Family, Friends, and Faith

Brittany and Corey Arrive

Brittany and Corey arrived at Birmingham International Train Station on the 24th of April following three glorious French-filled days in Paris. After a quick trip to the nearby Cotswolds and Stratford-upon-Avon, we left the following day for the Lakes District and time in Preston visiting church history sites. Living in the Midlands, we can go north to see fabulous historical sites within an hour or two as well as south to be in London or Bath in the same amount of time. Stratford and the Cotswolds are just a few minutes away which allow us to continue our missionary assignments during business hours and enjoy world-renowned cultural experiences after-hours. With the sun coming up at 4:30 a.m. and going down at nearly 10:00 p.m. one can pack a great deal into a day.

Our wonderful friends, Judith and Martin Cook, guided us on a Preston / Downham history tour on Saturday, the 25th, that touched on all the historical sites surrounding the 1837-1841 missions of nine of the apostles. Here we gathered at the site of the first baptisms in the British Isles near the River Ribble.

Corey and Brittany stand in front of the home where President Gordon B. Hinckley received the famous letter from his father that advised him to "Forget yourself and go to work." President Hinckley credited his experiences as a missionary in Preston as the turning point in his life.

Have you ever seen the latest version of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice? Pemberley in the movie was filmed at Chatsworth, a magnificent country house located in the Peak District.

London

Thank heaven for taxi drivers in London that can get you from Point A (The Hyde Park Chapel) to all the other points (including The Tower of London, Westminster Abbey, Whitehall, Mayfair, Buckingham Palace, The Mall, Trafalgar, etc.).

Tower Bridge near the Tower of London... The British tease Americans saying this was the bridge the Americans thought they were buying when Lake Havasu, Arizona, bought the actual London Bridge!

Here we are at the Tower of London grateful that we wouldn't be joining the fate of the two boy princes who were imprisoned and later disappeared in the tower behind us! Warders found them in a chest 350 years later after their traitorous Uncle Richard III assumed the throne in their "absence." Although turnabout is fair play... just this spring they unearthed Richard III's bones from a parking lot in Leicester. Ignominiously buried in haste, Richard III was forgotten for 500 years and yet his "recent royal" reburial in the Leicester Cathedral was swarmed with people!

We travelled to London where the Beahms wanted to see The British Library and the British Museum (above in the Greek Parthenon exhibit). British museums are some of the great treasures of the world and they are free.... yes, the British people believe these treasures belong to the people and request only a donation.

Amazing Covent Garden was made famous in the play "My Fair Lady." We later attended Warhorse, a play in the nearby West End.

Brittany and Dan in front of the world famous British Library.

Bath is a fascinating city built on hills with the valley running along the River Avon. We stayed at the Paradise Hotel and toured the city to discover the world of Austen with her characters dominating the Assembly Rooms. The Royal Crescent and The Circus represent the very best of Georgian (Palladian) architecture and still bring thousands of visitors to the city each year.

The Joneses and the Beahms in the back garden of The Paradise Hotel.

The Netherlands

We had an assignment in The Netherlands to train and meet with the National Council as well as our friends, Marianne and Nico van Wermeskerken, who serve as the National Director of Public Affairs and PA videographer for Holland.

Before the training, we visited Keukenhof Gardens, a magnificent tulip and flower garden open to the public for only six weeks in the spring.

It was a sun-filled day at Keukenhof where we spent just a fleeting afternoon.

Like mother, like daughter in so many ways... both enjoy beauty.

 A wonderful, beautiful girl amongst the indoor displays of exotic flowers in the Orchid House.

Thorns among the roses... um . . .tulips!

Have you ever experienced overwhelming beauty? We certainly did... tulips, hyacinths and every other flower made this a visual and fragrant feast. 

Oh, how Dan wanted to jump on one of these bicycles chained to the canal bridge.

Brittany and Corey happily posing for Joyce on the canal boat.

The Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam has many of Rembrandt's and Van Gogh's treasures including The Night Watch by Rembrandt (which is enormous and fabulous).

Enjoying the fascinating canals of Amsterdam before dining at a delicious restaurant, Kop van Jut.

We were fortunate to avoid the seamy areas of Amsterdam and came away with just a totally delightful view of this great city.

The Netherlands Training

Rotterdam is a completely re-built city and the third largest port in the world. After being destroyed in WWII, the city has enjoyed a renaissance of skyscrapers and modern design.

Rotterdam and the city hall from our hotel window.

The Netherlands National Public Affairs Council training conducted on the 2nd of May.

Elder Jones giving media engagement tips.

Sister Jones training the council members on how to effectively respond to questions from the media.

The responses from members of the council to possible interview questions are always filled with personal experiences that warm your heart.

Marianne van Wermeskerken is a refined, lovely, dynamic voice for the Church in Holland.

 We always dress up for training... not that we fill the "big shoes'"very well.

Brittany and Corey are fun to be with... how grateful we are for our family and the blessings they are in our lives. They also filled in the big shoes as they did 4 hours of iMovie training for Nico while we trained the national council. It's nice to have children smarter than their parents!

Kinderdijk is a system of 19 windmills built in 1740 to drain the polder near Alblasserdam (where the National Director of Public Affairs happens to reside). It is also a breathtaking UNESCO World Heritage site.

A cute couple on the Kinderdijk... "children dike."

Pretty lady and a bit overdressed guy on the Kinderdijk.

Saying an early morning "goodbye" to Brittany and Corey at Rotterdam Central Station as they fly back to Salt Lake City from Schipol Airport in Amsterdam. Grateful for their goodness and their precious time, we were energized by seeing family after being away for 13 months. We later attended the Rotterdam Stake Conference where the Area President, Elder Teixeira, presided in changing their stake leadership. It never fails to amaze us how the spirit ratifies the callings of leaders. We are grateful for the restoration of the gospel and how the Lord continues to guide His Church. As we go about daily routines as well as making critical decisions, we know the Saviour is in the details of all our lives.

Jolleys leave for home

Nearly forty years ago, we moved into a "fixer upper" on Center Street in Bountiful. Just around the corner from Joyce's exemplary parents and through the block we became acquainted with another young couple with a bunch a cute boys. We have been friends ever since and have vacationed all of the globe with them. Imagine both couples' surprise when we were called to the same mission area and assigned to the same inner-city ward. Elder and Sister Jolley are beloved in our Sheldon Ward and will be greatly missed as they have completed their Self-Reliance Mission here in Birmingham.

Sisters Jones and Jolley on a Preparation Day trip to Chatsworth a short distance away in the Peak District.

You can tell that we never had any fun together! Can't you? We will miss their cheery spirits.

Salisbury Open House

Some 27 years ago, the Salisbury Branch Presidency decided to acquire some property to build a new chapel as they were just a bit tired of cleaning up the cigarette butts and beer bottles in their rented nightclub. The "loo" was on their side of the building, so meetings were occasionally interrupted by a wandering visitor looking for something less than celestial relief.
Joyce wrote an article on the construction process of this new chapel for a magazine months ago and now the meetinghouse is finally open. Nearly 200 community friends and members joined with the local mayor, councillors and even a lovely member of the Anglican clergy to welcome the community to our new building on Saturday, 9th of  June.

Beautiful new chapel in the Old Sarum area of Salisbury (not far from Stonehenge).

Elder Terry is a great missionary from Arizona. His grandparents, Verlan and Shari Terry, are highly respected in Bountiful where Verlan was a principal in the Davis School District for thirty years.

Everyone was excited for the opening... 

Poole Stake President Crew, Mayor Broom and Branch President Burchell welcome the crowd.

The Young Women provide the music with Stand in Holy Places.

Rev Penny Joyce along with Mayor Broom and President Burchell tour the new structure.

The current and six former Branch Presidents join in the celebration.

New missionaries in Sheldon

We love our missionaries in the Sheldon Ward. Elder Kircher (Germany) and Elder Mthethwa (Durban South Africa) represent the best as they are dedicated, humble servants of the Lord. Elder Mthethwa heard the missionaries on the street with 5 other friends. Through his acceptance of the gospel and his personal example, four have joined the church. Two are currently on missions and although a bit older (having graduated in Electrical Engineering), Elder Mthethwa asked his employer for a leave of absence so he could serve a mission. The state power company (who had paid for his university education) said they would hold his job until he returned. He is simply an outstanding young man... we should all remember the name Mthethwa as he will be a church leader in South Africa one day!

Lisa's visit

Without missing a beat we welcomed Dan's sister for a quick visit in between assignments in London.  Lisa had never been to England, so we tried to pack as much in as her bucket list would allow.

Here we are at a hero's grave, Sir Winston Churchill in the small village of Blaydon outside Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire.

Dan and Lisa on the steps of Blenheim Palace where Winston Churchill grew up. These pillars certainly do not resemble those that held up our carport in the home we grew up in as childen in Brigham City.

While in London on assignment at the Hyde Park Visitor's Centre, we managed to slip in a few highlights. High Tea at The Chesterfield Mayfair is ranked as #1 by Tripadvisor and we could certainly understand why. We chose the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory menu by substituting the tea and champagne with Chocolate Shakes. Amazing sandwiches, scones galore, desserts and a special welcome cake for Lisa were all delightfully served by our table hosts. Ironically, we met two darling young ladies from California who are members of the church and were wondering how to order. Once they saw our shakes, they were all smiles!

Oxford is one of the most interesting places in England as you visit the 35 colleges and see where DNA was discovered or penicillin first administered. C. S. Lewis, Tolkein, Auden and many others gathered for weekly lunches. Rhodes House has seen the brightest scholars cross its threshold and a select 6000 students are educated there today. Blackwells is still there along with the Ashmolean Museum and the (new and old) Bodleian Libraries. Rather than eating at a McDonalds (as we gratefully did years ago), we ate a a wonderful pub just next to Trinity College with it's famous blue gates.

Bath

Lisa with our guide, Roland, tour the sights of Bath. Roland, a former teacher, still shares the historical and architectural customs of the heyday of Georgian times in Bath. Surprisingly, Bath was a destination city for winter because of the warm mineral baths, not for the beauty of it's summers.

The Circus designed by John Wood Sr. has much mystery in its design including Masonic symbols, Stonehenge circumference, Acorns on the roof line along with Greek pillars. Eclectic and yet it works... Actor Nicholas Cage sold his home in the Circus for 3+ million GBP or $5 million not long ago.

 Jane Austen often wrote of the Assembly Room where the elite would dance, preen and gamble.

Near the Pulteney Bridge on the River Avon in Bath...

Further up the River Avon from Bath is a tiny place called Stratford-upon-Avon where Lisa and Joyce stand in front of Shakespeare's grave.

We put Lisa on a plane at the Birmingham Airport at 4:30 a.m. on Sunday, the 24th and prepared for church where Dan conducted, taught the Gospel Doctrine class and gave the principal talk on the restoration of the priesthood in our Sacrament Meeting. Joyce had a light day where she conducted Primary, presented Sharing Time and played the music for Primary. We love these good people and are privileged to serve here in the Sheldon Ward.