It’s In Your DNA

 I visited with a sweet Scottish woman a couple of weeks ago about our return to America. 

I told her how happy I was to think of being with family once again. I also told her that it is causing a physical heart ache to think of leaving this land. 

“It’s wrapped itself around my heart.” I confided.

She patted my hand gently and in the gentlest voice with that lovely Scottish brogue said, “It’s in you DNA.”

I like that answer. It IS in my DNA. I am 100% British Isles. Every single family line finds its way back to these islands. I have a few lines that go far back in America - two that go as far as the Mayflower. Those ancestors were so hardy, they survived not only the voyage, but that first harsh winter as well. (I guess that is quite apparent.)

But even they were born in England.

So this green and pleasant land has welcomed me home and has me tied to it….my mother land.

Yes, it is so very difficult to leave it.

E&E packed up this morning, scrubbed their bathroom better than it’s been scrubbed in months, (ever since our mission doctor and his wife left) and took off for their last day of seeing England. Eight miles - they walked eight miles! They saw St. Paul’s Cathedral, the Mile Bridge, the Shard, took a ride on The Eye, went to Liberty (a very posh London store with gorgeous fabrics, textiles and a wide variety of all kinds of beautiful things for a small fortune).  She enjoyed just looking.

They got back to the London flat in time for a quick bite to eat, and then it was time to leave.

It has been so lovely to stay at that grand old apartment. I imagine it is 50 to 60 years old. It is a basement apartment with large windows that look out onto a courtyard and another onto a patio. You rarely feel that you are in a basement.

We stayed there a total of 3 nights, and then 2 nights in Oxford which saved us a fair amount of money. The new doctor and his wife will be here soon and so the apartment will no longer be available to incoming and outgoing missionaries. But we enjoyed staying there!

SK and I stayed at the flat all day. We were tuckered out, and there was not much in all the wonders and beauties of Landon to lure me away from relaxing! Although I wasn’t exactly resting. It took the entire day to do 3 loads of sheets and two of towels. There’s no question that I will be elated to get back to my very efficient large-load washer and dryer. 

I cleaned the master Bath and SK vacuumed. I delivered a little thank you gift to the awesome office couple and one to the couple who live next door. That couple, the Hansens, delivered Cornish Pasties, and left-over pizza from a birthday lunch celebrated in their office today. They are in charge of the visitor’s center and do a wonderful job. It was so very thoughtful and was actually a nice way to end the day, the week, the mission. I had not had Cornish Pasties before and they were delicious!

Before E&E returned from their day of sightseeing, we walked up to the mission office, said goodbye to the Hulls (the office couple) and the APs and the mission President and his wife. They were all so dear!

As we left, they all stood in the doorway at attention, saluting. We laughed and hugged.

President and Sister Thompson and us - looking less like missionaries than ever!

L




Elder Hull brought us to the hotel near the airport - a half hour drive through London. He was so relaxed and kind. He threw our 50 pound suitcases around like he was a much younger man.

It is Amazing - the variety of things senior couples do! Sister Hull is the office answerer of all questions, travel arranger for 200 missionaries, chief cook and organiser of all zone conference lunches, dinners at the president’s flat for departing missionaries, secretary handling most correspondence for the mission and on and on.

Somehow, the absolute joy and fulfilment of serving a mission as a senior has been a well-kept secret. If someone asked me tomorrow if I would like to serve again - much closer to home, I would say yes in a heartbeat.

I have loved working with young adults, young marrieds, ward members of every age, young missionaries and old, mission leaders, people who are being taught by the missionaries, and all the young people who have passed into and out of my life. It has given me indescribable happiness to help people, to listen, to serve. I have even loved cooking and watching as the young starving college students take delight in a home-cooked meal. I have loved meeting with, singing with, counselling with, and bearing testimony of our Savior Jesus Christ with our exceptional young missionaries and being a part of their individual journeys.

This has been an experience I will remember as long as I have a memory, and into the next life. I love this work, I love these people, I love this land.

It’s in my DNA.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A Master Teacher

In the 1st Ward today, an 11-year-old boy gave a talk that was one of he best sacrament meeting talks I have ever heard.  He got up to speak and his head just barely cleared the podium.  He is small and has a shock of dark hair topping a cute slightly freckled face. It will be several years yet before his voice deepens.  He had his written talk, and he read most of it, but he was familiar enough with it that he looked up often and it seemed as if he was speaking from his heart. He began with a quote from Nephi in 2 Nephi 25:29, where Nephi prophesies about the future and then tells us how to worship the Savior. How? this boy asked us. He went on to answer his own question.  Nephi says "with all our might."  The boy then asked how that is done. He cited the story of the converts in the Congo who threw all of their idols into a massive waterfall where they were unrecoverable.  The boy said that when we worship the Savior with all our might, that mea...
Read more

Going Home

  Fifteen missionaries are returning to their homes this week.  For this Saturday night zoom conference broadcast, each bore their testimony from their flats with their companions by their sides.  SK and I teared up many times as we listened to humble, sweet and strong testimonies.  It is easy to see the difference as they get close to their release date.  It they have been faithful, there is a maturity and a sweetness that is unexplainable. Here is a smattering of what was said: There is no growth in the comfort zone.  I am about to go home to my comfort zone...but it struck me that my old comfort zone is no longer comfortable for me.  I want to be in a growth zone. The early apostles did not succeed, but they knew we would. One elder quoted Dave's poem "If."  "If you can meet with triumph and disaster and treat those two impostors just the same...Hold on...even through the hardest times."  "How can I accomplish these things?  Jesus Chr...
Read more

Shark!

Image
We left our flat way too early for my taste this morning, heading out to go south to Farnborough.  Forty-eight miles, supposedly an hour and twenty minute drive.  We got into some heavy stop and go traffic and it was closer to 2 hours before we got there. We inspected the two young sisters' flat, which was beautifully clean and organized.  They are cute sisters.  They had been in London yesterday for zone conference and excitedly shared all they had heard and been taught.  They had their notes out and were very cute to repeat some great messages from President Checketts.  I hardly ever talk to him when he isn't dealing with numerous issues in the mission and in the middle of at least one or two crises, and planning the next gathering....all at the same time.  It must be that he and Deb are in a constant state of stress.  But he has cleared the half-way mark.  I wonder if he knows how highly he is esteemed by these young missionaries, who ...
Read more