Today is Hump Day! It was one year ago today that we began our service here. Wow! What a difference a year makes. Those first few days I walked around in a daze. I was swimming with jet lag and I didn't have a clue what I was supposed to be doing. But the saving grace was this group of missionaries. They arrived just a day ahead of us so we all went through the "daze" phase together. They were so amazing and we fell in love with them almost immediately! From that moment on, we knew we would be OK. Well, we have been more than OK. It is hard to believe that they too are experiencing their hump day. We still hear from them, we still remember them, we still love them and we still pray for them!!!
And one year later...........They continue to come -- from across the world......like......
These three sisters who are in every sense of the word like sisters. Sister Ho from Hong Kong, Sister Webster from Arizona and Sister Naseem from Pakistan!
Three elders........brothers in every sense of the word. Elder Hlatshwayo from So. Africa, Elders Frimpong and Eckelt from Maidstone, England. They are so cute. When they greet people on the streets they tell them they are missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and they are black! Duh! and then they laugh!!!
One of our favorite activities continues to be the Church History Tour......
They never miss the red telephone booths! Always a Kodak moment.
15 Wadham Road
and walking along the River Ribble!!!Our sister from Pakistan asked if the trees in England always look like sticks. She had never seen trees without leaves!
This has been a great year full of adventure, new knowledge, remarkable experiences, and the ever present spirit of missionary work. We stand in awe of these wonderful young people who have so recently stepped out of the world and put themselves on a course that is challenging, scary, exciting, and hard. There are moments when the little child in them surfaces and you catch glimpses of who they were just a few short days ago.
for example.....
Yesterday one of the instructors brought a young man to Richard's office. As they stood a moment waiting for him, I noticed that this elder was mopping the tears between heaving sobs. This put me into tears and the mother in me wanted to rush to his rescue. In those moments you catch a glimpse of the little boy who is trying so hard, but is still struggling to grow up and take on the heavy responsibility that has suddenly been thrust upon him. I might add that after an hour with Richard he came out of his office happy as a lark -- just like a little kid!
But......the flip side of this is the missionary (and that means most of them) who will boldly walk up to a total stranger and find a way to share the gospel. I stand in awe of them, as I have walked in those shoes and I know it is a lot harder that they make it look!!! Last Friday these 21 young, inexperienced, frightened missionaries from 10 different countries and languages, went out on the streets of Manchester and in 2 1/2 hours brought back 42 referrals for the Manchester Mission! They returned as conquering heroes. A testimony of their commitment and trust in the Lord. WOW!
And so......as we bring down the curtain on one life changing year, we look forward to another..more adventures, more experiences, more knowledge, more spiritually rich missionaries and more Postcards from Preston!
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