Sister Lybbert in Leeds: Connecting with Old Family Friends

This week has been great. Last Monday we had a barbecue, and then played volleyball for Zone P-day. I was too lazy to bring a bag with my sport outfit so I chose the classy option and played in my dress. I also came up with a superb way of backhanding the ball instead of serving it. (The ball was not a real volleyball, so, no that didn't break my hand.)

Waiting for the bus

Tuesday evening Sister Jodicke, Fiona, and I went to Carol Mitchell's house with cake to have a little farewell get together for Fiona. I love Sister Mitchell. It is adorable because every time we go to her house, she constantly has friends popping in and out, and she always leaves her living room window open and she has cats of all sorts also come for visits, then leave. I forgot to mention that there is not a single window with a screen here. I find it so weird because then bugs can get in, and the windows on the tower apartment buildings open wide enough for a grown man to fall out of and there aren't any screens. Scary, but with Sister Mitchell's cat friends it isn't so bad. Anyway, Carol is an absolute doll and I feel so happy whenever we get to visit her. I could spend all day every day at her house.
Wednesday was SO GOOD. We had a mission-wide conference in Huddersfield at the chapel. Because of the British Pageant that was in Chorley (Sadly, we weren't allowed to go...it's in the Manchester Mission) there were a few apostles in the area. Elder M. Russell Ballard came to speak to us! Elder Jeffery R. Holland and I think another one, had a conference with the Manchester mission. It was so neat, and I hadn't seen all of the Leeds Missionaries together. When we sang the opening song, 'Guide Us, O, Thou Great Jehovah,' it was incredible and so powerful. I was sitting front and center, all of the sisters were sitting in the first two rows. Two members of the Seventy spoke first, and then Elder Ballard. I can't remember the names of the Seventy (they were foreign names...) but they spoke on how this church isn't split into a church for missionaries and a church for members, but it is one church where the missionaries are to teach, and the members are to find. Then Elder Ballard talked about motivating things for us missionaries, and this basically sums up what he said, "You want to baptize more? Talk to More!" and he spoke on Wilford Woodruff's experience with Joseph Smith after Joseph had passed away. Joseph and others were walking into the temple and Wilford was wondering why they were going so fast. Joseph replied, "We are in a hurry." Elder Ballard said that if the people in the Spirit world are in a hurry, we need to be in a hurry; everyone. [We need to be] in a hurry to find more people through family history; in a hurry to find more people to teach the gospel to. Everybody, every member, should be in a hurry to spread the gospel. Time is becoming shorter and shorter until the work needs to be fulfilled.

St. Bartholomew's Church

My favorite spot

It was a really amazing conference. After the conference, and elderly sister missionary from the South somewhere in England was walking through the crowd and she happened to say hi to Sister Jodicke, then me, and naturally asked where we were both from. When I replied Canada, she held up her handbag, which surprisingly was a giant Canadian flag. I told her I was from Southern Alberta, near Lethbridge. She said, "I know a man from Lethbridge." I thought I'd just ask who, in case I might, by a small chance, know them. She told me, "Rasmussen, Bob Rasmussen." Then excited, I asked if she knew anything else so I could make sure it was Uncle Robert. She said he married a lady named Maureen. Anyway, it made me so happy to have a connection to my family. She said she knows him because he served his mission where she lived, in Hull, and she even said that his companion was George Donald Durrant, a famous LDS author of one of the books in the approved missionary book list. It made me so so happy . Small world. Oh, and the lady's name was Sister Mary Walker.
Then yesterday, there was a missionary farewell for Callum McKeown and a baptism of the Leonard twins so there were a lot of people in sacrament meeting. Anthony came to sacrament which was really good, and I'm so grateful to Sam for bringing him and Amy, his little daughter. Sam sacrifices so much but she does it with the biggest smile on her face. Sister Jodicke and I helped prepare the food for the munch and mingle that happened after church, and so Sam, Fiona Roberts ( not the new convert, Fiona, but a lady from the ward) and the two of us had fun getting the food all ready.
Another small world story: Callum's grandfather, Alex Stewart, is from Scotland (I forgot where..) and he knows Doug McLeman and dear Uncle Keith! (I don't know if Keith would remember him, but he said he knows who you are!) YAY!
Oh, and on Tuesday we visited with a man named Dennis Row. He lives across the street from the chapel, and we accidentally went to his house one day instead of the lady's whose we were looking for. We got a return appointment and went there with John Cook. Brother Row is the most adorable old man. His house is the classic English house, with family heirlooms and bookshelves and everything in his house. In the living room he even had a little table with wine glasses and some schleor (I can't spell..) and there was the fireplace with a rug in front of it, and then old and quite lovely black and white photos, and then some paintings on the walls. I could have spent hours there just because it was so perfect. Brother Row lost his wife last year, and he had so many pictures of them from when they were young everywhere. The photos were so precious, he spoke of his wife, Winifred, so wonderfully too, and it all just made my heart melt.
Today for P-day, we went to the Royal Armouries Museum and looked at...yep, armour! It was really interesting, but after looking at a few floors of armour, we felt we could come e-mail. It was realy interesting and neat to see it all. Oh, and we went shopping too. I have never been in such a classy mall. I will send photos. ;)
Anyway, thanks everyone for your love and support and letters! In the past few weeks I've received letters from Aunt Katrina and Nicole Williams, and possible others... I can't remember. Also, I am sorry if I don't reply to all the letters. It is hard to have time to write, and postage is pretty pricey. I try my best though and it doesn't mean I don't like getting them. :)
Love you, and praying all the time for you,