11 December 2017- Final Letter!

"We took the opportunity to go to Slapton Sands, where there were over 960 American lives lost during Operation Tiger in  WW2 during a training exercise for the D day invasion that was infiltrated by German U boats.  The townspeople all had to evacuate for more than a year to allow for the training.  We had lunch on the beach and had time to reflect this time in history.  

A week following the YSA convention in October, we went to visit with LaMar and Debby Hatch in Bristol where they have been assigned as senior missionaries to the YSA there.  They took us to Tyntesfield and Dunster Castle.  Tyntesfield is one of the most lavish manor houses that we have visited, the money having come from the mining of bat guano in South America.  Dunster Castle in Somerset is a fortified castle from Anglo Saxon times.  The next day we took a bus tour of Bristol where they were also having a zombie event before Halloween.  Some of their costumes were very creative.

John and Dot Martin took us to lunch at Welcome Stranger on the edge of the moors, and even had a birthday cake having found out it was Mom’s birthday.  We had a roast dinner which is quite common here with meat and gravy with many roasted vegetables and potatoes.

The last time we went to district meeting in Redruth we met Elder Gehring, a new missionary from none other than North Logan.  He knows families in our home ward but is in the other stake north of ours.  On the way home we stopped at McDonald’s for the first time on our mission.  The food isn’t any better here than the US but orders were made from a kiosk and delivered to you in the zone you specify your seating.  Perhaps it is that way in the States now also.  We wouldn’t know that.

We had 23 at Institute—the largest number so far at one meeting.

Elder Luis de Mendoza came for Stake conference and bore a sweet testimony of his conversion, which we later discovered had convinced two investigators in attendance to be baptized themselves.

Other things we have been involved in are obtaining requested items for missionaries like airbeds, mops, clothes drying racks, toilet seats and lightbulbs.  They want senior missionaries to be in charge of these larger purchases so that there are more consolidated reimbursements.  We have also been helping a sister missionary get to doctor appointments on an ongoing basis, with trips to the hospital as well.

Our last multizone conference in Poole was very good with the added bonus of getting to see LaMar and Debby.  They are enjoying both the YSA and young missionaries, and have the added bonus of not being restricted on how much they can spend on food for them, and also have access to a Costco.  They are also starting an addiction recovery program in their stake under the direction of the Stake president which will be a great blessing there.  It is wonderful that they have the experience to do so as they also served in Utah in this capacity and started a program on their mission in Kentucky.

We were asked to speak briefly in Paignton on a Saturday evening about the joys of serving a mission, then the next day we spoke there in sacrament meeting.  We were able to be in the gospel essentials class with the newly baptized Lo who was being taught when we first arrived on our mission.  She is not the same person now that she was then and is so very happy.  After the meetings the Ward surprised us with a going away munch and mingle with a gift to remember them by.  That Monday we went to Bishop and Sister Schofield’s home for family Home evening and a lovely beef stew.
Later that night Christina called and as we hung up the phone with her somehow Clay Carter was on the line.  We felt it a tender mercy as we enjoyed the unexpected visit with him and neither of us had actually intended to make the call.  He has served so diligently and well as our bishop and is now released and Bishop Zane Rust in his place.  We go home to many changes in the Home ward with boundary changes as well.

We went to visit a couple who have quit coming to church.  The Spirit was with us as we reasoned with them and shared our feelings.  Dad felt he should share the story of his great grandfather, William Woodward, of how he resolved his differences with the bishop and another man who did not and the difference it has made to their posterity.  We left feeling we had done all we could to help bring them back.

On Thanksgiving Day we met the Costleys, who will be replacing us.  We spent the next 4 days with them taking them to Institute, District meeting, and a speaking assignment in the Holsworthy Branch and dinner there with the Branch president’s family and also a lunch at Sandygate Inn where we know the chef.  If her husband would become active she would join the church.  There was also a going away dinner hosted by the YSA.  We have been treated very well and feel every confidence in this couple replacing us to be able to accomplish things we have not.

A member couple in Paignton arranged for us to have dinner at a Chinese buffet with another couple who we connected with in a meaningful way when they first started going to church there.  It was hard to say goodbye to them.

We are in cleaning and dejunking mode until we leave, wanting to have things as orderly as possible for the new couple.

We had a holiday dinner with all the senior missionaries at Pres. And Sister Gubler’s home.  The next Sunday we were able to bear our testimonies in what would be considered our Home ward, Newton Abbot, and Dad taught the YSA Sunday school lesson.  We understand they have now given a calling to one of the YSA to teach the class, which has been needing to be filled for quite a while.

For this last transfer both sisters in Newton Abbot were moved so we had to load suitcases into every possible space in our small car to get them to the train, then pick up 2 new ones two days later with an equal luggage challenge, helped them get their luggage up 3 flights of stairs and wished them well in their exhausted and rain soaked state, then returned to the train station to take the Paignton Elders to their flat a half hours drive away.  Only one of them was new to the area, which cut down on the number of suitcases.  It seemed so easy by comparison.  This new elder joined the church 3 years ago along with his parents and wanted to serve a mission from the beginning to share the gospel he values so much.

We are now at the London Temple accomodation center having had a wonderful day in the temple with the YSA.  It was great to see some of the returned missionaries doing the baptisms and confirmations and feeling of the importance of this work for those who did not get the chance in mortality—how just and merciful all wrapped together.  The next day we attended the Crawley Stake conference along with the YSA before they headed out on the 4 hour journey home.  The Europe Area President, Elder Paul V. Johnson was the visiting authority and spoke comparing our lives to the barges built to be “tight like unto a dish”.  He spoke on our need to endure the mountain waves that crash upon us as the winds of this life blow us to the promised land of eternal life with Heavenly Father and the Savior.

We are staying the night at the London Temple accomodation center to be on hand tomorrow to help feed young missionaries who are coming for their Christmas present of being able to attend the temple.  They have been excited about the opportunity since it was announced as it is does not happen often.

You are in our thoughts and prayers.  We miss you so much but will be home in a week from today."

Elder and Sister Warnick's departing photo in the mission newsletter

Senior Missionary Newsletter- Conference Report

Below is a link to a newsletter the London South Mission prepared to summarize the conference mentioned in previous posts.  Pictures of Elder and Sister Warnick and LaMar and Debby are included.

Note on the cover page- the mission has its own coat of arms!


https://docs.google.com/document/d/1SfTOaCQpfqrlvwcs9cqW-WaysDZZTQPal92VjHVadV4/edit?usp=sharing

24 October 2017

We just finished a YSA convention in the Stake.  Some things went better than expected and some with hitches to be overcome but it all worked out with many hands involved.  Most people are delightfully willing to do their part.  The food was great and conventions, like armies, travel somewhat on their stomachs.  The man who did the Saturday evening BBQ was a professional chef who is now mostly confined to a wheelchair and not able to work.  He was thrilled to be asked to help and said that he can either be home and be in pain or go do something and get a distraction from the pain.  He is always cheerful and is an inspiration. 

The service project was photographing headstones to post on Billion Graves.  England is full of wonderful cemeteries that need documenting but so many of the headstones aren’t easy or are impossible to read.  

We have started to use up any food we have in our cupboards as the time is approaching to leave.  There isn’t a missionary couple designated to take over from us but we imagine the mission president will move someone here as it is the farthest from his home other than Guernsey Island.  The occasional “emergency” comes up that he has needed us to handle.

Our next assignment that is separate from the usuals is talking to a mutual group about American Thanksgivings.  We found a 6 minute video that explains both the history and customs and will use that for a portion of it.  Elder Warnick has learned how to do downloading and editing from different video sources that has been helpful in all the teaching we have had to do.  Something visual is always good to get the attention.  They plan to have samples of what might be in a Thanksgiving dinner.  We bet they don’t have pumpkin pie, as canned pumpkin is hard to come by, but they gladly use turkey instead of goose here now as they admit goose is very fatty.  They do love the goose fat though for roasting potatoes.  There is no comparable holiday to Thanksgiving in the UK.

16 September 2017

The biggest news is the arrival of (Elder Warnick's brother) LaMar and Debby to our mission.  They looked wonderful and it was great to see them again, the first time being at a 4 zone conference in Poole which is a 2 and 1/2 hour drive for us.  Since the couple that they are replacing have not gone home yet they were able to spend a couple of days with us visiting many of the sites that we have visited with some of you....Dartmoor, the ponies, the clapper bridges. Lanhydrock, Coleton Fishacre and Okehampton.  They were able to continue on with us to go to the senior missionary conference in Exeter.  After an evening of instruction, as a group we visited Exeter Cathedral, Buckfast Abbey, Cockington Village and Dartmouth where we took a river boat ride then had lunch before all returning home.  Now most of the senior couples know how far we have to travel when the conferences are in their area as we are 4 hours away from the usual meeting places.  LaMar and Debby are an hour plus from us so we hope to see them again before we return.

We have helped the local missionaries teach Mason who has now been baptized.  Another former investigator who wasn't baptized because of opposition from his son told us in a visit that he was not going to let that happen again as he knew the church to be true.  Within a few days his son had gotten to him again and he refused to open the door when we stopped to visit.  He has since apologized.  We are sorry that he does not have the strength of his convictions.  This is a sharp contrast to our own ancestors who not only faced disapproval but complete rejection and yet they persisted.  We are forever blessed and grateful for their courage and faith.

The YSA convention is beginning to take shape but was preceded by our anxiety over the lack of action from responsible parties.  Lately they have really stepped up.  We do want them to feel successful and to have an enriching weekend.

Last Thursday we had our YSA version of dinner and a movie by listening together to Elder Bednar's devotional for single adults and pizza.  We only had four attend as many are still doing summer holiday before school starts again. We enjoyed the time with them on a more intimate basis.  There is nothing quite like a gathering of young single adults to brighten our day with the exception of being with our own family.

18 August 2017

A number of things have happened of late.  The Bideford Branch has moved to Holsworthy with some revised boundaries.  We were able to attend their first meeting held in the Bradford Community Center.  There is a lot of enthusiasm among the members, and while it is not exactly a new branch it feels that way to many of the members with hopes for the future.  The Stake president challenged them to become a Ward within a year.  The first meeting fell on fast Sunday and there was a wonderful feeling.  We were invited to lunch afterward at the home of the RS president and her family.  They have a delightful daughter who is one of "ours" in YSA.  She is a recently returned missionary who served in the US.  We actually have 3 recently returned missionaries and they infuse a wonderful spirit into every YSA meeting.  They bring with them experience  in studying and sharing the gospel and testimony of the Savior.

The month of August seems to be when everyone goes on holiday and except for regular Sunday meetings most everything else gets cancelled.  We did have a YSA activity at Teignmouth Beach.  Only two YSA showed up, the Stake leader and one other member that we almost never see.  While one might consider that to be an unsuccessful activity, we thought it was extremely successful.  It really is about "the one".  Institute classes will resume on the 31st.

We went to Buckfast Abbey and Cockington Village on separate days in anticipation of the senior conference on 1 Sept in order to be more knowledgeable.  The Abbey is still operating as such and has been rebuilt in early 1900 so it is not really that old.  Cockington  Village is the place to go for thatched roofs and quaintness although all the interiors have been turned into shops for tourists.  We did have a nice lunch at the Rose Cottage complete with piano music from a nearby gazebo.  It was a rare beautiful weather day with just the right temp and sunshine with no rain.  We should be more prepared now to give directions if called upon to do so.

Elder Warnick at Buckfast Abbey

Cockington Village

Cockington Village

Yesterday, after attending district meeting in Exeter, we went to the funeral for the father of one of our YSA in Kingskerswell.  This young man is the only member of the church in his family.  The windows were absolutely beautiful in the church.  There are so many old stone churches in this country that speak to the desires of previous generations to come closer to God.

We understand from the office that LaMar and Debby have arrived today.  We will not see them probably until next week at a multi zone conference in Poole and then again at the senior missionary conference in Exeter.  We remember how exhausted and disoriented we felt when we arrived almost 19 month ago.  We are glad we are not just starting out again and can recognize we have learned a great deal just from experience.  Even so, we realize we will "never assimilate" as we still stand out as not being local.

5 August 2017

We thought we would give you an update of some of the things happening recently with us.  Probably the largest focus has been our work with the missionaries.  We have seen a number of baptisms, notably Kaleb, an impressive young single adult who joined the church on July 22nd.  He recorded his conversion experience for the mission.  We will forward it on to you if we can. He attended Institute for the first time on Thursday and is a wonderful addition, interacting very freely with everyone.  It is wonderful to see young single adults rally around each other.

We also experienced on Thursday what we consider to be something amazing.  The YSA have taught the Institute lessons the last 4 weeks.   One of our YSA, who in the past has attended Institute but didn't participate much, volunteered to teach that lesson.  He did a tremendous job with Pres. Uchtdorf's conference address Perfect Love Casteth Out Fear.  We do not think he would ever have done that 18 months ago when we first met him.

After a discussion with the stake presidency, our distance problems for the YSA in Cornwall are going to be solved by creating a satellite class that will meet together with their own instructor and activities three weeks out of the month and joining us in Plymouth once a month.  We hope this will serve them best and provide a nucleus for growth.  Institute slows down in August, as most people go on holiday, with the next meeting not until Aug. 31st.

We are looking forward to LaMar and Debby Hatch joining us as senior missionaries in the England London South Mission in mid August.  They will be assigned to the Bristol zone and will overlap with the Ramptons there for about a month.  We look forward to seeing them at our next senior missionary conference the first part of Sept.  Our replacement for the Plymouth Zone has not been identified yet.  If you know anyone that would like to come to southern England tell them to submit their application as soon as possible.  "The harvest is indeed great and the laborers are few".

We are in the planning phase now for our YSA convention which will take place in October.  It will be very small compared to some conventions like Festinord in Sweden where one of our young people just went.  The Pettits helped with it and were so impressed with the 800 plus attendees and all of the well planned activities.  Festinord has been going on for many years and is a great place to meet other European young people.

We continue to be invited to speak in sacrament meetings and Stake conference and are grateful for the opportunity we have to bear testimony that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that through Joseph Smith the Saviour restored His church to the earth once more.  We are grateful for the testimony and direction of apostles and prophets that provide us safety in these times.

7 July 2017

Since our last update we have had a lot going on, and even an adventure or two.  The month of June was largely dedicated to getting a suitable broadcast process for the three wards in Cornwall.  That may hardly seem like something that ought to occupy most of a month's time, but for us it was very consuming.  We first had to determine what technology to use both in hardware and software to accomplish this.  We did call upon the best local resources we could find.  They were helpful, but what we were trying to do was not exactly anything that had been tried before and given the busy schedules of others we had a difficult time getting together with them.  We finally did our first broadcast on June 1 only to have the computer itself fail.  Eventually we were able to work out the bugs, but each week something new cropped up.  It was like whack a mole!  After a month's worth of broadcasting we assessed the reaction of the YSA involved and concluded that even with our system working it still would not provide the desired spiritual experience that a face-to-face Institute class provides.  After discussions with the stake presidency it was decided to abandon broadcasting altogether and call the right instructor to teach them in person.  They will still try to get together with the rest of the YSA in Plymouth once a month even though that involves an hour and a half drive for some.

Another thing we have done is photographed and documented a request from someone through Billiongraves.  It was windy and rainy, but we felt good about adding to someone's knowledge of their ancestors.  In the cemetery office we learned that a common process here is to bury very deep allowing for others on top.  In this case he was 5 down and had never had a headstone. The plot was paid for for only 3 years.

On our 44th anniversary we drove to the Cridford Inn in Trusham for a nice lunch.  It is one of the oldest inns in England with a verified date of 1081 but advertised as dating back as old as 825. It is hard for us to comprehend structures that old, as in the USA it would have to be those of Native Americans.

The year 1081 in small stones, under glass in the floor of the Cridford Inn.

During the month we attended Rupert's baptism.  He is YSA age and has been very happy to find the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  One of the things we have enjoyed is seeing people join with both feet and grow to where they are in turn able to baptize a friend.

We felt privileged to be here when Elder Christofferson visited a gathering of the entire mission.  It is a rare occurrence to get everyone in the same building.  Elder Christofferson is Elder Warnick's second cousin, and it was good to renew association with him.  He and his wife shook every missionary's hand with a personal greeting then spoke to the group as well as having a time for questions to be answered.  Elder Christofferson finished with an apostolic blessing upon the missionaries and it was a wonderful, uplifting experience.

We have continued in having frequent speaking assignments all over the Stake, sometimes by Stake assignment and sometimes by request of the wards.  Some units are quite small, so like to have others come visit.  When you think about it, there is never an end to what could be said of the importance of the gospel in our lives, and we always benefit greatly from these speaking assignments.

We have a new Area Seventy, Roy Tunnicliffe, who came to the Paignton Ward to comfort a family who were grieving the loss of a husband and father.  The daughter is one of our YSA, and courageously spoke at her father's funeral.
Elder Tunnicliffe and his wife also spoke that evening at seminary and Institute graduation, and we have learned he will be coming to speak at our YSA convention in October, for which we are grateful.

On the Fourth of July we were asked to speak to the YM/YW in Newton Abbot about why Americans celebrate on that day and we included the reasons why all church members should also celebrate as it marks a foundational piece of the Restoration.

We just had another 4 zone conference in Poole.  The young missionaries from our zone, which is the farthest away, go the day before for interviews with the mission president and sleep on the floor as needed.  One flat had 10 in it.  We are glad we are not expected to sleep on the floor.  It is one advantage of being senior missionaries.  The conference was wonderful with shared instruction from the recent mission president's training provided by the apostles.  The main focus seemed to be about simplifying the teaching and getting to the essentials quickly.  We thought this was great counsel and something all of us could benefit from.  This was quoted from Pres. Benson:  "...the Book of Mormon is the keystone of testimony. Just as the arch crumbles if the keystone is removed, so does all the Church stand or fall with the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon. The enemies of the Church understand this clearly. This is why they go to such great lengths to try to disprove the Book of Mormon, for if it can be discredited, the Prophet Joseph Smith goes with it. So does our claim to priesthood keys, and revelation, and the restored Church. But in like manner, if the Book of Mormon be true—and millions have now testified that they have the witness of the Spirit that it is indeed true—then one must accept the claims of the Restoration and all that accompanies it."

Also emphasized was knowing who we are.  Without knowing we are children of Heavenly Parents who love us, the rest doesn't make sense, the whole purpose of mortality is called into question.

After the conference we brought missionaries home, 2 cars with 10 missionaries in our group, meeting in Newton Abbot to drop 2 and pick up another to take to Paignton.  That same night we went to the end of Institute and enjoyed being with the YSA there.  We went home tired but filled.

1 June 2017- Elder Kearon Visits

"We thought we would update you on some of our recent activities, in addition to what we have been sending you about family history and temple work.

Last week we received a call from the mission home informing us we would be getting a new car.  It surprised us a little, since the once we have only had 24,000 miles on it  (22,000 of which we put on it over the last 16 months.)  The mission home explained that the Bideford Elders' car was being retired, and we were to give them our car and drive theirs into the mission home for exchange.  We got the new car because President Gubler didn't like the idea of the young elders driving the new car with the narrow, winding roads through fields and farms.  It wouldn't look new very long.  We held our breaths as we drove the old one the 5 hours to the mission home, hoping it wouldn't break down on the way, but arrived without incident, for which we are grateful.  Elder Cannon, a former senior missionary who provided us with our first driving lesson in England, was fond of saying, 'Well, we cheated death again' upon his completion of any trip on the roads.  We know how he felt.

While we were in London we attended a senior missionary conference.  It was held in a congested area near the center of London.  We rode from the temple to the Peckham chapel with the visitor's center missionaries, and were glad we weren't driving.  The traffic was pretty awful, but made up for by the conference being so good.  We had Mexican food for dinner, but it is still not the same as Mexican food back home.  That is something we will look forward to on our return.  

During the conference we heard from the missionary couples who will be returning home in the next few months.  Some of them are missionaries who came out at the time we did.  It was a little strange to see them giving their farewell testimonies.  It has been a great blessing to get to know some of these couples.  Many of them have sacrificed greatly to come here and serve.  We look up to them with admiration and appreciation for all they have done.

President Gubler extended to all of us some marvelous blessings and promises when he spoke.  We hope we can live to be worthy of those blessings.

We stayed overnight at the accommodation center and spent the next morning in the temple doing work for our Stevens ancestors.  We have previously sent a description of that experience, and of our visit to the Enmore Parish in Somerset where they lived.

We returned home on Saturday night enjoying the new car smell, but afraid to spill crumbs on a brand new interior that is black and will show everything.  It also has a built in satnav, which we won't be using since Heather and Dustin educated us on the benefits of the Google maps app on our iPhone.  It is perfect for our needs.

On our return home we enjoyed stopping in Exeter for a farewell party for one of our YSA who is going to Germany on her mission.  The party included tastes of many different German foods.

On Sunday we went to hear her farewell talk, and also heard President Martin, our Stake president.  He is a man we admire very much, and always benefit from is counsel.  While there, we met a young lady who rarely can come to church because of her health.  She tries to faithfully study the gospel on her own at home.  There are many ways to 'endure to the end' that don't involve getting old.

Monday, of course, was Memorial Day.  We really appreciate Stand and Linda and Gloria's family putting flowers on Bethany's grave.  Bethany would be almost 22 now.  We look forward to that glorious day when we will see her again and get to know her.

Here they do not celebrate Memorial Day, but do have a Remembrance Day in November.  WWI is much more of a cultural memory here, much more so than WWII, or anything else since.  WWI cost England much of that generation of young men, and even their way of life.  In America, we hardly ever think of WWI, and seldom WWII.  Except for those who fought, the US was largely shielded from the effects of those wars by comparison, and those who fought rarely would speak of it.  It must have brought painful memories.  We should ever honor and never forget their sacrifice.

We returned yesterday from a multi-zone conference in Poole.  Elder Kearon, the Area president and newly called to the presidency of the Seventy, was there and spoke.  He was really outstanding in the way he taught the missionaries how to be natural and authentic when they contact those who are not yet members, and to meet them where they are, rather than where we are.  The missionaries prepared and sang a special rendition of a favorite hymn of his, Let Us All Press On.  He was visibly moved by the gesture.  We have gained such admiration for these young missionaries, and realize we have been here long enough to know a lot of them.  We also remember many who have gone home with fondness.  It was an inspiring conference.  

Summer Institute begins in a couple of hours.  We have worked hard to prepare and coordinate the ability to broadcast to Cornwall, which hasn't been done before.  Some of these young adults live two and a half hours away, and it's too much to expect them to travel for Institute class.  We hope it is successful."

29 May, 2017- Finding Elizabeth Allyn Stevens

Finding Elizabeth Allyn Stevens

"When we arrived in England people began asking us if we had English ancestors followed by the question, “where?"  In looking at some of the histories, to our surprise we discovered that one branch of our family tree came from Somerset, only an hours drive from our flat in Newton Abbot.  We told ourselves that we needed to go there sometime, which we finally did, visiting the Enmore Parish Church and location of the blacksmith forge and home of the Stevens family.

At the Paignton Ward celebration of being in their church building 10 years, held in Feb. 2017, we met Colin Tucker,  who was there to assist people with their family history.  We learned that he specialized in Somerset so we took his card to take him up on his offer of assistance.  Following an email to him providing a few details, Colin responded with more information than we would have imagined.  We noticed in Family Tree that Simon Stevens, born 1678, married Elizabeth  Bright in 1716 but all of the children had birth dates prior to their marriage.  We thought it unusual.  In discussing it with Colin, he provided us details of a previous marriage of Simon to Elizabeth Allyn 17 Oct. 1702 in Bridgwater which fit perfectly with what would be expected, but Elizabeth Allyn wasn't listed in any of the records that had been included in Family Tree.  Family Tree mentioned a marriage to Elizabeth Poole but the records he found indicated she actually married another person in 1703.  Someone had sealed all of the children to Elizabeth Bright, the second wife, and duplicated the sealings erroneously to Elizabeth Poole.  The fact that all three women were named Elizabeth is what caused the confusion but we felt certain given the evidence Colin found that the mother of all the children was Elizabeth Allyn, who died 14 August 1715.  Upon Elizabeth Allyn Steven’s death, Simon Stevens had several small children who needed a mother and he married Elizabeth Bright, but they had no children together.  We then set about correcting and documenting the information Colin had found for us into Family Search.  With the help of a good friend Dot Martin we were able to disconnect children from Elizabeth Bright and Elizabeth Poole in order to connect them with their real mother, Elizabeth Allyn.

This resulted in the opportunity for us to perform the temple ordinances for Elizabeth Allyn, her marriage to Simon and the sealing of her children to her and Simon.  While we were in London for a senior missionary conference May 26 and 27, 2017, we made an appointment to perform these ordinances. Pres. Otterson, the temple president met us at the baptistery and I (Helen Miller Warnick) had the privilege of being baptized for Elizabeth Allyn by my husband Alan Warnick and then completed the other ordinances on the same day.  It was a wonderful, spiritual experience for both of us and we rejoice in the opportunity to be a part in the fulfillment of Malachi’s prophecy of the hearts of the children turning to their fathers.  We have certainly had our hearts turn to our ancestors who sacrificed so much that we might enjoy the blessings of the gospel and the privilege of completing this temple work for them.  We have felt guided in this process and recognize that there have been many doors opened for us to walk through.  We are keenly aware that there is still much more work to be done and we invite us all to take a few more steps and relook at work we thought was already complete, and extending it further with records now available that were not before.  They use the word proper a lot in England.  We want the work done “properly”.

William and Emma Stevens

William and Emma Crowden Stevens

Parents of Emeline Augusta Stevens Bigelow, Wife of Daniel Bigelow:  A condensed history

Emma Crowden was born on June 17, 1823 in Bridgwater, Somerset, England, which is located in the southwestern part of the country, just across the Bristol Channel from Wales. Emma was the daughter of Isaac Crowden of Bridgwater and Charlotte Brewer of Goathurst, another village in Somerset. Emma’s father made his living as a tailor in Bridgwater. On October 23, 1842, when Emma was 19 years old, she married Joseph Stevens in Trinity Church in Bridgwater.  Joseph and Emma started their life together in a large home on Albert Street in Broomfield, also in Somerset, where their daughter, Emma Jane Stevens, was born in 1843. Joseph made a good living as a blacksmith. Unfortunately, less than three years after their marriage, he died of pneumonia on February 19, 1845, leaving Emma a widow at age 21, with a small daughter to raise.

A few months after Joseph’s death, Emma married William Stevens, thought to be a cousin of Joseph. William and Emma were married at Trinity Church in Bridgwater on June 17, 1845, Emma’s 22nd birthday. William was 25 years old and, like Joseph, was a blacksmith by trade. William also had a small farm. Following their marriage, William and Emma lived for a while in Durleigh, where their first two children were born, Sarah Ann on November 24, 1847 and William Henry on September 18, 1849. The family then moved to Enmore, where their next three children were born: Ellen Christiana  on December 29, 1851, Simon Percival on January 7, 1854, and Emeline Augusta.  While living in Enmore, a significant change came to the Stevens family  when William was baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on August 19, 1855.

In 1855 missionaries from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints went to Bridgwater, Somerset where William heard them teach.  What they said was of great interest to him and sounded truthful, reasonable and wonderful.  He said of his conversion: "As I was pruning my trees and pondering on all the teachings of those missionaries, I said to myself, "Is this renewed Gospel true?" The answer came and with such force --- "Yes, this renewed Gospel is true" - -- that my pruning knife fell from my hand and I stood there with this great knowledge vibrating and thrilling my heart and soul. Then I went into the house and told my wife: "Emma, this Gospel is true and I am going to America.”

Emma was baptized the following year on May 25, 1856, shortly after giving birth to Emeline Augusta on February 27, 1856.  The family had apparently made plans to gather to Zion even before Emma joined the Church, as only one week following her baptism, the family boarded the ship Wellfleet, which left Liverpool on June 1, 1856, and sailed with a company of 146 Saints to Boston, Massachusetts, arriving on July 13, 1856.  So, within a year they left their fine home, orchard, furniture, and packed to go to America.

Emma had some of their money changed into twenty dollar gold pieces, and sewed them in a clever way into her heavy silk underskirt to keep it safe during their journey.  After they had been on the ocean a week their little two year old son, Simon Percival, became very ill with whooping cough and was vomiting. The whales were thought to have smelled the sickness and were following the ship. Because the ships were small in those days, a whale could raise his huge tail and damage the ship or tip it over. Finally the captain had to come and tell them that the sick child would be thrown overboard. Emma begged the captain to give her one more day, the good captain agreed. Then she  prayed most of that night to God that if He would save her little boy from such a fate and make him well, she would be faithful in the restored gospel. The next morning her little boy was well, and there were no whales following the ship. The rest of her life Emma was faithful to her promise.

They arrived in New York in 1856, and it is thought they remained there about four years. Although it is uncertain where the Stevens family made their home for the first few years they were in America, they eventually made their way west to Florence, Nebraska, where they joined the Franklin Brown Independent Wagon Company which departed from Florence on June 9, 1860. Emma was expecting her sixth child by the time they started west and just before they crossed the Platte River in Nebraska, she gave birth to Theophilus Franklin Stevens on June 27, 1860. The group stopped for half a day, then loaded the mother and child in a wagon. As they crossed the river, the wagon they were in tipped over and the stove fell over on them. However, they were rescued unharmed, and proceeded on their way. Some time in late August or early September, they arrived in what is now Summit County, Utah, and some of their party decided to stay there, including the Stevens and Hortin families. (The Edmund Hortin family was also in the Franklin Brown Wagon Company)

William and Emma and their family settled in what is now known as Wanship, where William built a home for his family and started farming on the land he had homesteaded. William and Emma’s last two children were born in Wanship: Isaac Thomas on January 13, 1863 and Abigail Charlotte on November 9, 1865. As in most large families, by the time Emma’s youngest child was born, her oldest was leaving home. Two weeks after the birth of Abigail Charlotte, William and Emma’s oldest daughter, Sarah Ann, was married to Hyrum Moroni Mecham. On November 24, 1868, William and Emma were able to go to Salt Lake City to receive their own endowments and be sealed as husband and wife in the Endowment House. The family lived in Wanship for ten years. During these years, William also homesteaded land to the south, which is now Oakley.  In fact the Willam Stevens family were the first permanent residents of Oakley where they contributed in leadership and fulfilling the needs of the community.    Oakley was near water and wood and offered some protection from the cold wind but it had a harsh climate. There were many challenges to just eek out a living. In 1867 the grasshoppers took almost all the crops and in 1868 most of the wheat was too badly shrunken by frost to be usable.

During the last years of their lives, they lived with William H. and Eliza and their family. Emma passed away on December 9, 1900, at the age of 87. Her husband William followed on March 8, 1902. In their earlier years, they had set aside a piece of ground for a private Stevens Cemetery, and they were both buried there.

William and Emma’s daughter, Emeline Augusta, who was just 4 years old when they traveled west, is our ancestor.  She married Daniel Bigelow of Wallsburg and had 7 children with him.  We descend through their son Parley Percival, father of Afton who married Keith D Miller.  

Worthy of mention is a miracle that preserved Daniel’s life as a young boy while going west in 1850 with the William Snow Ox Team Company.  A scout rode back to the emigrant wagons and told the young folks where they could find ripe choke cherries up a deep ravine.  Little curly headed Daniel Bigelow, only eight years old, went running along after the group.  As he trudged up the steep incline he heard the terrifying warning of a rattlesnake.  Before he could jump to safety the snake struck him just below the knee.  An older brother, answering the frightened call, hastily carried the little one back to camp.  Already the poison had entered the blood stream, a drop of dark blood oozed out, the fangs had pierced the flesh.  Swelling and discoloration set in rapidly.  All that could be done seemed to be of no avail.  All present, including the injured lad, realized that this could mean certain death.  Daniel, seeing his grieving mother brush away the tears as she worked trying to relieve the pain in his weakening body, had a thought of comfort.  He asked that he might be baptized before death came to claim him.  The Elders were called and told of his request, which they complied with by carrying him to the river and baptizing him according to the law of the Church.  From that time forward the swelling and pain subsided and Daniel commenced to get better until he became well and strong again.  Daniel’s parents related this faith promoting experience to their grandchildren many times, always testifying that all in the camp knew that a miracle had been performed, right in their midst ; and in thankfulness acknowledged the answer to their prayers.

16 May 2017- Our Trip to Enmore

"Last week we took a trip to the village of Enmore, about an hour's drive northwest of Newton Abbot in Somerset.  What makes this place of particular interest to us is that some of our ancestors are from there.  William and Emma Stevens and their children left England for America after joining the Church.  They were a prominent family in the area, as William had a thriving blacksmith business and they were landowners.  We have attached a short history of them.  We first went to the Enmore Parish Church looking for family gravestones, but soon realized that markers of that age are not to be found, especially considering the climate, so we were unsuccessful.  We decided to stop for lunch at a pub and restaurant down the road, feeling a little disappointed at not finding anything at the church.  The food was good and as we thanked the owner for the fine meal we mentioned that we had ancestors from Enmore and that they were blacksmiths.  He stepped back outside with us and pointed directly across the street to what is now a small garage, and said that had once been the location of the blacksmith forge, and the house adjacent to it where the blacksmith's family lived.  The address is even 2 Forge Cottage.  We were amazed that we even stopped there in the perfect location to find a connection to our past.  This was more than just a pleasant coincidence.

The surrounding countryside is beautifully green- a sharp contrast to where they settled in Oakley, Utah.  Of course, if they were seeking pleasant surroundings they never would have left in the first place.  Their desire was to follow the call of a prophet of God to gather with the Saints.  We gained a greater feeling of closeness and appreciation for their sacrifices in order that we might have all the blessings we enjoy today." 

Home adjacent to forge

Blacksmith forge former chimney location

Location of former blacksmith forge

Enmore Parish Church gate

Enmore Parish Church (St. Michael's)

26 April 2017

"New Sister missionaries have arrived in Newton Abbot.  Elder Warnick realizes he is not as young as he used to be by lugging their very heavy suitcases into a car too small for them and then up three flights of stairs to their flat.

We took this companionship to see the moors, the sheep, the ponies, the Belted Galloways, and even stopped for a stone circle we just saw from the road.  We had a picnic lunch for them near the clapper bridge in Postbridge, and though it was cool, the sun came out.  Both sisters seemed to enjoy the day, and it gave them a chance to see some things on their preparation day.

The multi zone conference was great.  President Gubler spent significant time talking about repentance and the Savior's absolute willingness and desire to forgive us of our sins if we sincerely repent.  He counseled us to be passionate about repenting in our own lives, and teaching repentance.  He said the story of the prodigal son should hold meaning for all of us, with the father seeing and running to the son from a great way off.

We attended an 18th birthday party for a new YSA that was Harry Potter themed and cleverly done in decorations and food, including butterbeer (similar to cream soda) and aptly named snacks.  There will be another one we are invited to that is Star Wars themed.  People are invited to come in costume.  We may just skip the costumes.

We went to visit Knightshayes, a beautiful house with extensive gardens that included topiary and animals made of natural products.  Maxwell will like the foxes.  The source of the wealth came from the invention of lace-making machinery.  Actually the inventor and his sons' families lived very modestly, giving good wages to employees, but the grandson decided to spend the family fortune on the estate and be a "gentleman" rather than hands on with the business.  The company is still running, and over the years has produced many of the wedding veils for royalty.  One of the benefits of working there is to be gifted a wedding veil.

We attended two separate baptisms on the same day.  One of them for a young man from Bermuda going to school in Plymouth for the next 2 or 3 years in electrical engineering.  He has attended Institute a couple of times already.  The other baptism was in Paignton for a Chinese lady and her 9 year old son.  She wanted to be taught quickly so she could be baptized, having accepted everything with gratitude.  
We have been working for many months on developing a workable process to broadcast Institute to some of the remote locations in the stake.  For many of the YSA a two hour drive is just not feasible.  There are several who are fully active and would attend.  Last week the right man came forward to help test it with the equipment he knew was already available.  We ordered and received another camera for the building where it will be taught in the summer, and should be able to actually broadcast with a screen for the power points this week.

Some of you will know Van Johnson.  His funeral is this Friday.  It makes us grateful for the time we have been able to share being on this mission together.  The time we have on earth is uncertain.

Tuesday was Grandpa Keith Warnick's 101st birthday.  None of our children ever had the opportunity of knowing him in this life, as he died long before any of them were born, but we hope that reading about his life and remembering his birthday will help them appreciate what a marvelous heritage they have.  If each of you could end up being as kind to others and look out for the downtrodden like he did, you would do well.

Sister Warnick made labels for the quilts the ward is making for refugees, and the sisters asked for a tutorial.  Little did they know she had only done it once, and learned how from the internet.  For anyone interested, it is easy to print on fabric using a freezer paper backing and setting the ink with white vinegar.  It works great.

We greatly appreciate Daniel looking after our affairs while we are gone.  He recently took care of our taxes yet again, and keeps our house from flooding by controlling the secondary water.  The lawn is a big one to keep mown, and there are constant details to attend to.  Thanks, Dan."

5 April 2017 - Our Travels, Thoughts, and Conference

"Since we last wrote we have spent a wonderful and full week with Dustin, Heather, and Afton, followed by General Conference.  It was so good to see them and spend several days with them.  Afton has grown and retains her kind nature.  We visited many of the places that we had previously seen with Keith and Sarah and other senior couples.  While the weather was a little rainy, many flowers were in bloom.

One of the things that struck us as we toured these beautiful estates is that the people who built them and lived in them are long gone.  There were the privileged, and even those who served them fared better than many around them.  But even they were beset with trials and tragedies of their own.  Now they are all gone, and their luxurious dwelling places are empty.  We can't help but wonder what has become of them, and whether their feelings and knowledge now would have made any difference in the way they lived.  It is something to consider.  At least we think about it as we contemplate our own lives and situation.

We left the Petersens in Bath on Saturday and returned home to enjoy conference weekend.  Because of the 7 hour delay between time zones we were not able to watch any of the sessions in real time, but have enjoyed them all through technology.  How privileged we are to live in a time when any time we choose, we can hear the words of the apostles and prophets.  No other generation in the history of the world has been so privileged as ours in this regard.  So many of the talks spoke to us personally.  We have a hard time thinking of favorites, because each one touched us in some way.  We strongly encourage you to watch and ponder them for yourselves.  We express to you our testimony of the truthfulness of the restored gospel, and that Jesus Christ is leading us with love through all we face through His chosen servants.  It is our love for Him and His teachings that sustains us and bring us joy.

On Monday we had a couple over for dinner.  The wife has been a member almost a year now, and we were able to talk with them about the eternal blessings available for them in the temple.  It was a nice evening.  Yesterday we went to lunch with a fellow who rents lodgings from church members.  He is an amazing family history expert, and is helping us with some of our own family history on ancestors who lived in Somorset, not far from here.  It was his 70th birthday, and we had a wonderful time with him joking about growing older.  We feel it is a blessing that we have come to know him."

17 March 2017- Happy St. Patrick's Day

"It is hard to believe that it is spring again, although we are most glad for its arrival.  The daffodils are blooming everywhere, including random roadside corners.  Trees are in blossom and the sheep continue faithfully gracing green fields with their calming influence.  By the way, did you know that speed bumps are called 'calming measures' here?

We continue to participate in the teaching of Lee's mother, and see her again Saturday.  She expressed last time that she never thought she could pray for herself, only other people.  We read to her from Amulek's discourse in Alma 34:17-27 where we are instructed to pray for everything that concerns us.  This should open a new avenue for her as she realizes she can pray for her own needs as well as others'.

Mission presidents have been instructed to interview all the missionaries every 6 weeks.  In order to do that President Gubler has scheduled interview days where he travels to Plymouth.  We were asked to provide the lunch somewhat last minute.  We served BBQ chicken sandwiches with crisps (chips, for you Americans), vegetable spears, and dessert.  President Gubler requested banana splits for dessert as a reward for them, which was a bit of a challenge for us because the chapels here don't have freezers.  We ran to the store just before lunch and hoped it would not turn too soft.  It turned out OK, but here were some leftovers that became soup.  It is hard to know how much they will eat; some missionaries have reputations that they never get full.  We think he should promise them chocolate chip cookies next time, which have a better chance of surviving.

The Paignton Ward celebrated the tenth anniversary of being in their building.  We were asked to participate in a choir performance about the life of Christ on the Saturday, followed by food and mingling and displays of different church programs.  There was at least one woman that just came in, having heard about it.  She had gone to school there as a child and wanted to see what it looked like now.  At the table about family history we met a man, not a member of the church, who is quite an expert and very willingly offered to help us with our Somerset ancestors.  He himself is Roma, which entails its own challenges to research.  It brought back memories of being with Ben in Bulgaria, and he would point out Romani to us.  Since then this researcher provided us with additional documents we did not have on our Stevens ancestors, and continues to work with us on researching that line more accurately.  It will be nice to get rid of some of the "about"s that have been included on dates.

We received a call from Sister Gubler of the need to check on a sister who was having back problems, especially with the increased walking required in her new area.  She asked that we evaluate her mattress to see if that was part of the problem.  She needed a new mattress, which was provided, but it hasn't yet made the hoped-for change.  As Aunt Linda and Uncle Paul know, it can be a challenge to keep missionaries well.

The Newton Abbott Ward has a sewing group providing quilts for refugees, and we are attempting to help out in that area with a little handiwork that can be done in spare moments without a sewing machine.  We work with the local councils, who know ahead who is coming from the refugee camps.  So much needs to be done.

The Paignton Ward had a celebration for one of their YW turning 18 and invited us.  She then came to Institute for the first time, and we hope will continue.  Transition times are hard even under the best of circumstances, and this young lady will have to find the strength without family support.

Last night in Plymouth Elder Warnick instructed all the Ward YSA committees in the stake regarding their responsibilities.  The meeting was conducted by a member of the stake presidency, who is extremely supportive and committed to improvement.  One of our young leaders shared the YSA perspective of the challenges they face, including things such as transportation and money and feelings of isolation.  We are hopeful this will jumpstart some action.  Too much of the time this age group has been overlooked locally, with the thinking the stake is taking care of them.

Afterward we rejoined the YSA and had very green rice crispie treats for St. Patrick's Day, although most do not celebrate it in England.  We did it for our young people from Ireland.  Elder Warnick had to go to 3 different stores to find truly green food coloring.  It finally worked so well that it turned their teeth green when they ate it.  But if the Chicago Irish can dye the river green in honor of St. Patrick's Day, why not a few green teeth in Great Britain?  Happy St. Patrick's Day.  Hope you don't get pinched!"

A couple Irish sayings for you:

"As you slide down the banister of life, may the splinters never point in the wrong direction."

"People who wonder whether the glass is half full or half empty miss the point.  The glass is refillable."

"You don't scare me, I was raised by an Irish mother."

8 February 2017- Jammie Dodgers

"To catch up a little, do you remember Bishop Vousden asked Newton Abbot Ward to fast for someone to baptize?  Lee was the one, and now his mother and sister are hearing the discussions.  At Lee's baptism his mother asked us why each church picks and chooses what to believe, and ignores the rest of what the Bible teaches.  That reminded us of the story of Wilford Woodruff's search, who had the same questions.  We invited their whole family for dinner and showed them the video, A Search for Truth.  They agreed to hear more from the missionaries and have met weekly, and we have been participating in those discussions.  Lee is enthusiastic in his desire to share with them his new found faith.

We are teaching a temple preparation course at Bishop Vousden's request, with 4 members.  It is a great experience, and leaves us wishing everyone could take it before they go to the temple.  In the second lesson 2 of the 4 expressed doubts about their ability to pay a full tithing.  One of our YSA bore a very powerful testimony of how obeying the law of tithing has blessed her family who came here recently under the poorest of circumstances.  The Spirit has been evident in these discussions and they have become real friends.

We continue to drive the missionaries to conferences and respond to problems with their flats.  A curtain rod in one had fallen down in the middle of the night, and it required some extra long screws to fix it.  Three hours later we were pretty sure it will not come down again.  It took a couple of trips to the stone in an unfamiliar town.  We hear it had been an ongoing problem, and the previous missionaries had put a note on them warning against touching the curtains.

We have made two trips to Bideford in the last few weeks.  The first time was to speak on the keys of the priesthood, and the second time to attend branch conference at the request of the Branch President.  He invited us for dinner afterward.  Three of his children are YSAs, and really delightful.  They served a lovely roast chicken, just one serving 10 people as there were 8 or 9 different vegetables, plus Yorkshire pudding and stuffing.  We have found that typical of English dinners.  And lots of gravy!  The drive from Bideford is always a little harrowing, especially in the rain this time of year.  We always arrive home with a muddy car, but love those people so much it is worth it.

Institute carries on, with the need to provide food and teach sometimes.  Elder Warnick's most recent lesson was on our eternal identity as sons and daughters of God, and Heavenly Father's Plan for us to live together with Him as families.

Last Friday we drove 3 hours to Oxford for a senior missionary conference.  We arrived a little before noon at our hotel and took a bus from the park and ride to the Vault and Garden restaurant located under the first college in Oxford, dating from the 1300s.  We then went to Christ Church College for a tour conducted by Bishop Tootle of the Oxford First Ward, who is an official with the college.  He took us places most visitors never see, so we felt special.  We sent our son Dan pictures of the medieval kitchen, which has been in continuous use since the 1500s.  We also saw the dining hall and stairways used as a model for the Harry Potter movies.

Elder Warnick with Alice in Wonderland carvings in the Christ Church College library.

In meeting with the other senior missionaries, we found that a lot of our problems are the same, but discussed ways to solve common problems.  We end up glad that we have never gotten a traffic ticket, as some have multiples.

The next morning we drove to Blenheim Palace, where Winston Churchill was born, though his father was not the heir (second son of the 8th Duke of Marlborough).  Blenheim was a reward from Queen Anne for the first military victory in a very long time against the French.  Too bad she couldn't guarantee the next generations would be as grateful and continue to financially support it in full.  Marriages into American families like the Vanderbilts has allowed it to remain in private hands.

The Eagle and Child pub where C.S. Lewis and friends hung out was full of drinking students, even though we went early, so we went to another place and had quite a good meal that evening.  Oxford has respected the very old, but functions well into current times.

At the Oxford First Ward we discovered that Bishop Tootle is the father to the daughter-in-law of our stake president, and there were three young people from Bountiful, a student and two missionaries.  Small world.

After the long drive home we went to choir practice, as they need bodies.  There is an upcoming performance of a cantata to celebrate 10 years for the Paignton Ward in their building, which used to be a school.  They have lovely views of the ocean from the upper level.

Elder Warnick presented a proposal to the stake presidency to help the YSA become more self reliant.  Interestingly, the church has announced the expansion of the BYUI Pathways program into BYU Worldwide.  This online education program could be very helpful to a number of our YSA, and there is a missionary couple that will come and present it to them."