December News

2012 11-28 Dave putting the lights on our Christmas tree

2012 12-2 We were invited to this members home to help decorate
 their tree along with the blond girl and her mother who are not members.

2012 12-3 Welling Ward YSA Christmas party food of
rice,  sweet-n-sour meatballs, salad & homemade rolls

2012 12-3 Welling Ward YSA Christmas party Rhio Corbett,
Chloe Stevens, Kalpana Shrestha, Armindo Pessoa,
Claudia Rodriguez, James Farnell & William an investigator behind

2012 12-3 007 Welling Ward YSA Christmas party
Elder Aragones, Mafubelu, Adam Park & William

2012 12-3 008 Welling Ward YSA Christmas party Everyone playing
the White Elephant gift exchange game

2012 12-8 Bread Elder Ottley picked up for lunch with
Elder Curran and Fawson

2012 12-10 Elder Ottley with the appetizer that we thought was the main dish
when Sister Gurung had all 8 of the missionaries for lunch

2012 12-10 The Elders at lunch at Sister Gurung's

2012 12-10 The main course at lunch with Sister Gurung's
 The back pot was full of rice then a chicken, beef, curry and
 I can't remember what else pots of Delicious food.
  She is from Nepal

2012 12-11 Senior Couples Winter Wonderland in London

2012 12-11 Senior Couples Winter Wonderland
 trip to London in the ice sculpture display

Add 2012 12-11 Senior Couples Winter Wonderland trip to
London we bought these two ornaments for our tree. 

2012 12-11 Senior Couples Winter Wonderland trip to London we bought these two ornaments for our tree.

2012 12-11 Senior Couples Winter Wonderland trip to London
we bought these two ornaments for our tree.

2012 12-11 Senior Couples Winter Wonderland
 trip to London with the Bradfords

2012 12-11 Senior Couples Winter Wonderland.  We stopped at
 Trafalgar Square to see the tree that was lit a couple hours earlier on the way home.

2012 12-15 The Ward Christmas Party

2012 12-15 The Elders doing their performance at the Ward Christmas Party

2012 12-18  Sister Kearl & I cooked 10 of these over a three day period
 along with baked potatoes, salad, rolls, brownies & ice cream for the entire mission.
They came in three groups to go to the temple and have the dinner we prepared.

2012 12-18  Steps of cooking Gammon; soak over night cold water, boil for 3 hours,
score, cloves, brown-sugar, honey & bake, basting for 3 hours.
  This is not like the hams in USA, they are not pre-cooked

2012 12-18 Dave & Elder Kearl cutting up the ham

2012 12-18 Missionaries enjoying the meal

2012 12-20 Sister Kearl & I the last day of cooking.
 We are a lot alike and even dress the same.
 I am going to miss her when they leave in 3 months.

2012 12-24 Christmas Eve at Trixi's (one on end)
 with all the Elders, Tracy & Kalpana & us

2012 12-24 Christmas Eve at Trixi's
 with all the Elders, Tracy, Kalpana and us

2012 12-24 Christmas Eve at Trixi's with all the Elders, Tracy & Kalpana 

2012 12-25 Christmas morning at our house we had all
 6 Elders for breakfast & gifts

2012 12-25 Christmas morning at our house we had all
 6 Elders for breakfast & gifts

2012 12-25 Christmas morning at our house we had all
6 Elders for breakfast & gifts.  They liked their slippers

2012 12-25 Christmas morning at our house we had all 6 Elders for breakfast & gifts.  This is Elder Mafubelu
with the reflector strips we gave them.  A couple of weeks later in a correlation meeting he informed us that they were not working any longer, that they didn't light up.  Everyone had a good laugh and informed him that they reflected light, they didn't light up.  He was embarrassed at first but then got a good laugh too.  Being from So. Africa he hadn't ever seen them before.

2012 12-25 Dinner for two on Christmas Day
 London England

2012 12-25 Nancy announced their baby's name today.
 London because they felt blessed from us serving in London and Carter came up with the Rosabelle name.

2012 12-31 Gifts sent to us by our kids

2012 12-31 New Years Eve dinner, a TV dinner type noodles and a
 bottle of white grape juice someone gave us when we went to visit them.

November News

2012 11-3 Christian (just baptized) & Citi Gnadenberger
 with Elders von Allmen & Benedetti

2012 11-17 We attended a football (soccer in America) game
of Armindo Pessoa one of our Young Single Adults (YSA)
He was so excited that we came 

2012 11-18 Esther Ayala was baptized before we came to London and she only
speaks Spanish, but she always gives me a good old London kiss on the
cheek and then adds another on the other cheek. She always wants to know that
I am doing ok.

2012 11-18 Michael & Patricia Yankyera joined a few months
before  we came.  They are very faithful and kind.

2012 11-22 This is one of our most creative round-a-bouts.
It was several months before I realized they are fish not snakes

2012 11-24 Golden Green Ball at our Stake Center in
Maidstone.  Live band, fog and lights

2012 11-24 Our Stake President Turner and his wife Susan at the Golden Green Ball 

2012 11-26 The food I fixed for our Zones Thanksgiving dinner

2012 11-26 Sisters (and a couple future Sisters)
 getting their food at our Zone Thanksgiving dinner

2012 11-26 The Elders eating their Thanksgiving dinner

2012 12-2 Kayleigh Plumber joined before we came.  She is the only member in her family and such a neat girl. She and her family gave us a box of Bisquick that they ordered on line for Christmas.  Because it is so important to her, her parents have decided to get married so we and the Bishop met with them to plan it for August.

2012 12-2 Isabel Bangura with her daughter Gabriel.  Isabel joined in November 2012 so we were there.
 Gabby loves Elder Ottley and one day we ended up taking her from her home to a friends home on the train.  It was something that just happened very quickly and if we had been able to think we would not have done because it probably was against the rules.  We held our breath all the way hoping she would not start crying for her mother.  I would not have liked to seen what the Headlines would have read!

2012 12-2 Isabel Bangura, Mary Conteh & Patricia Yankyera

2012 12-2 Elder Benedetti & William an investigator

2012 12-2 The one with the hat is the Ex of Mary Conteh.  He showed up to church because his daughter Alima who is 9 and was baptized the same day as her mother, had mentioned to him that she was going to bare her testimony that day which she did even though the Bishop had said that they would stop after someone before Alima.  Well that was ok but then this guy couldn't pass up an open mike and he went up and started talking.  He got a few laughs so that egged him on.  I was very uncomfortable for the Bishop and for Mary especially when he called her his woman.