Our Hearts Are Full

 Friday 13 March 2020

Our last walk around the temple grounds.

Smiles because we loved serving here so much.  But inside so sad to be leaving.

We were grateful for the feelings of satisfaction knowing that we had given our best.

Our lives will never be the same after serving and loving and being loved by the British Saints and the Saints from Africa, Spain, Norway, Portugal, France, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Bulgaria, Japan, Brazil, America and we are sure other places around the world who came to this temple.  Their faith and dedication is inspiring to us.

 

 It was a beautiful last walk around the grounds.  We caught this photo of the temple before the outside lights came on and it makes it look as if it is glowing from the inside.  

We were serving our shift in the temple on March 12, when word came that President Irwin wanted all the American missionaries to meet in Room 1.  As soon as we heard that we knew we were headed home because of the concerns about the coronavirus spreading.  After meeting with him and learning that it was our Prophet, President Nelson who had said it was time to go home; we turned in our notebooks, changed clothes, emptied our lockers and walked across the car park to start packing. It was only a few hours later when we heard that it had changed to all missionaries being sent home from serving in this beautiful sacred London Temple.  We were told we could leave as early as the next day.  We received our itinerary from President on Friday to fly home on Saturday March 14th.  We were to fly from Gatwick Airport to Orlando to Atlanta to Phoenix; a little different from our direct flight that had been booked for us to return home in May! We started sorting, sharing, and packing our belongings in the flat.

While we were packing there was a rain shower and this beautiful full rainbow. A tender mercy to say all will be well. The view from this window is going to be missed.  We probably will never have the opportunity to live this close to a temple again.  

Sweet Sister Baker came over and sat in our lounge while we scurried about tossing and packing.
She stayed several hours and it really helped us to have her there while we processed our feelings while trying to figure out how to pack up so quickly.
This photo is from a Hi & Bye we had the previous Monday for the Segars, Fitzners and Haucks.
The Segars are from Canada and had only arrived the prior week.
The Fitzners were to go home in April after the 2 week temple cleaning closure.
Little did any of us know that it was everyones 'Bye'!
 

We didn't get a photo with either the Hi's or Bye's but we did get one with Sister Baker.
Sister Baker is from Bournemouth and comes to the temple every few months for a week at a time.
She was so sweet when she heard we were leaving she asked if we had any ordinances she could do for us.  We had a few initiatory and sealings she took and completed for us. We will never forget her or this kind sweet service.

The MacFarlane's also stopped over to see if they could help with anything.
Also George Platter stopped by and had a prayer with us.
Then, an impromptu farewell party broke out in the Lodge Lounge.

The Hoare's are from Australia.  They were President and Matron of the Melbourne Temple and were to go home in August.

 Sister Taylor is a periodic worker.
She worked usually 2 weeks in 8, but was full time for the last few months.

 A crowded room full of temple ordinance workers shocked at the news all were leaving.
This was on Thursday, it was decided the temple was only going to be open half a day on Friday and for only 2 session on Saturday before closing for the two week cleaning closure.

 The Dodkins were full time British workers. They drove the mini-bus to church in East Grinstead each Sunday.

 Turners from Blackfoot Idaho.  They had about 2 months left of a 23 month mission.
Our current shift coordinators.

 The Webbs, periodic workers usually worked 4 weeks at a time.
They started as ordinance workers in the London Temple the same month as we arrived, last May.

 Sister Larson is from Utah she has been here only about 4 months of 18 month mission.

 Brother Sellers (from Salem, Oregon) Sisters Larson, Sellers and Assistant to Matron Sister Anatsui.

Sister Beck is from SLC and served 3 months of an 18 month mission.

 Sister Dockerty is a full time British worker.

 
Sister Curley is a full-time British worker who worked in the temple office with her husband who is an Assistant Recorder.  She was surprised to learn that Matt liked mince pies so at Christmas she taught us about the 12 days of Christmas. Each day you eat a mince pie (they are little tart size) so that you will have happiness for the coming 12 months.  She lovingly left 12 mince pies at our door. She said she will think of Matt each Christmas as she makes mince pies.

 I had to include this photo as Brother Curley is on the couch with his usual jolly laugh.

 Sister Jensen, Assistant to the Matron is from Swansea Wales.
The Jensens were full time British workers until being called into the Presidency last October.

 Brother Parker full time British worker, President Anatsui, Sister Anatsui and Sister and Brother Shurtleff from Pleasant Grove, Utah. The Shurtleff's served as President and Matron of the Montevideo Uruguay Temple, President of Columbia Missionary Training Center, and President of the Equador Quito Mission before serving this mission.

 President and Sister Anatsui, we love them so much.
They had been serving in the London England Mission Presidency when they were called to serve in the Temple Presidency.  They had never been temple ordinance workers before. Some of Joan's sweetest memories are of training Sister Anatsui.  She said, 'who is going to sign me off now!' It was fun to see her excitement after she accomplished something she didn't think she could do. We shall always remember their sweet humble service. She was so sad to see us go.

Sister Robertson full time worker from Slovenia.

We wish we had taken more photos, we certainly missed a lot of people...Walkers, Grames, Rushforths, Bardens, Fitzners, Muellers, Haucks, Sis Farr, Davenports, Fortunes...
We are grateful for their examples to us.  Many have served multiple missions, as temple presidents and matrons, patriarchs, mission presidents, in the London temple for years at a time and some were 1st time missionaries.
Thankfully we will always be connected because of our service together!

Some how we got everything packed up.
 
The door to our flat #15 and the hallway.

The Lodge building.  Our flat is 2nd floor, the 3 windows in the middle.
On the left the bedroom window, the middle-kitchen window, and our lounge window next to that.
On the right is the big Lodge Lounge window.  This is the room where we had our farewell party, game nights and FHE.

We were greeted Saturday morning by this coach.  There were several of us going to Gatwick so President hired a coach to take us and all our luggage together.  The Grames, Turners, Muellers, Thompsons, Haucks, Sisters Beck, Larson, Farr all left together.

It was actually a very sad sight seeing so many leave at once.
We are used to seeing off just one couple at a time.

Brother and Sister Lloyd (assistant recorder) helping us load up.

We were going to have a photo on the temple steps before we left, but it was too rainy, so the Christus room was the next option. (President had planned after the cleaning closure to have full shift photos taken on the steps...oh well, this impromptu photo session will have to do.

There were just as many people on the other side of the camera.
Wish we could have gotten a photo of the picture takers!

This photo includes President Irwin on the far left.

 It was a rainy send off...

 but those not leaving yet were out to wave good-bye.

We arrived at the airport with plenty of time to check our bags and go through security.
This is our 747 Virgin Airlines flight to Orlando.  Plenty of room on board, probably only 1/2 full.
Sister Scarlett from the temple office was onboard to go visit family in Orlando.  In the middle of the flight it was announced that travel into the UK would be cut off in the coming days.  She thought she would probably land and immediately try to get a flight to go back home!

We learned lots of new things while living in the UK.  One of the biggest was learning new vocabulary words.  We didn't think we were learning a foreign language, but the British have some interesting twists on words.  We did do pretty well with the language...what follows is only a small sample of the new words we learned.

  

We walked across the car park (parking lot) to the temple where we picked up our rota (schedule) to see where we will be serving that day.  We dropped off our lunch bag in the canteen (cafeteria) where they are serving bangers and mash (sausage and mashed potatoes) and jacket potatoes (baked potatoes).  

People ask, 'You alright?' (hello) and you answer All right? (hello).  And there was a frequent, Hiya! (hi) and Cheers! (thanks, bye)

We ride the lift (elevator) from the basement to the ground floor not the 1st floor. The 1st floor is actually the 2nd floor and the 2nd floor is actually the 3rd floor.  One day Joan answered the phone in the veil office on the 2nd floor and answered by saying '3rd floor veil office' it was met with lots of laughter...the temple doesn't have a 3rd floor!

When Joan worked the clothing counter she hired (rented) trousers (pants...pants here are underwear), braces (suspenders) to men and popsocks (nylon knee-hi) to women. If you get cold you put on a jumper (sweater).

We ate biscuits (cookies), crisps (potato chips) and chips (french fries).  One of the best ones is, you sort (solve) a problem.

Some random pictures...this is the stairs to the temple in July 2019, before the renovation started.

This photo is of the stairs taken on our last night, they were completely redone in granite. The lower baptistery door is nearly completed.
 
 This is the before photo of the chimney surrounded by scaffolding ready to be dismantled.
Guess we won't have an after photo as it is to be completed during the cleaning closure.
 
Planes, the many, many planes coming in for landings at Gatwick.
The pilots actually use the temple as a reference point.

We have many wonderful memories from our time spent in the London area.

• Riding the mini-bus to church
• Movie night
• Eating the best chocolate, cheese and scones!
• Break the fast dinners
• FHE
• Shift endowment and sealing sessions
• Watching general conference sessions live at 5PM and 9PM.
• Riding the train from Lingfield to London Victoria 
• Minding the Gap
• Looking right before crossing the street
• The groundskeepers and workers working on the steps calling Matt 'the Roadrunner' and 'Mr Walker' because of his long walks everyday around the grounds.
• The sweet ladies that worked in the accommodation center. 
• The cashier at Costco on March 10th who looked up at Matt and said, 'you are glowing, you are glowing.  What have you been doing?'  Matt told her we are serving a one year church mission in the London Temple for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and we try to reflect the light of Christ while serving.  To which she replied, 'You are certainly doing that!'

Taking a taxi to the Lingfield train station.

We spent lots of time waiting for a train on this platform.

We had more places we wanted to visit before going home, but we were able to visit some lovely places...London, Brighton, Dover, Portsmouth...

 The names of the calling points on the way to London were the best:

Hurst Green, Oxted, Woldingham, Upper Warlingham, Riddlesdown, Sanderstead, East Croydon, Clapham Junction...classic

Victoria Station with the large platform timetable.

Victoria Station exit on the left where we would walk to Park Plaza Hotel.

Park Plaza Victoria

The buses were our favorite mode of transportation.

Our Oyster Cards were recently topped up (added money to)...might need to go back and use them up!

The best app ever to get around big cities.  We used it in London, Rome and Paris!

 
We loved occasionally going to church in London at the Hyde Park Chapel.

It has such a rich history.  The church purchased the land that had remained empty since being bombed in WWII.  The building was 1st dedicated in 1961 by President David O McKay.  After being refurbished, it was rededicated by President Gordon B Hinckley 34 years later.  When orginally built, there was not a member of the church within a 7 mile radius. Because of its location and history, the Hyde Park chapel is regarded as one of the most well-known meetinghouse in the Church.  The building is home to the Hyde Park Stake, 3 wards, family history center and a visitors center.

We have many memories of serving in this beautiful holy House of the Lord.

• Serving as bride and groom guides...and seeing those couples return to the temple every month and greet us with a hug.
• Serving in the baptistery with traveling families, new converts and large youth groups.
• The regular patrons who come so faithfully despite their physical challenges completing multiple session every time they come: The Chivers, Primes, Bro Ridley and many, many more.
• Using language cards with patrons...especially Sister Thomasson from Norway.
• Helping new patrons...several memories are special; the brother from India, a sister from Spain, the young woman with cancer that President did a special session only for her and her family.
• The missionaries from the London England Mission when they came for their farewell temple visit before going home and the week before Christmas. They would come for lunch in the canteen and an endowment session. 
• Joan learning to run the till at the clothing counter...the pounds and pence were always a challenge.
• Being so busy during singles week.
• The beautiful paintings throughout the temple.  Especially the painting of the Good Shepherd in the chapel. We assume it is an original because we have never seen this particular painting before. The Savior is holding a lamb with other sheep at his feet.
• The chandeliers in the Celestial Room.
• Stairs, stairs and more stairs.  
• The temple staff: those working in the office, canteen and especially in the laundry.
• But mostly the spirit we felt while performing saving ordinances for the patrons.

We are sad the way our mission ended, but we are so happy we were able to serve a mission in the London Temple.  It made us grow, sacrifice, and serve in different ways than ever before.

We met lovely people and were able to experience different cultures.  We loved every bit.  We love each other.  And we love the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Yes, we had to go home, but our memories of our experiences will last a lifetime.