Special Days in the Temple

February 28, 2014

We have had some really nice days in the temple recently.  A week ago Wednesday, we went with the YSA to do baptisms for the dead.  It is the second time we have done this and we really enjoy it.  The new member from our ward was excited to go and participate.  She suffers from anxiety and panic attacks.  When she got ready to do the baptisms, she became very anxious because she is afraid of water.  She felt she couldn't do it.  We told her to watch everyone else and then decide.  While she waited, We prayed that she could feel confidant enough to do it.  She finally decided to do it.  It was difficult for her, but when she was done, she said she wanted to come back and do it again.  We felt our prayers answered in her behalf.  Saturday we went to the temple with a man in our ward who was going for the first time.  We had given him the temple preparation lessons and he was well prepared.  It was a lovely experience to attend with him for the first time.  He was very happy  to have this opportunity.  Tuesday, we had a temple zone conference.  We attended a session with many of the young elders and sisters.  It too, was a lovely day.
We also had a pleasant time last Friday at the Quarry Bank Mill.  We have visited it before, but we went on an outing with most of the senior couples from our mission.
We had a little miracle on Thursday morning.  We have tried to locate one of the less active sisters in our ward.  She had moved from the address in the directory.  No one knew where, but we felt we had spotted her before a couple of times near where we lived.  She fit the description someone had given of her.   She is an elderly black woman and black people aren't too common here.  We could never stop and ask if it was her because there was no place to park.  Because we were on foot that day we were able to talk to her and confirm that it was her.  We will visit her next week.

Senior Missionaries at Quarry Bank Mill

Elder Whitehead fixed a fence recently for a ward member.

Transfers- We said goodbye to the sister on the left.

Some of the YSA after our night in the Temple

Dad still trys to stay in shape

I loved this quote from the Quarry Bank Mill.  Hannah was the wife of the mill owner and she was  ahead of her time as she tried to improve the lives of the people who worked at the mill.

Looking up from the outside of the mill.  It was a very big place.

February Fun

Last week was Valentines day and Elder Whitehead got me flowers.  I baked sugar cookies to take to people and we ate some as well.  I had to include a video of our musical card.  Our video skills leave something to be desired but we tried.  We also included a picture of our YSA at a recent activity.  Onsies are a popular thing now in England.  I hadn't seen adults in them in America, but maybe it's a fad there as well.
We made several visits again last week.  We are beginning to understand better, the kind of support new converts and less actives need as they come back to church.  We also visit with many people who are lonely.  We have become more aware of how many people are lonely, in the world.  We ate lunch at M & S today.  The desserts we ordered were so pretty I had to get a picture of them.  The lemon tart I had, came with what looked like a scoop of ice-cream on top.  It wasn't.  It was plain cream cheese.  I skipped that part.  Notice the spoons we ate with.  The English like using big spoons.  I always feel like I am using a shovel.  It was a good dessert.  We try not to eat too many desserts, but that is what the English do best.  It continues to be very wet here, and milder than usual according to the people who have lived here a long time.  I also went to the dentist today to have my teeth cleaned.  The hygienist spent between 15 and 20 minutes cleaning my teeth and then she was done.  It felt more like a lick and a promise in comparison to what my hygienist does back home, but it will have to do for now.  We are doing well and we have a full week ahead of us.

YSA Onsie Night

Pretty dessert

Winter has arrived, slow but sure!

Today winter got serious.  It has been pretty mild until today.  We have had high winds and lots of rain and we feel the drop in the temperature.  We even saw a skiff of snow yesterday.  We went out to make a visit and got stuck in a traffic jam.  There  were a lot of trucks coming through town.  The motorway had been closed due to high winds.  We found out when we got to our appointment, that people had been told to stay home if possible.  Luckily we got home safe.  We may have some indoor days for the next few days if this keeps up.
We took a drive to Macclesfield on Monday.  We visited a silk museum.  It was interesting to learn about how silk was made and especially the part silk played in World War II.   Some of our ancestors were silk weavers.   We had a nice winter drive through the countryside.
Last Friday we had a date night with a couple from our ward.  They took us out  to a Chinese restaurant in Prescot.  It was fun and the sweet and sour chicken was good.  It was very kind of them.  We really enjoy their company.
Sunday was ward conference and we were pleased to have one of the sisters we have been visiting, come to church for the first time in years.  Another sister we have visited called today and set up another appointment with us.  We thought she didn't want anymore visits, so we were pleasantly surprised.  I have to remember that even when things seem discouraging, things have a way of turning around.  

Monday was a day of rain and clouds.

By the end of our drive the sun came out.

Besides visiting people, we study for lessons.
Craig studying for the Book of Mormon Class

I always like to buy a bunch of daffodils as soon as they come into the grocery store.

The Hazard of Social Life

This week Elder Whitehead has been "full of a cold" as the English would say.  He shared it with me as well.  We are in contact with so many people, and many of them sick, that it is inevitable that we would get sick as well.  We hope to be over our colds soon.  We have had a lot of cancelled appointments lately due to illness.  This too shall pass.
We are grateful for small changes.  Our primary class is getting better and we are starting to be able to use the scriptures with them more and they are beginning to ask good questions.  We challenged

Winter walk-notice bare trees, but green grass.

Watching the birds on the Manchester ship  canal.

them recently to sit through Sacrament meeting without using their tablets or phones and they are trying to do it.  We have had an unusual opportunity to visit a sister in a mental hospital.  She is some distance from her home, so she doesn't get a lot of visitors.  We were asked by the bishop to visit her.  The hospital granted us permission to visit her, but we are not allowed to talk about the church.  That is a challenge. We have tried to share some poems with her and other literature.  We brought her some quotes by George Eliot last time.  One of my favorites was this one:

"The golden moments in the stream of life rush past us, and we see nothing but the sand; the angels come to visit us, and we only know them when they are gone."
George Eliot

Monday, we spent a quiet preparation day, but we did go for a walk, and on a few errands.  We were able to have four Gospel conversations with people.  It was nice.  We always feel better when we have tried to share the Gospel with someone.  Last week a woman we have been visiting for quite a while passed away suddenly.  She had multiple health problems, but she thought she was getting better.  We will attend her funeral tomorrow.  We needed to visit the hospital today so Elder Whitehead could give a sick baby a blessing.  The grandmother of the baby had requested it.  It was hard to find another priesthood holder to go with him.  Finally, one of the men he had called, called back and said he could go.  We found out, when we picked him up, that he was the grandmother's home teacher and he hadn't been able to get into see her.  She is less active right now.   He was the perfect choice to assist with the blessing.  It is easy to see the hand of the Lord in that experience today.  I hope that each of you are seeing the hand of the Lord in your life.