MIRACLE MARCH 2023

March 01, 2023

Last March,2022, brought such joy when Kev and Alicia Cooney were baptized members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Could we feel any happier after teaching them the Gospel of Jesus Christ and watching them enter the waters of baptism…..

One year later MARCH 2023 - another miracle, another covenant as Kev and Alicia received their own endowments in Preston, England Temple and were then sealed for time and all eternity. We have had a glorious year watching them grow their faith in Jesus Christ, embrace the people in the Gaerwen ward, minister, bear testimonies, give talks, bless and administer the sacrament, teach the youth, and their countenance…. We spent several weeks teaching them about the temple and preparing them for their experience. Their faith is strong, yet simple. They inspire us.

We spent two glorious days in the temple together. Many ward members also joined us and Cooneys felt such love and support. The following is a text we received from Kev a few days later.

We had another wonderful experience the following week with Janette Leone, another sister in our ward. She was baptized when she was in her early teens and grew up in northern England. A few years later she entered university, met and married a man from Hong Kong named Tony……. She lapsed into inactivity for over 30 years as they raised four children. None of us knew who she was, yet her name was still on the ward roster. Last fall Tony died and Janette called us to see if a funeral for her husband could happen in our chapel. Michael organized and conducted the service and a special friendship developed between Janette and us. She came back to church and hasn't missed a meeting since! She is a woman of faith. We were able to teach and prepare her to receive temple covenants and then spent a sacred day with her in the temple. Michael was baptized by proxy for her husband, Tony. Bishop Quilter, by proxy, received Tony’s endowment and then Janette was sealed to Tony by proxy through a temple worker- which is a miracle story within itself. A few weeks before, we called the temple to schedule the work for Jeanette and Tony. When we gave the brother Janette’s name, he was silent and asked if she was married to a Chinese man named Tony. When we answered ‘yes’, he began crying over the phone. He told us that he had served as a missionary 20 years before in the Gaerwen ward and had knocked on their door and invited Janette back to church. Brother Cascone was the only one in the temple that day who knew Tony and was able to be a proxy for the sealing covenant. This meant so much to Janette. Heavenly Father is keenly aware of all of us, and this experience was a divine design for Janette, and those of us privileged to be with her.

Two days later we entered the temple again with other senior missionary couples. We love these missionaries and we love the temple.

We also love the wonderful young elders and sisters. They are obedient, dedicated, and inspirational. We get attached to each one as they transfer into our zone and district, and then transfer out and new ones come, and then they return home with honor.

March has also included unusual snow, flowers blooming with the promise of spring, colorful rainbows and skies, thousands of newborn lambs (which I am still trying to catch and hold one!)

We are trying to spend as much time with Damien and Denise Halligan also. We have amazing Monday night gospel study together and then some nice long walks somewhere beautiful…which is everywhere! We enjoyed Beddgelert village for a great walk and yummy lunch.