Cold As Ice...

We scraped ice off our windshield for the first time here.  We know it isn't as cold as it is in Utah, but it is a different kind of cold...a very wet and damp cold.  We even found snow on our car Monday evening after FHE and made a snowball.
2015 is well underway and we are busy teaching and implementing the new BYU-Idaho Pathway program here in Manchester.  We had about 40 hours of training to get ready and have spent many hours in email contact with students and BYU-Idaho (our missionaries have informed us that it is BYU-I-DO!) to ensure everything is taken care of and done properly.
We have also spoken in Sacrament Meetings (Elder Pew twice and Sister Pew once) right after Christmas (Stockport Ward) and in early January (Ashton 2nd Ward).  Elder Pew speaks again this coming Sunday in the Macclesfield Ward.   We will have new classes to teach in Institute starting January 29, and we look forward to new things.   More happenings below...

Happy New Year...Bring on 2015

   Since most of the YSA headed to London for New Year's Eve, we celebrated with a night out at the Trafford Centre with these great missionaries, Elder and Sister Hill from Bountiful.  We went to the early movie and then to dinner. (Senior Citizen Style)  The Hill's serve in the Swinton Ward where they are MLS Missionaries (Member Leader Support)  Elder Hill serves as Counselor in the Bishopric and Sister Hill in the Relief Society Presidency. Sister Hill has started the Sister Soup program on Wednesdays and helps gather the sisters together for friendship and a lesson.  Elder Hill can often be found cleaning the church, handling the finances and helping the ward in anyway possible. They are a great couple and have been a safe haven for missionaries serving in Swinton. They drive, feed and love their missionaries. 

After our early night at the Trafford Centre with the Hill's we came home to toast the New Year early (with water). 

But then...this crowd gave us a call and invited us to come to their New Year's Eve Party up in Whitefield.
Pictured from left is Melissa, Lauren, Kelsey, Joe Fletcher, Joe Walsh, Matt, Rhianne, Rachel, Gayathri, Katie, Helen and Aaron pictured in the front. 

Rhianne and Joe deep into Werewolves Game.

Rachel Teal and Gayathri Manage

Rhianne ringing in the New Year...

Big Ben at 12:00 pm midnight

We avoided the crowds in London and just made it look like we were there. ..just sittin in front of the TV !

  

New Year's Day at the YSA Building...

It was a P Day for the missionaries and we spent New Year's Day with both the YSA and Stretford  missionaries at the YSA Building. We played Ping Pong, watched movies and ate pizza and treats.
Left front:  Sister Riley, Elder Jin, Sister Gjikaj, Elder Curtis, Elder Suriyachan, Elder Clark
Back: Elder Green, Elder Christianson, Elder Razanadhy, Elder Curtis, Elder Olsen and Elder Rongo

Sister Riley and Sister Gjikaj

The Sisters and I got bored and headed to the mall.  We did some research shopping for future shopping trips. Sister Riley was looking for fabulous "jade green" clothes to wear when she returns to Australia.  Her first name is Jade.

Jordan  Feeding the Missionaries

Jordan Kelly provided a nice meal for Elder Curtis and Clark and us too.  He cooked pork roast, gravy, potatoes, vegetables and yorkshire pudding. 

Goodbye to the Cordon's...A Wonderful Service

Elder and Sister Cordon complete their mission and head home to Idaho. They have been a perfect example of a Senior Couple, supporting everyone in their Middleton ward and in the mission.  They will be missed.  We attended a surprise goodbye party for them put on by the Middleton Ward.

Pictured above are Elder and Sister Shaw (office couple) who show their message to the Cordon's. 

Pancake Breakfast 5 January...Goodbye Carter

 YSA Carter MacClean left for the USA in early January so our Pancake Breakfast honored him.  We had a record humber of 48 here in our flat to tell him goodbye.  We used 1 1/2 giant bags of Costco Pancake Mix with Maple Syrup, Golden Syrup, Nutella, Powdered Sugar, Cinnamon Sugar, strawberry jam and squirty Whip Cream.

Elder Pew convinces Lukas Huemes, visiting from Germany, to flip pancakes with him.  Lukas quite enjoyed it.   

Crowding into the flat.

Sophia, Rachel, Katie and Chantel 

Tatiana Malamba visiting from Nottingham...

Carter and Sam Norton

Carter MacClean

Many had already left but we snapped a picture in the stairway of our flat.

Carter on the bottom left with many of the YSA

Katie, Joe, Pierre, Emily and Mario 

Ismael, Amanda and Susie

Mario cleaning up the kitchen...pancake batter is like dried cement on the counter. 

  

There is no one more American than Elder Pew and no one more British than Kieran. They get on splendidly. 

Member Mission Fireside

   We took several YSA in our car to the Member Mission Fireside after Pancakes. We crowded Mario, Susie, Kieran and Amanda in our car.  These four YSA are so faithful and attend everything offered in the ward and institute. Amanda isn't even a member....yet! 

Sister Lau from Salt Lake City with Sister Pew at the Member Mission Fireside. 

Institute Food

Hannah Mee shows off the Institute food that we serve each Thursday Night. We try to serve a "substantial snack" 

Sister Gore

    We were so shocked and sad to hear that Sister Gore passed away suddenly on 2 January. She was the most thoughtful, kind and loving lady ever.  She and Brother Gore served in the YSA Bishopric for the first 9 months we were here.  Early in our mission, they took us on a day of sightseeing to Preston to see the spot where the saints raced across the bridge to be baptized first and also the town square in Preston where the early missionaries preached back in 1838.  We ended our day with our first trip to the Carvery where we had a wonderful lunch. We have enjoyed their company so much and she will be missed. 

Kevin and Jean Gore

Sister Pew and Sister Gore

Town Square in Preston

A Bit of Family History

    All through my growing up years, I heard my grandmother (Clarisse Hall) talk about her father, (Papa) George Edward Hyde.  He was born in Manchester where he joined the church after hearing missionaries preach on the street.  At age 17 he left Manchester alone and sailed from the Liverpool docks to New York and then onto Ogden, Utah where he got a job, married Rose Farr,  went to Medical School at University of California School of Medicine and returned to Idaho and Utah where he was a physician.  He had 7 children. He was the Director of the Utah State Mental Hospital in Provo. The Hyde Building is named after him.  He died of ruptured appendix at age 57.  There are several mysteries around his family but I was able to find a Manchester Census thanks to Sister Gore and find the address where he lived as young man. 

 

George Edward Hyde

Rose and George

  

20 Chester Street, Manchester..Home of George E Hyde

 Missionary Dinner ...Once a Month

   Our YSA Missionaries rarely are invited for "Tea Appointments" (Dinner) unlike missionaries in other areas where families invite them regularly to eat with them. The YSA are on too tight of a budget to host them so we decided to get permission from President Ulrich to have them once a month altogether for dinner.  (It is usually against the rules for them to all have a meal together)  He gave us the green light so we will be having all 10 missionaries once a month for a Sunday Meal. 

This was a few days before transfers where Elder Suriyachan, Elder Razanadhy, Sister Riley, Elder Jin and Elder Christiansen were transferred.  We get so attached to these missionaries. 

We took Sister Riley and Sister Gjikaj to Chester for a final day out.

Elder Pew in front of Chester Cathedral.  It was cold this day. 

The English Tudor Style of Old Chester

Cobblestone Streets with Old World Charm.

We have loved this Sister so much!  Sister Riley has been a great influence on all the Missionaries. She has a wonderful testimony and a calm spirit.  She is one of the best Sisters we have met here. We hope she can come to America someday from Austrialia...but just for a visit because she is a true Aussie!
 



Elder Christian Johnson (from Las Vegas) is back in the YSA Ward.  He served here earlier and is so happy to be back.  We are excited to see him back.  He will be our District Leader.  It's going to be a fun group. 

Two new Sisters will also be here.  Sister Conlogue from Springfield, Massachusetts and Sister Schubert from Germany
(Her home ward is the Ward in Salzburg- My BYU Roomates and I met her parents when we visited 2 1/2 years ago. Her mother is from Arizona and her father is German...they met at BYU Hawaii..Do you remember, Marce, Vicki and Susan?- Her mother remembers us!! )  

Other Bits and Bobs

We love the bread here. This is a Hedgehog loaf. It is so soft and yummy!

Kieran loves to clean and organize.  Here he is, role playing while cleaning.

Sister Hoyle comes to the building to help and always bring her stitching with her. So many receive her beautiful gifts...including us!   She is a delight!

We have had some very SHORT days.  The sun comes up around 8:20 am and sets at 4:00  This shot was taken from our balcony at 8:00 am.  It looks lighter in the photo than it was.   But the days are getting longer.

Love how the shops have little places to sit down and have a cup...

They have great yogurt here and I really like this Corner Brand that you can mix yourself. 

A great motto we try to live by!