Temple Weeks #44 & #45: 7 - 20 April 2015

The week was filled with sunshine here and there and warmer temperatures.  Maybe spring is on its way and we will soon be able to shed the coats and scarves and gloves.  The temple grounds are turning into bright vibrant colors of growth.

 Our back yard is coming in nicely.

 I caught Moroni peaking through the tree.

 We would call these wild flowers at home; they just pop up in a profusion of color and charm.

The temple was busy with patrons coming each day.  I was mentoring periodic patrons here and there with the tasks I was assigned to do.

I had a migraine headache Friday and came home after following the 9 a.m. session.  I took pain pills and went to bed.  By late afternoon I was feeling much better.  Dad was off after shift for his driving lesson.  He is doing better at the wheel and is enjoying learning some of the finer details of driving in England.  He decided I could start parking the car in the car park once we have come home from errands.  One afternoon he sent me to bring the car around.  I ran over the curb with the back tire and then when coming along side the sidewalk for him to get in, I ran right up on the sidewalk.  It is a bit tricky driving on the right side of the car and judging the left side.

I enjoyed movie night with a showing of "To Kill A Mocking Bird," with Gregory Peck.  There was a large group of missionaries there and we all enjoyed visiting and sharing snacks.  I helped Brother Garrett with family history and I did some myself and communicated with Tyler who was so sweet to scan and email me some of the documents I needed.  I am busy uploading sources, documents, and photos to people in family tree, and by doing that I have discovered a couple of infants who died young and they do not appear with their families there.  I wonder what other situations I will come across.

Primary class is going well with each week being an improvement over the other.  The children are beginning to respond more positively and seem to enjoy being together.  They always like it when Dad shares wisdom, experiences, or trivia with them.  They say he knows everything and has lots of stuff.

Sweet Sister Hale had to return home, three months before the end of her mission.  She has been dealing with pain in her back and it has become unmanageable and has gone home to get things checked out and hopefully fixed.  We all took turn wishing her a tender farewell with wishes of seeing her again, maybe on another mission, who knows.

Sister Celeste Hale from Oregon.

Brother and Sister Banks are gone for two weeks to tend grandchildren for some reason, and Brother and Sister Topham are gone for a month for her to give her sister a break from take care of her aging mother.  We are missing these wonderful missionaries.

Our ward had a youth baptism trip on Thursday.  We were all set to stop by and see JJ and Ella, two of our primary students who would be there, when at the last minute, our duties were changed in the temple and we missed seeing them.  But what luck I had as I walked out of the temple to go home, there both of them were with parents, having just come out of the temple themselves.  We greeted each other and they both expressed their feelings of their first time doing baptisms in the temple.

On Sunday the 19th, we were excited when Natalie called to say she would be driving her car to church!  She wanted us to meet her in the car park to push her up the ramp into the building.  We arrived and she soon followed.  Dad got her wheelchair out and she got in and he pushed her into the building.  She is quite handy with the chair and goes all over.  Her health is improving daily and she hopes one day she will be able to stand and walk for long distances again.

A highlight of these weeks was our trip to RAF Lakenheath Base to shop at the commissary.  We recognized the base as we had passed it on our way to Sherringham in March.  Brother Davis is a retired chaplain and got us in.  He and Dad are heading to the car after Dad and I got our passes for the day.

We did more than visit the commissary.  Lieutenant Colonel Cragun, a doctor on base and a member of the church, had seen Brother Davis and Dad in the baptistry one day and said he could "fix" the places on their faces if they would come see him.  So we did.  We went to the hospital where Brother Davis got us in to see Dr. Cragun.  He treated the places on Brother Davis' face and then looked at the suspicious mole area by Dad's ear.  He told Dad what he thought it was and suggested he go to the doctor to have it confirmed and get treatment and be sure to let him know.  He even took a look at the skin irritation behind my ear and advised how to treat it.  We had a very nice visit with him.

We then went to the Exchange (We used to call it the PX.) and shopped what we had on our list.  Brother Davis had lists for several of the missionaries and we worked together getting everything.  I was so excited to see products I recognized and knew what they were.  I couldn't believe how much I have missed from home.

At the commissary we took baskets and lists and started shopping.  The only problem with me was I bought way more than I put on the list as I saw familiar things I had not thought of.  I didn't have to read labels to figure out what they were or ask for help in finding every thing I wanted.  It was just like shopping at home and I could guess where products would be on the isles!  It was an amazing experience and I felt like a kid in a candy shop.  The employees spoke American, another plus because we didn't have to explain ourselves when we asked questions, etc.  I commented to the baggers that in my day I did what they were doing.  It definitely brought back memories of our military life.

We loaded up the car and headed back to the Exchange for lunch and ice cream at Baskin Robbins.  They do not have ice cream shops in England, so this was another treat and memory of home.  We got into the car when we were finished and I felt like I had just had one of the best days of the year!

Dad found real Frosted Flakes at the commissary.  He did a taste test and was disappointed that they tasted the same!  When he ate them here, he was for sure they were sweeter at home.