This past week we were very busy getting up the learning curve. We have a lot to learn and several reports to file and every email requires 5 or 6 cc's. We have to write the Queen's English because that is the programme they use here and teach at the BYU Centre. Our training in Solihull was very helpful and we are now outfitted with all of our technical tools, phone, wifi and computers. We start our social visits this week with receptions at two embassies and meeting with others in the community. We are very adept at getting around on the tube and buses. Joyce is struggling a little with the transportation because she does'nt have to find us a parking place and tell me where to park. Yesterday was an adventure, we took a bus to Knightsbridge and walked a short distance to Harrods Dept. Store, which is massive. The nice thing about shopping Harrods is everything is so high-end and expensive we just wanted to look. We had a delightful lunch of "fish and chips" in their Great Food Hall and felt we have arrived. We walked around Picadilly Circus and came home exhausted with 10,000 step on the Fitbit. Church at the Hyde Park Ward is very nice with excellent speakers and teachers and real diversity of members. We love you all and hope you are doing equally as well. Love, Joyce and Stan

We have had a wonderful first week in London. We replace Lee and Diann Burk from Logan and they have stayed and help us transition for a week. We have been made to feel so welcome here, the missionaries, the Mission Pres. and his wife, and all of the staff in the mission office. We have a nice, comfortable office which doubles as a lounge for hosting when we have guests. We have learned to navigate the tube and it is quite handy. Joyce has our flat all tricked out and cleaned up and it is starting to feel like home. It is very small but convenient to all of the shops and the the tube stop. We are doing a lot of work contacting embassies, meeting with them and informing them about the church. It is nice to be working together and we have divided up our duties and responsiblities so we both have plenty to do. Sat. we took our little trolley, which is a bag on wheels that you take shopping for groceries, did our shopping and wheeled our trolley home. it is very interesting to adjusting to no car, we either walk or take the tube or both to do anything or go anywhere. We navigated the bus and tube for all of our travels on Sat. from shopping and touring. We attended church at the Hyde Park Chapel, the same building our office is in, the people are very friendly and also very diverse. The Bishop is American and several others are expats but their is a mix of Europeans and Africans and some very interesting accents. Today is Wed. and we took a train an hour and a half North to Sulihall for some additional training. We are about 20 miles from Stratford on Avon and the Cotswalds. WE are learning a great deal about the use of technology and how to work with the media. We are also learning how to spell the English way, it is an intersting programme and very colourful. We miss our family and friends but we are really enjoying the work and the Lord is blessing us. Love, Joyce and Stan

MTC week of training

 We had a marvelous week at the Missionary Training Center(MTC) in Provo, UT. We checked in Mon morning, picked up all of our materials, got our missionary name tags, checked into our room and went to the cafeteria for lunch.  The routine at the MTC is: cafeteria, classroom, cafeteria, classroom , cafeteria and bed. The food is good and we ate our intimate meals with 2000 other missionaries, mostly 18 and 19 years old.  It was fun to see these excited and scared young people that are good looking, clean cut and  worthy to go on a mission. After an orientation and getting acquainted with the other senior missionaries in our cohort, about 50 of them, we started to study "Preach My Gospel", (PMG)  the workbook and guide for missionaries.
We spent most of our time studying the PMG workbook and then discussing the chapters and doing role playing. The second day we actually had to prepare and present a 30 minute lesson to another couple of senior missionaries and they in turn presented to us.  At the close of the lesson we presented  them with a challenge for the night and they presented us with one.  The challenge for each of us was looking at a church video and reporting back the next day.  The video we watched was a talk given by Brad Wilcox, a professor at BYU, entitled "His Grace is Sufficient", a story about forgiveness through the atonement of Christ.  It is worth watching.
Thurs. night we had a chance to visit our grandson, Ethan Ingersoll, who is serving a mission in Provo, Utah, Spanish Speaking.  He looked terrific, recovering from a broken foot, in a walking mission. We visited for about 45 minutes and then had good, affectionate farewell.  Friday we finished late afternoon, and we were happy to get back to our home. We enjoyed a wonderfully spiritual week, great preparation for the mission, made some wonderful new friends and toward the end got used to being call Elder and Sister Parrish.
Love,
Joyce and Stan