Missionary Journal
England (March 2010 Weeks 3 and 4)
March Week 3
Monday was laundry and cleaning. I haven’t been feeling very good since the flowers started blooming – allergies I hope. I woke up this morning with a headache and very stuffy nose. Yuck!!
Tuesday I woke up with a miserable headache and stayed in bed while Walt took the Elders to District Meeting. It looks like it may be a very quiet week. In the evening Walt and President Chasteauneuf went out visiting folks that have been listed as No Contact. When Walt came home he told me it wasn’t at all a nice time as they had been spit and cussed at while they were out – obviously these people didn’t want to see anyone from the Church.
Wednesday was exactly the same as Tuesday (without the District Meeting) with me nursing a headache and Walt and President going out on visits in the evening. At least Wednesday evening seemed to go better than Tuesday (actually they found one sister who was willing to be seen and wanted visiting and home teachers). Wednesday we received a box from Delight with my medications and all the tax information we need to get our 2009 taxes done. Oh, delightful!!
Thursday I was feeling better (it was raining and not so much pollen in the air probably) so we baked cookies in the morning (chocolate chip) and headed out in the very early afternoon to Salisbury.
Our first visit was to Brother Raymond LeClaire in the Lady Bailey Mobile Home Park. He isn’t a Salisbury Branch member; his records are in Weymouth, but he lives in Winterbourne Whitechurch (which is right next to Blandford). The dividing line between the two towns is the dividing line between the two branches. I took a shot of the mobile homes – they were all plastered (just like the houses) in shades of yellow, gold, and brown.
Here is Walt in Brother LeClaire’s mobile home and he has his arm around one of the Yorkshire Terriers (who is licking Walt’s face). You can just see the other terrier disappearing off Walt’s lap on the left (looks like a brown and gold smear on the picture).
After that we visited all the families (six) that were in the DT11 (Dorset County) Post Code. England is so organized by Post Code that you know they are clustered fairly close together (most of the time it is just one street).
One of the families we visited was the Courages. Their home is 300 years old, so I took some pictures for you to see. It was tacked onto a long brick building that was originally a factory (probably the home for the factory superintendent).
The ceiling was built for much smaller people. Here is a picture of Walt standing under the beam holding up the roof. Just think what it was like for him to get through the door.
Our last stop on Thursday was at the Whispering Chimneys B&B to see Sister Scholes. Their home is somewhere between 200 and 300 years old and is plastered yellow. It is a large home with an annex for the B&B customers. However, when we went in we found the inside was as modern and lovely as any home we’ve ever been in. The Scholes (her husband is a non-member) bought the home five years ago and promptly gutted it. Everything inside is brand new (well, five years old) and very un-England like. She has a beautifully large kitchen with a Samsung side-by-side “American Refrigerator” with an ice and water dispenser in the door (unheard of in most of the homes in England), a lovely stove with eight burners (heat coils under glass like mine at home), and a large dining table with a 60-inch TV on the wall. Unfortunately, she really isn’t interested in the Church. With the B&B, their other business (window repair), and three lovely children, she doesn’t think she has time for Church. I tried to tell her it would be easier with the Church in her life, but she doesn’t see it at this time.
She seemed quite amazed that we take the time to make “man-made” cookies. (I use the phrase “man-made” as she coined it since Elder Reimers made the cookies and not me). That seems to amaze people in England even more.) This is so very much fun! We really enjoy baking and taking cookies to everybody.
Friday morning we baked more chocolate chip cookies and left for Bridport. We have been working to get Visiting Teachers and Home Teachers out to the less-active members so that when we go home they will be visited (something that wasn’t being done when we came). The Ayles (David and Joan) are the only family out toward Bridport that are active and have been called to be the visiting and home teachers for the members out in that area. They asked if we would take them to see the people we visit in their area and introduce them. Joan has never driven and David hasn’t been driving due to a health problem that started about two years ago. Bridport is about 45 minutes away from us and at least 30 minutes from the chapel. During the summer Joan and David take the bus to Church and back, and in the winter they either come on Saturday and stay with their sister in Weymouth so they can make it to Church or one of the families in Dorchester picks them up and brings them to church and they take the bus back home because in the winter we have a smaller bus schedule (you can’t get a bus in the morning at the right time).
We have three elderly sisters that live between the chapel and the Ayles: Sister Joyce Nash in Portesham; Sister Dean in Burton Bradstock; and Sister Campbell in Bridport. Sister Nash is 87 and homebound with congenital heart disease. Sister Dean is 78 and has health problems also that preclude her from getting out to Church. Sister Campbell is 81 and attends the Church of England. All three of these sisters love to see us (especially when we bring cookies). NOTE: We live down at the bottom in the Wyke Regis area of Weymouth and the chapel is in Chickerell (if you can see it just up from us [church building on the map).
Since Joan loves to feed us, she invited us to have lunch with them before going out to visit. We had a lovely lunch and then headed out into the rain and fog. Our visits were great and we feel sure the sisters will be happy to see Joan and David in the future. We did promise them we had eight more months here and would not forget to visit them whenever we were out that way. Since the road between Portesham and Bridport is the coast road (two-lane), it was foggy as we were coming back to drop the Ayles off at their home after Abbotsbury. That meant we had a short time for dessert; Joan had made a lovely “fruit” cake (not the kind of fruit cake we have in the States, but a cinnamon cake with sultanas and cherries). Then we left for home to get there before dark when the road becomes dangerous with twists and turns and drop-offs down to the ocean when you can’t see for the fog.
Saturday was an “at home” day with Walt working on taxes (all day long with no rest) and me working on the Senior Missionary Newsletter for March, cleanup for my Gospel Doctrine lesson, Primary Sharing Time, and helping Walt get together a lentil soup for Munch & Mingle after Church tomorrow. So far, we owe $2,000 in taxes, mostly due to dividends from investments – I hope further work brings that down somewhat.
At 5:00 and 6:00 pm our time we spoke with Delight and then Justin via Google Video Chat. It is so wonderful to be able chat and see the children and grandchildren weekly. The computer really makes it easy to be on a mission – you don’t feel like you are missing seeing your grandchildren growing up, plus they also get to see you. Also, with e-mail you can keep in touch with just about everybody.
Sunday was Church and it was lovely, warmer, and sunny. We picked up President Chasteauneuf and headed for the chapel for their Presidency meeting at 8:30 am. That gives me plenty of time to set up for Sunday School since I’m using the overflow room and it is only used by the Priesthood the third hour.
Sharing Time went well and then it was time for Munch and Mingle. We set up the food as usual in the overflow room (yes, where I do Gospel Doctrine) and ate. We probably had about 40 stay. Here you can see David Ayles getting soup. The white crockpot is our and contained Lentil and Bacon Soup, the tall crockpot right behind ours had a stew, and the crockpot on the right had chili. Then there were egg salad sandwiches, ham sandwiches, pasties, crisps (potato and corn chips), biscuits (cookies, etc.), cupcakes of more than one sort, and several kinds of drink. There is always enough for everybody to have a decent lunch with very little to take home – just right.
After we ate, Walt played the movie on his laptop using the projector in the chapel. You can see him in this picture up front in a white shirt with black braces (suspenders). We had about 35 that were able to stay for the movie, “Joseph Smith – Prophet of the Restoration,” (currently playing at the Temple Visitor’s Center). President Shamo (London England South Mission President) is the recently retired (to come on his mission) director of the Church audio-visual department and produced the film. If you haven’t had time to see this film at the Temple, please make the time. It is a more personal look at the restoration of the Church than most of the documentaries we’ve seen so far (a real tear-jerker).
While the movie was playing the Relief Society was at work in the kitchen cleaning up. Here you can see Sister Kagi (RS President) and her Second Counselor, Carol White, washing dishes. I took the picture to show that it isn’t just in the States that the Relief Society sisters are in the kitchen putting everything in order. Some things never change!
After we dropped off the tithing deposit at the bank in town and dropped President Chasteauneuf at his home (we need two Priesthood holders), we got home about 4:00 pm. I sat down for a little while and then made dinner. After we ate, I did my best to keep awake until 9:00 when I went to bed. I just don’t seem to have the energy I used to have.
March Week 4
Monday was laundry and sleeping in. Today is a rainy, dreary day, and I also seem to require additional hours of sleep now; just can’t get by on the six or seven hours I used to get at home. I updated my journal for last week and then we had dinner and left to dry the clothes at the laundromat.
Tuesday was District Meeting. I’m not feeling very well again – low-key headache and muscle ache. We did flat checks in Yeovil and Weymouth after the meeting, and then home for lunch (about 3:00 pm). Walt decided to make a detour by Sister Shorters before we went home. I took this picture of her camellias as we were leaving (she wasn’t home).
I prepared the agenda for Branch Council and cooked dinner. We fed Elders Gardner and Trevisan and they all left to go to Branch Council. Elder Trevisan is a “MEAT” eater and loves rare roast – I told him I made it especially for him (well, for me too).
Wednesday, Walt seems to have come down with whatever I have. Oh boy, now both of us are feeling miserable! Thursday, Friday, and Saturday went just the same, with me pulling together my Gospel Doctrine lesson and very happy this wasn’t my week to do Sharing Time.
Sunday we just toughed it out and headed over to pick up President Chasteauneuf at 8:30 for Presidency Meeting. Church was good; really good. Sister Georgina Jones was in attendance. That’s another of our less-actives back in Church. I believe that makes nine we’ve gotten back since we’ve been here. After Walt and President did the tithing, we left, drove to the bank, and then home. I napped, prepared dinner, and then back to bed for the evening.
I absolutely hate being sick. It makes me feel guilty not being anxiously engaged in doing good. Love you all, Jackie
