K-Lightful: Onward, Ever Onward

June 28, 2013

Yesterday we had to teach an institute lesson in YSA. We were having a very hard time pulling it together. We prayed and kept trying. It finally came together and I think Craig did a good job. I think he felt good about it too. We had to take a young man home after the activity. He lived in Liverpool. After we dropped him off, we tried to leave Liverpool but the motorway entrance was closed. We had no idea what we were going to do and it was not a good feeling. I prayed for help and Craig decided to set the Sat Nav for the stake center where we had come from. We were able to find our way out of the city and on to the motorway to our great relief. We didn’t get home until 12:30. Earlier in the day we taught a couple who had a kitten. It insisted on sitting on my lap while I was teaching. It wasn’t so bad when it dozed off, but soon it woke up and started batting at my hands and my scriptures. It had long sharp claws. It was a distraction to say the least.

Today we attended a funeral for a lady in our ward we never met. Her husband is a very nice man and we were sad for him. It was interesting to attend a funeral here in England. It is actually the second funeral we have attended since we came. The mortician who was in charge was a woman and she wore a black tuxedo with tails and an ascot, but she also wore a skirt. She wore a black, silk top hat. We have never seen a woman mortician or been to a funeral where someone has been cremated. It seemed strange. We attended a luncheon afterward and had a nice visit with ward members and some of the family. It think I have never been hugged and kissed so much as I have been in England. The people here are very good at expressing affection. I never expected that.

June 30, 2013

Last night we went to a baptism for a sister we helped teach. It was a nice service. She was very courageous, because she had a great fear of water and wound up swallowing some and she had to do a lot of coughing to get it out. I organized a luncheon for her after the service and it turned out nice. It is

great to have a new member of our ward. This sister struggled with the faith to pay tithing. We were glad she could overcome it and be baptized. Our primary class went very well today. Each week they get better and we are learning to love them. We teach so many lessons that Dad is beginning to enjoy teaching more than he used to. We had a tea appointment with a nice family this evening. We visit with a lot of people and it’s hard to tell sometimes if we are making progress with them, but we are being obedient and trying to listen to the spirit, and trust that the Lord will work through us.

July 1, 2013

Today I had to face the fact that the fridge needed defrosting. It was a big job.

I miss my frost free fridge. After the cleaning was done, we went to Wilmslow, a community about 30 minutes from us. We got a little lost because of some road construction. We wanted to see a place called the Quarry Bank Mill, a very big cotton mill that has been preserved so people can see what it was like to produce cotton years ago. It was such a big place. We only had time to see part of the mill and the apprentice house and garden. It was set in a kind of small valley surrounded by very tall trees. It was a pretty place. We will go back another time and finish touring the area.

We had a tea appointment this evening with a lovely older sister in our ward. She invited a friend of hers to join us. Her friend was 96, but she didn’t seem that old. We had a nice visit with them. Later we visited and another nice older couple. We keep hoping they will come to church.