NDPA Seminar, Manchester, UK

In late May we flew to the UK for the Public Affair's Annual NDPA Seminar, where
National Directors of Public Affairs from over 20 countries throughout Europe were invited.

We all stayed in the beautiful Marriott Country Club Hotel in Manchester.

Dave and Joan Creer (Senior Missionaries) in our Solihull office had been working on this project for months.  Their biggest challenge was arranging travel and lodging for all 43 attendees coming from all over Europe and the US.  They did a tremendous job of managing that challenge
as well as selecting the agenda.  

Upon arrival we were quickly whisked off by bus to visit the Preston Temple grounds.  The grounds were amazing beautiful!  I loved this "photo op" with the temple spire
framed by the archway.

Typical English gardens surrounded the site on all sides.  

The temple architect gave us a 45-minute guided tour of the grounds.  He told us of the many miracles that occurred in which the village of Chorley changed its initial negative response for the request to build a temple there to an overwhelmingly positive response.

Although located in the village, Chorley, the temple is named for the larger area, Preston.

Phases of the moon depicted on the side panels...

The actual seminar began that afternoon.  Two guest speakers from Church Headquarters were there, outgoing Managing Director of Public Affairs, Mike Otterson, and Kim Farah.  I'll also say more about a very special guest shortly.  Our Area Director, Gabi Sirtl, was the first to speak.

Then the doors opened and our surprise guest entered--none other than President Uchtdorf!!!

We planners were aware of his coming, but for most of the attendees it was a complete surprise!  He was conducting a two-week trip throughout Europe, speaking at various conferences.  We were so very lucky to have been able to have him speak to our small group for over an hour!  And the amazing thing was that each of us got to have our pictures taken with him and Harriet.

Elder Kearon and his wife, Jennifer, were there, too.  It was an amazing 90 minutes!  

Afterwards, we had a group photo taken.  Due to our being the shortest people there, Elder G and I were placed right on the front row alongside our special guests.

We were eager to meet the NDPAs with whom we work closely.
Here is Risto Leppanen from Finland with his wife, Kirsi.

And here we have four more:  Rostya Gordon-Smith from the Czech Republic, Lise Paulsen from Denmark, Ana Hundric from the Adriatic North Mission, and Ingrid Nilsson from Sweden.  We were so glad to get to know them personally.  We only regret that our NDPA from Norway,
Dag Aanensen, was unable to attend.

Saturday we had excellent instruction from Gabi, Ralf, Mike, and Kim. Kim gave an excellent demonstration on struggling to carry too heavy a load or learning how to 

delegate and accept help from others.

Following the day's instruction, we headed out on a bus to the villages of Downham and Chatburn.  These and other villages in the Ribble Valley, have a unique claim in Church history.  They claim to be "The Mission That Saved the Church."


Back in the late 1830s when the Church was struggling with apostasy in Kirtland, Joseph Smith sent missionaries to England to spread the gospel.  Heber C. Kimball, Orson Hyde, Willard Richards, and Joseph Fielding, and three others were the first to be sent outside North America in 1837.  In just under a year, the small, rural Ribble Valley would contribute over 1500 converts to the Church.  By 1840 there would be 33 branches, totaling over 2,000 members!

Many valiant converts from these small villages then emigrated to America,
where these new members strengthened the body of the struggling Church.

What's interesting about Downham is that the same family has owned the entire village for over 400 years!  No one but this family owns any property there; all other residents are renters!

And some just occupy space!

We were able to walk throughout the quaint village and just couldn't get enough of it!  It was so beautiful and pastoral and peaceful!  We all fell in love with Downham!

The Church has gifted the city a bench.  Mormon tourists are constantly 

flocking to Downham, even by the busloads just as we did that day.  

The Church is considering renting this large building there in order to house a Visitors Center.

Although there was an older castle-like home of the original family, 

the current family resides in this beautiful manor.

We got a kick out of the medieval sheep stall which was easily converted into a men's restroom!  Thank goodness the women's restroom required more converting!

Everywhere we go, we never fail to see a church in the smallest of villages,
and  Downham was no exception.

Here is a plaque honoring one of the town's owners, a former member of Parliament.

Downham had a religious heritage even before the Mormons arrived.  Back in the mid 1600s George Fox climbed Pendle Hill in the background and had a religious experience that eventually led him to found the Religious Society of Friends, also known as the Quakers.  Our early apostles proselyting there also felt a special spirit when they climbed to the top of the hill.

There are only three businesses in Downham:  a pub, a post office, and an ice cream shop!
We were treated to a typical British dinner at the Assheton Arms Pub, having a choice
between beef & yorkshire pudding or fish and chips!

This is Fernanda Mascarenhas and her husband, Celestino, from Cape Verde.  Seating on the window seat is the current owner of Downham, Ralph Assheton.

After dinner we walked to the building where we would be entertained by a group of Church members from Chorley, who gave us a "cameo presentation of the British Pageant."  Apparently, this pageant is now part of the evening performances performed in Nauvoo.

Before the presentation began, we all "fought" for a spot on the landing where we could capture the brief glimpse of sunshine on the beautiful scene below us!  Totally unbelievable!!!

The 45-minute cameo of dialog and old Church hymns told the story of the early Mormon missionaries who experienced such success in this beautiful valley.

The Spirit was so strong as we felt the conviction of those early missionaries!  There wasn't a dry eye among us!  We practically rode home in silence, so overcome with the special spirit present during this dramatization.  It was truly another highlight of the entire seminar.

Invaluable instruction, highly spiritual experiences, and a special visit by President Uchtdorf

https://www.facebook.com/lds.dieter.f.uchtdorf/photos/a.120510344786318.1073741829.114461198724566/390923327745017/?type=3&theater

made for a truly unforgettable seminar!