A Light upon the Hill
This last week we spent time with daughter Brittney and her husband Chris and their two oldest, Alec and Charlie, traveling through some very beautiful countryside. As we drove through the Lakes District we came to a town called Ulverston that had a lighthouse upon the hill above the city. We love lighthouses for what they symbolize.
It is always inspiring to ponder upon the purpose of a lighthouse and its physical light and compare it to the Savior and His spiritual light and think about our responsibility as His disciples to reflect His light into the world around us. Words of scripture came to our minds spoken by the Lord as he stood upon the mount and taught the people. Said He:
“A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” (Matt. 5:14–16)
We don't live the way we do to be recognized for the sake of pride or recognition but we live the way we do because we love Jesus Christ and want to follow Him. In an ever darkening world, a true disciple of Christ is substantially noticeable, like a light on a hill; people around you notice the light of Christ that emanates from you through your goodness-- the way you live, the way you treat others.
The Moncur Family in Dundee Scotland
We had an opportunity to visit Dundee, Scotland where Heather's Moncur relatives are found. We discovered several headstones in the Howff graveyard with names of Moncur on them. One headstone had a whole family listed with dates and their ages. We believe these are ancestors of Heather's maternal parentage. (Her mother is Evelyn Moncur).
We went on to find the Moncur Castle in Inchture, approximately 16 minutes from Dundee. This was a small castle built in the 1540 time period but burned down in an accidental fire in 1691. It was never repaired.
St Giles' Cathedral in Edinburgh - It is Well with My Soul
The St Giles' Cathedral in Edinburgh was founded in 1124. It has been a working church for over 900 years. Originally a Catholic church, the 16th century saw it adopt Protestantism and served as reformer John Knox's church up until his death in 1572. As such, St Giles' is widely considered the mother church of Presbyterianism.
As we were walking through the church we thought we were hearing angels as a visiting boy's choir from Alabama, USA began singing "It is Well with My Soul"-- such a beautiful setting with amazing music gave us such peace as we listened-- an example of the Lord's love for us is how Alec described it.
Saint Andrews - Birthplace of Golf
It was an exciting time for us (especially for our golf-lover son-in-law Chris) to visit the Old Course at Saint Andrews, Scotland. This is where the game of golf was born, amongst shepherds hitting rocks in the fields with their crook staff. We certainly have come a long way in the development of this game... but maybe rocks and a crook staff might be better for some (Elder Betteridge)!
A Paisley Wedding
In the Glasgow area, we visited the Paisley Abbey. This is where Heather's 3rd great grandparents, Mary Jane McDougall and Michael Stuart Hodgert, were married in 1823. The organ in this church, installed in 1870, is noted as one of the finest instruments in the UK and is believed to be comparable to the organ at the Notre Dame Cathedral in France.
Pemberley
Ahh the beauty of this estate where the filming of the 1995 version of Pride and Prejudice took place with Colin Firth as Darcy. The filming took place only on the outside of the property, the inside scenes were filmed elsewhere. Beautiful gardens, sprawling lawns and a herd of deer greeted us on the long drive up to this large mansion. Sadly, Darcy was not in when we visited.
Cheltenham Church and a 3rd Cousin
As we spent a day in the Cotswalds we attended church on Sunday at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints -- Cheltenham congregation. To our surprise David Betteridge was the Bishop of the congregation and his father, Sean Betteridge, was the Elders Quorum President. (They use and refer to themselves as 'Betteridges' though they hyphenate their last name Cotton-Betteridge). Sean is Mont's 3rd cousin; our first common ancestor is William Cotton-Betteridge, a former mayor of Cheltenham.
The Charm of Tetbury
Just 30 minutes from Cheltenham is the small charming town of Tetbury, another special family history spot for Mont. This is where the Pasketts, Buckinghams, Popes, Brownings and Manns appear in Mont's family history and where many were laid to rest. As we walked through St Mary's churchyard looking for family gravestones we were greeted with beautiful organ music from this old 1781-built chapel. A church has been at this site since the 7th century. We didn't find any family headstones, but did find someone who knew some Buckinghams that still lived in the village and a recommendation for a facebook page called Old Tetbury where discussions are frequent concerning the history of this town and those who lived in it.
Preston England Temple
A refreshing stop at the Preston England inspires us and strengthens our family bonds.
Meeting Bob and Edna Robson
As we walked the beautiful little road to the Moncur Castle, we came across an older gentlemen in the woods cutting firewood. He was off the path about 50 feet, sitting upon a log resting. Elder Betteridge said to himself, "there is someone who needs a cheery conversation." He had a Stihl chainsaw at this feet, ahhh even the world's best chainsaw is found in the backwoods of Scotland.
We began talking of his day and what he was doing. He turned out to be a retired navy officer who was in the special forces of the British Navy. He asked us to stop by and see his wife who was at his house at the end of the lane near the brook behind the red telephone booth. Her name was Edna but he calls her 'snapdragon'. She was thrilled to have us stop by and say hello. She invited us in and we heard a bit of her life story. She talked of not going to church for a long time, then being called by the pastor in the last two weeks and being asked to do a reading of scripture in church. This was a spiritual awakening for her and she was grateful for this nudging and now knows she needs to receive more.
She said to us, "I feel that our meeting is not a coincidence. The Boss (pointing towards the heavens) always puts me where I am meant to be." She went on to say, "I feel strongly that we are supposed to meet and that you have something to share with me!" We exchanged cell phone numbers and said we would come back and talk to her some more (this is 3.5 hours from where we live in Newcastle). We are looking at our schedule now and planning a weekend to visit them again and also connect them with church members and missionaries who live near by who could teach them about the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Lord's hand is in the details of our lives more than we know!
No comments:
Post a Comment