Cooking with the Senior Couples

 Five years ago I couldn't have imagined I would be in Liverpool preparing food and serving dinner to 150 Chinese people, but here we are.  We have an activity for the Chinese converts in our mission about three times a year.  The converts and investigators come from at least three different areas of our mission.  The senior couples do the dinner and the young missionaries plan games for them.  It is a fun activity for the new members and it gives them the opportunity to meet other chinese members.

Monday we visited the Quarry Bank Mill again.  It is such a big place we haven't had time to see it all.
The mill itself represents a life of hard labor for it's employees in the 1800's, but it is located in a really pretty place and it's workers were treated better than most of the mill workers.  This time we finished touring the mill and the gardens.

Elders in the Kitchen

Sisters in the kitchen (one is missing)

At Quarry Bank Mill

Sister Whitehead in front of the Mill owners house

Begonias flourish in England

Elder Whitehead in front of a giant rhubarb plant.
(It's not the edible kind)

A little cave in the gardens.

A unique tree.

The mill was a massive structure.

Missionary Miracles

September 17, 2013

For the first months we were here on our mission, we often wondered how much good we were doing, but now we are starting to see that what we do, matters, and it is a good feeling.  It is also a blessing to witness miracles in peoples lives we have become acquainted with.  One of those has been in the life of a sister we visited.  On our first visit, we learned of the years of sorrow and trials she had experienced.  She said she loved the bible, but the Book of Mormon never spoke to her.  She had some most unusual perspectives and we wondered if our visits could make a difference to her.  She really wanted us to visit her so we said we would keep coming.  On the third visit, we were reading the Book of Mormon, and we watched the lights come on for her.  She said, "Oh now I remember,  I underlined this part, it must have been important to me.  She also said I must have been so weighed down with all my trials,  I could not feel it's message.  She said she would come to church on Sunday.  We hoped she would.  Sunday, she came and it was a joy to see her there.  She came to Book of Mormon tonight as well.  We are so grateful to be a part of this process in her life.  She said tonight, she feels like she is coming back to life.

The next miracle we have witnessed is in the life of a recent convert who suffers from dyslexia.  He used to be terrified to read in public.  He has been diligent to listen to the Book of Mormon CD's ever since he got them.  Tonight he took his turns reading in Book of Mormon and he did just fine.  He is one of the most faithful humble people we have ever known and we rejoice with him in the blessings he has received since joining the church.

Last of all, we have been touched by the story of this recent converts friend, named Ken.  We were impressed by this man's Christlike life, though he is not a member of the church.  He had spent the last three years caring for his dying mother around the clock, doing everything he could to make her comfortable.  He was someone who had been sanctified by his service.  He said at the time,  he wondered what life had in store for him now.  He missed his mother, but was hoping for good things to come.  A few weeks later we visited with him again.  He was not well.  He said then he was not afraid to die, but he was afraid to suffer a prolonged death like his mother.  He had witnessed so much suffering.  He also wondered who would  take care of him if he did become ill.  He had a brother, but they were not close.  The next day he lost the use of his legs.  Within the week, he was in London having surgery all alone.  We prayed for him. He came out of the hospital with a long recover ahead of him.  Then about a week later, we received good news of him.  He had been given the opportunity for a unique rehabilitation experience.  There is a Christian Charity that furnishes a sailing ship much the the old ones you might imagine, but modern and equipped with a hospital and doctors and therapists to help people who are handicapped to have a remarkable adventure they otherwise could not have.  The patients actually do the work of operating the ship, with assistance as needed.   Ken's miracle reminded me of a quote in a recent conference talk.  "To believed in God is to believe that life will be fair and their will  be wonderful surprises.  It is wonderful to see the way this faithful man is being blessed for his service.

Liverpool is a majestic city

Sister Whitehead at the Walker Art Museum

A beautiful sunrise

On a more  ordinary note,  recently we got to a attend a commemoration day for the old Burtonwood military base here in Warrington.  It was the United States largest military base in England.  We saw some nice old cars and a museum of military history.  We also went to Liverpool recently and saw the Walker art museum and enjoyed a chinese buffet.

I toured much of the United States in a car like this when I was young

YSA activity in Liverpool

Little things

We went out walking just as the sun was rising.  The weather was nice and we looked up and saw a pattern of jet trails across the sky like a patchwork quilt.  It was so pretty with sun coming up.   I should have had my camera.   We spent the afternoon looking for someone to visit because of two cancelled appointments.  We didn’t find many people, but just as were trying to decide where to go next, we heard the Elders voices.  They were just walking to the train station loaded down with luggage for their transfer.   We offered to give them a ride and they were grateful.  It felt good to be in the right place at the right time to help someone.  We attended our meetings tonight at the church.  When we came home we ran into Mark our neighbor.  We had invited their family for dinner and we thought they didn’t want to come when they didn’t show up.  We had been praying for a chance to talk to them.  We were grateful for the opportunity.  There had been a mix –up in the date.  Lucy had also been in a car accident.

I happened to have a plate of brownies with me so I gave them to him to take to her.  Our prayer was answered.   They are moving Saturday.  We are going to help them on Saturday morning.  

We got to say goodbye to Elder Wilkerson and help he and his companion
get to the train station because we were in the right place at the right time.

This is where we go to church on Sunday.  The chapel has some of the biggest windows
I have ever seen in a Chapel.  I like them.

Monday, we went to Southport to see the Beach.  It was low tide
so we didn't get to see very much.

We live near the Manchester ship canal.  It is pretty.  We often walk across
this bridge when we exercise.  

The view from the other direction

The interesting thing about this bridge and some of the others is that they swing
open so a ship can pass through the canal.  Traffic is stopped until the ship has passed.

Baptismal day

August 31, 2013

Today we were in the grocery store when the security guard came up and started talking to us.  I wondered why he wanted to talk to us.  He asked us if we would pray for him.  He said he was looking for a job and he felt that our prayers might carry more weight than his.  We told him we would be happy to pray for him.  We hope he gets the job and we can talk to him again and share the Gospel with him.   We never know when people are noticing us.

Tonight we attended the Baptism for a man named Nigel.  He was so receptive to the Gospel, it was a blessing to participate in part of his teaching.

We had a nice service and his Baptism went well.  Afterward we had some food.  I had assigned some people to bring food.  I made a double batch of taco soup, but I should have made more.  By the time the people were halfway served,  I started praying for a miracle of the loaves and fishes.  I dished up the last bowls myself to make sure it would go as far as it could.   I also made chocolate chip cookies with pecans in them.  They were very good.  By the time the evening was over there was very little food left.  Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves.  It was a nice evening.  All the missionaries were asked to sing “Teach Me to Walk in the Light of His Love” for the program.  I thought about all the times we sang that song in FHE when our children were growing up.  I never imagined Craig and I would be singing it at a Baptism in England.  You never can tell what life will bring.

The newest member of our ward with the Missionaries who taught him

I told Craig recently that people should hear his perspective of what we are doing, so he is going to be writing as well.

Nigel would be labeled as a "golden contact". He was so prepared to receive the gospel. After his baptism he felt like smiling all the time. He was so willing to accept the principles that were being taught. He was as the scriptures say we all must be like. That is as a little child. He was telling everyone he met about his baptism and inviting them to attend. He is going to the southern part of England so he can take four of his fellow workers to church on Sunday. He tries to share the gospel with everyone. He has many christ-like attributes. He is loving, kind considerate, compassionate, humble. Nigel will be a great asset to the church.

We are enjoying being in the England Manchester Mission. It is hard but rewarding. When you meet someone like Nigel it is all worth while. So many of the people are indifferent to religious ideas. So many people are not willing to make and keep covenants. They want blessing from the Lord without any effort on their part. Thanks for your support. We love all of you.