185 Penns Lane, Birmingham!!!

Our Visit to Birmingham

Well, we did it. After nine months of being in England we finally got to go see where Jim served his mission 42 years ago!!! What an unexpected gift and tender mercy that we were allowed to go. I explained last blog how Jim had been asked by Martin Gardner to come train the "Self Reliant" (replacing employment center) missionaries from all of the UK. We got a phone call from Pres. Jordan who had gotten permission from the area authority and then told us, "Go have fun!" We left last Sunday after Stake Conference with the Baxters and didn't get back until late Tuesday night. President Hollie, our Relief Society President, taught Institute at the flat for me. She is so precious. Like she doesn't have enough to do!!!)

We were told that the senior couple in Birmingham, the Jolleys was hosting a dinner at their flat for the four main couples that were attending and invited us to join them. As we traveled up there Jim asked about them. When he found out they had 6 sons and were from Salt Lake City it dawned on him that it could be Dean Jolley, his dear friend who had run DGI for two years while Jim finished at InsideOut. We got lost on the way there and Jim actually talked to Dean on the phone, not letting him know who he was.  It was so fun when we pulled up and Dean was standing there. Jim got out of the car and walked toward Dean. It took a couple seconds to register who it was and then there was a grand reunion, hugging and laughing in astonishment. What were the chances of that happening? Only in the church.

We had a lovely meal and got a chance to get to know the other couples. There was another couple that I instantly was attracted to; Marv and Sue Leavitte. We got talking and Sue told me this was their fourth mission, that they had served 3 missions in Africa. When I asked where she told me they had been the only senior couple in Nigeria. When I asked who their mission president was I already knew the answer. Blair and Sue Garff!!! I freaked out, told them about how we adored Traci and Blair and Sue's relationship to Jake and Ashlee. It was so fun.

Sister Leavitte couldn't say enough wonderful things about the Garffs. I guess being the only senior couple they worked extremely close with the Garffs. Sister Leavitte went off on what a soldier and pioneer Sue was and how utterly fearless she was. Sue Garff would take the big mission van and drive all over the country that wasn't safe. Nothing put her off or phased her!!!

Sister Leavit had me rolling on the floor when she told us the story of the naked man. It described how Sue Garff handled things on their mission. I guess in their city there was a very tall man that never wore clothes known simply as the naked man who would beg for money. One day the two of them were in the car, stopped, when this tall naked man came and stood right next to Sister Garff's window that was rolled up. Remember he was tall and naked!!! Sister Leavitte told Sue to GO! DRIVE AWAY!! Instead Sue calmly rolled down the window pulled out some money and said calmly, "Go buy some pants." Then she drove away. So funny.

We had a wonderful visit and dinner, then separated and went to our hotel. The next morning we gathered at 185 Penns Lane, Dad's old mission home where he lived for 11 months of his mission. It was actually very disappointing for Jim. When he was there is was a beautiful, window-filled home where the mission president actually lived, along with the assistants. It's where the General Authorities would come and stay. Jim also always talked about the beautiful grounds and gardens. In the last forty years they renovated the home into offices, built a chapel on the grounds to the side of the home and, although it's still beautiful property, the lush gardens are gone. Still it was delightful to see and the location is beautiful.

The training was amazing! The church has changed it's employment program to a self-reliant culture. It might seem insignificant, but it's actually a very different focus. Here in Europe the attitude that has always been the marker of members of the church, being self-sufficient, has been slowly eroding. The government has all kinds of social programs that make it way too easy to not take responsibility. Many times (like in America, as well) it cost more to work than to sit back and let the government take care of them. It has created an entitled society. It's very challenging here! The church has recognized we need to get back the mindset of being self-reliant, not looking for others to do for us what we can do for ourselves. It's the basic tenet of this self reliant focus. Jim helped facilitate the seniors in how to go about implementing this using GROW. It was a powerful experience that I think really helped them get clear. I was very proud of Jim. He was amazing!

After we were done we left the couples and went to another part of Burmingham to meet with Stewart and his wife Toni. Stewart was a young man with debilitating Cerebral  Palsy that Jim had to carry down into the water to be baptized 42 years ago.  He had a broken body but a MIGHTY spirit. He married a woman, Toni, who suffered from a less severe case of Cerebral Palsy. Steward is now 73 and is not doing well, but still active and still married. They both kept asking Jim where his red hair went. It was wonderful to meet them and feel of their spirit. After Stewart we went to see Sister Pat Sheridan. At her home was her daughter Dollie and Julie Boucher who Jim had baptized when she was 13 and her son who had just got back from serving a mission. We were there for several hours and had a wonderful visit and catch up on the members still there. It was a reality check. It made us realized how difficult it is raising children here in England. I was very grateful for America!

The next day our group of Senior Missionaries drove two hours to a very significant church history site. Found in some of the most beautiful parts of England I have seen was a beautiful simple rock chapel called Gadfield Elm Chapel. It was originally a chapel for The United Brethren, the group that Wilford Woodruff was directed by the Lord to go preach to. Hundreds joined the church. The Brethren donated their chapel to the church. It acted as a LDS chapel until it was sold to help finance English members to migrate to America. It was bought back by local members of the church in total disrepair in the nineties. The local members financed and did the work to restore it. It now is a beautiful, spirit-filled stone chapel out in the middle of nowhere.

This is from Google:
1840: The United Brethren donate the Gadfield Chapel

By 1840 nearly 8,000 Britons had been baptised as Latter-day Saints. Elder Wilford Woodruff preached at the John Benbow farm in Herefordshire in early 1840. A constable had been sent by the rector of the parish with a warrant to arrest him. At the close of the meeting seven people offered themselves for baptism, including four preachers and the constable. Within 18 days two of the most influential members of the United Brethren, John Benbow and Thomas Knighton, were baptised. Thirty days later Woodruff had baptised 45 preachers and 160 members of the United Brethren, who put into his hands their Gadfield Elm Chapel and 45 houses licensed for preaching. By 1841 nearly 1,800 additional people had converted, including all but one of the 600 United Brethren.^[9] Restored between 1994-2000, the Gadfield Elm Chapel in Worcestershire is the oldest extant chapel of the LDS Church

We had a devotional there with Martin standing on a box behind a pulpit where Brigham Young, Wilford Woodruff and Willard Richards had stood and preached. There was a mighty spirit there and such a feeling of history. We ended up having a testimony meeting where Jim shared an experience that I had forgotten about. He told how, as a Zone Leader, he had been asked to give the main message for a multi-zone conference. He said how he had struggled, pondered and prayed for weeks on what he should say, pleading with the Lord to know what He desired. He had gone to the Bishop's office in Newcastle and was sitting at his desk working on the message and was totally stuck. As he prayed for help he felt a presence in the room. He had a powerful impression that Wilford Woodruff was there with him. Who would love the work among the English people and its missionaries more than Wilford Woodruff? The words came in a continuous flow and it was confirmed to Jim that it was the message he should teach. Jim shared with us that it was one of the most sacred experiences he had on his mission.

It was a beautiful experience for us that we got to share with our beautiful, committed senior missionaries who have left homes, children and grandchildren to go serve the God they love. It was a very special experience.

Another Stake Conference and Choir

Last Sunday was Stake Choir. It was WONDERFUL. The choir did a fantastic job. We had around 60 kids again. It was a powerful experience for them and the people listening. We had a visiting General Authority. I think his name was Elder Madeira from Portugal. Oh what a spirit he brought with him. He was so darling. His English wasn't great but his spirit was enormous!!!

One story he told I want to share with you. He said when he was young and newly married he was called as Bishop. They were renting a house and had saved for 6 years to build up enough savings to buy their first home. They finally found a house. they could afford. It was out of their stake, but he knew he was getting released because he had served for 5 years. They paid a non-refundable down payment. Only a couple days later it was Stake Conference. He was called in to be interviewed by the visiting authority because they were calling a new Stake President. Elder Madeira explained about his house and that he would no longer be in the stake boundaries. He left, but the next day was called in again. Again he explained but the authority pretty much ignored him. Finally a third time he was called in and the authority made it very clear that the Lord had called him to serve as President of the stake. He knew that if he accepted he would be walking away from their new home and the savings of the last 6 years. He chose to follow the Lord. And he exclaimed, "That choice has made all the difference!" It became the theme of his talk and his ministry. It was amazing.

The Lord Cares About the Detail of our Lives

Last week after Institute I saw Sanjay. Immediately I went to him and asked how he was doing. He told me that the previous night he had finally told his girlfriend about joining the church. I asked him, "How did that go?" He replied that it had been a horrible fight that lasted 3 hours. Then he said he couldn't sleep all night. His final comment really got to me. He said he's reconciled to the fact that it might not work with her and that he was O.K. with it.

I then related two experiences that just had happened. On Tuesday Jim had gone to meet with the Employment people and I had stayed home to get ready for Institute Class at our flat. Jim said he would be back no later than 3:00. It was a blustery day, but warm so I had all the windows opened. As I went out of our flat's door to put the roll outside our door for that night a gust of wind blew and shut the door just as I was turning to go back in. There I stood in my sweats with no shoes, no phone and no keys to get back in. It was 1:50. I sat down next to the door and figured I would just wait it out until Jim got back. For the next hour and a half no one came down from the upper flats. About 2:45 I started praying that Jim would just come home. Around 3:00 Henry from upstairs came walking down. He started to laugh and told me the previous woman that lived here would lock herself out all the time. I asked him if he had a phone and if I could use it to call Jim to come back. When I called Jim said he was right outside the building and in a couple minutes I was back inside our flat and could finish preparations for class that night. Then Jim told me how he had walked a guy outside the chapel and was turning around to go back upstairs to do a de-brief when he had a strong impression he just needed to go home. He obeyed and found me sitting waiting outside our door. A tender mercy and prayer heard and answered on my behalf.

The second story I related to Sanjay had just happened the night before. One of our kid's apartment had been broken into the night before and a lot of stuff stolen. Glen told us that his backpack had been stolen. When he walked in and realized it was gone he almost started to cry. In his backpack were two journals that were more precious to him than anything he possessed. They held the record of the last part of his mission and the previous year of courting, falling in love and asking his fiance to marry him. Irreplaceable!!! Glen went into his room to mourn and there sitting on his bed was the contents that had been removed from his backpack, including the two journals. Glen absolutely recognized what a tender gift that was to him personally.

After I told both those stories to Sanjay I just looked at him and said, "Sanjay if the Lord cares enough about a senior sister missionary locked out of her flat to whisper to her husband to come home and cares enough to retrieve a young man's journals from the hands of a thief, don't you think He will care enough about you to direct your path and open or close doors on who you spend eternity with? Hand this over to God. He will direct your path. You don't need to fear."

Sanjay heard me and believed! To him and to all of you I can testify that God truly cares about the details of our lives.

Missing Halloween at Home

Halloween here is not a big deal. We did see some kids dressed up. At Hyde Park Chapel we had Elder Ohman do his organ magic as they showed  the 1925 version"Phantom of the Opera". OMG it's so hilarious what they considered acting in those days. We had a good crowd attend with some of our kids in costume.

Jim and I have gotten really good at not being homesick all the time. We realize it's the most difficult on holidays. Thankfully we got a good look at our grandkids in their costumes on Facebook. SO CUTE! It made us not so lonesome.



Family History Workshop and Fall in London 

In London this fall we've been told it's been the warmest, driest fall on record. It's been wonderful for us!!!

Yesterday we had a Family History Fair that lasted several hours. Jennie White was in charge of it and it was amazing. There is such a spirit of Elijah that attends that work. Everyone was inspired that attended.

After the workshop we met with our precious Catherine Wilkinson to go for a walk with a golden retriever she's babysitting. We walked Kensington Park. It was a beautiful fall afternoon, in the low 60's, breezy, with colored leaves falling and blowing all around us. Is there anything more glorious than walking a dog on a gorgeous fall day in the park with people you love? It filled us up!

This is the very famous sculpture of Peter Pan found in Kensington Park. Isn't this dog beautiful. It was a perfect fall day!

Time to get ready for church. It's Fast Sunday so we have Munch and Mingle after church and then a CES Devotional Broadcast. This will be another long Sunday at church!

Know how dearly we love each of you. We are anxiously awaiting Seth's arrival! I'm not holding my breath, though. I'm sure he'll do what his siblings have done and come 2 weeks late. Bless you Bri for your patience. Take care of one another. We pray blessings for all of you daily. Pray for us and that the work will continue to march forward. We need your prayers.  LOVES!!!!

Sanjay Nath. My Friend Forever! By Elder Phillips and Some Catching Up

Our journey together began over eight months ago. When I met him I had a very surreal experience that I had only once before with Tom Smith when he was also the same age as Sanjay. I knew spiritually that Father in Heaven expected me to make sure that both Tom and Sanjay accepted the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I had the spirit whisper to me in the clearest of voices that I was to disregard their efforts to tell me to get lost. Tom and Sanjay were both valiant spirits of Heavenly Father that needed to accept the Gospel of Jesus Christ so Father could unfold His plan for them. Tom, like Sanjay, accepted the Gospel and has served the Lord as a Bishop twice, a Stake President and now a Mission President. He found his sweetheart Becky and has 8 children that are the loves of their lives. I can’t wait to see what Father has in store for Sanjay because, like Tom, this is one of the great souls that Father has saved for the Final Dispensation.

Sanjay was taught originally by Elder Anderson and Elder Wou. They asked me to teach with them and that’s how our friendship began. I was able to be involved in most of the lessons that were shared with Sanjay. What a gift to start my mission with Elders like these and one of God's choice spirits, Sanjay. He made great progress with these Elders but was not ready to be baptized before they were transferred. I felt a huge obligation to them and the Lord to make sure that Sanjay stayed on the path of conversion. Elders came and went and Sanjay tried to walk away a number of times but the love of the Lord and the truth just kept touching his soul. 

His background is Hindu and he was brought up going to temple to worship and loves his Indian culture. He was raised in my old mission; Birmingham, England. His parents are good people and brought him up to be the kind of young man that will make a difference in this world. He is in his second year of medical school at Imperial College. This is one of the finest and may I add toughest colleges in London. Sanjay had to commit everything to his studies. This sometimes made it difficult to meet with the elders and I but he did anyway. This was one of his big tests. Should he just focus on his education or also make time to find God. Because of who he is he chose to make time to find out if the Gospel had been restored to the earth. This is no small test given the requirements of Medical School. He testified to us yesterday that taking that time for God gave him the peace and faith required to make it through his first year at school successfully. He has gained great confidence that if you put God first all else will be added unto you. His older brother couldn’t make it through his first year in medical school so there was added pressure for him to succeed and prove to his dad that he could go away to school and not blow it. Now that Sanjay has proven trustworthy his father is respecting him in a way every son looks for from their fathers.

I want to share the scary times that almost cost us Sanjay coming into the Church. After his first year of school he went home to Birmingham for the summer and chose not to be baptized before he left. I had prayed and fasted to know what we should do regarding baptizing him before he left or support his choice and wait until he returned. I felt strongly that if we baptized him and sent him home that he would fall in with his old friends and never forgive himself for breaking his covenants he made with the Lord. 

In faith I supported Sanjay in going home still unbaptized for the following reasons. He was very afraid of what his father would think about him coming to London and taking on this new religion wondering if he had been led astray. Sanjay was worried that his father would withhold his financial support for medical school and have him come home to Birmingham University to complete his studies so he wouldn’t fail like his brother. A committed father would always want what’s best for his son and without understanding what the Church is all about his father would possibly take action to protect his son from himself. This was the first big test of Sanjay’s faith. He made it through his first year but then had to make it through the summer with all his lifelong friends. That was no easy task and he did go back to his old life while in Birmingham along with returning to his first love, a girl he had been with since high school.

The challenges of the “summer vacation” got to him and he put the gospel on the shelf like we all do sometimes. By not living the commandments he was taught regarding the word of wisdom, doubts started to creep into his mind. Of course when we stop obeying what we know is true (Word of Wisdom) and stop reading the scriptures and praying, our faith is shaken and our peace is lost. So it was for Sanjay. He was in a place that did not promote his quest for truth and remained in a state of limbo until he came back to school.

He came by to see me one Thursday night when he had come back to set up his apartment for the next school year and just “felt” he had to come and see me. I had heard from the Elders that Sanjay had told them that he wasn’t going to continue but I knew what I knew and wouldn’t accept that as a possiblility. I was certain of what the Lord had told me and I knew Father would provide another opportunity for me to teach him again. When he walked in the Cultural Hall one Thursday night I was overcome with joy. I experienced what it must be like when we pass to the other side and greet loved ones that have passed on and you see them again for the first time. It was one of those moments of love in a relationship you can’t deny. I threw my arms around him and said I knew he would come back and was so glad to see him. 

Sister Phillips fed him and I loved him and made plans for beginning his teaching when he returned to school in a few weeks. I’m not sure if I just overwhelmed him with the spirit of love so he just went along with it or that he was glad to feel the spirit again. Either way we were on “the road again” or so I thought.

He went back to Birmingham to finish up his summer vacation and didn’t come back until late September when school began. I felt very impressed to invite him to a concert that was happening at the Hyde Park Chapel the first week of October to get him started again. He accepted my invitation to join us for the Paul Cardall Concert that produced the perfect environment for the Spirit and Paul Cardall to bear witness of the Savior and His Atonement. Sanjay was quiet all night and was obviously praying and pondering everything that was being said. The Spirit whispered to me that Sanjay was making a “Go-No Go” decision whether he would continue. I waited for the conclusion of the concert and turned to Sanjay and said, “You’ve come here tonight to decide if you’ll continue, right? What has the Lord told you through the Spirit?” He just said, “I can’t deny the Spirit I’ve felt and the Lord just won’t let me go.”

The reason for this new crisis of faith was brought on by his old girlfriend. The untold story of his summer was his reconnection with his first love that is his best friend. He’s known his girl since high school and felt this was the girl he was going to marry. He had concerns because her family’s religious roots are from the Punjab region of India and are Sikhs that broke off from Sanjay’s Hindu faith. Her parents wouldn’t be in favor of her marrying outside of their faith, period. I think Sanjay thought he had enough challenges with her parents accepting that she would marry a Hindu, much less a Mormon. I hope that the Sikhs belief in “One God” and in Scripture will give Sanjay a chance to introduce our God to her through the Book of Mormon.

Sanjay is facing this great test of loving God over anyone else on earth. He has great faith and will trust God to help him work out this girlfriend challenge and accept God’s will. Its awe inspiring to see him stand in faith, not knowing what will happen. He is willing to accept Fathers plan for him.  As shown in the picture taken Saturday, the 18^th day of October Sanjay Nath is now an official member of the Church of Jesus Christ. I also was privileged to confirm him a member of the Church and bestow the Holy Ghost upon him on Sunday October 19, 2014.

Our beloved Sanjay Nath on the day of his baptism!

After the baptism of Sanjay (where we filled the room with 50 YSA who had come to support Sanjay) Bishop White and Jennie had our Britannia Ward Sisters and Elders, Sanjay, Sister Ohman and us come to their flat for dinner to celebrate! We love our Bishop Rick and Jennie!

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We received this note from Sanjay the day after he was confirmed a member of the church.

Hello Sister Phillips. 

I hope you and Elder Phillips are keeping well. I just wanted to write you both a quick note to thank you both for everything over the past 8 months and longer. I still don't think it has fully sunk in for me that I have finally become a member. For a long time I knew that that's what I wanted (and needed) but there were times when I thought nothing would work out and life would be a whole lot easier if I just turned my back on the church. But, as you know, I couldn't And I'm so much happier because of it!

The baptism and receiving the Holy Ghost were both beautiful and I thank you so much for it. Sister Phillips what you said about this being only the first step are words that I will cling on to and remember forever. Elder Phillips your words during my confirmation almost made me cry. I was so happy that my friend who isn't part of the church was there to experience it and see why this means so much to me. I know the Gospel is true and I know my friend could see right then that the Church is something really special.

If it wasn't for the guidance and support you both gave me for so long I honestly don't know whether I would still be in London at medical school right now. I hope you don't mind me saying but I see you both as parental figures - I wouldn't say I'm a very trusting person but there was something about both of your natures that made me realise early on that the Phillips were different and I could share whatever with you.

The time will come when I will tell my parents and the rest of my family about joining the church, part of me thinks that they already know. But what I do know for sure is that they will be happy that I had the two of you to help me through it all.

There's so much more I want to say but I can't get the words out right now. Everyone kept asking me how I felt after joining and 'happy' is doing it a disservice. I don't know how long this feeling will last but even when times get bad I know the Saviour is always there and I will keep 'enduring to the end'

Hope to see you sometime this week,
Sanjay

Oh how we love this young man!

Catching Up

This is Mom. I wanted to add to Jim's post about a couple other things that are note-worthy that have happened this last couple weeks.

The biggest news is Ling Ling got the job at Disney Shanghai. It's a total miracle!!! Ling will never doubt the Lord knows her by name and cares about her welfare. How it all came about was just too crazy to think it happened by chance. Bless Joel's heart (the head engineer Jim met at Hyde Park). He went the extra mile in Ling's behalf and emailed the guy that hired in Shanghai recommending Ling for the job. She had to pass some proficiency tests on her English skills (not a problem for her!) and then was interviewed and hired yesterday. She starts next Monday! It's so fun to see how excited she is and she's the first to acknowledge this is a gift from God.

Holly Isherwood interviewed with Jim's company that bought DGI yesterday and it's looking good that they will hire her to be the head HR person for them for all of Europe. What a blessing that will be for her, as well. Having her back in church is such a blessing. She's a powerhouse and has so much to offer our ward. We love her. She's one of our girls!

Our YSA choir sings THIS SUNDAY for Stake Conference. We are doing "Lead Kindly Light" and "He Leadeth Me", two of my favorite pieces. We have Elder Adriano from Spain playing the violin part. He's certainly not Elizabeth Ashton, but he's doing a good job. It's still pretty ragged but we have an hour on Sunday morning to hopefully clean it all up. I'm praying for heavenly help!

A week and a half ago on Friday we got to go to the temple with all the Senior Missionaries in the London mission and Pres. and Sister Jordan. What a wonderful experience. It was amazing to stand in the circle together, all of us consecrated and set apart missionaries committed to and praying for the same things. There was magnificent power in that circle. It was a wonderful day!

The work is progressing. We feel like we have momentum and the work we've been doing is bearing fruit. Last Sunday I sat with Sanjay while Jim moved over to sit with Joye, Holly and Catherine. I started counting and there were 10 kids there that had not been there the month before because of our efforts. We love every one of them. I was overwhelmed and deeply humbled that we get to be part of this work. It truly is a miracle work!

Some exciting news! This past week Jim went with Holly Isherwood to the Employment Center to speak with Martin Gardner and the Baxters. Martin is the church employee who is in charge of all the employment centers in the UK. I guess it went very well because later that night Martin called and asked if Jim and I would consider coming this next week for 2 nights and 2 days to Birmingham to work with all the Employment missionaries that are gathering there for a conference. And can you guess where the meeting is taking place? You got it! 185 Penns Lane, Jim's old mission home from his first mission! We still haven't heard if we are getting permission to go but we're keeping our fingers crossed. This might be the only way we will ever get to go to Birmingham on our mission so we're hoping the Area President will give his permission for us to travel there. We will drive up with the Baxters. They are the new Employment Center couple who were stolen from the center to help in the mission office after Elder Giles passed away. We absolutely love the Baxters. What a fabulous addition they are to the mission. The Jordans would keep them in the office if the church would let them because they are so competent!

We are now back on our school schedule. I've taught 3 Institute classes this month. It's been wonderful to be back together. Lots of GREAT new kids. Jim is teaching Preach My Gospel on Thursday nights. The day before his opening class he was informed the church had come out with a new manual. Jim had to scramble to get the lesson together for the next day. It was a frustrating experience. He had kids that hardly spoke English, brand new converts who barely knew the doctrine and kids that have been life-long members of the church. He wasn't prepared for the complexity. The next week he simplified the lesson and had a great experience. It's going to be a challenge balancing the curriculum to meet the needs of such a varied group.

One last thing. We are busily preparing for a Chinese Convention being held here on Nov. 21-23. It's causing me to loose sleep. We are planning on a hundred Chinese YSA from all over the UK. Of course the cooking has fallen on me with the help of Dixon, a marvelous Chinese young man that is a fabulous cook. Last week it took us 4 hours to decide on a menu for 2 breakfasts, 2 lunches, and 2 dinners. Saturday night dinner is a formal, sit down dinner with 6 different food items!!! I'm having nightmares about how we are going to pull this off in the kitchen we have to work with. Then 2 days ago Jennie White informed us that she will be gone the weekend of the conference. She felt so bad. She is such a help. Having Jennie is like having 2 sets of hands. I'm devastated! We will get the non-Chinese YSA to help but it's still very daunting!!! Crazy stretching for someone who has only ever cooked to gather in the people she loves!

We are anxiously awaiting Seth's arrival. Praying earnestly for a beautiful birth and safe arrival of our 13th grandchild. Can't wait to meet him, even if it's over Goggle. So grateful for Ashlee's willingness to take my place and go be with Bri. So so sad I won't be there to share it with them. 

Tomorrow is Ty's 4th birthday. Oh how we adore our Ty Jacob. I can't believe it's been four years since he joined our family. I'll never forget seeing him that first time at the hospital. Unlike the other boys he was a monster! So big and SO HANDSOME!!! It was love at first sight. It's never changed. We adore our Ty with his perma-grin and his fearlessness. So grateful he's ours forever!!! Happy birthday sweet boy!!!

Well that should do it. I kind of cheated by just tacking on my catch up list to Jim's post, but it will have to do. Love to each one of you. You are all sorely missed. Mom

What a Weekend!

I just finished a blog on Thursday but wanted to record our fabulous weekend with some fun pictures.

Baptisms of Our Precious Chillie and Maggie

Friday night was the baptism of Chillie, our brilliant, beautiful Chinese student at Imperial College. She was lucky enough to have her original missionary, Elder Tautfest, baptize her. He had gone back to the states at the conclusion of his mission and was over here visiting in London with his parents. It was a beautiful baptism and she was able to bear a sweet, hard-fought testimony at the conclusion of her baptism. We love Chillie. She matches her name. She's spicy, out-spoken, asks the hard questions and is so fun. What a great addition to our ward!

This is Chillie and Alex who was baptized the previous week.

On Saturday we did something that we've never done before. Our Relief Society President, Hollie MeKee, came up with a brilliant idea of having a walking tour of London for all the new kids in the ward to get to know London. It originally was going to be for just the girls and then it was decided to open it up to the guys, as well. IT WAS SO GREAT!! What a marvelous way for the new members to get to know the ward and the ward to get to know the new kids. Hollie and Leah did such a marvelous, creative way of giving accurate (and not so accurate) history of the sites of London. What started out as a 2 hour walk ended up taking 4 1/2 hours. Our Hollie was the star of the show. She was so ON!!! Her wit and humor made it a blast. Dad and I were able to get to really know several of our newest members in a casual fun way. We've decided it needs to be an annual event. Oh how we love these kids of ours!

As we gathered to begin the trip at Buckingham Palace, we pose with three of our dearest friends, all converts in this last year. From left to right; Emily, Ling Ling and Helen. All brilliant amazing girls with great futures ahead. Chinese pioneers!

Our mighty leader and dear friend Hollie with Big Ben and the London Eye (HUGE ferriswheel) in the background 

We ended up with about 40 kids all together. This was just part of our group along the walk. Our new Bishop's wife and dear friend Jennie is on the front row, last on the left.

Hollie told us this phone booth was where Prince Philip stole his first kiss from Queen Elizabeth.  We had to share a kiss there. We shared this very fun information with several tourists and only later Hollie confessed it was one of her not so accurate true facts. Silly Hollie!!

Part of the Royal Guard. I haven't shared with you that most mornings we have about 14-20 horses ride by our flat on their way to the Royal stables. It's so fun to hear the clip clop going down the street in the early morning.

We just happened on a fun rowboat flotilla on the River Thames as we crossed Westminster Bridge. How fun is this picture!!!!

The Walking Tour worked perfect for the baptism yesterday at 4:00. Everyone just came over after the tour to the church and attended Maggie's baptism and then a gathering afterwards. Let me tell you about Maggie. She has been coming to church for over a year but because of some legal issues has not been able to be baptized. I didn't realize she wasn't a member for months. She was the perfect example of a dry Mormon. Through all those months she has lived the gospel completely. She radiates. At the gathering after her baptism she expressed how this experience had taught her so much about waiting on the Lord. She said how her worst trait was impatience. Through this year she had to learn to trust in God's timing for her. And she testified, "His timing has been perfect!" On Facebook she wrote this last night:

Maggie's baptism day! What a day. After a long journey to wait for this opportunity. And I finally got home. Thanks everyone helped me to prepare this journey, to be a part of my life, to help me to learn from the challenges and trials, and most importantly, our savior Jesus Christ and our heavenly father, my light in the dark, I'm here this life is for witness your grace and return back to you. Only knowing your name and your atonement , it's a blessing. Only knowing and reading the Book of Mormon , is a privilege . I testify this church is true, and the Book of Mormon is true. I share those things in the name or Jesus Christ. Amen

How precious is that testimony!!! That's our Maggie!

Today Elder Phillips had the great privilege of confirming and giving both these girls the gift of the Holy Ghost. There was such a powerful spirit there. These are converted young women.

A Miracle for Ling Ling 

After church we had a going away party for our beloved Ling Ling. She leaves for China on Tuesday. I cried all day yesterday. Oh how we will miss our precious Ling. She did everything in her power to stay and nothing worked out. I've had such a strong impression that she needs to go home, that she has work to do in China as a Mormon pioneer to that country.

An amazing thing happened yesterday as we were preparing to come home. I had gone in to listen to General Woman's Conference when Jim saw a man he'd never seen before in our Visitor's Center Lobby. Elder Phillips felt impressed to go talk to him. He went and introduced himself to the man and found out he was a High Priest from Hollywood Calif. and had just finished being the executive engineer on a project for Disney at a new theme park in Shanghai. Now you need to understand that is where Ling is moving to, but has yet to find a job. She has applied for a job at Disney already two times and it is her dream job. She just happened to walk out into the lobby as Jim was talking to the man so Jim was able to introduce her to him. Then Jim went to work doing his magic and by the close of the conversation had a card with the name of main man that hires for the Disney project in Shanghai. They are desperate for interpreters which is what Ling just got her Masters in!!! We meet with Ling today for a goodbye lunch and a strategy on how she should precede. Elder Phillips is truly AMAZING! Only Jim!!!!

They're BACK!!!!!!

Well it is now Monday, one week since I started this post. Let's just say so much for a low-key summer. It's definitely a thing of the past. Things are hopping. It started last week and hasn't stopped! I feel like I need to catch my breath!! I actually stayed home tonight from FHE so I could get this blog done. There's been not one second to even think about it before now.

Elder Giles Passing 

This past Tuesday we had a very very sad, unexpected event happen in our mission. Elder Giles, part of our new office couple that has been here for only 2 1/2 months, passed away. He and Sister Giles had just come in from an early morning walk before they were to come to the office. He was making breakfast while Sister Giles went and took a shower. When she came out she found him collapsed on the floor. She tried to revive him but realized she wasn't having any luck. The great blessing was there were two other senior couples across the hall from her flat that hadn't left for church yet. She was able to go get them to help. They immediately came, did resuscitation (Elder Baxter worked on him for over 30 minutes until paramedics got there), and were able to be with her through the whole ordeal. One of  senior missionaries told me how blown away the paramedics were. They kept saying how lucky she was to be surrounded by "family". When they were told the other couples were only friends the paramedics expressed amazement about how calm everyone was. They said that usually these kind of calls were the worst with people hysterical and distraught. They said what a contrast this was, how peaceful and calm it was. What they didn't recognize was that they were feeling the spirit. They were blown away.

That night we had our last Tuesday night dinner (So fun with Hollie, Ionut, new convert Alex and Dixon) so I was no help. But on Wednesday we were able to go to Costco and get food for a luncheon after the Memorial on Thursday and also order a bouquet for the funeral that was given by the mission.

On Thursday Pres. Jordan presided over a lovely memorial service. Sister Giles two sons came from the states to the mission to bring her home. They spoke at the memorial and some of our young Sisters and Elders provided music. It was tender and so sweet. After we had a luncheon at the Jordan's flat where we were able to say goodbye to Sister Giles. I can't imagine coming out with your sweetheart and going back home alone. My heart broke for her!

When I first heard Elder Giles had died I turned to Jim and told him if he ever did that to me I'd kill him! Then the second thought was, "What a way to go. In the saddle to the end." This was the Giles' fourth mission. He had served a two year mission at 19, then as Mission President in Haiti, had served in Toronto, Canada and finished with this mission to London. He was 74 years old. We know where he is and what he's doing. No doubt about it!!!!

Paul Cardall Concert and Sanje

The night of Elder Giles' Memorial we had a special concert with Paul Cardall. I'm sure you have heard of him. He's become quite famous as a new-age pianist and recording artist, especially in the church. We used this event to get our YSA there for the concert and then sign up for Institute after.We had sent out letters to every YSA in our stake to come.

Jim had been trying to get with Sanje who had just returned for school and moved back that very day. Luckily Thursday was the only day he could meet so it worked out great that he could join us for the concert.

Elder Phillips didn't say it to me but Jim knew immediately by the spirit, that when Sanje arrived he had come that night to make up his mind if he was going to continue with the discussions or call it quits. Sanje had taken a beating all summer long from his Hindu family and friends about the church and had a girlfriend who has absolutely no interested in Christianity, much less Mormonism. It would have been a relief for Sanje to be done with it all. The only problem was Sanje had had experiences with the spirit that had testified of Christ.

Paul did a beautiful job combining his music and video with his very powerful, bold testimony of Christ. It was deeply moving. Sanje never said a word, but you could tell he was touched.

When the concert was over Elder Phillips turned to Sanje and made the statement, "You came tonight knowing you were going to decide if it was a Go/ No Go." Sanje was shocked that Jim would know his intentions but confirmed that was exactly where he was at. Then Jim asked him how he was feeling now that the concert was done. Sanje answered, "He just won't let me go. The Savior, he just won't let me go." He then opened up about his girlfriend. He's know her since high school. He said that she's a Hindu but is actually indifferent to all religion, which makes it so hard for Sanje. Jim asked him to look out 10 years. How would he feel about this girl being the mother to their children and having no faith or belief to anchor their children to. That stunned Sanje and gave him something to think about. We meet with him on Wednesday to work through these issues.

Pray for him  He is such a precious, good young man. I'm watching beautiful heartbreak. These kids are required to give up so much. They really are the pioneers of today with very real tribulation and paying a heavy price to be part of the Lord's kingdom. I have such respect and admiration for their courage and commitment. Their courage humbles me.

This Past Weekend

Friday we had our first Multi-Stake dance of the year. I have to say this is the one job of our mission I wish we could pass on. It's loud! It's messy and it's very late. I guess we don't get to choose to do just the things we want to do.

Saturday we stayed at the flat to watch Conference so I could cook for Sunday and recouped because I knew what was coming Sunday.

Sunday Priesthood session is shown at 10:00 am. at our chapel. Then Saturday night session is Utah is shown at 1:00 pm Sunday here. Utah Sunday morning session is shown here at 5:00 pm. The last session of conference we have to find on our computer because we run out of weekend.

Like last Conference I used having all the kids and missionaries at the chapel to my advantage. Our YSA have been asked to sing again at Stake Conference in 3 weeks so we had a rehearsal after the 1-3 pm session followed by supper I prepared. Then we all attended the 5:00 session. We had probably 60 kids singing.  A little bit of a full day to say the least. Last night I came home so exhausted I felt sick. But the day was successful. We had a great turnout for choir and the meal was delish!

Tomorrow we begin our Institute class here once again so today has been spent putting together a lesson. I have mixed emotions about it.  It's wonderful but so time consuming, especially doing this course, "Teachings of the Living Prophets". The lessons have to be put together from scratch, which always takes way more time. I'm just so grateful for the extraordinary conference we just had!!! So many amazing talks addressing such pressing needs. It will be a joy to get to study and teach them.

I"M DONE! It's always a relief to get this recorded. I pray it matters because it really does require lots of time. I'm trying to do it cheerfully (most the time) and consider it my contribution to our Family History.

Know we are loving the work, loving our kids, loving each other, and loving the Lord. We miss each one of you but continue to be grateful to be part of the Lord's army. We wouldn't trade it!!!

“Heathrow Delivers Jobs and Ionut Alexandru Antonie” by Elder Phillips

I had been praying for ways to bless the Britannia Ward and use the gifts and experience Father has given me for His work and His children. As I prayed I was impressed to write an email to the CEO of ECI, the company that bought my company, Digital Gateway. My impression was that they would have employment opportunities for our YSA, given they had three of their acquisitions in Europe and one in London. That email was generated on a Wednesday to the CEO and I got his reply two day later. He opened his email by saying that my timing was perfect because he was coming to Heathrow the following week and he’d love to see me. He did wonder how my email could be so perfectly timed. I reminded him of the heavenly help that I’ve always enjoyed (like the sale of DGI to ECI) and we both had a good laugh.

I know Heavenly Father’s impression had purpose far beyond what I supposed. I took the tube to Heathrow Terminal 4 and got off and went across to the Hyatt Hotel where Ron was having his meetings. We started our meeting at 1:30pm and completed it at 3:00 pm. I told them about an entire army of 200 YSA that we’re working with and indicated that we had some super talent here in London. They disclosed that they have 18 open positions that we’ll get the opportunity to fill through our London Employment Center. The ECI crusty CFO/ HR VP responsible for all hiring walked up while we were in the meeting. I asked him what are his most pressing needs regarding hiring the right people in Europe. He said without hesitation that he needed a top HR consultant to lead his hiring activities and work with all their European Companies. He knew I had done business in Europe with Procter & Gamble and IBM and had HR friends in high places. I had credibility with him and that’s not easy to do. My people at Digital Gateway had proven to be ECI’s strongest and deepest team of all the 14 companies they’d acquired. I used that credibility to suggest sending all their needs regarding employment to our Hyde Park Employment Center. I gave him the brochure for our center and Glenn commented that it was impressive what our Church does to help our members. 

As we were completing our discussion on this subject a girl’s name came into my mind that we’ve been reactivating.  She hasn’t been active for 10 years and is just returning to the kingdom. It just so happened that I had a conversation with her days before regarding her HR background and what she had done in her career. That discussion allowed me to suggest her as a candidate for consideration for his number one priority, the HR job. It interests me how Father knows his children better than we ever can. Since that impression I’ve come to know this talented sister very well and of course Father was right to put her name in my mind. She has since had several follow up conversations that I believe will lead to a year contract with ECI leading their HR Development role here in Europe.

Lesson: One of Father’s children decides to turn back to God and the parable of the Prodigal Son unfolds right before me. The minute the son decides to return to his family, the Father runs to him and brings him home as a returning Prince. This is what I’m watching with this very talented young woman. I am reviewing her one year proposal that ECI requested today that will very likely be the foundation client needed to build her Consulting Business she started this year. She just had to “knock and repent and the Father has flung the door wide open”. I bear witness that Father is deeply concerned about the “one”. He knows us by name and wants to be involved in the important decisions of our life if we’ll let Him.

Speaking of decisions let me now tell you the rest of the Heathrow story. Ionut Alexandru Antonie arrives at Heathrow Terminal 4 from Italy where he’d been living. Alex has been on a personal journey for the last four years to find the true church in Italy. One day as Alex was praying to know what to do the inspiration that he received was to pack up everything he had and move to London. All that he had in the world fit into a carry on suit case. He obeyed the prompting he’d received to buy a plane ticket to London that left him with 30 pounds in the world. He deplaned and went straight to the Terminal 4 tube station to London. He said that he prayed to know what train he should get on. Two trains left before he got the impression that this was the right one that would take him to where he needed to go. Of course that was the train I was on. I witnessed this young Rumanian Boy almost begging a lady sitting in front of him for the right tube station to get off at for Central London. I was five seats away witnessing this conversation and hearing the desperate need for directions. I moved just across from Alex and asked him if he was from Rumania and he looked at me and said yes. I then asked him if he was trying to come to London to find work and he said yes again. He indicated that he needed to find a hostel in downtown London. I told him to follow me when I got off.

We arrived at South Kensington Station and Alex was right behind me following my every step. I took him to Cromwell Road so I could point him to the hostel called Baden House, the original home of the Boy Scouts and its founder. As I gave Alex the directions he looked at me and said, “I only have 30 pounds.”  He told me he’d find somewhere else to sleep. I asked him did he know anyone in London and he said no. I asked him what he was going to do for work and he said he’d go door to door in the restaurants and tell them that he is a cook until someone hired him. I stood all amazed at the faith he was exhibiting. I told him again to follow me and took him to Hyde Park Chapel with me. It was Thursday night so Sister Phillips was cooking and I invited him to dinner. This gave me a chance to call Marius, another Rumania, that had also left his homeland of Romania and had just came to London. I told Marius that I needed him to help me with Alex. Marius dropped everything and jumped on the same bike that he rode for 11 hours to get to the temple and back. Marius rode an hour to Hyde Park Chapel to meet with him. Alexander my “rain man” that sets up our tables and chairs perfectly for Thursday night dinners was keeping Alex busy speaking Italian with him. By the way this is only one of the four languages Alexander my “rain man” and friend speaks. 

Marius arrived during dinner and I told him what I needed him to do with Alex and the rest is history. Marius made sure he got to a hostel for the night and met him the next day to help him. They spent the day together and Marius called me and said I could trust Alex. Alex had told Marius his life story and found out that they were born the same month and their fathers were born in the same city in the same month also. These Romanian brothers at heart had to find each other in London and have been inseparable since.

Marius just baptized Alex three weeks after he arrived from Heathrow. After I gave Alex the Holy Ghost he hugged me and said this is why I came to London. I saw Alex on Thursday night and he came up and hugged me and said, “ I will be going on a mission in one year.” He proclaimed that he would learn English better than his big new brother Marius that was standing there smiling. These two are brothers from a different mother. Marius is using Alex in his remodeling company and living with his partner. They will both start attending my Mission Prep class that starts in October. 

Lesson: Obey the voice of the Lord because it will tell you all thing you should do.

I thought I had the impression to go to Heathrow for jobs for the YSA but the Lord had a different agenda. I like his so much better. May we all be swallowed up in the will of the Lord and obey his voice even if it   doesn’t make sense to us. 

Visitors From Home and Amazing Missionary Stories

How can it be 16 day since my last blog? For the last several days I've been pressed to get to this and finally got up early this morning, a Thursday morning that is usually full of cooking for Institute but tonight one of our young men is making an Indian dinner India for all of us, which allows me to work on the blog. 

One of the problems of waiting so long in-between is there is so much to share. It's overwhelming! I'm just going to try and share the highlights.

Di and Charlene's Visit

We got our first visitors of our mission from home when Diane Lungo and her roommate Charlene arrived on Wednesday morning, Sept 10th for a week visit. It was such a fun taste of home to have Diane with us. She was able to fill us in about the Powell trip and what's happening at home. Luckily she came the last week of the summer doldrums and we were able to use P-days we hadn't taken to go do some touristy things with them. Here was our week:

Wednesday: They were exhausted from their trip. We talked all morning, then took a fun walk around Kensington and Hyde Park ending up at the Hyde Park Chapel where they got to meet some of our missionaries and new members. Typical of our mission, in the middle of our walk Elder Phillips got a call from Pres. Jordan asking him to come help him brain storm about some training for the next day for all his missionary leadership. Jim ended up doing some team building exercises for the leaders the next day at their conference.

Thursday: I had to do dinner for Institute so Diane and Charlene got passes on a Hop On Bus and took a bus tour of all of the main sights of London. It lasted several hours. Then that night, while we were at Institute they went and saw "Wicked". I love this show but poor Diane was so jet lagged that she feel asleep through part of it.

Friday: We took the train to Watford and then a bus to Warner Bros. Harry Potter Studio. If you love Harry Potter this is a must! It contains all the sets and props used to make Harry Potter so magical. We were there almost 4 hours. It was amazing!!

Saturday: Jim stayed home, but the three of us took the train to Canterbury, my favorite town I've seen to so far. We happened to be there on the weekend of the Hops Festival (Hops is what makes beer beer!) They had minstrels in the streets and musical acts all along the cobbled city streets. When we went to see the Cathedral we found it was having a special service to celebrate the holiday, along with an Evensong (that's when the boys choir sings) at 3:15 instead of 6:00. We were able to go to the service and hear the heavenly choir sing in the most amazing Cathedral of them all. After the service the Bishop invited everyone to a high tea in his rectory back yard. SO WE WENT!!! I don't think they intended for american missionaries to join them, but it was amazing. The yard was beautiful, the scones were lovely and we made friends with the Deacon from the church at Plymouth. It was surreal and SO CHARMING!!

Canterbury Cathedral

 

There are so many stain glass windows you can't count them all.

This is one part of the ceiling of Canterbury Cathedral. It's overwhelming just standing in that great testament and prayer to God.

The Sacrament table

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The pathway back to the garden and High Tea. Isn't this beautiful!!!

Sunday: Di and Charlene got to come to Britannia Ward. The Relief Society meeting was on Family History and both Di and Charlene were able to make some wonderfully wise comments that added much to our meeting.

Monday: We went for the first time to Buckingham Palace. It's the actual residence of the Queen. It was everything you would dream a palace to be. It's so over the top but very "royal". The grounds are spectacular. I can't imagine living there! That night we went to see "War Horse". You've all seen the movie but what was special about this show is all the animals are life size puppets, manned by 3-4 people. The horses are big enough that the actors actually ride them. The puppetry skills are amazing. You soon forget they aren't real because their movement are so life like. There was only one problem. About 30 minutes before the conclusion of the show, one of the horses broke down. We waited 30 minutes and they came back out and said they "thought" they might be able to fix it but it would take another 30-45 minutes. We decided we knew the ending and went home.

Tuesday: Jim and I looked ahead at the rest of the week and realized we HAD to make our Costco run on Tuesday instead of Wednesday to fit everything in so we left the girls here to do the local museums and took our 5 hour run to Costco. It was a break Di and Charlene needed because the next day they were leaving to go to Prague and they needed to pack and take it easy that day. They were able to go to the Natural History Museum. That night Jim and I went to Pres. and Sister Jordan's flat to say goodbye to our dear friends Elder and Sister Garner. They are the senior couple who were over the employment center who have become such dear friends. It was an extraordinary meeting. Pres. Jordan told two stories I will share later.

Wednesday morning Jim got up at 7:00 am to help take their bags and get them safely on the tube that goes directly from our stop to Heathrow and their flight to Prague. We were so grateful for our visit and the excuse to do some of the tourist things we hadn't done before.

They left just in time for us to get back to work; with our Institute dinner on Thursday, a temple trip ALL DAY on Friday with our Britannia Ward YSA and then a Breakfast and Stake YSA Training at our flat on Saturday morning. Saturday night we had a highly anticipated baptism that I just wrote up for our Sharon 5th Ward Newsletter that explains what happened and why it was so significant to us.

SHARON 5TH WARD NEWSLETTER ARTICLE                                                                                                                                                             

Oh how we miss our Sharon 5th Ward Family. You have played such an amazing part in the lives of our family for twenty two years. We are so grateful for your love and support.

The indication of what our mission would be came at the first Institute Class we taught. We had 8 students attend; eight students that spoke 8 different languages. As a Grandma from Orem Utah I was astounded. Since then we have realized that we sit at the crossroads of the world, watching as all nations come to or pass through London. What a marvelous vantage point to watch as the hand of the Lord is manifest throughout the world.

A few examples; last Saturday we had Alex and Marianna baptized by Marius, all from Romania. This coming weekend we have Chillie and Maggie being baptized. These girls are brilliant students attending Imperial College from mainland China. We have a Stake YSA Council that are made up of 1 American, 2 Brits and 8 YSA either born in African or of African descent. It’s marvelous to behold.

I would like to share an experience Elder Phillips had 3 weeks ago as he traveled to Heathrow Airport to meet with some previous business associates to look for jobs for some of our kids. As he returned on the tube he noticed a young man who looked like a deer in the headlights. He was trying to question a woman next to him what tube spot he needed to get off for central London. His English was poor and she wasn’t understanding him. Elder Phillips offered his help and told the boy to follow him because that’s where he was going. As they traveled Elder Phillips found out the young man was from Romania and had come looking for work. All he had was 30 pounds in his pocket and one backpack with all his possessions in it. When they arrived Elder Phillips took him directly to our chapel for our Thursday night dinner I cook for all the YSA. Because he had a hard time communicating Elder Phillips called our Romanian Marius to come over. Marius is preparing to serve a mission. He became a missionary to Alex. They were able to find him a place to stay and work. The very next day Alex begin the missionary discussions and he was baptized by Marius last Saturday with Elder Phillips confirming him on Sunday. When he bore his testimony at his baptism he confessed that as he stood at the airport deciding which tube he should take, he prayed, “Lord is it this one?” “No.” Three trains later he knew that was the one he was to take. And there was Elder Phillips waiting to bring him to the gospel. Alex closed his testimony with these words, “It is for this gospel I was to come to London.”

Two weeks ago at a European Woman’s Conference four Family History Senior Sister Missionaries sat in front of me. When they found out I was serving the Britannia YSA Ward they smiled and said, “Oh you’re on a cooking mission.” I replied, “Oh I cook for the kids but I wasn’t called to be a cooking missionary! We have been called to gather.” This mission is a mission of holding on to those in front of us. This mission is rescuing those that have slipped away and bringing them back. This mission is finding those young adults who are seeking the truth and bringing them into the fold of God! This mission is about gathering God’s children and bringing them safely home. In humility we feel honored and privileged to be a part of this great work of the Lord that is beginning to cover the whole earth.

We pray we can represent you well.

Extraordinary Conversion Stories Shared by President Jordan
At the farewell for Elder and Sister Garner we were able to share our experience with Alex to all the senior missionaries that had gathered to say goodbye to them. Then President shared two stories from our mission that have just recently happened that were amazing enough for me to want to share with you. This first story was recorded in his weekly letter on Sept.16 from Pres. Jordan:

Tram and Her Father
Here is Sister Lee’s account of the miracle of the Lord preparing the heart of Tram, a 27 year old young woman from Vietnam, who is being taught by her and Sister Stoja in Northampton:

Tram's father and his two sisters heard about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from a friend during the war in Vietnam when they were young. They all had the desire to learn more and follow the gospel; however, the communists soon took over the whole country, and they were not allowed to have religious freedom. Being under this situation, they had very limited information about the Church. The two sisters of Tram's father eventually got to moved out of Vietnam, and one of them found the Church in the States while the other one joined the Church in Australia. According to Tram, her aunts have been members of the Church for almost 30 years. Throughout these years, they have been trying to share the gospel with Tram's family in Vietnam.

Fifteen years ago, Tram's father passed away, and in his will to Tram, he expressed that his wish was for Tram to find the Mormon church and join them if she gets to leave the country one day. Tram continued to keep in contact with her aunt in the States and learned about the Church little by little via email. Her aunt's testimony and her experience of how the gospel has helped her come closer to God and be happier really touched Tram's heart and she really desired to follow the wish of her father. She had always been praying in her heart that she would find the Mormons in the future. 

When she was sure that she was coming to England to study, which was her first time being abroad, she got the email of the mission president in Birmingham mission somehow and wrote to him to find out more about the Mormon church in Northampton where her university is. The mission president gave her the phone number of the sister missionaries in Northampton. Tram wrote to her aunt and asked her what she should do, and her aunt replied to her that she should contact the missionaries and they would tell her everything she needs to know to become a member. Therefore, she called the missionaries in Northampton with great excitement to inform them that she would be coming to England soon and she would like to come to Church on her first Sunday in England. She accepted a baptismal date for 11th October 2014 right away in her first meeting with the sister missionaries. Even though she does not have a clear idea who God is, her desire of coming closer to her Heavenly Father and her faith are remarkable. She told the missionaries, "God has guided me here, and He has sent you to me.

Elder Zhou and His Parents

The second story he told was about an Elder serving in our area; Elder Zhou. Elder Zhou's parents are from main-land China. Twenty years ago when they were newly married they were sent to New York to do advanced studies there. They met and were converted by friends while at University and were ultimately baptized, knowing that on return to China they would have to keep it a secret because they both were going to be professors at state-run Universities. If it was ever found out that they were Mormons they would lose their jobs and even their freedom. While in the states Elder Zhou was born and later a younger sister was born. Growing up in China neither one of them ever knew anything about their parents' membership in the church. But their parents never forgot or lost their testimonies. Carefully they crafted a way to introduce the church to their children.

The parents applied and received permission for both their children to do student exchange programs in America. And where do you think they applied? Utah, of course! Elder Zhou ended up at Lone Peak High School where he quickly made many Mormon friends and lived with an active Mormon family. It wasn't long before both he and his sister were converted to the church. In fear and trepidation they skyped their parents in China to ask permission to be baptized. Can you even imagine the joy they must have felt to hear from their parents' lips that they, too, were members of the church? Elder Zhou and his sister were both baptized and one year later the family was sealed together forever in the Hong Kong Temple. That son now serves in the London Mission and his sister is currently serving in the New York Mission. I love these parents quietly, patiently, persevering for years. And now their JOY is full! It's so the pattern of mortality!

Well I guess that's it for today. I want you all to be so proud of me for adding at least some pictures. I guess now that Di has shown me how to do it we both need to start carrying our camera and taking pictures. That will be a first!!!!

We miss you all. We are truly being blessed for our efforts as we see progress being made by "OUR KIDS". What a blessing to be here engaged in this work. I pray our efforts will bless YOUR lives. It's the deal I've made with the Lord; we'll watch over His children here if He will watch over our children at home! Feel our love, our prayers and our thoughts for you. We love you all so much! Mom