Home Again, Home Again, Jiggidy Jig

30 April 2017

We greet our family and friends once again this week from the mission field!  Thank you to all of those who wrote to us last week.  We even received a hand-written letter in the Royal Mail yesterday from a Kaysville ward member!  It’s just a little bit of heaven.  We love hearing from you and hope you are all well and happy and able to withstand life’s bumps and bruises.  Happy Birthday this week to my dear friends Lise and Kathy!  And congratulations to our nephew, Matthew, who opened his mission call yesterday to London!  We were hoping for Birmingham, but London is next best!

We’ve brought out the winter coats and heavy sweaters again earlier this week as Spring completely disappeared.  We were sure any minute it would snow.  So cold!  It’s killing me.  The weather here is one giant roller coaster.  I know it has been a little wet in Utah, too!  But despite the cold, it is green and beautiful and from the warm inside looking out, I love it.  Today, thank goodness, it feels a little more like Spring again.

Well, another week of new experiences here in the mission field.  England is a funny place with funny people.  Did you know there is a difference between England, United Kingdom, Great Britain, and the British Isles?  And you had better not call it the wrong thing to the wrong person.  Some get very testy.  We are not only learning the ABC’s of Public Affairs, but also our P’s and Q’s (those we should mind).  So much to remember!  Sometimes it’s harder than not having any political opinions,  :) 

Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday were spent in the office, with much of the time researching addresses and other pertinent information of VIP’s for the British Pageant and making sure current VIP’s were still just that, and also making sure no one had died (seriously!).  I’m getting better at merging excel files to do letters and address labels, only because Amanda isn’t here to do them for me.   With the Prime Minister calling for an unexpected election, it has thrown everything political into a tizzy, so now we are bound to hold all VIP invitations to the House of Commons and the House of Lords until after the election.  It is a world history lesson every day.

I love this picture because I think Leah is adorable
with her Scottish accent, but also this is just a taste of
how beautiful the Preston Temple grounds are.
This is a walkway between the temple and the MTC,
passing by the Stake Centre. Leah is one of the
choreographers for the Pageant.

Thursday began our travel again for this week.  Not a different country or new place this time, but back up to Chorley for Pageant videoing and rehearsal.  We went up Thursday because the National Director for Public Affairs in Ireland, John Connolly, was at the temple serving for two weeks and invited us to lunch with him and his wife.  We are going to Ireland to do training the end of May and thought it would be good to meet him beforehand.  We enjoyed meeting them very much.  They invited us to their ‘Temple Accommodations’ apartment.  I won’t be complaining about the size of our tiny apartment . . . ever.  This apartment is less than half the size of ours, and when John was serving as a counselor in the Temple Presidency, they lived there for three years!  Wow!  Blessings on their heads!  After lunch all four of us went the 100 yards to the temple.  We did a session, and they began their shift as workers.  It was another great day.

Friday and Saturday were spent with the videographer for the Pageant as we (the royal we, that is) took video to be posted on social media and websites to advertise the Pageant.  And speaking of the Pageant, and the funny British people, and might I add Irish, John Connolly let it be known to us that it was highly unlikely that anyone from Ireland would be coming over to the “British” Pageant.  And couldn’t they have called it something else? LOL.  Old blood runs thick, isn’t that what they say?  There are clearly some underlying feelings between the British and the Irish.

So more about the videoing . . . Friday morning we went back up to Downham and Chatburn where Lord and Lady Clitheroe live (my new favourite place) to get some video of the land.  Heber C. Kimball and Joseph Fielding once preached there for a week and baptized nearly 100 people by the weekend.  This is remarkable because prior to their arrival, many other preachers had come to the town with no success and were scurried away.  But as history goes, as Heber and Joseph were leaving, everyone in the town stood on the street to wave good-bye to them, and Heber is said to have removed his hat as he was “walking on sacred ground.”  There really is a special feeling there that has more to do with just the beauty.  

We then went to the MP’s office in Chorley  (Member of Parliament) where we had a darling little 8-year-old girl dressed in 1850’s costume to present a VIP invitation to him and invite him to the Pageant.  Mr. Hoyle is very supportive of the Pageant and the Mormons and was so cute with little Kayla.  The afternoon and evening were spent grabbing cast members and support team as they began to arrive for rehearsal the next day for an interview.  It was fun to see those we met at callbacks in early March.  Friday was a long long day and we sank into bed exhausted Friday night.

We were up again Saturday morning early to begin videoing more cast members before they began rehearsal.  The highlight of the day was our journey to Preston.  I had arranged three families and costumes for them to dress up in.  We traveled to Flag Square, the center market in Preston, where Heber C. Kimball and Joseph Fielding first preached the gospel when they landed in England.  There is an obelisk erected there in the town square where they would hold street meetings, and we were right there, along with the families, inviting passers by to the Pageant with a Pageant pass-a-long card.  Because we were videoing, I think people thought they might be on TV, so they seemed willing to listen to our actors.  It was really fun.  

In case you are interested, here is a link to what one of our video’s look like and the story I wrote to go with it (with Malcolm’s guidance):

http://www.mormonnewsroom.org.uk/article/the-british-pageant-helps-family-through-difficult-times

We were happy that our responsibilities were finished at 4:30pm, as the cameraman was only on duty for eight hours, so we could make the two hour trek home at a good time and prepare for our Sunday duties.  Like I’ve said many times since our arrival . . .never a dull moment.

One of the best things about all of these new experiences we are having is the people we meet and the stories of their missions, or their conversions, or just their lives they share with us.  Sometimes I think for days on a part of someone’s story as I try to imagine going through the same thing, good or bad.   And usually something about the story comes just at the right time . . .something I need to hear.  Like this weekend, for instance, we were having dinner with the videographer, Peter, and I asked him to tell me a little more about him.  The first thing he told us that shaped his life was that his parents sent him away to Boarding School (like the one next to our office I mentioned in an earlier letter) at the young age of 12.  It was a very strict Boarding School.  As he described the regiment each day and the strictness, I pictured it much like Harry Potter’s Boarding School (without the Quidditch J). He was so traumatized by being sent away from his family at such a young age that he had to distance himself from his parents and learn “not to love them in order to survive.”  Can you imagine?   I just keep thinking about that over and over, and what that must have been like.  Maybe his parents knew just what they were doing, because he turned out to be very successful in all of his entrepreneur business endeavors, found his way to the missionaries at the age of 18, and has a great family and a strong testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  But I can’t imagine sending a 12-year-old away, nor can I imagine being sent away at that age.

It was good to be back to our home ward today.  Every week we get to know our ward members just a little better, and it is difficult when we are gone so much.  We had the sister missionaries over for dinner, as Sister Jampapan from Thailand will be going home this week.  She has such a genuine spirit about her.  For instance, when we text the missionaries to tell them we are bringing them Subway for lunch and ask them what kind of sandwich they want, she always says “anything is fine.”  I do think she likes just about everything, but she is just so humble grateful for everything.  She is going home to a family that did not support her going on a mission, did not write even one time, nor was there any reason for her to call home on Christmas or Mother’s Day.  But she isn’t bitter, and always smiles and is happy to share the Gospel.  She says, “When I go home, I want to get a car and learn to drive, and I think Heavenly Father will bless me with this because I will drive around and pick up everyone for church.”   She is such a sweetheart.  I pray she gets her car.

Sidenote:  On the subject of cars, I drove the 5 miles to pick up the missionaries and bring them back to our flat for dinner . . . alone . . . first time alone for more than just to the grocery store across the street.  I did it!  And now I know I can do it again too!

We found out this afternoon that Elder Kovach, the only other missionary that was here when we got here, is being transferred this week as well.  We are sad to see him go too.  I’m sure we will see him again, as he has BYU plans after his mission.  We are going to take him and Elder Hatch to lunch tomorrow for a farewell dinner.

My favourite quote from my reading this week:

“When love is chosen over hate, then Sunni can sit down with Shiite, black and white are seen as equal, Jew and Moslem embrace, and Christian or Buddhist or Hindu can all say, ‘Welcome, we are glad you are here.’”

As I say goodbye this week, I ask for your prayers for my mom, that she can be comforted through this difficult time in her life, and that she can meet my Dad on the other side one of the days when she is asking for him.  I love her dearly.  It’s hard to watch those we love suffer, even from a distance.

We pray for all good things for you this week!  We love and appreciate you so very much.

It's Good to be Home Again!

23 April 2017

Hello our dear family and friends!  We hope this letter finds you all happy and healthy.  Every bit of good news we hear from home is followed by smiles.   What we see on Facebook and what we hear from you  . .  .new babies, fun birthdays, exciting events . . .we love reading them together.  Thank you for sharing!  And, today we remember our son, Nathan, who would be 31 years old today.  We are so grateful for the knowledge of forever families. 

The weeks are sailing by with new experiences each day.  We enjoy our days in the office.  There is always plenty to do for sure, and as we get to know the others that share the office building with us, and friendships build, we feel like going to work each day is a joy.  And when we need to get away from our desk for a ‘wee’ bit, there is everything we need to do right across the street; grocery store, post office, dry cleaners, restaurants, shopping, you name it. 

After our many hours of travel and sight-seeing in Cornwall last weekend, we weren’t quite ready to get in the car for another long journey this week, but we had an assignment to teach a class in Leiden, Netherlands.  If we hadn’t made our reservations for this trip before Cornwall, we probably would have chosen to fly, but Ron, being the adventurous driver he is, decided to drive so we could spend a couple of culture days seeing the Netherlands, as “we may never pass this way again”.  So Wednesday after work we drove about 3-1/2 hours to the ferry in Harwick, northeast of London.  We drove our car right onto the ferry, parked it, went up 10 levels to our cabin and went to sleep while the ferry took us across the English Channel to ‘Hook of Holland’.  We woke up, showered, ate breakfast, got in our car, and drove off.  And there we were in the Netherlands. 

Our night on the ferry to the Netherlands

We had a fun day driving through the Netherlands and on to Antwerp, Belgium, where we stopped so Ron could by me a diamond.  Oh . . . I guess that part was in my dreams.  J.  And speaking of driving, we were back driving on the right side of the road, but mind you, we are still in our British car with the steering wheel also on the right side.  I don’t know how Ron keeps it all straight. 

We did make our way to Del Rey, the place that Rick Steves says is the very best chocolate and bought some to take back to the office and share.  Side note:  As we were leaving the office on Wednesday, Malcolm wished us a safe trip.  I asked him if he would like us to bring him a tulip or some chocolate.  His answer was,  “I’ll take a tulip if it’s made of chocolate, and if you buying chocolate, I prefer dark.”  A man after my own chocolate heart.  So dark chocolate for Malcolm it was (anything for the boss), and an assortment for everyone else.  Oh yes, and some for Ron and I to stash.   What we didn’t see in Belgium were waffles.  No Belgium waffles.

Thursday evening we went to The Hague Temple.  It was #43 on my list of temples attended.  That is always a bonus of our trips . . . when we can go to any temple, but particularly one we haven’t been to yet.  The church recently acquired more land around the temple and expanded the grassy area and gardens.  It is beautiful and the Dutch are so proud of it.

The beautiful Hauge Temple

Hotel prices in the Netherlands were outrageous, especially during tulip season, so we decided to go the Airbnb route again.  I won’t go into details, but it didn’t work out (bad choice . . .very very bad choice) and we ended up moving to a hotel late that night.  Ron found a newly renovated restaurant with rooms upstairs for a reasonable price, and it worked out much better.  It was nothing fancy, but clean and adequate and since they were so new (open only a week and still working out kinks), they were eager to please and gave us a great price.  Even better.  One of the kinks they were still working out was the electricity in the rooms.  We were lucky enough to get a room that all the lights worked, but when I plugged my hair dryer into the converter, then into the wall, it blew the fuse in the converter.  So two days without a hair dryer.  If you saw pictures of me on Facebook and thought “what is she doing with her hair?”  Now you know.

Keukenhof! The flowers feed my soul.

You may have seen our adventures of Friday on social media.  We went to Kinderdijk and Keukenhoff to see windmills and tulips and had a marvelous day.  The windmills are fascinating.  I am always in awe of the enormity and uniqueness of this beautiful world.  How could there not be a God?

Kinderdijk

Inside the windmill

The operator of a windmill is a Miller. A Miller has to have his own garden and chickens to make ends meet.

A really fun thing about the Netherlands is that so many people ride bikes, and the infrastructure is built for it, with side roads for bicyclers everywhere.  Sometimes it is a little unclear which roads are meant just for bikes.  Can you see where I’m going with this?  Let’s just say it’s good our car is very small.  J  Not to dis Ron’s driving, but we have been yelled at and honked at more in this country than any other.  I just smile, and wave, hoping to convey our apologies.  I was thinking about how cool it would be if America could be a bike-riding country also, and how different it would be if kids didn’t feel it “a right of passage” to turn 16 years old and get a driver’s license, and sometimes even a car.  There are people in the Netherlands who NEVER own a car!  The bike is it.  It would take away the entitlement factor that is so prevalent in so many now.  I love the idea.  But, not moving to the Netherlands just yet. 

In all the parking lots there are at least as many places to park bikes as cars.  Young and old ride bikes as their mode of transportation.  It’s nothing to see a man in a business suit, a women with stilettos, a young mom with a baby seat on the front and a baby seat on the back, someone with a pet in the front basket or tied on the back in a cage, riding a bike.  I really wish I could have snapped a picture of Granny in her red leather boots booking down the street on her bike, grinning ear to ear.  And, I might add, almost everyone was slim and fit!

Ready for class!

The not so fun thing about the Netherlands is that if you have to use a public ‘toilet’, you better have a 50 euro cent piece on you, because it costs to use them, and not because they keep them super spic n span clean. L

Saturday morning we taught our Spokesperson Training class to the new Director of Public Affairs for the Netherlands, Kris Kleijweg, and his assistant and master of the internet, David Geens.  Kris is a retired IKEA Executive, (pronounced E-Kay-a to non-Americans) former Hague Temple president, former area seventy, and former Stake President (sorry to my non-LDS friends for the Mormon jargon used).  He is a humble giant, yet small in stature.

David is an absolute genius in everything to do with the internet and social media.  He is CEO of his own company of 35 employees.  He lives in Belgium, proud to be Flemish, and makes sure everyone knows it.   He was also clear to say that “French Fries”, the real ones, came from Belgium, not France.  I knew I loved Belgium!   He shared with us his conversion story. 

Practice media interview with David

David was raised believing there was no God.  His family did not practice any sort of religion.  When he began studying at University, he realized that there is too much in this world for there not to be a God, and so he began to look for a religion.  He was introduced to the Catholic Church and even felt he had a calling to become a Priest.  As he began to study in the Seminary, he said, “What I was learning was not matching up with what I already felt in my heart.”  He quit the Seminary and continued his search for the right church for him.  Meanwhile, he married and had two sons.  His oldest son is severely autistic, and he and his wife knew that they needed to be the best family they could be for him, and raise him in the best of circumstances, which they agreed would include religion.  His wife had previously been introduced to the Mormon church and had an old copy of the Book of Mormon.  He read it in three days and knew it was true.  It took his wife a little longer, and they had decided that whatever they did they would do together, so he waited for her to be ready.  They were invited by an acquaintance to a church activity, which happened to be a Halloween Party (where he dressed up as a red devil!)  He spotted two young men, walked over and asked if they were missionaries.  When they said yes, he said, “When can I be baptized?”  A Golden Contact for sure.  He and his wife were baptized three weeks later.  That was five years ago.  Four years ago his family were sealed together in The Hague Temple by Kris Kleijweg, our new friend, and then Temple President.  In June he is coming to Utah to be a witness to the marriage of the missionary that baptized him.  The wedding is in the Provo City Center Temple.  His story warmed my heart as the spirit bore witness to me of the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ. 

Next to us L to R:  Kris Kleijweg,
President Bunnell, David Geens.

Ron and I told David his story needed to be written for the Liahona (monthy church magazine).  He regularly consults with the Area Office in Frankfurt on social media matters.  In his expertise, he had come up with a brilliant idea for missionaries to reach college-aged kids and make them curious about God, religion and prayer in this increasingly secular society.  He had arranged lunch after our meeting with the mission president of Belgium/Netherlands to share his brilliant idea.  They invited us to join them, so we met President Bunnell from Salt Lake City.  If you know of a missionary in the Belgium/Netherlands mission right now, they are in good hands.  He is a wonderful man.  (And he treated us to lunch!)  As it turns out, President Bunnell had been praying for a way to reach this age group, as they were challenged to do so in mission president training last year. He loved David’s idea, as it was very brilliant, and they began to work out details right there at lunch to lay it out.  It will be interesting to watch it unfold.  That’s the cutting edge of Public Affairs.

Our hotel in Rouenm France

As if we haven’t driven enough, we decided to drive towards Normandy after lunch.  We weren’t sure we would have the opportunity to get there again while this close, as the other times we are going to Paris we will go by train.  We drove without a hotel reservation, deciding when we were tired we would stop.  As it turns out, we ended up in a very nice Marriott in Rouen, France, using points!  I had such a good night’s sleep in a super king-sized Marriott bed.  I wish every hotel could pattern after Marriott.  It was just a touch of home which I’ll call a tender mercy. 

Omaha Beach, Normandy

We had an interesting morning.  We were up and getting ready for church.  I paused from getting ready long enough to take my morning meds and vitamins.  In with my daily meds I had put an Ambien for the trip just in case I needed it.  It somehow got mixed in, and with my meds I took the whole Ambien (which if I take one to help me sleep, I only take ½ or less.)  About 20 minutes later, I was worthless.  I put my dress on backwards, felt dizzy, and looked drunk I think.  Until we figured out what happened, Ron was pretty scared.  He quickly determined that there was no way I could go to church, so he stuffed me into the car and began to drive towards Normandy.  I kept telling him, “I’m fine.  Let’s go to church.  Really, I’m fine!”  I was so fine I don’t even remember it, or most of the morning, for that matter.  I basically have spent most of the day in the car sleeping it off.  Wicked stuff!  We did make it to Normandy and had time to visit Utah Beach and Omaha Beach.  Omaha beach is where the American cemetery is.  It felt much like visiting Arlington Cemetery and Pearl Harbor.  It was quite a spiritual experience.  However, we felt bad all day about missing church, one of our favourite things to do when we are on the road.  I’ll be re-thinking where I put the Ambien when we travel from now on. 

Utah Beach, Normandy

The Chunnel!

After Normandy, we drove to Calais, France and boarded the ‘Le Shuttle’ transport train to travel through the ‘Chunnel’ back to our temporary homeland, Great Britain.  We were on the train sitting in our car for about 35 minutes.  Three hours later we were back in our flat, getting ready for another week of service to the Lord.  We always wonder, “What new and challenging experiences will we have this week?”  Of course, we can all ask ourselves that question wherever we are. 

“And see that all these things are done in wisdom and order; for it is not requisite that a man should run faster than he has strength.  And again, it is expedient that he should be diligent, that thereby he might win the prize; therefore, all things must be done in order.”  Mosiah 4:27

We love and pray for you all.  We appreciate all the goodness you bring to our lives.  Have a wonderful week!

Easter Sunday

16 April 2017

That Easter morning, a grave that burst

Proclaimed to man that “Last and First”

Had risen again and conquered pain.

This morning renews for us that day

When Jesus cast the bonds away,

Took living breath and conquered death.

Thus we in gratitude recall

And give our love and pledge our all,

Shed grateful tears and conquer fear.

Happy Easter to our family and friends!  And, Happy Birthday to our son-in-law Sam, today, as he finishes up another big tax season. . . .Congratulations!  No one will be happier when tax season is over this week than Alisha!  And, Happy Birthday to our Maxwell Roger on Saturday.  He turns a big 7 years old.  We love them both!

We have had another week of exciting “firsts” for us.  Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday were spent in long days at the office.  I have been working on our VIP list for the British Pageant.  This includes Ambassadors, Members of Parliament, opinion leaders in the country, interfaith leaders, reporters and journalists, etc. etc. etc.  Ron has been helping me with the Xcel part of it.  That has been our big focus and has taken a long time, but we are almost there.   Along with that task we have been keeping up on every day jobs such as fielding phone calls, writing letters to newspapers asking for a retraction or an opportunity to write a rebuttal when misinformation is said about our Church, preparing to give another class on Spokesperson Training in the Netherlands this weekend, and preparing for a video shoot for the pageant in two weeks.   Ron reads three newspapers every day and also keeps up on the finance aspect of our office.  The days go by so fast because we are kept busy, and we are tired when we get home at night.  I like to walk every evening if it’s not too cold or rainy, but sometimes I just don’t have it in me. 

Wednesday had some perks too!  It was Malcolm’s first day back at the office since being in Utah for General Conference and some PTO.  It is good to have him back.  We went to lunch with him and heard all the news from SLC on Public Affairs.  New and exciting things are happening!    I also received a FedEx package on Wednesday from my Quilt Group, which made my day!  They know me so well and filled it with things I love.  Thank you again, my friends! 

Friday, being “Good Friday”, was a Bank Holiday here, which is like a Federal Holiday at home, so everything is closed, including our office.  Tomorrow is Easter Monday, also a Bank Holiday.  For us that meant a four-day weekend, so we planned a trip down to Cornwall.  We left midday Thursday to beat the traffic.  We rented a little place through Airbnb in Newquay (pronounced New-key).  It was cozy for sure (or should I just say outright . . .  it was small).  I’d call it glorified camping.  But we were only there to sleep, so it was fine.

We are searching for Ross and Demelza in Poldark country this
weekend. We needed some fish and chips to begin the search.
@The Padstow Fish & Chips Cafe

Cornish Cream Tea

Friday morning, before we began our adventurous day, we stopped at McDonalds for a little breakfast.  When we went back out to get in the car, Ron couldn’t find the key.  Sure enough, it was still in the ignition!  And not only that, but Ron made it very easy for someone to steal the car . . . he even left the engine running for them.  Now how would we have explained that one to the church?  It made for a good laugh to begin our day.  (If you want to know how Ron said he would explain it, I’ll have to tell you privately, as it is not very civil or politically correct.)J

Cornish beauty!

Cornwall is Southern England. It’s a resort area full of many small towns and farming communities . . . a vacation hotspot for sure. They have beautiful beaches and lots of walking/hiking trails.  There are hundreds if not thousands of B&B’s, hotels, rentals, etc. for places to stay and fun places to eat.  Food such saffron rolls, pasties (pronounced past-ees), which is a meat pie, all claim their fame from Cornwall.   And lots of fresh fish with it being on the Atlantic ocean.  We tasted everything we could that friends and co-workers told us to try while there.  My personal favorite was Cornish Cream Tea.  It is warm scone, cut in half.  First you put fresh raspberry jam on it, then clotted cream.  Oh my goodness!  It was so good.  If you’re curious about clotted cream, just Google it.  After reading what I ate, I’m sure I could feel my arteries clogging.  The Tea part of Cornish Cream Tea is that it is served with tea, as is everything here, but for us it was hot chocolate.  It was dinner for us one evening.

A lot of filming of television and movies happen in Cornwall such as Doc Martin and Poldark (BBC).  Since we love Poldark, we had fun chasing filming sites.  There is no doubt that it was filmed there.  Everywhere you go, it looks just like the scenery in the show.  We were hoping for a sighting of Ross or Demelza, but sadly, we only saw them on postcards in the gift shop at Lands End, and on a few road signs.  J

The southern most place in England!

We were forewarned of the narrow roads and not to be on them at night after dark, especially if it is raining.  They are so narrow, sometimes barely wide enough for one small car, let alone any oncoming traffic.  And thank goodness, no rain.  From Ron’s journal on Thursday night:

Wow – Cornwall!  An amazing day driving the southwest part of England. Today we went to St Agnes, Porthtowan, Portreath, Godrevy Heritage coast (North Cliffs), Hayle, Penzance, Mousehole, Lamoma, Porthcurno, Lands End, St Just, and St Ives.  Marie must have said "Wow that is beautiful” over 100 times. And it really was. We enjoyed lunch at a nice pub, we walked along cliffs, and then had real Cornish Cream Tea - so delicious! It was a fun day together. And oh, the unbelievably narrow roads. We went down places that I could not believe. And when a car came the other way, my heart stopped . . . multiple times. 

The scenery was so breathtakingly beautiful.  It was worth every heart-stopping moment on the roads.  At one point I told Ron it looked like the Garden of Eden.  I can only imagine that it must be what paradise looks like.   As we looked on every side of us from the many roads we drove, I could picture painting after painting of beauty, or a picture puzzle scene.  I thought my eyes, my mind, and my heart would explode at times with how full they were of beauty.  I didn’t take near enough pictures, because the roads were too narrow to pull over, but I truly have never been in a more beautiful place.  The green rolling hills, the farmer’s fields divided by flowering hedges rather than fences, the ocean, the old English houses and barns . . I could go on.  There were lots of cows and sheep and some horses in many fields.  And the homes and farms all have a name, like ‘Willowey Stump’ and ‘Carn Voele’ and ‘Lower Tremadan Acres’.  It was all so charming.   All day I kept thinking what a “Good Friday” it was, and felt it such a blessing to honor the day by seeing the beauty of God’s creations.

After two full days of driving miles and miles of windy roads, we felt like we had seen Cornwall, so we decided to go home today instead of tomorrow.  We left Newquay about 8:15 am to be at church at 10 am in the town of Exeter.  It was a tiny congregation.  They were happy to have us there since much of their ward was away for the holiday.  When I see wards like this, it reminds me how easy we have church in Utah.  For instance, Sister Brooke played the organ.  Today she and her husband and son gave the three talks in Sacrament Meeting, and then she taught the Gospel Doctrine class in Sunday School.  We met very nice people who were so welcoming, including the two sister missionaries assigned to the area.  I do love those experiences.  

On the way home we were delayed because of an accident.  We sat on the motorway with the car turned off for about ½ hour.  When this happens, lots of people get out of their cars and talk with one another, I guess trying to solve the problem, or other world problems.  J  I got out to get in the ‘boot’ to retrieve my computer, and the car next to me asked if I had any sandwiches!  I had peanut butter and honey, but no bread, darn.  Our trip home took much longer than expected. 

We were home in time to talk with our children and our parents and wish them all a Happy Easter.  I’ve discovered that homesickness, and missing the kids, is especially hard around holidays.  I can’t remember the last time I wasn’t able to color eggs with the kids.  Again, the sacrificial part of this experience. 

On the left, my Easter Cactus at home. On the right, my Easter
cactus in England!
Thank you Lynette Schmidt Perkins and Anna!

As I ponder today the reason we celebrate Easter, I am so grateful to know that “He is Risen” and lives again.  And because of this, I too can live with Him again.  And so can you.  We can all find comfort in the quote, “All that is unfair about life can be made right through the Atonement of Jesus Christ.”  With this knowledge embedded in my soul, I am able to serve as a missionary away from my family.  I am so grateful for this Easter season.  With it brings new life to the world as flowers bloom, grass and leaves turn green, and new life is born.  It is all so symbolic.  And it all works together for our benefit. 

I’m so grateful, also, for each one of you in my life.  Thank you for being interested in our mission.  Thank you, my children, for taking care of one another when things arise.  Thank you, my family, friends, and neighbors for taking care of things we cannot while we are gone.  Thank you for every email, text, and social media message I receive.  Thank you to those who are caring for my dear mother right now.  Thank you for the packages, letters, notes of encouragement, and wedding invites!  It is so nice to be remembered.  And they all seem to come on the perfect day at just the perfect time.  Thank you for your prayers.  We pray for you each day and pray that you will be blessed with everything you need. 

PASSED MY SIGN LANGUAGE TEST!

9 April 2017

Happy Birthday to our eldest granddaughter, Carly Marie! She turns 15 years old on Saturday. She is our Tax Day baby! We love you so much Carly girl!

Hot Dogs in a can, anyone?

The weather has been brilliant this week! I don’t think we have had even a drop of rain. Today it is 70
degrees, and from the looks of Facebook posts, I think Utah got a little snow? Yikes! What’s up with that? Spring in Utah! Better weather here than in Utah must be a sign of the times. Ron even played a round of golf yesterday with someone from work, and I did some cleaning and a major operation on the vacuum cleaner with the windows open and a cool breeze blowing. It was glorious.

This past week we hit our two-month mark. The days and weeks go by so fast! We had another eventful week that I can’t wait to share with you.

Tuesday we needed to go to London to work with Elder and Sister Parrish and to also pick up an extra TV from the office there, so we had to drive rather than ride the train. Normally we would never drive to London. The plan was to just get up early Tuesday morning and go and try time our arrival to avoid the horrendous traffic London is known for. We decided last minute to leave Monday evening and get a hotel outside of London so we could just drive into London Tuesday morning and have plenty of time to get the work done with the Parrishes that we needed to do. Hotels in London are VERY expensive. If you know me well, you know that Ron has spoiled me with really nice hotels for a number of years, and my idea of camping is anything less than a 4 star hotel (I know, I’m a snob). Well, let’s just say we roughed it in the wild Monday night, and we will be paying the very expensive prices in London next time we have to go. I don’t want to ‘diss’ anyone’s favourite chain of 2 star hotels, so I won’t say where we stayed, but... when Ron got out of the car to check in I said, “Oh no you don’t, you’re not leaving me here in the car by myself.” Ya, that kind of neighborhood, that kind of hotel. Lesson learned.

When we go to London to work, Elder and Sister Parrish are great hosts. They take us to their favourite spots to eat, and this time we snuck away from the office in the afternoon to catch the matinee of the Broadway play BEAUTIFUL – Carole King Story. It was just that... beautiful and fun. Along with the story and music, something else made it fun also... the sweet lady sitting next to me. Funny thing, this badge I wear, it takes away my reservations of talking to people. It’s the most amazing thing. Margaret (her picture is on my Facebook post) was there with her daughter celebrating her 84th birthday. She was as British as they come. I told her she reminded me of my own mom, who is also 84. She told me she had 4 children, 2 boys and 2 girls, also like my mom. She sang loud and off key to almost every song, and at the end of each song she threw her hands up in the air. She was delightful. She also told me she was celebrating her 84th birthday, she had 4 children, 2 boys and 2 girls. We talked, and visited, her daughter kept trying to subdue her just a bit, I told her no need, we were having a ball, and then she told me she was celebrating her 84th birthday, she had 4 children, 2 boys and 2 girls... you get my drift. She sure reminded me of my sweet mom. When the finale was over, she turned to me and said, “Is that the lot of it?” I told her it was. “I knew it” she said, “I knew it.” We hugged, and I kissed her cheek, and for a minute I felt like her other daughter, and I think she thought I was. It’s those kind of experiences that I wouldn’t trade for the world. When I’m 84, I hope I can feel like singing out loud, even if I’m off key.

Birmingham Mission Presidency taking a P-Day with the senior missionaries. 
President Gardner, President Leppard, President McKee

Wednesday we were invited to go with the other senior missionaries in the Birmingham Mission to the Berkeley Castle and take a tour. For me, the best thing about the castle is that some of the TV series “Poldark’ is filmed there. Ron took a picture of me sitting in one of the chairs they use in their set. Old castles are fascinating and beautiful. But I’m sure glad it wasn’t me living in them.

We also went about four miles from the castle and hiked up a hill to the monument erected in honor of William Tyndale who translated the Bible in English, in the end being put to death for it. The monument itself is quite tall. 121 steps in a tight spiral takes you to the top. How do we know there were 121 steps? Yup, I counted them up and down. And the view of the countryside was absolutely breathtaking. We don’t get a lot of association with other senior missionaries in our area, so it was a really fun day for us.

When we arrived home, there was a new face outside on the walk, having a smoke. I told Ron, “I’ll bet that’s our new neighbour Gordon mentioned, the one that is sub-letting the flat above us.” As I approached him, I noticed his hearing aids, so I knew it was the new guy upstairs. I said, “Hello!” and he gave me a little wave. I looked him in the eyes and said,“How are you?” He smiled and gave me the thumbs up sign. I gave him the thumbs up back, and we exchanged smiles. And so we met, and we talked a little sign language, in case Gordon asks. I passed the test.

One day this week whilst in the office, the Area Director of Family History came in and invited us to attend the “Who Do You Think You Are” conference in Birmingham as his guest. He wanted to talk a little about getting Public Affairs involved next year. This conference is similar to “Roots Tech” in Salt Lake City on a much smaller scale. We went on Friday afternoon and had fun looking around and chatting with missionaries and Family History consultants from Salt Lake as well as Birmingham working the booth. I learned this week of a woman in our ward that joined our church as a direct result of attending that conference two years ago. Her cousin got her involved in Family History, and she actually traced her line back to Brigham Young. When her member friend invited her to go to the Family History conference, she jumped at the chance. She visited the Ancestory.com booth, where they opened up even more lines of Family History for her. The visit ended with the Family History consultant asking her if she would like the missionaries to visit her, and the rest you can guess. Her name is Sharon... (another Sharon friend!) and I adore her.

There have been several times in the last two months where it would have been really nice if I could drive, so we decided (Ron very reluctantly I might add) that I would learn to drive. Saturday afternoon we went to see ‘Beauty and the Beast’ at the theatres across the street from the office. And for the first time, I drove! There is nothing normal or automatic about getting in the car on the right side to drive down the road on the left side. It was a lot of thinking and coaching on the part of my patient companion. But it turned out ok and it was VERY liberating! I only hit the left curb once and cut someone off twice. No dents and no one used any unkind hand gestures. I also drove home and drove to and from church today. It’s pretty fun! And we really enjoyed the movie, our first here in England. They have good popcorn here too! It was so nice to have a weekend home and actually get a P-Day to catch up on a few things.

Ron taught his first “Gospel Doctrine” class today here, and as usual did a great job. I just love to hear him teach. This was my second week leading the singing in Primary. There were only 13 children today. Because it is the beginning of half term (Spring Break), if one family is gone it can take our numbers down quite a bit. We usually have closer to 20 children there. We had fun finding hidden plastic Easter eggs that had song titles in them. It’s fun to be back with the children. I learn the names more people each week and feel a little more comfortable each time we go. Testimony meeting is always a favourite of mine. At the end, “my cup runneth over.”

Thank you to everyone who emails, comments on FB, and helps us to not be as homesick as we could be by keeping us up to date on your lives at home. We are having some amazing experiences here, but always feel a little sad about what we are missing at home. We love you and pray for you and appreciate and feel your sustaining prayers for us.

Count Your Many Blessings

2 April 2017

Happy Birthday today to my niece Tina Marie and on April 7 to our daughter-in-law Hilary whom we love so much!  Liz, Roger also share that day and we wish them a wonderful day!  And congratulations, Sharon, on your new granddaughter.  Blessings from heaven!

With many of you and thousands across the world, we are enjoying General Conference this weekend.  Our first session yesterday began at 5 pm, so different than what we are use to.  We will go to the home of a co-worker and enjoy Saturday afternoon session today at 1pm, return to our flat and watch Sunday morning session at 5pm and Sunday afternoon at 9 pm.  I’m grateful that technology allows us to be able to watch it at all!

Thursday was the warmest day since we came to the U.K.,
so we went for a couple mile walk. It was wonderful !

The workload only increases as we gain first-hand knowledge and understanding of the vision of Public Affairs.  It’s a wonderful mission, we only work half days . . . 8 am – 8pm  :-)  and often 6 days a week.  This past week and next week Malcolm is in Salt Lake for Conference and meetings, so it increases our load as far as phone calls and dealing with media questions (fortunately those are mostly directed to Elder Partridge), but we also have more flexibility in our schedule to get things done that are on the list of “when we have time.” 

Monday evening was shared with Elder and Sister Wills, who live in our ward and are serving a stay-at-home History Preservation Mission.  The history preservation part of their mission has been put on hold a bit by Elder Kearon as Jeannie serves as head of costume design and production for the Pageant.  They introduced us to one of their favourite restaurants, “The Orange Tree.”  They even treated us to dinner!  It was so kind of them and we enjoyed ourselves very much.

Have I mentioned our neighbors downstairs, Gordon and Ann?  They are an older couple who keeps watchful care over the complex, particularly our building.  (For anyone in my family, they are like the Gil and Nida of Solihull.  J  )  We don’t have much interaction with Ann, but Gordon sits in his chair during the day by the window, and when he wants to talk to you, he pops out and catches you when you’re coming and going.  You might say he did not attend the school for political correctness.  In no uncertain terms he told me one day what he thought should happen to the terrorist in London, AND all his relatives!  I had to keep telling myself “no political opinions, no political opinions . . .”   The other day when we were coming home from work he met us on the step to tell us that someone was sub-letting the apartment above us for a couple of months.  As only Gordon would say it, he let me know that the person who was moving in was deaf so I should “practice up my sign language skills.”  It was all I could do to refrain from laughing out loud.   Since I’ve only ever seen and never spoken with the couple that live there now, I’m not sure how much I’ll need sign language, but does anyone know of a good on-line course in case Gordon asks me?  LOL   Funny funny Gordon.

We had another travel Friday-Saturday weekend.  By the skin of our teeth, on the last day of March, we were able to attend the Preston Temple on Friday afternoon.  We are feeling the challenges of not having a temple 25 minutes away like we are so used to.  What a beautiful temple!  We both described the inside as “simple elegance”.   I had some heaviness in my heart and mind as I entered.  Wilst inside, I was prompted to “count my many blessings”  . . . and literally “name them one by one.” I won’t name them all, but just a few that came to mind:

·      A nice, comfortable flat to call home for 18 months

·      A condensing dryer

·      A dishwasher

·      We are sleeping ok in just a queen-sized bed

·      Our clothes seem to not need dry cleaning as much as when we are at home

·      We get to interact with the young missionaries (we were told we might not have much contact with them)

·      Good health and strength

·      Technology that allows me to stay connected to those I love

·      Answers to prayers when I need help with projects I am asked to complete

·      A patient companion

 I am so grateful for these tender mercies, and grateful for the prompting to recognize them.

Dinner with the Gibsons

Some of you may have seen our picture on social media of Ron and I having dinner with Colin and Judith Gibson Friday evening.  When we went on our cruise last in January 2016 to South America, we were assigned to eat dinner with three other couples. We didn’t spend time together much other than dinner, but it was fun to come together each evening and share our days.  We did go to some shows together with the Gibson and formed a connection by the end of the 12 days.  We exchanged email addresses before leaving, and communicated via email a couple of times since, but never did we think our paths would cross again.  When we found out we were coming to England for our mission, I dug through old emails to find them and told them we were coming there to live.  And where did they live?  I couldn’t remember.  They live in Manchester, which is about 90 miles from where we are, and about 30 miles from the Preston Temple.  And so it was that we were able to meet up and begin again a budding friendship.  They are delightful people.  We invited them to be our guests at the British Pageant in August, and we have already set a date in our diaries for that.  As I said with the picture, “Another coincidence?  I don’t think so.”  More like another miracle.

Saturday we held our first Spokesperson Training session in Manchester.  It was geared toward answering questions and being interviewed by the media about the upcoming Pageant.  We had nine attendees, and thanks to my awesome companion who is extremely experienced in Power Point presentations and training, we feel it was successful and had positive feedback from those attending.

The discloth project begins in the UK!

This morning we were able to watch the re-run of the show in between conference sessions that Carole Makita did last fall on “The Saints in Europe” which was predominately about when the Mormon Tabernacle Choir toured Europe last year.  When we watched it last fall it was in anticipation of serving in Europe.  As we watched it again today, it had a whole new meaning.  Many of the church people they interviewed work in Public Affairs and I have communicated with or know of them.  It featured members in the Netherlands and Belgium, both of which we will visit on assignment later this month.  And it was fun to see the news about the Paris Temple, which the open house begins next week.  A world in the church we knew nothing about a year ago has opened up to us, and I felt like watching that program opened the door even wider.  The efforts of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir to spread the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ through music and the spoken word is incredible.  I have a whole new perspective on it.  In the words of President Gordon B. Hinckley, “Isn’t it wonderful!”

We have loved conference today, as always.  So many things that have been said I think were meant for just me.  The Lord is answering my prayers at General Conference.  One of my favourite quotes:

“If you feel a little overwhelmed, take that as a good sign.  It indicates that you can sense the magnitude of the trust God placed in you.”  President Henry B. Eyring

Until next week, my friends, may your joy be full and your sorrows be few, and may we all recognize from whom all blessings flow.