New Assignment

Well, they finally found what could be our permanent assignment.  Either way, we have moved into London--south London in the Wandsworth area.  We have a wonderful flat.  It is so large compared to our last one!  We have two bedrooms, so we are ready for company :-) or at least we will be as soon as we figure out all the bus, train and tube routes.  So far we have only gotten lost once.  I think that is pretty good for as much as we are out on the street.  Thankfully, people in London are very nice and helpful to us poor Americans! Our assignment isn't with the Young Adults like we thought it would be but instead we are working in an intercity ward called Crystal Palace.  We went to church there last Sunday and the Bishop didn't know we were coming but was thrilled to see us!  Already I have been called as the Young Women's President and Terry is working with the Young Men.  I have a potential of eight YW with only one girl who comes and Terry has three YM out of eight who come.  We have also been put in charge of the Road Show that is coming up the 23rd of November.  So as you can see, we have been busy getting settled in the flat, learning our way around and jumping into our callings.  Not much time for blogging but we will try to get some pictures and I will write more soon.  Just wanted you all to know that we are doing great here!  We hope you are as well!

Serving The Lord in London: 22 Weeks of General Conference

“I encourage you to read the talks...and to ponder the messages contained therein. I have found in my own life that I gain even more from these inspired sermons when I study them in greater depth.”

{President Thomas S. Monson; Oct. 2012}

How can we do this effectively?!

Well, Little LDS Ideas has come up with a brilliant way to do this!

It's called 22 Weeks of General Conference!

 Click on the link to get yours!

It starts the first week of November so you better hurry!

 

 Thanks Little Lds Ideas!

 

Sweet Sisters

We are so lucky to work with these amazing sister missionaries at the Visitors' Centre.  They are so talented, each one in their own way, but all in sharing their testimonies of the Savior. We learn much from them every day.

Sister McLaws (Park City, UT) Sister Wamsley (New Zealand) Sister Stewart
(Snowflake, AZ) Sister Maddocks ( SLC, UT) and Sister Ylisaari (Finland

This is a missionary parody that Sister Wamsley and Sister McLaws sang together.  So cute!


 

Sabbath in Eastbourne

Last Sunday we attended church at the Eastbourne Ward.  It was a beautiful old building that used to be a school for an Episcopalian church.  The people were delightful and the Spirit was strong.  I especially liked Relief Society where the sisters you could tell, were all very good friends.  Because the ward covers a large area, they decided to meet once a month for what they call "Choc n Chat".  They just meet at the church for hot chocolate and a chance to just visit with each other.  Don't we all need a little more chocolate and connecting with friends?

Outside of chapel in Eastbourne. A former Episcopalian school.



Inside the chapel.  We loved the beautiful high ceilings.
(The Bishop said it was ok to take the pictures) 

 Afterwards we took a lovely afternoon drive down to the English Channel.  It was SO WINDY! And cloudy and gray and rainy, but at least we could say we saw it.  We stopped at the "Seven Sisters" (www.sevensisters.org.uk).  They were beautiful as well.  I guess they have used them in the making of several movies.  I find myself using the word beautiful a lot, but there really is no other way to describe these things.

 

Seven Sister in East Sussex, England

Then the rain really started coming down, so we just drove through Brighton. Brighton is kind of known as a "party town", but they have a very strong young adult program there.  Below is a drive by picture of the Brighton pier.

 

The pier in Brighton.

 Finally on our way home, we made our way to the most precious little town called Alfriston.  It is like stepping into a Thomas Kinkade painting.  The roads were so narrow, the shops so quaint, and the roofs to the homes were actually thatch.  I wish we would have had time to wonder around.  Maybe another time. . .

 

Beautiful home with thatched roof.

 

Loved this little town! One and a half cars fit on this road.





 



Our First Flat

These are pictures of our flat.  It's "quite lovely really" (that's my British accent). We are staying at the Accommodation Centre on the temple grounds.  It is typically for patrons coming to the temple from far away places, where they can stay for a few days "whilst" they attend the temple, but since the temple is closed right now, there is room for us.  It really is pretty nice.  Very small but nice.  About the size of a dorm or small motel room, but we have a nice kitchen which includes a freezer I'm happy to report.  All who know me, knows, "it's all about the ice". I brought my own ice cube trays because I know that Europe isn't big on ice.  There is a reading room where we can connect to internet and so we have everything we really need.




The front entrance to the Accommodation Centre.  Our room is back and to the left.



Standing in the kitchen looking at our bedroom/living room

Standing in the bedroom, looking at kitchen and front door.
 Should have cleaned before we took the picture  :-)
 

The London Temple Grounds

The London Temple was dedicated in 1958. It sits on 31 acres with lots of grass (Terry dreams of mowing it), beautiful oak trees and a pond with ducks. It also has nice walking paths that meander through the grounds.  It is a beautiful place to stroll and ponder.

 

First assignment is the London Temple Visitors Centre

Well, we've made it to England.  We are exhausted but thrilled to be here.  We tried to do everything that Lee Monson (a world traveler and dear friend) told us to do to avoid jet lag, but it didn't work.  I know it didn't help that we got little sleep the night before we left, and I can't understand how anyone can sleep on a plane.  We arrived around 9:30am London time and did great until 3:30pm when I couldn't keep my eyes open any longer.  Just an hour nap I thought, that should do it.  Wrong.  It has actually taken us more like 5 days to acclimate, but I think we are good now.

Since there isn't a young single adult program available for us to serve at, they have put us at the London Temple Visitors Centre (yes that is how it is spelled) until they know what to do with us. The Temple is closed right now for repairs so it is pretty slow, but the grounds are beautiful and we've enjoyed going for walks around the area.

In front of the London Temple Visitors Centre

Our time at the MTC

In front of the infamous world map.  Pointing to England.



Our district at the MTC with our teacher Brother Herman.

Half of the senior group that came to the MTC with us.
These are working with Young Single Adult Programs, CES or Military.

We've survived the first two days!

The Spirit at the MTC is amazing and it is so great being part of such a great army!  We stand in awe of these young missionaries! 

We had a choice experience today in one of our large group meetings.  The returned missionary who was conducting the meeting told a story about his girlfriend in high school who was taking the missionary discussions and the missionaries that were teaching her wanted to challenge her to baptism.  He was not sure about that and tried to convince them that she wasn't ready, that they should wait, as he was worried it would ruin everything.  But the missionaries, being led by the Spirit challenged her at the end of the lesson.  She said "no".  He thought to himself, "See I told you so" and thought the chances of his girlfriend ever joining the church were over!  Then to emphasize to the senior missionaries the need to follow through to find out concerns, the missionaries asked what was holding her back, what her concerns were.  She told them that she wanted to be baptized but she wanted to do it with her whole family!  Terry and I started to put two and two together.  This young man said that he was from the San Diego area; that his girlfriend’s name was Brie; that her whole family joined the Church and that one year after their baptism they were sealed in the Temple!  We knew that he spoke of the family that our son Ryan taught and baptized while on his mission.  Terry raised his hand and when called upon, asked this returned missionary if his girlfriend's maiden name was François to which he replied "yes" with a puzzled looked on his face.  Terry said "That was our son, Elder Ryan Fowler, who taught her."  He told him that three months after Ryan's mission, we went back with Ryan to his mission and were invited to this family's sealing in the temple.  It was a choice experience to see this story come full circle.  Jordon (the young man conducting the meeting) was so grateful to these missionaries for their heeding the promptings of the Spirit that set in motion the wheels that changed his life.  Jordon returned from his mission and married Brie.  They are here in Provo and get together with Ryan from time to time.  It's a classic case of leaving your family for a little while so someone else can be with theirs forever.  Good Job Ryan!  We want to do the same!

On a personal note; I spent my 36th wedding anniversary here at the MTC with my eternal companion.  It's an awesome thing knowing that!