Christmas Card Photo

from Jen:

Sometimes there are just no words ...

I forgot to send you our Christmas card photo that we gave out to some people.  Enjoy.

Santa (Elder Purdy) and an elf  (Elder Cuche)
 

Happy Christmas!

Hello one and all!

Hope you all had a very merry Christmas!

            We have had a good week this week, really not too much has been going on. Lots of people are very busy until after the new year. The biggest news of the week is Neil will be getting baptised tomorrow! It’s going to be a good time. Another missionary Elder Cowan will be baptising him. They have met once haha. I don’t know why he picked him but I am just happy he is getting baptised.

Scottish flag PJ's courtesy of Christian's former companion
Elder McCormack

Christian is wearing the crown from his Christmas cracker.
He told us this joke from his cracker got lots of laughs:
Q:  What is out of bounds?
A:  An exhausted kangaroo

            Christmas was an excellent day. We woke up and studied and what not, ate lots and lots of chocolate, and I wore my new Scottish flag pajamas, courtesy of Elder McCormack. We then went and spent the rest of the day with the Wilkins family, sat by the fire chatting for a while and then ate a delicious meal (picture included).  It was duck, chicken, vegetables, pork, Yorkshire pudding, and stuffing. It was nice and we did the most British thing ever – pulled Christmas crackers.  We skyped home, and played some board games, and watched the Queen's Speech. She gives a speech every Christmas Day. It’s really nice – talks about the birth of Christ and what not. She actually does it from up here in Norfolk somewhere (I forgot where)!

            Today was P-day and we went out to buy some clothes in town, and now we are watching a film. Tonight we are going to have some more delicious food with members and play some Monopoly with Neil!

Love you all, have a good rest of the week!

from Jen:

The Queen spends Christmas through February in Sandringham in Norfolk.  Sandringham is about 60k (37 miles) from Norwich.  Her Christmas speech was pre-recorded in Buckingham Palace and aired on Christmas Day.

Here is the text of her speech:

I once knew someone who spent a year in a plaster cast recovering from an operation on his back. He read a lot, and thought a lot, and felt miserable. Later, he realised this time of forced retreat from the world had helped him to understand the world more clearly.

We all need to get the balance right between action and reflection. With so many distractions, it is easy to forget to pause and take stock. Be it through contemplation, prayer, or even keeping a diary, many have found the practice of quiet personal reflection surprisingly rewarding, even discovering greater spiritual depth to their lives.

Reflection can take many forms. When families and friends come together at Christmas, it's often a time for happy memories and reminiscing. Our thoughts are with those we have loved who are no longer with us. We also remember those who through doing their duty cannot be at home for Christmas, such as workers in essential or emergency services.

And especially at this time of year we think of the men and women serving overseas in our armed forces. We are forever grateful to all those who put themselves at risk to keep us safe.

Service and duty are not just the guiding principles of yesteryear; they have an enduring value which spans the generations.

I myself had cause to reflect this year, at Westminster Abbey, on my own pledge of service made in that great church on Coronation Day 60 years earlier.

The anniversary reminded me of the remarkable changes that have occurred since the Coronation, many of them for the better; and of the things that have remained constant, such as the importance of family, friendship and good neighbourliness.

But reflection is not just about looking back. I and many others are looking forward to the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow next year.

The baton relay left London in October and is now the other side of the world, on its way across 70 nations and territories before arriving in Scotland next summer. Its journey is a reminder that the Commonwealth can offer us a fresh view of life.

My son Charles summed this up at the recent meeting in Sri Lanka. He spoke of the Commonwealth's 'family ties' that are a source of encouragement to many. Like any family there can be differences of opinion. But however strongly they're expressed they are held within the common bond of friendship and shared experiences.

Here at home my own family is a little larger this Christmas.

As so many of you will know, the arrival of a baby gives everyone the chance to contemplate the future with renewed happiness and hope. For the new parents, life will never be quite the same again.

As with all who are christened, George was baptised into a joyful faith of Christian duty and service. After the christening, we gathered for the traditional photograph.

It was a happy occasion, bringing together four generations.

In the year ahead, I hope you will have time to pause for moments of quiet reflection. As the man in the plaster cast discovered, the results can sometimes be surprising.

For Christians, as for all people of faith, reflection, meditation and prayer help us to renew ourselves in God's love, as we strive daily to become better people. The Christmas message shows us that this love is for everyone. There is no one beyond its reach.

On the first Christmas, in the fields above Bethlehem, as they sat in the cold of night watching their resting sheep, the local shepherds must have had no shortage of time for reflection. Suddenly all this was to change. These humble shepherds were the first to hear and ponder the wondrous news of the birth of Christ – the first noel – the joy of which we celebrate today.

I wish you all a very happy Christmas.

Christmas Day

from Jen:

Usually Christian will e-mail on Monday, his usual P-day unless it is transfers and then he will write on Tuesday.  But this week we didn't hear from him on Monday.  Or on Tuesday.  I was going crazy!  Finally about 8:30 a.m. on Christmas he e-mailed:   

HI

So I will be skyping you guys in like 2 hours ... around 5:30 English time.  I hope you will be ready then. 

Love you speak soon

We had to wait a little longer than 2 hours, but finally his call came through and we got to talk.  Forty minutes have never gone  by so quickly!  He told us funny stories and details about his life as a missionary.  He is so happy and sounded wonderful.   I recorded the last few minutes of our conversation, which you can watch in the video below. I wish I would have thought to record more of those priceless moments.

I am Grateful to be Here

Another week of lots of meetings! 

             Tuesday I was in Kings Lynn, which is in west Norfolk. Was really cold out there. We had to take a bus out there and I was able to have a really good conversation with a lady about the gospel. We spent lots of time finding in Kings Lynn and helping the elders out there.

            We spent Wednesday in Norwich. Stopped a lady on the street and spoke with her for an hour right there. Her name was Dara. She is a student here at the UEA, but is originally from Nottingham. She literally had NO belief in anything, but we had a really good conversation. It was one of those instances where I really felt like the spirit was putting words into my mouth. She ended up being pretty interested and wants meet up after Christmas. 

            Thursday we went into Cambridge and had a meeting with Elder Dyches of the Seventy. President Jordan also spoke and talked about having the spirit in our work. It was a perfect topic because of our experience with Dara the day before. What I took from the meeting was, what missionary work is, is being obedient and worthy to have the spirit, acting on the promptings we get, and praying fervently to recognize opportunities that come our way. Later I was studying in D&C 62 where God says, "it mattereth not unto me; only be faithful, and declare glad tidings unto the inhabitants of the earth, or among the congregations of the wicked."  As long as God is in our actions we will be fine. We don’t have to have God tell us what to do in every decision we make. God will trust the faithful and wants is to think and be creative!
            Friday we had another meeting with Elder Dyches in London, where we spoke a lot about free agency. A lot! It was a good meeting as well and by the time we got back to Norwich we had to go to a member’s house and help them set up their Christmas tree. They also fed us which was nice. (picture included)

Elder Cuche and Christian

            So needless to say it has been a busy week! We also went to the ward Christmas party, where a member told me, “Elder Purdy it just feels like you are part of the ward” which is good news to hear! I love it here and I love the people we work with.

             I am grateful to be here, and to have the experiences that I have. It is a blessing to serve the people of England and to be involved in this amazing work.

Happy Christmas!!

Elder Purdy 

The Perfect Model of Missionary Work

Scenes from London

          This week was crazy! Tuesday we had to wake up at 4 and go down to London. Takes a while to get down there. Once we hit the M25 it is pretty much traffic all the way into the centre where we had to go. Had a nice meeting with President Jordan there. Ate lunch, met some more, and then we made the long drive back up to Norwich. Harrods was all decorated for the Christmas season so I took a picture of it and Picadilly Circus from the car. On our way back up to Norwich a pheasant flew out in front of the car and we hit it ... peace be upon the poor thing. It was pretty big as well.

       

zone meeting

     We also had a meeting with our zone this week. It was a good time. I also had an exchange that day with Elder Orr from Canada. He was trained by the great Elder Mongelli. We had a good time. We went home teaching all over south Norfolk with a member. Had a lovely meal with a family and then went to the University to find some students to teach.

            Elder Cuche and I are doing well together. We have 17 baptismal dates in our zone which is good for merry ole England – two of which are ours. George, who is from China, and Neil, from China.  Neil is scheduled for the 28th, and George for later in January. Our zone is really enthusiastic.

            Tina the lady I found in Lowestoft with the elders there is doing great. She is so excited to be baptized and is reading everything they give her like crazy.  The only setback this week was some pretty crazy flooding in Norfolk. It’s a very flat place and some of the coastal places were hit pretty hard! Some sisters in Gorleston had to evacuate their flat. But nobody was hurt and all the flats are fine. No harm no foul. Life goes on. 

            Emma gave a talk in church yesterday! She did great. In her very limited English she said “before my baptism I did not sleep well, but after I was baptized I sleep very well every night.”  The ward loves her and she has a very nice testimony. We are working with her and the rest of the Norwich YSA very closely still. They are all very good and helping Neil to be baptized. We have a nice activity with all of them this Friday with some food. Should be a good time.

            This week I have to go to London again, and to Cambridge, and to Gorleston. So I don’t know what next week’s e-mail will look like. But I am looking forward to another busy, but spiritual week.

            Something I have been thinking of this Christmas season – how amazing it is that our Saviour Jesus Christ, the Creator of the universe, humbled himself and was born in a manger. He was here to save everyone, but had concern for each of us individually. He is the perfect model of missionary work as we try and help people this Christmas season, and of course as we commemorate his birth

God Save the Queen!

Elder Purdy 

December!

            It's December the 2nd and Christmas is in the air in Norwich. The Town Centre is looking very festive and people are starting to break out the mince pies and Christmas pudding.  The latter has probably been aging for 6 months, but apparently that just adds to the flavour!

            Elder Cuche and I had a good week. On Tuesday we went to a district meeting in Gorleston, and then I went to Lowestoft on an exchange. It’s a cold cold place. We were tracting around there in the evening and we ran into a lady named Tina. She was very happy to see us and exclaimed that she had been thinking a lot about what the truth is about God and if having a belief is even worth it. Her friend is a Jehovah’s Witness and had been sharing her beliefs but Tina felt that something was missing. She didn't feel right about it. So she invited us in and she had about a million and one questions which she wanted us to answer. We shared the First Vision, Nature of God, and the Plan of Salvation. It was a really good lesson and I could tell when we were speaking about the three kingdoms of glory she was tearing up a bit because the plan of salvation is perfect ... and she agreed with it. We set a date to go back the next day.

            Yesterday the elders in Lowestoft called me to tell me that they took a member with them, and Tina recognized the spirit as they taught her and finally recognized that she had found what she was looking for! She came to church on Sunday and plans on joining the church! All in the matter of a week! She has found God’s plan for her, and she is A-OK with all of the commandments like the Word of Wisdom. It was pretty wicked.

            Wednesday I was on another exchange in Norwich. We had a good day and saw lots of success. Norwich is a pretty diverse place so it’s really fun to talk with people. I met people from Angola, India, Poland, Ghana, and Russia that day. And for dinner a member served us some stew and dumplings … which is what they ate during the war when food was rationed, so you can imagine how that tasted. And they just kept piling it down on my plate. Mmmmm. And for afters we had some apple crumble and custard.

            We taught Emma on Wednesday. She is the Chinese recent convert. She is doing great and hasn't missed a Sunday since we met her. We taught about temples and eternal marriage, and it absolutely blew her mind that we can be with our families forever. It was a fun lesson.

            Saturday we played some football with some members and then went home and ate some lunch.

            This week was a week when the Plan of Salvation has really stuck out to me. It was the knowledge that Tina was looking for, and as we taught Emma about eternal families she thought it was too good to be true. As I have studied it, it helps me know that this is the Restored Gospel, that God’s plan has been restored through modern prophets!

Cheerio,

Elder Purdy

from Jen:

          I learned that Lowestoft is the most easterly point of the United Kingdom.  It lies on the North Sea coast 110 miles northeast of London and 22 miles southeast of Norwich.  Some of the earliest evidence of settlement in Britain has been found there and the town has a long history.

          Gorleston-On-Sea, also known colloquially as Gorleston, lies at the mouth of the River Yare.  It experienced the highest wind speed ever recorded in the UK during the Great Storm of 1987 -- 122 mph.

Time is Flying

            Another good week gone by ... time is flying faster than I can think.

  

Gorleston-on-Sea

          Tuesday, we had a workover in Gorleston! It was a good time.  It was freezing because the wind was coming off the North Sea and Gorleston is on the coast, but we worked hard and found a lovely family for the elders there to teach. It’s fun going to different places for a day just to see what they are like, and it’s fun to work with other elders for a day.

            Also, Wednesday we had some lessons and went tracting. Some good success. Weeks ago we found a very less-active lady named Marie. She is not even on the records, but we had such a powerful lesson with her and she said that she had been praying for missionaries for years and we came around! Her kids and husband are not members and I look forward to seeing them and building a good relationship with them.

            I know God answers prayers, and as we follow promptings and use our gifts with the spirit, we can come across people like Marie, and we can help them come closer to our Saviour.

God Save the Queen!

Elder Purdy

Posh

I ate dinner at a recent convert’s house last night – most posh house

I have ever been to in my life. 

It was like being in that palace in the movie Amadeus haha.

No Hard Feelings, Old Bean

Hello Hello,

            Woke up at 3 on Wednesday – had to drive into London and pick up Elder Cuche! And may I just say I love the guy! We get along just great – two peas in a pod.

            The rest of the week was up and down. Neil and Bob, our Chinese investigators, are having second thoughts about their baptism dates. We are helping them out but it’s not looking too good at the moment. Makes me sad but we are going to do all we can. They are just scared about what people in China would think of them and they are scared they couldn’t keep with it. We are going to show them the church’s website in China. Hopefully that will help.

            We had interviews with our president yesterday. He is a good man. I enjoy meeting with President Jordan and the rest of my zone very much.  

            Elder Cuche and I had to get people onto the right trains and what not. We started at 9, finished at 7, then went out talking to students at the uni. The second person we met was a girl named Melany. She is from South Africa. We invited her to the YSA Family Home Evening and she came! Bingo. We are seeing her tomorrow and she is so curious to learn more! We had a fun evening with her and the other YSA. She wanted to know why our church has so many young people when other churches only have old people.  Because it is true!!! And it brings people a sense of happiness that is found nowhere else! And we just have fun I suppose.

            There was some anti-cult thing going on in Norwich today and one of the guys called to me in a rather derogatory manner and gave me a pamphlet and said, "You will need this, Mormon. Worship Jesus Christ not Joseph Smith."

            I didn’t get mad because I thought of Melany coming to the Family Home Evening and the spirit we felt there. And I thought of teaching her the Plan of Salvation and all the questions it can answer for her. So no hard feelings, old bean.

            Well that’s all I have for this week. Love you all.

Cheerio,

Elder Purdy

Baptisms Make All the Hard Times Worth It

Elder Doudou, Emma, and Christian on Emma's baptism day

            Well, I will be staying in Norwich for another transfer! – which I am happy about.  My new companion is Elder Cuche from France. He is a great man and I am excited to work with him.

            The biggest news of the week is that Emma was baptized. It was a great service. The spirit was strong, lots of her friends came, lots of members came. It was good. I gave a talk at the baptism on the Holy Ghost. It went all right and then our Ward Mission Leader baptized her. She was grinning from ear to ear afterwards. One of her friends from Greece came and was very impressed and we are going to start teaching her. We see her on Thursday. Baptisms make all of the hard times and stressful times worth it.

            Also something very miraculous happened. A long time ago our mission received a package from America from a sister in Utah. Inside were some scriptures. In a note she explained that in SLC she had met a man named Calvin Rush and that he lived in Norwich and that he was a good guy and was in Utah for skiing, and she was sending him some scriptures. That was it … no address, no number, just his name and the city he lived in. So my companion and I have been trying to hunt him down for ages but to no avail. All we found out was that he was a builder by trade. So we went to one of the building agencies around town and it just so happened that he worked with them. We got his number and stuff and got in contact with him. He was a bit freaked out ... thought it was a joke. It had been 2 years since he had been to America. But he got his package and we will follow up with him this week! It was really something. He was pretty stunned that this lady went through all this effort.

Doing the Shaka at our Chinese meal!

            Sunday our Chinese gang had us over in their university accomodations for some Chinese food. I felt like I was back at university – it was fun. They made some really good food: noodles, chicken and potatoes with some other things that I don’t know, tomatoes with chili sauce etc. It was a good time. They are great.

           

Bob hard at work

The rest of the week has been good – busy and stressful but good. Lots of things to do. It feels like there is never an end of things to do on the list. We are working hard to find people outside of Norwich since that is the main part of our area. But it has been hard. We are teaching lots of students and it has been good, but exams are coming up and I am not sure how dedicated they can be to learn the gospel if they are studying for their tests. Only time will tell.

            But I am grateful for my opportunity to be here and to serve the Lord here in England. I know that the Plan of Salvation is real, it’s perfect, and it leads to everlasting happiness. And it was good to see Emma make a covenant this weekend as part of this plan.

Love, 

Elder Purdy

Baptism Dates

            Well we had a good week. A highlight of my week was we scheduled an appointment with a guy named Cameron, pretty young guy. When it was time for the appointment we were parked outside his house talking about what we were going to say in the appointment and we saw him come walking down the street. So we got out to say hi, and I don’t know what happened but he screamed and just started running away faster than I have ever seen anybody run before. ...  We never saw Cameron again. When we got back into the car I couldn’t help but laugh.

            Our Chinese friends are all doing well – Emma, Neil, Bob, and Penny. All of them except Penny have a baptismal date for November. Emma is getting baptized this week and everything is looking great for her. She is all ready to go and she is so excited!!! She is a star. We had a good lesson with her and Neil. We were teaching them at the University with a couple of YSA – Alice and Meg. Then one of the workers for the Uni came up and asked who we were and then was rather rude and told us to get out. I was really embarrassed because I didn’t know what Emma and Neil would think but then I looked at Neil and we was starring daggers at this lady. He looked ready to kill her hahaha. Everything was OK though. We just left and went to a little cafe.

            We are seeing Emma, Neil, Bob and Penny tonight at some member’s house for some food and then we are going to watch Finding Faith in Christ. It’s going to be a good time.

            Yesterday was Stake Conference. Elder Charles and Elder Dyches from the Seventy came and spoke. Afterwards Elder Doudou and I were speaking with Elder Charles and we asked him to come teach with us. He was stoked and said for sure but then he had to cancel later on that day. But President Jordan was there as well so he came teaching with us.  We taught all of the Chinese together ... which never happens. It was a crowded room with us, all of them, and President Jordan.

            Well the Church is true! I have felt the love of God so much this week through the Holy Ghost. What a blessing it is to have the Holy Ghost as a gift ... a member of the Godhead ... crazy.

Cheerio,

Elder Purdy

Remember Remember the Fifth of November

Remember remember the fifth of November  Gunpowder, treason and plot. I see no reason why gunpowder, treason Should ever be forgot...

The unfortunate conspirator Fawkes appears before his intended victim.

Well Happy Bonfire Night.

            Halloween is really not that big here but Guy Fawkes night is! I am definitely bringing this back to America. You just have a bonfire and light fireworks all because a man failed to blow up Parliament a long time ago. It’s a good time! Halloween ain’t got nothing on Guy Fawkes.

The pictures are from our bonfire night celebrations with some members.

Storm Update

from Jen:

            I heard and read a lot about the storm that hit England and parts of Europe last week.  How was your area affected?  Are you safe and well?  Crazy stuff.

Hiya Mum,

            Yeah, Norfolk was supposed to get hit pretty bad ... but we really didn’t. Nothing really happened in Norwich so don’t worry.

            Yeah, everything is looking great for Emma's baptism. She is all ready to go for Saturday.  Her friend Neil has a date for the 23rd, he is Chinese, and another Chinese student named Bob has a date for the 30th. And we are teaching a Chinese girl named Penny. They all came to Stake Conference yesterday together. We took up a whole row. Haha. We are seeing them all tonight for a Chinese party at a member’s house. I don’t really know what a Chinese party is but they wanted to show us. It’s funny, we only met all of these people in the last 3 weeks or so and they want to throw us a party haha.

Take care mum,

Elder Purdy

Oh yeah, and Happy Guy Fawkes Night!

Norwich Pics

Here are some pics.  Love youuuuuu

"the Norwich city wall from ages ago"

The East Anglian Federation of Racing Pigeons

            Well, that title sums up my week – a bit strange.

            Tuesday we had Zone Conference, way down in Colchester Essex. President Jordan gave a wicked training on the Great Apostasy. That man is soo smart it is unbelievable. Talked a lot about the things that changed and the things that were lost in the Great Apostasy, and then he talked a bit about how Joseph Smith received revelation which blew my mind!  All you have to do is read the chapter heading of D&C 7 ... I think it’s 7.

Athletes of the sky

            It was a very good meeting, after which I went on an exchange with Elder Adams in Great Yarmouth. It was a fun workover. He is from South Africa. As we were walking around we saw a big lorry that said “East Anglian Federation of Racing Pigeons ... Athletes of the Sky.”  It was pretty legitimate – I’ll send the picture.  

            Also, while I was there I had a lovely conversation with a lady on the bus. I just said hello and it turned into a good gospel conversation about families. The Lord works in mysterious ways.

            I stayed there until Wednesday night and then went back to Norwich.

            Thursday we worked really hard but it just did not seem like things were working. We were happy that we worked hard but it was just one of those times where you wish you knew what to do.

            We also saw Emma. She is as good as ever – loving church, so excited for her baptism and her understanding is pretty good as well. It’s crazy to watch the Lord work in somebody like this. You can just see their happiness, confidence, everything just increase for the better. She is great.

            Friday we made some plans – lots and lots of planning – then went up north and saw some LA's. In Norwich town centre a Christian man gave us a laying on of hands and some blessing and commanded us to feel the spirit. Really weird. I didnt know what to say when he was done hahaha.

            Saturday was a ward activity that we went to. I love Norwich ward, they are fun. I have some good friends up here.

            Sunday we went up to Cromer. Every month a member who owns a bed and breakfast has a sacrament meeting up there at his B&B. All the northern people who usually don’t make it down to Norwich come. It was very spiritual. I passed the sacrament to them all and bore my testimony on how as we have faith in Christ there are good things to come in our lives no matter who we are. There are always going to be good times, success, and happiness as we boldly have faith in our Saviour. It was good, and something I have been thinking of for a long time.  He truly is the Light and the Life of the world.

            Well, I love you all.

"I am Covered in Sunshine"

Hello hello,

            Man, what a week – fast, busy, rainy, cold, and everything in between!

            Well, may I just say Emma, one of our investigators from China, is golden. She is amazing, and our Chinese teaching pool keeps multiplying and replenishing because they keep bringing friends. We may have to rent out a theatre or something soon. Jokes, but yeah, it’s getting pretty crowded. 

            But Emma is so good. She reads the Book of Mormon every day, she prays, she understands things so well, and is very much looking forward to her baptism on the 9th of November. We had dinner with her, her friend Neil, and some members on Saturday and had a good time. At the end we shared the Restoration DVD in Chinese. Afterwards we asked them how they felt. And Neil put it very simply by saying, “I am covered in sunshine” haha. They came to church the next day and it was good.  We are seeing them three times this week – another dinner with more members, I believe. The ward really likes her. So I am over the moon about all of that. 
The only put-off for her was when we showed her the baptismal font at the end of church yesterday and there were like 10 dead spiders in the bottom.  You could tell she was kind of concerned about that haha.  Woops.

            We had a couple exchanges this week. On one of them I went to a place called Lowestoft on the coast – really nice town.  I was with Elder Bright who is in his third transfer. We had some powerful lessons. One was with a lady named Carmen. She has investigated for a few months now, loves the Book of Mormon, but hasn’t been able to stop smoking. We really didn’t know where the lesson was going while we were with her. She got really mad about how she is so stressed and how she doesn’t really want to come to church and all these things. While listening to her I felt really prompted to just tell her to relax, so I did. And I kept going on about how the gospel is there to help us find peace, and that really she doesn’t need to get all worked up about things in her life and that she needs to look at all of the good. Boom! The spirit was there and it was powerful. She looked at us for a second and then I said how she just smokes because she is stressed and if she just relaxes a bit and enjoys life she won’t smoke. Hit the nail on the head. I am so grateful for the spirit. It can literally fill our mouths in the moment we need it. We just need to be worthy and listen.

            Other than that this week was up and down. So much is going on and we are really trying to get this zone to reach its full potential. It is certainly a task but we are working at it.

            Here are a couple pictures of the meals I have had this week. I didn’t know what else to take a picture of.

Elder Purdy