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.