Twenty-three missionaries, on their way home, also added to the numbers with coming in on Tuesday. I was in clothing/till, and serviced them with clothing. Sister George and Sister Smith came to my aid and we quickly got them squared away. One of the missionaries recognized my accent and asked where in America I was from. When I said: "Arizona," he said: "I'm from Reno, Nevada." We had a little chat about the west and what home is like.
Saturday came along and even more patrons flooded the temple with every area very busy. I assisted seven new patron sisters and rejoiced with them as they participated in ordinances. Later that evening we went out for a meal with the Garrett's and ran into one of the families at the restaurant. When we recognized one another we all enjoyed hugs, kind words, and a spirit of love for the blessings of the day. At the end of Saturday, there were more than 1,000 endowments in the temple for the week!
Dad had a bout with kidney stones on Monday, and I struggled with new exercises from the chiropractor. I entered more photos and documents and stories in FamilyTree and helped the Garrett's with using FamilyTree and ancestry.com, and updating their iPad. We made a trip to Costco, and went to dinner one evening at the Siam Orchid in Carshalton. Brother Appleyard, a worker on our shift, owns the restaurant and his wife is the chef. She is from Thailand and that is the food served there. We enjoyed meeting Su Pin, and the food was delicious. Their oldest son was in helping as well. Su Pin called Brother Appleyard to say we were there and he stopped by to say hello on his way to stake meetings. Dad had coconut rice and sweet and sour prawn. I had pad Thai noodles and sweet and sour chicken. We definitely plan to go back.
Sister Hale came by with another painting, this one of the Preston Temple.
We called with birthday wishes to Brynlyn and Eme. They are busy little girls and enjoy life and learning and doing.
Brynlyn turns 3, and Eme turns 6.
We drove to Carshalton to eat at the Siam Orchid. It is a Thai restaurant owned by Brother Appleyard, a periodic worker on our shift. We found it with only one wrong turn and even found free parking, a rarity in this country. The food was delicious and we enjoyed meeting his wife and oldest son. It will definitely be a trip worth repeating. We went home a different way because we got lost right off the bat and when the sat nav caught up with all of our wrong turns, we were on a different route. You have to remember, in England you can't turn around and when you turn on to a side road to turn around, there is no place wide enough to turn around in, or you have wound up on a one way street! You gotta love England for driving.
Church was a little unusual on Sunday. The sacrament was just about finished when a brother fell off the bench having a seizure. The missionary sitting next to him got up and headed out of the chapel with cell phone in hand. Julzz, a first aider (we call them EMT in America), went to assist the man. Everyone else in the chapel remained quietly in their seats. When the sacrament was finished, the bishop asked another brother to assist Julz, which he did. The bishop then said he would say a closing prayer and we would go to class early, ending the block 30 minutes early, and for everyone to exit the chapel.
Our primary class went okay with only half of them in attendance. They were a bit wound up due to the situation that occurred in sacrament meeting, but they did focus on the lesson. We were finding evidence that Jesus Christ was resurrected by reading the accounts of the empty tomb, what the angel said, and the witness of those who saw and talked with Him after His death. We followed up with the testimony of a modern day apostle who has not seen, but knows, Elder D. Todd Chrsitofferson: "Under the glance of His all-seeing eye, I stand myself as a witness that Jesus of Nazareth is the resurrected Redeemer, and I testify of all that follows from the fact of His Resurrection. May you receive the conviction and comfort of that witness. . . " (April 2014)
Sunday evening, I joined other sisters here on the temple grounds and watched the women's session of general conference at the Visitors' Centre. The theme was the importance of the family with music, videos, and talks relating to that topic. This year marks the 100th anniversary of Family Home Evening, and the 20th anniversary of "The Family, A Proclamation To The World." We were encouraged to be filled with light and truth to be able to withstand the forces against us. We must live and defend our homes. Families are God's workshop on earth and each member of a family needs to do their part. A family will be tested, tried, and stretched. It is in the family we learn empathy and compassion for others. It is interesting to note the proclamation was given 20 years ago and it is what we need now to stem the tide of evil. What man comes up with will never change God's law.
As members of the church we are to be defenders of the Lord's plan by recognizing marriage between a man and a woman, elevating the divine roles of fathers and mothers, and the sanctity of the home.. The doctrine of the family is our benchmark for judging the philosophies of the world. We are to aim for the ideal family and plan for contingencies.
President Eyring concluded with following the Savior in emulating His compassion. We become like Him when we give succor to others, just liked we promised at baptism. He told of meeting a mother with a bouncing babe in arms who had come to the funeral of a five year old to mourn with the family and give succor in a time of need. He learned that she, herself had lost a young child. He asked her what the baby's name was and she said: "Joy. Joy always comes after the sorrow."
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