A Real Thanksgiving in England!

"That ye contend no more against the Holy Ghost, but that ye receive it, and take upon you the name of Christ; that ye humble yourselves even to the dust, and worship God, in whatsoever place ye may be in, in spirit and in truth; and that ye live in thanksgiving daily, for the many mercies and blessings, which he doth bestow upon you."  Alma 34:38

Previously you saw the theme posted for this year's Primary Sacrament Meeting presentation.  Sunday was extra special because the children sang many beautiful songs and filled the chapel with the Spirit, AND, after that, we drove an hour in the early evening for a Thanksgiving feast at the mission home!!

The dining table is ready and the house smelled like turkey and dressing when we go here for the Thanksgiving dinner made for us by our mission president's wife.  Everyone brought a traditional American plate to add to the meal.  We had all the trimmings!  The sister in this picture serves with her husband as the hard working office couple.

This is the lounge (living room) of the mission home.  All missionaries sit here when they first meet the mission president and his wife.  We sat on the couch facing you in this picture (half asleep and jet-lagged).  A nice Kincaid is on the left and the room's atmosphere has the  Spirit there.  This night there was soft music playing and it was lovely.  There were 90 people here last Sunday night for a fireside meeting that is held once a month.  The word is out--our mission president and his wife, plus other speakers who present at these firesides, are all very entertaining and the evenings are very special for learning more about the gospel in interesting ways.

Our mission president's wife working over the gravy and turkey, with two of the other senior sisters who are here with their husbands on a mission.

Our mission office manager with an EMM (England Manchester Mission) apron on, and the mission president with his favorite apron.  Two turkeys!!  Lots of white meat! 

Today, Monday, we went to a home to help some people from the Czech Republic learn to speak English.  It was very fun.  They are fast learners.  The family has nothing, not even paper to write on.  We took a catalog to show them things and wrote names, speaking in short sentences that explained how to use the items.  There are two families with five children.  The father is out of work.  The father and boys (including the two year old) come to church dressed very well in suits, white shirts, and ties.  The family is respectful of being in a house of worship.  They feel the Spirit and want to learn more, even though they understand very little.

Elder Z. (Armenian) and Elder F. (Dutch) had to learn English for their mission, and they are the missionaries who found this family!  This has to make for a very interesting teaching arrangement.  It seems the Holy Ghost is doing a lot of the teaching.  Miracles never cease!

I have to mention one more thing about the Primary Program in Sacrament Meeting yesterday.  Three of the children had their grandfather pass away a couple of days ago.  They still showed up to the program, sang solos, did their speaking parts well, and only one of them broke down a little.  Meanwhile, grandma (who had just lost her husband) was there to support them, along with the mother who just lost her father.  That kind of dependability is remarkable.  They had every excuse not to be there, but they were there to fulfill their responsibilities because they love the Lord and didn't want to disappoint the people at church in the Primary's efforts to present an uplifting and spiritual message of God's love.  I stand in awe of the remarkable talents and skills the children all demonstrated as they sang their hearts out in praise and adoration of the Savior and our Father in Heaven.