NEWS of the WEEK

Well, it is getting colder in London. This week we saw snow flurries on two days, nothing that sticks, but cold enough to snow. Areas out side of London report 2 to 4 inches on the ground. We have a Sister Missionary from Portugal whose box from home with her winter coat has not been received, so she will be cold. The members will help her until the box can be located. Because the humidity is so high, at about 80%, the cold is very penetrating, especially with the wind. We are, however, doing very well and so is the mission.

Christmas is all around with posters, lights, and the stores all decked out, just like any US city. They have succeeded in removing Christ from Christmas here as well as the rest of the World. We note that the "peace on earth, good will to men" is possible only as the heart of each person is changed by receiving Christ and taking on His loving attitude and being loving to all mankind. If the good will is present, then the peace on earth will follow. So we continue to invite everyone to come unto Christ and partake of his love and the blessings of the Gospel. The world is changed by one heart being changed at a time.

We are inundated with mail and packages and are trying to get them out to the missionaries before Christmas. The President and his wife are taking packages this week out to the various zones to help get them there before Christmas. We are certainly busy. Sister Hawley's computer had a security fault and locked her out of her computer and after over 4 hours with Gobal Help Desk of the Church's IT department in Salt Lake, most of her files have been restored and a new user profile set up. This has caused alot of problems and is not completely fixed yet. But hopefully, she can again process the boat load of work she must do each day to keep current. She is the star of the office and keeps it running and is great for the missionaries to have as a resource and a surrogate mother on occasion. Brother Hawley has some additional year end financial details to accomplish this week and has a list to complete before the end of the year. All reimbursements for the year must be processed by the end of the day Monday, 21 Dec. Yup, there is plenty to do.

We have no Christmas decorations in our flat and are to busy and never home long enough to enjoy them anyway. Our Christmas will be quiet and cozy here in our flat as the public transportation system all shuts down for two days during the holiday, so every where we go we must walk. Even the taxis stop running. Merry Christmas to all. Christmas is to be with family and to think about the real message of Christmas which is the great gift to mankind provided by the Savior. Christ brought to pass the blessing of the resurrection where every person will resurrect and physically be brought back into the presence of God to be judged to see if we have learned to live according to celestial law and be capable of living in the presence of God. To that end Christ suffered the punishment of the sins of all men so that they will not be subject to the punishment of their sins on condition of their true repentance and rehabilitation so that they are willing to obey and their hearts are changed so they are capable to living according to celestial law. Thus, Christ overcame death and hell and we should use Christmas as a time of gratitude for the gift of His life and His atonement. Glorious are these thoughts and sentiments. We are most grateful to be in His service and helping to invite all to come to Christ.

"They shall come to the knowledge of their Redeemer and the very points of his doctrine, that they may know how to come unto him and be saved." Book of Mormon, 1 Nephi 15:14

Missionary work is teaching people "that they may know how to come unto him and be saved."

Merry Christ to you all from London! May the blessings of the Lord be upon you and His peace find place in your heart.

NEWS of the WEEK

This past week has been full of many activities. On Monday Sister Hawley prepared the monthly President's report on baptisms. She also completed the ELM newsletter, Truth Will Prevail, in time to print enough copies to pass out to all mission companionships. Elder Hawley received 6 of our mission vehicles being recalled. He also contracted on three flats for three companionships to move into. On Tuesday afternoon President Kopischke arrived for his tour of the England London Mission. Elder Kopischke is the area president and regional representative for the Church and he is from Frankfort, German. Each evening he met with stake officers. On Wednesday and Thursday all 8 mission zones congregated in the chapel to hear Elder Kopischke's counsel, instruction, and enthusiasm for missionary work. A fine ham Christmas luncheon was prepared both days for 70 missionaries each day by a wonderful and generous group of sisters from the Hyde Park Ward. On Friday Elder Kopischke met with and instructed the mission zone leaders. It was a busy week, full of much activity. At the end of each zone conference meetings, Elder and Sister Hawley swapped out old Nokia mobile phones for new Samsung phones, making many companionships, who'd been making do with semi-functional telephones, very, very happy. This fall we've said farewell to some dear missionaries who have been released, including the Inskeep's and Elder Conner Gietz, the senior AP when we arrived in the mission. We've greeted missionaries from all around the world, including Brazil, Portugal, and Italy. And we've enthusiastically watched as Elder Avanesyan "graduated" from his English tutors to "fly on his own" with a new area assignment and companionship.

Some words of counsel from Elder Kopischke & President Patch:

-- Put your head in the heavens. You will know that all things are possible.

-- Know what is right. Do what is right. Teach what is right.

[President Patch's definition of Leadership]

-- What is my hope for this conference? It is important to be instructed by the Spirit of the Lord.

-- Focus: Give a face to your dream. We learn from our own experience, and then we can testify of its truthfulness. It increases our faith. Then we can teach others. [Ether 12:19]

-- Personal righteousness increases your power to teach.

-- Covenants are our safety net. We can have our agency, and our covenants provide balance, boundaries, protection & prevention.

-- Agency is to act as God would act.

-- You can act but not enforce.

-- The Spirit teaches. The Spirit converts. The Spirit makes known and familiar. [PMG, Chapter 11; D&C 42:14]

-- Faith is a principle of action and power and desires.

-- Miracles come by the will of God. You are not responsible for the miracles, but you are responsible for the effort. Let desire grow until it finds some place in your heart. [Alma 32:28]

-- I will go,... and do,... what the Lord has commanded, because I know the Lord giveth no commandment save He shall prepare a way for them....

NEWS of the WEEK

GREETINGS from Sometimes Sunny/Sometimes Rainy London. Although it can be either one, wait 5 minutes and the weather will change. Another thing we've learned is that the high temperature and the low temperature for most days are quite close together, so it doesn't feel all that cold, even in December, and that's OK by us. What we are surprised about is that wearing a scarf around the neck really does make a positive difference in whether we feel warm or cold. I'm all for scarves now!

Elder Hawley was asked to be "Santa" for the Young Single Adults [YSA] this week. Elder & Sister Little are over the YSA and are senior couple missionaries like we are. What they didn't know is that Elder Hawley is really one of the real Santa Claus's elves, and he knows this job like the back of his hand! Many years ago when we first moved to Utah after completing dental school, we had neighbors who were really into the Spirit of Service and Giving. The Mrs designed and sewed her husband a wonderful Santa Claus suit, complete with boots, belt, bells, beard, hat, fur, glasses and hair. Her husband would go 'round to all the children in the neighborhood, and for them, he WAS the real Santa Claus. The first year we lived there he came into our house and sat on our son Jeff's and daughter Debbie's beds and asked them if they'd been good [they were all of 3 and 2 years of age then], and what they wanted for Christmas. He was WONDERFUL! When he passed away, his wife came and gifted Don with the suit, and Don lovingly wore that suit and went around the neighborhood in this man's footsteps each Christmas Eve for many, many years afterwards. We've now passed the suit on our one of our sons, and hope that he too will bless the lives of many children when he helps Santa at Christmastime.

The photo above shows Elder Little on Santa's knee. It was another happy evening. It always is, isn't it, when we share our love of Christmas and Christ with others.

Last week in the mission we greeted one new sister and one new elder missionary. The sister is from Portugal and the elder is from England. Each has such a strong testimony. Next week we greet two more new elders, one from Australia and one from Albania. The England London Mission is really a melting pot of cultures and traditions and languages. It's an extraordinary experience to have, and we are grateful for it and we are enjoying and learning from it. We are trying to help a sister missionary from Pakistan who has her call but not her visa to finally get the OK to come here and fulfill her mission call to the ELM.

This week we have our area representative coming to tour our mission. He has requested that all zones come into the Hyde Park Chapel for zone conference -- four zones on Wednesday, and four zones on Thursday. Our area rep is Elder Kopischke. We have a local sister and her committee who will prepare a ham Christmas luncheon for 70 people each of the two days! Bless her heart! Sister Hawley is preparing the ELM newsletter, TRUTH WILL PREVAIL, so that each companionship gets a copy. We now have 138 missionaries. Preparation of text and photos usually takes 4-5 days [intermingled with whatever else needs to be done], and Sister Hawley is playing catch-up after getting sick with a nasty case of the flu that had her down in bed for 5 days. Fortunately she has been blessed with a renewal of health, for which she is most grateful. The MP has written his 'President's Message,' and Elder Hawley is writing a list of training items to go into the newsletter. In addition, Sister Hawley adds the 'Departing Words' from missionaries who have been released during the past 6-12 weeks, and also includes photos of these released missionaries, photos of the newest missionaries, where they are from, and any birthdays for this period. When space permits she adds scriptures, spiritual thoughts and photos of ELM missionaries.

NEWS of the WEEK

We were informed last summer that 10 vehicles would be taken from the mission in a cost saving move by the Church. This week we were notified that we need to prepare to let the 10 cars go by the end of the year and preferrably by the end of November. This is a reduction from 30 cars down to 20 so it is a major reduction. The missionaries will now walk or use public transportaton with just a few being able to use bicycles. Brother Hawley has arranged for the first four to go this Thursday and the missionaries will bring in four on Wednesday and leave them over night to be ready for the car transport to pick them up on Thursday. We have so very little parking in London at the Hyde Park Chapel that we hope all goes well.

Transfers week in next week and we have been busy getting things ready for the moves. The President and his Assistants give us the information as to where each proselyting pair will be and we input in the to computer system. This system online controls the flats, the money base support for the missionaries and allows us to reimburse each missionary for any additional costs incurred and also keeps track of the 60 plus mobile telephones in the mission. It is a great shuffle to relocate 57 proselyting pairs. Some what of a giant jigsaw puzzle. Sister Hawley is in charge of this operation and is doing a great job. It is just interesting for Sister Hawley to enter this into the computer and some missionaries come by and want to know what is going on. They have wandering eyes and try to find out if they are being transferred. Of course this is a great interruption to Sister Hawley as she graciously tells them to find another place to be. The actual transfers will take place on Wednesday next week and the missionaries are informed on Monday night that they will move on Wednesday.

We seem to be getting faster and better at our jobs as we actually went home by 5 or 6 PM most every day this week. Saturday was fun as we were given permission to travel to the London Temple about 23 miles away for temple attendance. What a real spiritual treat. We road the tube (subway) to Victoria Station, purchased train tickets for Lingfield and traveled by train for about 48 minutes. The trains are new and very nice, with many stops along the way and are powered by electricity so they are very smooth. We called a taxi for the 5 mile ride from the train station to the Temple. The Country side was green and pastural with sheep and cows scattered about, very lovely. It was raining most of the day but we did not get very wet, umberellas are a must in London.

We purchased a little book this week called "The Greatest Thing in the World" which is about Charity and Love by Englishman Henry Drummond. This was written in the 19th century, but contains some wonderful truths and insights about 1st Corinthians chapter 13 and Charity which is, as we learn in the Book of Mormon, the pure love of Christ. Charity is a gift from God, it is more than benevolence but is tasting God's love for us by humility and contrition on our part and in the process God allows us partake of His Love and we are changed, an actual change of heart that expands our view of life, of people, of ourselves, and we want to reach out and share and give to people in a greater way, in a Christ-like way. It is like Lehi's Dream in the Book of Mormon. He takes hold of the word of God, the Scriptures, and is lead to the tree of life and tastes of the fruit which is symbolic of the love of God and is most precious to the soul. Once Lehi partook, his first response was to seek his family and share with them what he had found. It is the love we receive from God that changes us and makes us greater, expands us, and spiritually grows us to want to be good and do good to everyone. We see everyone as our brother and sister and we want to share the Gospel with everyone, so they can taste the fruit, the Love of God also. That is why Charity of the greatest all, of both faith and and hope. We are experiencing such spiritual growth and are being changed in a very good way. This change makes us most happy in our work. Henry Drummonds work just takes a deeper look at love and its components and consequences and how it is the essence of true religion. Most Christ-like characteristics grow out of Charity, such as patience, kindness, meekness, humility and benevolence.

NEWS of the WEEK

Perhaps the highlight of the week for me came when I was entering the name of a man who had just been baptised this past month into the Church's Convert Date Entry or CDE. As I read through the submitted baptism form I saw that this man's wife and two children were already members of the Church. Which means that in one year's time he and his wife and children will be able to go to a temple of the Lord to be sealed for Time and for All Eternity. Many of the entries I make are for single or divorced individuals, with or without children. So when an individual, by his or her choice to be baptised, also unites his or her family, it brings such a feeling of happiness into my heart. This is the desire of our Lord and Savior: to unite families and to give all the fullness of the temple blessings.

Last week we heard of our ward/stake temple day coming up on November 21st. Knowing the new policy for missionaries, we at first didn't think we could go. However, as suggested by our mission president, we sent him an email petitioning our request to be allowed to attend with our ward members in order to unite with them and support them, especially the newly endowed ward members. The president forwarded our email to the area representative, who emailed back that indeed we do have permission to attend the London Temple this coming Saturday. We are thrilled. It is so close to our U.S. holiday of Thanksgiving that we will go with gratitude and thanksgiving in our minds and hearts. We plan to take the train from Victoria Station to Lingfield, and from there, a taxi to the temple. We want to travel this way so as to maximize the time we will be able to spend there at the temple. We think we can do more than one session this way.

Both Elder and Sister Hawley have enjoyed some quieter, somewhat slower days in the office this past week. It has enabled us to "catch a breather" and to get some more assignments done on our own time as compared with having to do them in a rush or when a lot of activities [and noise] are going on around us. We've even been able NOT to stay in the office 12 hours a day, but to leave on the early side. Sister Hawley has been helping Elder Hawley with the flat searches and has offered to help lighten his load. Elder Hawley in turn has given Sister Hawley the task of Missionary Reimbursements, which Sister Hawley is enjoying; she also finds that this job is one that can be done in the slower moments of her day, and she likes learning to do new things.

The APs did another workover near the U.S. air base [and commissary], and were so nice to bring us another case of A & W Root Beer. E/S Hawley will have to reciprocate by fixing them root beer floats! Sister Hawley has also made her almond sour cream bundt pound cake to slice and share with all of the missionaries who are "regulars" in the office: the APs, the office elders, the Britannia elders and sisters, the Spanish elders and sisters, and she'll even have a few extra slices on hand for those who just "drop by."

This coming week brings "finish MOVES" for the president, which means that he has a deadline every six weeks to finish his spiritual decisions on transfers within the mission. This time he has something else that has increased the difficulty factor: Area leaders have told us that 10 cars will be withdrawn from the mission total of 30 -- we are told that England has more vehicles than any other UK or European country -- and that they will not be replaced. So he has been pondering and praying over these two aspects of transfers for the last 10 days to 2 weeks, alone and with the advice of the APs and of course with prayer and the Spirit to guide him. He also has shared one or two other considerations with us. Once he has made his final decisions, the APs will go to his flat and take two photos of the "President's Board" there, and these photos will be given to Sister Hawley, whose turn it becomes to make those changes official through iMOS [Internet Missionary Operating System]. Once these changes are made and are uploaded, she then prints out two new copies of phone numbers and organizational rosters. These changes also tell her what other responsibilities will become active for Transfers week next week. Included in these "in-house" changes is one former AP's departure as his mission has come to its natural conclusion, and we will indeed miss him as he is one of the best. Also on the calendar is the arrival of one elder and one sister missionary coming by train from the Preston Missionary Training Centre. This is quite a small group. In one month we will say goodbye to another missionary, and welcome two more. And then we will see no changes for at least 2 more transfer periods, and maybe three. In April of 2010 we should see an increase of activity, which we will welcome. The final project for Sister Hawley will be to create the Truth Will Prevail newsletter, as it is published every other transfer period and is to be printed the week before zone conferences so as to make it easy to give every missionary a copy. From the missionaries who are or have gone home we will have printed their "departing words." And photos of them and of the new missionaries who have arrived since the last issue will also be included, as well as a new President's message. It's fun to do and the missionaries look forward to reading it.

When there are changes in the mission these changes automatically involve Elder Hawley. If we were to divide our responsibilities into halves, Elder Hawley is responsible for anything financial, and Sister Hawley is responsible for office duties and anything involving people. Elder Hawley will be finding some new flats for some companionships based on possible changes for missionaries who will lose their vehicles by the above change. It isn't easy just to say, well, this car is old and has the most miles, so it's on the list to go. It matters where the missionaries are located, and how wide their proselyting area is. If there is good public transportation, then not having a car may precipitate them moving from outside the city or town closer into the city center so as to access that public transportation to get to the various parts of their assigned area and also to be closer to the chapel where meetings and some teaching appointments are held. Elder Hawley is a good source for the missionaries and he gets many phone calls each day, which he trouble-shoots one by one. He also acts as "middleman" between the missionaries as tenants and the landlords or owners of the flats they [or rather the Church] rents in their behalf.

What is fun is to have no day like the one previous or the one yet to come. We are being trained to become more flexible as well as more patient and more knowledgeable. It brings such blessings into our lives, and we rejoice in this opportunity to serve the Lord's children and to help in our small ways to bring to pass His work.

One final comment: on the way to church this morning we passed a new addition to the neighborhood: across the street from our Hyde Park Chapel building is the Natural History Museum. It is such a beautifully and architecturally constructed building, and really quite large. The 'front gardens' are long and spacious. At holiday time an ice rink is set up with both a portable restaurant and an outside snack shack, and beside these attractions are a large lighted Christmas tree and medium-sized merry-go-round. I'm not sure we want to risk a fall-down on the ice, but perhaps we will take a ride and drink some hot cocoa on a cold evening before we catch the C1 home. [See attached photos.]

NEWS of the WEEK

Another week has flown by. The weather is cooling but holding nicely in the low to mid 50's in the day and high 40's in the night. We went to Windsor Castle by train on Saturday, October 31st. The day began with light rain and we were out the door by 8 AM to catch the train from Waterloo Station. We rode the train for about an hour to Windsor town at a cost of about 5.50 pounds. The way was pretty, green, with many small towns and many houses, but some areas with open land, farms, meadows and waterways. The castle sits on a hill, elevated about 100 feet above the Thames River as it was a defensive castle/fort in for most of the time. William the Conqueror began the building and it has been added to by the many monarchs over the years. Windsor has been inhabited by kings or queens continuously for over 900 years, the longest in modern history. It stands on about 600 acreas of land and is quite glorious. The "Royal Apartments" were lavish and grand. Much on the order of the Buckingham Palace, with gold ornamentation all about. There is a distinct military leaning with armour, spears, swords, old flint-lock guns, and weapons of the King's guard decoratively hung about on the walls. Queen Mary was given a doll house in the early 1900's that is on display. It is to scale [1 x 12] of an English manor house of the day, complete with beds, running water, electricity and it was really quite something. The house is over 8 feet tall and wide. We went through the gothic chapel , St. George's Chapel, which has the tombs of many of the royalty, including Queen Mary, Henry the VIII, his personal favorite wife, Jane Seymour, and many other notables. Oliver Cromwell used Windsor as a headquarters when he was deposing the Royalty in the 1600's. The pictures might give the large size and scale of this castle. It is still used by the current Queen Elizabeth and her family, and is a favorite place for her on weekends and vacations. Being just 10 or so miles west of Heathrow Airport it is an easy journey for her from Buckingham Palace in the city. We in America have a hard time relating to the notion of a king, queen, or any royalty. We are not used to the class system still somewhat present and in effect here in England.

We also went to Kings Cross Train Station where Harry Potter went by train to Hogwarts. You can see from the pictures above that we found platform 9 3/4 where Harry went through. Kings Cross is a busy station, not one of the very biggest, but it was fun to ride the bus up Oxford street all decorated with lights for Christmas to the end of the line for bus route 10 at Kings Cross.

This week was Zone Conference week. Three days are spent during the six-week time between transfers and are used to train and teach the missionaries. On Tuesday the President and the Assistants to the President trained the Norwich, Ipswich, and Romford Zones. On Wednesday they trained the Hyde Park and Canterbury Zones. And on Thursday they trained the Northampton, Watford, and St. Albans Zones. We were at the Hyde Park Zone Conference. The President worked for the Presiding Bishopric of the Church in Salt Lake for years and was involved with many of the humanitarian projects around the world, including disaster relief in many areas. He had some good notes on the personalities of the Brethren, including President Monson. They are wonderful men, but human, warm and loving, yet they are hard workers and have high expectations for work by those around them. Each one is of course different and unique. I was impressed by the new missionaries who came just three weeks ago. One, Elder Boer, from Italy, went street contacting the first evening of the day he arrived in London and the first person he spoke to was from Brazil. Since Elder Boer also speaks some Portuguese, along with Italian and English, it was a small miracle as this man has now accepted the invitation to be baptized sometime in November. Elder Ambihaipahan, who is from Sri Lanka but was raised from babyhood in Norway, also new, had a similar experience: the third person he contacted during street contacting is from Sri Lanka, and has accepted the invitation to be baptized. Over and over the missionaries are led to people who they are best suited to teach and meet. This is not by coincidence that we are put in places at certain times. The subject of the conferences were to help us learn to be led by the Spirit when doing missionary work. There was much good instruction and the spirit was very strong and enjoyable. We are so very blessed to be here at this time doing what we do. We know the Lord is in this work and watch the lives of people change as they embrace the gospel principles and apply them in their lives. There is no witness until after the trial of your faith. One must apply the principles and then one learns the truth about the principle and the truth in the principle. One cannot learn by just reading, hearing, or thinking about it, although this helps; one must apply the principle and then a witness will come to our awareness, and one will come to know if it is truth and if it is of the Lord or not. We were also taught be bold and follow the promptings fo the Spirit. Open Our Mouths and let people know what we have and why we are here. A sister in Sacrament meeting taught us a scripture from 1st John 4:18: ". . . perfect love casteth out fear". So as we taste of the Love of God and our hearts expand to seek the welfare of our neighbor and all of God's children as we see them as our brothers and sisters, then so too will that love overcome our fears and we will find courage to share the gospel. We have the truth and so we have something the world needs and every person in the world needs to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ and make the decision to accept or not. We love you all and wish for the blessings of the Lord on you.

NEWS of the WEEK

This week was somewhat of a change. We reorganized the office furniture and made it more of a professional office. It feels so much better and should be a better place for the Spirit of the Lord to attend the workings of the office. Each week we tackle some area of clutter, and tidy it up. We are also going to get two new office chairs, a new desk for the APs which will give them more drawer space, and possibly new office furniture in the "gathering place/social/waiting lounge area of the office.

Even Elder Hawley got more caught up in the financial area and the flats and vehicles. Maybe we can actually do this job with just the two senior missionaries and a few hours per week from the office elders. It has felt overwhelming to me for the pass three months. This week was interview week for the President and all of the missionaries were given individual interviews. Some days the office was full of missionaries and others, when the interviews were outside of the mission office area, were quiet and lovely. "Lovely" is a very English term. Things that are good are "Lovely"!

We appreciate everyone SKYPing. It was good to hear from Julianne and Seth about their upcoming move to Missouri. We hope they can find a buyer for their house. We love and need the contact with everyone. We are not homesick, but do like to keep in touch and know what is happening at home.

We are surprised at the warm temperatures that have stayed with us. Every day is between 60 and 65 degrees and the rain is limited and just drizzles early a few days a week. We barely need umbrellas. They say in mid winter is gets down to freezing at night, but so far the nighttime temperatures have stayed above 45 degrees. We are getting good with buses and with the underground -- it is called the "tube" here -- and a few train rides.

We have seen some of the wealth of the monarchy accumulated over the centuries by taxing & burdening the people they were supposed to serve and lead. All the opulence and gold and fine and precious things, while the lay person often lead a life of difficulty and poverty. I think a line from Isaiah 3:14-15 tells how the Lord feels about this. "The Lord will enter into judgment with the the ancients of his people, and the princes thereof: for ye have eaten up the vineyard; the spoil of the poor is in your houses. What mean ye that ye beat my people to pieces, and grind the faces of the poor? saith the Lord God of Hosts." All this gold and finery is from the poor and in the castles and mansions of the rich and powerful monarchs. The leaders did some good things for the people and for freedom, but there appears to be great injustices, yet we are glad the Lord will judge and judge righteously and justly, so we need not fret about it any longer. Justice and vengeance are the Lord's.

We are reminded daily that this is the work of the Lord and we see his hand working in so many little things and in so many ways. Brother Hawley just finished reading the Book of Mormon again and found so many new ideas and teachings this time through the pages. The Lord certainly loves us and awaits to bless us as we come to Him and obey His commandments. Sister Hawley is adding some pictures of our senior couples' Family Home Evening group, and some of the new office setup, and some of the missionaries we have grown to know and love. These last photos were taken just before October transfers or MOVES, as it is called here.

Love to all. Elder and Sister Hawley.

NEWS of the WEEK

Yesterday in an email a friend reminded me of a favorite scripture that strikes a cord with me this week. It is from Alma 37:37. I've included the verse before, 36: ". . . cry unto God for all thy support; yea, let all thy doings be unto the Lord, and whithersoever thou goest let it be in the Lord; yea, let all thy thoughts be directed unto the Lord; yea, let the affections of thy heart be placed upon the Lord forever. Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct thee for good; yea, when thou liest down at night lie down unto the Lord, that he may watch over you in your sleep; and when thou risest in the morning let thy heart be full of thanks unto God; and if ye do these things, ye shall be lifted up at the last day."

I feel this scripture is a companion to our mission scripture, which is the Lord's promise that He will go before us, and protect us, and be with us always, that we need not fear, as we take His Hands, walk and follow Him, and are faithful and obedient and righteous.

Missions are opportunities to teach others, and to expand and build up the quality of our own efforts in Christ-like living and giving. Missions are also opportunities to grow, and to qualify ourselves for . . . among other things . . . more growth! Missions are challenges with blessings, . . . or vice versa.

The following is sort of a Stream-of-Consciousness series of thoughts that have come this morning, similar, I'm sure, to thoughts you and many others have considered .... I don't expect to be brilliant or even articulate, but perhaps just to think out loud, and to share, or to let the Spirit teach me more....

Is it possible that we don't take His outstretched Hands as often as we might? Do we remember to do so before the hard times? during the hard times, or only after? Do we invite Him to be with us during the good times, or only with an afterthought? Are we too immersed in the busy-ness of life, too much in the 'thick or thin' of our days? Can we pull ourselves back to seeing what is truly important in any situation?

Are we forced to our knees? [Not always a bad thing!] We all have our Liberty Jail moments . . . do we ask the Lord what He wants us to learn? AND would He please stay with us while we try? Are we preparing and nourishing and restocking our spiritual pantries with the Lord BEFORE we need to ask for His help? Are we willing to stretch and grow, or do we chafe or struggle alone? Are we accepting in our hearts? Do we block the Spirit, this precious gift from Father, that could bring us solutions, comfort, love and peace? Are we giving our whole selves over to Him?

As part of my office duties I organize the materials placed inside a white binder for new missionaries prior to our orientation. Interesting to me is that included in these materials is President Ezra Taft Benson's talk on Pride. And the exact same materials are given to Trainers of new missionaries. How much does pride influence and/or direct or fog or confuse our thinking, our views, our emotions? How often would the Lord want to clarify, clear, and let Light shine upon us?

My heart is extended to several people we know who have had difficult struggles recently, and two have had at the same time such wonderful answers to extended prayer, struggle and faith. For one, it's been one blow after another, with the end not in sight; for another, the question seems to be, This is a wonderful blessing and opportunity and I appreciate it,... BUT....how am I going to be able to accept it? For a third, it's been shock followed by fear and heartbreak.... And a fourth wonders Why Me? The older we get the more we come to comprehend that we need to appreciate the joys of a happy, healthy, blessed life, and also find the joys amongs the struggles and pain and sadness. I'm humbled by their strength, "guts"even, or true grit, in adversity; by their faith being employed first; by their seeking spiritual accompaniment even as they use all that they have; by no one giving up or giving in; by giving back even in the most draining of times.

Notes that may apply:

-- Act as if everything depends on you. Pray as if everything depends on the Lord.

-- Life is a marathon, not a sprint.

-- Managing our resources, including spiritual ones, enables us to reach out to others.

-- Consistency is the Key.

-- What can we give? What have we been given? What can we learn? Where can we go now?

-- Ask, and let the Lord show us the way and the means.

-- Couple patience with listening.

-- I relate to the story of the Tortoise & the Hare . . . , and add an Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin quote, "We will never make a journey of a thousand miles by fretting about how long it will take or how hard it will be. We make the journey by taking each day step by step and then repeating it again and again until we reach our destination.... Our Heavenly Father loves each one of us and understands that this process of climbing higher takes preparation, time, and commitment. He understands that we will make mistakes at times, that we will stumble, that we will become discouraged and perhaps even wish to give up and say to ourselves it is not worth the struggle.... We know it is worth the effort, for the prize, which is eternal life, is 'the greatest of all gifts of God.' [Mosiah 4:27] We don't have to be fast; we simply have to be steady and move in the right direction. We have to do the best we can, one step after another." [October 2001 General Conference]

NEWS of the WEEK

We've had a week full of blessings: Last weekend a family of four [Norra, her mother, her two sons] were baptized and confirmed members of the Church by Elder Gietz and Elder Monk, our two APs. What a special, spiritual experience it was for such faithful individuals. The youngest boy, Chris, received the Aaronic Priesthood this morning. Elder Gietz has been transferred, to spend his final 6 weeks in the missionfield instead of in the office. He is to be released on the 24th of November. Elder Monk is now senior AP and is training Elder Morley [from Coventry, England] to be the new AP. Sister Hawley has asked him to help her acquire a bit of an English accent! // All of our dinners for missionaries turned out extremely well. At the first and second, Sister Hawley asked the missionaries to share [a] what they are learning about Jesus Christ OR [b] what Jesus Christ is teaching them. A serious question, if ever there was one. Each gave a thoughtful, humble, instructive, inspirational answer. At our couples' FHE each couple shared travel experiences they'd had, and we felt that our view of the world was expanded and enhanced. We enjoyed having everyone over to our flat. // As the week began we knew we'd have to "put on our running shoes" and so we did! There was a lot to do, even for a smaller group of incoming missionaries. The mission president had new areas for the new missionaries, but he also opened 4 new areas around the mission and added companionships to another couple of areas that can handle additional missionaries. There was lots for Elder Hawley to do in the way of finding flats, adjusting finances, and so forth, and more for Sister Hawley to do in the ways of updating records for each area, printing new rosters and phone lists, etc.. One interesting thing: the mobile phones issued to each companionship STAY WITH THE FLAT. They do not move around with each transfer or stay with a specific missionary. The same is true for vehicles. It makes much more sense to attach them to the flat. Only when a flat is closed does the phone number and vehicle number change to match the move. // We received nine new missionaries and said farewell to five missionaries, four at the ends of their missionary service, and one due to health reasons where he needed to receive additional health care at home. He had served 3/4th of his mission and was given an honorable release. Elder Avanesyan is doing well learning English and we love having him in the office. His new companion is Elder Cardon, and both Elder Weibell and Elder Macias have also been transferred out of the office and back into the field. We will receive one more additional elder this coming Tuesday: Elder Boer, from Italy, who has been learning English at the Provo MTC. We look forward to meeting him and getting him started on his missionary service here in England. The photos we've enclosed with this posting are [1] Elder Monk, Elder Morley, and the Patch's during the last of the orientation meeting on Wednesday, the 14th of October; [2] Elder Weibell with his new companion, Elder Sheppard, and the Patch's; [3] Our group of new missionaries with the Patch's; and [4] Elder Gietz & Elder Monk with Norra and her family prior to their baptisms. The Hyde Park Ward came out to support these new members, and the mission came out to welcome our new missionaries. We have three sister missionaries, too. All nine new missionaries are so enthusiastic, and looked so excited and happy to be here! It's one of the very best experiences we have here at the ELM: greeting new missionaries. // This coming week looks to be much quieter -- this will allow Elder Hawley to catch up with paperwork, and Sister Hawley to finish the final batch of letters that will be sent home to the parents along with photos she took with their new trainers. Once that is done, Sister Hawley will be able to look for flats online and save Elder Hawley some time that way. There are two Spanish sister missionaries who need a flat in Bayswater, and a senior sister missionary who is going to need a 1-bedroom flat in the Chelsea area near both the office, the shopping, and a good bus line. We have no zone conferences this month -- they will start during the first week in November. The weather is getting progressively colder. Both E/S Hawley thought they were getting colds, but neither got really ill -- another blessing. // This coming week the president starts his monthly interviews--some missionaries come into the office, and the MP drives to other areas for these interviews. In two weeks we'll have our Hyde Park Stake Conference. // Yesterday Elder/Sister Hawley hopped on a bus and took a scenic ride around the heart of London, traveling along the Thames at some points and seeing places like Westminister Abbey and Cathedral, 10 Downing Street, Victoria Station and Trafalgar Square. It was a relaxing way to see the city, and we know now where we'd like to return. We are grateful to be missionaries, and grateful to see such a multi-cultural and historic city.

NEWS of the WEEK

Many busy days at the office. We have been run ragged and still can't seem to keep up. We continue to get home between 7:30 and 9 PM each day. The weather has stayed quite nice and just a few real rainy days and that helps us get around easier. This week is Transfers' week and so it has been and will be busy. But Sister Hawley has most of her letters out and the preparations for transfers in place. Brother Hawley has found four new flats for the four new proselyting areas that will be set up this next week. In addition he is moving three other sets of missionaries into new flats next week and closing up the old properties. This all requires much time and effort to locate the flats, negotiate the tenancy agreements and get the money transferred and payments made and the vendors approved by Solihull, (near Birmingham) the area financial control for the Church in England. We do not use checks, but electronic transfer of funds, but all the payment must come from Salt Lake through Bank of America to the banks in England. About a 4-5 day process. Some flats needed to be furnished and so we ask first for member help and donations, and then purchase what is needed that remains. The missionaries transfer mostly by train and it is quite a process for them all to move on the Wednesday morning of transfers and be in their new location by 2 PM of that day. The distances are not to great - not more than two hours for any train ride.

There were four baptisms into the Hyde Park Ward yesterday. A mother, grandmother and two teenage sons joined and were confirmed in Sacrament meeting this morning. The spirit of the Lord reaches out to many people to prepare them to hear the gospel. The missionaries and members are the finders to help share the word with those who have been prepared. Looking at the condition of the world, the gospel is so very needed as the the general population lacks direction and are just led in the passions of the world and don't understand who they are, where they are going or what their purpose in life really is. They need the gospel just to get through this life, not to mention preparation for the life to come.

We had five elders to our flat for dinner last night. Sister Hawley prepared a wonderful meal, including the "Murder Party" chicken. One brand new elder, Elder Avanesyan, from Armenia was in the group. He came to the MTC in Preston, but he didn't have enough English skills to understand what was going on in the MTC. He could not get visa to the U.S.A., so he could not be sent to the Provo MTC for language training. Instead he was sent to the mission and we will train him to speak English. Elder Hawley did that 45 years ago and was sent to Germany without any language training. We find he understands more than he speaks, and is making good progress. The Mission President has assigned Sister Urmurshadyan from Georgia in the Urkaine to teach him each day for an hour. She speaks Russian and some Armenian, and he speaks Armenian and some Russian. With the Lords' influence he is learning quite rapidly. He has been here one week. At dinner last night he shared with us one spiritual confirmation he'd received: when he opened his mission call letter, the Spirit told him he would receive the help he needed to learn how to speak English. He is a quiet-spoken, humble, faithful young man. He will be the companion of two office elders for the next 6 weeks, so we will have more time to get to know him better. We hosted the APs and the three office elders for dinner; before we began they prayed with us and shared with us spiritual messaged about the blessings of having the Holy Ghost with us. During dinner we spoke of the baptism they'd just come, and after dinner Sister Hawley asked them to share other spiritual lessons that have been blessings to them so far on their missions. Our senior AP, Elder Gietz, is being transferred this week to serve his final 6 weeks "in the field." He and Elder Monk have set the bar high in their dedicated service. Also being transferred our Elder Macias, who has only been in the office for 6 weeks, and Elder Weibell, who's been trainer and all around go-to-guy for us and so many others. They are all excited to further serve elsewhere, and although we will miss them we know they are meant to share their talents and testimonies with others elsewhere.

On Sunday night we will have the Britannia elders and sisters to dinner. One elder is from Utah, one from Canada, one from Georgia in the Ukraine, and one from Finland. A multi-cultural evening, to be sure. We hope they will bring their own versions of the spiritual highs we felt last night. And on Monday night it is our turn to host the couple missionaries' Family Home Evening. It's Columbus Day in the U.S., and since we are all Americans we thought our theme might come from this -- we have all come to England to explore and discover what England might be like for us. Sister Hawley will prepare her chichen main dish, and each couple coming will bring a bread, salad or dessert that they "would like to discover" in any part of the world they have "explored," or some food or dish that they would find in a country they want to "discover." It should be fun. During the evening we'll share our adventures about each couples' "world travels." And in our flat that comfortably might seat a dozen [which is a relatively large flat for London standards] is going to be warm-and-cosy for [so far] 22 people, some of whom are coming into the city from other areas. The more the merrier! Again we hope for laughter and love and friendship to be shared, all in the spiritual environment we love. We add a new Family History senior missionary couple last Tuesday. Brother and Sister Price are each on a second marriage, having their previous spouses pass away. They are both outgoing and friendly. He was a career Air Force pilot. One of our single senior sisters leaves in 3 weeks, and the "longest-serving" FH couple are to be released on 10 November; we will miss each one, as they have enriched our lives and become good friends.

This week we have 8 new missionaries coming down to us from the Preston MTC, none of which is American. There are three sister missionaries in this group. All are from Europe, England or South America. Next week we will receive an elder from Italy, who did go to the Provo MTC from Preston when it was discovered that he too could not speak English. His photo shows him to be a happy young man, and we look forward to meeting him and having him join us here in the ELM. Sadly, one of our hardworking elders is on his way home after only being able to serve 3/4th of his mission; he has some medical issues that need treatment at home, so Sister Hawley at the MP's request and direction, prepared the necessary paperwork, and we FedEx'd all to the U.S. Friday night. The office elders will drive him to Heathrow on Tuesday afternoon. One thing that we give the missionaries going home is a packet containing a personal letter from the president and all of the saved "presidents' letters," which covers a good record of their mission experiences.

We see how the Lord very quietly and subtly gets his work done. We see His hand in our work as problems arise and we are led to the solutions almost miraculously. We often remark at how well things work out when we have no idea how to proceed, but forge ahead after prayer or merely move ahead with a prayer in our hearts. The Lord is in this work and it is certain He is in charge. We just need to be better at obedience and willing to follow and do what is asked. Here is an example. Elder Hawley moved two elders to a new flat and instructed the elders to clean up the flat and take their possessions out by a certain date and leave the flat clean and ready for new tenants. Later, Elder Hawley received a letter from the angry landlord, because the elders took his instructions literally and cleaned out the flat and took all of the furnishing, and the landlord was accusing them of theft. Well, it was all a misunderstanding, as the elders thought everything belonged to the Mission, but it did not. It was a furnished flat. Elder Hawley called the landlord and explained the situation, but he needed to contact the elders to get some facts clear. It was late in the day and so the landlord agreed to a morning phone call to try and resolve the matter. We made it a matter of prayer that night. When the landlord was contacted the next morning, his dimeanor was softened and he was understanding that ii was an honest mistake. We offered to return the furniture or purchase new and restore what had been taken. He agreed to let the matter go if the Church would just reimburse him for the two beds that were purchased two years ago when the missionaries first moved in, and he agreed to write the rest off under wear- and-tear since these furnishings were old anyway. Instead of 2000 to 3000 pounds, he agreed to just 360 pounds to cover the beds. He wanted to know if we needed any rentals in another city in which he had property. The Lord had changed his heart and he was most friendly towards the Church, which was our primary goal . . . to maintain good public relations. We thanked and do thank the Lord for his help and blessings. The very nasty situation was turned for good because of the Lord's help.

We were assigned to represent the Mission in a building meeting about the master plan for the Hyde Park Chapel building. (It lasted three hours until 10 PM this last Thursday) It is evident that the Church is planning to put its best foot forward for the Summer Olympics to be held in London in 2012. Some renovation planned and and few changes inside, but most of it will not effect the mission offices which are on the top floor (3rd floor by US reasoning and 2nd floor as the British call it) of the building. We have about 1500 square feet to include the office, a small storage room, and the Mission President's office. There are four computer stations and files etc. as you would expect from a standard office. European keyboards and filing systems as one would expect, but it is easy to adapt to these differences. This meeting also discussed the building use and we discussed the issue of how food is eaten in many parts of the building that are carpeted. This gave us the lead in to discuss plans with the Mission President to blend into changes in the atmosphere in the office to make it more of a professional space. The missionaries use the office as a home away from home with food, clothes, sports gear all stored higglety-pigglety, and it is cluttered and messy. The President agreed that this was an opportunity to change direction. So from now on no eating by missionaries in the building except in the kitchen area and the office will be cleaned out from food, clothes and unrelated items. We can now rearrange the furniture and desks and make a clean professional office out of the space. We will be happy to make this change. The young missionaries were receptive to the change also.

Life is full of adversity and surprises. It is not that we will not have problems, but it is how we face them and stay close to the Lord so that we can solve them with His help and direction that makes the difference. He will also comfort us in our trials and give us strength and courage to go through the trial and learn the lessons that mortality has to teach us. "There is no witness until the trial of our faith." We love you all and pray the Lords blessing on our family in all of their circumstances and trials. Alongside this we offer humble thanks for all of the accompaning blessings and helps. How wonderful it is for us to realize that our Savior knows each of us personally, and that He stays nearby throughout all in His complete love for us.

Love, Elder and Sister Hawley

NEWS of the WEEK

The past couple of weeks have been so busy that we haven't had time nor energy [long days!] to add to our blog. Please excuse. However, this coming week is transfers again, plus Sister Hawley is hosting not one, not two, but three dinners at our flat -- two for missionaries being transferred, and one for our couple missionaries' Family Home Evening on Monday night. So, having read a short quote or two from Elder Hawley's brother's wife on their blog that impressed us, we are giving another Sister Hawley credit for this week's entry. See the photo above: Elder Jerry & Sister Marilyn Hawley, currently serving an 18-month CES mission for the LDS Church in Tonga. Here they are in Tongan dress, standing in front of the Tongan LDS Temple there.

"A grandson of ours loves to work with clay. He finds it' not easy to mold and form it into his desired shape, however. It takes practice, practice, practice; and long hours of work and patience. Each of us is like a piece of clay with the potential to be molded and shaped into a beautiful and useful vessel. However, sometimes flaws or errors appear that must be repaired.... [Sometimes] when the clay is placed in the fiery furnace of the potter's kiln it will break or crumble.

We do not reach our full potential until we have been through the fiery heat of the potter's kiln--the trials of our lives. Then as we truly repent and center our lives in Christ, through the power of the Atonement we will come forth from the fire transformed into an eternal being of beauty." [Marilyn Hawley]

NEWS of the WEEK

Elder Hawley had quite a hectic week, with many items "hitting the fan" all at once. Thursday was especially difficult. He sought help from Heavenly Father, and on Friday help was provided in surprising ways that was just what he needed to solve a couple of potentially difficult situations. It was quite humbling to see how close Heaven really is, when we need Heavenly Help.

Last week was full of Zone Conferences: Tuesday in Colchester for Norwich, Ipswich and Romford zones. Wednesday it was in Hyde Park, for the Hyde Park and Canterbury zones, and we left the office "on its own" to attend. On Thursday, the APs and President/Sister Patch were in Milton Keynes [Bletchley] for the zone conference for Northampton, St. Albans, and Watford zones. It is a busy week when there are 3 conferences that benefit all 8 mission zones. Sister Hawley had the "Truth Will Prevail" newsletter ready to go with the APs on Monday -- all copies were printed out, and THEN the toner was empty, thus shutting down our large copy machine/printer. Sister Hawley hurriedly made a last minute format change on the birthdays page, only to realize with some chagrin that she'd forgotten to correct one mistake due to someone interrupting her with another job. Oh, well. "Truth Will Prevail" will be published every other transfer, so she'll have lots of opportunities to "get it completely correct."

There is one benefit for those of us in the office during zone conference week, and that is the quietness of the office itself. The office elders and the office couple can both play catchup, or they can tackle extra tasks, or even get a little bit ahead for next transfers. This was the case for Sister Hawley and the office elders, and a lot was accomplished. By Friday afternoon Sister Hawley had completed her project for Sister Patch [who was delighted with the results], and she also was able to "clear her desk" of those projects that she'd had to push aside in previous weeks. She was also able to get prepared ahead of time for the next incoming missionaries -- 9 elders and sisters, and get things ready for their orientation. This coming week she has time now to prepared the President's end - of - month baptism report and gather the orientation materials for these new missionaries. The ELM has had a couple of small shifts in arriving missionaries -- one who was sent from the Preston MTC to the Provo MTC when it was discovered that he needed to learn to speak English; another who is still at this moment waiting to see if space on any airplane can be procured from Armenia to England; another elder who is coming under a different name [so all records must be adjusted], and a fourth elder who is coming later as a complete surprise. Last we heard he hadn't received an official call but the family was thrilled and his setting apart appointment with his stake president was for Sunday night! The thing that makes this elder unusual, or rather his call unusual, is that he lives in Watford, which is located WITHIN the England London Mission boundaries, so the president will make sure that he is never assigned to his home town. Also interesting will be watching this elder grow in this calling, and watching to see if we can discover why he has been assigned here -- the Lord called him and so the Lord has His plan for him; it is for us to discover why the Lord wants him in his home-town mission. Fascinating!

On Friday we had our bi-monthly administration meeting with the president, and we were able to accomplish a lot and solve several challenges, and make plans for several new companionships and new districts that will be opened by new companionships in 2 weeks. We'll wait now to see which missionaries are placed where. When the changes are given to the APs, Sister Hawley will get online into iMOS and adjust the mission assignments, as well as notify those concerned about these changes; and Elder Hawley is already working on finding new flats in the new areas. When changes occur, and this includes new callings, such as district leader, trainer, zone leader, etc., there are many people to notify, and more letters to write, have signed, and be mailed. Thank goodness for computers that make these types of tasks so much easier than they used to be.

So in one way the week was a difficult and challenging week; in another, we were touched and humbled, and taught anew by a loving Father about His knowledge of us and the blessings He wants to give us so quickly and so readily. And the highlight of the week was our ward temple trip to the London Temple located south of us in Surrey. We left early in the morning from the Hyde Park Chapel and rode in two XL vans. It took our breath away to be there, to see this wonderful ediface and beautiful gardens. We spent the morning inside doing ordinance work. There was such a sweet and sacred feeling there. It was a busy day for the workers there; Sister Hawley learned that many had not yet shown up for their shifts! Oh, was she empathetic -- she had such a desire to put on her ordinance-worker name tag and go to work with them! The temple would be considered, by today's standards, one of the smaller ones. And yet there are many levels, and many flights of stairs, making it available for larger groups so that much work can be accomplished. It was delightful to hear accents from all over the world there. The CR was at the top of a flight of stairs, just like going up to Heaven might be imagined. Just exquisite! The grounds were equally lovely and well manucured, and after a delicious lunch by their world-renowned chef [who also served us huge portions!], we walked around the gardens. It was such a happy and peaceful and blessed place to be.

Because of General Conference next week, it was [for us] Fast Sunday today. We spent a rather quiet Sunday afternoon. We look forward to hearing the words of our prophet and general Church authorities next weekend, which we can see tape-delayed at the chapel, including the General RS Meeting, or which we can listen two via the internet, all except Priesthood Meeting. Our hearts are full, as we have been greatly blessed in this land of our Fathers. May you all be so richly blessed as we have been. We send you our love and remember you in our prayers. Elder and Sister Hawley, Blessings on your heads . . . from London.

NEWS of the WEEK

We again have spent many long days in the office. Sister Hawley completed the mission newsletter called “Truth Will Prevail” at about 9 PM on Friday. Next time it will not take so long to do and there will be fewer new and leaving missionaries to highlight. Pictures and bios on thirty-five plus missionaries took some time. We have settled in. Most days we arrive between 9 and 9:30 at the office and leave most days by 6:30 or 7 PM. This week alone we had 3 late nights, but we accomplished many needful projects. It was a quieter week. President and Sister Patch did a lot of traveling around the mission carrying out interviews, speaking, and visiting. We have not had many vehicle problems, but this week there were three car accidents, no one injured, among the missionaries. Mostly fender benders, but there is still plenty to do to get the accident reports filed and insurance reports ready, as well as console and counsel the missionaries on better driving skills and actions. Elder Hawley was scrambling to find the insurance information and giving the missionaries the right information and procedures to follow. He made several trips seeking flats for missionaries in London and the office is seeking new flats in Cambridge and in Canterbury for new areas to be opened up. We will solicit help from the zone leaders to look at those properties as no one has the time to travel to look at those potential flats. We can find some good prospective properties on the Internet and then give the leads to the ZLs to follow up. Elder Hawley also had a great deal of contact with Frankfort, Germany, Solihull, England, and Salt Lake City, Utah, USA, in solving computer problems and resolving problems with the JPMorgan credit cards the mission office uses for purchasing. These are the cards the missionaries use to get their funds each month. Most of the problems have been ironed out. The seven-hour time difference with Salt Lake means most everything must be done with them after 3 PM here.  The work progresses and 10 new members were baptized this week. London is still busy, with the college students having returned to start classes. The Imperial College, the MIT of England, across the street from the Hyde Park Chapel has about 25,000 students and that makes the housing hard to find and rather pricy right around the Chapel.

Today, Saturday the 20^th, we went via the “tube” (subway) to see Buckingham Palace where the Queen has her work/weekday residence. It is only two subway stops away. During the months of August and September the Queen is away on vacation and parts of the Palace are opened for public viewing at the sum of about 26 pounds per person, or about $40-44. It is a grand place, with over 450 rooms, 76 bathrooms. gold leaf everywhere, and grand ballroom and throne rooms, galleries with glorious paintings, many from the Masters, and sculptures and tapestries. We walked our legs off. The tour lasted over 4 hours. We saw the Royal Mews where the carriages and cars are kept. The special gold gilded horse drawn carriage that is used for all of the coronations was shown also. It weighs over 4 ton with all of the gold leaf covering every inch. It is impressive. We also walked in some of the gardens and land around Buckingham of maybe 100 acres in size. There are people everywhere. It was a busy place. But all of London is full of people and vehicles, and it is a busy, noisy city.  On the way back, we took the bus to Harrod's to see this shopping phenomenom, and it was a Zoo! 

We had a good time. We were tired having walked over 4-5 miles and stood on our feet for many hours viewing the sites. We arrived home by 4 PM. Went grocery shopping and spent the rest of the evening doing laundry.  All the opulence and wealth make one think about the scriptures reflecting on the Pride of the World and the rich “grinding it upon the faces of the poor.” Power and Riches! Deadly poisons to spiritual growth if one is not very careful. This week the AP’s did several work-overs, and even the office elders traded companions for a while. So we got to get to know several other elders in the mission whom we don’t see very often if they don’t have reasons to come into the office. Each one has his/her own special skills and personality; they are friendly, happy, outgoing, enthusiastic, focused and energetic. This coming week there are three days set aside for zone conferences, which are planned by the APs. The APs also have a Monday morning meeting with the President each week to report on the mission. The zone conference for the Hyde Park Zone will be held on Wednesday and we are invited to attend. The newsletters need to be printed on Monday so they can be handed out to all of the missionaries in the mission at zone conference. Sister Hawley will design, edit and print one every other transfer. Some space in the newsletter is reserved for “Departing Words” from those missionaries released and returned home. They either write them before they leave, or they email them to the office from home. They always include their testimonies. It is uplifting and encouraging and inspiring to benefit from what they express and what means most to them from their mission experiences.