Acting our Age - Kind of

 Our Senior Missionary Conference was today, beginning at 10 a.m.  When we first came to England, there  must have been twenty to twenty-five couples serving in various capacities.  We knew a few of them, and were able to get to know just a hand full because of the assignments we have.  The couple we got to know best was Elder and Sister Call, who served in Cambridge.  They were dynamic and wonderful.  She was a rocket scientist, and he was something equally impressive, but they served with diligence and sweet humility.  They were truly inspiring.

Currently there are ten senior couples including Dave and Deb.  The "Tech Elders" on the lower right keep everything running, and the APs (Assistants to the Mission President are center bottom).  One couple will be going home on February 11 and another mid-March.

There are three other couples now who we see regularly on Zoom, and whom we have developed great love for.  Two of them will be going home in the next few weeks.  They have both been here throughout the pandemic and have served faithfully in the office.  I don't think the mission would have survived without them.

From 10 to 12:30, we had training from Dave and Deb and the APs.  Deb started out reading the book "Dogger" - the sweetest little story of love and sacrifice.  She sent it to me when our children were little and I have loved it ever since.  She was emotional as she talked about our young missionaries who are exceptional (we already knew that) and the challenges they face.  She encouraged us to do all we can to help and support them.

In America, this has been renamed "Dogger," and it is a charming delightful book.

Dave spoke about receiving personal revelation.  It inspired me.  I know we can do better to pray and then listen for the promptings that will come.  I believe I often underestimate the Lord and His willingness to direct us in this work.  The young ones seem always to be in a position of readiness to receive.  I find that often those little niggling thoughts that come into my head while I pray are promptings from the spirit - the ones I shoo out thinking those very thoughts are interrupting my prayer.  When in truth, they are answers, or suggestions or thoughts that might prove to be very important in the whole process of prayer.

The young APs conducted a training for about 45 minutes on how and what we can do to help the young missionaries.  Elder Hill (our Elder Hill - who met us at the train station the first day we arrived in Oxford) told about how much he loved serving with us and shared what we had done for him while he was in Oxford.  It made us both cry.  We feel like he is one of our own grandsons, and we love him.

Someone said a prayer on lunch and magically, lunch appeared at each of our doorways all over the mission.  Dave and Deb had asked one of the senior couples to find out what we wanted from a national chain of restaurants.  She place the orders for each of us in our areas, and arranged the delivery time.  Within the space of 15 minutes, we were all sitting at our tables, eating lunch and enjoying the companionship of 9 other couples via Zoom.  It was enjoyable....and in some ways almost better than sitting at a table with everyone.  We could all hear and see someone when they spoke (at a long table seating 20 people, you only hear and speak with the 6 closest to you).

Kahoot was on the menu for the afternoon.  Using our telephones, we called into the game site, and the Hartvigsens were the game masters.  It was Trivial Pursuit about London.  There were three rounds of 10 to 15 questions each.  On one round we were dead last, and we didn't do too much better on the other two rounds.  Yes, it was embarrassing but fun.  SK and I giggled and laughed and guffawed, as did all of the other couples.

They were an impressive lot, two college English professors, one physics professor, several school teachers, one physician, etc.  All were fun - and dedicated.  At least two other couples came back when numbers for COVID were very low and are still grateful to be here serving in any capacity.  But they are doing great things.

Dave and Deb each gave some closing thoughts.  It was a beautiful day and we enjoyed every minute of it.

Look at what came today!  A soft and no doubt warm scarf from Scotland!!!  Doesn't it look Scottish?  It is from my sweet adopted granddaughter Tessa.  I came to know and love her when I was a young women's president about 8 or 9 years ago.  I had been serving in Relief Society most of my adult life, and Tessa was such a great support to me as I learned to work with young people.  I think it was my experience with her that got me excited to be a young adult missionary X2.  Tessa is living in Scotland now, and we are so looking forward to the day she and her husband can come and visit, or when we can go see her way up north!

As soon as it was over, I signed off and immediately signed on to another Zoom sight.  A lady from the ward, who hasn't attended in years wants to get started on Family History, and I told the young missionaries that I would be happy to help her.  Doing it on Zoom was so easy! We spent an hour and a half together and I think she was excited to get started.  I think she will enjoy it.  

After dinner we joined our young zone for a game night.  They are cute and seem to have a good time with those.  SK and I kind of joined in.  We laugh and play the game and have a good time.  They are a half-century younger than we are.  The contrast has never been so pronounced as today.

But it was a grand day!...all of it.