Practice Runs....

Yesterday we performed a 'trial run' --  we weighed our suitcases and made note of the weight of each when empty.  We decided the items that we wanted to put in our carry-on luggage and set them aside.  Then we packed all that we are requested to take plus all that we want to take, and we were delighted to find out that we still had room and 'weight' to spare--what a relief!  And we also have additional extra space in our carry-ons, so we are doing well.  

Also yesterday we sent several emails to "letting" or estate agents in London.  We made a list of the requirements we are looking for in a "flat" or apartment.  Apparently there is a difference between the two but we haven't been able to discern what that difference is.  We made a second list of the areas around the Hyde Park Chapel where the mission office is located and where we will be working.  We added this list to the first, and emailed it to the agents we located online.  This morning we got half-a-dozen replies.  We are learning a lot by looking at flats and apartments online, and then checking to see if the flats have what we want and if they are [by map] in a location close to the office.  We have received excellent advice and tips from other couples and from the woman who heads the Family History Centre in Hyde Park.  She is going to be visiting here and will stop by.  The agents also pass along information that helps us.  Once we arrive in London, and President Patch has the answers to our final questions, we will be able to actually search the area and find us a flat that will work well for us.

We have started to prepare our farewell talks.  Our "non-farewell" will be held at the Canyon View 3rd Ward on Sunday, June 28th, at 8:30 a.m.  We will have family and friends over to the house afterwards for munchies and conversation.  Then during our final week we will do last-minute preparations.  I think it will be somewhat of a relief to get there!  The MTC is supposed to be calling us 2 weeks prior to July 6th to give us information, and we will tell them at that time that we are opting to sleep at home but that we want 2 meal tickets.  We continue with our spiritual preparations as well.  This is such a wonderful and quite special experience that draws us closer together, and we'll go 'hand in hand.'

ELM Contact Information

Elder Don B Hawley
Sister Portia Pyle Hawley
England London Mission
64-68 Princes Gate
Exhibition Road, South Kensington
London,
England SW7 2PA
Phone: 011-44-207-584-7553

June 3rd

 

 

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We had lunch today at the Chef’s Table with President and Sister Patch. They are lovely people and certainly will do well leading the Mission.   Sister Patch has been recently to the Mt. Timpanogos Temple to do Initiatories and the subject of the ELM came up. The sisters in the initiatory area indicated that Portia was also going to the ELM this summer.  Sister Patch reported they said very complementary things about Portia and that she was certainly loved and held in high esteem by the Temple sisters.  It’s good to know she got such a good report and of course we all know that is just right and correct.  The Patches will begin on the 1^st of July and we look forward to working with them.  He is an attorney and worked many years in Washington, DC for Senator Hatch.  He has been working at the Presiding Bishop’s Office for the past several years.  Sister Patch is very gracious and complementary and they will make a good team.  We talked in general terms about the mission and some of the couples who will be serving and are serving.  The 100 or so missionaries are about 30% from the US and the remainder from Europe, England, Africa, the Caribbean, and many from the South Pacific.  This will be quite an International mix.  Several missionaries are from Germany and we talked about my language skills and ability to understand the German culture.  Many of the baptisms are young, single adults and there is a large number of African and Blacks from the Caribbean in the Wards at Hyde Park.  We indicated our support for the work and our willingness to do what they needed to be done, of course, they are green to and didn’t have any more details on our assignment as the mission office couple than we do. 

 

We ordered glass from Jones Paint and Glass to put over the dinning room table as a protection to the wood surface and discussed selling cars to the Nissan Dealer and picking up a new car when we are released from the Mission in January 2011.  The deal with Nissan probably will not happen, but we needed to talk about the possibilities, ask the questions and get the information.  Cars depreciating for 18 months and paying insurance and registrations doesn’t make any sense either.  There are a few stresses and decisions to be made in preparing for missions.

 

Nervous as the time is moving fast to entering the MTC.  We are also not very proficient at this Blogging business either.

 

Elder Hawley

Pix to Post 2--Opening the Call

Pix to Post 1

Lunch with the MP

President Renn and Sister Deanne Patch invited us to lunch today.  We went to the Chef's Table.  Owner/Chef Kent Anderson was there to meet and greet us at the door and he seated us himself and stayed to visit & to wish us well.   The Patch's are friendly, very nice, and easy to be with.  They are very comfortable to be with and put us immediately at ease.  We spent time getting to know each other and sharing information and tips about London, some they know and some we've had passed along to us from missionaries who are serving there or who are newly released RMs.  We feel that we will enjoy a sweet and rewarding relationship with them.  They told us smilingly that "we passed" -- they have their challenges, too, and much responsibility upon their shoulders.  President Patch told us he has visited with President Foulger on the phone and by email but that he has been told to expect only 2 hours between the time they arrive and the Foulger's depart.  They receive their MP training at the MTC the last week in June.  President Patch said he expected to immediately be busy but that they would try to be the ones who will meet us at the airport.   We asked about office hours and whether they would want us to live close by so that we can get to the office quickly, or stay late and so forth. President Patch said "those are good questions" but that as yet he didn't know and so he would try to find out.  The Patch's also suggested that if schedules and time permit we could do a temple session together, which would be very nice.  We spoke about the approximately 100 missionaries in the ELM, some who will be coming, about the 16 sister missionaries including one coming from Pakistan, and how diverse not only London/England is now but also how diverse all the missionaries are as they come from all around the world.  I think we are in for an amazing experience.  We spoke about small things, like how the couples' missionaries warned us about the uneven sidewalks and that everyone has fallen at some point because in the rain the walks become slippery; like how there is no Jello or brownie mixes, so if someone likes either one they'd better bring their own.   How extraordinary this all is!  A bit surreal! Already we feel like there is a "comraderie" amongst the couples there, and we are looking forward to sharing in this wonderful blessing as ELM missionaries.

Update June 2nd

Tomorrow we are meeting with President and Sister Patch for lunch.  He has been called as the new ELM President and will begin on July 1, 2009.  We  are excited to meet them. In the mean time we continue to prepare and search for flats in London the Internet. Pricey, Pricey, Pricey! One bedroom flats go for around $2200 to over $3000 per month with out utilities in the area of Hyde Park.  We have contact with several returned missionary couple from the ELM and are emailing two couples currently serving.  They all give wonderful information and this helps us to have our questions answered.

We enter the Provo MTC on July 6th and will fly through Chicago to London on July 20th arriving a 7:15 AM in London Heathrow.  The excitement is building as well as nervousness and the realities for actually serving a couple's mission.

Love, Elder Hawley