NEWS of the WEEK

Another week has passed, and so very quickly.  We continue to have many of the same experiences with the missionaries and with the happenings of the mission, but there were a few new ideas that we shall pass along.

We now have three Assistants to the President who work out of the Mission Office, and we had them to dinner last week. Elder Paul Jentzsch is from Leipzig, Germany.  His family has been members for four generations.  His great grandfather was in France with the German army in World War I.  He had a sergeant over him who was a Mormon.  This began a relationship and an introduction to the Book of Mormon and doctrines of the Restoration.  The great grandfather went on leave and introduced the gospel to his family.  They all eventually joined the Church and remained faithful, and now Elder Jentzch has over 40 cousins all active in the Church, with many serving on missions.  Leipzig was in East Germany after World War II, behind the Iron Curtain, and the Jentzsch family had to go underground with their religion. They were friends with President Monson in his many activities behind the Wall, and they took part in the process for obtaining permission to build the first temple in Germany in Freiburg, which was in the East Zone.  My, what a heritage!  And as I questioned him about getting his genealogy and these things written, Elder Jentzsch said it has already been written and is a priceless heritage of his family. And now this fine young elder, who so very good and kind and exemplary will be completing his mission this summer.

Elder Guy Morley, another of the Assistants, was born in Coventry, England, not too far outside of the mission boundary towards Birmingham.  He is from a part-member family--his mother is a member and his grandmother also.  He said he was not much interested in the Church and was a typical English teenager.  He went to church with his mother, but didn't have a testimony of the truth.  He was baptized when he was 18 after being influenced by a friend, a young woman about his age, who gave him a Book of Mormon for Christmas with her testimony written inside, with the challenge for him to read it.  He read it, prayed about it and that started him on his way to total activity in the Church and now on a Mission.  He says he will never be the same and was very appreciative of that Christmas gift which changed his life.  He looks forward to having talks with his father, who is not a member and who was not very supportive of his going on a mission.  He hopes the changes in himself will help his father see the results of the Gospel in Elder Morley's life.

Elder Tyler Monk is from Southern California.  He was the "junior AP" when we arrived in the England London Mission.  We have seen him grow into his position as a responsible and capable Assistant, trainer, teacher, and leader of missionaries.  He grew up in the Church and is a fine example of years of dedication to the Gospel and gospel living. The three APs work well together. Each contributes his own talents, strengths, and ideas; each adds to the whole.  Their personalities provide balance.  Having three APs is a temporary arrangement: as soon we have another elder come to the mission Elder Monk will be released and each companionship / teaching area will  have two-person companionships.

We have 113 single young missionaries.  We have 11 senior couples and 1 senior sister.  The single sister will finally have a companion as we have confirmation of the companion's arrival on 20 Feb 2010.  We are told that our numbers will decrease.  We will eventually have 90 elders and 18 sisters, so the men will decrease and the women will increase.  One senior couple have extended until July.  Two senior couples will go home at the end of February.  We have no news as yet of their "replacements."  We have been working with the Mission President to give accurate dates for departing missionaries so that Salt Lake can send an accurate and timed component of missionaries to London.

We are impressed with the Gospel Principles manual this year and the doctrines being taught in church about the creation, the Fall of Adam, and the need for the Atonement.  All good basic missionary subjects.

We petitioned the area president for permission for our senior missionaries to have a temple trip as a Family Home Evening activity in February.  Because temple attendance has been strictly limited for those in missions where there is no temple, we were uncertain of the response.  Gloriously, we have received permission to attend the temple quarterly as long as we use public transportation [due to safety concerns w/private vehicles].  We are humbled, grateful, and are feeling very blessed.  And our FHE temple trip is scheduled for 6 February!

We are fine, except for the aches and pains of being over 60, and not feeling as energetic as we once did.  Still, the Lord sustains us, and we are grateful for the balance and rejuvenation of a good night's sleep!  And for our double-decker, red, chauffeur-driven ride to/from the office!  We are pretty good with stairs of all sizes and lengths.  We had a few to climb to get on the "tube" (subway) this last Saturday and go out to Wembley, a suburb of London to the west, and where we spent the day with another missionary couple.  Elder and Sister Miles are from Centerville, Utah and are working in the Watford Stake to help in activation.  We went with them to see a large Hindu Temple that was having a open house and was open to the public.  It was beautiful and ornate having been hand-carved from 75,000 pieces of Italian marble shipped to India, carved there, and then reshipped to England and then assembled in Wembley.  There is a prayer hall [2-3x the size of our largest recreation halls], the entrance, and other side rooms made of ornately carved wood, but the temple itself is made entirely of marble [no wood, steel, etc.]   Even the roof and domes are made from marble.  They believe in reincarnation and can go from all these deaths and births into many of 8,200,000 species.  Once they have progressed enough spiritually they can then to be released from these births and deaths into the presence of God.  They believe in non-violence to any creature ( hence they are vegetarian) and put forth peace and duty and good works and service to mankind.  But I did not feel any Spirit of the Lord in their temple. They worship idols they have made which are symbols to lead them to God.  Good people in need of the Gospel and Christ.

Hello to all our family and friends.  May the Lord bless and keep you, we are having a great experience.  All able senior couples should plan ahead and serve a mission or missions.  There are many blessings and much to be accomplished by this service.  As they say  "it is better to wear out than rust out".  Some days we relate to the "wearing out" part.

NEWS of the WEEK

Here is Elder Pichon with Elder Hawley in front of Elder Hawley's desk.  To the right is another photo of Elder Pichon [from Bouches-du-Rhone, France], seen here studying PREACH MY GOSPEL.  The England London Mission is a fully-committed PMG mission.

This week has been cold and especially breezy, which makes it feel considerably colder.  It even continues to snow a bit, but little sticks to the ground.  One day this past week the snowfall did make the streets and sidewalks quite slick and icy.  Sister Hawley has become a convert to wearing a scarf around her neck and says it really helps.  [She's going to continue wearing her scarves when we return to Utah winters.]  We are glad we are not out in the cold like the young misisonaries!

This past week we had MOVES [Transfers], and now we have a new AP threesome:  [L-R] Elder Tyler Monk [from southern California, USA], Elder Paul Jentzsch [from Kabelsketal, Germany], and Elder Guy Morley [from Coventry, England].  They are fun to be around, and are good young men and hardworking missionaries.

An update on Sister Hawley's crashed computer:  Dell sent an technician (in England it is an engineer) to replace the hard drive which could not be recognized by the computer.  We received the three reinstallment disks from the Church Area headquarters in Soliholl and we have worked to get it back up and running.  We still cannot get the printer drivers to allow us to print and will need some help. Many of the recovered files proved to be corrupted and so Sister Hawley will have many hours recreating all of those files.  She has the calendar for the year put back together and we are able to get the Church Data Entry program for baptisms to take the data again.  The special Outlook program for emails is working, but all the email addresses were lost, and these addresses will take time to recreate.  We use email a great deal to communication with SLC, Utah for travel, info on new missionaries, and a miriad of other uses, including communications with missions throughout the world.  I think she will be very busy for many weeks getting everything back to full operational capacity.

Wednesday we went to dinner at an Argentinean steak house near the South Ken tube station, a few blocks away from the mission office.  The Bird's, the Campbell's, and the Miles joined us and we enjoyed a very pleasant 2 hours with them.  P.S.  The steaks were GREAT!

We were to go to Wembley today to visit the Miles, who are from SLC, but when we got to the subway (tube) station on Kensington High Street many of the tube lines were down for repairs on the weekend and both tube running to Wembley were out.  Wembley is about a 40- minute tube ride north west of London. They have about six inches of snow there.  We called them on their cell phone and made arrangements for another visit in a few weeks.

We note how difficult the missionary work is. Speaking with the office elders who labor in the Hyde Park Chapel area, they report that when street contacting only about one in 20 will talk to them, and many who will speak to them have no interest, saying they haven't got the time to listen.  The world has turned this message down from Adam's time to our own. Even few listened to the Savior Himself when He was on the earth. In the Spirit World they will all be so very sorry that they did not recognize the truth when it was offered. They will have more interest then, if they are honest in heart and truth seekers.  However, the gospel remains true and the Lord has given prophecies that few will listen, only one here and one there will receive.  The mission baptized 237 people in 2009.  The worldly cares and prosperous times do not lend people to be humble and teachable.  One can see the pride of relying on one's own flesh and power to make it in the world.  Only if they could realize the joy and blessings the Lord has for them and to realize their true potential, who they are and why they are here on earth.  The message of the gospel is sorely needed.

We accepted an offer to sell our former home in Orem and are proceeding with the process.  This will be a blessing to have that matter taken care of and not have to worry and ask our children take care of it and check on it.  Jason, Rob and Debbie have so kindly taken turns to check on our homes each week in our absence.  Thank you, Kids, for your help in managing things so well in our absence.

We are looking forward to challenges in this new year. We are happy and optimistic as we know the Lord will bless us and our children and help us solve all the problems and obstacles that come.  Through each trial we become stronger and see the hand of the Lord in our lives. "Burdens provide opportunties to practice virtues that contribute to eventual perfection. They invite us to Yield 'to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and [put] off the natural man and [become] a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and [become] as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon [us], even as a child doth submit to his father.'  Thus burdens become blessings, though often such blessings are well disguised and may require time, effort, and faith to accept and understand." Ensign, Nov 2009, Elder L. Whitney Clayton.

From the Land of Tiny Tim, "God bless you everyone!"

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.

December 31, 2009

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.