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