June 19, 2025

Hello from Jackie and Glen in sunny Scotland. We have had some very warm days (for Scotland low 70s) and sunny days (for Scotland) this spring. No rain for days on end and the poor farmers had to irrigate their crops. The rainy weather is back now with typical patterns of rain, partly cloudy turning to rain. The landscape is so beautiful here. In our travels from city to city in our Stake area we end up on some back roads and farm country that is just stunning.

The missionary work continues to amaze us as people respond to the young missionaries and are coming to church, taking the lessons and getting baptized in record numbers. A couple of weeks ago we had 13 "friends" or visitors to our little branch in Perth. That is almost more than all the members who come to church. God is moving His work forward in teaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We see friends and new members from all over the world here is Scotland/Ireland. We love being a part of this work in preparation for the new temples to be built in Edinburgh and Dublin. So grateful to be able to assist in this miracle.

We are teaching the newly baptized members more about the church they just became a part of, including the new My Covenant Path Study Plan found in the Gospel Library. This lays out for them what they can expect over the next months as they progress in the Gospel and Church membership. It is exciting to see their enthusiasm and joy and they see what is ahead for them. Especially going to the temple and receiving their Patriarchal Blessing.

We have attended several baptisms recently including Andrea who asked Glen to baptize her. It was an honor to do so. The Holy Ghost is always so strong at these baptisms and the joy is obvious on the faces of the newly baptized members.


Trip to St. Andrews - visited the town and the Castle.


The ruins of St. Andrews Castle sits right on the ocean



A beautiful day and location right on the coast.



The Chapel at St Andrews built to solidify power with the Church. Once the largest cathedral in Scotland.







Rosslyn Chapel - made famous by the movie The DaVinci Code with Tom Hanks. This is the location where they filmed the scene and they find the symbol on the wall and go down in the crypt. Photos were not allowed inside but it was gorgeous! Located just outside of Edinburgh very near the Costco!


With our Senior Missionary friends The Malans in front of Rosslyn Chapel


Front of the Rosslyn Chapel


Photo of Rosslyn Chapel from the guide book


For Jackie's birthday we drove to Fort William in the Highlands. We went to Ben Nevis - tallest mountain in Scotland. On the way to Fort William we took the Gondola up to the lodge near the top of the mountain. Very beautiful from up top. They run International Mountain bike downhill races here and the course looks terrifying!





The Jacobite Train - from Fort William we rode The Jacobite Train from there to Mallaig, a small fishing village in the north. The Jacobite Train is run by a steam engine that was used in the Harry Potter movies and features the tall Viaduct bridge seen in the movies and the final resting place of Dumbledore on the island. It was a wonderful trip and indescribable beauty.


On the "Harry Potter" train to Malaig






The Glenfinnan Viaduct



Watch out for Dementors and Flying Cars!



R.I.P. Professor Dumbledore


Mallaig, on the coast of the North Atlantic







The young missionaries are holding the number of months they have been serving so far. They do this every transfer in case some of them are being moved to a new area.



Our oldest granddaughter, Taylor, graduated from High School this year as a Sterling Scholar for Vocal Performance. What a bright star in our family!

Scottish Words of the Day:

1. Ca canny but ca awe = Proceed with caution, but proceed anyway
2. Messages = Your groceries
3. Piece = Sandwich 
4. Rabbit = Exhausted
5. Lug = Ear

Love to all of our friends and family,

Glen & Jackie

Comments

  1. Denine HeyrendJune 20, 2025 at 4:19 PM

    How delightful to hear about your mission and Scotland! Thanks for including the photos. What a beautiful and magical place! Love all the Harry Potter connections. :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thomas TreeJune 21, 2025 at 1:25 PM

    I, too, love the Harry Potter references and locations! I love all the books and movies (and even Harry Potter world at Universal Studios in Orlando!). Keep up the great work!

    ReplyDelete

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