So let it be written...

Dear Family and Friends,

To the Utahans – we hope you had a wonderful 24^th of July.  We loved seeing the many photos on Facebook of your celebrations and must admit, we were a wee bit jealous.

There is so much to learn in this position, and we were determined to teach the Colemans all we could so they ‘would be prepared and would not fear’.  I do love checklists:

ü  Finances for the whole of Great Britain Public Affairs

ü  How to manage the Church’s Opinion Leader Data Base for the UK

ü  How to quickly have new event photos ready for Mormon Newsroom; ie, receiving, re-sizing, captioning

ü  How to write stories for Newsroom and the local pages of the Ensign

ü  How to set up a video shoot in another country, request edits, get priesthood approval

ü  Clipping services

ü  Media training

ü  Day to day, week to week, month to month office duties

ü  An overview of the Great Britain Public Affairs National Council 

ü  Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, how to make Tables and Labels

ü  How to use the Church Directory of Leaders

ü  History of the Church in the UK

ü  How to drive on the other side of the road 

ü  How to travel by car, train, and plane throughout Western Europe

ü  British spelling of words vs. American spellings

ü  What is a brollie, and a trolley, and what are they really asking when they say, “you alright?”

And the list goes on . . . 

With President Hughes

Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday were more training days.  We took a break on Monday to meet with the new Mission President, President Hughes.  He took us to a very nice lunch, welcomed the Colemans, and bid us farewell.  Tuesday we were invited to dinner by the videographer that we have worked closely with on filming.   He has become a dear friend.  On Wednesday afternoon I went home early while Ron stayed to train, and I began the packing process.  With all the things I had given away, I thought it would be a breeze.  No breeze felt.  I pray our bags are not overweight.

Thursday evening we had a media training assignment in the Chester Stake, very near to Northern Wales.  It was the perfect opportunity for the Colemans to participate as students of the class while also watching the training process.  Peter Trebilcock, past Pageant President and newly called Assistant Director of PA in the UK, showed up to be supportive and to bid us farewell.  Some we have met have become lifelong friends, and he is one.  We love him dearly.  It was a difficult good-bye.

Good-bye to our beautiful flat, our home, that we have loved so much!

Malcolm encouraged us to add a little fun with our training to the Colemans.  After our class in Chester (a good two hours away) we stayed the night and were thrilled to cross into Northern Wales Friday and visit Snowdon, a popular area (and on our Bucket List).   We took an hour ride up the hill on an old steam train.  From there, it is a short walk to the peak, where on a clear day you can see all the beauty of Northern Wales; however, we could barely see ten feet.  It was the cloudiest (and coldest) it had been for weeks.  Just our luck.  Nevertheless, we had a wonderful day.

When we arrived back in Solihull, the Colemans took over the flat and we moved into the hotel . . .the same one we began this journey in nearly 18 months ago.  The circle of mission life . . . 

Saturday . . . more training.  Saturday night we joined a group of 20 from the ward at yet another outstanding Indian restaurant for dinner as a farewell to us.  Gifts, cards, kind words . . . my cup runneth o’er.  

Today.  Today was a rough one.  We spoke in church.  When I opened the program and saw the Opening Song, “I’ll Go Where You Want Me to Go, Dear Lord” and the intermediate hymn, sung just before it was my turn, “Called to Serve”, I knew I was in trouble.  But with a tissue handy and a silent quick prayer, I pulled through.  I shared my testimony in Primary to end singing time.  Bless those sweet children.  Many hugs, cards, and kind words, right down to one of the oldest yet most faithful women in the ward who said, “We love you so much.  You’re just so  . . . normal, and believe me, some are not.”  From her, I’ll consider it a compliment.  

My favourite card received from 9-year-old Emma. 
I especially love the cross on the cover!

I have been reminiscing this week, trying to prepare to leave.  I have thought about blessings, experiences, more blessings, interacting with such wonderful people, all I have learned, and even more blessings.  I have thought so much about all the people at home who have supported us; those taking care of our personal affairs, our home, and friends and family who have kept in touch.  I have thought about the support I received when my mother passed away.  Ron and I have knelt together many times in thanks for this awesome experience and the opportunity to serve.  And, as excited as I am to be back in my homeland, and see those I love the most, I still haven’t figured out how to leave those that I have grown to love so much here.   I will leave a piece of my heart in England . . . #noonetoldmeitwouldbethisdifficult

Our last cultural day up Snowdon Mountain in 

Northern Wales with Elder & Sister Coleman

I was recently reminded of a 
scripture by a friend  . . .

“Know ye not that there are more nations than one?  Know ye not that I, the Lord your God, have created all men, and that I remember those who are upon the isles of the sea; and that I rule in the heavens and above and in the earth beneath; and I bring forth my word unto the children of men, yea, even upon all the nations of the earth?”  2 Nephi 29:7

I know even more now that I did 18 months ago that Jesus is the Christ and stands at the head of the Church.  I have been a first-hand witness to the miraculous ‘divine designing’ that takes place . . .too many so-called ‘coincidences’ to deny the work of a higher power.  I know that living the gospel of Jesus Christ is the true road to eternal happiness.  I love it and am so grateful for it.  I thank my pioneer ancestors for having the faith and courage to accept it and be baptized.  Because they did, I have been so blessed.  

We love each of you and cannot begin to express our depth of gratitude for the love  and support we have seen and felt from you.    It’s always nice to know that you have your own personal cheering section in the stands.  You have been just that for us.

And finally, today, our prayers are answered . . . it is raining!  The Lord heard our prayers.

For the last time, cheers from across the pond,

Elder and Sister Partridge

‘So let it be written, so let it be done.’

Winding down!

 Happy Pioneer Day to all my Utah family and friends on Tuesday!   We will miss celebrating with our family.  We will be working working working...

We did get about one hour of rain on Friday... not near enough but we are grateful.  Still praying for more.

Our darling German/American YSA, Alise, had her final musical performance before graduating from her program on Tuesday night.  It was held in the upstairs room of a pub in Birmingham.  Her family came from Germany and she had great support from her friends, YSAs, and ward members.  She did fabulous and from all signs it looked like her teachers/critics loved it.  I don’t think the pub was too happy with our group of people who didn’t order drinks, and they couldn’t figure out why (it was sooooo warm in the upstairs room) yet everyone was so happy.  Where were the young missionaries when we needed them?   JJJ

After Alise’s performance.  Alise is next to me.

Elder and Sister Coleman arrived on Wednesday.  We did our best to keep them going until about 7pm when their eyes were so glazed over we knew the were done!  Oh how we remember the feeling!  Thursday morning they began drinking from the preverbal fire hose of intense training.   Since the jet lag prevented me from remembering very little during my week of training, I don’t expect they will either, but at least they have been exposed.  We introduced them to Portuguese food for lunch and Indian food for dinner, then finally took them to their hotel for another good night’s sleep.

Friday we took our new friends to London and introduced them to the train, the Tube, Hyde Park Chapel, and London Public Affairs, along with saying good-bye to the many many friends we have made there along the way.  Boohoo.  One thing I really wanted to see in London that we hadn’t visited yet was ‘Speakers Corner’ in Hyde Park where many of the early missionaries preached.  Although the marble stand has since gone by the way, the tradition has not.  Even still, on Sundays it is gathering point for anyone who can attract an audience.  Because we had not visited it, it was the one thing we did for sightseeing.  It was a long day, and we were all very tired by the time we reached home nearly 10pm.

Speaker’s Corner at Hyde Park in the background - with the Colemans 

 Yesterday we gave Jim and Joann the morning to themselves while we cleaned and did load after load of laundry in preparation for them.  In the afternoon Ron took them on a drive to Warwick to see where their new offices will be come October, and their new home.  The purpose was to expose them to driving and a little more of the layout of the area.  They are VERY reluctant about driving!  Practice Practice Practice.  

Our service outside of Public Affairs this week was not cleaning the church!  J We took dinner to a family on Saturday evening that, without going into too many details, needed a lift.  She also asked if we could give her children a ‘Family Home Evening’ type of lesson while there.   We showed them Elder Kearon’s video/story about the scorpion and talked about why it is always wise to listen to your parents, even when you don’t understand their counsel.  Isn’t it funny  . . . who really gets the lift when service is given . . .  just what we needed to end a crazy busy week.

About the time we arrived home from delivering dinner/FHE we received word that our dear sister in the ward whom we visited just two weeks ago, passed away in the morning.   Our hearts go to her husband, mother, and sister whom she leaves behind.  A funeral was something we hoped we would NOT have to experience while here.  L  Like faithful troopers, they were all at church today . . . bless their hearts.  Hugging them was the beginning of an emotional day.  Too many goodbyes were said for those that go on holiday this week.  Whew!  Not fun.  The YSA’s put together a card of notes and pictures from our activities and gave it to us.  We were so touched.  After church they held a farewell Munch n Mingle.  Not only was everyone so kind to us, but they also welcomed the Colemans with open arms.  It boosted their spirits and confidence.   We have such a diverse ward, unlike St. George (where they are from) or anywhere in Utah for that matter, and it was fun watching them interact with people, most of whom are hard to understand because of their Scottish, Portuguese, French, or just plain Brommie (Birmingham) accent.  Even still, sometimes I can sit in Sacrament Meeting and listen to a speaker and only understand about 1 in every 5-10 words. And you never know what might be said over the pulpit . . . I’m going to miss it so much.  

Our letter each week is getting shorter and shorter, just as our time here.  Every day we are reflecting on the past 18 months and thanking Heavenly Father for this amazing time He has blessed us with.  The Colemans kept saying, “We just keep pinching ourselves to think we are really here”, and I feel like we keep pinching ourselves to say, “Have all we experienced the last 18 months been a dream?”  

Thank you again, for the kind words from so many of you.  We can’t wait to see you either!

Ta from Solihull,

Ron and Marie

A Royal Farewell

Happiest of Birthdays to two of my favorite men, Rex (brother) and Bret (oldest nephew).  I love them both!

 

Another busy week, and another hot one too, although we have had a couple of cooler days, but still no rain.  This evergreen country is looking pretty droopy and the happiness of the sunshine and warmth is being replaced with worry and sadness.  We continue to pray for rain . . . hopefully this week.

 

We have been in a radical clean-out mode both at the office and at home.  Not as radical at home, but the office for sure!  The new couple will come and settle in just in time to move flats, then move offices, on top of learning all the responsibilities, and adjusting to a foreign country . . .we feel for them.  We are trying to clean out as much as we can before they get here, which, is Tuesday!  The training schedule is set and we’re ready for them . . .or at least we will be by Tuesday at 1pm when they arrive.

 

We left work a little early on Monday and went to visit our sweet ward member, Tonia, and her husband Richard.  Tonia is on hospice (although that isn’t a term they use here) with ovarian cancer, and they are saying weeks now, not months.  I’m not sure how old she is, but I don’t think she is 40 yet.  She was in good spirits, which made it easier, but oh . . .  so hard to know what to say.  Her husband is struggling . . . he has asked Ron several times for help.  We can only pray for them also.  

 

Monday night we went with Chris and Jeannie to a new Indian restaurant recommended by an Indian family in our ward.  It was almost as good as Durbar in London, but the good news is it’s only 15 minutes from here.  The bad news is . . . we may only get there one more time.  L  We totally blew our diet that night.

 

Tuesday we cleaned the church . . . I think we will be missed at least for that!

 

Children are on their summer holiday beginning tomorrow in some areas until the first of September.  It’s a big holiday time for families.  Since there are some going on holiday at the office, the office gang surprised us with a ‘Farewell Royal Tea’ on Wednesday afternoon.  I’m so happy to have had it early, and happy to have it over with, as the good-byes are only getting more difficult.  I will miss them all.  Malcolm is on holiday now for two weeks, which leaves Ron and I to greet the new couple and train and entertain them until he gets back. 

Back L to R:  Malcolm, Jeannie, Chris, Luke, Anna

Front L to R:  Craig, Marie, Sue, Pauline 

Thursday we experienced something new!  We were invited to be interviewed for a Podcast that our Belgium friend, David, produces called “A Latter Day in Europe.”  He asked us to speak about serving a mission as a senior couple.  It was really quite fun!  It took me back again to my media days with Festival of Trees.  Our hope is that it will help other couples like us decide to serve a mission if it right for them.  They are so needed all over the world.  He also covered things like how we met, were we raised Mormon, how do we deal with our differences, how is it being together 24/7, and has our marriage been strengthened by serving together!  Again, it gave us a reason to ponder our blessings.  There are too many to name.

 

Yesterday Ron made a trip to South London to pick up a pool car that was used by Elder and Sister Holland while on holiday here.  It is the car the Colemans will drive, so it needed to be back here this week.  It gave me a day to myself here at the flat (a rare day) and I cleaned.  What else?

 

ü  Furniture moved and vacuumed under

ü  Baseboards washed

ü  Closets cleaned out

ü  Kitchen cleaned (today's job)

ü  Piles made of my clothes that have been spoken for by ward members J

ü  Books, excess kitchen items, etc etc taken to charity shops 

 

I do love check marks!  They give me a high.  Who needs drugs?

 

Church today was fun.  We took a lot of books, CD’s, DVD’s, paper, envelopes, etc. and set them out in the foyer for the taking (part of our cleaning out project at the office).   Someone even dubbed us Elder and Sister Christmas!  At the end, only one DVD was left on the table.  Little do they know, we’ll be back next week with more!  Church was also fun because it was cooler today and the children were in a much better singing mood.  Several people commented to me how beautiful they sounded as they sang, “If the Savior Stood Beside Me” and “Families Can Be Together Forever.”  I had to agree.  There is nothing like Primary children singing about Christ and eternal principles to bring the spirit in.  

 

We took dinner to the Bishop and his wife this evening.  They purchased “an American dinner from the Partridges delivered to your home” at the auction fundraiser.  Ron made Yakisoba, and we also took pita bread and hummus, fresh fruit, and brownies.  The only thing really American is that most was purchased at Costco, but oh well.  They were very appreciative! 

 

The days are going fast . . . we are down to 18.  Thank you for reaching out to us and for your many kind words.  We are looking forward to reuniting with family and friends soon.  And just think, after today, you only have to endure two more weeklies from us!  

 

Much love to you all,

 

Ron and Marie

Hotter Thank You Know What...

You all right? (The most common British greeting, meaning ‘how are you?’)

Just when we thought things were slowing down, they revved right back up this week. We only worked four days this week and still put in our 40+ hours.

Monday we had a very long day in London attending Parliament. We were privileged to hear Elder Holland speak at a meeting with Barnoness Nicholson of Winterbourne at her annual semimar. Elder and Sister Kearon were there as well as Sister Sharon Eubank. It was all about Freedom of Religion and helping the Yazidis in Iraq. LDS Charities have teamed up with the Barnoness and her foundation, AMAR, to provide not only physical necessities to this displaced and mistreated group of refuges, but also spiritual and mental support. I learned so much. The more you know, the harder it is to stand by and do nothing. I told Ron, “we need to throw ourselves into something like this.” He agreed. We had just a few minor responsibilities at the seminar. We were there mostly to make sure seats were full. Attending Parliament was one thing we hadn’t yet done on our mission. It was a great experience and we were so appreciative of the opportunity.

Early Tuesday morning we worked to choose and caption photos from the event and get the story on Mormon Newsroom. It can be a daunting task to pick the ten best photos from about 400 that were taken. Malcolm wrote the story . . . I chose and captioned photos. Here’s the link if you are interested.

Wednesday – Happy 4th of July! American missionaries get the day off! We spent the day in preparation for our 4th of July Celebration that evening with the only other American family in the ward and the two sister missionaries from Idaho. The hamburgers were cooked under the broiler in the oven, but the American buns from Costco, baked beans, fruit, chips, potato salad, pasta salad, and strawberry shortcake made it almost seem like we were home. And what do you do when you can’t celebrate with proper fireworks? You celebrate with lots of red, white, and blue balloons and lots of bubbles. Celebrating the holiday here in Britain could be a little awkward, but the British are very kind and several neighbors expressed their ‘Happy 4th’ to us. God bless America and our freedom!

Thursday Elder Holland was in Scotland presenting a replica of what has become known as “The David O McKay stone’ to a museum in Stirling, Scotland. Malcolm attended, and we stayed back to receive the photos from the photographer so that again, we could post to Mormon Newsroom asap. I had pre-written the story, so we were able to get it all ready for posting that night. It was another very late night. Here is the link to this one also.

Friday I spent most of the day going through photos of both events and sending nice ones to Opinion Leaders who were in attendance. They really like that, and the Church earns brownie points. By Friday evening when we arrived home, we were in awe of how fast the week had gone by. 

Two foods I really wanted to learn to make before coming home were proper scones (my absolute favourite food here) and Traditional English Trifle. Yesterday we went over to the Wills at lunchtime, ordered some Papa John’s pizza, then Chris taught me the secret to making the best custard for trifle, Jeannie showed me how to put it all together, and I made my first batch of real scones under her watchful eye. They turned out soooo good! We had Creamed Tea (dinner) consisting of ham, cucumber, and egg sandwiches, scones with clotted cream and jam, fresh fruit, and trifle for dessert. Oh my goodness we ate like royalty. Then we watched the World Cup, England winning over Sweden, and cheered as if we were British. Since it is hot and everyone has every window and door open to catch any bit of moving air they can, when England scored, screams of delight could be heard from all over. It was so fun. We’ve already made plans for Wednesday’s semi finals. Hoorah for England!

Speaking of the heat, Church was almost unbearable today. The Primary children were not the least bit interested in singing or sharing time, even when bribed with candy. We were absolutely melting. There has still been no rain, temperatures in the 80’s, with no air conditioning. We continue to pray for rain. The new mission president and his wife and 16-year-old daughter came to our church today. It was so nice to meet President and Sister Hughes and Alexa. We were able to have a short meeting with them after Sacrament Meeting. They have sacrificed so much to answer this call. They will be fabulous.

We were invited to have dinner at our Bishop’s home this afternoon . We love the Fakatou family enjoy their spirit, their faith, their commitment, and just their Tongan lifestyle. Because the Bishop has struggled lately so much with gout, they have recently become vegetarians. Today, we were vegetarians too. Just today. J

Many of you have asked . . . we arrive home Thursday, August 2 at 1:00pm on Delta. Three weeks. It seems unreal. We will be speaking in church on Sunday, August 12 at 11am, 615 North Flint Street. We look forward to seeing you all after we return.

Thank you for your continued love and support. We have felt your prayers sustain us and bless us. We love our USA family and friends!

Ta

Elder and Sister Partridge

A special hand-written note from Elder Holland:

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

First, the GOOD:

• We loved hearing from some of you this past week and all the ‘good’ things you are doing.  It warms our hearts!
•  Attended a farewell party with other Birmingham Mission senior couples for President and Sister Leppard Monday night.  We know we will see many of them again at mission reunions, otherwise I’d have to put this on the Bad or Ugly list. 
• We spent the weekend up north on the grounds of the Preston Temple, first with a temple session with the Great Britain National Council on Friday night, then our annual meeting all day Saturday.  We were richly blessed and spiritually fed by our leaders.  We were admonished to ‘do good’ in our callings and for others.
• We were able to say good-bye to people we love and respect dearly (maybe I should put that under ‘bad’).  Our Irish Director of Public Affairs, the one that scolded me last year for calling their garden a yard, gave us a book about Ireland.  Inside he wrote an old Irish proverb:  “May you be in heaven 30 minutes before the devil knows you are dead.”  We love John Connolly, our favorite Irishman.
• Zack is still alive after winning his second MMA Fight.  Praise the Lord.  J
• The weather is lovely . . . 80° every day, sunny skies, no rain.
• We took lunch to the missionaries at District Meeting on Thursday.  We discovered that my nephew, Daniel Gines, taught Elder Phillip’s family the gospel in Trinidad.  They were baptized 5 years ago.  We again have a witness of the Lord in the details of our lives.  I asked Elder Philip how much he had grown since on his mission (physically).  Five or six inches.  He returns home the same week we do.  Won’t his family be surprised to now have a son well over six feet! 

Friday night at 10pm! Really!

Then, the BAD:

• The weather is lovely . . . 80° every day, sunny skies, no rain.  The ‘no rain’ is the bad part.  Everything is so dry.  There are even fires up near the temple that are making the air smoky and smelly.  They haven’t experienced this before.  We are praying for rain.
• A bad media week for the Church here in Great Britain . . . Ron and Malcolm spent way too much time having to correct misinformation and sending ‘official Church responses’ to media sources.  Enough said. 

And last, the UGLY:

• More good-byes to people we love that our paths won’t likely cross again.  Man, that’s tough. 

I’m grateful that every week the ‘Good’ list is always longer than the ‘Bad’ or ‘Ugly’ list.  I am intrigued by the general theme of our conference yesterday, that of ‘doing good’.  I tend to complicate life in my head.  What if we all just lived by those two words?  It doesn’t have to take a lot of time or money, but just a moment of reflection and prayer each day to figure out how best to ‘do good’ that day.

John 13:34-35:

“A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.”  By this shall men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.”

Much love to you all,

Elder and Sister Partridge

Weather, World Cup, and New Missionaries

Hello once again from beautiful England! Most of you would envy the weather we are having right now. There is relatively low humidity, with temperatures averaging in the high 60s and low 70s and a little rain while we are sleeping to keep things green and beautiful. This British summer is absolutely delightful. The people here are responding with kindness and cheerfulness. I guess the only downside is the pollen is high, and many who are prone to hay fever have had a very good bout of it this year, myself included. 

New Missionary to Love!

Another reason the British are happy right now is the World Cup! Everyone is into it just like we are with NBA Playoffs, Superbowl, etc. They drive around with their very large flags draped over their cars, England flags hung on houses, and the Pubs full of anxious fans. Wednesday night we were on a conference call with all the Public Affairs Directors across Western Europe, but not a lot of commenting or questions asked. I think everyone had their televisions on mute watching the World Cup while listening. Bad timing for the call. I can’t tell you the standings, but I’m gathering from the vibes that it’s not the most exciting World Cup series ever. I do love the loyalty to the country.

We’ve experienced another great week . . . office days mostly. We are busy winding up projects so we leave nothing hanging for the new missionary couple. Tuesday was transfers for the missionaries. We surprised Sister Gee at the train station early for one last good-bye. Her heart was sad that her bestie and BYU roommate who was serving here also, Sister Crandall (from our home ward) was moved to the Leeds Mission (boundary changes). They roomed together, they received their mission calls a day apart, and they came together. I told her that the bright side was that they would not come home together, so their Homecomings could be on different Sundays, and they would be able to attend each others, and Elder Partridge and I would be able to attend both! It’s all about making lemonade. I’m not sure if that made her feel any better or not.


Our new missionary is Sister Cammack from Meridian, Idaho (no relation that she knows of to Lee and Anne). Her companion just for a week is Sister Siri-ek from Thailand until they both get brand new greenies next week from the MTC. I love greenies! Elder Phillip is our new Elder. He is musical just like Elder Fox. From the looks of his trousers at church today, I’d say he’s grown a good 4-6 inches since he was fitted for his suit! We can’t wait to get to know them.

Thursday the Parrishes came up from London for our last video conference with the Area Public Affairs. After two meetings we went to lunch together with Malcolm as a farewell to the Parrishes. They return home on 23 July. We’ve made new lifelong friends with them. It was fun to reminisce together the last 17 months. It was another opportunity for us to count our many blessings.

Saturday morning we did a couple hours of ‘move the furniture’ type deep cleaning in preparation of turning the flat over to the new couple. We’ve about given up on finding them a suitable new place to live and will let them decide what is right for them. While cleaning the flat, the Ferguson’s texted, “Want to come pick berries with us this morning?” Of course we did! It’s always fun to be with the girls. And then, Saturday night we went over and babysat so Daddy and Mummy could have a date. We played puzzles, read stories, played beauty parlor, and watched ‘Annie’.

 They called it ‘ministering at its best.’ J We thought it was pretty awesome too.

Of course our week wouldn’t be complete without cleaning the church . . .

My sweet friend Laura found out today that our time here is short. She thought we would be here forever. She was especially sad that we are going home two days before her 31st birthday. I have the privilege of working with her in Primary as she serves as Secretary. She asked if we take a selfie together. I love her so much. I think I will miss her the most . . .

We love you all, pray for you daily, and thank Heavenly Father for abundantly blessing us with such a great support system while here. Dear family and friends, thank you.

Love to all from across the pond,

Elder and Sister Partridge

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father’s Day to all the men in my life! I am especially grateful for my own husband, son, and son-in-laws, and father-in-law. I miss my own dad. My little Primary children sang their hearts out in Sacrament Meeting today for their fathers. We learned two new songs for them to sing (I assumed they knew them, but no . . .) “Fathers” (The father of our home leads our family . . .) and “I’m So Glad When Daddy Comes Home” complete with actions. I was so proud of them!

I left you last week after three days of video shooting in Brussels. We continued with another day and met more amazing people. Our last interview of the trip was a young family, Melvin and Graciella Hoepel and their two young daughters from Suriname, which used to be a territorial island of the Netherlands. He was speaking on education and self-reliance, two subjects that our church is emphasizing right now. He came to Brussels under his mom’s Visa but is now, as an adult, needed his own Visa. While waiting for it he couldn’t even get a job and work to support his family. He decided that he would go to school and learn a trade so that when his Visa finally came through (it took about four years) he could get a job straight away and support his family. It was such a humbling story. When we were done filming and walking back to the cars, he asked me how much longer we had on our mission. He said, “When I was where you are in my mission, I was very sad.” I said, “I’m sad to leave this experience but will be happy to see my family because I have missed them so much.” He said with a sheepish grin, “I think I loved my mission more than I loved my family.” I commented to him that he must have had a wonderful mission and asked him where he served. He served in the West Indies about six years ago. I asked him if he remembered an Elder Gines or a Sister Weaver. “Yes! I was his Zone Leader! They got married when they got home!” It’s true. Elder Daniel Gines is my nephew who married Sister Kaisha Weaver Gines. Small world. I love it. What are the odds . . .

Monday evening we went with Peter, the videographer, to a restaurant that is well known for their steaks in celebration of the end of a tiring but successful trip. Josh, our cute 24-year-old cameraman had to catch the train and get back to London for a job the next day. (Josh is not a member of our church. This is the second time we’ve had the pleasure of working with him. I want to bring him home too . . .). The restaurant is in the district of Brussels called Sint Nicklaas. In the town square there is a very large statue of the jolly old man himself. The Belgians don’t like it one bit that Ron and I J changed his name to Santa Claus . . . we were scolded. As you know, we are very used to being scolded for anything the USA has ever done that anyone in Europe doesn’t like. We have developed thick skin. J

But . . . back to the restaurant . . . the owner was going over the menu with us because it was it Dutch, describing each cut of steak, each type of chicken, each piece of fish, and then . . . ”and this one is Horse, but I am not going to tell you about it because as I have been told before you do not eat your pets” and walked abruptly away. HA! I almost died on the spot! I needed a good laugh, even if I had to stifle it a bit. We all ordered beef.

Tuesday was our travel home day, and we were happy to walk in the door and crash, but not before thanking Heavenly Father for a wonderful weekend that all came together as it should, and for our safety. I KNOW we had added protection and blessings, as it is not a comfortable city to be in right now.

Back at the office we began our search in the Warwick area for a new flat for our replacements. The office will be moving to the chapel in Warwick in September. We thought we would like to help them out by getting them settled when they arrived rather than having to move out of this flat and also move the office. We are discouraged by what we are seeing, and I cannot recommend a place for someone to live that I wouldn’t be happy in myself, so plans may have to change. I feel blessed that we were able to live so comfortably and want the new couple to have the same.

King of the grill, even in England!

Friday night we had our YSA/Mid-Singles BBQ and Sports Night. It was supposed to be hosted by the Bishop, but he texted Thursday night and is suffering from illness right now. So of course, we carried on with Ron as the BBQ Master. We had 14 people attend which we were thrilled about, and after dinner they persuaded us to play round-robin table tennis and chair fotbol with then. They do keep us young! It was so much fun. I’ll be bringing some new game ideas home . . . I’ll bet you can’t wait! We had to be cleaned up and out of the church before 9:30pm as once again the Muslims were using the building, this time to celebrate the end of Ramadan.

Saturday we ran some errands and caught up on things at home, and the Sisters came over for dinner. I just love Sister Gee and Sister Cannon. Today the Elders came for dinner. I just love Elder Fox and Elder Vuki. Today is also transfers again . . . where does the time go. After dinner Ron dropped the Elders back off at the church. Just after he dropped them off, the dreaded text came. We are losing both sisters and Elder Vuki. Transfer days are my saddest days in the mission field.

Have a brilliant week! If you’re feeling a little down for any reason, go out and serve someone! It cures every time. And have a Happy Birthday on Saturday, Vicki! (Ron’s sister)

Love to all,

Ron and Marie

Happy Fathers Day in Brussels!

Greetings from Brussels! And Happy Fathers Day in Brussels!

Thanks to so many for reaching out this past week! We are so grateful to hear from our family and friends.

We are on our last scheduled video shoot this weekend. We rode the train to Brussels on Thursday and have had three long long days of videoing with one more day to go. Although I struggle to get excited about the video trips because of the long hours each day, I am always so thankful for the many wonderful people we meet and learn from. We have heard some amazing stories of faith and strength.

Friday and Saturday we filmed on the French side of Belgium. We worked with such dedicated Elders and Sisters and even a senior couple who are serving as the Mission Medical couple. We met a young man from the Congo studying to be a doctor, a sweet couple that are celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary this year, and a young married man who was brave enough to share with us his previous addiction to pornography and how his faith helped him overcome it. By the time the days were over I was so hungry I could have eaten a horse, but alas, you shouldn’t really say that in this country because horse is served here. Yikes. On the flipside, I had the BEST pain au chocolat croissant I have ever eaten for breakfast this morning at a little bakery across the street from the hotel. Oh my. I’ll be back there tomorrow.

Today we filmed on the Flemish/Dutch side of Belgium. We attended Sacrament Meeting in a building that has an Art and Craft store in it as well. The Church owns the top two floors. There is not a sign outside of the building, and one would never know there was a church of any sort inside. After church we were fed coos coos and Marrakesh chicken (made with chicken, spices, sweet potato, carrots, zucchini, and pinto beans) that was so yummy, and a variety of fresh cheeses and warm baguettes for dinner. We were treated well. We filmed at the famous Atomium (see photo, you’ll recognize it!) and the King’s Palace. Although it hasn’t been our favourite city, (traffic is horrible, intercity is not well kept) some of our very favourite people live here and some of the interviews we did will be our very favourite. And like I said, the croissants will definitely be one for the favourite list.

Sidenote – to my friend Tami England – several of the people we spoke with know Sister England! It’s always fun to make the connections.

I’m too tired to write more, although we had many wonderful experiences. I’ll share some when I am home with you. We must get to bed now . . . another full day tomorrow. I’m feeling my age today, but also feel so blessed for the many wonderful experiences we are having. Life is good . . . missions are the best.

Love to you all,
Ron and Marie

A Week of Counting Blessings

Dear family and friends

First, Happy Birthday to our Lincoln who will be 4 years old tomorrow! He only likes to talk on Messenger video if he can push the buttons and make himself look funny, or if he can show us his Lightning McQueen car. He especially loves his grandpas. We love him to bits.

Our highlight adventure this week began shortly after I hit the send button on last week’s letter. We ran out the door in the pouring rain to attend a youth fireside that Ron was asked to speak at. I was so tired and almost didn’t go, but decided tired wasn’t a good enough reason not to go, so I went. We were going to take our own car but last minute decided to take the rental we had while Gibbs were here because it was a little SUV and higher off the ground. We did have to travel through some places on the roads that had quite a bit of standing water, but we never would have imagined what we would come home to.

Across the street from our flat runs a canal, and the corner we live on is at the low point of three crossroads. As we drove down the hill to arrive home from the fireside, there were more than a usual amount of cars parked along the side of the road. As we got closer, we could see the problem. The canal had overflowed and our street was literally a river. The water was over two feet deep. The gates were closed to our complex with the motor to the gate completely submerged. We couldn’t quite see our car in the carpark, but we could see our neighbor’s Mini Cooper about half submerged. Those same neighbors were standing on the porch and could see us across the street and waved, as if to say, “I’m sorry we can’t get you home!”

We made the decision to get a hotel for the night as there was no way of getting in. Thank goodness Ron had his wallet with him. We had our phones, and that was it. We were able to borrow a phone charger from a ward member, but no purse, no toothbrush, no nothing!

We didn’t sleep well Sunday night as you can imagine. We were up and out the door by 7:30am. Our prayers were answered, and the water was down, the gates were opened manually, and we were home! We are on the second floor, so we weren’t worried about water in our flat. Apparently the water came extremely close to coming in on the first floor. What did come in, however, for the first floor neighbors was sewage up the drains in their tubs and showers. That also meant that the water in the carpark was contaminated, and what got in our cars made our cars “rubbish” as the British say. Four cars were a complete loss, including ours.

We are so grateful for so many reasons. Cars are insured and cars can be replaced. I’m grateful I was ‘nudged’ to go with Ron to the fireside so I wasn’t there alone to watch this all happen with Ron on the other side of the river. We are grateful that we were able to get back into our flat the next morning, and grateful that our neighbors didn’t sustain any more damage than they did. We saw how fast things can change from good to bad, and how a poor decision of trying to drive through water that is too deep could take a life so fast. One life was lost in Birmingham . . . one too many. We are grateful we were watched over and blessed. Monday was a Bank Holiday with the office closed, and we were grateful to have a day to re-group. It was a day of counting our blessings.

Thursday we played hooky from the office and went to London. We were able to snag some tickets to ‘Hamilton’ with the Parrishes, something we wanted to do before we came home. We called it Happy Mother’s Day and Father’s Day to us. We were able to eat probably for the last time at our favourite Indian restaurant, and I was able to get some spices from Shamim and his recipe for Chicken Tikki Masala, my absolute favourite Indian dish. I had asked before about selling me some spices, and the answer from the staff was always no. They would just dismiss me. But I couldn’t give up! I finally got to the owner. “I’m going back to American soon and I will miss your food! I need to make it when I go home, and I will call it ‘Shamim’s Best Tikki Masala.” “Ok” he said, “I give you some.” It was a miracle!

Thursday night at midnight we were able to watch live via webcam the graduation of our grandson, Taylor, from Davis High School. We are so proud of him! I do love technology. We saw him, snapped a photo, sent it to him via Messenger with a hearty Congratulations, and he sent a thank you back. How cool is that. It was the next best thing to being there.

Friday night we were scheduled to have a barbeque at the church with the YSAs and the mid-singles group, hosted by the Bishop. Wednesday night we received a text, “The Muslims have asked to use our building for Ramadan on Friday night . . . “ (something we would not experience at home!) Religious Freedom begins with our willingness to allow others to worship “how, where, or what they may.” The YSA’s came to our little flat instead and we had a night of Japanese curry, games (or challenges) that involved too many disgusting foods in our mouths, and a lot of laughs. Ok, maybe it’s the YSA’s I’ll miss the most. Shhhh….don’t tell!

Saturday afternoon we went to a barbeque at the Church where the Youth were holding an auction to earn money to attend FSY (same as EFY). Who doesn’t love a good auction where you can purchase a carwash, a used guitar, a world famous (or is that ward famous) pumpkin pie, and a custom Rugby jersey all for a good cause?

Last night we met Malcolm and Sharon and the Parrishes in Birmingham for the best Mexican food we’ve found in Europe and enjoyed fajitas and great company. It’s fun to socialize a little outside of the office too.

The people here in the UK that we see every week and work with every day have become part of our world here. It has become as natural to see them as it is to see my neighbors and friends at home. Each time we leave a gathering of any sort with them, I feel a little sad, as we ‘may not pass this way again.’ Our time here is going so fast, as we are down to single-digit weeks before we arrive home.

I express gratitude this week for all we experienced, the good and the bad, and how many times I have been made aware of how blessed we are. We think of you often . . . more often than you know . . . and thank our Heavenly Father for so many good people in our lives and the support you give us. A hundred blessings on your head!

Love to all,
Ron and Marie

When it rains it pours!

Dear Family and Friends

We hope you have had a great week with beautiful weather and sunshine! We are so grateful for you and all the good things you are doing. You are such good examples to us in so many ways.

We had a short week in the office this week. We only spent Monday and Tuesday there. Wednesday we did a site visit with Malcolm and Malcolm’s boss, Gabi, who flew in from Frankfurt to be with us. We visited the proposed church for the new Public Affairs office, and it was decided that with some modifications it would be suitable. Working with Facility Management and a leasing company for a new flat for the next missionary couple will be the project we finish our mission with.

Our dear friends, Brad and Wendy Gibbs, came for a visit. We met them on Thursday and spent three full days showing them our favorite places in England. One thing we experienced with them that we hadn’t done before was the tour of Shakespeare’s birthplace and homes in Stratford-Upon-Avon. It was a little surreal as we realized that it was likely our last time at most of the places during our mission.

Our ward is so welcoming to our visitors. It’s fun to introduce Brad and Wendy to the people I’ve grown to love that I’ve written home about. Wendy even came to Primary with me, and my heart could have burst when they sang “Whenever I Hear the Song of a Bird” so well. I realized that of all the people I love in England, I’ll miss the Primary children the most. Shhhhhhh…….don’t tell.

We put the Gibbs’ on the train after church, on their way to Paris for a few days before going home. We are leaving shortly for a youth fireside that Ron was asked to speak at on ‘Crucial Conversations’. See what I tell you? He has blessed the lives of so many here by his vast knowledge of the gospel and his ability to teach. I know they will miss him. Unfortunately, tonight we will be leaving in the rain, and possibly driving through some flooded streets as the weather gives us thunder, lightning, and pouring rain today. But it’s ok . . . we haven’t melted yet.

I’ll miss visiting the cemeteries tomorrow. For me, Memorial is another day that I count my blessings for the gospel of Jesus Christ and the plan of salvation, and my testimony that we will see our loved ones again and share lives together in heaven just as we do here.

Our prayers continue to be with you. We love you so much.

Cheers,
Ron and Marie

Royal Wedding Bells!

Cheers to all!

This was a great week to be part of the Britain culture. First of all, the weather could not have been better. We had high 60’s every day without a drop of rain, and mostly sunny. Today we will be in the 70’s! The mood of the people is generally happier on weeks like this, and the flowers are blooming. Some, no doubt, have begun worrying about a drought this year, but as for me . . . I’m tickled pink. I was able to get out and walk after work nearly every day, which is good for my body and soul. The only negatives . . . the birds are chirping at 3:30am right outside our bedroom window, but nothing that a set of cheap Delta Airlines earplugs didn’t solve, and the sun is up by 4am and my body thinks it’s time to wake up.

Royal Cream Tea!

The hype leading up to the Royal Wedding yesterday was fun. It was the chatter everywhere. We held a Royal Cream Tea for our lunch on Friday in celebration, complete with tuna and corn, egg salad, and coronation chicken sandwiches. We had fresh British fruit that I could have eaten all day, scones with clotted cream and strawberries, and teacakes to top it off. The table was decorated with British flags, faces of Harry and Meghan on sticks, and British crowns. It was really REALLY fun to be here on this side of things. No one here seems to love Harry’s new wife, the American, and if Harry were in line for the throne “the Queen would have had more to say about the wedding,” but most were respectful about what they said about Meghan in front of the American missionary couple. Most.

Since so many were home watching the wedding on Saturday, it was a perfect day to see the sights again. We chose to go to the National Arboretum in the Cotswolds. There were so many beautiful old trees and bushes of beautiful flowers like magnolias and every breed of rhododendrons you could think of and a few more. Last night was the annual event to support the families of Chernobyl at the church. Everyone filled me in on the wedding, and we watched some of it on YouTube right there at the church. I do love YouTube! Wasn’t Meghan’s dress stunningly elegant? That seemed to be the talk of the evening, that and how composed and lovely Meghan’s mum was. We had the best of both worlds yesterday . . . sightseeing and wedding, thanks to modern technology.

A lovely day at the National Arboretum in the Cotswolds

Speaking of modern technology, and to let you know what Public Affairs does at times, we were sitting at the computer on Friday a little after 4pm waiting for the live broadcast to be shown on mormonnewsroom.org of the meeting between President Nelson and the new head of the NAACP, when emails began coming in from Area Seventies and Public Affairs headquarters . . . a fake website that looked just like Mormon Newsroom was out where a fake transcript of the meeting between the two leaders had been posted, (before it even happened) making the Mormons look really bad and President Nelson supposedly apologizing for the mistreatment of Blacks by Mormons over the past several decades. This all happened before the meeting even took place! Oh . . . the lengths people will go to in order to mock religion. So sad. Those kinds of things keep us on our toes.

I can’t remember if I mentioned this before, but a few weeks ago a meeting was held at the office where we were told that the Church had decided to sell the office building we are in. It is sad for everyone that works there, but the building is very under utilized and on prime property that will sell for millions, so we see why they have decided it is best. Most everyone that works there is being moved to under utilized churches. Whether that will work for Public Affairs, we are not sure yet. And talk about timing . . . I received a phone call this week from our landlord that he is likely selling our flat. So this week we begin the search for a new home for the office and a new flat for future missionary couples, likely not in Solihull. I highly doubt the actual moves will take place while we are here, but we want to do the best we can for future couples coming. Right now we have by far the nicest place to live of ANY missionary in the area, and it will be sad to lose it.

Family Shout Out: Congratulations to our 9-year-old Alexa for achieving an ‘Outstanding’ rating at her piano competition yesterday. Woohoo! We are so proud of you. And congratulations to Luke for catching two 22” kokanee at Strawberry Reservoir over the weekend! Them there’s some big fish! And, a shout out to Nathan for two golds in his latest Taekwondo competition. So many fun things happening!

We love you! We miss you! Until next week . . .

Ron and Marie