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.