3 May 2014

Sister Jones and I had a very busy week both with the Public Affairs assignment and with our local missionaries. Sunday was wonderful and Joyce became the 'substitute' Primary and Sacrament Meeting Pianist as those called "failed to show" as they say here in the UK.
A wonderful couple, the Martins, had us to a lovely Sunday dinner of a tri-fowl roast with all the English potatoes and vegetables topped with gravy. Brother Adrian Martin worked in banking and for the Church and Sister Agnes Martin served a mission at the same time in Southwest England as a former roommate of mine at the Y. So we connected on several fronts and learned their conversion / marriage stories. They met as singles in the London Temple.... a marriage made very close to heaven!

On Tuesday, we took one pair of missionaries to dinner at the Sheldon Toby Carvery. We then went with them to a Polish family that's investigating the gospel and had our first "real" missionary experience which is an amazing opportunity to feel the Holy Ghost in action.
Oh, since the night was still young, we then went to the Ward Fundraiser for the Mutual EFY summer experience. Sixteen people came for pancakes (really, crepes) besides those YM/YW leaders and kids making the desserts. What a humbling experience to know of our home ward's support and faithfulness and then see how difficult it is for these great saints. We sure many didn't come because of the hope or expectation for donation and/or the two buses they would have to take to get to the ward. As it was a late start (8:00 p.m.), we took the other set of Elders home or they would have missed the required 9:00 p.m. deadline due to the bus schedules.

Thursday we spent in London after a grueling 3 hour drive made difficult due to the "tube" strike in London... another tube strike is scheduled for 3 days next week.  We met with the Hyde Park Visitor's Centre directors, Elder and Sister Cardall (of KSL editorial fame), who are wonderful. Dr. James Faulconer and his wife, the director of the BYU London Centre, were so gracious and appreciative of all the work Sister Jones has done for the re-opening event in June.

Here's Sister Faulconer in the totally remodeled student dining area in the London Centre and below is the reception room. We found out that the residence next to the centre (where the faculty have their   flats (apartments) was the residence of Lord Shackleton (of Antarctica fame) while staying with his relations. By-the-way, the current value/cost of this residence in this area of London is a mere $5000 per square foot! President Worthen and many dignitaries will gather in June to rededicate the facility (provided it's ready by then???).

Some may know these Elders we met while Elder Teixeira was teaching the District Leaders for the London Mission. Elder Teixeira and his lovely wife were so gracious when we met them at the Public Affairs hosting room that we had just barely "refitted" (taking out dead plants, supplying refreshments, etc) a few moments before.

Elder Maynard (left) is Bishop and Sister Reed Maynard's grandson from Grandma and Grandpa Wrigley's ward in Bountiful. We've known the Maynards for most of our lives. On the right is Elder Torbit from Katy, Texas whose Stake President is John (McKell) Allen's father. The church makes the world a very small place!

Sister Jones and Hollie McKee a BYU graduate who works part-time for the Public Affairs department in the UK. Hollie is a very talented young lady who is also the Relief Society President in the Brittania YSA ward (it's a huge ward) in central London. 

Cute Sister just in front of the Victoria and Albert Museum in a typical London rain!

Friday brought a fairly good day (although a bit cooler) where we ran to the open air market at lunch to try to give us short break in a very busy day. The night before ended very late as the Elders from Stourbridge were teaching an Albanian immigrant in Sheldon and time got away from them. So the Sheldon Elders called just as we got home from London to see if we could 'bail-out' these missionaries because they missed their two buses / train. Our journey took us twenty minutes to the church and another 20 miles thru Birmingham to Stourbridge and then back again. The little missionary from Albania (Elder Dyer) was so pleased to have learned English in just 7 months that he  shared every bit of his family/personal history/life's aspirations in the 45 minute ride. We cannot even remember the name of the Elder from Billings, Montana as we didn't hear a word from him throughout the entire ride. Maybe he doesn't speak English.... just Albanian (just kidding)! It was fun and now we know that the gift of tongues incorporates more than just speaking... it's a gift of endless speaking! Don't you just love the confidence that comes on a mission as this Elder believes that he has such a "command" of the English language, he will now teach English in Albania. We love these missionaries!

This weekend is a bank holiday (meaning the continent had their bank holiday on Thursday and the British deserve one too), so we are off on Monday. Perhaps we'll see the Cotswolds.... more to come in a few days.