Thankful for Facetime and Skype!

Dad and I are so grateful that we can talk to all of you through facetime and skype.  It buoys us up and gives us the strength to continue on even when we miss you all so much.  We love serving our mission and appreciate your support while we are away.  We think of all of you all the time and miss you.  We love you all!

Sister Hunter

Dad and I met up with Sister Hunter and her companion at the Preston Temple so that we could help her get to Sarah Burkhardt's baptism.  They brought Becky with them who was being baptized the next weekend.

Sarah Burkhardt

This is Sarah.  She is a single mom with three children and she is only 24 years old.  We love this little family.  Sarah, Skyler, Neve and Calvin.

Tree Pushing

 I was so embarrassed when dad pushed this tree over!

So I had to push it back up.  Actually, we go for a walk most nights and we came across this tree so hence, tree pushing photos.  We walk between 4-5 miles in the evenings.  It feels really good after sitting all day.

Mission Activity

 President Ulrich organized everyone into zones and we all folded paper airplanes and competed to see whose plane flew the furthest.

 Elder Carpentier and Elder Meisner show off their muscles as we prepare for a zone competition in football, ping pong, brain games and are relays.  Sister Amichia is giving Elder Carpentier bunny ears.

 Elder Williams is dad's mini me only he doesn't look like him he just acts like him.  They are trouble together.

 President Ulrich is ready for the ping pong competition.

 Mom wanted to play too even though we were not placed into a group to compete.  We were in charge of the ping pong competition.  We had so much fun!

Elder Hamblin is going home in a couple of weeks and we are really going to miss him.  He says that dad  reminds him of his dad.  He is from Gilbert Arizona.

February Zone Meeting Specialized Training

We have the best missionaries here in the Preston Zone.  They are all so kind to us and help us with whatever we need.  And we also let them know that we are here to help them in anyway that we can.  Our zone meeting was so inspiring.  The assistants, zone leaders and President Ulrich taught us how to talk with investigators and get a return appointment.  How to teach and focus on the atonement and to testify often of the Savior.  We loved every minute of it.

Lancaster YSA

We had a fun night playing "Minute to Win It" with the Lancaster YSA.  Dad made the competition pretty great because he just seemed to be good at all of it.  He could keep the feather in the air the longest, skipped pennies across the table and into a garbage can (got every single one in), built a house out of cards, stuck cards in a watermelon by throwing it and no one could guess his drawings (that was the goal).  Love you all!  Sarah, John, Sam and Dream.

Sat-Nav

This is our brain here in England.  We named her Sheila.  Our GPS is our livesaver and if it ever breaks down we won't be able to go anywhere!  Dad depends on me to tell him what Sheila says but if I am not on top of the directions then we miss our turn off and usually end up traveling a long way to get back to where were wanted to be in the first place.  Thanks Kacey for keeping the satellites and GPS working.  We depend on you!

Transfering the Sisters

 Sister Schbert and Sister Congolian are crammed into our car with all their luggage in the back and in the back seat.  We are taking them to Ashton.  Our mission president called us the night before and asked us to help these sisters.  It was a quick last minute transfer.  The sisters had one night to pack and be ready to go to a new area.

 Sister Fromgren and Sister Cristabol are transferring to the YSA in Manchester.  Again we packed them into the back seat with their luggage all around them.  Sister Blunck even had a box of Books of Mormon on her lap.  We had an hour drive through the snow to get to our destination.  This was a pretty eventful day.

 The South Ribble Sisters say goodby to each other.  It is hard to say goodby.

We all met together at the YSA building to switch the sisters and while we were waiting the Sisters gave us a tour.

Lancaster

 This is the Lancaster chapel.  It is also our stake center.  The ward there is very loving and kind.  We thought we were going to freeze to death in Lancaster on Sunday.  The sun is shining but the wind is bitterly cold. 

 Lancaster is a big city but the streets are small and quaint.  We love the ambiance in this picture.

This is an inlet from the ocean located in Lancaster.  The tide was out so the boats were sitting on the sand waiting for the tide to come back in.  It looks open and barren but just across the street there are many houses and people.  See the mountains in the background?  They have a little bit of snow on them.

Beauty in Preston Area

 We love the canals and old bridges located here around the city of Preston.  England is such a beautiful place.  The spring and summer will be amazing with all the many flowers and proper gardens.  

Miracles

Our hearts are changing.  We are seeing many of the miracles Heavenly Father is showering on the people here in England.  His blessings are everywhere but there are many distractions that stop us (all of us) from seeing them.  But when we focus and look, really look, they are there and the miracles always were.  They never stopped, but people aren't looking for the miracles much in today's world.  Many people here in England say they are atheist until you get them to see God's hand in their lives, then their hearts open up and we can teach them.  The work is slow but we continue on.  It is interesting some of the stories we have heard from members of hearing a voice warning them of danger.  Because they obeyed the voice they were protected.  One sister told us that no other church could explain whose voice that was or where it came from until she asked the missionaries and they read to her Helamen 5:30.  She wondered why the voice didn't yell at her but she said it was soft and she could feel it in her heart.  It was many years after this experience that she met the missionaries, but Heavenly Father had prepared her to hear the truth so that when she heard it she knew it was true.

 It is a miracle that we can drive here in England.  This road has cars, trucks, taxis, buses, and TRAINS.  Yes trains.  Dad saw the tracks and asked me what I thought about it but I just kind of brushed it off because there is no way that a train would be on the same road that we are driving on. Then the train came up behind us, we moved over to the side, and it went on by.  What in the world is going on here?

 This is our board of miracles.  We look at this map to see the area and then we pray to see which area we should go to.  We look at the ward list, organize it by post codes and pray again before we go out.  When we knock on the doors we are surprise how many years it has been since anyone from the church has checked on these people.  Some are old and unable to go to church and usually are very welcoming to have a visit from us, others say "I don't want no Jesus" or "I was a member once but not anymore", but we invite them back to church anyway. 

Weird Sheep

 We are not sure what kind of sheep these are but they look like fat dogs.  Furry and fluffy but not wooly.  Weird!

David's Baptism

Saturday January 24, 2015 we had our first baptism. David Shallicker was baptized by Brother Wright in the Preston chapel.  We found David visiting at Prudence's house when we went to visit her.  Prudence is an amazing friend.  She has many health struggles and David takes care of her.  He is her best friend.  We love them both dearly and are so happy that David chose to be baptized.  He was so happy to be washed clean from all his past mistakes and he recognizes and appreciates the atonement of our Savior.  It was a joyous day for all of us.

Happy Robert Burns Day!

 We had a fun evening with the Workington Branch.  It was a night celebrating the Scottish poet Robert Burns.  We ate nips(mashed turnips) tatts (mashed potatoes) haggis (sheep heart, tongue, liver and kidney cooked in a sheep stomach).  Sister Blunck ordered chicken but Elder Blunck was adventurous and ate all his haggis.  Unfortunately he had a stomach ache for the rest of the evening but he got it all down.  Many of the branch members were watching him to see if he would like it and if he would eat it all.

 This is Elsie.  She is 83 years old and is a crazy fun senior citizen.  She wore her Scottish kilt and midge (tiny mosquito) t-shirt.  She sang Scottish songs, danced and read poems all evening.  She even told jokes of the Lochness monster and sang a children's song about centipedes with thousands of legs.  She made us all laugh most of the night.  We hope we have that kind of energy when we become her age. 

A Day in Workington

 It snowed!  The snow made it a beautiful drive to Workington.  We have to drive 2 1/2hours to get to Workington.  We go past lakes, go through mountain passes and see a lot of sheep and green pastures.  It is really quite beautiful.

 We loved this old church and decided to stop and take a picture.  We are not sure what year it was built but we think it is very old.  Notice the Gothic windows and ornate design.  It is a small little church in a small farm town.

January 2015 letter

Dear Family,                                                                                       January 14, 2015

We have a favor to ask of you.  On the next fast Sunday could you please fast for Joel?  He is having pain again in his leg and Kim and Brad think that he may need to go to a specialist to see what they can do to help Joel.  He is growing very quickly right now which causes him pain in his knee.  The blood vessels that are tangled there are making it hard for him to run and play, although he is a very busy little boy.  He is having his tonsils out today so pray for him today too.  We love you Joel.  Hang in there Kim and Brad.  It is a very hard thing to experience your child going through difficult things that you cannot control.  We love Joel and pray he will be well.  

We loved the Christmas letters that we received from you!  Thank you so much for writing them and expressing your feelings and testimony to all of us.  If you have not written one yet it is not too late.  We look forward to reading your letters but more importantly your children and nieces and nephews will find great strength from them in the future.

We hope that you are all doing well.  We miss you all and think of you all the time.  Even though life is busy, our thoughts of you are never far from our minds and hearts.  You are the reason we are serving now.  To bless and strengthen your life by following what our Heavenly Father has asked us to do.  We all will be better and stronger by obedience and sacrifice for others. 

We have had a busy Christmas season.  It was nice to spend time with the missionaries.  We had them to our home on Christmas Eve and Christmas day.  We attended “The Nativities”, went to the Preston Temple with the missionaries, went to a mission Christmas party, had two Christmas parties with the YSA and did service activities for those who are not able to get out to celebrate the birth of our Savior.  The month of December was full of memorable activities focused on the love of our Savior and love for others.  We were not able to teach many lessons because people were very busy but we did pass out  “He Is the Gift” cards to as many people as we could.  We hope to see the fruits of all the missionaries’ labor as the year 2015 progresses.

We have been visiting with a man named David Schallicker.  We have been teaching him the discussions and he has accepted an invitation to be baptized.  The date is set for January 24^th.  We are so excited for him and he is happy to know that after his baptism he will be clean and will be able to follow the example of the Savior as he progresses in the knowledge of the gospel.   He is a sweet and simple man.  He has faced many challenges in his life but he trusts in the Lord with all his heart.

Another man that we have been visiting with is David Parr.  He has been a member for over ten years but only attended church for a short time after his baptism.  He had heart problems and stopped going to church then.  When we first went to visit him he had tears in his eyes and welcomed us warmly into his home.  We instantly felt a connection with him because he looks a lot life my dad.  Of course his accent is British but his face is similar to Grandpa Brinkerhoff’s.  He became sick during the Christmas holidays with pneumonia.  His fiancée called and let us know that he was in the hospital and said that he wanted us to come and visit him.  We took a newly baptized member with us to help give David a blessing.  It was a sweet experience.  David told us that after we left he felt a renewed energy and was able to get up and walk around by himself.  The nurses were surprised at his quick recovery.  He was able to go home a few days after the blessing.  We hope that as we visit him that we will be able to teach his fiancée the discussions.

We have been visiting a 19 year old girl named Cassie.  She has severe health problems and can rarely attend church or even leave her home for that matter.  She is on a lot of painkillers and passes out or gets sick to her stomach if she does too much or gets over heated.  She is very delicate.  We check on her often and offer to drive her to church or other activities.  She loves the gospel and is a wonderful example to us of enduring to the end.  She is a spiritual giant inside of a little tiny frail body.

We have been traveling again to many areas of our zone.  The Elders were moved out of a flat that was in bad repair and we went to find them another flat to live in.  We looked at 15 flats in Carlisle and Workington.  The day we traveled to these areas were windy and rainy.  We were able to travel without any difficulties and even had a pleasant day.  When we got home we heard of problems that were caused by the wind but we ourselves were protected throughout the day.  We were on the Lord’s errand and He watched over us.  We also know that many of our loved ones are praying for us which gave us extra support in our work.  Thank you family for your prayers that keep us safe and help us as missionaries.  We know that the angels are on our left and on our right to bear us up as we go about the Lord’s work.  We love you and pray for you also.  Heavenly Father hears our prayers.  He loves all of us and sustains us. 

Serving a mission is a wonderful yet difficult experience.  Our time is full of spiritual moments as well as disappointments and rejection.  It doesn’t matter if someone tells us to go away because we know that we have offered them the chance to hear the gospel and planted a seed.  Maybe someday in the future when they hear the message again they will be better able to accept the promptings of the gospel. 

Please know that we love you!  We are so proud of you and all the hard work that you are doing.  We miss you all and look forward to being together with you again when our mission is finished.  It will be a joyous day when we can hold you in our arms and tell you face to face that we love you.

Keep smiling!  Pray always!  Read your scriptures because that is where you will find answers to all your problems.

Love you!

Mom and Dad

Elder and Sister Blunck

Food food and more food! Make it stop!

Last night I was lying in bed thinking of all the food that I have cooked in the last three months.  It is overwhelming to think about but I do wish I had kept a calendar of foods and where I took them so that I can repeat some of the recipes without taking it to the same places.  Here is a list:

Pumpkin rolls  6

Cinnamon rolls

Chocolate cake 5

Brownies  5

Mexican bean dip  3

Wassail  2

Cookies  20 batches

Cupcakes  8 batches

Carmel corn

Chex mix

Vegetable tray and dip

Crackers and cheese spread

Cheese ball

Sugar cookies

Broccoli cheese soup

Chicken enchiladas

Stew  2

Bread   5

Chinese hamburger casserole  2

Stir fry chicken and vegetables  2

Muffins

Vegetable tray with dip

  This is only in the last three months.  Help!  
 As you can see this explains why we are both gaining weight.  We eat and eat but sit everywhere we go.  In the car, church, at home, in members or investigators homes etc.  We try to walk but not much time to do that or the weather is bad and we can’t be outside for long.  We can’t wait for the spring to arrive so we can go for long walks and spend more time outside.  We do exercise at home, sit ups, push-ups, jumping jacks etc. but it is just not the same as the work and exercise we were getting before we left for our mission.   So we need to tell ourselves to step away from the fridge.  No snacks, one serving and we need to bring fruits and vegetables as snacks to activities, not cookies and cakes

Day Before Transfers

 This is our fun group of missionaries in the Preston area.  We are going to miss Elder Goodman (DL), Elder Candland, Elder Fapuha, and Sisiter Hunter.

We are very blessed to have such amazing Elders and Sisters serving in the Preston and South Ribble Wards.  Transfer time is hard and also exciting.  These pictures were taken at our last district meeting. 

Prudance and David

Meet our dear friends Prudence and David.  We have been teaching David the discussions and he has chosen to be baptized next week.  We are so happy for him.  Prudence is a member of the South Ribble Ward but has been inactive for a while.  When we went to see her and invite her back to church we found David there visiting her.  On our first meeting we felt a special connection with them.  Elder Blunck was able to give both Prudence and David a blessing to help them with some struggles they are going through.  We love these two dear friends.  We will always treasure them.