The First Two Weeks

 We have heard over and over that it takes about two weeks to completely recover from jet lag. I think it took a little less than that but the last two weeks have been quite the whirlwind. That's going to take a little bit to go over. Here are some of the highlights: 

1. Brighton

Since we are responsible for the YSA for the entire stake, we have decided to start right away visiting each unit and getting to know each area. This is especially useful since we also are responsible for inspecting the missionary apartments. We began by visiting Brighton which is right on the English Channel. The beach doesn't have sand. They call it a shale beach because it is covered with what can only be described as a hybrid of pea gravel and river rocks. The branch was so fun and we went to their game night Monday where we played a game similar to Mafia where you are looking for a demon (which was me.) Great fun!

Greg also got to try his first ever fish and chips. Sadly, the "chippies" that we remember are no longer here, and it is simply a restaurant item. A lot has changed in fifty years.

2. Epsom

Our next stop was a little town inside the M23 which is like the beltway that surrounds London. Epsom has a potluck every Friday night and we loved meeting some of the people and new friends of the elders there. We had a sweet mini-miracle in that we were there for the confirmation of a new member who is YSA so we got to meet Jo and invite him on the chat we use.

We are facing the struggle of using WhatsApp but not having a majority of the YSA on it so they don't know what is happening. Also, there is gap that makes our work difficult because we can't easily access the Stake Information. Although we are MLS Missionaries, we do not have access to many of the records because we don't have an official "Stake" calling. It was a surprising gap, but we are working around it.

Although I didn't take pictures of our Epsom days, the people were so dear. The bishop is so welcoming and supportive. Fast and testimony meeting was incredibly uplifting with remarkable miracles of people overcoming addictions through Christ and feeling uplifted in times of difficulty.

We ended our time with a dinner at Toby Carver's which was delicious. They had Yorkshire puddings that were as big as a cereal bowl. I've only seen them made at home in muffin tins. For those that don't know, Yorkshire pudding is like German Pancakes with beef drippings. It was a way to extend the meat when you didn't have much. Anyway, Epsom was lovely.

3. Institute

By far, our biggest responsibility is putting on a meal for Stake Institute. We got the first week while Sister Doughty showed us how it was done. We get anywhere from 30 to 50 YSA each Wednesday to the Stake Center. The first week I made Cottage Pie, previously known as Shepherd's Pie but I've been informed it is not Shepherd's Pie if it doesn't have lamb in it. Who knew? I made two large pans and we almost ran out, with salad, rolls and cookies for dessert. So this last week I made 4 pans full of creamy chicken enchiladas. They ate through 3 1/2. Most of the kids had never tasted them before. We had four new friends there (the new name for investigators.) And we simply enjoyed their sweet spirits and bright minds.

4. Temple Experiences

Yesterday we got a call from the sister missionaries in the area to take two new members to the temple to do baptisms for the first time. One is from East Africa and the other from Iran. It was a lovely experience. We also were able to go with the YSA to the temple last week. It is such a gift to be so close to the London Temple and feel the "sameness" of the Spirit so far away from home.