Monday, Mafia and Musings

 Ah Monday.  It is a beautiful thing.

My day started out with a phone call from Dave,  wondering how we are doing.  Living in London, they are living with much stricter laws now about getting together with anyone, about travel and about locking down in this COVID crisis.

Oxford actually has numbers nearly as high as London, but the numbers are primarily among students at the city's two universities.  People in the 18 to 30 age range tend not to be fearful of getting the illness, probably because they think they are invincible - nothing new about that.  Of course the news reinforces their beliefs because statistics show that they are most likely to have a mild case and then move on with their lives.

Oxford is saying that most of the at-risk segment of the population do not socialize with that younger set of people, so it will not lock down the city.  All very interesting, and all causing a bit of a dilemma for SK and me.  We have four meals scheduled this week with four different groups of young people. 

We feel strongly that we should be up and doing what we were sent here to do.  Until and unless we hear from the government that our visas have not been extended and that we are supposed to leave - post haste, we will continue with that idea.  In the meantime, it is a tremendously interesting time to live!

We took our walk today, through neighborhoods, school areas, soccer fields and into a kind of a Costco.  Their prices and the variety of products they carry are all good.  It doesn't have quite the class of a Costco or Sam's Club, but it is a good place for basics in large quantities.  The problem with it is that it is close enough to walk (about a mile and a half), but it is too far to walk and carry groceries, so we were severely limited as to what we purchased.

Family Home Evening was another online game - Mafia.  It was great fun, but once again, SK and I were handicapped by our general lack of knowledge about how to negotiate our way through a game on the computer.  We managed alright, and thankfully no one asked us to step away!

I think everyone enjoyed it.  It was less than an hour and a half, and a far cry from past Family Home Evenings where everyone would come crowding into our flat, laughing and joking, stay for several hours and then find their ways home.  Food, fun and games with a spiritual message.  Connecting to each other. 

When we said our nightly prayer together, we talked briefly about the idea that the visa department may send us back to the U.S.  SK kind of mumbled, "I don't even like to think of it."  We both love this place, this mission, these young people.  We want so very much to be able to complete our mission.  With the Lord's help - and only with His help, we will.



Comments

melissa said…
For your sake, and the young people in England, I hope you stay!
October 19, 2020 at 4:10 PM
Elder and Sister Madsen said…
Melissa...we love you. Thank you.
October 20, 2020 at 2:11 AM
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