Hello from London!

Hello from London, England. We've been here about a week. We're settled in and can't use jet lag for an excuse anymore. What a beautiful place - the English love flowers and there are flowers everywhere. Every home has flower gardens all around and of course the Temple grounds are no different.

We've been working about 8 hours a day. It's wonderful, I don't want anyone to think we're complaining. We love - love - love being in the Temple every day. The people are spiritual, kind, loving, helpful and really, really good.

The Temple President, Presiden Lowry was talking to Bill today and said that after he had set us apart as temple workers and we left his office, he said a prayer thanking Heavenly Father for sending the Millets to him. WOW, I started crying when I heard that because I thank Heavenly Father every day for sending us to the London Temple.

Our shift supervisor apologised for changing my assignment to help somewhere else where I was needed and I told her to not worry about it - I was thrilled to help wherever I could.

Ok, off hours. We don't do much during the week - we're tired and we go for walks, visit with friends here or just hang out in our closet (home).

Monday is our P day (preparation) and last Monday we went to register at the doctor's surgery (don't you just love the English - it's a doctor's office). They won't take you as a patient if you aren't registered ahead of time. After that we went to a huge mall - called Bluewater - bought a shirt at Marks and Spencer and some hair spray, etc. We had lunch there then went in to East Grinstead and did a little grocery shopping. So that wasn't a really exciting day - but they will get better. Next Monday we're going to Rye a medieval town and cinque port.

Thursday is usually our shopping day - depending on our shift at the Temple, we go in the morning or afternoon. This week we will go in the afternoon and we will both get our hair cut in East Grinstead. That's a nice sized town with good shops and everything that we need. Their main streets are called high streets. (just a little education for you). Somebody told me today that an American was horrified to hear that a lady had her seat pinched by someone. Funny. You know what was meant - I won't translate. But the English say our two countries are separated by a common language.

Bill, DeAne Bartchi (the sister plus her husband Grant came over with us - we spent time with them in the MTC) and I decided to walk to Lingfield. A small town about 1 1/2 miles from here. What a disaster! They didn't have sidewalks for the first half of it and we walked through stinging nettle! The road is very windy and narrow. We had practically no room to walk and even when we got to sidewalks, they were attached to the road, so we were within striking distance from the cars that were whizzing past. We made it there and back and everyone here is really proud of us because noone else is dumb enough to walk it. I swear I could feel paint chipping off on my clothing. But Lingfield is really a cute little town. It has a tree that is so huge and old that it stands up on its four roots and you can walk under it. Right next to it is a little tiny rock building with iron rods in the tiny windows - it used to be used for poachers. They have a stream running through the town with a duck pond and benches around it. It's just quaint. Believe it or not - DeAne had to get some pence pieces to do her laundry and that's the only reason we went - she could have gotten change at the desk downstairs! Hey, it was great exercise.

This is the side entrance to the Temple. We have to walk across the driveway from where we live. I told Bill, I can hardly stand the comute to work.



These are just some random pictures of the grounds. We haven't been all around yet.

Just some little visitors.

I just love taking pictures of flowers and OH! they have some really beautiful ones here. I don't know the name of this one - but isn't it beautiful!

This is our little (and boy do I mean little) home - the one with the fan in the window. We live at the Accommodation Centre - Room 45. We have a kitchen area with a stove and oven, sink, plenty of cupboards and the cutest refrigerator - it looks like the cupboards -down under the counter space - one side is the refrigerator and the other is the freezer - really quite large with drawers. Then comes the bedroom area - two twin beds pushed together to make a king and that's all the room there is - a very small dresser on one side and two really comfortable chairs with foot stools and a computer table between at the other end of that same room. Almost no floor space. The bathroom is surprisingly roomy. Really quite nice - except for the weird shower head - but I'll get used to it. Look at it this way - I have practically no housework!!! You have to look on the bright side of things.