Senior Missionaries Needed,

Dear friends and family, I KNOW! I KNOW, It;s only been a short while since our last blog, but we need to send out a very special request, a plea if you like, for any Senior Couples that are thinking of serving a mission in the near future, We have 6 senior couples going home in the next 5 months and only one couple assigned to replace them. HELP!!!!  They wound be needed to work with the YSA ( young single adults) in some of our Stakes. Also we need senior couples for membership and leadership support to some of our wards and branches. If anyone has any interest please contact us by e-mail.   If you are interested please let the missionary department know you would like to serve in the England London South Mission, and we can put a word in also from this end.
     Things continue to be hectic for us, 2 weeks ago we left home at 9am to go and interview missionaries in the Wandsworth Stake, that took most of the day, them we got a quick bit to eat, (We usually take sack lunches for day long interviews), them from 7pm onwards we had Stake Missionary Correlation Meeting with the Wandsworth Stake Presidency, and Stake Mission Leaders, also the Zone Leaders, and of course us. We finally got home around 10pm.
  The next day was interviews for the digital zone at the Crawley Stake Center (a new and successful area of missionary work), them intreviews the day after at Crawley Stake Center  for the Crawley Zone. which led us to Friday and interviews for the Staines Zone with us Travelling from the Kingston ward to Staines and then to Slough.
 Weekends we are usually chasing around going to baptisms, and the office, and the Visiters Center on the Temple grounds, catching up with things at the mission home, and going to the store.
      Last Tuesday was the start of our Multi Zone Conferences, Three Zones (Stakes) met at the Poole Stake Center. (Plymouth, Bristol and Poole) we then stayed overnight in Portsmouth so we could do interviews all the next day,----- We even managed to have dinner at our favorite Fish and Chip Shop,  Chez Fred's in Westbourne, which is between Poole and Bournemouth ------ Staying in Portsmouth  saved us a 2 hour drive home and back, We finished off at Hamble River, and it was quite a pleasant day…… the sun actually came out for a while…….
   Thursday was a catchup day, and Friday, another Multi Zone Conference at Staines (Staines, Reading and Portsmouth Stakes)
  Spring seems to be approaching much more rapidly than last year, even though this has been the wettest year on record for England, Water is still everywhere,

These beautiful little daffodils are in the front garden by our back door, and their heads are less than 1 inch across

These 2 pictures were taken from the ferry going across to the Isle of Wight, We had to speak at a Fireside there. These are just leaving the dock at Portsmouth.

This is the Isle of Wight taken from the ferry not long before we landed.

Another busy week next week. Tuesday will see us at the Crawley Stake House, This isn't far from Gatwick Airport, and we will be having our last Multi Zone Conference The Digital Zone,( this includes the Visiting Center Sisters as well as Office Elders and Proselyting Elders) The Crawley Zone, the Maidstone Zone and the Wandsworth Zone.

 This is the roundabout near our home where we get on the A3

This is a sign on the Southamptom Chapel door,  

Must close, Love you all, and appreciate all your support and prayers,

God Bless,

 Roger and Valerie, aka President and Sister Millar.

Arc Building. 101

Dear family and friends,
A BIG HELLO, from soggy and water logged Southern England,
They say it's the wettest winter on record, and we won't disagree, unfortunately there is more rain and gales on the way. Many of the railway tracks are under water, and the ones on the south coast in Dorset, Devon, Somerset, and Cornwall that are near the coast have been damaged by the sea surge and washed away. So far, the Missionaries and ourselves have not been affected too much at present, although in some areas our missionaries are helping with flood control and filling sandbags, and helping in the shelters to feed and help those who have been evacuated. Rail travel is the main mode of transport for most people, What a mess, Is this a sign of the times, or what????
    Driving in it is also a challenge!, Last Thursday we left home at 8.15am to drive to Plymouth, to talk to an Elder who was having some problems and needed to talk to the President, a 4 hr drive, We were trying to drive back home through Poole and Chicester to talk to another Elder who needed to talk with the President, but some of the roads were closed due to the flooding, consequently we were driving though small towns, which were very picturesque, but a little scary, It would have been beautiful if it hadn't been so grey and misty all day. We finally got home about 10.30pm.   Below; Note how narrow the roads are with one of the road hazards we frequently encounter.

Notice how the houses come right up to the road edge, NO sidewalks (footpaths) Lots of beautiful thatched cottages in the villages

Here are some of the driving problems due to all the rain. The picture doesn't do it justice

Visability is a problem, this is what most days are like only worse

Notice, not only are the roads flooded,  But the fields at the sides are like lakes.

We just got through a week of transfers, missionaries going home and coming, and a day long Mission Leadership Council.
We are now over 50,000 miles in traveling and still going strong!
    On the 24th Jan we traveled up to Sutton Colefield in the midlands, near Birmingham, for a Conference with the area Presidency from Frankfurt, and every Stake President from England, Scotland and Ireland, along with many of the Relief Society, Primary and Young Women's Stake Presidencies. Also, the Area Seventies from the UK were there also.  The meeting was held on Saturday, so we sprnt the night at a B&B which was a converted old schoolhouse,   See below

 The meeting finished around 2:30pm. we had a late lunch, then drove back to Reading for their Stake Conference. The meeting started at 6:00pm and we got their at 5:55pm. Both of us had to speak at that meeting,  We stayed that night in Reading at another B&B and collapsed into bed at 10:00pm, The next day we attended their Sunday Stake Conference meeting from 10:30am to 12:30pm , we had to speak again, during that meeting, then afterwards they had a meeting for investigators and new members which they asked us to speak at also . We finally got home around 6:30pm.
Life is busy and hectic, but we are surviving, the next few weeks will have us traveling all over the mission doing interviews and multi zone conferences, quite a busy time,
We love you all and are so grateful for your patience with us, Time is going so fast, it seems as every day is Sunday. A great big HAPPY BIRTHDAY to all with birthdays this month, and a very Happy Valentines Day to all. (aren't you proud of me? I actually remembered BEFORE the day) I usually haven't a clue what the date is, only what day it is.
The daffodils are all starting to bloom again at the roadsides, and the crocuses also, It has been such a mild if very wet Winter and Spring is coming early. even walking across the lawn your feet sink into the ground. Wish we could send some of this rain to Utah.
Must close unless the Pres, has something to add, You are always in our prayers.
   As the President signs off to all the missionaries,   Forever Faithful.