Missionary bits and bobs

"Bits and bobs" That's what the Brits call trivia. So here are some missionary bits and bobs!

Sister Maaelopa is from Western Samoa. For those who have been there you know that it is an island where the Samoan way of life is just as you would imagine. A far cry from the big city life.
She is suffering from cultural shock on many fronts.

• She is a convert of 13 months -- brand new in the church which is in and of itself a big cultural shock.


• She is the first missionary in her family and among her friends and when she submitted her papers she expected to go to one of the islands


• Her call was to London -- HUGE shock!


• Her flight here was brutal. She made her way to Apia, then flew to Auckland, then Sydney, then Bangkok, then London and finally Manchester. Two days later she arrived, after being in the air 31 hours plus all the ground transfers. She was alone and has a difficult time understanding English. That poor girl has been tested to the max!!!


• She arrived in freezing cold weather with only a light jacket, no socks and a little summer blouse. She was so exhausted she could hardly talk. We fed her and sent her to bed about 2 p.m. and she did not come to until the next morning.


• When she finally came to we had her call her family to let them know she was here -- they have no email.


• Since her arrival we have bought her a coat, gloves, scarf, and socks, but she still prefers sitting in meetings in her bare feet. We're still working on that one.


• The Lord blesses and sustains!

Yesterday we again went to Manchester for street contacting. As always some had a great experience and some were devastated. They are instructed to meet outside the train station at a given time and when we gathered to return we were missing 4 elders. We waited, missing the first train and then the 2nd train. Richard took some missionaries and went looking but it is nigh to impossible.....Manchester is a BIG city of 4 million people and it is easy to get lost, but honestly they speak English (or some form there of) so we thought surely they would ask if they were lost. Well, finally I took the rest of the elders and we got the next train home. Richard stayed behind waiting for the lost tribe. When we arrived at the Chorley station the missing missionaries were there. Instead of meeting at the appointed place, they had gone right to the train and when no one else was there they got on........on well, we were just happy to find them......(and we don't worry about the 1 1/2 hours that Richard stayed at the train station waiting for them!)

When we return we have a "return and report" meeting where they share experiences. And yesterday we heard some funny ones and some tender ones:

• I asked a boy if he would like to live with his family forever. "Heck no! I hate my brother!" I didn't know what to say after that!


• I saw a man reading a newspaper about Mitt Romney and I didn't say anything! I am so mad at myself!


• I was way out of my comfort zone and I froze!


• Some woman told me she was a "white witch". I didn't know what to say because I don't know much about "white witches".


• Once you freeze up it's hard to unfreeze.

Contrast those with these:

• I simply forgot myself and let the spirit take over. It was amazing.


• We met a pastor of another church who had been fasting that day and praying to find enlightenment.


• Met a girl with blue hair, tattoos and many body piercings. But she was so receptive! You can't judge people by their appearance.


• And a Brit who said that he met someone who spells favorite the same way he does...(favourite) whatever that is all about!


• I wanted to hug the lady who finally listened to us!

This week we spent two days in Leeds attending their Zone Conferences. It was so fun. We saw all the missionaries we have sent to the Leeds Mission and they are all doing so well. It was an absolute thrill to see how they have progressed, how they have fallen in love with the work and how happy they are. And to hear their amazing stories......ie. One of "our" elders realized there was a large population of Slovakians in his area so rather than ignore them he decided to learn their language so he could teach them. Before long he had a following.....and one Sunday he walked into church with 30 Slovakians following him. The bishop said it was a bit like Moses leading the children of Israel out of the promised land. Since then, other missionaries are learning the language and we just sent a young man who is from the Check Republic and will be a great help to this group. They will soon be forming a branch. These young people never cease to amaze us. And being with them was a bit like old home week. Lots of hugs (sisters for me, elders for Richard) lots of bubbling expressions, lots of fond memories, and so much to share. A taste of Heaven.....We loved being with President and Sister Lindley and staying in the beautiful mission home. They are such good people and love these missionaries. Always makes us feel good to know they are in good hands!

In case you have forgotten. We love this work!

Church News in Britain

The BBC ran an interesting piece on TV last Wednesday evening. It was filmed on location in Manchester and in Chorley. The first "on the street" interviews were done in Manchester -- where we take the missionaries street contacting. Seems there is a great need. Their misunderstandings are almost comical.
The 2nd segment with the two missionaries was filmed in Chorley -- right in our little town. And the Sacrament Meeting was filmed at the stake center across the parking lot from us.
This is a good piece given that it aired all over Great Britain. People are waking up and taking notice of the church.
In case you are interested here is how you access it.
bbc.co.uk
iplayer
One Show
Wednesday Feb. 8
slide the bar about 8 minutes into the show

The comedian they interview at the end is really funny. He went to a YSA party in Logan, Utah and he talks about it!

So I mis spelled addendum

Don't know what I was thinking......maybe a little too much British in me! Or maybe fatigue! Or maybe just an all out mistake! No excuses will do!

An adendem to Tidbit #4

I no sooner published this last post when 2 men showed up at the door of the MTC. They were reporters from The Sun (a bit but sometimes questionable newspaper here). They are doing a story on the Mormons because of Mitt Romney's campaign and the interest there is in his religion. Richard put them in touch with the local Public Affairs person who will run the risk of having his info mis construed. But....just goes to show you how interested the British are in the American campaigns for President!

TIDBITS

Tidbit #1

Tomorrow morning we say good-by to this latest group. There have been 41 missionaries -- 35 of them from America -- which means that there has been more noise, more mess, more casualness and more goofing around which resulted in one broken finger. The flip side of that is that Americans provide a lot of leadership. Many of them come with a seminary background, active families, school leadership, and the confidence to move forward. It takes a great deal of vigilance to keep them reined in. Sometimes they just don't get the fact that it is NOT OK to wrestle, shoot pencils across the room, run and holler down the hall and you name it. They must have been stars at scout camp!!!In some ways it is like breaking in horses. (at least that's what Pres. says. Frankly, I wouldn't know!) But when (and sometimes if) they get there they are dynamite! And we love them and send them off with a tear in the eye and a lump in our throats.

Tidbit#2

This weather...! We have had a mild winter comparatively, but Saturday and Sunday it hit with a vengeance! We had ice storms. I know some of you have experienced them, but I never have seen anything quite like this. Sat. we were going to run an errand and went out to the car and found it completely encased in a layer of ice that you could not even chip away. The doors were frozen shut, the windshield was solid ice and our errands quickly became unnecessary. Sunday morning we awoke to a cold building and cold showers. The heat had gone off and so we huddled in the chapel with space heaters and blankets. Probably a good thing it was fast Sunday so there was no food preparation until evening when they finally restored some heat.

Tidbit#3

The Queen's Jubilee...Yesterday was the 60 year anniversary of the queen's reign. There was a bit of hoopla in the news....the queen greeting children, the history of her reign, and her Royal Majesty looking as lovely as ever. I have to admit I am a royalist! That is taboo in some circles here, but for me it has nothing to do with politics, much more to do with fairy tale enchantment! And what little girl has never dreamed she was a princess, much less a queen! (and in the eternal scheme of things.....we hope we are headed in that direction!)

Tidbit#4

Politics......Mitt Romney is often center stage on the BBC networks. They seem to like him here. His religion is rarely mentioned but his place in American politics is high on their rating charts.

Tidbit#5

American products......there is a member of the church here who has a business importing American products. Things like jello, microwave popcorn, pop tarts, cereal, cake mixes, root beer, tootsie rolls, rice a roni, and you name it are all available for a price. Imagine paying £4.5 for a cake mix. That translates to about $7.50! The amazing thing is that his business is booming! And I mean booming! We were there yesterday and they were moving into a larger ware house to accommodate the demand! And yet England is in a recession.

Tidbit#6

Somewhere I saw that when the Emmy Awards were passed out a few weeks ago, a series called Downton Abbey won one for something.....(details unknown). But it peeked my interest because one of the custodians brought us the DVD's for Downton Abbey and we have been watching them. They take place in England during WWI and give you such a sense of English aristocracy during those war years. It was a great series.....just wondering if it has been playing on PBS in America!

Another series is called Lark Rise to Candleford. This one has the flavor of Little House on the Prairie. (well not quite, but sort of). On occasional evenings we indulge in a bowl of popcorn and a bit of English historical fiction!

Tidbit #7 (pictured above)

We celebrated our 8th anniversary on Jan. 31. The chef made a cake, the missionaries sang to us and we called it a day! Eight remarkable years.

Well, I must move into this day. I have "miles to go before I sleep".

A Most Amazing Monday!

Last Monday was a most amazing day. But first......the background.

There is no such thing as frozen yogurt in this part of the world. But some months ago someone discovered a new little kiosk yogurt stand in the middle of a big mall in Manchester so while we were there with the missionaries we tried it out. The yogurt was delicious -- some of the best we have ever eaten -- but the hired help was even better. We met Rebecca on our first visit and before we left we had a great gospel discussion and she took a Book of Mormon. Since then we have visited her every Friday we are there and have continued our discussions. She has become a dear friend and has shared much of her life with us. She went to Catholic schools and was very disallusioned with the doctrine and so has drifted from religion altho she still feels a need for it.

She has told us that she is interested in history and the history surrounding the church but not the doctrine. Last Friday we felt like things had come to a halt and so we asked if she would give us one hour of her time when she is off work and allow us to share our message. She happily agreed and on Monday (our preparation day) we took the train into Manchester and met her. She took us to a little cafe in the basement of a church. It felt much like Greenwich Village - very artsy, filled with students, odd tables and chairs, no smoking, totally granola!

We spent not an hour but 2 1/2 hours with her. We taught her the plan of salvation and the restoration including Joseph Smith and a modern day prophet. She listened and asked good questions and then pulled out her little notebook......

She had gone on line (good sites) and had 5 questions to ask us. 1. Word of Wisdom (she was embarrassed that she suggested we get a coffee instead of hot chocolate) 2. Tithing and fast offerings (wow, amazing!) 3. Women's roles (she loved that we consider ourselves intelligent equal beings who first and foremost honor motherhood 4. Morality -- how do you pull it off in this wild world! (train up a child in the way he should go....) 5. How do you get rid of your many sins. (easy! BAPTISM)

She then bore her soul -- all her past transgressions -- and they were abundant!!

We also discovered that she has told many people she is meeting with us and they have been filling her head with garbage such as: We get paid a commission for each person that joins the church. (now that was a good one inasmuch as we spend £6 on yogurt every time we meet her!and it is costing us a good sum) They told her if she did not accept our message we would never come again to her yogurt shop. (not a chance!) They told her we were wierd and all we cared about was numbers and on and on and on.(she assured them we look and act like normal people) And bless her, she defended us in every area and it upset her that people are so misinformed.

At the conclusion of our meeting we told her that we would never again bring up the church. We put the ball in her court and if she wanted to talk further, she would need to ask us! (but we would still come for yogurt). She started to laugh and said that we would have many more such meetings. She promised to read the Book of Mormon and pray about it and would wait for our next visit on Friday!!!

And so.....tomorrow we will see her again. We have no idea where this will go, but it is so fun to be a missionary and bear testimony. We have come to love this young woman and will love her no matter what.
She has a boy friend (whom she lives with) and is anxious for us to meet him.......bring him on!!
and so is was A Most Amazing Monday!!!

Robert Burns Night

Robert Burns was a Scottish poet and is mostly known for his poem Auld Lang Syne. Although he led a far from Saintly life, the Scottish people hold him in high esteem and celebrate his birthday every year. We have 13 missionaries in this group who will be serving in Scotland/Ireland so we took occasion to acquaint them with a bit of Scottish culture. Each of them were asked to read a Burns quote which is easier said than done, as the Scottish brogue is not akin to the English language that we know!
Note the head table decorated with our Scottish plaid scarves and the posters that hang in the front have the words to some Burns poems.

The missionaries love a little party!

Check out the Scottish plaid handkerchiefs on the tables. I found them in the Chorley Market!!

Chris Pattenden, who is our director of training, served his mission in Scotland and will use any excuse to put on his kilt and lace up shoes.

Here is Chris stabbing the haggis with the knife he pulled from his sock! Very dramatic!

And of course.....the food.....! Scottish shortbread in all varieties!

Steak and kidney pie, mashed turnips, potatoes and peas.

And the featured delicacy of Haggis! It is only served once a year on this special day! It is much like stuffing only it is made from the inners of all parts of the animal and is baked in the stomach lining of a sheep!

Not exactly the thing you would order twice in a restuarant. (actually you wouldn't order it at all!)