Hello Family and Friends,

This is our first blog from Scotland/Ireland where we are serving as full time missionaries for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. We arrived in Scotland on December 15th 2024 and are now living in Perth, Scotland.

We have met wonderful people and visited some cool places as well. We have been involved with several baptisms which are a powerfully spiritual experience. (We did not include any photos due to privacy restrictions) There are many members here in Scotland that are temple workers for the Preston England temple. They are very excited about the new Edinburgh temple that was recently announced. It is now a 4 hour drive to get to the Preston Temple from this area. They are guessing where the new temple might be located. We are hoping it is near here in Perth! We see the Lord preparing the people in Scotland and Ireland for the new temples which are being built. The missionary work here has exploded with 208 baptisms last year and over 200 friends who have agreed to a baptismal date in the next 3 months. 600 new friends were found in 1 week!

We have been able to help teach people who are seeking Jesus Christ and His Gospel. We stand as witnesses of Christ and testify of Him.

"Scottish Words of the Month" (will be a regular feature of this blog)

Aye = yes

Wee = small or little

Hiya = hello

We will be sending updates monthly and will notify you when new posts are available. 

We were in the Missionary Training Center in Provo for 1 week in December.

The looooong flight to Scotland on Dec. 15th

A visit to Edinburgh with friends

        (Victoria Street in Edinburgh."Harry Potter Road")              (Senior Missionary Friends)

Around Perth, Scotland

(Our flat is in this building)

                                  (No description needed 😁)

(A tunnel near our flat. Looks like the tunnel from Harry Potter where the Dementors attacked!)

(West Bridge at Christmas over River Tay)

(Sir Walter Scott statue)

(Church of Scotland)

Scenery during our travels around Scotland so far

(Queensferry Crossing)

We visited Stirling Castle on January 2nd. Sunny but cold!

(King Robert the Bruce Monument. This is Jackie's 20th Great Grandfather!)

    

(William Wallace Monument from the Stirling Castle wall)

We saw Donny Osmond in Edinburgh performing as The Pharaoh

Trip to Dirleton Castle. Now in ruins it was built in the 12th Century. Very cool to see.

Zone Conference with the young missionaries, Jan 23, 2025

Robert Burns Dinner

Robert Burns is the most famous poet in Scotland. The Scots celebrate his birthday each year with a dinner (including Hagis 😟) and poetry recited. This was our Rotary Club in Perth's celebration.

                                                                                                         (Love the carpeting)

Until next month. We love you all! 💕