The Sun Will Come Out ...Tomorrow

   Summer in a Young Single Adult Ward slows down and we have certainly seen this begin. The last three to four weeks have been exam time for University Students and we have really felt their tension and dedication to their studies. We don't think our students in the US stress out about exams like they do here. Maybe it's because in England, it is their total grade and in the USA, the final exam only counts for a portion of the final grade. Summer is also a time for students to go home or to take a holiday and the YSA here do travel a lot.  We are also seeing several YSA's permanently leave Manchester but we have been assured that more will come in the fall.  

  The past couple weeks, we have visited and  taken to lunch several YSA's that are new converts or who attend church in one of the 12 family wards in the two stakes. The family wards are all in the suburbs and transportation is the biggest issue for YSA's not being able to make it into the city for Institute or to attend the ward.  Very, very few have access to cars. Bus rides to get to institute are for some kids in excess of an hour each way. Those that come really do make the effort. We have met two darling sisters from Iran who are recent converts and a very nice boy who works in a recording studio. Very sharp kids !!  We seem to frequent the same lunch spot and we are sampling the menu slowly but surely.  

   The past week we have attended Institute Graduation, the UK performance of the Lamb of God and the Institute Ball (in Chorley).  We started our summer Institute classes which are held on Wednesday evenings.  English Class Continues and we have started a class called Gospel Paths for new and returning members. For the Gospel Path's class we use the youth and the primary curriculum and each week we come up with a power point including videos to go through Gospel Basics.  It is the first time we have worked together, team teaching and creating the lessons. It has been enjoyable and we certainly have different styles in how we teach and present these lessons but it seems to work well.  We will be showing World Cup matches at the YSA building each evening. There will be 16 matches shown.  No need to go to a pub...the YSA's can come to our alcohol-free facility to watch the games.  

   A civic opening of the YSA building was held on June 6 where Mayors and Lord Mayors of Manchester and surrounding communities came for a special meeting and a ribbon cutting ceremony for the opening of the Building. The building has been open since early March for us but it was a community event that Public Affairs worked incredibly hard to prepare and it came off beautifully.  Our YSA's gave tours of the building, spoke and bore testimony in a general meeting.  It was nice to once again see Dan and Joyce Jones from Public Affairs in Solihull.  We hope to get down to that area to visit them.

   Manchester is sometimes a crazy place and we were astounded to hear about the 9th Annual Naked Bike Race, which was held the same day as the civic opening of the building. Over 200 Bikers rode through Manchester completely naked in support of cycling and anti-oil.  Our only role was to make sure the missionaries were cleared out of downtown. We were unable and unwilling to get pictures of this bizarre event...so we will just leave it up to your imagination.  Let's just say that we were told that most of the people who rode should not be naked in public.  

   We have been able to travel 30 minutes out of Manchester City Centre and see some beautiful areas, particularly northeast of Oldham and Ashton Under Lyme.  We also slipped down to London on June 2-4 with two of our YSA's and had a fantastic time.  

   

The Mission Office is 30 minutes south in the little town of Knutsford.  We took some time to visit their street fair and have lunch. It was a charming little village. 

Drive into Knutsford.

Family Home Evening Game called "Signals"

Celebrating Elder Caleira's  Birthday at FHE

Elder Johnson, Tan Tran and Elder Peterson

Beautiful Evening with Manchester Skyline from the 4th Floor of the YSA building

Tan Tran's family owns a nail salon and I got a needed pedicure. 

Rachel Teal, our Institute Council Chair-person, brought us some Bisquick. We had some great pancakes the next morning thanks to her. 

Elder Peterson loves to do "selfies" on our ipads.

Preston Temple Grounds...perfectly trimmed trees. 

We drove Mauro and Tan to the Institute Ball at the Stake Center near the temple in Chorley

Chorley Stake Center for the Institute Ball

Decorated Gym

Some of our YSA's at the ball...Mauro, Rhianne, Tan and Ishmael.

When you drive about 30 minutes out of the city..this is what you see in the hills above Manchester.  This view is of much of the Manchester Mission.  Ashton Stake President 1st Counselor Leland Mayall and his wife Bernie and their daughter Rachel took us for an afternoon outing and we finished with dinner at a local Chinese Restaurant. It was great!!

We enjoyed 7 year old Rachel Mayall on our day out to see the countryside. 

A Cricket  Match in the village of Diggle

Pew's with Rachel watching the cricket match.

Rachel, Bernie and Leland Mayall at the site of a Roman Fort ruins, 100 AD

Pres Mayall climbing the hill with Elder Pew.

A breezy day at the ruins site

Sheep..sheep and more sheep

A charming village in the hills above Manchester

Pubs are really the hang out.

This little village is called Dobcross and is in the Saddleworth area east of Manchester

A film starring Richard Gere called YANKS was filmed here.

A charming doorway in the Village of Upper Mill

Institute Graduation with Luke Kerr and graduate Lukas Heumos, who left the next day to go back to Germany.

We took a few days off and traveled to London.  Besides my 24 hour trip with Macy and Ryan it was our first time there.  We took two YSA's, Helen Smith and Rhianne Hoyle and they were excellent guides.  We had a wonderful time. We took the train down on a Monday morning and returned on Wed night.  The train is an easy way to go - smooth, you do nothing and get there fast. We went to museums, saw the Parliament Building, Big Ben, the tower Bridge, the eye of London, Hyde Park chapel, rode bikes in Hyde park and saw Buckingham palace.  London has wide sidewalks and is very clean.  Near the Hyde Park chapel are many embassy buildings, which are very nice.  

Helen and Rhianne on the two hour train trip to London

Julie and Reed


Elder Pew and Helen Rolling to our Hotel


Our Hotel, the ME was quite spectacular. 

Rhianne, Helen and the Pew's at Buckingham Palace gates.

Julie at the "Honoring Motherhood " statue at the Buckingham Palace grounds

We attended Les Miserables. Even though we have seen this several times this is the best cast we have seen. 

Picadilly Circus

Burgers, fries and shakes at the Shake Shack.

Covent Garden, a shopping and eating place

Rhianne at her Mothership...Build A Bear

Open Topped Bus tour of London was a great way to see the city.

View of  Tower Bridge

Crossing Tower Bridge

Eye of London...25 people in a car...it takes and hour to go around.

Big Ben

Julie and Big Ben

My favorite building, the Sanctuary

Westminster Abbey

Flag Lined Street leading to Buckingham Palace

Buckingham Palace Entrance

Lots of Lion Statues in London- Symbol of England is Three Lions, these are in Trafalger Square

Florence Nightingale Statue

Honoring Princess Diana

One of the Guards at the Palace

Proper Lunch at the Terrace at Harrod's

Egg's Benedict  at Harrods...The Diet Coke (8oz) was $7.00...no refill 

Street Performer outside of Harrods

Hyde Park Chapel had a wonderful visitor center

Hyde Park Chapel

This trip has got to end soon...Elder Pew's wallet is empty

Riding Bikes in Hyde Park..

Love this Brolly Store....(Umbrella's only)

Outside British Museum

By the Victoria Statue- Buckingham Palace

Elder Pew takes a call - on his cell phone

Going into Liberty...

We enjoyed several museums. Our favorite was the National Portrait Gallery where we saw portraits of British Royalty and the famous through the ages.

Queen Elizabeth

Princess Diana

Sir Paul McCartney 

Reed purchased himself a "Kit" from Argentina

With star player Messi on the back

New ad for YSA...not sure it will encourage them to come.. (in Elder Pew's defense, it was an intense game and he thought he had the right person found)

Elder Nielsen from Layton and Elder Johnson from Las Vegas at the Civic Event.

Asian Cooking night (Elder Chong's last time as Chef at our place) He made Chicken and rice with the help of Jacinta and Elder Caleira. 

Asian Dinner night with members, investigators and friends from Asia.  Elders Chong and Caleria also invited Daniel who sells at the local Fruit and Veg stand.  

We spoke at the Whitefield Ward on Sunday and after had dinner at Helen Smith's Home.

A beautiful Sunday walk around Dove Stone with Hope, Leon and Joe Walsh.  Joe lives minutes from this beautiful place.

The greenest hillside

Little streams and rivers

Hope, Leon, Joe and Reed

Joe, Julie, Reed and Leon

Perfect place for a picnic

Rocky Hillside

Dove Stone Lake

Lilacs in the distance

I loved this foot-bridge over the street.

New Words: 

Chockablock- jammed up, clogged up (as in traffic)

Mint- Good

Nightmare- a really bad situation