Our flats

This week we're going to show a bit of our flats here at the London Temple Accommodations Center. Our first flat was very small. About the size of a bedroom at home. This included two twin-size beds, a bathroom, and a small kitchen counter. No stove or oven, but a small microwave and sink. The small fridge was in one of the cupboards. No freezer.

 We did have one chair as you can see. In any case, it served us well. Instead of a flat, we called this one a 'flit'.

After a month, we were able to move into a larger room (still one room of course) with a European king-size bed. This is the same as what we call a queen-size.

Next to the large bed is a large window that opens out to the office parking area. We hand grocery bags through it after we shop. The other missionaries call it the Order Window as in "Do you want fries with that?". We have not one but two refridgerators and two freezers. Most of the space belongs to the mission, but it is nice to have ice, a stove and oven, and a separate kitchen area. We have two large comfy chairs and (wait for it....) internet! Lots of closet space. Well, some closet space.

We (read Mom) cooked our first true Sunday Dinner two weeks ago. We fed two sister missionaries this past sunday.

We are still very busy with our mission office work. This week was all catch up from the previous two weeks of travel. We did a small musical fireside with a choir 7 sister and 4 Elder missionaries (including both of us -- mom played the piano this time.) No tenors, so dad had to hold up the tenor part and out sing the basses. It went OK, but not stellar.

The English phrase we learned this week is "having a moan" which means complaining. Cherio!

Sunday scenarios

We had quite a week and our Sunday kept it going. Briefly, we went to church an hour early to practice in our little group for our program next Friday. Apparently, I am accompanying them on 5 or 6 pieces. I only saw two of them for the first time on Sunday. A couple of pieces were actually written by one of the sister missionaries and they are beautiful! Our sacrament meeting was the primary program! It was so fun to hear the songs and watch the sweet children with their lovely Brutish accents! It made us miss home, but at least we were able to see a program and hope each of our grandchildren programs. The other church meetings were also good. I played in relief society again. Apparently that is my job now although they can't give us callings. After church, we came home and I worked on some dinner prep, then found an old piano in the basement to try and practice a little. At 4:00 we were able to talk to Scott jr and Aeden for a little while, then we had two sister missionaries over for dinner. They are very cute, one from Sweden and one from New Zealand. After dinner, we went to the fireside at the visitors center where I accompanied one od our office Elders on his solo. The second counselor in the mission presidency and his wife spoke. Our mission president, president and sister Millar, were at the fireside and afterwards had us take care of some business in the office before they leave for mission presidents training. While at the office, we learned that because of some problems elsewhere in the mission, Elder Cannon was assigned to be taken to Crawley, meet up with an Elder and accompany him by train and the tube to the Latvian Embassy. This young Elder has had several visa problems and has been in our mission waiting for his visa to his actual mission. So Elder Cannon leaves early this morning and get to go on another new adventure. I will try to keep to office going since it is our early week!
We have continued to have problems posting our pictures from my iPad to the blog even though I am doing this on the iPad and that is where the pictures are. Sorry to be so slow. We will figure it out as soon as we have longer than a couple of minutes to do it. We love and miss you! Have a great week and Cheerio from across the pond!

Zoning in and zoning I again!

This week was a mission tour with a general authority, Elder Detlof Adler and Sister Adler. We have 9 zones and they are divided into three groups, an eastern, a central, and a western group. When it is a mission tour, we have the three multi zone conferences on three days in a row. Elder Cannon and I traveled to each one to bring supplies and tablecloths, paper products, water ,etc. the stake Relief Societies in each area help by providing the meals. We met some amazing sisters who gave their all. We were very impressed by the conferences and the great missionaries involved. President and Sister Millar gave great messages and good instruction. This was the first mission tour for Elder and Sister Adler. They were nervous and a bit worried, but so humble! We loved watching them grow into their new responsibilities. We saw them be directed by the Spirit and change their messages for each group  they addressed. We had messages on being happier and remembering that this is a gospel of happiness; thoughts about being truly converted and truly repenting; as well as a message of love for others. We had quite a week of traveling but were able to see more new places. We drove home from Poole along the southern coast. Beautiful!

A moving experience

This week was all about moves! We started on Monday welcoming the 17 departing missionaries to the accomodation center and helped them weigh their bags and get some paperwork done. Gave them a little lunch. We had a terrific senior couple who came in from part of London to help us. Elder Fowler is so great with the missionaries and gets all that luggage under the required weight. Sister Fowler helped me with cooking as we fixed Minestrone soup, green salad, and bread for dinner and breakfast for Tuesday morning. Everyone helped transport all the missionaries over to the East Grinstead chapel where we served about 27 dinner. They had an FHE and watched Ephraims Rescue then ate root beer floats. We transported them back to their rooms in accomodations. Next morning they had breakfast, then went to the temple. They ate lunch at the temple while sister fowler and I made barbecue meatballs, oven baked rice, veggies and salad. We took everything back to east Grinstead and set up dinner while they all had their final interviews with the president. After dinner they had their testimony meeting while we cleaned up and prepared fixings for ice cream sundaes. We were able to hear the last part of the testimony mtg and it was so beautiful. President Millar is a great man and he gave them great advice about keeping on doing the good things. We transported everyone back ( it's only abou 7miles away but takes between 20-45 minutes). We had sack breakfasts ready for morning. 10 of the missionaries left next morning at 4:00 a.m. On a bus (coach) for the airport.  Two had parents picking them up. The other 5 were leaving at various times over the next three days. We left early on Wednesday to drive up to Staines, by London. This is where the rest of MOVES happens. Our 23 new missionaries arrived from Preston MTC and a couple from Provo. They have interviews and little classes as all the other missionaries who are being transferred arrive with their drivers. We have around 130 people coming and going. At this one I go pick up our sandwiches, fruit and water and set it up do those who don't have to wait for newbies can eat and leave. We stay most of the day, but Dad has to make an emergency run back to the office to get some important money cards - he makes it back just in time! It is so fun to watch the new missionaries march into the room while everyone cheers for them. After eating, and taking pictures, collecting passports, etc. president Millar has everyone come together and announces who the new trainers are and who they will be training. He tells something unique and interesting about each one and really makes them feel special. Dad drove us back to the office and picked up a departing missionary and drove back to heathrow airport. Thursday we spend updating the mission roster and printing up the new booklets, and delivering or mailing them. We had two departing sister missionaries still here on Friday and after they did more at the temple, we had them help us in the office. Dad took them to Heathrow last evening and since their bags took the whole space, I stayed home and did laundry. Today is Saturday and we have spent most of the day moving from our little flit into our little flat. It feels huge after what we have lived in. I love having a stove, oven and freezer now. The pictures below are #29 the little one and #14 the bigger. I hope tomorrow's moves will only be being moved by the spirit at church and our fireside. We are grateful to be here. It is good to feel needed and we love rubbing shoulders with these awesome missionaries! Sorry the pictures aren't working! I will have to send them next time!

A very moving week!

This week was all about moves! We started on Monday welcoming the 17 departing missionaries to the accomodation center and helped them weigh their bags and get some paperwork done. Gave them a little lunch. We had a terrific senior couple who came in from part of London to help us. Elder Fowler is so great with the missionaries and gets all that luggage under the required weight. Sister Fowler helped me with cooking as we fixed Minestrone soup, green salad, and bread for dinner and breakfast for Tuesday morning. Everyone helped transport all the missionaries over to the East Grinstead chapel where we served about 27 dinner. They had an FHE and watched Ephraims Rescue then ate root beer floats. We transported them back to their rooms in accomodations. Next morning they had breakfast, then went to the temple. They ate lunch at the temple while sister fowler and I made barbecue meatballs, oven baked rice, veggies and salad. We took everything back to east Grinstead and set up dinner while they all had their final interviews with the president. After dinner they had their testimony meeting while we cleaned up and prepared fixings for ice cream sundaes. We were able to hear the last part of the testimony mtg and it was so beautiful. President Millar is a great man and he gave them great advice about keeping on doing the good things. We transported everyone back ( it's only abou 7miles away but takes between 20-45 minutes). We had sack breakfasts ready for morning. 10 of the missionaries left next morning at 4:00 a.m. On a bus (coach) for the airport.  Two had parents picking them up. The other 5 were leaving at various times over the next three days. We left early on Wednesday to drive up to Staines, by London. This is where the rest of MOVES happens. Our 23 new missionaries arrived from Preston MTC and a couple from Provo. They have interviews and little classes as all the other missionaries who are being transferred arrive with their drivers. We have around 130 people coming and going. At this one I go pick up our sandwiches, fruit and water and set it up do those who don't have to wait for newbies can eat and leave. We stay most of the day, but Dad has to make an emergency run back to the office to get some important money cards - he makes it back just in time! It is so fun to watch the new missionaries march into the room while everyone cheers for them. After eating, and taking pictures, collecting passports, etc. president Millar has everyone come together and announces who the new trainers are and who they will be training. He tells something unique and interesting about each one and really makes them feel special. Dad drove us back to the office and picked up a departing missionary and drove back to heathrow airport. Thursday we spend updating the mission roster and printing up the new booklets, and delivering or mailing them. We had two departing sister missionaries still here on Friday and after they did more at the temple, we had them help us in the office. Dad took them to Heathrow last evening and since their bags took the whole space, I stayed home and did laundry. Today is Saturday and we have spent most of the day moving from our little flit into our little flat. It feels huge after what we have lived in. I love having a stove, oven and freezer now. The pictures below are #29 the little one and #14 the bigger. I hope tomorrow's moves will only be being moved by the spirit at church and our fireside. We are grateful to be here. It is good to feel needed and we love rubbing shoulders with these awesome missionaries! Sorry the pictures aren't working! I will have to send them next time!

Dads haircut

Somehow Dads post last week of his disastrous haircut didn't work. Here it is again. I hope it works this time. More on the blog this weekend!