February 2010
Dear Family and Friends,
D&C 98:1 Verily I say unto you my friends, fear not, let your hearts be comforted; yea, rejoice evermore, and in everything give thanks;
2 Waiting patiently on the Lord, for your prayers have entered into the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth, and are recorded with this seal and testament—the Lord hath sworn and decreed that they shall be granted.
Chatburn and Downham under Pendle hill 3 Therefore, he giveth this promise unto you, with an immutable covenant that they shall be fulfilled; and all things wherewith you have been afflicted shall work together for your good, and to my name’s glory, saith the Lord.

[Irish lad, John Hynes, learning indexing and doing family history—from “rubbish to life”]

[Pictured above is the hill called Pendle just south of the villages of Chatburn and Downham located twenty miles north and east of Preston in the River Ribble valley.] It was here that Elder Heber C. Kimball first came as an Apostle missionary in 1837. After baptizing most everyone in both villages (110 souls), on his third and final visit the children linked arms and walked with him for a distance, singing the songs of Zion. He recorded in his journal that he was so affected that he had to leave the road three times to bathe his eyes in the stream because he was weeping so profusely. He said, “I felt as if the place was holy ground. The Spirit of the Lord rested down upon me and I was constrained to bless that whole region of country.
When he returned home after his mission, he mentioned the circumstances to Brother Joseph, who said, “Did you not understand it? That is a place where some of the old prophets traveled and dedicated that land, and their blessing fell upon you.”
We feel similarly as we are led to share the restored Gospel with these dear people here on the Isle of Man. It is not by chance that we are so privileged to walk

, as it were, on the sacred ground of the heart with each precious son or daughter of God with whom we are blessed to be. Prayers have and are being offered, blessings have been given beginning in Heaven before the world was made and have continued down through the ages—blessings and prayers offered by missionaries, parents, priesthood leaders, patriarchs, and humble hearts from the beginning, all with the promise to be fulfilled by faith in the due time of the Lord. For the Lord has promised that though heaven and earth pass away, His word will not pass away, but shall all be fulfilled, whether by Him or His servants, it is the same. Ether 12:35 Although, the days will come, that heaven and earth shall pass away; yet my awords shall not pass away, but all shall be fulfilled.

[Pheobe Kenmore—a queen in God’s family a promise that will be fulfilled through faith.]

36 And, as I said before, after the atribulation of those days, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken, then shall appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven, and then shall all the tribes of the earth bmourn; and they shall see the cSon of Man dcoming in the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory;
37 And whoso atreasureth up my word, shall not be deceived, for the Son of Man shall bcome, and he shall send his cangels before him with the great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together the dremainder of his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

[Sister Pheobe Kenmore didn’t want to leave the Temple after receiving her Endowment.]

John Hynes has been a member since 1987. He was blessed with a wife and family and in his own words, “felt the Spirit every wonderful day”. Ten years ago he fell from a scaffold and severed his spinal nerve at the waist and is confined to a wheelchair for the remainder of this life. His wife left and his children are presently far from the Church. He has been plagued with pain, depression, alcohol, and self-pity over these past ten years. The answer to prayers and blessings fulfilled are miracles all—John wants to come back—in his words, from “rubbish to life”. We see him every other day now. He is feeling the Spirit again, paid his tithing and read his patriarchal blessing for the first time since his accident, and is coming to Church every Sunday. He is staying out of the pubs. His countenance is brighter; his attitude is upbeat and positive. His trust is in the Lord—he can become worthy to get a temple recommend. The other day during a lesson preparing for the Temple, the Spirit testified that his body would be renewed, glorified, and perfected. He said, at that moment, “I felt that my legs were normal and that I was whole again”—we all felt the Spirit and knew. Christ has come and will come with healing in his wings. We were given to know the real “healing” comes as a clear conscious, a pure heart, with unconditional love for all of God’s children, and a resurrected, glorified, perfected body (temple) forever our abode with and as our Heavenly Father.

[The smiles betray the heart that rejoices—Queens forever in the eternal realms where mothers never cease.]
Forever friends rejoicing over “tea” following a sacred day in the temple. Pheobe Kenmore is a beautiful lady that we are blessed to know and love. As all sisters are foreordained to be queens, so is she. Her story is not unlike many. Forty-seven years ago she became a member of the Church, married and was blessed with children. She could never quite get things together or as they say here, “sorted out” to go to the temple. Her activity in the Church was sporadic and without energy. Her children were all baptized but have not been active. Presently her youngest son lives with her and is a great blessing in her life. Her husband was abusive. They have divorced. Several years ago when she might have gone to the temple, she was stricken with a life threatening liver disease and was told that she wouldn’t live but a short time. She sought for and was given a blessing while in the hospital. Her liver began to regenerate giving her sufficient health and strength to prepare to attend the temple. However, she has been constantly up and down with many days in bed. Attending church is not always possible.

[Alex and Dot Moffett, Pheobe Kenmore, Sister Allen rejoicing together over “tea” after a day in the temple.]

With great faith and determination she set a date to attend the temple and when feeling poorly she would say, “I’m going no matter what happens, now is the time for me to go”. The ferry ride to England would be too much for Pheobe—she flew and we flew with her to Liverpool where we rented a small car big enough for us, our little bags, and Pheobe’s walker and wheelchair. We stuffed everything and everybody in and headed for Chorley and the Preston Temple. We left the Isle of Man on Monday the 15th of February and returned on Thursday the 18th. Pheobe’s strength and endurance over a four day trip was of great concern to all. The Lord blessed her—we all had cause to rejoice for her endurance and vitality the three days we were at the temple where she did her own endowments the first day and then she did her mother’s endowment the next day, her father’s was done also, and then she was sealed to her parents with her deceased brother. She had not felt so up and alive for three consecutive days in many years. She is planning her next temple trip in May and finding new names of her family for the temple.
D&C 128:22 Brethren, shall we not go on in so great a cause? Go forward and not backward. Courage, brethren; and on, on to the victory! Let your hearts rejoice, and be exceedingly glad. Let the earth break forth into singing. Let the dead speak forth anthems of eternal praise to the dKing Immanuel, who hath ordained, before the world was, that which would enable us to redeem them out of their prison; for the prisoners shall go free.
We could have no greater blessings than to participate in these miracles of faith with those we have learned to love so much. One such experience, with the promise of friends, family, and love forever, is worth every sacrifice required to obtain it. All of us are so very blessed to be offered to assist in the Lord’s work—to build up the Kingdom of God on the earth and to establish Zion.
Job 38:
4 Where wast thou when I laid the bfoundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding.
5 Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it?
6 Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof;
7 When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?
[The rising sun splashing light and life over the British Isles.]

Thank you all so very much for your love and prayers, friendship and support. Love always,
Mom and Dad, Grandma and Grandpa, Ron and Carol, Elder and Sister Allen