We returned to Lancaster for our Stake Conference and we met the new Elders who are assigned there. The Elder on Sister Luke's right is Elder Gibbs and the one on the left is Elder Hill. It being a very small world in the church, we discovered that Elder Gibbs is the brother of two sisters that we worked closely with on our last mission. One was the relief society president and the other the activities chair for the young adult ward in Westlake. They were wonderful young ladies and their brother is no different.
We also had our Thanksgiving feast yesterday and invited ward members, less active members and one investigator to share it with us. It was a touch of home.
Finally, we have added two new words to our vocabulary. Sister Luke is standing in a "ginnel" which is a small lane between homes that makes it easy to pass from one street to another. Elder Luke is standing in a "skipit", (not sure of the spelling), which seems to us to be also a small lane between streets. If anyone can tell the difference, let us know.

Dickensian Christmas

Today we visited nearby Ulverston where they were having a Dickensian Christmas Festival. Many of the townspeople dress in costumes of the time of Dickens and they hold a street festival- carnival. These were some of the folks we saw. I have also included a picture of the village church, which is so very typical of almost every village. There is such a sense of history here.

We have a new district now which meets in Workington, about two hours north of Barrow in Furness, in the north of the Lake District. The picture was from our first meeting. Seated from left is Elder Turner, Elder Runyan, Elder Whiting (Junior Zone Leader) and Elder Baldwin. The second row is Sister Runyan and Sister Luke. The back row is Elder Desir, Elder DiIulio, Elder Farrant (District Leader), Elder Farley and Elder Kimmerle (Senior Zone Leader).
The next picture is of our car repair shop. Don't worry, they also do car wrecking.
The final pictures were from our last ward activity which was a Trunk or Treat (Boot or Treat). We are standing with Katie, one of the primary children who loves all things Egyptian, and the Grim Reaper is the acting Bishop in the Ward (the Bishop is on leave at present). It was great fun and was organized by the YM and YW in the ward.

This was a fairly typical trip down the lane near our farm cottage. First is the view out the rear and we see a tractor on our bumper. The view out the front shows why the tractor is so close, namely the herd of cows walking down the lane for milking. You can just see the farmer herding them with his Quad. Then, a bit further down the lane we find the horse and rider blocking our way (remember we drive on the left). The road sign beyond the horse means I can now travel at 60 mph, which is crazy because the road is frequently just wide enough for one car and you just might meet a tractor or a lorry at any moment. The road hazards here are amazing and a source of never ending heart attacks. Notice the doorway of the house opens right onto the road in the horse picture. This is usual also as the roads were once walking lanes between cottages.
The final picture is from a recent trip to Grasmere in the Lake District with some Fall colors. We truly love the Lake District!