February New Missionaries and Trainers

We are excited to have our new missionaries join us.  Five of them came from Provo, and they were exhausted but managed to keep us from seeing their yawns!   We love them all and know that they are going to be wonderful!

Oh the things you do...

Yes, this too, is Christmas.

Mustache and Christmas jumper(aka sweater)courtesy of our fine missionaries.

Sister's Training

It is no surprise that we have WAY more sisters than we did a year ago.  We have grown, and grown quickly.  We recently had a day long training with our sisters.  Most of them hadn't even met so it was a lovely occasion for them to become acquainted with each other and receive instruction from the Sister Training Leaders.

Remember, remember the 5th of November....

I looked out the kitchen window and saw the sparks from the Bonfire at the church behind our flat.  

This is only the 3rd of November but I knew what it was all about.

Last year we were on the road to Norwich and we kept smelling fires burning and then fireworks started going off everywhere.

This year I was prepared....

with a camera.

There is a nursery rhyme that starts like this...

Remember, remember!

The fifth of November,

The Gunpowder treason and plot;

I know of no reason

Why the Gunpowder treason

Should ever be forgot!

Guy Fawkes tried to blow up Parliament (and failed)...

so, this is the British holiday of fireworks and bonfires....

...my boys would love this.

Happy Halloween!

It has been a little hard to find any signs of Halloween here but we did see this great exhibit at Kew Gardens…

Happy Spooky Day!

Dawn after the Storm

We had a big storm here in England this week.  It rained and blew all night.  I woke in the wee hours of the morning to the sound of the wind.  I looked out the windows into the darkness and could make out the outline of the trees bending to the force of the wind.  In the moment I didn't know how much more blowing we had ahead of us but I knew that we were safe and the storm would eventually pass and I crawled back into bed.

When I got up at 6:30 I walked into the kitchen and this was the view out the window to the east.  
Dawn had come and with it a stunning sunrise in the East.

Sometimes missionaries just feel like they are caught in a storm, with winds blowing and rain falling and darkness all around.  
But, if they will just hold on... 

October Zone Conferences!

We love Zone Conference weeks.  They are crazy busy, but it is so wonderful being with all of our amazing missionaries.

First Zone Conference was in Colchester.  It was with the Cambridge, Colchester and Norwich Zones.

Day Two was back in Hyde Park with the Hyde Park, Canterbury and the Romford Zones.

Our third day was with the St. Albans and Northampton Zones.

And our final day of Zone Conferences

was with Watford and London North!