Temple Week #14 Begins, 26 August 2014

Tuesday:  Day two of waking up to rain and going to the temple in the rain, hearing the rain while in the temple, and walking home in the rain.  It continues to come down, but did take a break in the late afternoon.

Our day in the temple was nice with a good number of patrons.  We were short staffed which caused for a little bit of hurrying around here and there, changing rotas, and closing some areas.  All in all, it went well, and before we knew it, it was 2:30 p.m. and we were on our way home.

The afternoon was quiet as we waited for Dennis to arrive.  He came in about 5:30 p.m. and we headed off to Lingfield.  The rain had stopped which was nice for being out and looking at places.

Our first stop was the thatched roof cottage.  It is a 15th century building and part of the history of Lingfield.  It sits on a narrow portion of Godstone Road.  It is leaning due to large lorries (trucks) knocking it sideways as they drive by.

We then visited the Parish Church of St Peter and St Paul.  The church was rebuilt in the early 15th century by Sir Reginald Codham.  The building is equipped with two naves and a bell tower housing five bells.  The grounds are are more cemetery than garden and very lovely to stroll through.

I am taking the photo of Dad and Dennis from the gate to the college.  The College was built for teaching and learning of the ministers.  I caught rain drops on the leaves of a blackberry bush.  We
had a blackberry here and there but for the most part they were already gone.

We ended the outing with dinner at the Thai Restaurant.  The meal was delicious.  Dad had brocolli beef, I had sweet and sour chicken, and Dennis has green curry chicken.  We had a starter plate, shown above, that was devoured, including the vegetables and the bowl holding the spring rolls and toast.  The waiter was very friendly and made good conversation.  When he found out we were from the temple he told us he was very familiar with it and the people from there that frequent the restaurant.  He was happy to meet Dennis and told him to come back.  Dennis really enjoyed the food and said this was a place to come back to.

We were so happy to see Dennis.  A touch of home is always nice.  He had been in Sweden before getting to London on Monday.  He shared some of his experiences there and we told him of some of our adventures here since he was last here.   He told of Daniel on his mission and how his other children are doing.  He headed back to Reading with work still to be finished tonight.

Bob finished up emails about our trip next week, which helped finalize our plans.  He is still working on getting car insurance.

Wednesday:  No rain today, although the sky was overcast.  Our shift in the temple went well with regular patrons and enough staff to function without a panic here and there.

After shift, Dad was off with Brother Wade to get money from the bank to pay for the car.  I waited in the flat for his return and then we went to the 3:45 p.m. session.  There were only 7 of us in it so it went very smooth.

I started out cold at the beginning of the day and could not seem to get warm.  When we got home after the session, I bundled up and crawled into bed.  It took a couple of hours before I felt really warm.  Dad fixed himself a steak sandwich for supper and stopped in the FHE gathering in the TV room.

Our evening was interrupted around 7:45 p.m., when the fire alarm went off in the Lodge.  we grabbed jackets, put on shoes, stopped at the potty, and were out the door to gather with the other residents on the front walkway.  We were there less than five minutes when we were given the clearance to go back in.  The lady in the flat below ours apologized, as it was her pan that got too hot on the hob that set it off.  I was just glad it wasn't midnight or 2 a.m.!

The car deal went through at  9 p.m., and we are the proud owners of a 1997 Vuxhall, 3 door hatchback with 73,000 miles.  We had an email when we got home from the temple finalizing the insurance, and with keys in our pockets we are ready to drive!  Watch out England!

Thursday:  The excitement overtook us and we were out in the car at 5:30 a.m. to go for a drive!  We figured there would be less traffic and that was true.  Dawn was breaking so it continued to get lighter as we drove and there was a light rain falling.  Dad did pretty good with clipping only one curb on the left.  Remember, that is the side of the road you drive on!  I didn't scream once, but did raise my hands in panic a time or two as he seemed to be aiming for the side of the road.

Our shift in the temple went well.  The sessions were small and we had plenty of staff to keep things functioning.  Before we knew it 2:30 p.m. arrived and we were off to the flat.  This is shopping day and we had signed up for the minibus.  Dad thought we should drive ourselves but I was a little skeptical since we would be out in rush hour traffic.  But, we drove ourselves!

I drove the car from the lodge car park out to the temple car park for Dad to take a picture.  It only took me 5 minutes to find reverse!  It wasn't until I realized I could look at the diagram on the top of the gear shift.  Duh!

Dad jumped in to drive and we were off to East Grinstead.  He did well and we made it to town and safely parked.  He noticed we were missing the left front hubcap - where we hit the curb on the morning drive.  From there we went to Sainsbury's and bought groceries.  We also saw Sister Strong there with her daughter and husband who had just flown in from America and President Crossland.  We then stopped at McDonald's for dinner.  The best part of our trip was being able to shop on our time table and look and decide what we wanted.

When we got back in the car at McDonald's, Dad asked:  "So, what do you think of our new found freedom?"

I replied:  "It is very nice!"

Dad was not too excited about turning across traffic, so he would drive to a round-a-bout to turn around.  It worked out great since round-a-bouts are all over.

From Home:  Happy Birthday to Emily!  She sent a photo and a thank you to us.

Friday:  Our day was nice in the temple; not many patrons but things went smoothly.  We haven't used any language cards this week.  Temple closes after tomorrow's schedule and doesn't open until the 16th of September.  Most of the missionaries will be gone on trips or the English ones will go home.  Of course we are headed out tomorrow as well.  The schools all resume in a week so people are getting their last days of summer taken care of.

We had showers off and one today with spots of blue skies here and there.  Here are the first signs of autumn out our windows.

Dad needed to pick up a prescription from the chemist, as they call it here, so we were off to Lingfield in the car.  It was a safe trip and he is feeling more and more comfortable.  We finished up plans for our trip tomorrow and began the packing process.  I wish we could go without having to pack!

We had dinner at Sister Smith's this evening.  We took roasted potatoes and she cook fresh trout Brother Searle caught.  She also prepared salad, green beans from Brother Matthew's garden, and corn on the cob.  We literally had a feast and it was so delicious!  We enjoyed visiting with each other.  Brother Searle is English and lives close by so he was able to tell us lots of places to visit.  There were too many to remember so we asked him to make us a list.  I really hope he does.

Saturday:  We were up early and finished packing for the trip.  We were to the temple for preparation at 7:30 a.m.  The day went well with being busy and plenty of workers!  It was so nice not to have to scramble to have enough workers.  The weather was great as well with no rain and mild temperatures.

We were finished by 2 p.m. and headed to the flat to change clothes and get loaded up.  Sister Hale rode with the Masih’s and Brother Masih’s brother-in-law and wife followed in their car, with us in the middle, the Masih’s leading the way.  The plan was for them to hedge us in so we would not get lost.  That worked for about two round abouts, then we got caught in a round about waiting for traffic and did not see which exit he took.  We guessed and then drove slowly until the brother-in-law came up and took the lead.  We had guessed right and it wasn’t long before we were all back together.

It was a three-hour trip to Coventry.  Dad did well with driving on the open motorways.  We stopped once for a break and then we were back on the road. 

As we skirted the upper London area, there were sheep grazing on the grassy sides of the motorway right in the middle of buildings and roadways.  It definitely saves having to mow or weed the area.   I wonder if the farmer pays to let his sheep graze, or if the government pays the farmer for his sheep to graze?

The drive was lovely as we drove through heavily wooded areas with no vision of anything past the cars in front of us.  We saw the first signs of fall with trees here and there turning colors ranging in various shades of orange. About an hour out, it seemed as if we came out of the mountains into the open.  We could see countryside, hedge-lined fields, skies, herds of livestock, rolling hills, homes, and towns.  It was a sight to behold!  The drive remained this way into Coventry.

Entering Coventry, they took us through “Little India,” and we stopped to shop for meat for tomorrow’s meal.  It was quite the experience walking along the open market and going inside.  The buildings were all Indian style and design.

We then headed on to their house where we were warmly greeted by their grandson, Ammon, aged 17.  We unloaded, took a break, and then were off for dinner at a Harvester restaurant.  We stopped at Ammon’s house to pick up his sister Aron, aged 15, and his brother Ajay, aged 14.  Ajay and Sister Masih rode with us and off we went.

Enjoying a delicious meal with good company.  Sister Hale is at the back on the left  Top photo, left to right:  Aron, Sister Masih, Ajay, and Ammon.

Ajay ordered ribs and was daintily eating them English style, using a fork and knife.  We told him how in America we just pick them up with out hands and eat them.  He tried it and liked it much better.  Ammon got into the action.

We had a lovely meal and a great time visiting and being together.  The grandchildren are so very nice.  They talked of school, their summer holidays, theme parks, and going to FSY (known as EFY).  They hold it every other year here and there are about 400 in attendance.  This was Ammon’s last year, Aron’s second year, and Ajay’s first year.  Ajay is excited because he will be able to attend two more times before he is too old.

We eventually ended back up at their home, settled in, and went to bed.

Monday And A Bank Holiday, 25 August 2014

It was predicted 100% rain today and it was correct.  We woke up to rain, it rained going to the temple, it rained while in the temple, it rained coming home from the temple, and it rained the whole evening.  It was steady all the day long.  Unlike Yuma, their drains work here and there were no standing puddles.

The banks take holiday on Mondays, and when that occurs, everything closes down, except the temple.  It was Shift A's turn to staff it.  Dad and I worked together as coordinators assisting patrons at the end of sessions.  We had 4 sessions in all, the first one of 23 patrons, the second of 33 patrons, the third of 49 patrons, and the fourth of 13 patrons.  We finished up at 2 p.m. and then we had a fire drill.  We were all given a specific place to be and told we were deaf, thus not hearing the alarm.  The coordinators were instructed to collect us up at the sound of the alarm and escort us to the gathering point which was the arrival centre at the Visitors' Centre, due to the rain.  When we got to the gathering point, President Johnson checked us off and once everyone was accounted for, we went home.

Brother Davis took the ALS bucket challenge and employed Dad and I to assist him, in the rain!

We were scheduled to have a barbecue tonight at 5 p.m., out in the back of the grounds where there is a fire pit.  Everyone was excited to have grilled meat and great company.  The location, due to the rain, was changed to the dining room at the accommodations centre.  We were busy getting meat prepared and cooked and I made a potato salad.  We joined the group for a very lovely meal.  Dad and I had a rare treat here in England; we brought glasses of ice to pour our sodas over!  Yummm, it was ever so good!  There were about 36 in attendance.  Brother Davis announced that since we couldn't play a game of flag football, each table was assigned to come up with some form of entertainment and we had five minuets to prepare.

Brother Vowels (sitting down, Sister Clark, Sister Bustamante, Sister Marsh, and Sister Vowels led us in a round of charades.

Brother & Sister McClellan. Sister & Brother Whitehouse, Sister & Brother Wade (different couple from the Wades that are leaving.  Brother Whitehouse is reciting the poem, "The Lovely Hand."  He humored us with a story from his time as an English policeman.  He is a very good story teller.

 Sister Powell, Brother Davis, Brother & Sister Mulholland, and Sister Smith singing their version of, "I Have Two Little Hands."

Sister Hale, Sister Freeman, Brother & Sister Cummings, and Brother and Sister Anderson, demonstrating a duck call made out of the pop top from a soda can.

Brother and Sister Masih, Dad, Brother and Sister Rogers, Me, with Dad entertaining us with poetry, "The Calf Path."

Brother Parkinson sharing his harmonica talent with us and Sister Parkinson looking on.  The Murdochs were at their table but ducked out when they heard participation was expected.

We ended the evening with a phone call from Dennis.  He is in country and will come tomorrow evening for an outing.  We are excited!!

Sunday And A Bye, 24 August 2014

We were off to church in the minibus.  The talks and lessons were great.  We discussed Job in gospel doctrine.  Myself and 3 other sister temple missionaries were off to Young Women to help with their lesson.   I played the piano for the opening hymn and they were so excited to have music!  We sat as a panel and they asked us questions about preparing to be wives and mothers.  It turned into a very good discussion and all seemed to enjoy the exchange.  I had two pieces of advice:  1.  Let your spouse be your best friend.  2.  As a mother you will need to forego things you may want to do or want to learn, for the good of your children.  Children take time, love, and care that comes from you, their mother.

Before we went to church, I made a cheese cake and got dinner cooking in the slow cooker.  When we got home, the meal was perfect - chicken, potatoes, and carrots.  I made gravy and a salad to complete it.  I was very happy I had bought the slow cooker.

We took the cheese cake and went to the "Bye" for the Wades and Sister Powell.  We had a lovely evening with delicious refreshments, visiting with one another, and then listening to them share testimony.

Sister Powell is a sweetheart.  She is always happy, upbeat, and has a joyful smile.  She said that when she came on her mission she was not sure if she would like it.  Her first hope was a humanitarian mission (she is a nurse), or then a proselyting mission (she loves to share the gospel).  Then a temple mission was the next choice.  She wasn't over joyed with the thought and wondered if she really could do a temple mission.  She wrote herself a letter when she first came and kept it posted on the wall of her flat.  She read it to us and it started off with:  "Dear Carol, Don't get discouraged, with other phrases of encouragement in the middle, and then ended with: This too shall pass."

She said she quickly learned that none of what she had written mattered because the love of the missionaries and the spirit of being in the temple each day wiped away any doubts or fears she may have had.  She will miss being here.

Elder and Sister Wade will be missed.  They are so kind and helpful and generous with everyone and everything.  We will miss them as they have helped us adjust to living here in so many ways.  They have learned they can live together in retirement!  They have learned to love the temple more and their testimonies have grown.  They are happy to be going home to children and grandchildren and the joy of family being close by.

President Irwin was the concluding speaker.  He is noted for his personalized "Ditties," he sings for departing missionaries.  He held true and sang for these three.  Both ditties were so cute and, of course drew out chuckles and laughter from the audience.

Word of the day:  Push chair - stroller.  The mothers bring their babies in push chairs to church. You don't see any carseats in the building.

Temple Week #13, 19 August 2014

The weather turned cold!  It was 47ºF Tuesday morning and followed that range throughout the week.    It did warm up around mid morning each day and with clear skies and bright sun, it was quite pleasant.

We began our fourth month of temple service today.  The time has gone by with us being busy, busy, and busy!  Our assignment this week is officiating and following a session each day.  It has been nice to work together.

The French came by coach, traveling through the "chunnel," to be here for the week.  (Chunnel is slang for the tunnel under the channel.)  They were busy as usual with baptism sessions, endowment sessions, and other ordinances.  They are very self sufficient for the most part, we just get out of their way.  They are looking forward to their own temple in Paris and preparing to run it on their own.

Tuesday:  We made a trip by bus to Crawley this morning.  We stopped in at Boots pharmacy to pick up some items, Dad bought an outlet adapter at the 99p store, and we picked up Burger King for lunch.  We were back in time to eat, and get ready for our afternoon shift at 2 p.m.  We were on the 2:30 session.

Thursday:  Brother Wad took Dad for his physical appointment for the car insurance this morning.  I was on the minibus for shopping and got the groceries for the coming week.  Dad got all his paperwork scanned and emailed to the company and I got all that was on my list.  I bought a slow cooker and am looking forward to using it.

Today I was in sealings for a period of time.  At one point, there was me, an American, an English brother, and a Welsh sister.  The gospel spans the world!  We are all God's children working our way back to His presence.

Saturday:  I was in clothing and on the "till" (cash register) for the day with Sister Smith.  She was sweet enough to let me do the till so I could get some practice in.  I know one day they will put me there on my own and I am not quite sure what will come of that!  A couple from Nevada and a couple from Utah came through.  When we heard like accents, we just had to have a conversation.

Sister Youles helped out for about half an hour.  It was my first time to meet her and she is quite a character.  When we started talking, I was surprised at how easy it was to understand what she was saying in spite of her accent.  She does family history so that was the center of our conversation.  The more we talked she reminded me of the movie,  My Fair Lady.  At one point, Ben came in to gather up hangers and items of clothing to be returned to the laundry.    After hearing him speak, Sister Youles asked him where he was from.  He said he was from Bristol.  She said:  "Yes, I thought so.  I can tell by your accent."

He smiled and they chit chatted a little, then he was on his way.  I asked Sister Youles where she was from.

She answered:  "I'm from London and my accent is Cockney, straight from London, it is."

Well, she then stepped right into character and smeared the accent on as she imitated lines from My Fair Lady.  She said there is a saying that if you are born within the sound of the bells of London, you are a true Londoner.  She made quite a bright spot in our afternoon!

Dad got off early at 3 p.m. so he could come back at 6 p.m. to be on the door for a sealing at 8 p.m.   I went to movie night and watched, The Legend of Johnny Lingo.  It is a good movie.

Dad and I were busy this morning before we went to the temple with doing the laundry and cleaning the flat.  We finished up when we got home.

Rochester & Charles Dickens, 18 August 2014

We left in the minibus at 9 a.m. headed for a day of sightseeing and did not arrive back home until 6 p.m.  It was less than an hour drive on the motorway to Rochester, a town teeming with history and adventure.

We began at Rochester Castle, built in 1127 by William of Corbeil, Archbishop of Canterbury.  It still stands 113 feet tall.  The keep or stone tower is the castle's most prominent feature and is the best preserved in England or France.  Located along the Medway River, it helped protect England's southeast coast from invasion.

You can see the holes in the walls where the beams went to support the floors.  There were three original floors with a basement.  Dad wonders how many peons it took to build it with all the many many stones in the walls.

There were passage ways all over the inside of the keep.  You can see the view down to the basement.

Standing atop the castle!

Scenes of Rochester in various directions from the top of the castle.  The winding Medway River is prominent.

The last picture is the Rochester Cathedral right across the street from the castle.  That was our next stop.  It is interesting how religion was a part of the castles in England.

The first Bishop of Rochester, Justus, was consecrated in 604, but the earliest parts of the existing building dates back to 1083, it being the second cathedral built in England.    The cemetery is small, but there are also burials all inside the cathedral, in the sidewalks, and out in the grassy area between the building and the street.  Anyone of any importance, from clergy, to family, and generous doners to the church, are buried inside.  Their stone coverings in the floor are elaborate in detailing who they are.

Stained glass was very popular in the cathedral with almost every window so designed.  They range from the Savior, to Saints, to clergy, to architects of the building, etc.  There are far too many for us to remember!

Coming in the west door, you enter the Nave.  You can see all the way down through the middle door to the east wall where the altar stands.  Above the doorway are the organ pipes, totaling 3,808.  A similar bank of them is on the backside of the ones in the picture.  The Nave has endured several major fires and was used to quarter troops and horses during medieval and Civil War sieges of the nearby castle.  In the 1650s it was even used as a carpenter shop and an alehouse.

This smaller organ is off to the side with a plaque on it saying it was donated in 1932.  It is decked out with very colorful pipes.

We then headed off to High Street to check out the home of Charles Dickens and see some of the buildings that were the settings for his stories.  Although, he used the cathedral as well.

Our first search was for Richard Watt's Charity House, the setting for The Seven Poor Travellers.  We had a map but were having difficulty in coming right on the house.  We decided to stop in at the information centre and wa la, it was right next door!  The plaque above the door is pictured below.  We listened to this story the night before and found it interesting to actually be standing in front of the house.

Click below to enjoy the short story.
http://www.free-audio-books.co.uk/free-audio-books/dickens-poor-travellers.html

We walked on up High Street and came to Eastgate House.  There is where Dickens lived and wrote.

Upper Left:  Eastgate house, built in the 1590's, is famous for its association with Dickens, featured as Westgate in The Pickwick Papers 1836, and then as the Nun's House in The Mystery of Edwin Droop in 1870.
Upper Right:  Dad standing at the back door of Eastgate House.  Notice he is taller than the door!
Lower Left:  Dad is standing in front of the Swiss Chalet.  It was a present to Dickens from an actor-friend called Charles Fechter. He unexpectedly sent Dickens 58 boxes whose contents fitted together like a puzzle. The foreign-looking structure was placed in the garden of Dickens's home in nearby Gad's Hill and he used it as a summer house and study. The last words Dickens penned before his death in June 1870, in his unfinished novel The Mystery of Edwin Drood - in which Rochester appears as "Cloisterham" - were composed inside it.
Lower Right:  Looking down High Street from Eastgate house.  A stroll down the High Street remains a joyous and uncrowded experience, as Dickens says:  "Ah! fine place... glorious pile - frowing walls - tottering arches - dark nooks - crumbling staircases - Old cathedral too - earthy smell - pilgrim's feet worn away the old steps - little Saxon doors...."  We were taken with the many different shops and stores.  We stopped in an antique store and immediately thought of Mariah.  Oh, would she have a heyday here!  China brought thoughts of Becky and bow ties brought thoughts of Nelson.  One store was only bags and purses.  I loved the smell of leather and looking at all their variety.

We stopped in Subway for a sandwich and drink and then over to the Information Centre to catch the city bus tour.  We rode atop a double decker bus with full view of the city and surroundings.  We had a live guide in period costume to explain the sights.  I could not click the camera fast enough, but did catch some of what he described.  We toured Rochester, Chatham, and Gillingham, Fort Amhurst, and went down to the docks.  It was amazing all the history the guide told us in just one hour.  We need to ride the bus another four or five times to really get it all!

#1 & 12:  Medway Visitor Information Center
#2:  Boley Hill takes in the cathedral and the castle
#3:  Medway Little Theatre
#4:  Chatham Waterfront and town centre
#5:  Dock Road/Gun Wharf and Fort Amherst-built in 1756 to protect the naval dockyard from landward attacks.
#6:  Royal Engineers Museum, Library and Archive
#7:  Dockside Outlet Centre.  It is a huge shopping mall with eateries on the dock.
#8:  Chatham Dockyard - the world's most complete dockyard from the Age of Sail.
#9:  Chatham water front
#10:  Ordnance Terrace was Dicken's childhood.  The family lived here from 1817 to 1821.
#11:  Eastgate House and Dickens' Chalet

Our tour guide and architecture of Rochester.  The arched building was used in Dickens' stories and the bottom right is the Brook Theatre.  Top left is the backside of the Poor Travellers House.

Scenes at the dockyard:  A dry dock, entrance to the port, looking out to the river, the dockyard, and the bottom right photo is of the drying sheds.  When lumber was cut for building the ships, it was first soaked in salt water and then dried or cured in the drying sheds.  They are original buildings.

More architecture.  The bottom right is a dental office.  They don't build new, they use what is there.

Our group met back at the minibus and cars and headed back across the river to Upnor Castle.

Upnor Castle is the top photo, looking across the Medway River from Rochester.  You would never guess there is a town hidden in those trees.

Rochester Castle with the cathedral right behind it is the bottom photo, looking across the Medway River from Upnor.

The town of Upnor is a fascinating little place with a narrow cobblestone street lined with traditional English flats.  It was an adventure just to walk down the street to the castle entrance along the river.

Upnor castle is an Elizabethan artillery fort which was begun in 1559 and strengthened in 1599-1601.  Its purpose was to protect warships moored at Chatham dockyard, across the river.  Despite a brave attempt it entirely failed to do so in 1667, when the Dutch sailed past it to burn or capture the English fleet at anchor.

We noted that it is one of the better preserved castles we have toured to date.

 Entrance to the gatehouse and door.  Views of the walls.  Gate to the sallyport.

Munitions room.  Courtyard, Outer gate to the north tower. Looking up the wall of the bastion.

It was an artillery castle and the barrel is an example of what it stored.  One of the many canon used in defense on the palisade.  Looking up at the gatehouse.

Top left:  Me and my soldier!
Top right:  From the top of Upnor castle, looking across the river to Chatham Dockyard.
Bottom left:  Looking across the river to the Dockside Outlet Centre.
Bottom right:  Neighborhood around the castle.

Rain began to fall at the end of our tour, so out came the umbrellas!  We stopped at a carvery for supper on the way home.

Thoughts for next trip:  Use sunscreen, take Dad's hat, keep annual passes in the wallet so we don't forget them, and charge both camera batteries.

Sunday, 17 August 2014

We awoke at 2 a.m. and made a face time call to the blessing of baby Eliza.  Hanna was the phone handler and did a fantastic job with letting us say hi to the grandchildren and others that were there.  How wonderful technology is!  It is a blessing from Heavenly Father and I thank Him for it.

Happy baby Eliza and brother Caleb trying to help her be happy!
Danny, Shawn and Stephen Garner, Thor, Eliza, Lorili, Dallin, Gary, Bob, Tyler, Trevor, Dean, Nelson.

We woke up to overcast skies and very cool temperatures.  We had the windows closed and I wore a sweater to church.  The sacrament meeting topic was parables of the Savior and there was a very nice music item:  piano, cello, and male vocal soloist singing, I Know That My Redeemer Lives.  It was beautiful, tender, and peaceful.  We discussed Proverbs and Ecclesiastics in Gospel Doctrine and the duty of parents to raise children unto the Lord.

Sister Smith stopped by for a visit this afternoon and we had the Murdoch's over for dinner.  We had chicken, baked potato, baked sweet potato, green salad, and homemade rolls.  They brought German chocolate cake to round out a delicious meal.  We enjoyed visiting with each other.  They go home to Logan, UT the end of September

Temple Week #12, 12 August 2014

Tuesday:  We were both in the baptistry today.  We had one session at 10 a.m that included five French youth, seven Swedish youth, and one American.  The group was well mannered and they brought several adults with them that helped out with various tasks and responsibilities.  They finished up about noon, and we got the laundry started.  After lunch, we were in the laundry, moving the clothing to the dryers, folding, and putting away.

I had a doctor's appointment at 4 p.m.  Brother Wade drove us to that and to pick up a prescription for a urinary tract infection.  We had dinner when we got home and there were off to the 6 p.m. session.  Sister Clark, here on a mission asked Dad if he would do her father's endowment today as she will be sealed to her parents tomorrow.  The session was lovely and he was happy to do it.

From Home:

I know it's pink, but it is all for Eliza!  She is weighing in at 11 lbs., 8 oz., 25 inches long!  You grow baby!  Henry and Caleb are enjoying an unusual event in Yuma - rain!

Wednesday:  There were no baptisms today, so I was in clothing with Sister George.  There were not very many patrons renting clothing, so she and I had plenty of time for visiting.    I rang up three orders and managed to mess up two of them!  I know I am not ready to be on my own!  That will be a scary day.

At the flat, we did laundry, fixed dinner, and read.  We joined others for a FHE group in the TV room, where we watched a dvd, "Faith In Their Footsteps."  It is about the first missionaries in England, the prominent one being Heber C Kimball.  Brother Davis said his great great great grandfather would be mentioned in the dvd as being baptized a member.  When that part came, it was Heber C Kimball who baptized him.  I told Brother Davis that Heber C is Dad's great great grandfather.  When the missionaries left England, they had baptized 2,000 saints, with Heber doing more that 1,000 0f those baptisms.

I had made a pan of Grandma Brown's brownies for refreshments.  Everyone was enjoying them when Sister Adler asked if I had made them.  When I said I had she said they were lovely and could she have the recipe.  I went to the flat and got her one.  She was busily reading it and asked:  "What is shortening?"  (They don't have it here.)  We all explained what it is and what would be like it over here.  It will be interesting to see how hers will turn out.

Thursday:  We woke up to rain and headed over to the temple.  We had one session today.  It went well with plenty of brothers and sisters to help and the youth were easy to work with.  We were busy the whole time.

We were off on the shopping trip after our shift.  I took the umbrella because it was raining and the weather is a little cooler.  We were successful in getting what we were looking for and even picked up Kentucky Fried chicken for dinner.

Friday:  We had two baptism sessions, one at 10 a.m, and one at 12 p.m.  Both groups were fair sized and very courteous.  They brought family file names and we used some temple file.  They had sisters and brothers to help, which made for a smooth time.  We got four loads of laundry through and two of them folded before we were off shift at 2:30 p.m.

We had four from France and an American family had joined in the session.  The father had served his mission in France, so he was the officiator for them.  They were thrilled to hear the ordinances in their language, and the father was very happy to help out.

Dad had a surprise when he saw Delbert Phelps, who grew up with Spencer,  in the temple.  They enjoyed a pleasant conversation and it was nice to see someone from "home."

Members of our shift went to dinner with Sister Powell and Bro & Sis Wade.  They are going home the end of the month.  There were 36 of us that met at the Thai restaurant in Lingfield.  We are told this is one of the best Thai restaurants in southern England.  We have not eaten at a Thai restaurant before so it was a new experience for us.  I had #36-sweet and sour duck.  I can't really say what it tasted like because I mostly tasted what it was cooked in.  Dad had  #82-chicken and prawn rice served in the scooped out half of a pineapple.

 Left:  The Strongs on left and Littlefileds on right.  Sister Powell on the right.

two views down the long table.  Note the fish in the middle of the one on the right.  He is in a fish tank that goes from the top of the table to the ceiling.  There are too many wonderful people to get them all named:  Sister Kelly, Sister Smith, Sister Biggs, Brother Searle, etc.  Brother Davis, Sister Masih, President Irwin, Sister Hale, Sister Freeman, etc.

This is the toilet in the bathroom at the restaurant.  Note that the tank is a fish tank!  And, no, the fish did not go down when I flushed.

Saturday:  This is our three month mark!  It has gone fast, slow, busy, quiet, etc.  It is amazing to know we have been here this long; the things we have learned and recognizing there is much much more to learn about the mission and this wonderful country!

It was a busy day in the temple.  We had two baptism sessions and they both ran smoothly.  One was from Cardiff and they brought enough priesthood and sisters to manage the session.  We got them set up and mainly stayed out of the way.  Oh, we did trade out towels and get the laundry going, dried, and folded, though.  When the other shift came on board, we moved to other assignments.  I continue to be amazed at the many walks of life, the different physical limitations, cultures, and races these faithful patrons come from.

Our afternoon and evening was spent in doing laundry, cleaning, ironing, etc.  We also took a walk to the Accomodations Centre and ended up at the Visitor's Centre and talked with Elder & Sister Anderson, from Logan, UT.  Young Sister Jacob showed us how she was talking and teaching the gospel Online.  It is pretty amazing what they can do.  She told of a young man they had found on the internet.  He was in Sicily and wanted to join the church.  She sent his information to the missionaries there and he began taking the lessons and was baptized.

While there, we also saw a lovely bride and groom out on the temple grounds.  She started walking over to the Visitor's Centre seeming a little distressed.  She said she had left her bag in the hired car that had brought them to the temple!  She wanted to use the internet to locate their phone number in her email.  She could not find it and went back outside.  Luckily she did have her recommend with her so the ceremony would continue as planned!

Buckingham Palace, 11 August 2014

We woke up to bright clear skies, but packed for rainy weather as we loaded on the coach with 27 other missionaries and headed to London!  This is our first, no my first trip to the great city.  Dad was there on his first mission.  We were dropped off and headed to see the changing of the guard  in front of Buckingham Palace.  (The English call it Buckingum Palace.)

We arrived just minutes before the event and stood with hundreds of other tourists to view it.  Only problem was we really did not get a very good view as people were gathered up in front of the gates and fences and we were across the street, about four rows back.  So, I just held up the camera and started clicking.  There was a time or two people left in front of us and we quickly stepped into their place and by the time we left, we were right up to the rail.  Just as the ceremony was over, rain began to fall.

The many scenes of Buckingham Palace.  There were people everywhere and Bobbies on horses.  It was amazing to see the horses stand still for long periods of time.  We did not see any of them get excited with all the activity and people.  

Waiting in line and our souvenir, a refrigerator magnet.

We are standing on the steps from the Garden Room.  Some of the extensive gardens and the street sign outside the gate.  As we walked along the path through the gardens to exit the property, it was interesting to here big city traffic noises.  The gardens definitely make you feel as though you are in the country.

Band, Guard, and Band.

We were not allowed to take photos inside the palace.  The tour was interesting but we were not overly impressed.  It seemed old, which it was, very spacious, overly decorated, almost ornate, and not very inviting.  The White Drawing Room though, did catch my attention with the lovely pianoforte, a desk, lots of settees and chairs.  It would have been nice if the pianoforte was opened.  I would love to see inside one of them.  

Note the mirror on the left of the portrait - it is a secret door.  It is used for the royal family to discretely enter the room from the living quarters.

The Throne Room also caught my attention, not so much as it is the throne room, but for the family portraits that were there.  I did think, though as I stood in front of the throne:  "This is actually where the Queen does sit."  And, this room was used for the filming of the Christmas special of Downton Abby, when Lady Rose is presented to the King and Queen.  Wow, I stood here!

There were portraits of Queen Elizabeth' wedding, Prince Charles' wedding, and Prince William's wedding, and a four generation portrait:  Queen Elizabeth, Prince's Charles, William, and George.  They were all very nice to look at.

The Picture Room had outstanding paintings up and down the walls.  Too many to really study.  I guess if you spent a couple of hours in this room you may begin to scratch the surface understanding the talent on display.  There was another room with more paintings and lots of statues.  I was not impressed with all of the naked bodies depicted.

Our tour ended with a walk out of the Garden Room, onto the terrace that opens out into the spacious garden.  We continued along the path until we excited the grounds and found our way back to where the bus picked us up and we returned to the temple grounds.