We drove to Preston, the hub of activity for the Mormon Church in the UK. We met our guide, Peter Fagg, who promptly hopped in our car and let us do the driving for our 35£ tour. We were a bit taken aback as it meant that John spent as much time taking directions and watching for pedestrians as he did seeing the sights. Oh those frugal Mormons!
A few facts:
· Heber C. Kimball and 6 other Saints were selected to go to Liverpool in the mid-1800’s. They chose Preston as their hub. One of the seven was Joseph Fielding. He had a sister who was married to a Reverend Matthews. Both were non-conformist and allowed the missionaries to preach in the church.
· When the missionaries arrived in Preston, it was election time and there was a banner claiming "Truth will prevail". The Mormons adopted it as their slogan.
· The River Ribbel was the biggest baptismal site in all of Britain. They were called "dippers".
· Gordon B. Hinckley’s first assignment in 1933 was in Preston.
Our final stop in Preston-- the dramatic Preston Temple....
We finally arrived in Sunderland. We had a bit of a time trying to find Jean and Gordon’s house- but soon we pulled up and were whisked into their new home. Nothing like showing up on a friends’ doorstep-when they’ve only been in their house for 5 weeks. Of course, everything was perfect. The house reminded us so much of our house in Boston and we felt at home immediately.
We had drinks at their local pub and even got Indian take away – all within walking distance!
We finally arrived in Sunderland. We had a bit of a time trying to find Jean and Gordon’s house- but soon we pulled up and were whisked into their new home. Nothing like showing up on a friends’ doorstep-when they’ve only been in their house for 5 weeks. Of course, everything was perfect. The house reminded us so much of our house in Boston and we felt at home immediately.
We had drinks at their local pub and even got Indian take away – all within walking distance!
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