Europe Part 3--Edinburgh

That night we went to South Pacific.  Edinburgh has a prestigious theater district and South Pacific is one of my favorite non-Andrew Lloyd Weber musicals--the guy with the coconut bra, the soldier in love with a girl he can't talk to, "I'm going to wash that man right out of my hair..." but the staging was a little too "adult", especially for our kids and so left during intermission.  I felt bad that Mom and Dad payed for tickets we didn't really use, but hopefully our kids will realize that if you feel uncomfortable in a show or wherever, you should leave, no matter what. 
The next day was Sunday and our flat was close enough to the church to walk.  It was a nice, sunny day.  It was nice to meet all of the people Mom and Dad talked about.  Everyone was really nice, and their small ward full of interesting characters reminded me of our ward in Medford, NJ.  We got to see where they worked during the week in the employment center.  They put on workshops periodically that are several days, and then run a walk-in clinic a couple of days a week.  It sounds like they are making some good progress.  They often talked about the people they helped during the week and even got a business card from a shopkeeper who was looking for workers.
It was Easter Sunday so Mom cooked lamb in the slow cooker and had Easter candy on hand for the kids. 

Then we bundled up and went to Arthur's Seat.  It is an extinct volcano made famous in Chariots of Fire and known in the Scotland Mission as Pratt's Hill.  Parley P. Pratt climbed this hill at the beginning of his mission and dedicated the mission and set a goal to baptize 200 people.  He made the climb repeatedly to rededicate himself and to report to the Lord his progress.  By the time he left his mission he had baptized 200 people.  So now the new missionaries hike the hill to set goals and then come back at the end of their mission to report on their progress. You may remember Mom and Dad's climb in driving rain at the beginning  of their mission.

Our little family made it to the top, though Brian commented that he wondered how many missionaries set the goal not to get blown over while they were up there.  The wind blew cold and icy up there, but the view really was spectacular.