Just wanted to tell you Merry Christmas (we'll hold off with the Happy New Year until next week). Anyway we are truly going to miss everyone -- if you only knew how much. Guess the secret is to stay busy and to continue to get caught up in the work. The only problem with getting caught up in the work is that there isn't a lot to get caught up in. Everything closes down on Christmas and the day after Christmas (Boxing Day). We do mean everything. No buses, no trains, no National Archives (closed from 25 - 29 Dec), etc., etc.
The latest news is our speaking in Sacrament Meeting today. We have decided that we are the speakers whenever we celebrate something in relation to the Savior. That means that we spoke at Easter and today we spoke for Christmas. We're not sure if the ward is short speakers or we are just the ones that need to study more about Him. Nevertheless it is and was our privilege to speak today. Annie spoke on understanding the Shepherds and Paul spoke on understanding the Wise Men. We both learned a lot as we prepared. So many people were kind to us following the meeting. Several of the members gave us cards and goodies. We felt quite loved.
We also had a wonderful start to the week. We left on mid-day Monday for the London Temple which is several miles away. We spent Monday evening getting things ready for a group of Elders and Sisters who were coming on Tuesday for a session at the temple and a meal with the Mission President. When we finished with our preparations, we were told that someone wanted some help with their family history, so we spent the evening (after going out to dinner at our favorite pub) helping a Sister with her family history.
 |
| Genealogy at Temple |
Almost forgot to mention that on the way to the temple, we stopped by Hever Castle. Had a great
experience and learned a little more about Henry VIII and Ann Boleyn. They had it all decorated with Christmas lights. The parish church next door was really historic as it dated back some 800 years. We stumbled across a children's presentation where they were celebrating Christmas by riding the donkeys - cute!
 |
| Hever Castle |
 |
| Hever Castle |
 |
| Children & Donkeys |
 |
| Children & Donkeys |
 |
| Ann Boleyn? |
 |
| Hever Church |
 |
| Hever Church Interior |
 |
| Preparations for Dinner |
Tuesday came and we were back at work getting ready for the Elders and Sisters. While they were in the temple, we were making serious preparations for feeding them. Following a short program we were able to attend the temple ourselves. We were honored to be the witness couple on the session. We were also privileged to see the new temple film for our first time. The session was unique in that we had 5 males and two females that made up the 6 pm session. We stood proxy for two of Annie's ancestors that we had previously discovered since being here on our mission. In the evening we spent more time helping the same Sister with her family history.
 |
| Missionary Luncheon |
 |
| President Millar @ Missionary Luncheon |
Wednesday was our day to return to London. We took in one more session at the temple. Again we were privileged to be the witness couple on our session. Following the session the Carpenters took us to the train station and we made the trip back to our London home. The Carpenters have been really good to us. They will return home to Draper early in January, as they finish their mission.
We had previously purchased tickets through Groupon to view the Christmas lights in London. So Wednesday evening we made our way downtown and took an open top, double decker bus tour to see the lights. It was really a marvelous experience even though it rained for half the trip and we were on the upper open deck.
 |
| Tourists at London Lights |
Thursday and Friday were regular days back at the Archives. We even got a little imaging done on the cameras but ended up doing some evaluation for future projects and some family history for most of the days. Annie wasn't feeling real well on those two days so she spent some of them home in bed. After going to the doctor on Friday morning, we are happy to report that things are looking better for her -- naturally, since she did so well on her talk today.
Saturday was mostly a cleanup, shop, and get talks ready for the day. We probably haven't mentioned it before, but Saturday and well as several other days have been baking days for Annie. She is a real hit when it comes to making fudge over here. As a candy maker, roll maker (with Kathie's help), pie maker, and all around general cook she has DONE WELL.
Once again our special prayers and thoughts go out to all of you for a happy Christmas and a week filled with love and joy. Do something wild and frivolous for us. Have some extra egg nog, a nice piece of fruitcake, visit Temple Square, don't go to too many parties, try to visit someone that is alone or down and out, take a minute to put Christ back in Christmas.
Again, we'll miss you all, but we know that what we are doing is what we need to be doing at this time of our lives. The gospel is true. It's great to serve and to try to help others. It's a privilege to be associated with all of you. We sure love our children and grandchildren. Even though we don't do the best job of supporting our friends and extended family, we love you too.
Elder and Sister Smart, Paul and Annie, Grandpa and Grandma, Dad and Mom
 |
| Tourist at Hever Castle |
 |
| Checking out the Sleigh |
--
 |
| Manger Scene at Temple |
Hold everything and stop the press. We have just discovered that we did not "publish" our week 45. So, if you're following this series, you didn't tell us. So we will not only publish this, our Christmas message, but the one we thought we had shared with you two weeks ago. It it/was all about our Isle of Wight experience.
No comments:
Post a Comment