Konold Chronicles

Today, I predict, is the beginning of Spring.  Although the week started cold (and snowy), we ended the week at a high of 14.5 C (about 57 F).  Here is what the beginning of the week looked like:

Snow falling on our car outside office in Chorley

One of the great things about living where we do is that we can get up on a Saturday morning without a clue what we are going to do and, within an hour, plan, drive and be surrounded by some impressive antiquity or beauty.  February 27th was one of those mornings and we headed for the west coast area of Cumbria.  We started with Furness Abbey–another of those peaceful places.  The abbey dates back to 1123 and was once the second wealthiest and most powerful Cistercian monastery in the country, behind only Fountains Abbey in North Yorkshire (as everyone knows, one of our favorite places in No. England).  The red sandstone distinguishes Furness Abbey from other abbeys we have seen.

Furness Abbey

Furness Abbey

Furness Abbey

We ended the day at Cartmel–which has a three story toy store which makes no sense for a very small village close to nothing.

Toy store in Cartmel

On March 9th, we and the Backmans hopped on a plane and flew to Dublin for the weekend.  I had always wanted to see the Book of Kells at Trinity College.  The book (3 volumes) is an illuminated manuscript of the four Gospels in Latin.  It is believed to date from 800 AD. This is some of the art work surrounding the text–which is in perfect calligraphy.

I’m not sure whether there is a modern counterpart to this kind of effort.  I suppose some of the sand-art by Tibetan Monks might rival the Book of Kells.

The rest of Trinity College and neighboring Dublin Castle and St. Patrick’s Cathedral were impressive.

Trinity College Campus, Dublin

Kathy in Trinity College Library

Outside Dublin Castle (the only picture in existence where I have gloves on and mom does not)!

St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin (preparing for Mum’s Day program)

When we visited Dublin on vacation several years ago, we found an Irish pub by the name of the Merry Ploughboy.  A family has been putting on an Irish meal and entertainment every night for over 25 years.  We decided to share it with the Backmans and had a very enjoyable evening of Irish folk songs and dance (River Dance-style).

Merry Ploughboy, Dublin

On Sunday, we attended Church in Dublin and made contact with John and Eileen Connelly (who were just released from the temple presidency and returned to Dublin).  We had dinner with them at their home that night.  We also visited the Malahide Castle.

Malahide Castle in Dublin

Our trip home Monday morning was an event we hope to forget, so I will not save it here.  I think IKEA designed the Dublin airport.  It forces you to wind your way through every duty-free shop you can imagine.  As we were doing this, our names were being called over the loud speaker as we were late to the gate.

They day after our return, mom and I got extremely sick (first time on our mission).  It turned out to be a one-day flu and we were both back to work on Wednesday.  A short, but very powerful experience.

On Thursday, it became necessary for us to head off at a minute’s notice to help some sister missionaries in the Leeds mission with a legal matter.  We took off at about noon and drove for almost 3 hours and got home after 10:00 that night.  We took them to dinner at the end of the day.  I did not know that one of their rules is that they cannot eat at a restaurant that serves alcohol.  That pretty much limits them to fast food joints. We ended up eating at the cafe in a grocery store. These sisters had been through an extremely harrowing experience and their only worry was that their time was being diverted from their investigators.  Such focus and commitment. I admire them and just seeing their faith made our efforts seem so minor in comparison. We went to help them and we came back uplifted.

On Friday, mom passed her driving test (with flying colors).  I am very proud of her. As you might imagine, she denies she has her license.  Tomorrow is a big test as she has to drive to Manchester for an activity for sister missionaries in the mission.  Keep tuned.

Thinking I might be able to get a post in before Sophie gets home from school to be wished a Happy Birthday. Easter Sunday we spent in the Helston Ward in Cornwall (Southwestern England).  It was a very picturesque part of England and a wonderful place to experience Easter. They have fields of daffodils. We had been around rock for a couple of days and, perhaps, that is what made me think about the large stone that covered the entry to the cave in which Christ was entombed.  For the first time I recall, I wondered why the stone was rolled away.  It would not have been to facilitate the resurrection.  As we see, later the same day, Christ appeared to the Apostles in the upper room where the doors and windows were shut and locked.  In other words, walls were no obstacle for a resurrected being.  So, he did not need the stone rolled away to “get out.”  Could it be that the stone was rolled away to facilitate witnessing by others.  First, Mary and then others of the Apostles.  Could Mary have said, “where have they taken him” unless she saw the empty tomb?  And, if she had not asked, would she have experienced the transforming moment in which she recognized the Savior by hearing Him say her name?

I am grateful not only for the resurrection, but that the stone was moved so I can have the powerful witness of those who actually saw that the tomb was robbed; that death had been defeated and replaced with everlasting life.  In a way, that tomb still invites us to peer in and see for ourselves what miracle has been performed and, perhaps, let us hear Him call our name–but only if we have the faith to enter and the courage to ask the question.

Last week, we were all stunned by the terrorist attack in Belgium–particularly because it impacted those with whom we so closely identify–reminding us that the reach of this evil is long and powerful and none is exempt from its terrible consequences.  Our dear missionaries are people of such courage and commitment.  Almost universally, their response to something like this is to heal quickly and stay in the service of the Lord.

A couple of weeks ago, we drove about 2 hours away to see Hadrian’s Wall.  The Romans build the wall in the third century to prevent against Scottish invasions.  The wall runs 73 miles all the way from the west to the east coast of England.  It is  not particularly large or impressive in segments–it looks a lot like any other rock wall in England.  Here is a piece:

Kathy standing on Hadrian’s Wall. It is much higher on the other side.

The Romans occupied England from about 150 AD until about 450 AD.  Most of the major cities in England have some remnants of the Roman period.

One of our major bucket-list items was to visit Cornwall–a county in SW England.  Since Easter weekend includes bank holidays on Friday and Monday, we and the Backmans headed south. Because of traffic, it was a 6 hour drive down  and a 7 hour drive home.  But, it was worth it–even though it rained Thurs night, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, Friday was a gift.   We used it to visit some of the remarkable coastline.  We started at Tintigal which is the castle where, supposedly, King Arthur reigned and had his round table of knights.  The hike and location are the most impressive part.  There is not much left of the castle.  This is the setting.

The setting of Tintigal castle ruins. Not a bad view and it is 360.

Climbing the bridge to Tintigal

We then visited a small fishing village called Port Isaac.  It is quite a climb down a steep road to get to the town.

Hiking down the street to Port Isaac.

On Saturday, we visited the Maritime Museum in Falmouth (where we stayed) and then the Eden Project–which is a large indoor rain forest.  Quite a memorable place.

Eden Project in Cornwall

On Sunday, went to Church (described above) and then visited St. Michael’s Mount–an castle on top of a hill on an island near the southern tip of England.  To get to the castle, you have to wait for a low tide, then walk over a causeway, then climb a very steep hill.  Here are a couple of pictures.

The causeway. Note the squall coming on the left. It passed to the left without killing us. Very strong winds.

View of the trail of visitors over the causeway

View from the castle on top of St. Michael’s Mount

On the way back, we went by Lanyon Quoit, an ancient rock structure that, like so many others, has no known origins or uses.

Lanyon Quoit

As we drove home that night, fitting to the end of a long day, a flock of geese showed us “the end.”  This is about the widest road we were on for three days.

Our OGC team in Chorley.  From left, Elder Backman, Elder Konold, and Kristie Hita

The Chorley OGC team

Happy Spring.  We had a real-live snow storm this morning.

Cheers for now.

Last weekend we took a drive through the Yorkshire Dales.  Many of the villages don’t really qualify as such–they are more properly “hamlets.”

Old houses next to graveyard

The Dales are full of pastures and, this time of year, they are full of lambs.  You can watch them for hours as they “gambol” about.  That is when they do these hops with all fours leaving the ground.

Major lambing season in Yorkshire

There are a lot of streams–meaning some nice rock bridges.  Here is one in Buckton.

Bridge in Buckton

Here is the train version.

Beautiful bridge

We spend all day on very narrow roads which are bordered by craggy rock walls like this.

Miles of roads no wider than this through the Moors

Nice play between rocks and pastures.

Rocks and pasturelands

It’s been awhile since we have reported on our Church History assignment.  We recently interviewed an 85 year-old sister who moved here to Chorley 18 months ago to be near the temple.  We went at our appointed time and after small-talk, I set up the recorder and explained it to her.  She moved away like it was a king cobra.  I explained how it worked and demonstrated by speaking and playing it back.  She would have none of it.   She wanted to tell us her story and didn’t want it recorded.  So we sat and listened to 3 hours of her story (her whole life).  It was fascinating, but completely unrelated to our project.  We left on very comfortable terms, but at the door she said, “that’s not what you came to hear was it?”  “No, but we really feel privileged to have heard what we did.”  She asked when we could come back to do our thing.  We made an appointment for the next week.  We got what we went for (her account of why she moved close to the temple and whether it has met her expectations).  She is the sweetest lady with a most interesting life.  About 6 years as a refugee after WW II.  Living in abandoned industrial kitchens and so on.  But, a wonderful story about moving all by herself, at age 85, to be on, what she calls, the “doorstep to heaven.”  She walks about 4-5 blocks to the temple at least 3 times a week through some bitter cold and a lot of rain–without a word of complaint.  Interestingly, the last two people we have interviewed are both converts who met the missionaries randomly (not referred by anyone).   Both were left a Word of Wisdom pamphlet on the first visit and both believed the Church was true after reading that pamphlet. Maybe we should move the WofW to the first discussion.

We are leaving for Paris on Tues. to take care of a couple of legal matters.  On the way back, we will meet Ryan and Heather in London for a couple of days then explore the Cotswolds on our way back up here.  Should have a good post in a couple of weeks.

Love to all.

I have been warned about the last few months of missionary service–that time flies like never before.  I am in the middle of that and trying to figure out why.  I think the primary reason is there is so much to finish and, clearly, not enough time to do it.  Today was especially stressful as I was updating my reports to indicate the expected completion date of the matters assigned to me.  I began to realize that, realistically, many cannot be completed in my remaining time. Another factor is the uncertainty of what is ahead. So far, I have not really given much thought to what I will do with my time when I return and I would just as soon put that off indefinitely. So, those are some of the factors that make me loose track of time until I am forced to look at it and see what little there is of it remaining.

On April 14, Kathy and I went to Paris so I could take care of some legal matters there.  While there, we hooked up with Steve and Karen Maynes from Frankfurt.  As soon as we got back, it was announced that Steve will be the next Director of Temporal Affairs in Europe–a tremendously responsible position–for which he is very well qualified.  We enjoyed getting to know them.  Steve has self-taught himself French and does quite well.  They have spent quite a bit of time in Paris so it was nice to have a guide and translator.  Around my meetings, we did get to see some of the beautiful sites of Paris.  Versailles is just a short distance from the Paris Temple (under construction)–so we took a quick look.  Kathy spent the day there and I joined her in the afternoon.  I was in suit, dress shoes and with briefcase–which I carried for most of the 10 miles of walking.  You heard it right, actually 10.67 miles like this:

Tim and Kathy in front of entry gate at Versailles

The Paris Temple is nearing completion.  No Moroni on this one because of height limitations.

Paris Temple

When we finished in Paris, we met Ryan and Heather in London for a couple of days and then brought them up home for a few more.

Kathy and Heather with Beefeater at London Tower

On our way home we drove through the Cotswolds (an iconic symbol of English country living). This picture was taken at the most photographed location in the Cotswold, the village of Castle Combe (which is not a castle at all).  This type and color of stone distinguishes the area.

Ryan and Heather on bridge at Castle Combe

During our time in the north, we took them to Conwy, Wales.  The below picture was taken at the Conwy castle.

Ryan and Heather atop a tower at Conwy Castle (look closely–they are there)

We had a wonderful time with Ryan and Heather.  They are easy company, of firm faith, are raising a remarkable family, and they have a strong relationship after 16 years of marriage.  It was fun to share some of our favorite spots with them and see them enjoy the experience as much as we.  I believe they left with an warm memory of this land and its beauty and heritage–not to mention that we had 4 days of beautiful weather.  They are sure we have been lying about the crummy weather in England.

I hope I can capture some of the fulness we have experienced of late.  In our last post, we talked about Ryan and Heather’s visit.  On their heels came Darice, Rowan, Scout, Harper and Sawyer.  We had a couple of weeks to be with them and time went so fast.  We loved every minute and the kids were so patient and interested in learning.  One of the highlights for me was when we were headed to Strafford Upon Avon (Shakespeare’s birthplace).  I asked Harper if she knew who Shakespeare was and she said, “sure, he is the king of couplets.”  Darice grinned from ear to ear thinking we appreciated that she was the best homeschooler ever.  It seems we had a major event every day, including doing baptisms in the temple with Darice and Rowan. Here are just a few pics of our time with the Austons:

Showing their dragons purchased at Warwick Castle

Dressed for the times at the Mary Arden Farm (Shakespeare’s mother)

Entering Warwick Castle

Learning about the cotton milling industry at the Queen Street Mill

Tim, Kathy and Darice at Fountains Abbey

Scout putting on the Bishop’s robes (which has become our tradition)

We missed Darryl (who joined the family in London after their visit here).  It was so nice to get re-acquainted with these kids.  They have lived far away from us from the very start and we simply don’t get enough of them.  They each warmed our hearts and we miss them very much.

Following Darice, Brad and Megan arrived.  We only had five days with them–so we packed it with all our favorites.  One of the unique experiences was to watch a play in the York Minster. The nave of the Minster was filled with a stage and a 1,000 seat auditorium for this play.  The play portrays the biblical history of the world from the creation through Revelations.  It was four hours long, but otherwise very well done.  The sets and costumes were particularly admirable. Here are a few Brad-Megan pics:

Brad and Tim waiting “patiently” while the women shop in Bath

A beautiful day at Bodnant Gardens (North Wales)

Dinner at Lucy’s on a Plate in the Lake District

The iconic photo at Castle Combe

At lunch on a beautiful day in Castle Combe (which doesn’t have a castle)

Brad and Megan shared a hamburger at the hotel in Castle Combe

In the middle of all the excitement, the Backmans finished their mission and returned home. That leaves just two in the office.  We spent a lot of time with the Backmans and enjoyed their company.  We will miss them.  I think I mentioned that we lived just 1 minute from them and they are right on the way to the office–so it made it very easy to arrange rides to work and temple and to just “drop in.”

This last week, there was a J. Ruben Clark Law Society conference here in Chorley.  Elder Oaks was the keynote speaker (coming straight from Parliament and Oxford where he spoke and participated in panel discussions).   On Saturday, Tim look Mike Jensen and Bill Atkin on a mini church history tour to sites in Preston, Chatburn and Downham.  I think they had a good time. Sunday was stake conference and we enjoyed having a family sit with us that we have been trying to reactivate.

We have been getting better acquainted with Elder (Mick) and Sister (Becki) Crane.  They are the Area Medical Advisors for the UK missions. Saturday, we went to Lyme Park and took the “Pemberley Walk”.  This is the manor house and surrounding 1,000+ acres where the BBC Pride and Prejudice was filmed.  The walk took us by the places where some of the more famous scenes from the movie were filmed–a thrill for the women and tolerable for the men.  After that, we visited a little village by the name of “Bakewell” which is famous for their torts and puddings.  But our favorite and unexpected surprise was the beautiful garden/park in the center of town with all the flowers in full bloom.  It rounded out a perfect day.

On Saturday, May 28th, I announced to mom that I turned old that day.  My left hip has been getting progressively intolerable–I suppose from arthritis.   On the fateful Saturday, I could not get in the left passenger seat of the car without some pretty sever pain.  I remember helping my dad get in and out of the car and how, when I rotated his left foot, he would grimace in pain. That is exactly what I did.  And I became my dad.  Problem is, he was 90.  You will be happy to know that I am working on my car mount and dismount so as not to embarrass myself or others.  It will help to have a steering wheel to hold onto when I get in and out on that side!

I am sure I am leaving out a lot, but I simply must get this posted.

Love to all.