Spring has officially arrived, a lot sooner and lusher than last year after the wettest Winter on record, and last years coldest winter on record, We seem to be catching a lot of weather records since we came to England. what with the Hottest Summer last year. but it is always an adventure and wonderful.
A lot has happened, and a lot of miles have been put on our car since we wrote last, and just looking at when that was made us both cringe, We had no idea,---- time is running away from us, we will be home before you know it.
When we last wrote we just had one multi-zone conference left in Crawley, Then we started the next day with interviews, which the President has to do every 3 months, We started off in Reading Zone, (pronounced "Redding" spelling it phonetically). Driving to Basingstoke, then to Bracknell, then to Reading then on to Oxford, we finished about 8:30pm then drove to Swinton, and stayed overnight at the Holiday Inn there, just off the Motorway. Swinton isn't actually in our mission, the Birmingham Mission dips down through the M4 for a few miles there so every time we go to Bristol we have to drive through it, Anyway then it was on to Bristol and interviews there, Western Super Mare and Taunton. we then drove to Exeter and stayed the night at a B&B just off the Motorway going to Plymouth, We then drove to St Austell, then Plymouth and then Newton Abbott and stayed at the same B&B near Exeter, Next day we drove into Exeter and finished off the interviews there. then in the afternoon we drove home, Each Zone has about 28 missionaries, and at about 15 minutes per missionary it takes time. We now have between 250 and 260 young Sisters and Elders so it takes time. We try to go to the nearest Chapel to as many missionaries as possible in that area, to save them travelling very far,
We keep saying, One of these days it will be nice to see if there is a Town attached to these Chapels, as we seem to go from Motorway to Chapel without seeing anything else. We have now driven over 54,000 miles
The next week we did interviews in the Poole Zone and had just enough time for a bite, before going to the Stake Missionary Correlation Meeting with the Stake President and High Council that evening, after the meeting we had the 2 hour drive back home, so it was a late night for us.
The next Friday Jodi and Paul and their family arrived, it was wonderful to see them and see how much the children had grown, They were able to stay at the mission home for a few days even though we were not able to be there most of the time, Infact that weekend we had to go back to Poole for their Stake Conference, and had to speak at both Saturday night and Sunday Meetings, we got back home late Sunday, in time to welcome Jodi's family, as they had spent the weekend going to the Roman baths at Bath and visiting the Goodrich Castle in Glouchester.
Tuesday we were able to go with the kids to Sonehenge, it was a beautiful day, dispite a biting wind that blew across the Salisbury Plains. We then separated ways, they drove to the Mission home and we continued on to Southampton for their Stake Missionary Correlation Meeting, getting home at 10:30 pm. Wednesday they left to go to their lodgeings in London, and that night we met them at the Theater to see the Lion King, another late night for us, We then drove to Bristol the next day for their Stake Correlation Meeting, Another late night, Then Friday was President Millars eye appointment in London, that he has every 6 weeks, after that we met up with the kids at Westminster and went to the Churchill, Underground War Rooms, It was very interesting, then after getting dinner we made our way back to the mission home, tired but sad as we had to say goodbye to them all, until we get home.
A couple of highlights of their trip, were visiting an owlrey that a member has in his back garden, he has over 20 owls, of every shape and size, we all loved it and he let the kids hold some of them, the other was after meeting the Assistants to the President who were at our home on Monday, they invited Kaden who is 17, to go on a teach with them, He loved it, we were so proud of him.
Since then we have had Missionaries going home and transfers, which are always very busy times, then Mission Leadership training, and the beginning of each Zones Zone Training which we divided up with the AP's they took 5 and we took 5 Zones.
This last weekend we were at the Plymouth Stake Conference, we left here Thursday, interviewed a missionary in Portsmouth, then another in Hedge End, near Southampton, then drove on to our little B&B near Exeter, Drove the next day to Plymouth, for their Zone Training, stayed in Plymouth that night, at a hotel near the Hoe, where the Mayflower sailed from, attended Stake Conference and Stake Correlation Meeting Saturday, Attended Sunday Conference, and we had to speak at both meetings, Left at 1pm and drove back to the Mission Home for a quick bite and then on to Crawley for a Fireside that evening, The Mayor of Crawley was there with his wife and a counsel man and also Lord and Lady something, At the reception later they thought they knew me from somewhere,----------- we laughed because quite a few people have asked if I was Judy Dench, (M from the James Bond Movies). although I didn't say that to them.
Next weekend is Easter and we are speacking in the Epsom Ward, but Saturday we get a treat and we are going to Watford, to hear and see a performance of "The Lamb of God" The Sister conducting in above picture, is one of our Senior Missionaries, who plays the cello back home in the symphony, and she has been asked to play in this National production of The Lamb of God.
Well I bet your as exhausted as me after reading that,------- Must close, Love you all and miss you.
God Bless and keep you safe.
President and Sister Millar aka Doc and Val.
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