Who Do You Think You Are? Live

Every year, the world of Family History holds the biggest show in the world at London’s Olympia Exhibition Centre. It’s called “Who Do You Think You Are? Live”, or simply WDYTYA? FamilySearch, the Church’s family history department and their website, www.FamilySearch.org, is a major exhibitor. We did a lot of work preparing for the event, and for a few hours Friday, Gerry and I were able to participate.

Each year, thousands of wild and crazy family history enthusiasts descend on Olympia seeking help with their problems. Two couples asked me to help with their “mind bogglers” that they had been struggling with for years. I was able to help both. I was 2 for 2. Last year I was 3 for 20, or something ridiculous like that. Am I getting smarter or are the questions getting easier?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Welsh couple from Cardiff gave Gerry a yellow daffodil to pin on her sweater to help her celebrate St. David’s Day. St. David is the patron saint of Wales and his day - March 1st – is celebrated all over Wales.

We saw lots of FamilySearch friends from last year – sixteen of ‘em flew in from Utah to help support WDYTYA. Great fun, but I’ll admit that the real reason I like to help at Olympia is to be near Oddono’s Italian Gelato stand - situated next to the FamilySearch exhibit! It was either that, or dine with the “Proper Sausages” folks who were selling Pork, Wild Boar, Venison, and Buffalo sausages. Hmmm. Gamey sausages?! Naw - I’ll take the Gelato!

Saturday, Gerry and I worked in the Centre, while the other missionaries worked at Olympia. That was our last WDYTYA? and our last Saturday working in the Centre.

Sunday, WDYTYA continues, but we’ll be attending our beloved London North Ward.

The Old Number 9 Bus

Transport for London puts an old, tireless “Routemaster” bus on the number 9 route that runs along High Street Kensington. While serving in London, I have not had the chance to take a nostalgic ride on number 9 .  . . until Thursday, when I needed to run an errand. There is a big difference thanks to advances in technology.

 

 

 

 

The newer buses have chip readers, so passengers just place their Oyster card (London travel card) on the pad, and take a seat . . . if you can find one.

 

 

Using iBus technology, the newer buses have  signs driven by GPS (called Sat Nav in England). The signs illuminate and a woman’s voice annunciates, as the bus approaches the next stop.

When you want to get off at the next stop, just push one of the many stop buttons, and signs illuminate, indicating that the bus is stopping.

 

Many bus stops, employing this GPS tracking technology, have “countdown signs” posting the various buses and when they are due.

The older number 9 doesn’t have a travel card reader, but has the personal touch; a real live conductor who looks at your ticket, or uses his portable chip reader to check Oyster cards. Because the older bus doesn’t employ GPS technology, you can’t be daydreaming because a gentle voice won’t alert you to the next stop. Instead of lots of stop buttons, you pull a cord strung along the length of the bus to ring a bell in the driver’s cab.

It was fun, and took me back about 35 years. It made me realize just how spoiled we have become!

O.D. on 3D

Monday, 21 February, we had a day off. So, what to do? We decided that we’d go to the London Science Museum’s Imax theatre and, along with Gil and Mariett Campbell, watch a few 3D movies. The second and third movies were half price, so why not?

The 3D experience is incredible, especially when one sees movies about space and the ocean. We were so close to the ocean, but we didn’t get wet.

The best movie was “Hubble 3D”. What a ride. Who wouldn’t like astronauts space walking as they repair an incredible telescope? Learned that stars are formed and nurtured in “star nurseries”. Billions of galaxies out there. It’s almost as though there’s a Father-in-Heaven in charge of all the matter.

“Deep Sea 3D” was very entertaining, with lots of interesting creatures I’d never seen. “Wild Ocean 3D” was a mediocre masterpiece, for someone took 15 minutes of good footage and looped it over and over again to produce a 50 minute movie.

As we walked out of the Science Museum, I told Gerry that I didn’t need to watch another 3D movie for a long time.

As it were unto us a dream

Where has our mission gone? Time has flown by, and it seems to be picking up speed. one more weekend, and March will be here. We feel like we’re in a runaway bullet train driven by a lunatic who feels “the need for speed”. Hold on Chewbacca, the next few weeks will seem like a jump to light speed.

This week seemed to pass like a meteor. We thought that we would begin the cabinet drawer rearrangement project, but after two cabinets, I realized that with six boxes (180 films) already on the floor, by the time we had finished four rows of cabinets, it would take us over 30 hours, and we would have more than 60 boxes (1,800 films) strewn upon the garage floor. We returned the films to their former drawers, to wait for the arrival of more empty boxes. That will probably occur after we have departed.
Elders and Sisters Crandall, Fugal and Robertson have taken our former responsibilities. Missionary and staff Scheduling, Film ordering, Visiting Group management, building scheduling, web site updating – even Gerry’s toilet paper supply duties -  those jobs have been placed upon the willing shoulders of others. We are consultants.
The Book of Mormon’s Jacob said it so poetically -   “. . . the time passed away with us, and also our lives passed away like as it were unto us a dream.” (Jacob 7:26).

Computer Dilemma

Here we are, just about to leave London, and our laptop has been experiencing serious problems.The CPU (Central Processing Unit) has been running at 95-100%, and that ain’t right. When we have tried to talk on Skype, the connection has been anything but smooth. I was beginning to believe that our laptop was in the final throws of death and about to become a door stop – bueno por nada! I certainly don’t want to buy a computer in England, because their plugs are goofy – useless in the US. With the VAT (Value Added Tax), I’d pay more than I would for the same computer in the States.

I felt impressed to call my friend Paulo, the Family Search IT guy for the UK.  He told me that it sounded like heat. Heat makes a laptop slow way down and run inefficiently. He asked me to look at the air intake and the exhaust ports. The exhaust was clean, so I looked on the bottom of the laptop, and there I saw a very plugged up grill over the exhaust fan. Now that’s clean, and we have what seems to be a new laptop. Skype calls are better than ever, and with a cool computer, it runs much faster.

I love those wonderful impressions and kind blessings.

Never Too Old to Serve

Last year, my North London friend, Dougald McKeown, was called to serve in the primary at the age of 90. "It was a surprise to be asked but I've never turned down a calling in six decades. I am just pleased to be there. Of course, at my age, I'm pleased to be anywhere!"

Now 91, he’s been released from his Primary calling, but recently, LDS Church News printed an article about him.

Finding active Priesthood members in North London is not easy, so in addition to fulfilling his calling in Primary, Brother McKeown serves as a home teacher to several families.

Dougald exemplifies Psalm 92:13-14: "Those who are planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bear fruit in old age; they shall be fresh and flourishing."

When I grow up, I want to be just like Dougald McKeown!

Building Down

This neighborhood has been around since the late 1800s, and I expect a few things to need repair. A few weeks ago, a building on Fulham Road collapsed – it just gave up! It was part of a row of abandoned buildings that were being remodeled. Thank goodness it was empty at the time. Like a Jewish mother sending a child on guilt trip, you can almost hear the other buildings say, “For this I survived the bombs of World War II?”

 

This mini disaster has closed a block of Fulham Road, thus diverting two of my favorite “go to work buses”. Now, instead of running along Fulham Road, they now pass in front of our Redcliffe Gardnes flat. Depending on the road conditions and the mood of the bus driver, sometimes they stop for us, and sometimes they don’t.

Our Last Missionary Dinner

At least once per transfer, we enjoy feeding the missionaries in our home. They bring such a happy spirit with them. The other Senior missionaries participate, ensuring that the young missionaries are well fed. These events also increase the spiritual IQ in our flat! Everyone has a great time. It was a bitter-sweet time, because it’s the last one we’ll be able to host.

Because Sisters Araujo (Portugal) and Felix (UT) teach a Friday night English Class, they needed to “eat and run” prior to the photo moment. L-R, Front: Gerry and I, Elders Sikahema (NJ), Schow (UT), Resolme (CA), Aveneysian (Armenia), Jacob (UT) and Zarian (ID). Back: Crandalls (AZ), Robertsons (UT) and Fugals (UT).

When Elder Aveneysian came to London 17 months ago, he could not speak a word of English. Thanks to the spirit, an angel named Sister Umurshadyan, and American companions, he has perfected the English language and the Zoolander pose.

Before leaving, the Elders sang Janice Kapp Perry’s, “A Child’s Prayer” in Portuguese, English and Armenian.

Our Last Zone Conference

Wednesday, it was our turn to have Zone Conference. I always look forward to these great meetings. They are like reunions, because we always see missionaries with whom we have served in the London North Ward, and in the Hyde Park Area – great men and women! They are spiritual feasts, for when President Patch speaks to us, we are always touched and inspired.

(Photo: President Renn  and Sister Deanne Patch)

In the morning session, the new missionaries spoke. While we were having lunch, Sister Patch said, “This is exciting, Elder Price. We are looking forward to hearing your farewell testimony in the afternoon session.” That’s when it hit me, and hard. This would be our last Zone Conference. It seems like I had just arrived, for I still remember the words I spoke at our first Zone Conference.

The soon to depart missionaries were asked to sit on the stand, Walking to our seats, I could barely control my emotions. Then we sang “Called to Serve”, and that hymn always puts mist in my eyes. Two young sisters and two young elders spoke first, and then Gerry, and I. We can’t be this far along  in our mission. Time has so swiftly passed, and I have grown so much. I will miss our mission and especially our association with  President and Sister Patch!

David and Nadia

David and Nadia Lovett are serving a mission in the Russia Moscow West Mission, living in Nizhny Novgorod, 400 kilometers Northeast of Moscow. It’s 56 degrees North, and that translates to COLD. They currently have six feet of snow outside their flat. Every three months, they must leave Russia and renew their visas, by traveling to London, getting a hotel and waiting about four days for the visa to materialize. The 90 day restriction is simple anti state department retribution. (The United States poses the same rules on Russians who wish to visit the US).

Tuesday, 1 February, on this, their third trip to London, they found us. We enjoyed dinner together and shared mission stories. Although they speak very little Russian, they are able to teach and serve in Nizhny. They have had some wonderful experiences! However, there is nothing like a visit with Russia’s missionaries, to instill great gratitude in the hearts of Gerry and I. Yes, we love London!

Last London Temple Trip

You may recall, that the London Temple is in Surrey, and not within the England London Mission, shown below in yellow.

We have permission from the Area Presidency to leave the mission and visit the temple once each quarter. Earlier this week, we thought we’d show the Fugals how to travel to and from the Temple. Our plans gradually grew into something almost unmanageable. Saturday, 5 February, Gerry and I, along with nine others, made our quarterly journey. Our gang size required three taxis to carry us from the train station to the Temple. This picture was taken while we waited for a taxi to drive back to the station, and gather John and Cookie Allred. The Allreds are not missionaries, (he works for Wells Fargo), but they’re nice, so we let them come with us.

L-R: Joan Groves, Cheryl Fugal, Mariett Campbell, Ken Fugal, Gil Campbell, Gerry & I, Barbara and John Robertson.

This was our last London Temple trip. We’re so grateful to have shared it with so many wonderful people.

Those Soothing and Calming Jaredites

We had wonderful plans to have our flat professionally cleaned, (as required by the agency), and then inventoried before we depart on 23 March. But no, that’s not the way things are done. This week, I received an email which instructed me to have the cleaning and inventory done after we leave. I don’t think I  have been this upset for a long time.

I decided to open the Book of Mormon to the 14th Chapter of Ether. For those unfamiliar with this part of the story, the land is cursed, and wars cover the land, creating blood and carnage. It’s not a happy time for anyone. One would think that reading the end of the Book of Ether would be terribly depressing, and a terrible way to cheer up! Nevertheless, by the time I had completed Chapter 14, I was at peace with the matter. I know that things will be fine. It is interesting to me, that no matter where one begins to read in the Book of Mormon, the Spirit still finds a way to whisper peace to the soul; bearing witness in a wonderful way, that the Lord loves each of us, and is intimately concerned with our earthly affairs.

BYU– The Nation’s Most Popular University

A US News and World Report article indicates that in an analysis of yield (the percentage of students accepted to a school who opt to attend), Provo, Utah’s Brigham Young University is the most popular national university in America among applicants. It’s their second year in a row as the top pop school.  Harvard University was again, runner up / also ran, to BYU.

 

I searched the list for the University of Utah, and found them deep in the bowels of the list, at number 53. Utah State University was 58. Arizona State and University of Arizona. Hey, I couldn’t count that high. Just kidding. After all, I am a graduate of our nation’s most popular university!