There once was a man from Calcutta . . .

28 May 2017

We greet you on this beautiful Sabbath Day from the Emerald Isle . . .the perfectly green lush land of Ireland. Of course, to be this green requires a lot of rain, and we have experienced that as well. More about Ireland in a 'wee bit'!

Thank you to everyone who took the time to communicate with us this past week and check up on us. We look forward to your tidbits of information and news. It is certainly a highlight of the week for both of us when we can stop what we are doing and read something from you. Happy Birthday to our friend and neighbor Beth, who I know is happy to be celebrating on American soil this year! Also, we remember our nephew Jake today and the "bigger than life" personality he had that will always be missed. We also mourn today with my sister's family for the death of their grandson (Tony's son's son.). You are in our prayers. It is a reminder of just how precious and fragile life is.

If we were home this weekend I would be visiting far too many graves for my liking. Too many family members and friends have passed too soon . . . too young . . . and we honor them this weekend. Thank you, Amanda, for putting flowers on your brothers graves and on Grandpa's. We love and miss them as we are reminded how grateful we are for eternal families.

As a follow up from last week, we spent last Monday with Tony and Evey as they toured us around their home city of Poole and surrounding places. They are definitely a beach family! Their local beach is five minutes from their home, where they rent a beach hut that holds all their suits and gear and volleyball nets and barbecue for fun in the sun every day if they can. Evey and her mom go swimming in the sea nearly every day in the summer. They swear it keeps them young and healthy. (Mom is close to 90 years old.) And we aren't talking 70 degree Caribbean waters, we are talking about Atlantic Ocean temperatures! Thems some hearty women, they are!

The Poole Coast was so beautiful!

We went to Swanage via a chain ferry (new experience), visited Corfe Castle, ate the "World's Best Fish n' Chips" and the "World's Best Gelato" for lunch . . . I know it was the world's best because the signs said so. :-). At one point Tony, Evey and Ron were all doing their best Buddy the Elf impression saying "Congratulations! You did it!" It was a good laugh.

Poole Beach with Evey Furbank

All the day while driving together with windows down and feeling the ocean breeze around us, Tony and Evey told us about Taletha, their daughter who passed away week before last. They shared fun memories as well as talked about the grueling past eight months since the doctors said there was nothing more that could be done, the ugliness of cancer, the loving care of hospice, and the tenderness of their seven other children who would pop in to do something sweet to show their love for their sister. Because we had only met, I think we were like a safety zone for them. They didnt have to be strong, or hold back, or worry about repeating anything, because we were brand new friends. And as we parted, they thanked us for allowing them a distraction for what they were facing in the next few days with the funeral . . . and after. It's the after that's hard, as anyone will tell you that has lost a loved one. Tony and Evey have made an imprint on our hearts and taught us so much in less than 24 hours, and we will be forever blessed that our paths crossed. We pray our paths will cross again many times.

Corfe Castle

Fish n chips with Tony & Evey Furbanks

Older men racing their remote sailboats at Poole Park

So it has been quite an eventful week, and we are once again grateful for the many experiences we are having as we serve. The blessings and experiences far outweigh the hard work and long days. I know when we are finished with our work here, we will be forever changed by the people we are meeting and the experiences we are having. I hope every one of you have the opportunity to serve if you want to and are able.

As tired as we were of riding in the car after our trek to Poole on Sunday and our sightseeing adventure on Monday, we went out of our way and stopped at Stonehendge. Can I just say . . .very very cool. We have a photographer friend in Utah, and as part of an experiment he posted on Facebook to send a picture of what his friends were doing at the moment they saw his post. So we posted a picture of us at Stonehenge, and I think we won the prize (if there was a prize).

Stonehenge - another Bucket List check!

Hmmm.......potential Pickleball court?

Tuesday morning we woke up to the news of the awful terrorist attack in Manchester. We were relieved to find out quickly that everyone we knew there was safe as well as their families, but we mourn with Great Britain and the rest of the world the senseless act of violence against innocent people, most so young. We have been watching carefully the security reports we receive every day but feel safe and blessed. We appreciate so much your prayers offered on our behalf this past week. Like I said, a little too close to home.

Thursday evening after work we drove to Coventry and met with the Stake Presidency of the Coventry Stake, President Leppard (mission president) and one of his counselors, the zone leaders, and several others to discuss training young missionaries to tell their "Why I'm a Missionary" story on social media, a campaign that President Leppard and Ron have been working on, beginning with the Coventry Stake. The Birmingham mission has 57 countries represented from their missionaries right now. They are hoping for viral videos to go all over the world. I'll keep you posted on the progress, and our Facebook friends can let us know if they see a video from a Birmingham missionary. Who know . . . It might be Sister Crandall sometime!

We sadly say good-bye to Sister Aidoo (second from left) as she leaves
tomorrow for the Atlanta, Georgia mission.
Her Visa came through! God speed, Sister Aidoo!

And whilst on the subject of Elder Partridge, the ward (and the mission president) are keeping him very busy. He has taught Gospel Doctrine three times, and the foyer outside the chapel (the usual gathering place during Sunday School hour) is not nearly as full anymore, and the chapel (where we hold the Gospel Doctrine class) is filling up. We have been asked to teach the youth this Friday evening as part of a Book of Mormon Fireside (really they asked Ron, not me), and he has been asked teach the next Teacher's Council Meeting on how to use the LDS Media App. And if that isn't enough, our ward is taking a field trip to the Gadfield Elm Chapel in July (first LDS chapel in England) and they have asked Ron - the American - to give a Fireside on the history of the chapel. I love it, because he loves it and feels needed. Don't we all like to be needed.

Sitting in an airport waiting for our flight.....yet again.

Our assignment this weekend was in Dublin, Ireland, yesterday where we trained a group of eight Church members from all over Ireland on how to interview with media. Other than a few technical difficulties at first, the class went very well. We had a member of the mission presidency there, a Stake President (who was only 39 years old), a District President (even younger) and counselor and wife, Stake Public Affairs Directors, and John Connolly, the National Director for Public Affairs, who was responsible for setting up the training.

More than once during the training, I thought to myself, "I can't believe that I am in Ireland, and actually teaching a class on media training to Mission Presidents, Stake Presidents, etc . . . . I mean, hello! It's just me. What qualifies me to teach them! The answer popped into my head as if I had read it yesterday. Oh wait . . I did read it yesterday in the June Ensign. President Monson's message.

The view out our window at 9:42 pm. It will start getting
light about 4:30 am. I feel like I'm back in Alaska in July!

When the Prophet Joseph Smith called Elder Heber C. Kimball to "open the door of salvation" as a missionary to England, Elder Kimball was seized by feelings of inadequacy.

"O, Lord," he wrote, "I am a man of stammering tongue, and altogether unfit for such a work."

Elder Kimball accepted the call, nevertheless, adding: "These considerations did not deter me from the path of duty; the moment I understood the will of my Heavenly Father, I felt a determination to go at all hazards, believing that He would support me by His almighty power, and endow me with every qualification that I needed."

And so, as unqualified as I feel to do many of the duties we are assigned, I know that "He will support me by His almighty power, and endow me with every qualification that I need." It has happened time after time. And I am so grateful for a companion who is much more qualified for this work than I am. We make a pretty good team most of the time, but I am definitely the weaker link.

We figured out today why we look so happy in our selfies.
We are such dorks when it comes to taking them we are
usually laughing at ourselves so hard by the time we finally
get one worth keeping. This one is a classic example!

And Speaking of John Connolly, who set up the training class . . . he and his wife Eileen invited us to dinner at their home Friday evening after we arrived. (By the way, Friday was a travel day laced with Murphy's Law, and that's all I'm going to say about that.) Friday was a beautiful day, no rain. When we sat down in the Connolly's kitchen to eat, their door to the back yard was open with a nice breeze blowing in. It felt so good! I commented on what a beautiful yard they had. A few minutes later (awkward) came the SCOLD! In John's loving Irish brogue, and he has a good one - I love to hear him speak - he said to me, "I can't believe you Americans call it a YARD. Have you ever heard it called the Yard of Eden?" "Oh!" I said, "What is it called?" "It's called a garden! It's our beautiful garden" he said. I apologized and tried to explain that our vegetable gardens and flower gardens are IN our YARD at home. He just shook his head and said, "What kind of a word is yard to describe a garden." I laughed, and as serious as John was, he is also a man with a quick wit about him, so it was all taken in context with no offense. I learned something new, and now realize that it's not just Ireland, but in England as well. I have heard it before, and just put two and two together. So I'll be thanking the Irish man whom we've grown to love for setting me straight. :-)

We stayed in a Bed and Breakfast Friday night in Dublin and another Saturday night near Limerick. When we first planned the trip, Ron asked me what I wanted to see in Ireland. I told him I wanted to stand in Limerick and recite a Limerick, so today we went to church in Limerick, did some sightseeing in the area, including the Cliffs of Moher and Bunratty Castle, and I stood in Limerick and recited a Limerick. Not really on my bucket list, but I think I'll add it just so I can cross it off.

Tonight we are staying in in Blarney at a beautiful B & B . . . something that feels like I might see Rhett Butler at breakfast. Tomorrow I will really cross something off the bucket list . . . It has to do with kissing . . . and not Ron . . . so I'll let you know how that goes next week.

Hug those you love, and make sure they know and feel that love. Life is so fragile. We send our love to you.

Cliffs of Moher

Bunratty Castle

More . . .Coincidences?

21 May 2017

Another week has gone by for you and for us. Nearly every day at least one of you comes up in our conversation, and it is usually about what we have learned from you. We have had so many wonderful and growing and learning experiences this week that I want to share with you. I’ll pick the highlights!

Our prayers this week are with the Squires family, as tomorrow marks a year of the passing of our beloved Bishop Dave. We feel blessed to have had him as a neighbor, Bishop, and friend. I know he would be so proud of how his family is carrying on. They are a pillar of strength to us all. We love you, Alison and family!

I didn’t mention in last week’s update about an email I received the Saturday previous. It was from Elder Martin Cook. He and his wife, Judith, are serving a mission on Temple Square in Salt Lake City. They are from Great Britain and one of those families that everyone knows and loves. We feel as if we know them, although they left for their mission just after we arrived here, so our paths did not cross.

Elder Cook emailed to tell me that whilst walking from his apartment to Temple Square last Saturday morning, he passed by the gravesite of Heber C. Kimball as he always does. He noticed a group there, so he walked over to see what their interest was in the gravesite. As the group was talking about Elder Kimball, the leader of the group asked if anyone had any stories they would like to share. Elder Cook decided to weigh in and share all that Heber C. Kimball had done for the British saints whilst he was a missionary here, and how because of him and others like him, many were converted and emigrated to the United States. It has been said that the British saints literally saved the church.

The group he was speaking to was a group of Young Single Adults, with their Bishop. When the Bishop introduced himself to Elder Cook as Bishop Rex Gines . . . (my brother) and the connection was soon made after Rex found out where Elder Cook was from. . . you know the rest. I thought it so kind of Elder Cook to take the time to email me. He knew of us, as we did him. We will go home shortly before their mission ends, and we have already made plans to meet.

Then, Monday morning, when we first arrived at the office, Elder Wills, the Church History missionary, brought an old Church News article he had found and thought we might be interested in because the two missionaries the article was about were from the Bountiful, Utah area. As it turns out, the missionaries were Hatch Howard’s dad and his brother. He had no idea we would know the family. For those of you who know the Howard’s, I’ve attached the article. It’s very cool! I immediately emailed Ann Howard Edgington with a copy. Of course, she knew the article and story well, as it is her children’s favorite story to tell when they are asked to talk about an ancestor. I mean . . . how many of our ancestors have had an encounter with three men who came out of nowhere? Hmmm . . . . .

So again, too many things happen for it to be coincidence. It’s very cool to think about. It’s great to think that the Lord is mindful of us in our every day lives.

Thursday was a GLORIOUS day because I mailed the last of the British Pageant VIP invites. It was a labor of love and a team effort to gather names, addresses, merge excel files into letters, and labels . . . I just kept praying that everything would be correct and if it wasn’t, “Heavenly Father, please don’t let me send out the wrong invite to the wrong person, or have a name misspelled, or anything else offensive” (like calling a Lord a Lady or something like that), and sure enough, I’d get this feeling to double check something, and there was a mistake, and I was able to correct it before it was mailed. Those are the times that it is easy to see “from whom all blessings flow”. I’m so grateful.

The Halifax Ward sewing hats for the men & boys to wear at Pageant. Sure wish I could have packed my sewing machine in my suitcase! Instead, I'll sew buttons on!

We have about ten new videos produced advertising the Pageant, and I am tasked with writing stories for each one that can easily be used as Press Releases for the local newspapers. It’s fun, and stressful, and taxes the right side of my brain until it hurts. For my Festival friends . . .you know that mode we get in about the middle of September when we kick into medium high gear? Well, Festival has been replaced with Pageant, and that’s where we are. There is never a dull moment, and always more to do than time in a day. So this week in particular I look at the clock at the end of the day and wonder where the day has gone. It makes for a fast fast week!

Ron's Saturday ritual

Friday night we had a heart-wrenching, eye-opening, heart-warming experience. Our ward hosted a potluck barbeque for the children of Chernobyl, complete with carnival-type games. If you don’t know much about Chernobyl, Google! Although most of us knew about the nuclear disaster that happened there in 1986, we didn’t realize that people still live there. It is now part of Belarus.

All the people that live there have radiation poisoning. Life expectancy of anyone there is 40-50 years. Many families have lost parents and are being raised by grandparents. They live in utter poverty. And most can’t afford the medicine for the poisoning and suffer so many side effects. The charity the UK supports brings girls here for one month when they turn 9 years old. Host families take two girls in together. It has been proven that by coming here for one month and breathing clean air and eating nutritious food extends their lives for two years. So for 20 years our ward has been providing this evening of fun and entertainment for the girls and their host families. Friday night there were 6 darling girls who didn’t speak a bit of English. You should have seen them eating their hamburgers! They were all lined up in matching clothes that they host families had purchased for them, eating like it was their last meal. We were asked to bring a small gift for them to take home with them. After seeing them, several of us saw that we could do so much more, so we will be purchasing clothes and items for them to take home. They come with the clothes they are wearing and nothing else. While here the charity gives them dental and optical care as needed.

Chernobyl girls - darling!

It is so hard to believe that in a modern world we live in, there are still places in the world that suffer so much through no fault of their own. It was another life-changing experience for me. If I could, I would host two girls myself. It’s just so so unbelievably sad.

Saturday we did our morning housework, walk (in the rain) etc, went to lunch, and was just about to get on the motorway to go to Costco when the sister missionaries called. Sister Wood had crashed on her bike and needed medical attention. Fortunately we weren’t far from where they were. We were able to hurry to their aid and get Sister Wood to the A&E (ER at the Hospital). Sure enough, her x-ray showed a fracture in her foot, so she is now sporting a lovely cast and is on crutches. Never once did she complain, and was so grateful for the help. The zone leaders have a bike rack on their car so they were able to rescue the bikes. But they won’t be needing bikes for a while. They have permission to ride the bus for the next few weeks. Right now we have a trio of sister missionaries, while Sister Adoo from London awaits her Visa to go to Atlanta, Georgia.

It's a joy to be with the young missionaries and Sister Wood was a trooper

Tonight we are in Poole, which is on the south coast of England. We had an assignment here tatsonight to attend an event called “Our Story Goes On”, which is a travelling theatrical play that is presented to share the gospel in a very simple way, used as a missionary tool. What a difficult assignment! J It was so fun to attend, and a great story told. I tell you, these badges we wear . . . everyone treats us so nice. We were invited to a little reception before the play along with the Stake Leaders, Patriarch, and other interfaith leaders. We were given VIP seating right on the front row. And so many of the cast thanked US for coming, when we were trying to thank THEM for volunteering their time and talents in this way! The music was not just church songs, but songs that everyone knows like “Do You Love Me” from Fiddler on the Roof and “Bring Him Home” from Le Mes. There was at least one time in the story that everyone watching could relate to, whether it was the birth of a new child, the wandering of a wayward child, or the sickness and death of a loved one. It brought tears to almost every eye as the experiences of our own lives were portrayed on stage.

The view from our hotel room in Poole

Something very touching . . .The Stake President welcomed everyone there. He said that a young woman that had been in the play up until a few months ago when she was diagnosed with cancer had
passed away last week, and they would like to dedicate tonight’s performance to her. The Stake Patriarch then gave the Opening Prayer. In his prayer he asked that the veil between the spirit world and earth be opened, and this woman be allowed to see the performance. I’m sure she did. I’m sure she was there in spirit.

At the reception before the play we met Tony and Evey. After the play they asked us if we were heading back tonight. We told him we were staying over. “What are you doing tomorrow?” they said. We told them we had a few recommendations for things to see, like a couple of castles, before heading home. “Let us show you around!” they said. “We would love to do that!” So we are meeting them tomorrow at 10am. But the amazing thing is . . . they are the parents of the young woman who passed away last week. And her funeral is this Thursday. Yet, they want to share some time with the missionary couple. We are more humbled than words can say.

In the play tonight, I was reminded of an old Scottish saying that I’ve always loved, and sums up so well how I feel tonight and how I feel about those I love (that’s you!)

“Thee lift me, and I lift thee, and we will ascend together . . .”

Thank you for your love and prayers that lift us each day. No matter how religion or God fits into our lives, we all share the recognition of a higher power that blesses us and strengthens us. Have a wonderful week, and know that our love and prayers will be with you.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A note from our oldest daughter this week that meant so much to us!

Mom,

I just want you to know how much I love you and Dad and how much I love your letters.  They literally bring tears to my eyes every single week.  I love all of these amazing experiences you are having and I feel like the spirit is confirming to me over and over how needed you are there and how much Heavenly Father loves you.  And I know that if he loves you and dad that much, he loves me and my family too.

I am so proud of you and dad for making the decision to leave us and go on a mission.  While your family always loves and needs you, the Lord needs you more.  I know this for sure.

Love you!
Amanda

It's Sunday, and I've got nothin . . .

14 May 2017 – Mother’s Day!

Happy Mother’s Day to first to my own mom and Ron’s mom, then to the mothers of my grandchildren, and to all of you! I’ve learned how to be a mom by watching a lot of great women throughout my life. I’m still learning and have been taught by so many of you! I love and admire you and appreciate all that you add to my life. Truly!

And Happy Birthday on Wednesday, 17 May, to Amanda, the daughter that blessed our lives first and began my journey of motherhood! We love her and the beautiful woman she is. And she is a great mother too! It is a huge payback when you see your own children as good parents, isn’t it?

And congratulations to my sweet friend, Mindy, who completed her cancer treatments last Tuesday. Woohoo! I wasn’t at her party, but I was partying here! I came across this quote this week that reminded me of her:

“Sometimes when we accomplish something big, we expect to feel heroic; instead it was just hard work. Perhaps this is a secret that heroes don’t share. Courage comes from doing common things.”

Way to go Mindy! You are my hero!

This week was a normal, uneventful week. I kept thinking, “What am I going to write about? Well, surely something will happen by the end of the week that will be worth journaling.” But Monday – Friday were pretty much the same routine. We get up, we study our scriptures separately, we get ready and go to work. We work on the Pageant and various other projects we have going. About 10 hours later, when we are done for the day, we go home, fix dinner, clean up, do a load of laundry, have a little D&C study time together, usually watch a little TV and/or read, and go to bed. Five exciting days in the life of a missionary.

Yesterday, Saturday, we tackled a little work on our finances. At some point we know that SLC will update the website and come to us asking what it costs per month to serve in Birmingham. So we added expenses up and broke them down by category. Doesn’t that sound like a whoppin’ fun Saturday morning? I went for a walk, we did a little housework, ate lunch, took a trip to Ikea, Costco, the Garden Nursery to buy a little potting soil, and the grocery store for just a few things. We came home, fixed dinner, watched a movie . . . .yada yada yada. So . . . it’s Sunday, and I’ve got nothing . . . no adventures, no conversion stories, nothing . . .and next week isn’t looking much different!

I can tell you about one little experience we had a couple of weeks ago. We decided to open up a bank account here. We weren’t going to. We were trying not to, but we’ve ran into a few situations where it was difficult because all our accounts were in the USA, so we decided to go ahead and do it as recommended by previous missionaries. We knew we needed our passports and a utility bill proving residency, so a couple of weeks ago on a Tuesday we gathered those things, Ron put a wad of cash in his pocket, and we headed over to the bank that was recommended to us expecting to open an account. Easy peasy, right? Nope! We were told when we arrived that we must make an appointment to do this, and it will take about 90 minutes. WHAT? Ok, so we made an appointment for the next Tuesday. When we showed up again, with our cash and papers, they had no record of us having an appointment. So again, we made another appointment for this past Tuesday. We showed up again, and this time they were expecting us! We were sure we had our ducks in a row, but no . . . because my name wasn’t on the utility bill, only Ron’s, they could not open a joint account. They didn’t question the fact that we were married, but no . . . it wouldn’t work. So after all that, it was determined that Ron would open an account just in his name. Oh brother. Two hours and ten minutes later, he finally had an account. I’m surprised he didn’t have to promise our first born and give a blood and urine sample too. It was C R A Z Y !!!!! Oh, and Ron looked at the customer rating on the internet . . . it was lousy. Why that bank was recommended, I’ll never know. That was our excitement for the week.

Going to church each week is always such an experience. I continue to remind myself that everything doesn’t have to be like Utah in order to be right. Primary is so unstructured compared to what I’m use to. We have two families with VERY difficult children. So 20% are unruly. And there are very few older kids, so trying to teach a song is hard. I try to do it with pictures instead of words. The Primary Programme in the Fall should be interesting . . .

There are so many part-member families that I wonder how the ward functions. It would be so hard for me if my spouse was going off to a church I didn’t believe in, and I was not, or vise versa. And you know our church doesn’t just expect an hour a week of church, but three, and a calling to boot, so I can only imagine the stress it must cause on some. I take so much for granted at home.

One blessing I can readily see is the power of prayer. We kneel and pray together twice daily. I kneel and pray on my own twice daily. We pray over the food. And so many times I have said silent prayers at my desk when I need help with a project. My sins are of omission, because I’m not in a circumstance to do much else. I’m learning so much about myself. We might be serving the Lord and blessing others, but the greatest blessings come to us.

We feel blessed to have a supportive family who are taking care of so many things for us! We love and appreciate you so much. We are blessed to hear from many of you who keep us up on things. We appreciate that more than you know! We feel blessed with good health and strength, despite a few aches and pains, so that we can serve the Lord. It’s easy to count blessings, even on difficult days.

Two great blessings just today:
· FaceTiming with my family
· The Elders needed a place to come so they could call their moms, and it just so happened that I marinated four chicken breasts instead of the usual two! Fortuitous!

This was shared with me Friday. It tugged at my heart strings!
We feel their prayers every day and pray for them also.

Again, Happy Mother’s Day to all of you women! You are all mothers in some form. I am so grateful to be a mom. Our children and grandchildren are our greatest blessing. Until next week . . . and I’ll try to have more . . .

Tout est Bien!

7 May 2017

We hope you are all well and happy and doing THE BEST things! Thank you for all those who took a minute to write this week. Happy Birthday to my friend Ann tomorrow. And Happy Birthday to our sweet little Hannah who will turn 1 year old on Thursday. We love you Hannah!

Our 8 month mark was yesterday! ........... No, not really. Our 3 month mark was yesterday. Ron and I feel like it has been at least 8 months! Maybe because we have been busy and have packed a lot in that amount of time. Nevertheless, its still going well and we are loving it.

Before I tell you about our week, I want to finish a story I told you about last week. Remember Downham and Lord and Lady Clitheroe? And how when Heber C. Kimball and Joseph Fielding preached and baptized there? We came across the historical account of the incident, and a little more of the story that explains the special feeling there.

"During his last visit to Chatburn and Downham in 1838, Elder Kimball experienced a great spiritual moment as the children of the villages walked the mile between them singing hymns and holding hands, while their parents called down blessings upon Elder Kimball from their houses. He reported he wept so profusely at the time he had to leave the road three times to bathe his eyes in the nearby streams so he could see the road. He felt the spirit so strongly he removed his hat and felt like removing his shoes as well. Finally he bestowed an apostolic blessing upon the whole region in response to the great spiritual manifestation he felt."

And here is the rest of the story . . . .

"When Elder Kimball returned to the United States, he reported the experience to Joseph Smith. The prophet then told him, "Did you not understand it? That is a place where some of the old prophets traveled and dedicated that land, and their blessing fell upon you."

I wish you could all come see it . . . and more importantly, feel it. It is truly a magnificent place.

We have arrived in Paris! Met some
handsome Elders
from Utah at the train station!

If you follow us on Instagram and Facebook it might seem like we play more than we work! We do get out and experience a lot of fun things, but we have more days where we are in the office working at a desk. So much of it we can't be specific about, so my weekly letters home and social media posts mostly reflect the time out of the office. We are so grateful for the days we work in the office as well as on the road. A whole new side of the Church has opened up to us . . one that we didn't even know existed a year ago. We are meeting people that are changing our lives forever as we learn from them. We feel so blessed to be called to serve in this beautiful country with wonderful people. I love the British accent, the British lifestyle, the British language. I love the green foliage, the fields of yellow saffron flowers, purple poppies, and the rolling hills. I love reading about Prince William and Duchess Kate and what they are doing and wearing. And I love it when I catch myself saying British words or phrases that I didn't even know 3 months ago. And I love the new friends I have made, some of which will be lifetime friends I know.

Traveling with the Parrishes

Last Monday was a Bank Holiday. We spent it cleaning the car, the flat, going to Costco, getting my hair cut, and going to the office for a few hours to work, even though it was a day off. Those catch-up days are always nice. Tuesday through Thursday were office days.

As I mentioned before, we were fortunate to have the Europe Area Public Affairs Director (Malcolm's boss) encourage us to take a long weekend sometime this month to attend the Open House of the Paris Temple. We were specifically told not to ask to go to the dedication, as they were reserving those tickets for members in France. We were lucky enough to go with the Parrishes this past Friday and Saturday and returned home tonight. We went by train, under the Chunnel. It is a great way to travel. While in Paris we took trains, buses, and taxis to get us where we needed to go. We, especially me, had some feelings of trepidation about going ahead with our plans to go to Paris after the last terrorist attack. After much consideration and prayer, we decided to go. Security was heightened everywhere, and it ended up that we felt safer than if we had gone another time. Those darn terrorists!

The new Paris Temple is exquisite. The Church spared nothing. Every window is stained glass with french fleur-de-lis. Every piece of furniture reflects the French style. There is a Christis in the courtyard garden that is a fulfillment of President Hinckley's request some 20 years ago when a temple in Paris was first considered. It takes your breathe away.

Notre Dame

Our private VIP tour was given by Sister Elizabeth Cottom who is the missionary we went to Norway with from the Frankfurt office. She was in charge of all the VIP tours of all the non-LDS religious, government and opinion leaders. She and Will have been there for the last 6 weeks. It was fun to see her again. She shared with us some great stories. She said that all the tour guides agree that the two sealing rooms in the temple have been where the visitors have commented most about the special feeling there. They feel it is because of what it represents, that families are together even after this life. It is a room where visitors feel a sense of family love and hope. As I said on Facebook, we can't wait to return sometime in the next year to attend.

Chocolate Mouse at lunch!

Saturday was a wet, cold day. I had dressed for a chilly, spring day, but not quite right for as damp as it was. Despite the cold weather, we went to the top of the Eiffel Tower, saw Notre Dame, the Louve, and toured the city on a bus. We ate baguettes, chocolate mousse, French Onion soup, and crepes. When we come back, we will visit Versailles, go inside the Louve to see the Mona Lisa, see inside a cathedral or two, and make sure to hit a fun market place . . . hopefully in warmer, dryer weather. There is so much we could see here!

Afternoon tea: crepes and hot chocolate

Good morning from the Eiffel Tower, bottom and top! I've waited my whole life. It's a chilly, rainy day in Paris!

Elder Bishop from Kaysville!

Today we attended a Sacrament Meeting just outside of the city. I can't really call it a chapel. It felt more like an office building. It was so disguised on the outside we had a difficult time finding it. Once inside, we were greeted warmly as usual. It was fast and testimony meeting, and as you can imagine, the testimonies were about the temple. We wore headphones and one of the missionaries (from Cheyenne, WY) translated for us. It was awesome, and cool, and sweet, and spiritual all wrapped together. We also met Elder Bishop from West Kaysville, Coach Bishop's son. They live in Amanda's ward. That was fun!

Friday night at the temple, after the tour, we met Phillip in the visitor's center. He was a volunteer taking pictures of families with a picture of the temple in the background as they do at Open Houses. He had his 11-year-old son with him who was just learning to speak a little English. It happened that he was in the ward we attended today and bore his testimony. He said he took a week of vacation from work to volunteer for the Open House. When his week was up he went back to work and asked if he could take his second week of vacation also so he could work in the temple another week. It was such a great experience for him. We heard many tender stories today, and feel so blessed to have been able to come. I'm glad we didn't let those darn terrorists scare us away.

The closing song for our meeting today was "Come, Come Ye Saints". At the beginning of the meeting, the RM (cute girl who returned not long ago from serving a Temple Square Mission in SLC) offered us a French hymnal. We said "No, thank you." We sang the Opening song and Sacrament song in English. Maybe we were offending her ears, so on the Closing song she passed us back a French hymnal. We took it as a hint and sang phonetically, the best we could, in French. I'm glad we did. And as we sang the last line of each verse, "Tout est bien, tout est bien!" I thought to myself, "Yes, all IS well, all is well."

We wish you a wonderful week full of good health, sunshine, hard work, play, and time with those you love. We sure do miss spending time with all of you! We love and appreciate you and all you are to us. Tout est Bien!