Christmas in the mission field is memorable. Emotions are intensified by missing family; experience is enriched by local customs and new friends; and service magnifies the relationship with He whom we remember. It was a relatively quiet and simple Christmas. Our home was modestly decorated.
Our House Decorated for Christmas
The cards, letters and gifts received were thoughtfully selected and gratefully received. We had Christmas dinner with the Backmans and their son and his family from Ethiopia. It was nice to be around children. It made us realize how important they are to the Christmas story.
New Year’s Eve is also Jim Backman’s birthday. He wanted to go to Scotland for the traditional Hogamany celebration (Scottish for gallons of whisky) . As the date approached, it was clear there would be flooding, cold and wind and we wisely decided to find another option. As it turned out, Scotland would have been an absolute disaster. Instead, we decided to go to the east coast and visit the cities of Whitby and Durham. We stayed in a nice B&B in Hurdlepool (near Whitby) where we enjoyed some beautiful sunsets and sunrises.
Sunset From Our Room in Hurdlepool
Whitby is a small fishing village punctuated by a Benedictine abbey the earliest portions of which were built in 657 AD. It was destroyed by Henry VIII in 1540. It is perhaps most famous by the fact that it inspired Bram Stoker’s Dracula. It is one of those places where you can spend hours imaging what events occurred there and what life was like “in the day.”
Kathy in Front of Monastery in Whitby
Near the abbey is an old church where, during the Christmas season, they invite citizens and businesses in Whitby to decorate a Christmas tree above the pew boxes. One could spend hours reading the messages that were part of each exhibit. The tree below is made of law books and was created by a local law firm.
Old Church in Whitby with Christmas Trees Decorated by Citizens and Businesses
Whitby is also known for having the best fish and chips in England. Each year, one of the restaurants is awarded the “Best F&C” in England and the 2015 winner was Quayside in Whitby. We had our New Year’s Eve dinner there. We did not know that as we walked out, they would close the door behind us for 2 months of renovations.
Us Just Before Having Fish and Chips on New Years Eve in Whitby
One of the things on my bucket list has been to climb Pendle Hill.
Pendle Hill
Several historical events occurred on this hill in the 17th century: the Pendle witch trials (1612); Richard Towneley’s barometer experiment; and the vision of George Fox (1652) which led to the foundation of the Quaker movement. Pendle hill is just above the towns of Chatburn and Downham where Heber C. Kimball baptized most of the residents in his first mission in 1837. Well, my climb was attempted on January 2nd–a very cold and rainy day. The trail was washed out which required that you hike through tall grasses. We probably got 2/3rd of the way to the top when prudence suggested we call it quits. I will attack it again.
Me Making an Attempt to Climb Pendle Hill in Horrible Weather–Attempt Failed
Work continues to bring daily surprises. Today, I was drafting opposition for legislation being proposed in England in an effort to stem the spread of radicalism in education of children. The thrust of the law is that all programs educating children outside the public school system will be registered, inspected and monitored by a governmental agency. It will, at least, affect our seminaries and institutes. While, of course, we don’t think they will find radicalism in our programs, who is to say what is radical. Something as simple as “follow the prophet” could be seen as seditious to the throne. The explosion of immigration in Europe will inevitably lead to laws and regulations which will erode religious freedoms and threaten all religions.
Kathy has been enjoying the two week break while the temple is going through its annual maintenance. She is spending most of her time studying for her driving tests. I may have mentioned earlier that a driver’s license is very difficult to obtain in England. You must score a minimum of 88% on a 50-question written test; pass a hazard perception test; and pass an actual road test through the narrow streets and round-abouts for which England is famous. The law requires that you must have a UK license by the end of 12 months from the time you entered the country. I just passed my written and hazard perception tests and have my driving test scheduled for the 26th–3 days before my 12 month anniversary. Major pressure! I don’t remember this being disclosed in the senior missionary booklet.
As I am writing this, Kathy is on the train on her way home from Watford (near London)–location of the Harry Potter Studio attraction. I have to pick her up at midnight at the train station. I know the rest of the night will be listening to her complete thrill and satisfaction with the experience. It is said to be the best theme attraction anywhere–so I must prepare myself.
As soon as I sign off, I know I will remember some things I intended to include. If so, I will just have to post again soon. Good night for now.