We were on the early shift this week and I was in clothing/till one day. I serviced about a dozen patrons, folded tubs of men's and women's socks and men's ties. I followed a session one day and then had regular lines for the other days. Dad officiated in sessions, had regular lines, and participated in a baptism session.
On Sunday, we picked up Natalie and headed to church. It was Fast Sunday and the testimonies born were sincere and inspirational. They needed help in the nursery so Dad and I went there during Sunday School. We were replaced the second hour and then interviewed by Brother Chambers of the bishopric for teaching the 10-11 yr olds in primary. So, next week we will be there. I told Sister Clark, the Primary president, the down side to teaching the class was that we would not be available for the nursery. She said it was a tough decisions to make. We will be teaching children the ages of Lorili, Bridger, Carson, and Jeremiah. We look forward to it being a fun time with the children and watching their testimonies blossom.
We were both to the podiatrist on Tuesday to get our feet checked out. Dad needed a pedicure and wanted his feet check for his diabetes. My feet have grown longer and wider since being here and I have had issues with corns and callouses. Emma Westers has a very pleasing personality, very friendly, and said she has seen others from the temple and some from the visitors' centre. We were pleased with her ability and we went away with feet feeling better.
We are trying to decide where we will go on break since we cannot leave the temple district. Dad came upon the idea to go where some of his ancestors are from. He began researching, making phone calls, and putting together a plan. Emma Westers knows the place he is looking at as she and her family go there during the summer and rent a cottage. She says it is lovely and we really will enjoy going there. This just may be our plan.
We called Riley, Thor, and Spencer on their birthdays this week. They are doing well, enjoying life, and endured our singing. We were happy to hear their voices and talk with them.
Riley, Shawn, and Mason. Riley is 14 and will be ordained a teacher on the 8th.
Spencer
My neck has been on the blink. I figured it out finally; it is the collar on my jacket that is causing the pain and discomfort. I am not sure what I can do about that since staying warm is a good thing right now. Anyway, we found a chiropractor I went to and she may be able to get things straightened out. She is from America, practiced in California and like, Emma Westers, she has a very nice personality. She was excited to speak "American." She took x-rays to pinpoint the problem areas and made adjustments accordingly. She notice arthritis here and there, but said some relief is possible.
I got a hair cut this week, Dad picked up prescriptions, and I helped Brother Garrett with his family history. We attended family home evening and enjoyed the program on Scotland. There are quite a few missionaries from Scotland and they shared experiences with the church in Scotland, Scottish food, one sang traditional songs, and then some danced traditional dances. It was a wonderful time and listening to their accent was fun. They really got into it when they were all talking together.
After our shift on Thursday we picked up Natalie and brought her to the distribution centre to look for artwork for her flat. She had a great time looking at the pictures, DVDs, CDs, books, etc. She felt like a child in a candy shop in trying to decide what to buy. She made her decision and purchased artwork, a DVD, a CD, and the gospel art book. We then said we would like to take her to dinner, her choice of location. She quietly thought and then came up with Prezzo, an Italian place that has a ramp where she can get in and out easily. Off we headed to Crawley with her giving directions. The weather was very dark and stormy and by the time we parked in front of Prezzo, it started to rain fairly well. We decided to wait in the car for a bit to see if it would ease up. Next thing we noticed was that it had turned to hail and was coming down with force. We continued to wait and then it started snowing! We decided we could maneuver the snow, so Dad got out and got the wheelchair out and Natalie got in it. I had the umbrella up and we headed across the walkway giggling and laughing at our adventure. We got in, shook off the snow, and were seated at a table. We ordered a Tropical pizza and a Bianca pizza. The Tropical had pineapple and ham on it and the Bianca had goat cheese, butternut squash, red and yellow bell pepper, fresh leaf spinach, sliced beets, and drizzled with a sweet balsamic vinegar. The pizzas were thin crust, about 18 inches long and 8 inches across. They came out on boards with pizza cutters to use. What a feast we had! We enjoyed the food and conversation. Natalie was so excited to be out and what great company we were for one another.
By the time we were ready to leave the restaurant, the snow had stopped and was even gone. We got Natalie safely back to her flat. She decided she would sleep good that night as the afternoon had been a busy one for her. We stopped by the grocery store for food on our way home.
We attended the fireside that Brother & Sister Parkinson spoke at. Their family was caught in the Teton Dam Flood, leaving them homeless as they lost everything. They were on a trip to Salt Lake City when the dam broke and their four children were home with a babysitter. They were unable to get in touch with them for two days and at one point the authorities said they were not in any of the shelters that had been set up and a helicopter had been sent to the home to see if they were there, but they were not. They had to come to grips with the fact that they may have been dead. It was through the babysitter's listening to the spirit that saved her and the children. She took them to her house and they evacuated with her parents to another town. All communication lines were down so there was no way to know where they were. With the help of many others, a search was made and they were found safe with the family. Brother & Sister Parkinson's testimonies are incredible and are grateful for the blessings that are theirs.
Funny pictures sent from other missionaries on our trip to the Royal Observatory and Cutty Sark.
There has to be a clown somewhere!
Yes, it was cold, and raining.
Monday felt like a free day as we had beautiful sunshine the first part of the morning before the clouds took over. We headed out to Royal Tunbridge Wells to exchange some shoes I had bought the week before. We turned on the sat nav and away we went. Just before Lingfield we saw Brother Davis walking. We stopped and offered a ride but he was making his daily 10 miler. We saw Brother Cooper at the Co-op.
We were driving on narrow country roads with barely room from two cars. It was chancy at times and we could feel the swish of the hedges alongside the left side of the car. We caught a couple of potholes as well. But what was neat, was the landscape. It was all open with fields and rolling hills marked off in hedgerows. The sun was bright, making the green grass even greener in spite of the -4ºC temperature. We could see for some distance and take in the houses and barns and other buildings. It was beautiful and I enjoyed the vistas before us.
We arrived at the mall, parked, and made our exchange rather easily and were headed back home. We went home through Hartfield and stopped at The Pooh Corner Store for a photo op with the lizard.
Back home, Dad took care of business at reception and then vacuumed the flat. I got lunch going and cleaned the bathroom and kitchen. I got the towels in the washer. We enjoyed lunch and then took Sister Hale to hospital for her pre-admission for her knee surgery on Thursday. When she got there she discovered her appointment was for Tuesday, not Monday, but they were kind enough to work her in and we headed back home within a half hour.
From Home:
Bob and Tyler participated in the yearly triathlon held in Yuma. The kids had fun being together, playing, and enjoying Chile Pepper.
No comments:
Post a Comment