Finding in Sunderland
We are so grateful to be serving the wonderful people of England at this time. These are good people and generally happy to open the door and talk. We had the blessing of going door-to- door finding with our young Elder/Sisters as well as some youth from the Sunderland Ward to spread the joy and cheer of Christmas this last week. We gave out Christmas Cards and invited & testified that Jesus Christ lives and is the Savior and Redeemer of mankind. The Christmas cards had QR links to inspirational videos about His life. Several people wanted us to come back and share more. It was cold and rainy but are hearts were full of love and hope for Jesus Christ and His return in the near future. Are we ready?
The Tradition Continues
A memorable tradition of Christmas we have in our family is dressing in Christmas 'jammies' and gathering around the Christmas tree for photos. Our favorite tree was the processed wood tree (paper) from our children and grandchildren (the grandchildren made the ornaments) ! We gather on Christmas eve in our jammies, ready for the excitement of Christmas Morning !
Christmas Tea at Jayne and Norm Johnson's House
We love the Johnsons and enjoyed Christmas Tea (dinner) with them in the afternoon on Christmas day. Attending were the Sister Missionaries; Sister Barnard and Moss, Sue Arkley; Heather Thompson; Dan and Natalie Conway and their children (Natalie is Jayne/Norm's daughter and their 4 children-- Lucy, Jack, Nellie and Henry); Brother and Sister Conway (Dan's parents); Norma Johnson (Norm's mother); and brother Braithwaite (Jayne's Father) and Paul (Norm's next door neighbor), a jolly group. We drank Shloer, carbonated fruit beverage, similar to Martinelli's (and non-alcoholic of course 😉).
The Johnson's and Conway's had just returned from a 3-week trip to Disney World the week before and had reached out to our daughter Brittney to find out what we liked in the USA. So they brought back gifts, delectable delights that we missed: Ranch Dressing, Poppy Seed Dressing, Black Licorice, Junior Mints and more. . . It made for a wonderful surprise.
Sunderland Zone Caroling in Newcastle City Square
We enjoyed caroling and passing out Christmas cards in the Newcastle City Center on 23 December.
Boxing Day Tea at Heather Thompson's
Boxing Day is typically December 26th. The name comes from a time during Queen Victoria's reign when the rich used to box up gifts to give to the poor. Boxing Day was traditionally a day off for servants - a day when they received a special Christmas box from their employers. The servants would also go home on Boxing Day to give Christmas boxes to their families. We celebrated boxing day with Heather Thompson by having a wonderful meal, fellow meal buddies: Evans Moses, Sisters Barnard and Moss, Sue Arkley, Grace Cadle and Bishop and Sister Wakenshaw.
Christmas Multi-Zone Conference
We had a multi-zone conference just before Christmas. We served Ham, Funeral Potatoes, Green Beans, Salad and Lemon Cake with Blueberries and Whip Cream. At this conference we had the largest white elephant gift exchange that we have ever seen -- 100 people! The most preferred gift was a Yoda stuffy.
The BIG GIFT
Unbeknownced to us, our dear family had been plotting, planning and stitching for the last 6 months and sent us the most beautiful family memory quilt that we unwrapped Christmas morning on a zoom call with the whole family. EVERYONE contributed and stitched one of their favorite quotes or thoughts into the quilt, which brought us great joy !
Here are the quotes and thoughts hand-stitched into the quilt -- such beautiful wisdom:
Children / Spouses:
Jared -- I love to see the temple
Ashley -- Peace in Christ
Justin -- Fear not, I am with thee
Radene -- Lord, I would follow thee
Tiffany -- Faith unshaken
Todd -- Shining for the whole world to see
Brittney -- Abide with me
Chris -- The Lord is my shepherd
Jordan -- Seed of faith
Estefi -- Music of the heart
Sarah -- You can do hard things
German -- My Redeemer lives
Hailey -- Comfortable lives require no courage
Grandchildren:
Mary (20) -- I am a disciple of Jesus Christ
Cameron (19) -- He sent His Son
Dylan (18) -- Strength in Christ
Tyler (17) -- D&C 68:5-6 Behold, this is the promise of the Lord unto you, O ye my servants, wherefore, be of good cheer, and do not fear, for I the Lord am with you, and will stand by you; and ye shall bear record of me, even Jesus Christ, that I am the Son of the living God, that I was, that I am, that I am to come.
Andrew (17) -- Rejoice !
Alec (17) -- John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Carter (17) -- Happy is what you make it
Ethan (15) -- Peace in Him
Charlie (15) -- And my father dwelt in a tent
William (14) -- Hymn 85 - How Firm a Foundation and Helman 5:12 And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his might winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall.
Lynae (14) -- Shine your light
Brady (14) -- Build on Christ Rock
Gwen (13) -- Nearer my God to thee
Amelia (12) -- You are loved
Harmony (12) -- The Lord is my light
Clara (11) -- Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
Freddy (10) -- O be wise
Brigham (8) -- I am a child of God
Henry (8) -- I love to see the temple
Tommy (7) -- Child of God
Hazel (6) -- I love you
Max (6) -- Jesus loves me
Olivia (5) -- Walk with Jesus
Tessa (4) -- Follow the prophet!
Theo (4) -- Hugs and kisses
Graham (3) -- Choose Joy
Mila (2) -- Pure in heart
Overwhelmed with Gratitude
We acknowledge our beloved Saviour, Redeemer, Healer and Creator ! We are so grateful for Him at this Christmas time and join our voices with those of our family to witness of His life and reality to rescue and redeem us from sin, sorrow, disappointment and death. We love Him and love His Gospel !
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