Spring Has Finally Sprung!

It looks like May is going to come to a wild and crazy close here in Southern England at the end of this week. It's been quite a month for a lot of reasons - only a few of which I'm going to mention. Lots of things going on here on the temple grounds during the past few weeks that have kept us on our toes.

This Wednesday we will welcome three new sister missionaries who will be arriving from the Provo MTC. Sister Phermsin will be leaving to train a new companion in Kingston and our other three sisters (Cardona, Berati and Maughan) will each train a brand-new companion here at the Visitors' Centre. We are excited to meet them and welcome them to the Visitors' Centre!

We and our sister missionaries and senior couples have been busy teaching this month. Now that the weather has finally improved (some days) and there have been some holidays, we have seen an increase in visitors. Each morning we wonder who will come into the Visitors' Centre during the day and what their needs will be. It is such a privilege to meet the wonderful people from all over the world who come in. Many are members of the church and are just stopping by. Others bring friends and relatives to introduce them to the gospel and show them the temple. Some come onto the grounds just because they've see a sign or an article somewhere and are curious about the temple or the Church. We love to answer their questions. We love to talk about our Savior, Jesus Christ, and introduce them to our beliefs.

We have received news this month that the London Temple will close for ten weeks in September. The normal bi-annual two week shutdown for cleaning and refurbishing will begin on September 1st, but the temple is not scheduled to open again until Tuesday, November 5th. There are some issues with maintenance that will be addressed during that time. It will be a challenging time for the Visitors' Centre and our work is cut out for us. Our attendance normally drops quite a lot when the temple is closed. We will need to let people know that is a perfect time to come for a visit and receive personalized attention.

Along with all the missionary activity, we've had a lot of friends and family stop by during May. London seems to be a popular destination this time of year - and we have been the beneficiaries! As you probably figured out long ago if you've read our blog, senior missionaries are allowed a lot more leeway than young elders and sisters when it comes to seeing friends and family. They can't, but we can. Of course, our first priority is to serve our mission and fulfill the responsibilities we accepted with our mission call, but we do have a few more discretionary hours during the week than the young missionaries. That has been a sweet blessing to us "old people."

Just after the Berentes left at the end of April, we had a visit from Don's sister Colleen and her husband, Lon, who stayed in the Accommodation Centre for several nights. (See Come To The Visitors' Centre, May 14th).They spent some time in the temple while we fulfilled our Visitors' Centre shifts and attended a  day-long Zone Conference, but we were able to spend some evenings with them. Don also took a PDay and rode the train into London with them so they could all do a little sight-seeing.

About a week later our long-time buddies Mike and Pam Hannan (for nearly 50 years) arrived here after a three-day trek across the U.S. and back again. Mike's a retired Delta pilot so they were flying Space Available - and there wasn't any! They made it to Minneapolis but a baggage handlers strike in Belgium had diverted enough disgruntled passengers to London that there weren't any seats left, so they flew back to Arizona to visit a son, then returned to Utah and tried again. This time they flew through JFK and made it! We were so glad when they finally arrived!

We had a great couple of days visiting with them between our shifts and responsibilities. This time I took a PDay and drove with them to see the Canterbury Cathedral and an absolutely charming house in near-by Chartham that was built in 1420. What an amazing experience that was! Mike and Pam had known the home's previous owner well and were given a grand tour (with tag-along me) of this house by it's very gracious current owner. The lady and her husband have renovated this beautiful house and it is registered as an English Heritage site. The original walls (still standing) were made from mud, sticks and horse hair. Wow! To put that in perspective, the only people in North America at that point were the Native Americans and they definitely weren't living in medieval pre-Tudor homes. Columbus didn't sail the ocean blue for another 72 years after this house was built.

Mike and Pam with the owner of the Bedford House in Chartham.

Wouldn't I love to have a backyard that looked like this....

A modern wrought iron gate proclaiming the age of the Bedford House.

Because of their foiled travel plans, Mike and Pam only stayed a couple of days, but while they were still here our good friend and neighbor, Jeff Tanner, arrived and checked in at the Accommodation Centre. We had a great trip over to Hever Castle (just 20 minutes away) with Mike, Pam and Jeff, then all had dinner together that evening. Jeff's a pilot for Southwest Airlines, so he and Mike had plenty to talk about. Don and I quizzed Jeff for hours about all the news from Draper and Jeff gave us some great background about the history of our mission - the England London South Mission - where he served 23 years ago. What fun!

Don, Pat, Jeff, Mike and Pam

This week, Don's brother Paul and his wife, Gertrud, arrived Monday afternoon for a very short visit on their way from Germany to our niece's home in St. Albans, north of London. We haven't seen them in nearly two years and we were so glad they took the time to come. We had a great time with them at Hever Castle on a gloriously beautiful afternoon. It's one of our very favorite places in southern England. We were also able to tour the house not far from here where Charles Darwin and his wife raised their 10 children (seven of whom lived to adulthood). The drives to these two destinations were amazing. England is so magically beautiful at this time of year.

Gertrud and Paul with Don and Pat

The Hever Gardens - no picture can begin to do them justice.

While the mom and dad swans are out finding dinner,
we're "cignet watching" - waiting for these 5 eggs to hatch.

How we love the tree tunnels!

These narrow one-lane roads are
very common in our area.

Gertrud and Paul in front of the Down House.

We also heard from Don's cousin Mike Gray and our dear friends Kathy Rollins and Joni Lusty at different times during the month. They were all in England but our schedules and theirs just didn't mesh. It was great to talk to Joni when she called from the other church Visitors' Centre in England at Hyde Park in London.

As the month of May comes to a close, we are aware that our mission experience seems to be gaining speed. The days are just flying by and there is so much more we plan to do to make the London Temple Visitors' Centre a great place to visit. Meanwhile, though, spring has sprung. The leaves are back on the trees. The beautiful songs of the birds have returned. The flowers are blooming and the rhododendrons all over the temple property are just beginning to burst out in all their glorious color. Life is good.                     ~Pat~

Come To The Visitors' Center!

When was the last time you spent an hour or two in a Church Visitors' Center?  There are 19 of them - many located near a temple. Rome will soon have the 20th.  Do you know how many wonderful resources are available there to church members and non-members alike?  If you haven't taken your family, your friends, or even yourself to see the displays, kiosks, exhibits, movies or missionaries at your local Visitors' Center lately, you ought to!!

Visitors' Centers are a great place to recharge your faith, learn something new, watch a favorite church movie or the latest Mormon Message, be inspired, listen to the words of the Savior, take a peaceful walk around the beautiful grounds, or have a conversation with an energetic sister missionary. Parents:  this is a great place to take your kids. There are good things to be learned in a visitors' center.

The London Temple Visitors' Centre is not a large visitors' center, but it is filled with fabulous displays and exhibits. You can

• Learn the history of the construction and dedication of the London Temple.
• Listen to the words and teachings of our Savior, Jesus Christ.
• Check out the display containing four videos about the history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the British Isles
• Explore Temples of the World  - an interactive kiosk where you can test your skill at the location of the 141 temples in the world, learn the difference between chapels and temples, find out what happens in the baptistry, endowment rooms, sealing rooms and Celestial Room, and learn the history of temple building throughout time.
• Watch excerpts from the latest General Conference of the Church and find out about the lives of the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve.
• Learn about the Book of Mormon and the promises attached to the first principles of the gospel, which are faith, repentance, baptism, the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end.
• Watch the charming "Homefront" TV ads from the 1970's and 80's. They'll still give you a lot to think about! 
• Review The Family: A Proclamation to the World  or The Living Christ.
• Listen to the remarkable, candid (and funny) descriptions of gospel topics by little children.
• Strike up a conversation with a sister missionary from another country and learn something new.
• Sit in on one of the more than 70 films and videos available to both teach and entertain. There are so many, many fabulous stories to choose from. They'll touch your heart and inspire you.

Other visitors' centers have displays and exhibits unique to their own locations. Next time you're in the vicinity, I challenge you to come to the visitors' center and bring your family or friends. Spend an afternoon or an evening there and see what you can learn! Pay attention to the way you feel. Miracles often happen.            
          ~Pat~

Lon and Colleen Stuart (Don's sister) with one tired Visitors' Centre Director and his wife....

What Do You Love?

We had a little time to walk in Regents Park in London last weekend and happened upon the most beautiful Spring vistas and tulip gardens.

As we walked through the park, I found myself filled with gratitude for simple things. There are so many beautiful little blessings to see in this world of ours if we just slow down and take notice. What are you most grateful for? What fills you with feelings of love and appreciation? Here are a few of the things I love most about our experience in England.

Narrow, winding roads through the countryside

Sunny days
Tree tunnels
Thatched roof cottages

Serving 24/7 in a shared purpose with my eternal companion

Family - even more cherished than ever before
Dear friends - near and far

Lemon curd (food for the gods)

Swans on lakes

Flowering trees

Green space - a national treasure

A profound understanding that we have a Savior who loves us and
      died that we could live again
The restored gospel of Jesus Christ

The London Temple in all it's glory, especially at nightfall when the
      lights are coming on and the sky is a brilliant azure blue.
Planes flying overhead (weird, but true)

Saturdays when the parking lots are filled with coaches (buses) and cars

Night birds - their beautiful songs after sundown 

Red double-decker coaches

The joy of service

Daffodils

The peace of the temple grounds, it's paths, and it's reflecting pond
Our dear London Temple presidency and temple workers
Church employees who keep everything running smoothly - security, engineers, gardeners, accommodations
The Mission Office missionaries - every one of them
Our wonderful sister missionaries and senior couples
Ducks and ducklings

Rainbows over the temple after rainstorms

British humor
The hustle-bustle fun of London
British history and royalty

Window flower boxes

Castles and manors

My hard-earned drivers' license

Miracles

Converts - people who we've watched transform and find peace and purpose

Families, ward and stake members picnicking on the temple grounds

Cornish Pasties

Fish and Chips with malt vinegar

Sat Nav (GPS) - couldn't function without it

Meeting people from all walks of life and much of the world

~Pat~

Missing Them

Speaking only for myself, I've been just a little melancholy this past week or two. There are a lot of people I've been missing lately! We see blessings around us every day and we love serving this mission, but once in awhile it would be nice to be in two places at once :)

Last weekend, our son-in-law Josh graduated from B.Y.U. with a degree in Psychology. Would have love to have been there with them!  

CONGRATULATIONS, JOSH!

Emily and Josh at the Marriott Center.

Also last week, we had a great Skype call with our two youngest grandkids -- who are growing up soooo fast. Miss them so much! Luckily, we get to see and talk to all our grandkids nearly every week on Skype. What a blessing!

Our Skype view of Ammon and Laina.

We are so grateful for the love and support our family has given us for the past (almost) two years that we've been away from home. We are so blessed. The good news from home is:

• Jenn and Iain are settled in and loving their new home in Mountain Green.
• Our oldest grandson, Jacob, will be graduating from high school next month.
• Janet's book, Zap the Grandma Gap, is selling well and she is doing a lot of speaking on how to get your kids and grandkids excited about their family's history.
• Kristen is doing lots of beautiful photo shoots with her business, Sweet Sassafras.
• Both Jenn and Amy, as well as Amy's husband Colin, are working on their Master's Degrees.
• Emily is finishing her first year of teaching her own sixth grade class at American Preparatory Academy.
• Amy was in Utah during her Spring break. She will be there again this summer during part of the time that Colin is deployed to Qatar.
• Amy and Emily will both be performing in Haiti this summer with Clog America.

Last week also found us saying good-bye to Elder and Sister Kearl, who finished their mission and have already arrived safely home in Canada. We are really going to miss them. We have such good memories of trips taken and times together. Sister Kearl pretty much kept the missionaries fed and looked after for 18 months. Elder Kearl was in charge of everything financial and earth-shaking in the mission. Together, they reached out to everyone, made us feel loved and kept us all laughing.  

Elder George and Sister Myrna Kearl from the Mission Office.
Everyone loved the Kearls around here!

The Kearls are the fourth missionary couple to leave the temple grounds this month. The Knights, Fawcetts and Workmans preceded them. What a wonderful bunch of friends! We wish them all well in their new escapades.

Elder Ed and Sister Connie Knight, temple missionaries and
guardian angels, also left a few weeks ago. We miss them, too!

One great blessing of the past few weeks was a visit from our dear friends, the Berentes, from Draper. We were so glad to see them! Istvan and Lisa and their kids are living in Stuttgart, Germany for six months or so while Lisa is deployed. They spent several nights at the Temple Accommodation Centre here on the temple grounds. During the days, they did some temple work and saw a lot of London and southern England. I got to take an afternoon off and drive to Dover with them. So much fun to be with them! We toured the Wartime Tunnels from World War II, the magnificent Dover Castle, and walked along the White Cliffs. It was such a beautiful day that we could even pick out the shoreline of France on the other side of the English Channel.

The Berentes at the White Cliffs of Dover

Don stayed behind at the Visitors' Centre the afternoon we went to Dover. He had an interview with the BBC in Surrey. There is a "Faith" program that the BBC broadcasts every Sunday morning one the radio. Over the next few weeks, they will be airing two interviews with Don and a public affairs representative for the Maidstone Stake.

Sunday night, while we were at a meeting with all the temple missionaries, Lisa, Courtney and Hannah took off around the temple grounds and made a surprise video for us. We were surprised and amazed. It is such a fun video! You can view it right here (you may have to copy and paste):  https://www.dropbox.com/s/zq3ysrwvufk1yo0/Video%2028.04.13%2021%2029%2006.mov

Now we've said good-bye to the Berentes. They're off the see the tulips in the Netherlands on their way back to Germany. If a mission is anything, it's a lot of hellos and good-byes. Once again I am reminded of the wise words of Dr. Seuss:  "Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened!"

You just have to celebrate the temporary!                          ~Pat~

A Good Week in Newchapel

We had a good week this week.  On Wednesday I had my final driving lesson.  Americans can drive for a year in England on their U.S. licenses, but after a year they have to pass two British driving exams -- a theory or written test on the highway rules and hazards, and a practical driving test on the roads with an examiner.  After driving for 53 years, you'd think I would have no problem passing these tests.  Let's just say that many Americans fail their tests the first time -- both the young missionaries and the seniors.

My last driving lesson with Stuart Ansell

I passed my written theory test in January then started taking driving lessons before my practical test.  I must say there is a lot more to getting a driver's license in the UK than in the States.  I thought I might be able to get by without an instructor, but I learned new things with each lesson.  There are so many things to remember. It's easy to get docked for things that may seem minor in the States.  After I took my driver's test Friday, my examiner, a former policeman, said the British exam is the most challenging of any country in the world.  I passed!  I'm happy.  Truth is, I think this experience will make me a much better driver when I return home next year.  That's got to be a good thing.  

I passed!

Our sister missionaries have come to expect donuts -
our traditional "passed the driver's test" celebration at the V.C.

Early last week, before my driving test, I was contacted by a reporter for the area newspaper.  He wanted a reaction to the Book of Mormon Musical playing in London.  I talked to him for a few minutes on the phone, then waited anxiously to see what he would report.  When the article came out on Thursday, I was pleased to find out that he was honest and fair.  The only inaccuracy was the overstated headline.  

The East Grinstead Observer

It rained again on Saturday, but we had a beautiful rainbow over the temple, which Pat captured by leaning out our kitchen window with the camera.

The view from our "flat"

Late afternoon at the temple

The Visitors' Centre is only a few short steps from the temple.

Last Friday night, after my driving test, we celebrated with some friends and went to "The Neil Diamond Story," performed in an East Grinstead theatre by an impersonator who sounded just like him. A great way to end the week.               ~ Don~

The Mormons Are Coming!

It's an exciting time to be a Mormon in London, especially a Mormon missionary. The satirical Book of Mormon Musical is in full stride at the West End theatre district, and the Church has been getting a lot of publicity. P.T. Barnum is quoted as having said, "There's no such thing as bad publicity," and in this case it seems to be true. It's been interesting to see what's unfolding.

Advertising for the musical began in September of 2012 with billboards and posters proclaiming that  "The Mormons are Coming!"  (See our Sept. 20, 2012 blogpost.) Since then the Church has seen a 10-fold increase in Internet hits to mormon.org. When the play opened on March 21, patrons found three full-page ads in the playbook that featured members saying "You've seen the show, now read the book" or "The book is always better."  On April 8th, the Church began its month-long "I'm a Mormon" campaign, with large banners and video boards in the Charing Cross train station and numerous platform displays at eight tube stations, including Oxford Circus and Piccadilly Circus near the theatre district.  Posters cover the sides of 250 double-decker buses circulating through downtown London.  Some buses that already have ads promoting The Book of Mormon Musical are now being followed by buses with ads that say "I'm a Mormon" or "Ask a Mormon."  It's pretty amazing!

Last Friday, on our P-Day, Pat and I took the train into London to tour the National Archives and the Family History Centre there. We had a great time visiting Paul and Annie Smart who have just arrived to serve a mission there for the next 18 months. They are in the England London South Mission with us. They are from Draper and Paul and I served together in the Corner Canyon Stake before it was divided. So fun to see them! They took us on a personal tour of the Archives and even got us special access to the area where they do their work.

Yet another rainy day...

The beautiful British National Archives complex

Pat and I with Paul and Annie Smart

Picturesque street on our way back to the Kew Gardens Tube station...

This Tube train starts out above ground until it gets closer into the center of London.

On the way to Kew Gardens and the National Archives, we stopped at Charing Cross and Piccadilly stations to see the "I'm A Mormon" displays and take pictures. We had a great time.

One of the buses at Piccadilly Circus

Right now, in central London, you can't miss the member profiles and messages to "Ask A Mormon" about the Church. Many people in England, and elsewhere, are skeptical about organized religion, but this campaign is an invitation for people to hear directly from British members about their faith and insights, to explore basic LDS beliefs on their own, or to contact missionaries if they have questions.  All inquiries are directed to mormon.org.uk  for further information. It will be interesting to see how traffic on this Internet site and our Chat lines increases.  

One young woman we met in the Maidstone Stake had a funny experience a week or so ago. She was in London late one evening riding a bus with a bunch of her Church friends. A group of young men having a good time - with the help of a little alcohol - were on the same bus. She heard one of them say to another, "Keep it Mormon." She was surprised, to say the least, but soon realized that what the guy was really telling his friend was to act a little more respectable! She took it as a compliment and struck up a conversation. While most of the group put their earphones back on, one of the guys in the group started asking questions.

More people are becoming curious and wanting to know what the Church teaches, who the Mormons are, and what they believe.  "The Mormons are Coming?"  No!  They've already been here for 175 years, nearly 200,000 strong in the British Isles, and growing.                     ~Don~