Our final week in the mission was a busy one: we spent more time training the office elders in the office; we packed up all our belongings, a few to make available and most to be ready to board our flight home; we completed the final checkout of our flat and moved into THINK Hotel; and we donated many items, such as bedding and kitchen items, to missionaries and to the ELM. We gifted our professional waffle iron to another mission couple, knowing they love to feed the missionaries like we do, and so our tradition will be carried on. On our final day in the office we were surprised by a going away cake and many thanks and good wishes. We were really touched.
Elder and Sister Hawley cutting the cake, 4 Dec 2010
On Fast Sunday, 5 December, we bore our testimonies in the Hyde Park Ward. We saved Monday, 6 December, for last minute items, and just to share between ourselves. We were ready to come home, but did want to share with each other the sweetness and the blessings of our missionary service and life experiences from living in London, England. At 8:00 a.m. sharp on 7 December the APs arrived to drive us to the airport. Throughout the past week they were always there when we needed them, generously offering their help and support. We checked our bags in at Heathrow and then treated the APs to "a full English breakfast." [Of course!]
Us with APs Hatch and Sikahema, Heathrow Airport
Then we said goodbye and made our way to the gate . . . only to find that, 20 minutes early, the gate had been closed and the last shuttle to the plane had left and would not return . . . . This is an airport or airline policy, but we had not been made aware that gates would close early, or that we could not board the plane at the gate, but had to take not one but two shuttle buses out onto the tarmac to reach the plane and board there. [Sister Hawley quickly passed this important piece of information on to Sister Field, and then to the office elders so that future missionaries returning home would not miss their flights like we did. She recommended that missionaries arrive at the airport for checkin 2 hours early, and then arrive at the assigned gate 1 full hour early, just in case.] We then made our way to Customer Service, and they re-routed us to the U.S. on a British Airways flight to San Francisco, with another connecting United flight back to Salt Lake City. Then we purchased some internet time --thankfully we had our laptops as carryon luggage] and we emailed all of our children that our arrival would be pushed back from 7:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. in SLC. We had some waiting time in London for the SF flight, and then we had only 90 minutes in SF to get our luggage, go through security and customs, and change terminals, then re-check our bags, and race -- quite literally - through it all to make our flight to Salt Lake. This meant climbing up and down stairs carrying our luggage, and running [as fast as our senior legs would take us] down the terminals, but we did make it . . . just in the nick of time. When we arrived in Salt Lake we were so very grateful, and we were met by children and grandchildren, signs, balloons, and best of all, hugs and a warm welcome home! Once delivered to our house in Orem, we visited for a while, and finally made it to bed about 1:00 a.m., and our last waking thought was, How wonderful it was to sleep so comfortably in our very own bed! Our daughter Debbie and her family had cleaned and dusted the house, filled the refrigerator, collected the mail now being delivered, and decorated the house for Christmas--how very, very thoughtful! We were overwhelmed and so very grateful!
#5 DaVinci Place, Orem, Utah, U.S.A.
The next morning we started unpacking. We had purchased our new home in DaVinci Place and lived there only 7 months before we left on our mission, so we weren't sure we could recall where anything was, and in unpacking we have been a bit "liberal" in where we have put things we've unpacked. We left the unpacking of posted boxes for another energetic day. On Wednesday we purchased our new 2011 Nissan Murano -- what a treat to have a car again! On Thursday Sister Hawley got her longed-for perm! And on Friday and Saturday we both prepared our talks for Sunday, and did some grocery shopping, and prepared the buffet for Sunday.
2011 Graphite Blue Nissan Murano
Elder and Sister Hawley were officially released as missionaries at 11 a.m. on Sunday morning by our Canyon View Stake President Kilpack. At 1:00 p.m. we had our Welcome Home Sacrament Meeting, to which so many wonderful family and friends came to lend support. We were tired and nervous, and Elder Hawley had a good start on a very bad cold, so seeing so many in the audience was both sweet and supportive, and we were so very thankful for the efforts they made to come. In the kitchen we set out salads, finger foods, ham, turkey, cheeses, cookies, cake, and punch, and just enjoyed visiting with some of those who were able to come back to the house after church. One of the best moments was knowing that our thoughts, feelings and memories could be shared with three other former ELM couples, and we had our son Rob and son-in-law John take photos of us together on our front lawn.
The Watts, the Hawley's, the Ricks, and the Little's, 12 December 2010
We discovered that going through the expected processes, the leave-taking, the coming home, the official release, the talks, and the welcome-home, even the unpacking and getting settled in our home again, all have needful space and purpose in the conclusion of a mission. We hope now to "go to" other ways of service and productive living. We have finished our unpacking, taken some needed time to rest and recover from jet-lag, and to reconnect with our children and grandchildren. Don has spent some time getting over his cold. We have our house up and running smoothly again. Portia has sorted through the boxes and prepared the sugar shakers as gifts, as well as wrapped family and friend gifts and seen that they were mailed to their recipients. Portia has also done some Q/A with Elder Schow via email, and both Don and Portia enjoyed a day of training with the new office couple, from Salt Lake, Elder and Sister Empey, who spent a day here with us. We gave them a lot of information in a short amount of time, [we had only about 7 hours], and we answered their questions about living in London. We know that by the end of the day they felt overwhelmed, but this information will come back to help them when they begin their time as office missionaries, both being trained by us via phone and email, and by the office elders before they are transferred, and also by just doing the work themselves. The pre-training will help them because the material they will work with, and the computer programs, will look familiar to them from the start. They will make it their own in the day-to-day efforts they seem happy to make. They have visited London before, and are excited to live there and to serve in the mission office. We wish them luck, and joy in the work, and a multitude of whatever blessings they might like, will need, and would enjoy.
Our Favourite Things
Portia and Don Hawley
December 2010
Greetings with kisses, a custom that’s British
Salads and puddings and vegetable dishes
Burberry scarves that you wear until spring
These are a few of our favourite things
Warm coats and stockings, umbrellas and lilies
Double-decker buses, traditions, and histories
Buildings that reach for the sun and the sky
These are the things that for us gratify
When the rain falls,
When the tubes close
When the bus won’t come
We simply remember our favourite things
And then we don’t feel so glum
Dedicated elders and sister missionaries
Computers with iMOS and many inquiries
Referrals extended and baptism enterings
These are a few of our favourite things
‘Keep calm and carry on,’ a strong admonition
‘Mind the gap’ and ‘sorry,’ good choices and decisions
Scriptures of Christ and the hope that they bring
These are a few of our favourite things
When the dollar’s low
When there’s detours
When we’re feeling sad
We simply remember our favourite things
And then we don’t feel so bad
Hundreds of letters and tasks done on time
Five days in the office, P-days are fine
Seeing the sun shine, giving service and Skyping
These are a few of our favourite things
Walking with ancestors and temple excursions
Zone conference, Sacrament and spiritual conversions
Feeling the Spirit of God up above
These are a few of the things that we love
When the queue’s long
When the sky’s grey
When we’re feeling blue
We simply remember our favourite thing
That the Gospel of Christ is true
Attached to this, our last post, are our Welcome Home talks. We were asked to speak about ancient prophets proclaiming the birth of Christ, and to incorporate into our talks some of our mission experiences and blessings. I hope we have done that, and we hope that in these talks will express in this blog our . . . departing words of love and gratitude to our Savior and through Him for this extraordinary blessing to serve Him and some of His children.
Mission Welcome Home Talk
Canyon View 3rd Ward, 12 December 2010
Theme: The Coming of Christ as Foretold by Ancient Biblical Prophets
+ Sharing of Mission Experiences
From the time of Adam, righteous people looked forward to the birth of Jesus Christ. Moses records that the Savior was revealed to Adam as the Only Begotten Son of God, and that from the time of the Fall men knew of Christ’s mission and message. The ancient patriarchs and prophets testified of revelation and visions, and shared their personal spiritual witness of the Savior. They knew of Jesus’ birth long before it happened. They revealed events which would precede His birth, and prophesied concerning the circumstances of His ministry, atoning sacrifice, death, and resurrection. They taught that He would come to save all of Heavenly Father’s children from death, and that through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, men could be forgiven of their sins and could return to live in the presence of Heavenly Father.
Isaiah, a mighty prophet of the Old Testament, recorded the things revealed to him regarding the circumstances of Christ’s coming. One such prophecy in a few short words describes our Savior in Heavenly Father’s Plan, and some of what He means to us in our lives: “. . . the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.” [Isaiah 9:6] President Gordon B. Hinckley taught that “the word ‘wonderful’ comes from the Hebrew word for miracle, suggesting both the Messiah’s miraculous birth and the miracles He would perform in this life. The word ‘counsellor’ has to do with the commandments and teachings the Messiah would bring to guide us back to Heavenly Father…. Of all the events of human history, none other approaches the Atonement of the Savior in its meaning and in its results.”
John the Baptist was sent as a special messenger by our Heavenly Father “to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” The Savior Himself eulogized John, calling him “a burning and a shining light,” and that among all the prophets who came to earth there was not a greater prophet than John.
The predictions of the early prophets concerning Christ’s birth, life, and ministry were fulfilled, and those who sincerely believe have been blessed and prepared to accept and follow Him. The teachings and testimonies of these prophets enable as many of the peoples of the world who will to recognize Him as their Savior, Lord and God, and to come unto Him and be perfected in Him.
We desire to be witnesses of Jesus Christ, just like the prophets of old, . . . by the way we live our lives, by how faithful, thankful, and obedient we are, through our studies, by how generous is our service, by the way we treat others, and through the words we speak.
Elder Hawley and I are profoundly grateful for the gift of life-long testimonies of the Savior and His gospel, and for parents who taught us about their love for Jesus Christ, their faith in Him, their dedication, and their willingness to be obedient to all He taught. We were influenced by modern-day prophets who have encouraged us to serve as representatives of our Savior, and to witness of His divinity. Our blessings are great, as individuals and as members of the Church. We carry in our hearts a firm, unshakeable, and undeniable conviction of the divine mission of the Lord Jesus Christ.
We have tried to honor Him by the choices we’ve made. One of the best of them has been to serve a couples’ mission. We served in the England London Mission as the Office Couple. Elder Hawley was the Financial Secretary for the mission, and I was the Mission Secretary. We also were administrative assistants to the mission president and his wife, so that they too could serve as they have been called to do. If it is true that we love whom we serve, we love and miss those extraordinary young missionaries. This mission has proven to be a defining moment in our lives. We dedicated our time, talents and resources to the Lord, and immersed ourselves in this shared goal. It is through our testimonies that we made our choice. Our testimonies gave us strength and courage to face obstacles and challenges. It is our testimonies that have brought us a “multiplicity of blessings.” [Doctrine and Covenants 104:2] We gratefully trust the Lord. We seek for His peace. By putting ourselves in His Hands, we have been blessed with opportunities and experiences we would never have received otherwise. We have been prepared and qualified, lifted, tempered, and sustained.
We saw the promises in our setting-apart blessings come to pass, not once but many times, and when needed throughout our mission. The effects on us have been profound. We have acquired a deeper, richer capacity in loving each other. We are grateful for our companionship in being able to share all aspects of this sweet calling. We carried a “mission bag” with us wherever we went that physically held the items we needed for the day, but which symbolically held our goals and increased blessings. We hold hands wherever we go, and when we pray together. Starting and ending each day with prayer put our hands and all we are in the Lord’s Hands. We cherish the making of new memories together, especially in studying the gospel together. We have been changed spiritually by this choice. Our love is more committed, and we value each other more than ever before. We want to support and to serve each other more. As we united ourselves more with the Lord we became more united as a couple.
Our children and grandchildren have been blessed through the Lord’s intimate knowledge of them and of what blessings each one needs. Fasting and praying with them has united our family. Our health has been sustained. New friendships have enlarged our perspective and enhanced our lives; they have increased the laughter and our appreciation of others. We learned more completely how well the Lord knows and loves us, and how and where He knows our talents and abilities will be best used.
We were blessed to serve right up until the time of our departure, as was our desire; there were adventures every day that still touch our hearts or make us smile. We are happy to be home, but desire not to come home to things of the world. We may need to take our mission badges off physically, but we don’t have to take them off spiritually. Our efforts have been magnified through the love of the Lord. There were spiritual highs and joys to be found in each and every purpose-filled day. Principles of the gospel such as love, charity, humility, patience, and faith have more meaning for us. We may be older but we are better and wiser individuals. We have been blessed with greater capacity for endurance and sacrifice. Like our mission bag, we come home a bit worn and wrinkled, but we are so very grateful for the opportunities to “become such.”
We have been qualified and humbled, particularly from our continuing study of the infinite nature and capacity of our Savior’s love, and His magnificent atoning sacrifice for each of us individually; our understanding has been enlarged, and we have learned how to access the blessings of the atonement, and to appreciate it, in more meaningful ways. We love Him and honor Him. Our relationship with our Father in Heaven is closer, and we have learned more how to look to Him before we act for ourselves. We have developed a greater desire for His peace, and to know His will for us. We cherish the gift of the companionship of the Holy Spirit and desire to live more worthily in order to receive it continually.
We may soon and reluctantly take our missionary tags off, but we will continue to stand as witnesses of Jesus Christ. And I bear you this testimony in His holy name, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Welcome Home Address 12 Dec 2010
• Introduction and Greeting:
• Happy to be home. Thank those that have come so far. Invite them to the house.
• Description of England—place of history and tradition and diverisity
• Joseph Smith—History 1:19
“they draw near to me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me, they teach for doctrines the commandments of men, having a form of godliness, but they deny the power thereof.”
• Thankful for the Opportunity to be able to serve—the Savior and the young Missionaries. And of wearing the badges that carry Christ’s name. Another way to take upon us the name of Christ like the sacrament prayer states.
• Prophecies of Christ
• We are all eternal, having dwelled in the heavens, perhaps millions and billions of years prior to our earthly birth. The gospel was taught there. We were given agency. We knew who Christ was. He was first born of the Father and who was completely faithful and obedient to the will of His Father so that we were able to exercise our faith that he would complete the tasks of the Atonement to which he had been forordained before the world was. · Alma 22:13
“And Aaron did expound unto him the scriptures from the creation of Adam, laying the fall of man before him, and their carnal state and also the plan of redemption, which was prepared from the foundation of the world, through Christ, for all whosoever would believe on his name.”
• Adam and Eve were taught the gospel and given the Law of Sacrifice which was a similitude of the sacrifice of the Son of God which would come. They were baptized and commanded to teach this to there children.
• Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph as recorded in the Book of Mormon all testified of the coming of the Messiah, the Holy Anointed One.
• Isaiah testified of the Messiah in the familiar scripture in 9:6:
“For unto us a achild is bborn, unto us a cson is given: and the dgovernment shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, eCounsellor, The fmighty gGod, The heverlasting Father, The Prince of iPeace.” These are titles and description of the things the Messiah will do when he comes.
• Zechariah speaks of the Branch that will remove the inquity of the land in one day 3:9. He prophesies 9:9 of “thy bKing cometh unto thee: he is cjust, and having salvation; lowly, and driding upon an eass, and upon a fcolt the foal of an ass.” And again in 11:13 “I took the thirty pieces of silver, and cast them to the potter in the house of the Lord” referencing the betrayed of the Savior by Judas.
• All Prophets of God testify of the Savior, of the plan salvation and taught people to have faith in the Coming of the Messiah and what he would do to be our Savior and Redeemer.
• The history and traditions of England are the results of Medievil history and the Dark ages when the truth was lost. The castles, palaces, cathedrals and great monuments are all representations of the past when the truth was diluted and the great apostacy occurred. But the history is also the reformation and beginning stages of the restoration.
• Henry VIII broke the back of the Catholic Church and set the stage for protestants to have a strong hold. Wycliff translated the Bible into English, and the quest for religious freedom lead to the founding of America and set the stage for the restoration, which did occur through the Prophet Joseph Smith.
• The Lord found many willing saints in England to strengthen the early church. Perhaps the 1838 mission began the salvation of the fledgling church. Look at the great strength that came from England. How many of you have an English heritage that includes Saints who joined the church in England an immigrated to Zion? In 1850 there were more saints in England than the USA.
• Preach My Gospel. “Invite others to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end.”
• 2 Nephi 2:7-8 “Behold, he offereth himself a asacrifice for sin, to answer the ends of the law, unto all those who have a broken heart and a contrite spirit; and unto bnone else can the cends of the law be answered. UAdd a Note Wherefore, how great the importance to make these things known unto the inhabitants of the earth, that they may know that there is no flesh that can dwell in the presence of God, asave it be through the merits, and mercy, and grace of the Holy Messiah. . .”
• This is the message of the Gospel that the missionaries bring. Their purpose is “to invite others to come unto Christ and by helping them receive the restored gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end.” It is continuation of the prophecies of the coming of the Christ. We testify that what the ancient prophets prophesied has come to pass. Jesus is the Messiah. Redemption has come. The world is invited to come and partake of the gifts provided through the atonement by accepting the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.
• Blessings of Missionary service.
Sister missionaries reported that they like to come to the mission office just to get a hug from Sister Hawley.
• She was the star of the office giving love, and kind words to these wonderful missionaries far from home and family and she was a source of love and support. She feels like it is payment for all the blessings that the Lord has already given her and her missionary children when they served.
• Missionaries love mail and packages. Sister Hawley saw that mail and packages got to the missionaries from the office.
• We managed the mission office replacing the young missionaries so they could be free to proselyte.
• Transfers was a busy time. We had to work to keep some elders from trying to find out who was being transferred .
WE have been changed, improved, even edified and sanctified to a degree. We are better. Our hearts have been changed and we desire to do the things of the Lord and not the things of the world to a greater degree. Our love of the Lord has grown. Our understanding of the Lord and the Plan of Salvation has increased and been magnified. We stand in awe of the atonement of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
The time together was wonderful. It has been a great blessing to us. Sister Hawley is the best and I love her. She is the one who must live with my imperfections and farmboy attitudes and culture. Everyone would do well consider and prepare for missionary service. I know all can not go because of so many circumstances and situations, but consider it prayerfully see where you might fit in. You will be blessed and you are needed. There are over 6500 current slots for senior missionary couples and only about 3800 currently serving. There is a great need.
President Thomas S. Monson, Ensign, Nov. 2010.
“And now to you mature brothers and sisters: we need many, many more senior couples. To the faithful couples now serving or who have served in the past, we thank you for your faith and devotion to the gospel of Jesus Christ. You serve willingly and well and accomplish great good.
Add a Note
Add a Note
To those of you who are not yet to the season of life when you might serve a couples mission, I urge you to prepare now for the day when you and your spouse might do so. As your circumstances allow, as you are eligible for retirement, and as your health permits, make yourselves available to leave home and give full-time missionary service. There are few times in your lives when you will enjoy the sweet spirit and satisfaction that comes from giving full-time service together in the work of the Master.”
And what better gift can you give to the Savior than to dedication some full time service to Him and the building up of His Kingdom on earth.
• Missionary information:
• 110 Missionaries, 60% from places other than USA and Canada—England, Scotland, Ireland,Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Holland, Germany, France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Armenia, Georgia in the Urkraine, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Brazil, New Zealand, Australia, Tonga, Pakistan, Albania, Austria, Switzerland.
• 9 Senior Couples and 2 Single Senior Sisters, in Family History, CFYA, Leadership and reactivation, Office, Employment Center, Music.
• Near 300 Baptisms for CY2010, which is a about a 20% increase over the previous year. This is slightly lower than some of the other British missions.
• London has a very diverse population of 7-10 million people in the Greater London Metropolitan area. You hear English spoken many ways and you some can even be understood.
• Those joining the church are coming from situations where there has been a change in their life which caused them to seek or question—refugee, economic shifts—young adults primarily.
• The Church is strong in England, with all of the mission organized into eight Stakes. But there are only about 250,000 members livings in Great Britian. Think of all those who emigrated to Zion.
• Hyde Park Chapel is the location of the Mission office on the third floor about 2 blocks south of Hyde Park. The property being obtained by the Church after WWII and built in 1961-62.
• In 1850, there were more Mormons in the UK than in the USA. About 30,000 in the UK and about 27,000 in West of the USA.
• The Book of Mormon is translated in whole or part into 107 languages. We stocked a supply of each translation for use by the missionaries.
• Who is Christ?
The first born spirit of our Heavenly Father. Having obeyed his father is all things, always subjecting his will to the will of the father he progressed and became the agent of his father to create all the worlds— Moses 1:33 And aworlds without number have I bcreated; and I also created them for mine own purpose; and by the cSon I dcreated them, which is mine eOnly Begotten. Born in the flesh to Mary in Bethlehem the Son of God the First Born in the Flesh. Inherited the ability to die from his mortal mother and was given power to live by His Heavenly Father, thus he had power to overcome death and was further given power to over come the effects of the fall bring about the Resurrection and the Redemption and Salvation of man. Not only are we saved from death and hell, but through His atoning grace we are given the opportunity to obtain exhaltation, which is to live the kind of life that God lives and receive an inheritance to obtain all that the Father hath.
• How do we access the atonement? D&C 20:37 “And again, by way of commandment to the church concerning the manner of baptism—All those who humble themselves before God, and desire to be baptized, and come forth with broken hearts and contrite spirits, and witness before the church that they have truly repented of all their sins, and are willing to take upon them the name of Jesus Christ, having a determination to serve him to the end, and truly manifest by their works that they have received of the Spirit of Christ unto the remission of their sins, shall be received by baptism into his church.”
• How do we keep a remission of our sins, knowing that we are imperfect and do sin even after we are baptized? By coming each week to partake of the sacrament with broken hearts and a contrite spirit and repenting and trying to do our best to be obedient to all Gods commandments. 3 Nephi 9:20 And ye shall offer for a asacrifice unto me a broken heart and a contrite spirit.
• How imperative is it to keep a broken heart and a contrite spirit? 2 Nephi 2:7 “Behold, he offereth himself a asacrifice for sin, to answer the ends of the law, unto all those who have a broken heart and a contrite spirit; and unto bnone else can the cends of the law be answered.”
Conclusion and Testimony
We add our testimonies to the ancient prophet who testified that the Lord would come in the Meridian of Time and we unequivocally declare that He has come. The Messiah has come. Jesus Christ was the literal Son of God. He was born in Bethlehem of Mary and suffered in Gethsemane for us and was crucified and died for us. He has overcome death and hell for us. And we declare that he lives. The resurrection is real. Praise be His Holy Name, for each of us will be resurrected and brought back into the presence of God to be judged according to our deeds and to the desires of our hearts.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
THANK YOU
Billboard Shot of London, Tower of London Bridge, and Thames River
