Halfway

Remember, remember the 5th of November…

If you’re British, you know how to finish this little rhyme. You would have learned it as a child. But while all of England was celebrating Guy Fawkes Night (you can read the rest of the poem on the website) on the 5th of November, we were celebrating our halfway anniversary! And because it coincided with Guy Fawkes Night (which actually seems to span a couple of weeks!), we celebrated in style with a big bonfire and loads of fireworks.

They are serious about their bonfires!

A friend in the ward invited us over to their home, along with some other senior missionaries, to experience a typical Guy Fawkes/Bonfire Night celebration. So fun!

You’ll have to read more about the holiday in the link above, but think of it sort of as an autumn version of the 4th of July (we had hot dogs and chili) with fireworks (seriously legit fireworks, they make our little fountains seem puny) and then add in a big bonfire on which an effigy of Guy Fawkes is tossed while the crowd cheers. Funny Brits!

What a way to celebrate our halfway anniversary!

Going back over the last month, we’ve added to our list of visitors. Jon’s sister and some mutual long-time friends came for a visit and they got to see some of the places we love in and around London and then on the weekend we took them to Seven Sisters, an area with beautiful chalk cliffs on the South coast.

Jon’s sister, Heidi, scored big points by bringing me a loaf of Great Harvest bread. She’s the best!

We took them to Arundel Castle. Doesn't it look like it belongs in a fairy tale? So beautiful!

We made a stop on the way home at the London Temple. The grounds are lovely here, especially in the fall. Though to call it the London Temple is a little bit of a stretch—it’s a good hour outside of the city, and about an hour and a half drive from where we live.

And, of course, I took them on a day trip to Oxford. I’ve been there about 10 times so far—probably enough to qualify as an official tour guide, and I never tire of it. So if you come visit us, just know that I’m going to take you there. :)

Inside the cathedral at Christ Church College, I noticed these ladies busily working on a project in a corner near the shrine to Saint Frideswide. (Read more about her, she’s a boss!)

I chatted with them and asked about their project. They have been embroidering this beautiful cloth covering that will go on the raised step surrounding the shrine. There are 2-4 women who meet once a week and have been working on it for one year. They estimate that it will take a total of eight years to finish the whole piece. Eight years!!! I love the dedication and devotion of these women to create something together that is beautiful and meaningful, one stitch at a time. They will have no shrine, no real recognition for their weekly efforts, but a lasting legacy in the creation of this beautiful work of art.

This little section represents 10,000 stitches!!

We also got to spend a little time with the daughter of some dear friends while she was here in London as part of a solo Europe trip (so cool!). It was delightful to get to know her a little more!

We celebrated Halloween with a few fun activities—a ward trunk or treat, and then a party with the other senior missionaries. I got to fulfill my Halloween dreams by dressing up as Mary Poppins and Jon dressed up as Bert, the chimney sweep. Living in England, it was practically perfect! ;)

Last weekend all of England honored Armistice Day. November 11th is our Veteran’s Day and they similarly honor and remember all those lost in any war, but especially WWI and WWII. They hold “Remembrance Sunday” (always the second Sunday of November) and Armistice Day events throughout the country with wreath-layings at memorials, music, speeches, etc. and most notably 2 minutes of silence on each day at 11:00 am. No matter where you are or what you’re doing (unless you’re driving, that doesn’t usually stop though it does in some smaller places), everyone stops and stands in silence for 2 minutes. Everyone also wears red poppy pins every day for the weeks leading up to Armistice Day. You can read about the symbolism and history of the red poppies here. Both wars had so much more impact on England than the U.S., so it is still very much a part of their tradition and culture to “never forget”.

Finally, I got to be part of a fun event last week—an Afternoon Tea with Sister Yee. I hope the rhyming was intentional on the part of whoever planned it because that’s adorable. Anyway, for those who don’t know her, she is in the top leadership of our Church’s Relief Society organization and was visiting from Salt Lake as part of a ministering assignment to numerous countries in the Europe North Area. You can read a few of her recent talks in our General Conferences here and here. Both are amazing! She spent the afternoon at our office and we got to enjoy having a “tea” with just the women. She shared some powerful messages with us and also answered questions. It was fun to meet her because she is someone I admire and have learned from. But as I look at this picture of most of the women that work in the office plus the senior missionaries, I am overwhelmed with the goodness of the amazing women I have gotten to know and love. What a gift!

As we reflect on the last 9 months of our mission, just beyond our halfway point, we have such a jumble of feelings. We miss home (or what used to be home since we don’t really have an official home), but we also adore this beautiful place we call home for now. We miss family and friends so much, but we also love and cherish the people here who have become like family to us. We’re so grateful and happy to be have this opportunity to serve and to wear the name of Jesus Christ on our nametags and in our hearts every day. But we’ve also had some really hard days that have tested our endurance and revealed many of our weaknesses.

A sweet friend recently shared a post on social media about the challenges of mortality with all of its heartbreak, struggle and pain. (She referenced this beautiful talk from General Conference, go read it here!) She shared that “life is beautiful and life is also very hard.” Oh, how true. This mission experience is so incredibly beautiful in so many ways. It is also very hard.

But we wake up each morning, determined to try again, to make a difference, to find someone to serve, and to move the work of the Savior forward in our little tiny corner of His beautiful green vineyard.

♥ Until next time, we love you! Cheerio! ♥

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In place of “Words of the Week”, in honor of our halfway point, we’re sharing some of our loves and not-so-much-loves. We’ll start with a few things we don’t love so much, and end on all the positives because there are SO many of those!

Things we don’t love so much…

• roundabouts - yes, they make traffic move quicker, but also raise our blood pressure!

• narrow roads that weren’t designed for two cars to pass!

• parking is almost impossible to find or expensive to pay for

• gray days—too many in a row

• lime scale on every surface in the bathroom and kitchen unless you’re really good at wiping surfaces (oops)

• no decent Mexican food (Taco Bell does NOT count!)

Things we love…

• endless pastures of green

• tree tunnels

• so many flowers

• history everywhere

• the kindness of most everyone we meet

• people from all over the world

• the British accent in all its variations

• British people who think our California “accent” is cool (never thought we had an accent haha!)

• afternoon tea (okay that’s mine, not Jon’s)

• charity shops (what they call thrift stores)—every town has at least 1 or 2 on the High Street

• London - a bustling, beautiful, magical city

• Oxford - you all know how I feel about it

• small villages and beautiful cottages

• ancient churches and graveyards

• bookstores, especially ones that date back over a hundred years

• white chalk cliffs on the coast

• manors and castles and palaces and gardens

• the River Thames—look on a map, it’s everywhere!