Standing as a Witness of Christ
The institute lesson this week was inspiring and focused on the power of testimony. A testimony is the cumulative impact on our soul of spiritual impressions we have received from God. It influences the motivation or the spiritual 'why' of how you live and interact with others. One of our favorite quotes in the lesson material came from Elder Neil L. Andersen, a member of the Quorum of the 12 Apostles, said he:
"With those around us, let us be more open, more willing to talk of Christ. President Russell M. Nelson said, "True disciples of Jesus Christ are willing to stand out, speak up, and be different from the people of the world."...As the world speaks less of Jesus Christ, let us speak more of Him. As our true colors as His disciples are revealed, many around us will be prepared to listen. As we share the light we have received from Him, His light and His transcendent saving power will shine on those willing to open their hearts."
Family, Oh Family
It is difficult to express in words the influence and love of family. This is a blessing we are so grateful for and hope that someday all will have this blessing, if they do not experience it now. We live for interactions with family and joy in every moment we can be with them.
This week we have had Brittney and Chris Archibald (Brittney is our daughter), and their two oldest children, Alec and Charlie, visit with us. We are having such fun visiting the castles and family history sites around us here in northern England.
We also met Marie and Mike Bateman (Marie is Mont's sister), and their daughters Hannah and Emily, with Emily's sweet baby, Miriam, in Scarborough and visited Emily Ness's childhood home (Mont's grandmother) and Margaret Ann Coulson's home (Emily's Ness's mother) while in Scarbrough. We all went to church in Newcastle on Sunday, June 4th and shared a Sunday meal together-- truly delightful times.
Inspired Discovery
As we were researching where Mont's grandmother's maternal line (surname: Coulson), were from and where they lived I received an email from FamilySearch.org, it invited me to link to possible relatives who participated in the world's largest genealogical conference, RootsTech. Not thinking anything would come of it, I clicked on the link and found a 3rd cousin on the Coulson line and surprises of all surprises, he lives right here in Newcastle. We will be meeting next week, more to come on this.
Tiny Houses and Tiny Cars
It seems that we have seen a lot of tall people in England, but this week we saw the other end of the spectrum in tiny houses and tiny cars.
Robin Hoods Bay
We visited Robins Hood Bay a small town on the east coast of England just north of Scarborough-- population 1,200. Mont's 4th great grandparents, Richard Bedlington and Jane Marshall, were born in this little town in 1748 and 1749 respectively. The town is a fishing village, steeped in history, dating back to the 1500s.
Why the name Robin Hood's Bay? Legend has it, Robin Hood encountered French pirates who came to pillage the fisherman's boats and the northeast coast. The pirates surrendered and Robin Hood returned the loot to the poor people in the village, now called Robin Hood's Bay.
This is a town that was noted for heavy smuggling activity in the late 1700's and early 1800's in an effort to avoid heavy taxes on imported goods. We are not saying our ancestors were pirates or involved in this activity but it is an interesting thing to note what was going on in town while they lived there.
Choose Marriage
We had the unusual privilege in the last few days to visit the chapel where Mont's great grandparents, Margaret Ann Coulson and Benjamin Ness were married (St. Mary's of Scarborough). We enjoyed meeting the resident church artist and her artwork.
Also we visited the church where Mont's great, great grandparents were married (St. Hildas of South Shields). We are grateful that both of these couples chose marriage. We, their posterity, are the benefactors of their good choices. Thank you dear ancestors!
What is on the outside does not reflect what is on the inside
A striking analogy emerged this week as we observed the outside of Saint Hilda's church. It looked old and decrepit on the outside but when we went inside we were stunned at the beauty within. There is a lesson here, many old people look wrinkled and grey, having lost youthful luster, but on the inside they are a beautiful testament of discipleship and spiritual depth. Let us all strive to withhold judgement on what we first see on the outside and probe for the beauties within each of us, especially the elderly among us.
No comments:
Post a Comment