I have to begin by telling you that the Europeans know how to do food right! The cheese, oh the cheese . . . every piece I eat I just can hardly eat without letting out a little moan of delight! It is SO good! And the yoghurt . . . another word spelled differently here . . . so creamy and fresh tasting. And the bread! Many have zero preservatives . . . I think it’s the same with the cheese and yoghurt that makes the difference. There’s just no comparison. But, they can’t quite get Coke Zero right. Go figure.
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| (March 15th) Beautiful spring day - not a cloud in sight. From what we have seen so far, this is a rare day. We are enjoying it! |
I also want to tell you about the school kids here. In the mornings when we are driving to the office we pass dozens and dozens of kids walking to school. But the greatest thing about it is that it’s their mum, or dad, or sometimes both, or grandmum, walking to school with them. They hold hands, they chat, they laugh. It looks like such a time of bonding. Can you imagine what a great start to the day it must give the children? And in the afternoon, when the kids walk out of the school, standing behind the big iron fence are those same parents and grandparents, waiting to walk home with them. I’ll just bet they get an earful on the way home. What a glorious way to spend quality time with kids. If I had to do it over again...
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| I'd rather be getting my exercise playing PICKLEBALL! |
Next to our office is the Solihull Private School. From the looks of the cars in the parking lot, you have to be pretty wealthy to have children enrolled there. Some attend like regular school, but for some it is home. It is like one of those boarding schools you see in the movies where the rich people send their children. From the opposite end of the floor where our office is, I can stand at the window and watch the comings and goings of the students there. It is a beautiful campus. I am fascinated with knowing what it is like inside the classrooms. Someday I’ll make my way over and go inside just to see!
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| Solihul Private School |
Last week we were on such a high, still in awe of being able to visit beautiful Norway, and the many other experiences we had had thus far while serving. But what goes up must come down, and that last few days at the office have been just that. The work has been a little slow while Malcolm holes up in his office to prepare for presentations he is making to the big guys in SLC over Conference week. It’s good that it was a little slow, because Ron has been struggling with a cold and stomach issues. He is stuck driving me to work whether he feels like going or not, so he just goes.
And then there’s March Madness, which is a big week for our family, as we usually do a family bracket for prizes worth up to dollars J. And no one loves it more than Ron and his boy Zack who look forward to attending together every year. When Zack texted his Dad and told him it was fun, but not the same without him . . .
And also, my quilt group had their retreat this week, which we have had for the last few years up at our cabin . . . and they try their best to include me over Face time and Facebook, bless their sweet hearts, but it’s not quite the same.
And my mom is struggling and the family is having to deal with all kinds of things, and I’m not there to help . . .
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| The view up the walk at our flat. Could it really be Spring or is this just a teaser? Isn't it brilliant! |
But then I get an email from my friend who has cancer, and she tells me she’s getting her port removed and feeling better and her hair is coming back in, and I get an email from my cousin that says she can’t wait for my next letter, and our two year old grandson Face times us in the middle of the day just because he wants to talk to his Grandpa. . . . it’s all good again. And Soroosh hasn’t met with the missionaries for a couple of weeks because he doesn’t have much free time, so he is using his free time to read the Book of Mormon. . . it’s all good.
And so goes life, whether we are home or away. . . ups and downs every day.
Yesterday afternoon we drove to Stratford Upon Avon, about a 40 minute drive. It is the birthplace of Shakespeare, and also where the Gines family is from. It was a lovely town, with lots of fun shops and eating establishments, Farmer’s Market on Saturdays, and people dressed as statues of Shakespeare hoping to get a few pence dropped in their tin cup for their efforts. After wandering around the town we went to the cemetery. I wondered if a miracle might happen and I could walk in, look down, and see a Gines or Joynes headstone in front of me. No such luck. So Ron and I began to wander in different directions of the cemetery. But it was getting chilly, and starting to rain, so we stopped. I did talk with a woman there who approached me and asked if I was American. She suggested we go into town to the records office and start there. So next trip, that’s where we will begin.
Today was a big day at church for us. When the Bishop got up in Sacrament Meeting to announce the program, he said, “Our first speaker will be Elder Du Plessis, after which we will invite our new missionaries, Elder and Sister Partridge to speak, and I hope this isn’t too much of a surprise . . . “. So I learned a good lesson today. Always be prepared to say a few words!
So I told them a true story that happened right before we came, and bore my testimony of Heavenly Father knowing who we are.
The Sunday after our farewell in our ward I decided instead of attending our ward I was going to go visit my mom in the Care Center in Bountiful and go to church with her. After doing that, instead of going home (Ron was still at church), I decided to go to another church in Bountiful where I knew my good friend and master teacher, Lise, was teaching Gospel Doctrine. When I arrived, Sacrament meeting was going, so I slipped in the back. After the meeting, the women sitting in front of me turned around and asked me if I was visiting or new. I told her I was visiting. By this time Lise had spotted me and came back and told her ward member that I was going on a mission in two weeks. She said, “Oh, where are you going? I told her, “Birmingham, England.” “That’s where my husband and I served 10 years ago!” Then she said, “Would you do me a favour? There is a ward member there that I keep in touch with, and she’s having a struggle right now. When you meet her, will you give her a hug for me? So she told we whom to look for, and told me her name. I wrote it in my ipad. Mind you, there are about 9 wards in the area. Four days after we arrived, we were at theSaturday evening session of Stake Conference, and the Joneses were introducing us to so many people. When the meeting began, I remembered that I had that name in my ipad. I showed it to Sister Joyce, and she said, “She’s the one you met outside in the foyer.” After the meeting I found her again and gave her a big hug from her friend, Karen Pincock.
The next evening, I texted Lise and told her to please let Karen know that I had found Pat and gave her a big hug. Lise texted back, “I’m in Relief Society with her right now. I’ll tell her.”
Was all that a coincidence? That I chose to go see my mom that day? That I decided to drop in on my friend? That I happened to meet Karen? I think Heavenly Father had his ear on Pat’s prayers, and in a round about way, her prayers were answered.
Ron’s testimony was sharing part of his conversion story with the same message; Heavenly Father knows who we are. (He may or may not have held two fingers up while talking about something that happened twice . . .really, if we haven’t offended everyone by the time we leave it will be a miracle. I think we both need to tape our first two fingers together until we learn our lesson!)
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| Second level far right. That's our digs! |
The next big thing that happened at church was that we both were called out of Sunday School separate and given new callings to serve in the ward. Ron is going to job share and teach Gospel Doctrine, and I get to be the chorister for Primary! It has been a long LONG time since I had that calling. I hope I can remember how to teach and lead. I sat in on singing time today. There were less than 20 children there total. I’m excited for the new challenge!
And so, our fifth week in England comes to a close. I’m so grateful to be healthy, happy, and productive each day. I am especially grateful to be serving the Lord. I pray that any blessings we might receive go to our loved ones who need it most. We are grateful for those who are watching out for our family, our home, and all those things that we can’t do from here. We are excited to hear about Bryant’s mission call. We love news from home. Thank you for sharing!
To close with my favorite quote this week: “If you choose to embrace gratitude as a central element of your life, it will serve you well. It will help you resist the temptation to succumb to pride and to fall into a sense of entitlement. It will help you to see the good and to acknowledge the positive. It will help you to put in context the bumps in the road and the adversity you will from time to time encounter. It will help you focus attention on those less fortunate than you whose lives you can bless.” (Harvard Law Professor Roger B. Porter)
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