On Top Of the World

Alyssa says this is the TOP OF THE WORLD

                                     Sister Longmore & Sister Crookston took this lovely lady for a walk

Dear President Preston,
Thank you so much for coming and speaking in the branch yesterday. It had a big impact on our investigators.
As for the day of finding, that was incredible. It was a very long day but we were working our absolute hardest. We are so appreciative of the activities you put together to help us as missionaries. We all truly feel your love. The get thee into the Mountain experience and the Day of Finding and many others have been ones that I feel have shaped me and will forever have an impact in my life. I never want to forget the way I felt.
I just saw you yesterday and feel that I have shared all my stories, so I don't know what else to tell you about. I feel Sister Crookston and I are working very well together. I have been learning a lot about humility in my scripture study. I am trying to be more submissive to the Lord and know that as long as I am trying to "be a good girl" that everything else must be His will.
I love you,
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Sister Alyssa Longmore

(an email to David)   I know I will remember my mission experiences for the rest of my life, and yes we help out the branch quite a lot. yesterday we sang a musical number in Sacrament, just Sister Crookston and I. Can you believe that. Never in a million years could you get me to do that before my mission and now I sang a duet and didn't even get nervous. We also taught Gospel Principles. The lesson was on the law of Chastity and in the class was a recent convert that has some mental disabilities, a 20 young man that is contimplating going on a mission(but might not be able to because of health complications), our Mission President and Wife( they were guest speakers for sacrament), our Branch president and his wife, and the 2nd councilor on the branch presidency. Normally that would be intimidating but you know, since my mission, I don't really get all that nervous. Maybe that is just the Lord protecting me, but for what ever reason, I'm happy about it. Oh also it was Sister Crookston's first time teaching the Law of Chastity since being in the MTC. It went well though.  

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Hola mi dear padre,

    I love answering your questions. They sometimes make me think but that is great because I don't really recognize the experiences had they not been pointed out to me.

 That is wonderful that you got to spend so much time with kaily and Jarry. I miss them. I feel I havent seen their family in forever. I really enjoyed going camping every year with the Hiatts and the Gleasons. I wish we could still do that. We kind of do with the jeeping thing, now the Hiatts just have to get a jeep. There are hardly any jeeps over here. If they do have a 4 wheel drive vehical it is a land rover or range rover. I love it when I see trucks or jeeps because they remind me of home. It has been different having to rely so heavily on public transportation. Did you ever have a biking, walking, or public transportation area on your mission?

    Well the work is going well and I am still trying my hardest to be the best Sister Alyssa Ann Longmore I can be. That is all I can do and the Lord will have to provide the rest.

     As for the city hall or tourism office, that is funny that you ask that because just 3 years ago the Kendal Branch did not have a building to meet in so they gathered in the city hall. They were doing this for many years. The branch presidents wife used to work at the tourism office which was located in the city hall and just 8 years ago she wasn't a member but would come and sit in the back of sacrament meeting and just take loads of notes. Her son was the first one to join and then after fighting it for a while herself and President Humphreys were baptized. Not even a year after joining was President Humphrey's called to be the Branch President. He is still the Branch president today. He is incredible.

I love you Dad and pray for you and the family.

-Love Alyssa

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(an email from Alyssa to Cassie) As for funny things that happened this week, you will have to share this with the rest of the family. Yesterday we had 2 investigators at church. It was great. they only came for Sacrament Meeting, but hey they came. They were sitting on the end of the row and when the sacrament was being passed, instead of just passing the trays of water, they took out the cup and passed it to the end then did another one until we all got one. HAHA it was so funny but it was sweet at the same time cuz it was done in innocence. ps these investigators are in their 30's, just so it gives you a visual.

I hope you have a fantastic week.... Oh will you do something for me. Turn your music up really load and dance like no one is watching. Just go crazy. Thanks. I miss doing that. :)

-Love you-lyssa

Life in Kendal

Sister Longmore & Sister Crookston

Alyssa's first taste of Sardines (the members of the Kendal Ward have a basket at church where place food that they donate to the missionaries.  Can you guess what the most donated food is??? Sardines!!!!)

Planking at the Kendal Castle

The Porsche Dealership is just around the corner from their flat

Just around the corner

(THIS IS A BLIP FROM ALYSSA'S REPLY TO CASSIE'S QUERY ABOUT ANY COOL EXPERIENCES SHE MIGHT HAVE HAD)

As for any cool stories I have one that could have been really cool but now it is just kind of cool.... Last week after e-mailing we were walking to our flat and I saw a man that looked so much like Brad Pitt but I didn't think anything of it. All I thought was wow that is a good looking man, haha. But then yesterday one of our investigators told us that Brad Pitt was in the Lake District this last week. I think I saw Brad Pitt. See not that cool, but if I would have stopped him and tried to share the gospel with him, now that would have been cool.
     Well I love you Cassie.
Love Alyssa

----- Forwarded Message -----
From: Alyssa Longmore <alyssa.longmore@myldsmail.net>
To: Melanie Longmore <mel_longmore@yahoo.com>
Sent: Monday, September 10, 2012 6:03 AM
Subject: letter to the president

Dear President Preston,
      Something great must be just around the corner for the Kendal Branch because there is so much opposition with getting our investigators to church. Let me tell you it is frustrating. We are trying everything we can to teach our investigators the importance of sacrament attendance, inviting everyone, praying for them, getting them lifts and even walking with them if necessary. It was really hard for me yesterday when, for the second time, our investigator, Ian, said he would come to church and even confirmed it Sunday morning but then didn't show up. It was devastating! I will admit I even teared up a little bit because I prayed with all my might for our investigators to wake up with the prompting to come to church, and I believe that the Lord provided that, but that means that our investigators simply chose not to come. Agency! It is wonderful! There must be some concern that we are not digging up. Do you have any suggestions to help our investigators come to church?
     We did have some great things happen though this week. We have 4 new investigators who are wonderful. Their names are;
Nicola: The mother of 2 young children whom we are teaching. She is going through a divorce and wants to find peace.
Mr. Dixon: An older man that recently lost his wife to cancer and upon our first meeting he didn't believe in God, but since seeing us he's prayed and now feels that God is there.
Michael: A man from Ghana that we had a lesson on the bus with. Upon hearing there is a prophet on the earth today, he said he wants to shake his hand.
Dani: A Methodist woman that thinks of Mormons as the happiest people.
       I really enjoy being a missionary where I am able to help point people in the path of true happiness. I love the Lord with all my heart and am so grateful for the ups and downs life has given me that have allowed me to learn to trust in my Saviour, Jesus Christ. I am especially grateful for my parents for teaching me to walk in the light.

Love Sister Alyssa Longmore

Crazy Connections

Can you believe it?!?!? Sister Crookston's Mom Cindy & I met at Thanksgiving Point and chatted about out daughters serving together.  Cindy was so sweet and our luncheon felt like meeting up with an old friend.  We realized that Alyssa & Cindy's daughter Julie share a different vantage point as they email about the events of the week.  Together as we talk about their collective experiences we get a magnificent snapshot of the Manchester England Mission.  We plan to exchange our daughter's emails in the future!

Just past the half way/hump day

Sept 3rd

Dear President Preston,

Hmm, where do I begin? Well, this week has gone by so quickly. As a matter of fact this whole time I've been on my mission has gone by too quickly. Whenever people ask how long I've been out I keep saying 9 months but it actually has been 10. I think I will just say I am in the middle from now on even until the end, like President Uchtdorf said in the Ensign the other month. I love this work and truly want it to last forever. I do see how great it will be to leave and enjoy the other aspects of life, but I am trying to soak up all the goodness of missionary life while I can.

We had a really great lesson with our investigator, Sherralyn the other day that was truly so spiritual. It was completely brought about by the Lord. We weren't planning on seeing her at all but as an appointment fell through we were prompted to not do our back up plans but to call by Sherralyn instead. We found her out at her garden allotment where we were able to set up some chairs and have a wonderful lesson. We hadn't planned a thing which at first made me nervous but as we relied on the spirit not only was Sherralyn taught but so were Sister Crookston and I. I had learned a few things in my personal study that I was able to share. The knowledge and insights I was given that morning were not just for me but was also placed in my mind for Sherralyn. The Lord must have known that we would see Sherralyn and gave me those thoughts so that I could use them later. That is one thing I love about our personal and companionship study. What I had learned actually came into my mind as, what I thought was, a random thought. I thought do I have the faith to do anything the Lord asked me to do? Do I have the faith to do something such as smoke if the Lord all the sudden commanded it? Do I have the faith to do something that is so contrary to what I know to be true? Well, this is sometimes what investigators might think when they are asked to be baptized. We were able to recommit Sherralyn to be baptized. She has been taught for almost 4 years now and still has a deep concern that we must not be uprooting. As we spoke with her the spirit revealed her true concern.

It was during this lesson that I had one of the greatest moments with the spirit filling me with what to say. As we asked her if she would prepare to be baptized I went to open my mouth and say it would have to start with forgiving her partner, but out came,"it would have to start with loving yourself and respecting yourself enough to do what you know in your heart to be right. Your Heavenly Father wants you to see yourself as you truly are."

WOW! That was not me speaking. As I was talking I began to cry because the spirit was so intense. Sharralyn could feel it too. She said, "I feel like something is about to explode and light is going to burst from it." What a perfect definition of the spirit. The spirit was working through me. It too came through Sister Crookston and even through Sherralyn. It was a beautiful experience, one that left Sherralyn saying she will look at everything with new eyes. That is what the spirit of revelation will do to us. It will provide us with new eyes and a new heart. He is the master surgeon.

Thank you for helping me so much President! I love all the trainings and advice and guidance you give to me. I treasure it.

Love Sister Longmore

Happy 22nd Birthday to Alyssa!!!

Abbot Hall Museum

The £3 million reopening of Abbot’s Hall earlier this year gave Suffolk a mansion-sized reason to be cheery. Set in 75 acres of farmland, this was a welcome return of seven permanent exhibitions, followed a couple of months later by the Crowe Street Cottages, a pair of buildings once home to dozens of staff.

The redevelopment process on the Hall was revealing. The remains of a well, two hidden doors leading to a dressing closet, newspapers from more than a century ago and graffiti left by a teaboy during the 1940s were all discovered during a swiftly-completed phase of work.

The opening display, Abbot’s Hall and its People, is strongly influenced by discoveries made by builders last year which suggest that Romans occupied the site. During Medieval times, it was variously owned by the Abby of St Osyth (in Essex), Thomas Cromwell and the future Queen Mary I, but in its current form, constructed in 1709, it has been successively bought by wealthy businessmen.

Although its uses as a venue for horticultural shows, ice skating and bathing sound idyllic, its final full-time occupiers, the Longe family, probably made the wisest decision of all when they bequeathed the estate to become a rural life museum.

In fact, their farming trade becomes the story in the food gallery, Come Dine With Me, where a dining table acts as the focal point for seven key figures from the fields of the east, including early 20th century Hall owner Captain Herbert Davy Longe and Isabella Mary Beeton, the Nigella Lawson of her day who earned fame for domestic bible Mrs Beeton’s Book of Household Management.

Other rooms are devoted to Cultural Olympiad project A People’s Peculiar, a recap of expert local gardeners and community gardens, folklore and folksong, odes to the Gypsy Traveller community and a recreation of the study of George Ewart Evans, an oral history pioneer who has been posthumously appointed the Hall’s writer-in-residence.

But the future could give visitors even more happiness. Much of the permanent displays concern Dr John Kirkman, the former medical chief of St Audry’s, the County Asylum in nearby Melton during the 19th century.

Kirkman brings the museum story full circle: his beliefs in the benefits of good morals and community involvement in the great outdoors saw him regarded a progressive leader at the time. The museum’s own designs on escalating public joy, manifestoed in its Happy Museum project, seem similarly forward-thinking.

Hi momma,
Yes I am 22 years old but I feel the very same way I did when I was 5. I am the same person but with maybe a little more hight, wieght, knowledge, and experience. I love that I will forever be me:) I have come a long way from the way I looked at myself in high school. I didn't like what I saw but know I love it for I truly can see myself more the way my father in Heaven sees me.
I learned from reading about humility in I believe true to the faith, about how it is acknowledging truth and recognizing the source of it. I have been working hard on finding the fine balance between humility and pride. But we must learn that it is not prideful to say things that we are good at or things we've accomplished as long as we truly give credit to how we achieved that thing.
I love you mom and hope that you are doing well. I hope you are having fun doing your crafting. We went to a museum last week on my birthday where a lady taught us to do lace work. It was quite fun but oh so intricate and complicated. We also saw how people made hook rugs and I think push rugs. They were made of old scraps of material. I thought, hey we have a lot of that at home, maybe I can pick that up when I go home. :) I love you mom and love our relationship. I hope you are enjoying your time with Cassie and Taylor.
Love Alyssa
(Another Letter From Sister Crookston to her family--her mom forwarded it on to me :))
Hello everybody!! How are you all?

Well this week was another wonderful week. For Sister Longmore's B-day on Wednesday we went to the Abbott Hall Museum and Art gallery. We both loved it!! We didn't have a lot of time but it was wonderful. ;) In the Lobby they had two women doing lace work. It was amazing to watch, and we even got to try a little bit. :) There were also women demonstrating how to make rugs out of rags. There was an exhibit on them and they are quite beautiful. THat sounds like a fun hobby.

Thursday we had two lessons fall through and so that drastically changed our plans. The lesson was going to be in Windemere so our back up plan was to do some service for our branch president's family up there. But we found out that the lesson fell through even before we went up there so it worked out better to stay in Kendal. It meant we worked in an area that we hadn't planned on. But we ended up having a lesson on the doorstep with a woman. The spirit was very strong and we could tell she felt it as well. Sadly she was still hesitant to meet with us again (it seemed mostly because of fear), but we told her we would try by again next week and see how she felt then. Because our lesson in the evening fell through we were going to continue working in the same area as before tea (dinner). But we had the thought to go visit an investigator who we hadn't seen in a while, Sherralyn. In retrospect that was absolutely inspiration. We had an amazingly spiritual lesson!! All three of us could feel the Holy Ghost and were crying at times. This woman has been investigating the church for 3 years and knows it true, but because of someextenuatingcircumstances has been unable to get baptized. But she really has the desire to change now. It was amazing, I can just see how the Lord has been preparing her and how this is the right time for her to prepare to be baptized. It will still take a while but it's amazing to see the Spirit working in her. Sister Longmore and I can both see now how the Spirit guided us all day so that we could have that lesson.

I've been dealing with the weather just fine actually. It's been quite a blessing. I think it's simailar to the heat in Vegas, you acclimate. My sweaters have been enough to keep me warm so far becasue we walk around so much. I have worn my coat once or twice and it defintely was a very good buy!(Thanks mom!) It does the job very well. My tights are also wonderful! One day this week was the coldest day in august on record for 50 years! I could definetly tell! There was frost everywhere! But then on Sunday it was very warm and sunny. The English weather is similar to Utah, bipolar. :) I'm also sleeping a lot better. :)

Dear President, How is your week going? I bet it is pretty hectic with it being transfers and all. I want to thank you for keeping me here in Kendal with Sister Crookston. I feel I am learning more here at this time than I ever have before on my mission. I feel that the Lord has a great work to come forth here in Kendal and I feel so blessed to be part of it. I don’t know what is to happen but I love surprises so this will be fun. One thing I have recently learned from Sister Crookston is the importance of going slowly and allowing the spirit to guide us. There was a day when there were people everywhere and I think I got a bit excited because I started talking to everyone and I mean everyone. Now that might at first sound like a thing a good missionary would do, but let me tell you it wasn’t. I was acting like a mad man driving a bulldozer ploughing through the people and leaving my companion in the back seat. I felt so bad. I immediately stopped and apologized to her. I then stood beside her and allowed her to initiate the conversations. As we worked together our true driver took over and that was the spirit. It was incredible the drastic contrast in the now present feeling of the spirit where previously it was void. Sister Crookston is a wonderful missionary that truly wants to follow the spirit. I too want to do this but I recognize it requires slowing down, having a prayer in your heart, and listening then acting on the feelings that come into your heart and mind. This lesson was one I will never forget. We have a less active woman that we are working with and I am so happy to be visiting her. Her name is Sharon Sargonson. At a previous visit Sister Mauch and I were absolutely shut down. Sharon told us how terrible she thought the church was and how missionaries are so inconsiderate. She said that people will come to it if and when they want to. She said many other things that made sister Mauch and I feel very sad, not for our sake but because Sharon felt this way. We came to the conclusion that she was just having a bad day. A few weeks later we decided to write her a nice card. As we did we just popped it through her door and left it at that. Since Sister Crookston came we followed up and called by Sharon’s to see how she was doing. She invited us in and thanked us for the card. She said it meant so much to her. She had felt so guilty for yelling at us the last time. We then had a spiritual lesson where she thought back to the last time she felt the presence of the spirit. It was amazing! In the next visit she mentioned how she really wants to help people that feel that the only place to relax and have fun is at the pub. After talking with her a bit, we had the idea of holding an activity at the church every other week where people will be welcome to come and relax and get to know one another at the church. It can be a great finding tool. President Humphreys likes the idea. Sharon is so excited about this. It is getting her more involved with the church again. She even asked us if we had a spare Book of Mormon since she didn’t have hers any longer. So of course we gave her one. This last Sunday we walked with Sharon to church where she was welcomed back with love and care. It was a terrific sight to see. She shared with members how grateful she was to have the church back in her life and felt it was all because of us. I know it wasn’t. It was truly because of the spirit she was able to feel and the love the Lord has for her. She even invited us over for tea the other night where once again we had a spiritual lesson. I have learned how we must not judge anyone or give up on people even when at first glance we might think they are put off forever. Forever means nothing in the eyes of the Lord. I love this work so much President! I know the church is true. Love Alyssa Longmore

A visit to Stavely

Another Letter from Sister Crookston (it is so fun to get her perspective on the mission life)
Hello !!!!
Well first things first, Sister Longmore and I are staying together and staying in Kendal for this next transfer!!!! :D We're both so excited!!!!!! We were both pretty sure this would be the case but still there is always the chance it wouldn't have. I'm SO grateful to have Sister Longmore as my trainer still. :)
Well, this past week, let me try to remember what happened.... I feel like I've lost memory capacity since coming on my mission. haha
Last Wednesday we had a special training down at the Manchester Stake center for all the missionaries who had been out 5 weeks and their trainers. It was a wonderful experience! I always learn so much from our trainings. Thursday we had many miracles. We had an appointment with Georgina but it feel through so we called by a potential investigator (someone who has had a conversation with missionaries and expressed an interest in learning more) who is impossible to get a hold of. She was actually in and let us in for a short lesson!! It was a miracle!! We were also able to set up an appointment for this week so we are very excited. We've been trying really hard to involve the members more in our missionary work by bringing them to lessons etc. So we had a lesson and a member who was coming to the lesson. But again, the lesson fell through! :( We wanted to get to know this member better though so we decided to go to a park and teach him instead. As we were sitting at a bench about to start a man walked by and asked what we were doing. We explained that we were having a lesson about Jesus Christ and asked if he would like to join. He said yes! So we had a lesson on the spot with a member present!! It was amazing. This man's name is Sabaj and he is from Bangladesh. We had another appointment with him and some of his friends later on in the week, which was wonderful.
The members of the Kendal Branch are all so kind! They give us quite a lot of food. haha They are wonderful examples to me of how important church really is. They all come even though it's so small and for many it is difficult to get to church each week.
Sunday we tok the train up north 10 minutes to a town called Stavely. That was an enjoyable evening and we even talked to a woman who was baptized when she was 12! We are definitely going back sometime soon. Monday morning was transfer calls and then it was a normal day of proselyting.
We did some service Monday and Tuesday for one of our investigators. She was painting her daughters room and putting wallpaper up. So we helped her with the wallpaper. It was quite the experience! :) We were covering the whole wall in wallpaper and had to make sure the patterns matched up. The first day was nerve racking because none of us had done it before! But the second day our investigators friend was there who was quite experienced and the work went much smoother and faster. It was really fun! And now I know how to do it. haha
Monday we had tea (its what they call dinner over here) with a less active woman whom we have been seeing recently who has expressed the desire to come to church again. She came on Sunday and then invited us over for tea. :) She even asked for a Book of Mormon all on her own last week. It's so wonderful to see her teaching her self. Monday was also a Bank Holiday (I don't really know what that is so don't ask ;) ) and ironically it poured all day. So Kendal was pretty dead and people weren't even really at home. So it was a perfect day for us to do our service. Tuesday was bright and sunny again. I'm sure everyone was frustrated because they all had to be at work again. haha
Well I need to go, but thank you so much for the support you give me. It means the world to me.
Sister Crookston