Temple & Visitors' Centre Trip

Last Saturday, our ward rented a coach to take everyone to the temple.  While the London Temple is only about 20 miles away, it takes over an hour, usually an hour and a half to get there because of traffic.  Many members have trouble getting there because there are no trains or buses that run anywhere close, and only a few people have cars.  The Bishop felt it would be a worthwhile  activity and so a list was made of all who wanted to go and the coach was rented.  As the time got closer however, the list got longer and the bus got bigger.  We ended up with 35 on the bus and a total of 42 people meeting at the temple.  Seventeen members did a session in the temple and the rest of us spent time in the Visitors' Centre (where we worked when we first got to London) and around the beautiful grounds.  We had 4 investigators, a few less actives, and 1 who was starting to come back into activity again, as well as a handful who were recently baptized. It was so awesome for us to be there with our investigators, especially Pam and Millie.  We have been working with these ladies for awhile now and have grown to love them SO MUCH!  They were both so excited to go to the temple and made great sacrifices to be able to be there.  They loved everything about it.  It was so exciting for me to see their excitement and their thirsting and hungering for more.  We went into distribution and they were buying things that they didn't even know what they were.  They just wanted everything they could get their hands on.  I remember being that way as a new member also and it makes me sad that I have lost some of that enthusiasm.  But I am renewed by theirs and the members, whom I also noticed were so honored to be able to go to the temple even if they were not going inside.  They knew it was a sacred place and they felt it a privilege to be there.  They all teach and humble me.  It was the best day ever!

The beautiful London Temple.  It was a perfect day!



Millie next to me and Pam next to Elder Fowler
in front of the Christus inside the Visitors Centre.
  We love these ladies!

Walking (and playing) around the beautiful grounds.
Jason (behind Millie) is an awesome guy coming back into activity.

Heading back to the coach.  We didn't want to leave.

On the bus ride back home.  Tired, but well fed!

Fashion in London

I am not sure if London is a fashion mecca or not, but I don't think so. I've heard they do have some high-end stores in central London, but certainly not around here. When we first got here I noticed that everybody wore black or dark clothing.  At first I thought maybe it was the new fall color, but then it didn't take long to realize why.  It is a matter of survival. While the air is much cleaner than it was in the 1800's with all the factories and coal burning, there is still a (many) layers of grime everywhere.  If things started as white or tan, they are now black or dark in color. I am pretty sure it is this way in any large city, especially in one as old as London.

I might have fancied myself as a semi-fashionable person many years ago--many, many years ago.  But now, I only dress for comfort and warmth. Today we had an appointment to teach an investigator, I had to laugh as I watched Terry and myself get ready.  You see, it's all about layers.  Multiple layers.  It is easier for Terry, his regular suit and tie, a sweater, long wool over coat, scarf, gloves and ear muffs, umbrella in hand.  He looks handsome no matter what, dapper even.  But it is much more of an ordeal for me.  Remember those fleece tights I talked about earlier?  Let me tell you, they are delicious!  They are so warm and cozy.  Today, however, was a "two pair of tights" day. Coat, scarf, gloves, ear muffs and of course umbrella. There is a system to it all, and everything has to go on in its perfect order or it doesn't work.  It was only sprinkling when we got off the first bus and waited for the second bus, but by the time we got off the second bus and began the 1/2 mile walk to her flat it was pouring.  The heavens just opened and emptied buckets of rain.  The umbrella's helped, but because the wind was blowing the rain in sideways, we were drenched by the time we got there. The appointment was good and we were mostly dry by the time we left, so all is well.

I thought about taking a picture of ourselves all bundled up, but then I thought, I really don't want to be reminded about how ridiculous I looked.  Terry says I looked like one of our grandchildren getting ready to go outside to play in the snow but are so bundled up that they can hardly move.  Sigh.

Staying with the fashion theme, I wanted to share a funny story that happened.  At an appointment one day, the lady we were teaching asked me what she should wear when she came to church with us the following Sunday.  I told her that most women wear a dress or skirt, but if she were more comfortable, she could wear pants.  The young missionary, who is from Yorkshire, England practically jumped out of his seat yelling, "trousers, she means trousers!"   Apparently I have not mastered the language yet.  What we call pants, they call trousers.  What they call pants, we call underwear.  Oops!

Our first Christmas in England

If it wasn't for my calendar, I might not have even known it was Christmas.  First off, they don't celebrate Thanksgiving here, so there was no "Black Friday".  Then there wasn't the displays and sales in the stores that I am used to.  No Christmas music playing or people arguing about when they should actually start playing it on the radio.  Very few Christmas lights, in fact, I would guess that you might have only seen lights in the windows of every one per 1000 flats.  Eventually, (and not until two-three weeks before Christmas) I did start noticing some tree lots or small artificial trees in the stores.  Terry knows how I love Christmas decorations and was a good sport to make sure we got a tree.  It was a sad little tree compared to what I am used to, but I loved it!  We decided to go with a flocked tree and colored lights hoping we wouldn't have to have decorations on it.  I made a star for the top and all in all, it made me very happy.

 

 

 

But then the Christmas activities began and it was starting to feel more like Christmas to me.  We had a nice ward Christmas party.  A great turn out and good food.  We all had a fun time.

Our Bishop and other ward members at the Christmas party. 
We meet at a Catholic school that is for primary age kids, so the tables are very small.

 

The Mission brought in all the missionaries to go to the London Temple and put on a nice Christmas dinner.  There are so many of us that they had to do it on four different days.  It was wonderful to be able to get back to the temple.  It was our first time to attend the London Temple since we got here.

Some of the missionaries that were at the Christmas party the Mission gave. 
There is real strength in being with all these young missionaries.  We love it!

We were able to provide a breakfast for the missionaries of our zone a few days before Christmas.  Elder and Sister Hom (another senior missionary couple) and us made French toast, scrambled eggs, "streaky" bacon, hash browns and fruit for all the young missionaries.  They were so excited and so appreciative.  We played games, sang Christmas carols and just enjoyed being with each other.

Sister Hom and I in the kitchen.

All missionaries love to eat,and they were thrilled with this breakfast.

Our District.  We love these missionaries!

Our Zone.  Awesome missionaries, every one of them and a great
example of dedication and Christ like love.

So Christmas wasn't what I was used to, but I realized that the things that took so much of my time and energy are not what Christmas is really about.  It is about a baby.  It's about love.  It's about the greatest gift that only our Father in Heaven and our Savior Jesus Christ could give.  It is about the chance to be with our families forever.  It is about the great Plan of Happiness and the chance to return and live with our Father in Heaven again.  It is about all the things we are trying to share while we are out on our mission.  I'm grateful that I was able to spend Christmas in England, and to be reminded of the true meaning of Christmas.

Our First Baptisms

Every missionary loves baptisms, and even though proselyting isn't our main responsibility, we do get to accompany the young Elders often as they teach the gospel to people who are investigating the church.  We have grown to love these people, and love to see their lives changing as they embrace the gospel.  Saturday we attended the baptism of Selam and Yassmin Istifanus.  A mother and her 10 year old daughter. They asked Elder Fowler to baptize them and it was a wonderful experience.  We are so happy for them, and for the members of the Crystal Palace Ward.  They will be a great addition to the ward.  With Yassmin and the two younger daughters, they almost double the size of our Primary!



Selam, Yassmin, Rebekka & Serina Istifanus 
along with Elder Hanks and Elder Bailey & us.

Us with this sweet family.  We loved being able to help teach them the gospel!

Elder Fowler got to baptize Selam and Yassmin

Crystal Palace Activities

One of our first assignments when we came to the Crystal Palace Ward was to be in charge of the road show.  I can't remember the last time we had a road show in the States, but here they do them every year.  Unfortunately, the kids weren't very excited about it and since we have such a small ward we needed to come up with something that we could pull off regardless of how many people showed up the night of the performance.  To make matters worse, the theme was a scripture: The glory of God is intelligence, or in other words, Light and Truth.  Terry had the brilliant idea to tell the Restoration of the Gospel, early missionaries to England and latter day missionaries sharing light and truth using shadows and music.  It mostly just needed a large white screen and a spotlight and then our cast of 10.  It actually turned out pretty good and I think we all had a good time!

"Shadows" telling the first vision.

Cast and crew of our road show
 (minus Elder Fowler who had to take the picture).

The Priesthood of the ward decided they needed to have an activity, so they went bowling.  

A great group! To the left of Terry is our Bishop, left of him is Terrance who
 will be baptized soon.  Two youth, one newly baptized member, one less-active,
 the missionaries, the ward mission leader and ward clerk.  They all had a great time! 




Ward members watching fireworks on Guy Fawkes day.

Our ward Christmas Party was a great success.  We had plenty of food, singing, and nice program and even a visit from the jolly man himself!

A good turn out.  Lots of members, less actives and nonmembers alike.

Relief Society, WORKS the same in every ward.  We love these ladies!

Elder Bailey made a pretty sad Santa, but the kids didn't mind at all!

 

Crystal Palace Young Adults

One of the cool things we get to do on our mission is work with the young adults in our ward.  There are several and they are really strong in the Gospel!  We get to hang out with them every Monday night for a Home Evening.  Their lessons are inspiring and their activity's and refreshments are really good too.  Once they planned a Thanksgiving dinner for the Americans and the Canadians.  It was a lot of fun.  It was my first time having Yorkshire Pudding, which isn't a pudding at all, it's more like gravy poured into Dutch Baby cup.  My kids know what Dutch Babies are: its a mixture of eggs, flour, milk and butter that puffs up around the edges when you bake it. These young adults baked them in cupcake tins and so you have these individual bowls for the gravy.  They are not what I expected (who knows what I expected) but they are pretty good.

The Missionaries and some of the Young Adults of the Crystal Palace Ward.

We have a great missionary story that in my opinion is EPIC!  Deirdre, one of our young adults, was on a bus (everyone is one a bus, train or walking), when a young man also on the bus, named Terrance says to her, "thank you for dressing so modestly".  She is a little taken back because lets be honest, that just doesn't happen often enough.  She thanks him and they start talking.  He eventually asks her for her phone number and while she said she NEVER gives her number out she felt like she should, so she wrote it down on a pass-along card and told him to go to the website on it to see why she was the way she was, and IF he did, THEN he could call her and they would talk about it.  Well, he DID go look at Mormon.org, he called Deirdre and they talked about what was on that website.  He came to church and has been taking the missionary lessons and now has a baptism date set!  We are so excited.  He is a most humble sincere man and we are thrilled for him!

Terrance and Deirdre. 

Yum or YIKES?

So we stopped at Lidl's the other day.  It is a German store in our borough that sells food and miscellaneous items.  This week they were advertising fleece lined tights.  All I could think of was "SCORE!" How yummy is that!  Women clamored around the bin digging through to find their size.  They are in European sizing, so I don't have a clue what size I need, but I took a guess and hoped for the best. I bought two pairs thinking how nice it was going to be to wear these tights on the cold windy, wet days.  Then as we walked home, the thought crossed my mine, it probably doesn't bode well for me that they sell these out here.  I suspect that it will be a long cold winter. Sigh.