100,000 trapped on trains for hours on Hottest Day of the Year

Yes, Monday was the day we chose to venture into London. We didn’t go on the “Senior Sneak” that the other senior missionaries had in Southampton. Rather, we did our own thing and used our Freedom Passes to visit London. The trip home was unbelievable with cancelled and delayed trains and masses of not very happy people trying to get home. Inside the trains it was standing room only and suffocating with no A/C. The only relief was when the train was running and fresh air could come in the small transom windows.

But enough of that, the rest of the day was superb! We watched with excitement as London itself came into view with London Bridge to our right and St. Paul’s to the left and a glimpse in the distance of the Eye on London.

Crossing the river

We soon found a tube station and headed to Kensington South where we walked to the vicinity of the Albert and Victoria Museum, knowing that the Hyde Park Chapel would be nearby.

We've heard much about the Hyde Park Chapel; it was wonderful to finally see it.

We’ve been told that it’s the most expensive piece of real estate that the church owns. It’s quite large and has a small visitors centre, employment centre, mission office and Family History Centre as well as the chapel, classrooms and other offices. We enjoyed visiting with a senior missionary couple in the mission office, who gave us restaurant suggestions.

This is the view out the window from the mission office. They explained about the mews, which were the stables for the houses that surround the area. They’re now some of the most expensive real estate around and are small but very tidy and well kept.

Cute!

We walked through Imperial College which was along a lovely tree shaded street.

On the way to lunch we passed some interesting sites.

Bill at the Baden-Powell House. He began the Boy Scout Movement.

We have seen more scaffolding in England than we've seen in our whole lives. It's everywhere.

Rent-a-bike!

Next stop: Harrods.

Words cannot describe this place. It’s everything I’ve heard about it and I was eager to explore and see how far my gift card would go. (thanks, Susie!)

After getting our fill of retail therapy, we retraced our steps to the tube, train and finally home. What a great day!

Four Weeks in England

We have been in England four weeks now and have met with the mission president, the president of our assigned stake, plus others, have had training regarding our assignment to start a Centre for Young Adults (CfYA) and “shadowed” a senior couple in Oxford who recently had their centre registered. Weʼve attended a stake conference which was a televised area conference from Salt Lake, a district conference, an Institute
Graduation and two baptismal services. We were at the baptisms because we had a key to the building and were asked to arrive early to start the boiler and fill the font.

Elder Parrett with the young elders and Tidiana, whose mother only speaks Portuguese. Fortunately there was an elder from Portugal to teach the family.

Jennifer Ichoku whose husband was baptized the following Saturday.


Last Sunday we actually went on a “teach” as they call it. We were asked by a sister in the Orpington Ward to come to dinner and talk to her non-member husband who has shown some interest lately in hearing about the gospel. We arenʼt sure yet how that was received.

Yesterday we drove to Tunbridge Wells for a “Mormon Helping Hands” project. We werenʼt handing out rations or filling sand bags like you see in the Church News, rather it was a weeding and planting project in the middle of town. We got several positive comments from passersby as we worked. Going home took a lot less time than getting there. We had taken a wrong turn on a roundabout and ended up on the wrong motorway (freeway) and it was 7 miles before we could exit. We had our doubts as we traveled narrow country roads, but the GPS unit eventually took us to our destination. No wonder everybody here uses them. It is so green here and it looks just like the pictures with vast fields surrounded by hedgerows.

Today (Sunday)we attended the Welling Ward and traveled with a brother from our ward who had some business there. We were glad for the opportunity to visit there without having to drive ourselves. Itʼs a scary proposition to drive in England with their unfamiliar signs and symbols and rules. Not to mention the narrow roads where people park every which way and there isnʼt room for two cars to pass.

On the way to Welling we got in a minor accident. Nobody was hurt but the woman passenger in the other car was yelling some nasty remarks. Fortunately the driver was level-headed and actually was quite nice. Always a new adventure here!

We have met some very wonderful people who are dedicated to the Lord and even though we know the church is true and the same wherever we go in the world, itʼs heartening to see it in action. To see how the spirit of the Lord works in peopleʼs lives strengthens me and Iʼm grateful to be able to serve a mission.

Thank you all for your prayers; keep 'em coming. And like all missionaries away from home we appreciate the letters too.

Our Flat

We aren't sure how long we will be at this location but for now this is home.

This building is only a few years old but the neighborhood was built in the 30's and some built after WWII but they all look the same.

We have been amazed at how much open space there is in this area. There was an open space act, I don't know what year but because of that there are nice grassy areas all over.

The back of our building is there on the right.

Our flat is on top at the right. No elevator but we consider the three flights of stairs are our own stairmaster.

Isn't this a great view? The library is up the hill to the right. We watch the many dog walkers that stroll through this area. There is one guy that brings his 2 fat old black labs and commands them to stay then he paces back and forth with his hands behind him as though he is reviewing the troops.

We can also see this from our window. A real English Garden. They don't use the word yard. It's always garden even if it's paved over.

Since we have two bedrooms, this one has become our walk-in closet. As is typical, there are no built-in closets, just portable ones. Taxes. And no screens on the windows for the same reason.

Everyone warned us of the tiny kitchens in England, but this is as big as our kitchen at home!

And behind this cabinet door is the washer!

And behind this door is the refrigerator/freezer. True, it's not as big as the typical ones in the U.S. but it's okay for the two of us. And the freezer is as large as the refrigerator. The elders that had been in this flat left an assortment of food which helped us out in the first days. ;-)

This is the living/dining area decorated in what I call "Early Elder" Maps on the walls and Book of Mormons in every language known to man.

This is a zoomed in photo of the 'hood. Streets after street of buildings with open space here and there. We have a bus stop right in front of our building which makes it handy for us. We've become quite adept at bus travel.

Seen around town...

We get a kick out of some of the signs and other things that we see here.

Sounds painful

Why have a boring round manhole cover?

Ouch!

Meercats!

Slugs and lettuce--just what I want for lunch.

Can you believe this sign?

Oxford and the Making of the King James Bible

Today we had a real treat. We were able to view a display of the making of the King James Bible at the Bodleian Library at Oxford. Websites: library

The exhibition

It's hard to fathom how old these books are--

Photos of the actual King James bible were not allowed but I was able to sort of capture these.

The old Bodleian Library

Here are some more photos of Christ Church College where Harry Potter was filmed.

Lewis Carroll's place