Week 30... Still alive and kicking!

Life is very busy for us, but not a lot of new things to share.
We were invited to dinner on Monday  night with one of the single sisters that took the Temple Prep class.  We were a little concerned about this appointment, but all turned out very well.  We spent two 1/2 hours traveling to her home via 3 buses.  She was such a great hostess when we arrived.  She seemed so glad to have us visit.  We love it when people think we are someone special. ( If only she really knew.)  We call her Sister Dee.  Her real name is Indumathie Gunasingha.  Maybe that explains why she goes by Sister Dee. Here is a picture of her in her lovely home with the two missionary sisters that serve in our ward.

Tuesday we worked all day in the London Family History Centre.   Even when our shift was finished at 5:30 p.m. we stayed to work on our genealogy until 7 p.m.  Friday we were scheduled to work 1/2 of the day in the London Family History Center, but the computers were down so we continued to digitize downstairs.  We are half way through with the Royal Air Force records of World War I.  We started them in June and  will probably finish them about November. Each digital operator averages between 1,000 to 2,000 images per day.

Saturday we had plans to find the nearest ASDA store.  This  is a Walmart sister store.  We planned the trip with two bus rides and one train ride to reach the store, but all day Saturday it poured and poured.  We were forced to stay home. This was disappointing to Annie but just the opposite for Paul.  It is a "bank holiday" tomorrow (Monday) so we will try doing the trip again.

Saturday we made history.  A first trip to the complex (where we live) swimming pool for Paul.  We figured everything was wet, why not "join the party" and get wet.  It was fun and good exercise.  Please be aware that swimming is not off limits for Senior Missionaries.

Today (Sunday) we found lots of our ward gone away for the holiday.  Annie taught primary and had only 2  children in her class.  The other CTR class had only 1 student and the Sunbeams had only 1. That was the whole of the Junior Primary. The primary is normally small, but today was one of the smallest.  The only reason we had even that many, is because we had two families with children visiting.  Paul's priesthood wasn't much different -- no leaders for either the high priests or the elders and no one with a prepared lesson from either group.  We had a volunteer lead us in a lesson from the manual. 

We are looking forward to this week.  Two from our Temple preparation class got their temple recommends today and we may be attending the temple with them later this week.  We will let you know how it goes.

The ducklings are growing, but one has disappeared.

We continue to watch the Swans and Ducks in the water outside The National Archives.  The Cygnets are as big as their parents, but have not turned white, yet.  We see more white spots daily, but they have a long way to go.

Residential street in Kew.

This is a typical residential street where we live.  They are two way streets,  but it is ok to park on both sides of the street and usually all parking spots are taken on both sides.  This barely leaves room for one car.  We took this picture on a day that the street was quite abnormally empty.  The two cars on the sides are parked and the one in the middle is moving. It takes a lot of cooperation for two cars to pass going opposite directions.




For any of you that know our friends from Florida, this is the week that Laura Diebel became Mrs. Ty Keith.

For any of you that may not be aware, Andrew turned 26 on Friday and Carter turns 11 on 29 August.  We've put up a picture of Carter, but we have heard that Blogger has rejected any and all pictures of Andrew.  So we obviously don't have one posted of Andrew.  



We send our love and look forward to pictures and skype times.  We love the Lord and are happy to be serving.  The Church is TRUE!!




Grandma and Grandpa, Mom and Dad, Elder and Sister Smart, Paul and Annie

Week 29 -- More of the Same

The best part of this week is still today, Sunday -- wonderful Church meetings and special people.  Today, our good friend and somewhat recently activated member, Helen Baden spoke in Church on prayer.  It is really difficult to believe that she was inactive for nearly 30 years.  She talks and acts like a life-long member and she portrays in her spirit, one that loves the Lord.  Her husband, Paul attended today.  He is a great support to her and one that really ought to be a member of the Church.  We personally believe that when he decides that he really wants to know the truthfulness of the gospel, he will join the Church.

We need to mention our unorthodox priesthood and relief society meeting.  As we are each heading toward our opening exercises, we are stopped in the hallway and the Bishop calls us all into the chapel.  He decides that he wants to have a combined meeting and that he wants to turn it into a baptismal service.  The Elders have a man from Croatia that is to be baptized.  Originally they were going to do it after sacrament meeting, but they instead do it during the 3rd hour of the block.  It turned out really neat and very spiritual.  Besides, our friend, Paul, got to see the whole thing including how it was done and the talks and everything.

After Church we took the train home so we could beat our arriving guests for dinner -- the Sister missionaries.  They have such great names.  There is Sister Pink from Australia and there is her companion,
Sister Boman.  Sometimes they get mistaken for Sister Pink and Sister Brown.  Anyway, Sister Boman is headed home this week.  She said that she really was grateful for an invitation to have another dinner with us before she left.  Guess she really likes Annie's cooking.  We might mention that we are really sending three missionaries home this week -- all from our ward.

We had another interesting experience at Church.  Annie was invited to give the closing prayer in Sacrament Meeting.  When the meeting was over an old friend of her's from Vernal, Utah walked up and said she was visiting the ward prior to her getting on a cruise ship later today.  She had no idea that the Smart's were serving in the Staines Ward.  She probably would have hurried and left after Sacrament Meeting so she could get back to her cruise had Annie not been asked to pray.  Anyway, for all you Vernalites, their names are Frandee and Dave Felton.

Family History Centre Workers

Life continues to be good.  We enjoy serving both as camera operators and as family history centre workers and just plain serving.  We were told today that the Bishop is starting to interview the members of our temple preparation class this coming week.  That means that some of them will likely be going to the temple soon.

Velynn & B D

We want to congratulate Andrew on having a birthday this week.  He turns 26 on Friday.  We also want to congratulate Aaron and Audra and family on landing a job in LasVegas.  It's not quite Utah, but almost.  Congratulations to Velynn on being discovered by one of her singing idols.

We sincerely hope that life is good for you all.  We love you all and miss you all.



Mom and Dad, Grandma and Grandpa, Paul and Annie, Elder and Sister Smart

A Little More Than 6 Months Gone (Week 28)

We continue to digitize and digitize.  We get faster and better at the job each week.  There are five of us from FamilySearch that are busy trying to get the WWI Royal Air Force records digitized. Find My Past then has to get them indexed before the big 100 year celebration next year in England.  We each usually do somewhere between 1,000 to 2,000 images daily.  We are moving rapidly  through the boxes.

Elder Smart hard at work

Our FamilySearch work stations

Here is one wall in our work place stacked with boxes filled with air force papers that we have digitized

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Both of us still go upstairs to the London Family History Center to help 1 to 2 days
each week.  This gives us lots of variety.  We both thought that we would much rather be upstairs helping than down stairs digitizing.  This is not necessarily true any more.  Elder Smart is truly in his realm upstairs helping with research, but both of us enjoy the work downstairs also -- after all its what we've been called to do.

John Major's insurance policy

We spent Saturday at the LMA ( London Metropolitan Archives) looking at insurance forms.  If you will recall we found a copy of an insurance claim that Paul's ancestor had made after a fire in his rope factory on the Isle of Wight in 1772.  Paul had been aware of this for several years, but had always hoped to find the original insurance policy to help him trace his ancestor, John Major.  We hit the jackpot Saturday and found that paper. (Wouldn't you know it would be Annie that found it!) He is not sure how much help this will be, but it is exciting to finally have the original document.

Sunday we had two of the Elder's in our ward over for dinner along with an engaged couple in the Ward.  We have grown to love and respect both Mentor Jones and Rebecca McDermitt. Both are good members of the Church. Rebecca is from Australia and served a mission in Palmyra. Mentor is from Nigeria.

Rebecca and Mentor

Paul has been wheezing when breathing at night.  We went to the doctor and then to the hospital for a chest x-ray.  Results were very good.  The lungs are clear and the wheezing is probably a mild allergy to some of the old documents and the spores they carry.   He was given an inhaler and all is well.

We finished our temple prep class  and are anxious for some of the students to attend the temple for the first time.  We have enjoyed teaching this class so much.  We hope we have other opportunities to grow and share here in the England Staines Ward.

We love it here in England and love The Lord.  Serving in Christ's Church is such a blessing.

Love you all so very very much,
Grandma and Grandpa Smart, Mom and Dad, Elder and Sister Smart, Paul and Annie

2 of 4 baby duck with mom @ archives

Week 27 (Mama Mia)

Interesting title to this week.  We'll talk more later

Just wanted to say that this week has had it's challenges and blessings.

Challenges - new computers for capturing images, troubles with new computers, hot (not much rain) and even too hot to sleep, one more day added to upstairs family history help, reports and helping two sets of missionaries trade off with us, including training of them and reporting for them, etc.

Blessings - Temple Preparation class (last class until participants actually go to the temple), Paul's gout gone, barber back from Turkey (can finally get hair cut), opportunity to see a stage play.

 Group @ Covent Garden

Happy Missionary

Annie really enjoyed the play - Mamma Mia.  On Friday we took off a little early and came home changed into our suit and dress.  Headed out for downtown London and found the area that we were to meet called Covent Garden.  Finally met up with two other missionary couples -- the Carpenters from Draper and the Powells from Idaho (these are the ones that work with us each day at The National Archives).  Had dinner at Covent Garden -- lots of restaurants to choose from.  We chose to have Crepes, mostly because the inside was air conditioned and it was a hot old day on Friday.  We then had some really good ice cream.  Following dinner we walked a couple of more blocks to the theatre.

Happy @ Theatre

Old Curiosity Shop

We actually arrived a little early so we wandered off and were able to find The Ole Curiosity Shoppe of Charles Dickens -- only problem is that it is unoccupied and pretty much in ruin.  Oh well, it only took a few minutes to get to it and now we know.






Not too much else happening except our highlight is still hearing from our kids and grandkids.


We would especially like to recognized Lily who was baptized on Saturday of this past week -- Way to Go Lilly!!!!!!!!!!!!

Until next week, know that we love you all and that we are doing our best to work hard and be the kind of missionaries that you and the Lord would be pleased with.

Love and best wishes,

Mom and Dad, Grandma and Grandpa, Elder and Sister Smart, Paul and Annie

Swans (Babies not so little)

Baptismal Girl - Lily

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