25 Weeks (1/3 the Way Home)

Hope the title of this blog doesn't sound like we're "trunky".  Today is exactly 6 months from the time we went into the mission home.  It also means that it should be one year until we head out to return home.

We love our mission and we love what we are doing.  We love going to Church in Staines.  We love the members there and we love our Church calling. It's an absolute pleasure teaching people about the temple.  We are teaching seven great people and hope to see all seven get to the temple.

About once a week we get an evaluation of the images that we have taken here in London.  It comes from the Church Offices in Salt Lake City.  It says whether or not our images have passed the blur, focus and other tests that they put them through.  In most cases they pass.  Once in a while we get something that needs to be corrected.  We are really pleased that most of images pass.

This week we spent a little more time diverting ourselves upstairs in the record office.  There is a Family History Centre up there where we have been pressed into service to help others with their family history.  Usually we trade off with a couple already assigned to work in the FHC.  They come down and do our digitizing and we go up and take their place at helping people trace their family history.

Some of our extra curricular activities have been curtailed this week.  Seems that Paul has had his once every two years bout with the rich man's disease -- yup, gout.  Hopefully it will only be a few more days of painful walking.

This one will be short and sweet, but before signing off, we want to pay special tribute to our birthdays of this coming week -  Matt Cherrington (Tuesday), Connor (Wednesday) and Harlie (Saturday).

We love you all,

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

Sister Missionaries - Pink & Boman

John Major - Fire Insurance 1772