MAY 16 - June 6

CHOOSING THE RIGHT, PART 2

Last post indicated the sadness we feel when we see our young friends using their gift of ‘agency’ recklessly. We will continue to love, encourage and teach them.

We also have an abundance of Welsh friends ‘choosing the right’! This is the JOY of the gospel.

Kev and Alicia Cooney - This special couple has never looked back since their baptism! They are the first ones to get to church each Sunday (waiting for us to unlock the gate!) with huge smiles on their faces.

Kev gave his first talk in sacrament meeting, helps bless and pass the sacrament, and serves as an adult leader in the young men program.

Alicia serves in the young woman program, loves the girls, and teaches with confidence. Last Sunday, she brought a bag to church with a brand new coat she had bought for an older sister. Although the Cooneys live quite modestly, She has a heart of gold. Other ward members are inviting them for tea, helping them with their family history and they are feeling a part of a big family for the first time in their lives.

A highlight for us last week was to take them to the Preston Temple. They had prepared some family names for baptisms, along with some from us and others in the ward. I wish I could capture with words the looks of their faces during the baptisms and confirmations for their family members. SACRED. UNFORGETTABLE. We had a full day together and our love grows deeper for them. They are ‘choosing the right”.

WARD TEMPLE TRIP

Robert O’Neil - Rob joined the church about 4 years ago. He is 22 years old. The story of his baptism is a miracle. He found a Book of Mormon left on a park bench in a nearby town, didn’t know what it was, saw two names inside the book with a phone number and decided to pick it up and call them to return it to them, but he says he procrastinated and didn’t call them. The next week he was back in our town where he also lives and while walking his dog, two sister missionaries approached him. They were the very ones whose names were in the Book of Mormon that he had found the week previously! They taught him the gospel, invited him to church and be baptized - and he accepted. Rob is the kindest, sweetest, gentle young man we have ever met - no guile, simple faith…simple intelligence. His activity is spotty because he doesn’t drive and works Sundays. We ‘found’ him early on and have been inviting him back to church, to institute, to the temple, etc. - driving him to and from.

We taught Rob about the temple and he was eager to go and perform baptisms for others. He drove up with us for our ward temple day. It was a special experience for him, and for us to ‘watch’ him participating and joining with other youth. Rob is ‘choosing the right’.

Rob with the Gill family and other youth

These youth of the Gaerwan Ward are ‘choosing the right’!

Nathan and Jana Gill Family (Dylan has just submitted his mission papers - another youth ‘choosing the right’.)

We love Bishop Brian and Mel Quilter and their family, scattered throughout Wales, England and US

JULES LAW -

We ‘found’ and invited her back to church, activity, and the temple. She hadn’t been to church for over 2 years, and is now returned - teaching Gospel Doctrine class! Jules is ‘choosing the right’!

PHILLIPA SMITH - Remember her?

We have been going weekly to her house to teach her the gospel for over three months. We invite her to be baptized each time we go…she hasn’t accepted yet, but is ‘choosing the right’ as she continues to learn and we are hopeful she will soon accept our invitation to be baptized.

Phillipa's Neighborhood view

DAMIEN AND DENISE HALLIGAN

This couple has been married for about 17 years. Denise is our ward relief society president. Damien is a non member that has been attending church for over 16 years!! We met them our very first Sunday here and felt an instant kinship and have been growing a fun, comfortable friendship going out to dinner, visiting them at their home, etc. They are the couple we spent the day with at beautiful Bodnant Gardens. Last week, after receiving multiple promptings and urgings to ‘invite’ Damien to be baptized, we went to their home and the invitation was extended. It wasn’t exactly like the Cooneys! Damien was polite, but rather stiff and yet he agreed to rethink and pray for an answer in a new way. As I am writing this, we will be going over to their home in a few hours for an afternoon walk with them. He is really an amazing, accomplished man who needs to be baptized and take Denise to the temple. We will see what today brings…and pray for a softening of his heart and a desire to act. We want Damien to ‘choose the right’! Stay tuned…

Meanwhile, I have been called to serve as the Relief Society secretary, to be added to my list of responsibilities and contributions! No big deal? Well...it kind of is when I need to drive to another town by myself for RS meetings. I practiced with Mike, wrote down the directions, took his phone so I could use the sat nav the first time, and I’m happy to report I made it there and back! So now I am comfortable driving to our town COOP grocery store, to Menai Bridge Village to get my nails done, and Llangeffni for relief society meetings.. and I can drive to the church! This might not sound too impressive, but the very very narrow roads shared with oncoming traffic, including lorries (trucks) requires pulling over into the hedgerows or literally squeezing by. Round-a-bouts are everywhere, and don’t take too long to make a decision of which exit to take or you get honked at…all while driving on the other side of the street! Did I mention I do all this without a sat nav? I kept my phone as our ‘American phone’ so we can speak with all of you when we are in our flat - so it doesn’t work anywhere else including driving. So if I get lost? Too bad, so sad!

Meanwhile, Mike thinks nothing of driving absolutely everywhere, usually not requiring or wanting a sat nav. Just another thing he does so well. Between his driving and speaking Welsh, he is leaving me in the dust.