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