches-dinners-April Fool birthday celebrations, FaceTiming with family, missionary flat ‘inspections’…..and then GENERAL CONFERENCE - the perfect way to end the week and start a new one all refreshed and renewed and motivated.


Let’s start with food!!

Dinner #1  -One evening we met Simon and Becky Wall for dinner.  He was the previous bishop serving almost nine years.  They have six children, five of which left the church during his service. They feel tired, underappreciated, forgotten, and hopeless with their children…..We listened, hopefully lifted them up, and began a new friendship with them.  


Lunch #1 - with Damian and Denise Halligan.  Damian shares the same April fool birthday and so we celebrated with them for lunch.  We have gone to dinner with them a few times.  They are a really nice couple, and Damian is not a member…yet.  He comes to every meeting, participates fully, dresses in a nice suit, gives beautiful prayers, lives the Gospel - but hasn’t agreed to be baptized. We are hoping to be instruments to help him become a full member and desire to be sealed in the temple to Denise.  


Dinner #2. Because lunch was not enough celebrating, a few hours later, we went to Quilters for an Indian dinner and a game of ‘five crown!  Melanie had decorated their kitchen and lounge with birthday banners, etc. and they gave me a beautiful picture of the Savior, mounted on genuine Welsh slate. We will treasure it!  We love this family. 


Lunch #2  The next day we drove to 4 missionary flats for inspections…most were pretty good!  We then took the last companionship, a sweet set of sisters for brunch.  It was our first time having a proper ‘British breakfast’ - including 2 fried eggs, 2 slices of toast, 2 fried sausages, 2 slices of thick bacon, cup of baked beans, hot chocolate….and wait…. Black pudding!!!  What is that you ask? It is food made by cooking down the BLOOD of a pig or cow, adding meat, fat or filler until it is thick enough to solidify when cooled.  Sound tempting?


Lunch #3. Our ward watched a Saturday general conference session all together on Sunday morning after which we had a ward ‘munch and mingle’…ham, quiche, sausages, pasta salad, chips, eclairs, cookies, cakes,muffins… not a single green salad or vegetable.  The Elders came back to our flat to watch the afternoon session, and so we ate - again.


Add to that list, a Monday night FHE at the Gill family home with homemade gooey brownies, another mid-week lunch with the Quilters, and YSA pancakes at our house after church yesterday.

This sounds like a ‘food blog’ without the pictures.


It is time to fast…for many reasons.


We enjoyed a full afternoon (walking off a few of those extra dinners) at Bodnant Gardens a few villages away.  It was so beautiful and colorful even if we still had to wear our winter coats!  Beauty in every direction…that is Wales.


Didn’t you all love General Conference?  It is certainly different here than what we have experienced in the past with session times at 5pm, 9pm, 1am next day.  When the first Saturday session began with President Nelson, and continued with many others…..’missionary service’ was the message! Mike and I feel so grateful to be serving here in Wales right now. 

I look forward to studying all the conference addresses for the next six months.


April 6 - a memorable day.

DAVIS birthday!  We FaceTimed Davis, and he kindly listened to Chichi’s famous birthday rendition.  Growing up so fast!

A member of our ward, Alec Sansome passed away unexpectedly and suddenly.  We quickly went over to support and comfort her during the late night.  I think we have mentioned that Alec has been completely blind for many years. He can now see!

65 DAYS OF BECOMING.  Today is the Savior’s birthday.  It is also the date of the organization of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. It took Joseph Smith 65 days to translate the Book of Mormon. So as a mission, we will spend the next 65 days reading the entire Book of Mormon, focusing on covenants and ordinances.   The mission also has a goal of baptizing 65 new friends during these 65 days.  We continue to teach Philippa weekly and she has a friend, Brian, that has joined us.  We are praying that both will accept baptism anytime, but within the 65 days would be wonderful!  We look forward to a spirit-filled 65 days.  

I love the Book of Mormon.  I love how I feel when I read and ponder the truths it contains.  I love to bear testimony of this book as another testament of our Savior Jesus Christ.  I love to share it with others and see their eyes open and hearts soften.


Received a beautiful cashmere scarf and ‘my own sheep’ from Diane and Maria

Quilters house


Elder Urey, Elder Jensen
Proper British Breakfast
Bodnant Gardens








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