BritishSmarts: Week 50 -- Turmoil!

Enjoying dinner and company

Taking it easy

This week we have been in a "turmoil" trying to find out what our mission assignment is. We have had two months of no real assignment. The digitizing stopped the first part of November. We worked fast and efficient and worked ourselves right out of a job. We have kept busy doing our genealogy, helping other people with their genealogy and doing other assignments when asked. Paul has done some analyzing of records at The National Archives and sending samples to Salt Lake to help them determine if they wanted to contract to digitize them. Annie has done some digitizing to fill in for Henry who was on vacation. We worked hard to try to find things to keep busy and were getting more than frustrated and even somewhat depressed. Our digitizing supervisor told us that he could not provide us with any more digitizing. The other missionary couple was transferred to Germany, but a promise had been made to the director of The London Family History Centre to keep Paul here to help with the family history classes on Tuesdays.

It was felt that Paul's talents and knowledge could be more useful helping train the stake and ward family history leaders in Great Britain. Our supervisor presented this to the FamilySearch Priesthood Genealogy coordinator, for England. The idea seemed to be accepted by all.

The biggest problem with this transfer was a lack of communication and too many hands in the fire. We were waiting and no one was contacting us. We found out that our new supervisor did not want us unless we had a car. No one could find a car. Our old supervisor thought that the new supervisor was working things out. Salt Lake thought that all was well and things were moving forward. We were still waiting and nothing was happening. No one wanted to take responsibility to make this happen. All leaders thought someone else was taking care of things.

Finally, we realized no one was going to do anything and we suspected that no one really had work for us to do. There is an Elder in Salt Lake that is assigned to periodically contact the senior FamilySearch missionaries to make sure all is well. We made a call to him and shared our woes. Paul also contacted a friend, that works in the temple department to see about the possibility of working in the London Temple.

These two contacts really got some feathers up and things moving in a circle direction. Salt Lake had no idea we were sitting and our two supervisors thought the other one was taking care of us. The temple department said that a transfer to the temple would be very possible if our mission president would talk to the temple president. We then emailed our mission president, who said he would talk to the temple president.

A few days later we heard from our (new) second supervisor that said he would love to have us help if we had a car. Our first supervisor had almost given up on a car and realized there used to be cars at Solihull, the former Church headquarters in Great Britain. He contacted those in charge and sure enough, one car was left and was going up for sale. It was supposedly agreed that they would let us use it and sell it after our mission.

There are still big concerns on our part. First, we have been told so many things that did not really take place, that we are not believing anything until it happens. Second our mission office says you can drive in Great Britain for one year on your USA license but then must get one of their licenses. We will have been here a year in 3 weeks. That means in three weeks we can't drive, even if we get a car. We have also been told it is a lengthy and expensive process to get a license. We are not sure if this is going to happen in a timely manner.

In the mean time we have been taking shifts in the London Family History Centre helping patrons. One couple went home and their replacement has not, yet, arrived. The director feels sorry for us and said she will use us at least two or three days at the centre. Although she feels sorry for us, we know she likes having Paul's expertise.

We spent Saturday at the temple with our ward. They placed an emphasis on having the youth and new converts participate in doing baptisms for the dead. We started teaching another temple preparation class today. The Bishop is very kind and expresses regular appreciation for our help. We sure love serving in our ward.

We forgot to mention Rachelle's birthday this past week.

Love to all of you; the Gospel is still true!!!

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