*** Visiting loved ones ***

We started our traveling days by going up North. Bishop let us use his car... that was the nicest thing they could do for us... after all they are the nicest people!
And it was a sweet car! It had GPS so we just entered the address and it took us there... it would later come very handy, because I couldn't remember how to get places!!
Our first stop: Aycliffe.
Evan served there. We first took a picture in front of the good old Elder's flat where Evan spent almost five months of his missionary life.

Then we headed to the Cox's house before going to the church where they had organized a family home evening so we could see everybody at once. That was so nice.
So I'll introduce. From Aycliffe:

The Joyce's...
Such a nice family. We had a lovely visit with them after leaving the church. When Evan served there he was the Ward mission leader and he did some service in his back yard... so we had to go and see the end result... it was amazing!

This is Henrietta, Etta or Henry as Evan used to call her just to tease her (you know Evan).
She holds family home evening at her house every week and feeds the missionaries religiously... thank goodness for those sisters... I mean... what can I say about people that watch over, and took such good care of my hubby!??!!

The Cliff's.
Another of Evan's favorite people.

And now from Darlington (right next to Aycliffe)... where I begun my mission Dec 2001... it's been 6 years??? wow!

These are the Hancock's.
I adore this family.
The second day of my mission we went to visit Ivonne at the hospital. She had jut had the 4th child. They've had 7 but one passed away. Their names go in alphabetic order: Adam, Ben, Corey, Dominique, E ( I don't know the name of this one, the one that passed, I only know that was a little girl), Fay and Giselle.
Ivonne is a new member...not that new anymore, I guess... but you would have never guessed because the strength of her testimony is overwhelming. Her having 7 kids is only one of the many ways that shows how deeply she has accepted the gospel and how fully she understands the Plan of Salvation. I love you, Ivonne! You are such an example for all of us.
I feel so privilege to have met people like her.

Now, here we have 3 generations.
Sister Orchard and her daughter Leah. She is the sweetest lady you could ever find... and Leah is grown into a young woman as sweet as her mother.
I remember my first Sunday at church Leah received me as if I had always been there, and treated me like their own sister.
The begging of my mission was hard but I could have never asked for better ward members to start with.

This is her other daughter Sam Cox. She lives in Aycliffe but I met her once and of course Evan know them pretty well. She also takes after her mother. I can't believe there are such good people on the earth. After meeting them I want to be a better person.

And this is Sister Orchard's mother and husband...
So, ok... this couple is amazing!
I remember Christmas at their home... it was the most decorated house I've ever been to. I swear it was like a Christmas museum... I loved it!
And the love they have for each other I will never forget... it so impressed me that it is hard to forget.

In this picture I have Sister Shearer ( the tallest).
Such an elegant and sophisticated woman. So classy and fine.
I remember her helping me with my English... she was such a good teacher.
Another thing that brought us together was music. She was very touched by the spirit of music... so every time we met she will have a song to share with me, and while at her house I'll sit in the piano and sing for her.
We both loved Hilary Weeks. She introduced me to the song that will become "My song" throughout my mission. I sang it at every spiritual thought , family home evening, Zone conference...every time they asked me to sing. That is " All my days" by Hilary Weeks.
I love d it so much, she personally contacted Hilary Weeks and in response she received two copies of her album, and she gave one to me. I still keep it a one of my fondest memories of her. She also later got me the piano book for it. I use it all the time.

The other family is Viv and the twins.
They remembered that on my B-day we were there helping them paint their house. They felt bad they were making me work on my b-day... bless their hearts! Of course I didn't' mind.
The father was the ward mission leader so Viv came on exchanges with us a lot.
After I finished my mission I went to visit them with my mom and Cristi. I enjoyed their company very much, and also their accent, cuz they are from the South of England, so it was easier for me to understand.
I also tried to get the twins to write my bother, or come over to Spain to visit...I hope they do it one day!

That was a lovely evening. I missed some people. It is hard to see everybody in just one day, but I am so happy I could see these, some of my favorite people on earth.

We also had time to see the Morgan's that night. His accent was great and the way he talked.... I loved listening to him. True Aycliffe man. Loved it.

The morning after we had to come back to see their son. He is getting ready to go on a mission next year. He is a good fan of Evan's music so we had to give him a CD.

Then we went to Billingham. Farther up. With a funny accent too. This was Evan's first area... and of course, we took a picture in front of the house where he lived.
When Evan and I met he was serving here and I was serving in Darlington. We didn't hit it off very well... oh well... things changed later on.;D


We stayed the night at the Norton's house. Their oldest son was hilarious. I've never heard anybody speak so fast and say "like" more in my life. I loved it though. It was great to be back in the north.
Another thing I should say about our stay there was that the following morning, while Evan was in the shower he sent me in search for an iron. So thinking that we were on our own, I looked in every room, every closet, every corner...with no luck by the way... later to realize that the same guy from last night was still sleeping in his room. I didn't see anybody!! he didn't make one move to make me realize he was still there.... how embarrassing! I wonder what he thinks of my intrusion...

Then we went to South Shields... one of my favorite areas... specially because I had so much success there... and my companions there were the best!
Again a picture in the flat where I lived for 4 months.

We stopped to visit the Kinghorns, but we didn't find them home... just Joseph that was leaving to school.
Evan found this cool car, though!

A visit to sister Power. She is good friends with Celia Diez's husband, Jorge. He served around here. I think, or he lived there somehow.

And my cutest family...The Atkinson's!! well, part of them.
The little girl, Elizabeth was the cutest little girl... now she is a little woman..still so cute. She missed school just cuz she knew I was coming :D
They are a couple that I admire beyond words. She is so special, so strong, mind her little body, great, great people.

Chaz and Hazel. So funny!
He was a milk man, and he always left some for us missionaries in our doorstep.
We always had family home evening with them. They were new members...a miracle... and they got sealed not long ago.

Then back to Billingham to have dinner..or tea as they call it, with the Broadbend's.
We had really nice conversations. They had served a mission related to Family History. He was the Ward mission leader when Evan was there. I don't think that it is a coincidence that the people you develop stronger relationships with are the same people you worked with.

Then we visited with the Burdon's. He is the Stake president, she is the sister of sister Kinghorn. Their daughter used to live in South shields, I remember taking her knocking...good times.
They have the sister's living with them. But I think that will change once their youngest son comes back from his mission in France.
The black sister lived in Salamanca for 9 months... small world!

We drove all the way back to Dewsbury. But of course Evan had to get huge Kebab, from the same place he got his first Kebab... HUGE! I was so mad... but oh well, when do they ever listen to us?
The next day we went to Keithley, another of Evan's areas. We had lunch with the O'neil's. They are a big family, really nice family. The oldest son is married to a girl from South Shields. On of the girls is married to a guy that served his mission in Canada so we talked a lot about Canada.

We visited this man Evan used to teach. He gave him a bunch of old coins that got robbed the time our house was broken into. He showed us some of his poems, he had really old documents of when he was in the military, like from 19. He got a bit teary eyed when talking about his late wife... how romantic.
He was such a lovely old man. He complimented me telling Evan he got a beautiful wife... So cute.

We had dinner at the Hallat's in Chesterfield. Her parents also came. It was a really nice visit. We talked and talked for hours.

Even though it was late, we went to visit a family in Sheffield, where I served, only for 6 weeks, but I had to visit somebody! He is the Stake President now, he used to be the bishop when I served there. Elder Barahona served there after me, and Amaya Caso served there before me. For some reason they remember all of us Spanish missionaries...hehehe.

Thursday we had lunch at the Bamfield's in Dewsbury.
Evan and I served there at different times. It was Evan's second area and it was my last.
Evan didn't get to know this family. They came to the ward after him. He was the Ward mission leader when I was there, and she always came on exchanges with us.
She is great. Super enthusiastic, with a strong, simple testimony.
She is from Taiwan and her English is hilarious. try to imagine a Chinese accent mixed with Yorkshire accent....hilarious!
She made us some Taiwanese fabulous food. In just 30 min! Super good food! I love her cooking!

Then we stopped by the Lister's.
I love sister Lister.

Then we headed to Leeds... to visit Jenny!! and her sister Erica also stopped by... Such a miracle to find her!
I taught her, and Evan baptized her.
She is such a hard worker.
Her little girls couldn't remember me.... but I do remember them....super cute.
We also started teaching Erica, but she left to Trinidad where they are from. I remember it being impossible to take pictures with her because she would be laughing all the time... it wasn't any different this time!!!

Then we had dinner with the best people!!
The Collins'.
It was really cool to be with all of them. We had so much fun. It was like we were part of the family.
This was probably the most felt good bye. Evan cried and cried driving home.
It was like leaving the mission all over again...It was hard...like we wanted to stay... forever...
But one day, we won't have to say good bye again.

This ones...the Kendall's.

This the Poulter's.

The Cartwright's... well she is divorced now...so Sister Collins ;D

The Facey's...except Bob, the father.

And Debra.

Friday... first a visit to the Simpson's in Dewsbury.
While Sister Simpson and I visited, Brother Simpson took Evan on a rite on his brand new Jaguar. We could hear it roar from the garage. He drove really fast in this small country roads of Dewsbury and Evan totally loved it.

Then we went to Leeds to have dinner with the Atkinson's that came all the way down from South Shields.
Evan fell in love with them too. They are so nice!

Then we stopped by the Ireland's.
He was with me in the MTC in Preston, and he also served in Leeds at the same time as me and Evan.
He went back to Leeds to marry this girl, Krissie, who he introduced to the gospel.
I never got to meet her then, but it was so nice to meet with them. We didn't have that much time with them but it was nice.

Then we went to Keithley. This was Evan's last area. We had tea with the Kitsell's.
He served his mission in Germany and made us some good Schnitzels.
Evan left to go play football ( I don't know why they call it soccer in North America) and I stayed with them and got to know them better.
I showed them pictures of my babies, she showed me pictures of their trip to Venice and surroundings.
We had a lovely visit with them. I hope they come to visit us.