Saturday we left Edinburgh and drove to Preston. The drive was so beautiful! I loved the rolling green hills, the cute little lambs, the stone fences, and the quaint cottages. It was so fun to get to the Preston temple grounds though. We are staying in the temple patron housing, so we are literally living on the temple grounds. The MTC is right across from us and the stake center and temple are just up the hill. The grounds are absolutely incredible! It is so green and I was in awe walking around.
Our first adventure here was to do baptisms at the Preston Temple. The temple is absolutely beautiful – inside and out. It was such a humbling experience as I sat there and thought about how many people sacrificed so much to bring the gospel to the United Kingdom, how many people sacrificed all that they had to follow the prophet and move to America, and how many people continue to sacrifice today for the gospel. How grateful I am for their example of faith and courage.
After the temple we had some free time, so we took a frisbee down to the MTC field and played a game of ultimate frisbee. It was so fun! So many hilarious things happened and it was definitely a good bonding experience.
Later that evening I was fortunate enough to get to see President and Sister Bullock. They are currently serving as mission presidents in the England Manchester Mission and I am really good friends with their children. They were so sweet to make the drive to visit me! I was so happy meeting up with them worked out and it was wonderful to finally meet President Bullock in person. What wonderful people! Their missionaries are so lucky to have two such wonderful leaders and it is easy to see why their children are so great.
The night ended with a rousing few games of mafia. Once again, some great bonding time. I honestly feel like we are already becoming the best of friends and this was only day three of our five weeks. It can only get better from here.
Today we attended the Corley 2nd ward and had a great experience. The members were so welcoming! I loved talking with them. In fact, the best idea I had all day was to separate from the big groups of students and mingle with the ward. I wanted to get a better feel for what the saints in England are like. I can easily say that I was highly impressed.
A few of the ward members were so wonderful that they spent their entire day showing us around to the church history sites. Some of the sites we saw were market square (where some of the first preaching happened), Wilford street lodging (where the famous incident of the evil spirits with Heber C. Kimball happened), President Hinckley’s flat (where he received the letter of “forget yourself and go to work”), the River Ribble (where the first saints in England were baptized), Pendle Hill (where it is believed that the ancient prophets dedicated the land), and the cities Chatburn and Downham (where many of the early saints were baptized). It was so wonderful. The spirit was so strong as we visited these places. I especially loved the view of Pendle Hill from the city of Downham. The experiences today were priceless and the tender feelings of the Spirit are unforgettable. I feel so blessed to be here.
Off to Birmingham and London tomorrow!
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