Our Very Own Milford Haven District

Here we are at our Milford Haven District Meeting held this past Thursday. How we love these Elders and Sisters. Elder Crandall and I are in the top picture with Elder Chamberlain who is going home next week. He is so much fun as you can see!!!And he was an outstanding missionary!! I was always so impressed that when I wanted a scripture to use in a certain situation, he could always tell me what scripture to use and where it was. We will miss him terribly!!!!!!!!!!!! We always take a normal picture of our district and then a silly one when one of us is leaving and before transfers.

At Mandy's Home

Recently we have met an amazing family that has captured our hearts. Mandy says she prayed us into their lives and we do feel God had something to do with bringing us together. The top left hand picture is of Mandy and her mother. I am so impressed with the great giving nature of Mandy. We also enjoyed meeting Mandy's mother. What a delightful lady!! Brandon is becoming a great young man and we really enjoy his friendship. Now let me tell you about this dog!!! This dog is human and that's for certain. We expect words to come out of his mouth anytime now. Brandon had a friend visiting in the fourth picture. We are so enjoying our friendship with this family!!!

On our Way to Mandy's

On our way to a dear friend's home we went to Tenby and enjoyed this beautiful view!!! Isn't it breathtaking??

Special Desserts fo Elders Going Home

Elder Wilkins, Elder Wright, and Elder Spence are all going home on the next transfer which is next week and we bought them a special dessert as a thank you for their devoted service here in the Mission field. They will be missed and we wish them future happiness with a reminder to remember the three most important decisions they will make in their lives right now that will bring them eternal happiness!!

Part of Rhiwbina District

We did flat inspections for part of the Rhiwbina District today ( had completed the other part of the district earlier in the month) and here are pictures of the elders we saw today. Top left is Elder Halaufia from Florida and Tonga. He is the district leader and was a great football player before he came out on his mission. His companion is Elder Ercanbrack from Provo and he has been out two months. On the top right is Elder Stokes from Texas who we had met in Aberystwyth and learned to love him there and Elder Brewer from New Mexico who has just been out 3 weeks. In the bottom left side picture is Elder Pedersen from St George, Utah and Elder Griffiths from Garland, Utah. These two elders were awesome today and showed us the Caerphilly Castle. In the picture at the restaurant are more great elders. There are two amazing zone leaders, Elder Newbury from Springville, Utah and Elder Spence from Oak City, Utah on the one side of the table along with a great Chinese Elder, Elder Leung from Hong Kong. On the other side of the table is Elder Luu who is part Chinese and is from Washington state along with Elder Crandall and myself. Just being with these dedicated young servants of the Lord is humbling and we thank Heavenly Father every day for their diligence in serving Him.

Heads of the Valley District Elders

We love doing flat inspections in the Heads of the Valley District. We always get the group together for lunch because they are close enough to do so. In the top left hand picture are Elder Heller, District Leader from Germany and Elder Nylund from Sweden. In right hand top picture are Elder Worthington from Orem, Utah, Elder Prestwich from Portland, Oregon, Elder Wright from Boise, Idaho and Elder Wilkins from Lehi, Utah. You couldn't find any finer, more dedicated elders in the church than these young servants of the Lord!! And their flats were CLEAN!!!!! Elder Wright and Wilkins are going home this next transfer and we will miss them very much!!! Good luck elders with the rest of your lives.

Caerphilly Castle

This is Caerphilly Castle that is in Caerphilly one of the towns that has a missionary flat we inspect. It is the largest castle in western Europe after Windsor Castle and was built in the late 13th century. One of Henry III's most powerful barons, Gilbert de Clare built this castle. The large moat was a great defense mechanism and was an amazing structure for that time.

Pembroke Castle

Here are pictures of Pembroke Castle in Pembroke, a town we go to often with our missionary work. This mighty fortress is largely intact and is built on the banks of the river estuary where you see these beautiful swans. The castle has endless passages, tunnels and stairways that will be fun to explore when our family comes out to pick us up from our mission in a year. This castle was once the seat of a succession of major barons who played leading roles in shaping Britain's history. It was the birth place of Henry Tudor father of the infamous Henry VIII and grandfather of Elizabeth I.

Great Missionaries

Today we spent a great Sunday at the Milford Haven Branch (the second branch we have been working in). After church we had a delicious dinner with the Dowers and with Elder Williams and Elder Mathews. The Dowers are professional chefs and the food was out of this world and their company was even better. Elder Williams is our District Leader and he is a remarkable leader and we so enjoy working with him. We have just started working with Elder Mathews who is from Mesa and just a few blocks from our home. Elder Mathews has a great spirit about him and you would never know he is brand new. He is a devoted, obedient, wonderful missionary. It is so fun to talk about home with him. We had a lovely older sister ( Sonia Picton) and a special grandfather and grandson (Michael Dower and Luke) come to the Milford Haven Branch today for the first time in a long while. We have been visiting with them in their homes for some time. We all were delighted to have them at church and they were happy to be there as well. Oh how wonderful the gospel is!!!

Jackson Family

We have met a lovely new family the Jacksons and their son has become our Ethan here in Wales. We have a darling grandson by the name of Ethan also in the US. His mother, Stacey is also in one of the pictures and was very gracious to us. Ethan had saved his pennies to buy the motorized truck and we had such fun playing together with it. His Dad had just left for the UK's version of a weekend in the National Guard. When we left Ethan cried and cried. We will go back soon.

Special Friends

This week on Thursday Mavis and Daniel Griffiths had us over for lunch and the table was set beautifully and the food was even better. Mavis is in our Relief Society Presidency and Daniel used to work in the temple as an ordinance worker and as a sealer. He is almost blind now and just remarkable. We love this wonderful couple who treat us so well.

Spring is Sprung

All around us are trees and flowers in bloom. These trees and flowers were just around the Surgery office where we went to see Elder Crandall's Doctor. They are beautiful and the weather has been gorgeous and we have not had to even wear a jacket!!!!

On April 19, 2010 we went to have Family Home Evening with a favorite family of ours Mandy and Brandon Potts and who live in Manorbier. Just down the road from their home is the Manorbier Castle which is located above the sparkling bay shown in a couple of the pictures. The castle was built in the 12th century and for 250 years was owned by Lord de Barri and his family. They were Irish. It is famous for being the birth place of Gerald de Barri a medival historian. More fun then seeing the castle however was spending time with Mandy and Brandon.

I wanted you to get a glimpse of the council housing here in Wales. Row after row of these houses. I will discuss this further in my weekly update.

Missionaries at Flat Inspections

Here are great missionaries in their flats when we had the priviledge of doing their flat inspections. Their mothers would be so proud of how clean they keep their flats. The first set of Elders are Elder Hummer from Murray, Utah and Elder Bussell from Maine. Elder Bussell has only been out for a couple of months so Elder Hummer will be a great trainer. The next set of elders are Elder Dudley from Alberta, Canada and Elder Duke from Arkansas. These two are awesome elders and were on their way to practice for Mission Football. The next two elders we have become very close to because they are also in our district. They are Elder Ackerman(he is squinting because believe it or not the sun was so bright) from Chico, Calif. and Elder Chamberlain from Lehi, Utah. Elder Chamberlain is going home at the end of the month and we will missed his fun personality and dedication very much. Last but certainly not least are Elder Busch from Phoenix, Az. and Elder Salmans. Elder Busch is also going home at the end of the month and has served with dedication and love for the work. Elder Salmans is from Pleasant Grove, Utah and has been out less than a month. These two wonderful elders gave my husband, Elder Crandall a very special blessing the day we were there because he could hardly walk. Elder Crandall is already feeling good results from that blessing. How we love these special associations!!!

This past week Elder Crandall could hardly walk and on Tuesday when we were doing flat inspections I was so worried about him I asked two of the elders to administer to him. After the inspections that day we went into a store to buy something he could soak his legs in and we met an older couple. The wife had a cane and I asked her where she got it and she said it was hard to find one here so she sent away for it. The couple could see how weak Rex was and before we knew it the husband had returned from his car and presented us with a cane for Rex. We couldn't believe it but feel they were angels sent from Heavenly Father. We feel the tender mercies of the Lord everyday in our mission. Rex is doing much better now. Check out that British hat!!! Elder Crandall is simply wonderful--he just won't stop doing the Lord's work even when he hurts all over. I love that good man!!!!!!!!!!!!

Inside houses at St Fagans National History Museum

The homes here at the museum feature different eras in the history of Wales and here are a few pictures of some of the insides of the home. Today we spent a wonderful day with Catherine Rees a dear friend from Carmarthen Branch. She insisted on pushing Elder Crandall in a wheel chair all afternoon and treated us like royality. We are so appreciative of her and her kindness and love. We just adore her family.

Animals at St Fagans National History Museum

Here are examples of the Hill Radnor sheep that produce the most prized wool in Wales. It is lambing season now in Wales and the lambs are wonderful to watch now on every mountain side. There is also a Welsh pony. Reminded me somewhat of "Sparkie", our beloved pony from the Montana days.

Interesting sites at St Fagans National History Museum

In these pictures at St Fagans National History Museum you see a Hayshed built out of slate in 1870, a water pump, a Circular Pigsty built in 1800, and a bee shelter. A very fun day seeing welsh life through the ages.

Our day at St Fagans National History Museum

St Fagans National Museum opened in 1948 and is one of Europe's most outstanding open air museums and is the most visited heritage attraction in Wales. The museum shows how the people of Wales have lived, worked and spent their time over the years. In one picture Elder Crandall is preaching in one of their churches (Pen-Rhiw chapel) that was adapted from a barn into a church in 1777, in another is a school room from the 1890's, a storage shed and the Abernodwydd Farmhouse buit in 1678.