"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."
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