Fishing Bewl in June

A P-Day fishing at Bewl. Much needed! Great fun, great friends!

B. Davis

A. Carter

We ARE Family

On our last post, there were some pictures showing a place in Edgware. This was the first area where Niel served almost 49 years ago on his mission. I must say it was an unusual experience for us, as I’m sure it was for him on his first mission. Growing up in Idaho (me) and Utah (both of us) we were very, or let me say extremely, sheltered from the different cultures and races of the world. We seldom saw or had the opportunity to associate with people who were not of our own race, color or religion. Except, growing up in Preston, Idaho, I did get to see a lot of Native American Indians. They would come to Preston and the surrounding area in the summer and early fall as migrant workers to pick through the large fields of string beans and harvest potatoes and sugar beets. We got used to them being around, frequenting the local beer halls etc. but only saw them in the fields and downtown. I don’t remember any of them coming to church either. Anyway, I digress. So, when Niel, as a young missionary, was assigned to live in a flat in this particular part of London, he was able to get acquainted with a culture and people heretofore completely unknown to him, the tribe of Judah. He lived there, but the proselyting was minimal at best. He said that there was a Mezuzah on the frame of EVERY front door or gate. They didn’t want a thing to do with the Mormon missionaries. He had no success, but learned a lot about these people. He learned that their religious and ethnic background was extremely important to them, and that they were totally happy to isolate themselves from other religions.  

When we drove through this particular neighborhood, a different feeling came over me. I really felt like I was in another time. The people living in Edgware are still mostly all Jewish. In fact, I was finally able to pin down where it was. I felt like I was in a small Jewish community and Tevye (Fiddler on the Roof) was going to come down the street with his milk wagon as he did a century ago. Mothers and their children were out on the street or visiting each other at door steps. Most all the women wore black scarves, tied in the same way, to cover their hair. They also wore dark skirts and black shoes. ALL the men and young boys, even little ones, had on their Jewish caps (Kippah) and had long ringlet curls down the sides of their heads. It was almost eerie. Niel got his courage up to talk to one of the ladies who happened to be standing at the doorway of a flat he thought might have been his old missionary lodging. 

She was somewhat friendly and talked with him for a short while, as the rest of us wondered around the neighborhood. Finally, she asked why he was looking for a certain flat. When he told her that he had been a Mormon missionary almost 49 years ago, she physically took a step back into her house. A kind of barrier came down and she gathered up her children and took them inside. She did let Niel take one picture, but preferred not to let it be her children. 

I’m sure that we could go to many other places in the world today and have pretty much the same experience. However, I felt that it was a good learning experience for us. These people, even though they are somewhat different from us, are still our brothers and sisters. God loves them as he does all of His children. I learned it is important to show respect to others no matter how different their beliefs and cultures are. They deserve to embrace what is theirs as much as we embrace the knowledge we have of the Restored Gospel. I only wish there was a way to bridge the gap. All I can say is: "The Lord will provide a way."

Hey—let’s move on to the Isle of Wight!  We met the Turner’s (Ian and Maggie) down on the seaside town of Southampton. We had made plans to stay on their beautiful boat and do a little riding in the English Channel the next day, which was our Monday prep day. When we got there, we found out that they were planning to take us over to a wonderful place called the Isle of Wight. 

“The Isle of Wight, known to the ancient Romans as Vectis, is a county and the largest island of England, located in the English Channel, on average about 3 to 5 mi (5 to 8 km) off the coast of Hampshire, separated from mainland United Kingdom by a strait called the Solent. The island has several resorts which have been holiday destinations since Victorian times.

The history of the Isle of Wight includes a brief period of time as an independent kingdom in the 15th century. Until 1995, like Jersey and Guernsey, the island had a Governor.

Home to the poets Swinburne and Tennyson and to Queen Victoria, who built her much-loved summer residence and final home Osborne House at East Cowes, the island has a maritime and industrial tradition including boat building, sail making, the manufacture of flying boats, the world's first hovercraft, and the testing and development of Britain's space rockets. The Isle hosts annual festivals including the Isle of Wight International Jazz Festival, Bestival and the recently revived Isle of Wight Festival, which, in 1970, was the largest rock music event ever held.[1] The island has well-conserved wildlife and some of the richest cliffs and quarries for dinosaur fossils in Europe.”

The weather was fab, we ate some of the best food we have ever eaten on our mission, loved the town Cowes, and loved the company we kept.  Really, the Turner’s were so good to us, as they always are. We made good memories with them.

I feel like I’ve talked my leg off. Hope I’m not too boring. We are super busy with the work in the temple most of the time. But it’s nice to have a little diversion one day each week. 

Our love to everyone. 

Niel (Grumpa) and Carolee (Granny)

P-Day in Southhampton and Isle of Wight

Carolee and Maggie at the Isle of Wight Marina

Isle of Wight P-Day

Ian and his pride and joy cruiser

Ian and Maggie

"How do you get to Isle of Wight?"

Mean tug boat

Rainbow over English Channel

Hotel and restaurant where some Titanic passengers stayed prior to boarding the ill fated ocean liner

P-day in beautiful Southhampton

One Year Anniversary!

They made it! One whole year of temple missionary service! As their children and grandchildren, we are so grateful for their service, examples, testimonies, love, and support. Only six short months to go!

Temple Missionary Blessings from Lessons Learned

So many of the couples and single sisters with whom we serve, here in the London Temple, have been on several missions prior to this one. In fact, we are in the minority of couples who have only served one mission. That is something that is not lost on us. We have been questioning whether it would be in our future to serve another mission. Most of those who have served multiple missions simply say “we got home, tried to find something do to, and decided we might as well return to the mission field”. The Lord has blessed us and showered down His help and guidance continually as we have served in England and there may be another mission on the horizon for us. But we’re taking them one at a time for now. There are so many things that we need to repay and show our love to Him from whom our blessings flow. However, if we are called to serve again, then the Lord will find a way to make it happen. If we decide to put in papers again, it will probably be closer to home, you can bet. (I put that in for my children’s sake.) 

What, you may ask, are the blessings of coming to serve in the London Temple? The first thing I am compelled to list is: I have been fearful of living in a small apartment (flat) and being a 24/7 companion to Niel. We have, for most of our married life, been running around in different universes. He has had his responsibilities and I have had mine and our paths didn’t cross all that often. True, the Lord did prepare us a few years prior to this mission by calling Niel to be a patriarch and me as his scribe. That, in its self, has made this transition to “mission-life” much easier. I’ll admit that is was a bit sketchy for the first six months of our mission, but, after I humbled myself (my first mission-blessing), accepted a few things, watched other couples work together and we learned to compromise on a lot of other things, it has been rewarding for both of us. I like to believe that I’ve been going through a “heavenly test”. Being and living with someone who hasn’t felt that well now for over a year, with a bad knee 24/7, grumpy at times and doesn’t hear as well as he used to, has taken me to new heights. Sometimes I feel like I’m going to crack, but in reality, I’m a better person for it. Of course you are only hearing my explanation of living together as a couple missionary. Overall, we do great. Niel seems to be enjoying the ride.

The next blessing is in the refinement of serving as a T.O.W. (that means temple ordinance worker). We both have a better understanding of what the temple is all about, what our part is in the work, and what a blessing it is to be in His house for 7-9 hours almost daily. It’s hard not to be changed and made better by that experience alone. There are challenges at times in working in such close proximity with our fellow workers. We all have different personalities. We have all left our families, some of which are not always doing as well as we would hope. Leadership styles may be different from one group to the next. But yes, we are better for it.  Success here usually comes back to the principles of obedience and hard work.

Just a side-light. Saturday morning, I went over to the temple early to see if they would need help, as I had seen three big coaches (buses) pull up to the parking area. I knew that the Baptistry was already full and busy and I could probably be put to good use somewhere. I was guessing the women’s locker room would be a good place. As I was getting my temple clothes out of my locker to put on, standing there in my slip, the fire alarm went off just over my head. I had just enough time to throw them on, grab my purse, in case I needed my recommend to get back in, and rocket out of the emergency exit. I knew it wasn’t a fire-drill. We all assembled at the appropriate place in the car park. Whilst standing there, I wondered if Niel, who was still getting ready, was aware of what was going on in and outside of the temple. YUP!  

patrons and workers in white

It was kind of a false alarm. At first the fire brigade thought there was something spreading throughout the new air conditioning, but it turned out to be a smart-aleck kid who thought it would be funny to spray room deodorizer into the smoke alarm. However, we were all safe and better for the experience, until we got back into the temple and couldn’t use the original time schedule, which is our “rod” to keep us on track and in order. Let me say, it was an unusual day, but the Lord’s influence and good work by coordinators got us through it.

Other blessings? We are able to spend time reading the scriptures and Niel and I are even studying our way through Jesus the Christ and are really enjoying it. I have learned how to cut my own hair and give Niel a pretty good clipping too. We have also, learned how to go shopping for groceries TOGETHER. It involved a fair amount of bickering at first, because Niel is NOT a shopper of any kind. But now, for the most part, I shop and Niel sits down on a bench by the check stand to keep his leg from swelling while I scour the shelves for tomorrow’s meal. (Sometimes he helps, too.) It is part of his “calling” to keep track of EVERY pence and pound we spend (for tax purposes). It makes him happy and it makes me happy for him to know just how expensive it is to buy food over here, which is much more expensive than in the States.

Of course the biggest blessing of being a missionary and serving in the Lord’s House is that we are doing His work and helping bring souls back to our Father in Heaven. We are surrounded by Senior Couple Missionaries with various callings including Temple Ordinance Workers; MLS (Member Locating); YSA (Young Single Adult); CES/Institute Instruction; Mission Office (Housing, Autos, Meeting Planning, Welcoming Missionaries and making their arrangement to return home); and Leadership mentoring in Branches (Branch Presidencies). There are more as circumstances require. All of them are vital in the work. It’s called the Army of The Lord and we are very well equipped. Another blessing is that nearly every day, we hear prayers for the missionaries of the Church. (That would be us)

Needless to say, I will be adding other blessings because they are constantly coming and they are many. 

We love keeping in touch with everyone on Facebook and Face Time. I have to apologize for “liking and sharing” things under Niel’s Facebook page that are related to cooking, or other items he has no interest in. I’m trying my best to do them under my own Facebook.

Love and best wishes for the summer season. Schools out and things are happening fast. 

Have a good week to all.

Love,  

Granny (Carolee) and Grumpa (Niel)