Christmas 2011

Elder Gerrand and Elder Gravellese in Billingham

We worried a bit about being away from our family for Christmas, but were able to fill our time with rewarding activities.  On Christmas Eve we set off to deliver Christmas gifts that arrived late for missionaries throughout the mission.

Sister Brown and Sister Freeman in Stanley/Durham

Elder Herlin and Elder Otte were especially excited



Sunderland Zone



Wearin' me flat cap at St. Mary's Island

It was a fun day for us and we even found time to stop off at the seashore.   It was quite cold, but there were many people walking along the beach and the air was so refreshing.

Elder Cumming, Elder Wietzel, me, Bert Van Aarde

Christmas Day was a treat for us, with a missionary from Germany, another from Scotland and an new convert from South Africa sharing our Christmas meal of California favorites, enchiladas, rice, & beans.  They loved it!

Mission Christmas Holidays! Part 1

Such a sacrifice to be away from home during the Christmas season! What does an aging couple do when far away from the familiar and loving traditions of home, hearth and family?

The season starts about Halloween right?  Well, right after Halloween festivities comes an English holiday called Guy Fawkes Day.  On Guy Fawkes Day we tottered up to Ilkley and enjoyed a sumptuous feast at The Fox and Hounds with the Youngs (a missionary couple from Fillmore,Utah who are working at the Institute of Religion for Leeds University - their second mission - their first working in Malaysia).  We enjoyed a delicious gammon and turkey dinner. As we drove home we noticed that there were a couple of bonfires and the smell of smoke.  Closer to home we begin to hear fireworks.  The Youngs dropped us off and in a few minutes there was a cacaphony of fireworks all across the valley and all around us. Happy Guy Fawkes Day!!

A couple of weeks later as the season gets into gear we go together with the other missionaries in the area and attended a rather posh affair out at the Harewood House called the White Rose Music Festival. We rubbed elbows with Leeds elite and listened to fahncy music.

The next week we celebrated a holiday from the colonies called Thanksgiving with 6 other couple at the Institute building which is a Victorian 5 story building that has been refurbished and is a beautiful example of the architecture at the turn of the century.

The following week we had tickets to see "Top Hat" a song and dance musical at the Leeds Grand Theatre (make sure you make the ending "re" not "er").  We had a lovely evening and rode into downtown Leeds in hired cars (taxis). .............wait!  It says I'm at the bottom of the page......I guess I have to go to another page to continue our holiday adventures