March

A condensed version of Elder and Sister Warnick's last few emails:

They had their neighbors, Steve and Anna, over for a visit.  They served Hummingbird cake, which has bananas and pineapple in it, even though the pineapple was a bit hard to find.  Steve gave them some duck eggs, and invited them over the next week for a real English shepherd's pie, made with lamb.

Duck egg, left, compared to a chicken's egg

"Sunday we drove to Exeter for church and met with some young adults who don't attend Institute or FHE.  Our visits there with individuals were important, but made us late for a special extra sacrament meeting in Braunton 1.5 hours drive away.  We arrived about 30 minutes late and thought we could slip in the back.  There were about 30 present, including 3 investigators.  They ushered us onto the front row and announced our arrival to the whole congregation.  So much for our effort to be subtle.

We were richly rewarded for our effort to support them as the talks were so good.  Nigel, a counselor in the branch presidency, spoke of his long journey back from inactivity in the church and how blessed he and his family had been in his decision to return, even though his wife and children are not members.  Andrew Smith, the branch president, spoke on how we may forget what we hear, but not how we feel.  Even things from the pre earth life are still part of our feelings.  We reflected on the way home on all we had learned that day, (and also took a picture of a thatched roof!)."

"We had a married couple come to dinner.  We met them in the Paignton Ward; Pablo was very glad to have Dad speak Spanish with him.  He is a member, and she is taking discussions.  They met as employees on a cruise ship, he in the kitchen and she as a dancer.  She is very receptive and told us she intends to be baptized.  We showed them the church Easter video "Hallelujah."  Jennifer told us how pleased she was to learn that Adam and Eve partaking of the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden was not a huge mistake.  It was wonderful to feel such a connection with them as we conversed.  It turns out her maiden name is Alden, and her father always told her she was related to John Alden of Mayflower fame.  She was excited to know that John Alden is our ancestor too.  She felt, as we do, that our connection with her is not by chance."


They went to Plymouth for a YSA meeting.  After a lesson about staying strong in adversity, they played lazer tag, both inside and outside in the dark.

"Saturday we went to a baptism in Paignton.  A lot of family members were there.  This was Elder Kroch's last baptism before he returns to Cambodia.  We can envision a great work ahead of him there establishing the church more fully in his homeland."

"Monday we drove the sisters from Newton Abbot to Plymouth for a district preparation day.  While he missionaries played indoor football we went down to the Plymouth Mayflower memorial and visited the site where our ancestors, John Alden and Priscilla Mullins, left England almost 400 years ago.  We tried to imagine what it was like for them to walk down stone steps and get on the Mayflower.  We don't know why the Lord sent us to the Plymouth Stake, but we are grateful to be in the land of our ancestors and walk in some of the very places they did."

Dealing with Doubt

"Tuesday we drove to Bideford and visited Elders Alambra and Green.  They are both from Australia and are really good elders.  We inspected their flat, which really means we had them evaluate their flat, and took them to lunch.  We even went tracting with the elders for a while.  On our way home we went with Brother Peter Smith, a member of the branch presidency, to visit Mike and Mary.  They have been members for more than 40 years, have held prominent positions in the church, but are now inactive.  He expressed a sweet testimony of knowing when he was branch president he was able to receive revelation enabling him to do many things he knew did not come from himself.  She, however, is bitter and does not believe anymore.  She resisted Dad's testimony of the Book of Mormon.  We left them with a blessing and went home feeling discouraged.  It was hard to see her complete rejection.  We later write them a letter and included a wonderful letter written by President Hugh B. Brown, written to a friend of his who was experiencing doubts.  President Brown described his own journey through the valleys of doubt in his own life.  It is worth reading.

We attended disctrict meeting, which is always good.  Elder Deaton taught about humility, and that true humility involves confidence, not in ourselves, but rather in the Savior and His power to strengthen us.  District meeting lifted our spirits after the experiences of the previous day.

There never seems to be an end of the details of living in a foreign country.  Did you know that you have to have a license to watch television or record TV from another device in the UK?  Thankfully, that is not a fee we will have to pay.  Next time, be grateful when you just turn on your TV, even it you do have to listen to political announcements.

On Thursday we had a meeting with President Fullwood of the stake presidency.  He is completely deaf, but can lip read and speak so well that you would never know it except for the fact that he has to be looking at you.  He is the stake leader in charge of seminary and institute, and challenged us to develop a plan to reach all of the YSA in our stake.  Dad was set apart for the High Council that night by President Martin, the stake president.  He gave Dad such a marvelous blessing, where he promised blessings upon our family.  We attended institute class afterwards, taught by Brother Lewis, who used to be a police officer in London and is a former mission president in the Philipines.  He expressed what a contrast it is between the youth of the church and the youth he dealt with as a police officer.  He travels 2 hours to get to us every Thursday.  He lead a masterful discussion on being a true "millennial" and preparing for the second coming of the Savior.

Friday we got take-away from two Kurds who run a small shish-ka-bob shop.  They have been in England for about 10 years, after having fled Iraq for their lives, and talked about friends who ended up in Nashville.

On Sunday night we had Jordan and the sisters over for one of his new member discussions.  The bishop had talked to him about receiving the Aaronic Priesthood that day, and he was full of questions and enthusiasm.  We also had him over for dinner Monday evening and got to know him better.  He is 21 and has lost both parents already, and is a triplet.  We got him started a little on his family history, but there is a family in the ward that will see him through that in more detail.  He is planning to attend the temple next month with the YSA."

Blueberry Crumble Bars Recipe

Blueberry Oatmeal Crumble Bars

Crust and Crumble Topping
1 stick (1/2 cup) salted butter, melted
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup old-fashioned whole rolled oats (not quick or instant)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
pinch salt, optional, to taste

Blueberry Layer
12 oz. (2 cups) blueberries, fresh or frozen (don't thaw)
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons cornstarch

Preheat oven to 350F.  Line an 8-inch square pan with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray.  Set aside.

Crust layer:  In a large microwave-safe bowl melt the butter.  Add the flour, oats, sugars, optional salt, and stir to combine.  Mixture will be dry and sandy with some larger crumble pieces.  Set 1 heaping cup of the mixture aside to be sprinkled on top later.

Transfer remaining mixture to prepared pan, and using a spatula or your fingers, hard-pack the mixture to create and even, smooth, flat crust.  Set aside.

Blueberry layer:  In a large mixing bowl, add all ingredients and toss to combine.  Evenly distribute blueberry mixture over crust.  Evenly sprinkle reserved topping mixture.  Before sprinkling, I squeeze the mixture in my palm to encourge bigger crumble pieces to form.  

Bake for about 55 minutes, or until the edges are set and the center has just set.  Crumble topping should appear set and very pale golden.  If using fresh, not frozen, berries, baking time may need to be reduced.

Place pan on a wire rack and allow bars to cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing and serving.  If you try to slice the bars before they are cool they will fall apart.  Bars will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 1 week, in the fridge for 10 days, or in the freezer up to 6 months.

Hay Tor, Cleaning, and YSA Meetings

"We didn't see any hounds at the moors last week except on leashes, but we did see some wild ponies that roam free much like mustangs in the west.  The moors are granite covered with a thin layer of soil, and granite outcroppings in places called Tors.  Teenagers join in the Ten Tor Challenge which requires them to hike to ten of the designated granite hills over two days, taking with them everything they will need for the overnight experience.  The weather doesn't always cooperate, and it can be quite rigorous and a point of pride to accomplish.  They even have support from the army, including helicopters if needed."

ELDER AND SISTER WARNICK IN FRONT OF HAY TOR

"We turned into vacuum repairmen.  We found that the belt was broken so we ordered new ones, which came quickly.  It was very satisfying to put it on and actually have the thing work.  It must have been broken quite a while, as a satisfying bunch of stuff was picked up.  They call it 'hoovering' here to use a vaccuum cleaner.  And, by the way, the cooktop of a stove is called a 'hob'.

For Dad's birthday we went with the sisters to an appointment out on a horse farm, and took them to lunch.  We had bangers and mash with mushy peas and fish and chips- classic English fare.

Wednesday was a district meeting, for which we made blueberry crumble bars.  The district leader and his companion made banana bread.  The blueberry bars were a hit, so we will send along the recipe.

On Thursday we prepared food for the YSA.  Mark Lewis, the Institute teacher, taught them about following the prophet and discerning truth from error.  The stake president, President Martin, then taught them about the area and stake plan and challenged the YSA to set 5 personal goals in achieving the plan.  It was an inspiring meeting centered around: Bring a friend, Be spiritually and temporally self-reliant, and Find an ancestor.  He shared a quote from President Monson that goes like this: 'When performance is measured, performance improves.  When performance is measured and reported, the rate of improvement accelerates.'  So the YSA leaders, the Brockways, and we, have been asked to follow up individually with the young singles on their goals.  It will be an excellent way to learn how we can be helpful to them, and will challenge us to set our own goals in a meaningful way.  Afterward the YSA played a game where 2 people sat back to back and were asked a question like, 'Which of you could beat the other in arm wrestling?'  Two brothers got 21 of 21 questions where they agreed on the answer.  No one else came close- not even us or the stake president and his wife.

We went to the bishop's house in Friday for dinner and met his daughter who is less active.  They were pleased that she would join us.  We were told later that she had said earlier that day that Americans are all weird, except the Kardashians.  She has some growing up to do.

On Saturday we attended a dramatic performance by the youth and YSA in the Newton Abbot ward, supported by a number of adults, titled Free to Choose.  Our favorite scene was a sequence of people discussing the fillings in their sandwiches, with one fellow day after day lamenting that he always had a cheese sandwich.  He was finally asked who makes his sandwiches for him.  He replied, 'I do.'  The bishop played that role so well it brought the house down with laughter.

Sunday we drove to the Paignton Ward which meets in a converted young children's school.  We could see the ocean from the window where we attended Gospel Principles class.  There was a young couple there, just married the day before, who had met while they were both working on a cruise ship, he in the kitchen and she as a dancer.  Pablo is from Peru, so enjoyed speaking with Dad in Spanish.  Jennifer is from England and doesn't speak any Spanish so they decided they would make their home in England.  He is already a member, and they have been attending for a few weeks, but she says she really doesn't understand most of what is being discussed.  They will now start having the missionaries come and teach where she can get her questions answered on a more personal basis and learn in an orderly manner basic gospel principles.

Monday the sisters wanted to come make cookies at our flat for their P Day.  We have also created a handout for the YSA, and some other things that needed our attention.  The other day Dad did such a wonderful job of cleaning the shower that we may have baths from now on so we don't muss it up again!  There was a lot of mold collected in the hard to reach places.  It is a small shower that reminds one of being in a slippery slide tube."