Look What We Came Home to Today!!!

We went to Cardiff today to do flat inspections and it started to snow on us as we returned home and look what we found when we arrived back home. Cars were sliding all over our road and we have a hill to come up in order to get to our house. We parked our car at the neighbor's down the hill so we can get out at 6 AM in the morning in order to go to the temple with our dear friend Cheryl. She is going through the temple for the first time and we are so excited. Well we almost had a white Thanksgiving, it was just the day after. I think we might be in for a very white winter. Oh and is it COLD!!!

Young Women in Excellence

The Young Woman's President invited me to their Evening in Excellence for Carmarthen Branch and it was delightful. How I love these young women. They are the cream of the crop as are their leaders. Here you see Charley Allen, Jennifer Harding, Lienna Pomfret, Sister Allen and Sister Pomfret receiving their awards for their personal progress. Our Branch President, President Williams was there to give out the awards and to give some very appropriate concluding remarks. This evening brought back such great memories of years gone by for me. Thanks for inviting me.

Evening in Excellence in Carmarthen Branch Continued

Here is the Young Women in Excellence continued. Here are individual pictures of Shannara McFarlane, Allissia Gaskell, and Naomi Allen receiving their awards. What beautiful young women these girls are!!!

Zone Training on Thanksgiving Day

After our Thanksgiving Day dinner we went to Swansea and had Zone Training. Our outstanding Zone Leaders, Elder Larsen and Elder Williams and great District Leaders, Elder Hummer and Elder Sinclair trained us mostly in the use of the Book of Mormon in the conversion process. I have such a strong testimony of this method because everything in the church hinges on the truthfulness of this inspired book. And I know it is true!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Elder Crandall's New Friend

This week we went to Carly's for Thanksgiving Dinner and Elder Crandall made a new friend because he kept sharing his dinner with him. We had such a great time together. The next photo shows us all at the dinner.

Our First Thanksgiving Dinner This Week

On Wednesday of this week, we went to our dear friend Caryl's home for Thanksgiving Dinner with Elder Stoddard and Elder Benthin. The food was delicious and the company even better. We all weekly go to see Caryl and she is coming to church now and playing the organ beautifully!! This lovely lady is very, very talented and she so willing shares her talents with others. We love you, Caryl!!!!!!

Thanksgiving Dinner in Wales

We had the Elders and Sisters from our district to our home in Wales over for Thanksgiving dinner. So many of them helped in the kitchen and with the clean up and that made it feel so much like home. How we love these young valiant servants of the Lord who are so strong, so diligent, so obedient, and so faithful. I feel humble just being in their presence. This district has become like a family and we are so grateful to be their adopted grandparents. We love everyone of them. Thanks so much, Elders and Sisters for making our Thanksgiving away from home so wonderful. A special thanks goes also to the wonderful Branch President, President Williams and his lovely wife, Theresa. He gave us A & W Root Beer which is a rarity here and his wonderful wife made two pumpkin pies. I had looked everywhere for pumpkin and couldn't find any and she surprised us by having some pumpkin in her freezer and making the pies. Both were a hit with everyone!!!! We love you both!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Back to the Flat Inspections

We haven't had to do flat inspections for a couple of months because the Longs and the Ogdens have done their annual inspections. It is fun to once again have the close associations with the elders and sisters that we develop doing the flat inspections. In the upper left hand picture are Elder Tibbitts from Idaho Falls and Elder Brewer from San Antonio. They are great elders and are serving in Rhiwbina. The sisters are serving in Cardigan and are Sister Layton from Alaska, Sister Babbage from England, and Sister Hedemark from Sweden. We just love these wonderful ladies. In the bottom pictures are two elders serving in Aberystwyth, Elder Habicht from Germany and Elder Holland from North Carolina, currently ( his family moves all over for his father's job). What awesome elders they are!!! Our favorite zone leaders joined us and they are Elder Larsen from Phoenix, Az. and Elder Williams from Utah. These zone leaders are like sons to us. We just love them!!!

Dear "NEW" Arizona Friends

We had the opportunity to have dinner with Elder and Sister Long who are our office couple here on our mission. They are from Arizona but we didn't know them before our mission. They are a wonderful couple and are going home in January. It has been fun to become good friends.

Wonderful Friends

Between sessions of stake conference in Merthyr Tydfil some of us went to McDonald's for our dinner. Here is the Williams family and the Holman's who rode with us. So fun spending memorable times with dear friends!!! And conference was superb!!!

Beautiful Cardiff

As we were leaving the Rugby game, night was coming on in Cardiff and it was beautiful!! Isn't that sunset breathtaking!!! What a wonderful day!! Thank you President Williams!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rugby Game in Cardiff, Wales

Here are a few of the pictures of the stadium where the Rugby game we went to see today was held. As the players came in the fireworks started and were very impressive. The stadium holds about 75,000 people and today we had about 50,000. The stadium has interesting architecture. Fun, fun day!!

Wales Vs South Africa in Rugby

Here are a few shots of the Rugby game we were privileged to see tonight in Cardiff. The ball is carried in the hands or by kicking it. It has to be passed backward to the players. Here you see what they call a scrum which involves each team's forwards coming together, binding together by the shoulders over the "mark" and trying to hook the ball back to their team's side. This is similar to a tip off in basketball. Rugby is the National Sport of Wales and the people here are crazy about this game and very competitive. I loved the game and would become an avid fan if we lived here. We lost by 3 points but it was still amazing!!

Fun, Fun times in Cardiff at the Rugby Game

Here are great pictures of President Williams and his father and his cousins. They took us to a Rugby game in Cardiff and we loved it. It is easier to follow and watch than American Football. President Williams told us he wanted to be sure we got to see a Rugby game before we went home and he made it happen!!!

Great Associations at the Rugby Game

Our most favorite Branch President, President Williams arranged for us to attend a Rugby Game between the world champions, South Africa and Wales. We had the most delightful time with him, his father, and his cousins. He is the most fun man and a dear friend!!! He is so very good to us!!!

Flat Inspections and Zone Conference

In the upper left hand picture is a meal together after our Swansea flat inspections with Elder Williams (Zone Leader), Elder Keddington, Elder Sinclair ( District Leader), Elder Larsen ( Zone Leader ) and Jess one of our Institute students and a recent convert. The next picture on the right is Elder Krywult from Austria and Elder Siegel from Utah. In the two pictures on the bottom left hand side are of elders at zone conference and the lower right hand picture of Elder Crandall showing the steep climbs we have a times that are very hard for him. He is a real trooper.

Primary Sacrament Meeting Program

On Sunday we had our Primary Program and here is a picture of the children along with Brother and Sister Shambrook who participated with the exception of Jessica who didn't get into the picture. Seven children put on one of the best Sacrament Meeting Primary Programs I have ever seen. Lisa Shambrook is our Primary President and I love her. She is a very dedicated leader. Sister Greenhalgh assisted us and has been teaching the youngest age group. Sister Greenhalgh and I have become dear friends. Sister Cartwright is from the Stake Primary Presidency and she played the piano for us. I have always told her if we lived here permanently, she and I would be very close friends. She is awesome.

Wonderful Members of the audience and one of the Judges

We had a great audience for the Roadshows this past weekend. Here are pictures of Shirley Pomfret and Angela Greenhalgh both having family members in the show. We love these two great ladies. Here also is a picture of Elder Crandall. He was one of the judges for the roadshow. I love him the MOST!!!

Jack Facing the Temptations of the World

Here the Carmarthen girls ( Charley-Lee, Grace Harding and Rachel Greenhalgh) along with Lienna and Jennifer are dancing and representing the temptations of staying home from a mission in order to enjoy their presence. However Miss Virtue, Allissa Gaskell gives Jack in the Bean Stalk The Book of Mormon, reminding of his mission goal and they go off together!! More roadshow scenes and cast members to follow.

Scenes from the Roadshow

Here is our fabulous narrator, Lienna telling the story of Carmarthen's version of Jack in the Bean Stalk. The other scenes are the Bishop ( Kris Allen ) calling Jack ( Adam Greenhalgh ) to go on a mission and Jack selling his leather jacket to earn money to go. The giant is always there saying, Fe, Fi, Fo Fum, You're not going on a mission, son!!!

Some Roadshow Cast Members and Some Scenes

Here is Daniel Shambrook giving us all a head's up and the Holman boy from Llanelli working with the giant. The next scene is where I am telling Jack ( Adam Greenhalgh ) we can't afford his mission and we will need to sell buttercup the cow ( Jennifer Harding ). The other scene is where we are all saying goodbye to Jack because he earned the money needed and I am giving him a gift saying, " Life is a gift. That's why they call it the present!!" Fun times with the best of the best youth!!!!

Some of Carmarthen Roadshow Cast

Before we went on the stage we took a few pictures of some of the Carmarthen Road Show cast. I am with Adam Greenhalgh( played Jack ) in the bottom left hand picture and the Young Men's President, Dave McFarlane is coming in the door. In the middle picture is myself playing Jack's mother and Jennifer Harding playing Buttercup the cow, and Lienna Pomfret, the narrator. Shannara Mc Farland is REALLY posing!!! These youth are simply fabulous and we had so much fun together.

Institute Students in the Roadshow

It was so much fun to see some of our institute students in the roadshows. Here you see Mathilde, Camie, Jess, Jared, and Jared's father. They were superb!!! We love getting to know them and feel of their spirits every Thursday!!

Scripture Study with Robin Stanley

Every Saturday we meet with Robin Stanley and study the Sunday School lesson. It has been a great experience to see Robin grow in the gospel. The tree outside his home is bright yellow but the photo doesn't capture it well.

Fall colors

The fall colors are very beautiful here but it is very hard to capture the beauty in a photo. Here are a few pictures but they don't show the real beauty we see around every corner. I love the fall with the change in colors and the briskness in the air.