NEWS of the WEEK

Brrr--it is really cold in London.  But it is also dry -- no rain, no heavy winds, no misty, damp air.  So we count our blessings.  We have a four-day holiday from the office.  We decided to catch the German Festival at Hyde Park Corner, and here above are a couple of photographs of Elder & Sister Hawley, all bundled up against the cold, one with Elder Cardon & Elder Johnson, the office elders.

It has been a fairly quiet week in the office.  The APs are out doing workovers, and the office elders are out tracting, something they don't do very often.  Most of the time missionary companionships do not go door-to-door.  They proselyte, and have conversations with the people they meet and interact with during the day.  They OYM -- Open Your Mouth and share a gospel message, answer questions, set up appointments, etc.  President Monson has told the missionaries that people will be placed in the paths of the Lord's missionaries, and we have seen it happen time and again.

Sister Hawley's computer is unusable from last week's "crash" and so far we have not received any reformatting discs or mission applications disc.  We aren't even sure that we can get it running again even with these tools.  We brought Elder Hawley's PC laptop to the office just so that Sister Hawley wouldn't interfere with anyone else's use of office computers.  Our mission office is allotted 4 computers:  Sister Hawley's [the mission secretary's computer], Elder Hawley's [the finance secretary's computer], one computer for the APs, and one computer for the office elders.  Right now the two office elders share their computer with the music director for the Hyde Park building.  And the two APs will become a threesome next week after transfers.  The senior AP, Elder Monk, will do some traveling and training throughout the mission's 8 zones, sometimes for four days, until at least the next transfer period.  So Sister Hawley doesn't want to cause others any difficulty and it is handy to have the laptop to use.  She has begun the task of going through the twice-lost, twice-found, now saved/backed up on a portable 320 G hard drive that is small enough to fit into a large pocket.  Some of the files she has found have been corrupted, and some are viewable and look to be O.K.  We'll wait to see if the good files are usable and whether they will work again on the reformatted computer.

Elder Hawley was able to catch up this week on a series of smaller projects, which helps to clear his desk prior to next week's transfers and meetings.  The MP held a training meeting on New Year's Day for the current and newly called zone leaders and district leaders.  The new district leaders will be trained this coming Monday, and the new zone leaders will have their training the following week on Tuesday.

Sister Hawley made the MOVES changes this past Tuesday on iMOS, only to discover that iMOS [possibly due to shut-downs for maintenance in Salt Lake] did not save the changes.  So yesterday from home she did the whole board again.  Actually, this proved to be a good thing, as she learned some new skills, and found a couple of possible errors that she needs to ask the APs about on Monday.   Recording the new transfers [MOVES] on iMOS is one of Sister Hawley's favorite assignments.  It is like a game or a puzzle to put together, and there's always someone trying to peek over Sister Hawley's shoulder to see if he/she is getting transferred or not.  This time there were across-all-zones transfers, with five new district leaders and 6 new zone leaders, and a new AP [assistant to the president].   Next week we will have a "bee-hive" of activity in the office.

We have been told that we will have no new arrivals in January and February, and quite possibly none in March, with April as an unknown.  Two elders will be released to go home the last part of February, and also two senior couples assigned as Family History missionaries will also be released to go home.  So far we have received no information about missionaries arriving to replace these six missionaries.  We do have one senior sister arriving at the end of February to become our music director's companion.  She is assigned to LDS Employment.  This is not unusual, to have two senior single sisters as companions with different assignments, but it does provide a challenge or two, and perhaps some blessings as well.

We Americans think we speak "English."  We use the same words but sometimes the meanings of what English speakers from opposite sides of the Atlantic say get lost in the crossing.  Certainly, just as in the U.S.A., in England the accent or ways words are pronounced are determined by where one is brought up or where one lives.  Here are a few of the different meanings for words used in England v.s. America, plus some words or phrases we hear quite often day-to-day:

Jumper = pullover sweater; Pinafore = dress jumper; Braces = suspenders; Ladder = run in your nylons; Tights = nylons; Trainers = running shoes or sneakers; Wellington's or Wellies = rain boots; Nappies = diapers; Knickers = children's underpants; Trousers = pants or slacks; Liquefies = blender; Lounge or Reception Room = living room; Telly = television; Wash up = do the dishes; Flat = apartment; Dust bin = trash can; Serviette = napkin; Banger = sausage; Chips = French fries; Crisps = potato chips; Sweets = candy or dessert; Jelly = Jello; Scones = biscuits; Biscuits = cookies or crackers; Tea = a meal; Salad cream = salad dressing; Single cream = half & half; double cream = whipping cream; [there's also different grades and sweetness levels of cream, such as Devon cream or Clotted cream]; Ice lolly = Popsicle; Squash = fruit punch; Hoovering = vacuuming; Underground = subway; Dual carriageway = divided highway; Petrol = gasoline; Lorry = truck; Zebra crossing = crosswalk; Flyover = overpass; Car park = parking lot; Silencer = muffler; Windscreen = windshield; Indicator = blinker; Bonnet = automobile hood; Boot = automobile trunk; Overtake = pass a car; Soft verges = soft shoulders on a road or highway; Pavement = sidewalk; Lay by = rest area; Give way = yield; Motorway = interstate; Central reservation = median strip; On your bike! = Get lost; Cheerio = goodbye.  Will it do? = is it OK?  Have a go = take a chance; Creasing up = doubled over with laughter; A to Zed = A to Z; Wind him up = putting him on; Wonky = crooked; Lift = elevator; Pinched = stolen; Have a Lie-in = sleep in; Fortnight = two weeks; Holiday = vacation; Homely = homey, comfortable; Fringe = bangs on a girl's hairdo; Toilet, loo or WC = restroom; [sometimes when you ask for a bathroom you get a shower room with a shower, or a shower/sink, but without a toilet]; Body popping = break-dancing; Do it up = fix it up; Dear = expensive; Way in = entrance; Way out = exit; Kitchen/Diner = eat-in kitchen; Torch = flashlight; Bolt-hole = crash pad or city flat for work when one lives in the country on weekends; That's Fab!  Brilliant = Awesome; Ticks all your boxes = gives you all you could ask for; Bits & Bobs = parts, this and that; Starter = appetizer; Lush, Posh = luxurious, rich, fancy, expensive; Cheeky!  Well Done, You = Good job; I'll catch you up; Spot-on = Absolutely right; Pudding or Sweet = any kind of dessert; Bungelow = one level, Ranch-style house or dwelling; Cottage = multi-level house, small to very large.