Missionaries and More Missionaries
One of our responsibilities as the senior couple in Oxford is to help the younger missionaries, meaning to support them in whatever way we can, so that they accomplish what is expected of them. This week, that meant finding a better mousetrap, calling landlords and management companies, and paying their electric bills. Yes, electric bills. It is kind of interesting. The sisters called this morning, happy to report that the mouse count stopped at five in the afternoon of yesterday - with no more sightings or slayings since.
They also told us that they were out of electricity. This is not unusual here, where apartments are hooked up to a meter outside. Residents buy more when they get low, and use it until it's gone, when they purchase another round of power. One can buy up to $49 worth at a time (that's pounds!), and it must be in cash. The mission office has explained that the young missionaries seldom have enough cash to buy that much, so they have asked the seniors to buy it when they get low, and get reimbursed by the office very quickly thereafter.
So we walked over to the area where they live. It is near a shopping center, and to the downtown shopping areas, and to the town square (or at least one of them). As we approached, we saw a lot of people out and about walking in every direction, and there just outside the mall were Elders Hill and Tshindabo, approaching individuals with the good news they wanted to share. In the time we saw them, no one stopped to listen, but they were quite undaunted.
We visited with them for just a few minutes....you can see what delightful young men they are. I could write an entire blog about each one, remarkable in his own right, but I will save that for another time.
We got the electricity flowing again, and returned home to work on talks. We will both be speaking in the Oxford 2nd Ward Sacrament Meeting on Sunday. We have about 15 minutes each.
We ventured out again in the afternoon to buy a small box of chocolates (it is customary here to take a small gift to someone when you are invited to dinner - and we had a dinner invitation). Around 5:30, the sister missionaries came over to go with us to a member's home for dinner.
It took us about a half hour to get there (SK is really doing remarkably well with this driving business) and we stopped in a little town called Woodstock. It was a lovely place, home to a magnificent castle, which we just saw through the iron rods of the gate in passing. It is the birthplace of Winston Churchill, and promises to be a wonderful place to tour some day.
We went to the home of a man who has been a member for 5 years. His conversion story I hear, is inspiring. His wife is not a member, but is very supportive of everything and anything he wishes to do as a part of the church. He was just recently called to be the Elder's Quorum President. He is a sweet man, about 60 whose faith is strong and who loves the Lord. But he is overwhelmed by the magnitude of the calling, and approaches it humbly.
He bore his testimony to us in an unguarded moment. He said that of all he has learned in life, he knows that the only way to serve God is to serve others....then he nodded his head and said, "Service is what it is all about."
He is very British, but I couldn't describe his accent....there are so many here. But I so enjoyed listening to him. In his living room, he had a large aquarium with several sizable and beautiful fish. He also has 3 dogs, and a hawk that is native to Arizona, and a small pond in his back yard where he has several larger fish.
His wife was away tending her mother who has Alzheimer's, and he wanted to do something for the missionaries. He loves to cook, so he cooked a really delicious meal. He served baked salmon with hollandaise sauce, steamed fresh green beans, steamed fresh carrots, and small boiled potatoes. I would have taken a picture but in such a small setting, it seemed sort of rude.
Dessert was warm apple pie served with either warm vanilla custard or thick cream that hasn't been whipped. Excellent!
Afterwards, the sisters taught a brief message, and all of us there (including our host) chimed in. It was a sweet experience with a sweet man.
When we reached home, one of the sisters shyly asked SK if he would give her a blessing. She and her companion are traveling into London tomorrow where she will take a four-hour exam on English (she is from Brazil) for college in the U.S.
Our day today has been all about missionaries. And it has been great.
They also told us that they were out of electricity. This is not unusual here, where apartments are hooked up to a meter outside. Residents buy more when they get low, and use it until it's gone, when they purchase another round of power. One can buy up to $49 worth at a time (that's pounds!), and it must be in cash. The mission office has explained that the young missionaries seldom have enough cash to buy that much, so they have asked the seniors to buy it when they get low, and get reimbursed by the office very quickly thereafter.
So we walked over to the area where they live. It is near a shopping center, and to the downtown shopping areas, and to the town square (or at least one of them). As we approached, we saw a lot of people out and about walking in every direction, and there just outside the mall were Elders Hill and Tshindabo, approaching individuals with the good news they wanted to share. In the time we saw them, no one stopped to listen, but they were quite undaunted.
We got the electricity flowing again, and returned home to work on talks. We will both be speaking in the Oxford 2nd Ward Sacrament Meeting on Sunday. We have about 15 minutes each.
We ventured out again in the afternoon to buy a small box of chocolates (it is customary here to take a small gift to someone when you are invited to dinner - and we had a dinner invitation). Around 5:30, the sister missionaries came over to go with us to a member's home for dinner.
It took us about a half hour to get there (SK is really doing remarkably well with this driving business) and we stopped in a little town called Woodstock. It was a lovely place, home to a magnificent castle, which we just saw through the iron rods of the gate in passing. It is the birthplace of Winston Churchill, and promises to be a wonderful place to tour some day.
We went to the home of a man who has been a member for 5 years. His conversion story I hear, is inspiring. His wife is not a member, but is very supportive of everything and anything he wishes to do as a part of the church. He was just recently called to be the Elder's Quorum President. He is a sweet man, about 60 whose faith is strong and who loves the Lord. But he is overwhelmed by the magnitude of the calling, and approaches it humbly.
He bore his testimony to us in an unguarded moment. He said that of all he has learned in life, he knows that the only way to serve God is to serve others....then he nodded his head and said, "Service is what it is all about."
He is very British, but I couldn't describe his accent....there are so many here. But I so enjoyed listening to him. In his living room, he had a large aquarium with several sizable and beautiful fish. He also has 3 dogs, and a hawk that is native to Arizona, and a small pond in his back yard where he has several larger fish.
His wife was away tending her mother who has Alzheimer's, and he wanted to do something for the missionaries. He loves to cook, so he cooked a really delicious meal. He served baked salmon with hollandaise sauce, steamed fresh green beans, steamed fresh carrots, and small boiled potatoes. I would have taken a picture but in such a small setting, it seemed sort of rude.
Dessert was warm apple pie served with either warm vanilla custard or thick cream that hasn't been whipped. Excellent!
Afterwards, the sisters taught a brief message, and all of us there (including our host) chimed in. It was a sweet experience with a sweet man.
When we reached home, one of the sisters shyly asked SK if he would give her a blessing. She and her companion are traveling into London tomorrow where she will take a four-hour exam on English (she is from Brazil) for college in the U.S.
Our day today has been all about missionaries. And it has been great.
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Love you Tessa!