Report from England Feb 15-27

    Institute Wednesday!  We had two great lessons taught by Bishop Manning.  He is so very good!  We talked about the separate roles of men and women and how they complement each other.  We provided treats and Hot Chocolate (milk, Cadbury Chocolate, and Nutella) that the YSA love.  After Institute we went with the YSA to a mini golf course and played a round in the dark.  It was fun and gave us a chance to be with our young friends.  We have one marriage, one engagement and one serious couple in the YSA this week.  Great young people!

     During our London run this week we visited the British Museum and the Portabella market which is full of antiques and vintage clothing. Very fun!

     On Friday we participated in a Ward party where we ate French fries (Chips) and played games.  We had a very fun time with a large crowd of ward members and friends.

     Sunday had us teaching the YSA Sunday School class in Watford.  Things went very well.  We enjoyed a walk after church and visited two Watford churches (one Church of England and one Catholic).

     Monday, it was time for our six month checkup with the Doctor so we rode into South Kensington to a private Clinic that the Senior Missionaries use.  We met a very nice Doctor who practiced at the Mayo Clinic in the states before returning to London.  We will be running blood tests and getting a few skin spots removed but all-in-all we are in good shape.  Tonight we fed the missionaries waffles before YSA home evening.  We will be getting two new missionaries tomorrow, Sister Barnes from Logan and Elder Williams from Gilbert AZ.  We are sending Sister Adams and Elder Auras to other areas.  They are great!  We love our missionaries! 

        Wednesday, we had our Institute lesson with about 25 YSA present.  They are always so very good!  We are worried about a couple of our YSA who have not been to events or activities for some time.  We will reach out to them.  Mom taught an Art lesson after Institute while Dad supervised the treats and visited with all.  

     Thursday, We headed for London for a Dermatologist appointment.  Of course we visited an Art Museum (Tate Modern) while we were there!  The wind in downtown London was blowing 62 miles per hour!  It was crazy to walk across the foot bridge across the Thames in that wind!  There was wind damage throughout London.  The Doctor was very helpful and froze a few spots on each of us.  I guess we had too much sun when we were young.

    Friday, we had Senior Missionary meetings at the Hyde Park Chapel.  We love working with these outstanding people!  The five Senior Missionary couples at this meeting are working with Young Single Adults somewhere in the England London Mission.  We talked, shared hints, recipes, plans, and stories.  We are all having a great time working with these wonderful young people!  Everyone loves what they are doing.  We had a wonderful Taco lunch fixed by Sister Wade of Hyde Park. We also had a good visit with President and Sister Stevens.  They are so good and great to work with.  There is a real shortage of senior missionaries!  We presently have only half as many senior missionaries as are needed.

    We caught a classic car show in London that was awesome.  We saw cars from Formula One racers to Rolls Royce luxury cars. Dozens of Jaguars, MG’s, Porsches, Bentleys, Corvettes, Mini Coopers, and Vipers.  It was fun to see them all up close. We saw a Corvette that was the same model and year as the one Bruce Payne owned when he was young.  We also found a BMW motorcycle like Grandpa Paynes!

    Sunday, we went to the church for a 7:30am Sunrise Priesthood meeting.  We then drove to the Hayes ward for church where we met three new missionaries.  The sisters are moving out of their flat next week.  It was a real dump so we are happy for them.  One new Elder had been on his mission for only three days!  They are all great missionaries.  We visited with our awesome YSA’s and leaders and zoomed home to change for another YSA event.  We met the Aylesbury and Watford YSA at Katie’s house in Hemel Hempstead for dinner. Katie’s family just purchased the house and are remodeling everything in it! The home was built just after WWII by Italian prisoners who were released after the war but decided to stay in England.  Very interesting construction! 

    We drove to Ivinghoe Beacon which is a hill in the county with lots of trails and a great view.  The wind was so strong that you could lean over without falling down.  We hiked and played until after dark.  There were about 17 YSA plus two grandparents (us).  We really enjoyed it!  Typical Sunday for YSA Missionaries… 7am to midnight.

    Monday, Feb 27^th, we prepared for YSA Home Evening, purchased copper pipes for Nerf Guns for the March activity, and tried them out at FHE.  It was a blast!!  Literally! (We bought 200 nerf bullets for the activity). We had a lesson about pioneers and read the story of Ephraim Hanks and the handcart pioneers.  We had a small group this week with four YSA and two missionaries.

      We love our family!  We love the Lord! We love our missionaries and we love our young friends here in England!  We know that God is directing and blessing his faithful children and that great blessings come from serving others!  We love it here.  We love you and miss you all!  

Elder and Sister Baron

England London Mission