Edvalsons in England: 21 October 2018

Greetings to one and all as we wend our way through October. It has been a beautiful month so far…we even had one more 70 degree day with several in the 60s. But the days are growing shorter rapidly and next weekend the UK sets their clocks back to standard time so the darkness of evening will be that much earlier.

Meanwhile, we’ve had a whirlwind couple of weeks. We spent 2 more days with Sister E’s cousin Katie Walther before she departed on Wednesday 10 September. On Tuesday the 9^th we spent the afternoon at the Royal Armory at Leeds Docks. Since Katie is a retired Lt. Colonel from the Army Reserves, she perhaps had a greater appreciation than your average visitor of centuries of British war history there. This time we saw some relief sculptures remembering WWI and WWII. The Church here, as well as the whole country is preparing to commemorate the 100^th anniversary of the armistice ending WWI on 11 November. Our Stake will be presenting an evening of remembrance where several will tell the stories of their ancestors who fought in the war and some who gave their lives. We had an enjoyable few hours at the Armory and an enjoyable late afternoon meal at an adjacent restaurant.

With the exception of our Institute class for new members of the Church and the missionary’s friends (whom we used to call “investigators”), each of the classes have been very well attended. We had 37 at our last Home Evening group meeting (up from our summer average of 6-12), and about 15-20 at our Wednesday Hymns course. Last Thursday we had 59 attending Institute, with about 28 having the dinner we prepare beforehand. Then on Friday, we had 23 for our Pancake Breakfast and Devotional! That’s well above our last year’s average of 3 to 10. Our Friday evening showing of the first Harry Potter movie for movie night also had about 23 or so in attendance. It’s been a very fun, rewarding, and sometimes tiring experience keeping things running smoothly. Our trips to the grocery store and Costco have multiplied in both frequency and volume to keep up with the weekly meal preparations that go on.

Last Saturday 13 October we were able to remotely participate in our granddaughter Sabrina Stock’s baptism from Anchorage Alaska! Sister Edvalson gave the talk about the Gift of the Holy Ghost via Skype to the service there and we were able to witness the whole meeting and the baptism which was a great blessing! That’s the second baptism we’ve physically missed but been able to be a part of through our modern devices. Congratulations Sabrina! We’re so proud of you and your choice to follow the Savior and accept His invitation to follow Him on the covenant path.

We also had Zone Conferences this past week where we traveled a half hour to Huddersfield to join 4 other zones to spend the day receiving instruction from President and Sister Turvey and the other mission leaders. We also visited the wards in Wharfe Valley and the Leeds 4^th Ward these past weeks. That’s been a very enjoyable part of our mission getting to know the local Saints all over our Stake (8 wards and 2 branches). We also had a new family from Lincoln Nebraska move in to the Leeds 1^st Ward for this school year. Ben and Rachel Terry and their daughter are here for his sabbatical year from the University of Nebraska where he is a professor of mechanical engineering. He’s doing some research here for the year and they have been called as ward Young Single Adult advisors for our home ward. They consequently spend a few evenings a week with us in mentoring and serving the YSAs. It’s been fun getting to know and serve with them.

Yesterday we had most of the day to ourselves as our first “P” (preparation) day in several weeks. We took some time with some of the other senior missionaries and went to the Leeds IKEA to do a little shopping, have a late lunch there and then went to the movie “First Man” about the life and career of Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon. That brought a lot of memories back of my childhood and affection for those astronauts. It emphasized the price paid by those who dedicated their careers and sometimes lives to achieve that lofty goal.

We’re grateful to be here in England, sacrificing some of our time away from you, our friends and loved ones, while we joyfully serve the Savior and the Young Single Adults of Leeds for another school year. Thanks for your cards, visits, calls, emails and prayers in our behalf. They are much appreciated.

Love,

Elder & Sister Edvalson