Shopping Day on Thursday, 29 May 2014. Two Weeks? 30 May 2914

The minibus was loaded as we headed into East Grinstead for our weekly shopping.  We stopped at Sainsbury's and then shopped through the "tunnel" where the produce vendor is and other shops.  I picked up some plastic containers to help with organizing our new flat.  We came home with three bags full!

Still no sunshine.  Working the afternoon/evening schedule is different.  We get home in time for bed and then rush around during the morning doing all we can before we report back at 2 p.m.  The temple is busy with people continually coming in.

They come in all kinds of vehicles

Friday, and it is our two week mark!  Wow, the days have been busy and have flown by.  We haven't been in our flat for much more than sleeping and eating.

We took another outing today.  Sister Smith was our group leader, taking Sister Hale and us to the mall at Crawley, via the bus.  We stood out by the road in front of the temple and waited for the bus.  We were surprised at that was coming down the road.  When we had walked to Lingfield last week, we had seen horse droppings on the road.  I wondered how in the world they could have gotten there seeming how skinny the roads are with no shoulder of any kind.  I guess this is how.  In Yuma we would call this a parade!

The horses walk right on the road and the traffic has to wait their turn to pass.  No one seemed to be in a hurry!

It wasn't long before we saw the bus coming and Sister Smith flagged it down.  We boarded, grabbed a seat, and were off on a fast trip to the mall.  We arrived, divided up, and headed out as we had one hour before we needed to catch the return bus to be back in time to work our shift.  Our mission was to find the "3" phone store to check about getting a phone with a hotspot to have Internet in the flat.  We got all the information we needed.  We did not have our debit card from the bank yet, so we will have to come back with it.  When we got back home we checked our mail at the Accommodations Cetnre, and there were the debit cards.

The mall was the ones we have in America with lots of stores and options.   We went into another phone store to look at phones and ended up in conversation with the clerk about why we were in England.  We gave him an Articles of Faith card.  I went into a couple of shoe stores and a department store.  We want to come back when we can spend more time checking out all the stores.  Sister Hale went to a craft store and Sister Smith went to a grocery store.  We all rendezvoused  at the bus stop and were on our way home.

Another woman was waiting for the bus as well and we all joined in conversation and she asked why we were all in England.  When she learned we were on missions for our church, she said:  "That wouldn't be the Mormons, would it?"  Turns out she has had missionaries in her home and says she will one day 'go on down to the church.'  She was very nice and we had a lovely conversation all the ride home.

Where we got off the bus on our return home.

Our shift was long today as there is an 8 o'clock session, not ending until almost 10 p.m.  Friday afternoon is the beginning of more and more patrons coming to the temple for the weekend.  Sister Gabb from Wales, one of the day workers, is a quilter.  She had brought one with her and Sister Hale and I stopped off at her flat to take a look.  It is gorgeous and very detailed.  She is very talented.