Cooking w/ the Cooks, Turkey @ Toby's, Dear ones Depart, Sweet Sixteen, Hidden Hymn to ...

 Cooking a Feast with the Cooks

We shared the November 19 Worldwide Young Adult Devotional broadcast with our institute students.  Elder Quenton L. Cook of the Twelve Apostles with his wife Mary served us a spiritual feast of Biblical proportions!

“The answer to every doubt or faith challenge is the gospel of Jesus Christ….I promise you: If you faithfully read the scriptures, pray and have religious observance in your lives, you will over time find answers to your questions and resolve doubts that may arise from time to time,"  said Elder Cook.

“Opposition in all things and an adversary who does not want us to have faith in God requires each generation “to discover and obtain their own knowledge and testimony of God and of their eternal identity.” 

“Questions about faith and anxiety about our true identity as children of God have always been present throughout history… But the answer has always been the same. We are all spirit children of the same loving Heavenly Father.”

Elder Cook explained that individuals who want to destroy  faith may try to claim that faith is no longer relevant. They claim that a large number of people have their same views on social issues and are no longer faithful Church members.  The reality is that “youth and young adults are not less active or leaving the Church in higher numbers than in the past, as has been widely circulated,” Elder Cook said. “The number of missionaries called to serve has significantly increased. The percentage of Church participation for the rising generation shows a continuous upward trend. Moreover, the number of young adults attending institute has also been increasing.” Having doubts is not the problem, but “how you face doubts is important,” he said. Don’t let doubts or disbelief overcome your faith, he said. “Diligent scripture study, sincere prayer, conscientious religious observance, and following the counsel of the Lord’s prophet will allow you to overcome faith challenges.”

Turkey at Toby's

There is a restaurant chain here in the UK called Toby Carvery.  A beloved sister, June Dowd and another sister Linda Gregory, in the North Shields ward took us and our sister missionaries (Sisters Victor and Barnard) out to our Thanksgiving Dinner.  It was indeed another feast, but of Turkey proportions!

Dear Ones Depart

This last week was a transfer week and we took Sister Hilton to the airport and saw several sweet missionaries at the hotel who were also departing, Sister McComas, Sister Stanley, and Elder Kitchen to name a few.  It is such a bitter-sweet experience for them to say goodbye to the land and people where they served so diligently for 18 or 24 months and now transition into normal life again with many exciting future possibilities ahead of them... work, school, and dating.  The phrase that always comes to our minds at this point is 'Return with Honor'-- when you serve faithfully and the best you can, you will be able to look back with joy and a quiet smile on your face. (This is our goal.) 

The South Shields District

The missionaries worldwide are organized into districts, which typically includes 6-10 Elders and Sisters in a locale. We meet weekly and counsel together about the work we do.  You get to know this group pretty well.  This transfer involved a lot of change in the mission with 17 missionaries departing and 23 missionaries arriving in the mission.  Sometimes districts get re-organized based on where the missionaries live or where needs are.  We are leaving the South Shields district and saying goodbye to Elder Casey, Sister Victor, Elder Keck, and Sister Thompson and will now be in the Alnwick District.   Our South Shields goodbye photo: 

Left to right:  Sister Barnard, Sister Victor, Sister Thompson, Sister McComas, Elder Keck, Elder Casey, the Betteridges

Fabulous New Flat and Sweet Sixteen

We have been busy moving over the last few days.  We are saying goodbye to our first flat at 16 Jesmond Park Court and saying hello to our new flat at 16 Blackhaugh Drive.  Our new flat is in Seaton Delaval just 20 minutes outside of Newcastle.  

(Our Jesmond flat had become a difficult living situation for us with un-repaired roof leaks and several other issues including moisture seepage into the flat along the ceiling corners and a crumbling sheetrock in several places. Heather had a dream that our roof was collapsing and was concerned for our safety.  A day after this dream we actually heard that our neighbor's ceiling had collapsed and she had to move out.  So we took this as timely inspiration and moved out quickly with essential items last Thursday eve and are now trying to get re-established in the new number 16 -- we feel the Lord is truly watching over us).

 

A Hidden Hymn

Our district has been reciting the following quote from Elder Stevenson (General Conference Oct 2023) as we look into the mirror each morning.  It brings an empowering feeling into our hearts and a desire to do what is right!

  

Loving Children, Superfluous, Barnard, The Sue Arkley Addition of the Scott Edgley Memorial Post

The Eternal Family

These last two weeks in Institute we have been discussing the eternal nature and purpose of gender and how we should love all of God's  children regardless of who they are and how they identify themselves.  We discussed the importance of gender in our Heavenly Father's plan.  From the Proclamation on the Family we read:

“All human beings—male and female—are created in the image of God. Each is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents, and, as such, each has a divine nature and destiny. Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose”  

Elder Bednar, an Apostle of Jesus Christ, said: "The natures of male and female spirits complete and perfect each other, and therefore men and women are intended to progress together toward exaltation. …For divine purposes, male and female spirits are different, distinctive, and complementary.… The unique combination of spiritual, physical, mental, and emotional capacities of both males and females were needed to implement the plan of happiness. Alone, neither the man nor the woman could fulfill the purposes of his or her creation… Just as the unique characteristics of both males and females contribute to the completeness of a marriage relationship, so those same characteristics are vital to the rearing, nurturing, and teaching of children. (“Marriage is Essential to His Eternal Plan”)

We know many people struggle with gender issues and our hearts are bursting with love for them.  In all that we have learned, we are comforted by the fact that through the power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, there is an opportunity for every one of God's children to realize their full potential and achieve eternal joy in God's Kingdom.  

Thank you Sister Bartholomew for bringing this quote to our attention:

“To build our lives on the rock of our Redeemer, Jesus Christ, we need to dig deep. We remove anything that is sandy or superfluous in our lives. We keep digging until we find Him. And we teach our children to bind themselves to Him through sacred ordinances and covenants so that when the oppositional storms and floods come, as they surely will, they will have little effect upon them “because of the rock upon which [they] are built.”Helaman 5:12

 

This kind of strength doesn’t just happen. It is not passed on to the next generation like a spiritual inheritance. Each person must dig deep to find the rock.” Brother Jan E Newman October General conference 2023.

BARNARD Castle

A visit to the town of BARNARD Castle with our sister missionaries Sister BARNARD and Sister Victor:

Sue Arkley

Two weeks ago we honored Elder Scott Edgley, our brother-in-law who served in the Newcastle area where we now serve.  Though he passed away as a young father several years after his mission, he is still remembered to this day in the Newcastle area amongst a few of the members.  Enclosed here is a more complete conversion story of Sue Arkley, a convert who Elder Edgley found over 40 years ago.

MY CONVERSION STORY - Sue Arkley

Although I didn't join the church until November 1977 my conversion started

about 10 years earlier, while I was in my late teens. I had been a church goer,

from an early age and then started through the ranks again as a teacher, and at

the time in question I was teaching 7-8 year old young boys. I had a lesson to

do on the Godhead, and try as I might, I just couldn't get my head around

what the lesson was teaching. I thought that if I didn't understand it how

could I put it over to my class. I didn't actually believe in a God without

body, parts or passions, that could be everywhere and nowhere and were all

one body, not separate identities as the baptism of Jesus would suggest, when

the Father was heard saying "this is my beloved son” and the Holy Ghost in

the symbol of a dove rested upon the Lord. I went to the superintendent of the

Sunday school and explained my dilemma to which he said. “Oh you don't

have to believe it, just teach it.” I walked out and never went back.

I tried a few different churches on for size, but none of them were a good fit.

The people were in most cases very nice, but the teachings just didn't sound 

right. And so when two young men knocked on our door in Blyth in the 

summer of 1977 I wanted nothing to do with them. By now I had made up 

my mind that what I was looking for just didn't exist and was not prepared to 

waste my time, or build up my hopes as I had in the past. They introduced 

themselves as elders Edgley and Larson,and asked if they could come

in and show us a short film strip describing some of their 

beliefs. - it was called Man's search for Happiness, which answered the 

questions, where did we come from? Why are we here? Where are we going 

after this earth life? -I was in tears mid way through and thus started our 

interest and investigation into the church.

Because of my past experiences I was very skeptical and asked a lot of

questions and finally Elder Rasmussen told me in no uncertain terms to just

shut up with the questions and let them teach. He promised that all my

questions would be answered once I had received all the lessons so I said ok

with one final question. If God is supposed to love us today as He did in the

past, why don’t we have prophets today?  WE DO! blurted Elder Rasmussen and 

12 Apostles, as in Christ’s original church!  Well…. the rest is history. 

We were baptized in a very cold Newcastle chapel, in equally cold water on 

the evening of Friday 25th November 1977 but I have never felt so warm as I 

did after coming out of that water. It wasn't until then that we found out 

another aspect of our conversion story that involved the missionaries that 

tracted us up.

The mission president had asked them to look for a priesthood family that 

could open the Blyth area and a branch there, so they had been fasting and 

praying to find such a family. They had come to the estate where we lived,

walked through the various streets to our close, which was the last they could 

come to it being a cull-d-sac and had passed all the doors and walked up to 

ours. That is where the spirit had led them. Also after going back to his flat 

that evening, Elder Edgley-a district leader that had been on spits with the 

local elders wrote in his journey - “Today I tracted up a future bishop”. (Keith Arkley

later in 1985 served for 6 years as the North Shields ward bishop — this is the

ward we currently serve in).

I had to put up with a lot of opposition from my family however. My dad had

served with a member of the church during the war and he said “if that's your

Mormons you can keep them. I want nothing to do with them. I was an only

child and he wrote me out of his will because he didn't want any of his

money going to the church.

Paul before King Agrippa and Joseph Smith both saw visions and new they 

couldn't deny it because they know that God knew too, and that in part is how 

I felt about the struggle I had between church and family. I had come to know 

the church was true and I knew that God, through inspiration had given me 

that knowledge and I dared not deny it, so I trusted in the Lord and just hoped 

everything would work out with my family somewhere down the line. It

didn't in their life times,…and I believe they now know what I know and they too

know it to be true.

Marriage, Dylan Dandy, Donkey Talk, Robin Hood's Home, Miracles Abound, Falling

Marriage Between a Man and a Woman is Ordained of God

We were delighted to teach the young adults recently about the importance of marriage, an essential  covenant in God's plan for all His children.  The Bible is clear on the importance of a male and female in this union. 

Genesis 1:26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. 

Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said:

"A family built on the marriage of a man and woman supplies the best setting for God’s plan to thrive—the setting for the birth of children, who come in purity and innocence from God, and the environment for the learning and preparation they will need for a successful mortal life and eternal life in the world to come. …

… It is [God] who in the beginning created Adam and Eve in His image, male and female, and joined them as husband and wife. … Each individual carries the divine image, but it is in the matrimonial union of male and female as one that we attain perhaps the most complete meaning of our having been made in the image of God—male and female. Neither we nor any other mortal can alter this divine order of matrimony. It is not a human invention. Such marriage is indeed “from above, from God” [see Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Letters and Papers from Prison, ed. Eberhard Bethge (1953), 42–43] and is as much a part of the plan of happiness as the Fall of Adam and the Atonement of Jesus Christ. (“Why Marriage, Why Family,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2015, 52)"

Dylan's Diary

Our grandson Dylan Betteridge is serving a mission in the Winnipeg Canada  Mission.  He is a master of sharing and inviting others to come unto Christ through posts on Facebook.  We are so grateful for him and his service.  Belief in God is always rewarded as we diligently seek Him. 

 

He recently posted the following:

"Jesus is always ready and waiting to reward us with countless blessings. He just asks that we seek him by coming closer to him, and becoming more like him. I know that I have certainly seen God's hands work wonders in my life as I come closer to him, especially though prayer and studying the scriptures.

How do you seek Jesus?"

Going along with this thought is a message from Elder Holland.  He reminds us to pray and visualize our righteous desires and then pray and believe that He can and will grant us what we desire.  

A Scarborough Visit

We love the little sea-side town of Scarborough where Elder Betteridge's grandmother was born.  In 1885 she helped her uncle manage the donkey strings to give tourists rides.  This practice continues to this day on the Scarborough South Beach approximately 150 years later.  Could these donkeys be the posterity of the donkeys that Emily and her uncle used in their business? Elder B asked these donkeys this question, but they didn't have much to say about it!  

On the way to Scarborough we stopped for lunch at the Bay Hotel in Robin Hood's Bay, where Elder B's Bedlington ancestors were born.  Notice the red poppy on Elder B's lapel.  The red poppy is a symbol for "Remembrance Day" on November 11th, where those who have served in the armed forces, defending this great country are honored.  Every year on Remembrance Sunday, the second Sunday in November, at 11:00 AM all the churches and public memorials have a two minute moment of silence to remember  all those who have fallen in battle while defending this great nation. 

Our hearts and days are full of gratitude for the many small miracles we witness

Nov 6 Journal Entry

Today the Hand of the Lord is manifested in the realization that everyday there are small and simple miracles to be discovered in our lives, we just need to look for them.  Sometimes they are big ones but most of the time they are small ones, simple ones, almost hidden.  So today we graciously recognize their presence and most of all express our sincere gratitude to Him for opening our eyes to them as we reflect at the end of each day. Here are a few from this week:  A flat owner recognizing us as good potential renters, a comment of sincere appreciation from a sister missionary when we were feeling very tired, learning about more people that Elder Edgley touched while he was here, family members praying for us and then us recognizing an extra sweet spirit in our Institute class as we taught a difficult subject, a Bishop's heart was softened towards a young adult who wants to go to the temple, seeing our family supporting one another while we are away.  

Fall is a beautiful time of year here

 

   

    

 

Elder Scott Edgley Memorial Issue

Elder Scott Edgley Served in the Leeds England Mission 1977-1979

Ecclesiastes 11:1

"Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days." 

So we see with the mission labors of Elder Edgley after 45 years--  he is recognized and cherished to this day after he served amongst the saints here. 

Approximately 48 years ago, Scott Edgley joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Tacoma, Washington when he was around 17 years old.  He was friends with Elder Betteridge's sister Merilee as well as Donny Blackner and several other Latter-day Saints at Curtis High School.  He was called to serve a mission for the church in Leeds England where we now serve.  

When we arrived in the mission we were assigned to serve in the Sunderland Stake in the northeast of England in the Newcastle upon Tyne area.  We learned from Elder Betteridge's sister, Merilee, that Newcastle was also one of the areas where Scott had served when he was on his mission.  We had always hoped to meet someone that would have remembered him some 46 years ago when he was here.

Bingo! This last week we have met several people who remembered Elder Scott Edgley.  As you may recall from a previous blog post we have been re-assigned to serve in the North Shields ward after being in the Newcastle ward since we arrived 10 months ago.  This has opened up the opportunity to meet and learn more about several other members of the church here in our new ward that we wouldn't have met had we remained in the Newcastle ward for the remainder of our mission.  We feel these meetings are by Divine Design and recognize these meetings as small miracles in our service. 

Scott lived at 183 Salters Lane just 10 minutes from where we now live in Newcastle:

One of the members Elder Edgley visited was Christine Steele and her husband Frank.  Frank, is not yet a member but has been very supportive of his wife Christine for over 45 years.  Christine is undergoing treatment for an unfortunate infection she received in the hospital during a hip replacement surgery.  We visited her and took the Sacrament to her this last week.  Because of Christine's interest in family history, Frank has learned that he is 100% of Viking descent.  He is a potter and very talented as well.  It is easy to see why Elder Edgley made the Steele home one of his regular visits while he was here. 

As we were reviewing the North Shields ward list to find other individuals that may have known Elder Edgley, we felt impressed to reach out to a Susan Arkley, who we noticed was baptized in the time period that Elder Edgley served in the Newcastle area.  We asked her if she knew him, here is what she said:

Elder Edgely was one of the Elders that actually found us ! ! ! ! 



Yes, Yes, Yes !!!

He was one of the missionaries who taught me.

I have his wedding invitation which he sent me

WOW !

I was baptized November 1977 so he must have been serving here then or on splits.

WOW again ! ! !

Love

Susan

Susan has been a faithful member of the church, since 1977 and is currently a Family History Specialist in the North Shields ward and a seminary teacher in the Sunderland stake.  She has had 2  children (boys), one of whom served a mission.  She also has 2 grandsons.  

We asked Susan more about the circumstances of Elder Edgley finding them and this is what she said:  Elder Edgley told us that in August of 1977 the mission president had asked all the missionaries in the mission to fast once a week and pray every day until they find someone new to teach. In accordance with this direction, Elder Edgley faithfully followed his mission president's council and then one day felt inspired to travel to Blyth (a nearby town) to knock on doors.  He had passed over several streets and then felt impressed to walk to the end of the next street and knocked on the last door on the street.  

Susan Arkley answered the door.  She recalls it was a Sunday.  She was busy cooking dinner at the time and answered the door and there stood two missionaries at her door.  She then called to her husband who was upstairs to come downstairs.  She told her husband quietly,  there are a couple of guys at the door who want to talk, just get rid of them so we can have dinner.  Her husband Keith came down to the door and as they tried to find a time when they could come back he said, just come in, let's do it now. They put their dinner on hold and listened.  

Elder Edgley and his companion showed them the "Man Search for Happiness" filmstrip and the rest is history.  They loved the message and joined the church shortly thereafter.  Elder Edgley was able to teach them many of the lessons but was transferred out of the area before they were baptized.  Elder Edgley made an impression on them and they kept in touch.  He later came back when he was in mission leadership and was able to meet with them.  Here are some excerpts from Sister Arkley's journal at that time:

Sister Arkley with Elder and Sister Betteridge below.  Sister Arkley received a wedding announcement from Scott and Merilee and has kept it all these years.  Also pictured is Brother Arkley who serves as 1st counselor in the Ashington Branch Presidency.

Shortly after Elder Edgley returned home from his mission he married Elder Betteridge's sister Merilee and they have had 3 wonderful children; Aaron, Adam and Alex.  As we told Scott's story to Sister Steele and Sister Arkley that remembered him, they were saddened to hear of his passing over 40 years ago, but grateful to know of his continued faithfulness in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

We honor Elder Edgley and the many young Elders and Sisters who have served full-time missions over the years.  Where would the Body of Christ be today without the faithful, humble service of these disciples of Christ and the legacy they leave.