Reporting in

Reporting In
January 28, 2018

     Our 29 acre London Temple compound can feel sheltered from the business of the world. Mail and delivery trucks make daily runs but that is all the commerce we see. The only money transacted around here happens in the Clothing Till inside the temple if a patron wants to rent clothing or down in the Canteen if that same patron (or a worker) would like to purchase a lunch. Note the English people call it the Canteen. To the Americans, it's the Cafeteria.
     Now, you just have to picture this since no pictures are taken in the temple......Rosa is the manager of the place. She is a big happy Spaniard who moved here two years ago from Ireland where she had lived for twenty years. Again, I say I am amazed at the diversity of people and languages here in Great Britain. Sister Rumes and her son, Daniel are her only helpers. The Rumes' are from Switzerland and are here with their special needs son serving their third 6 month mission. She tells me that since Daniel has never been able to serve a mission, they do this for him. Brother and Sister Rumes can work circles around most of us. Brother Rumes does much of the repairs anywhere that is needed on the Temple grounds. Daniel floats between helping in the Canteen and helping his dad. He can't understand a word of English but he sure will wait to be spoken to and he always gives me a big smile.
     Often, workers are assigned on our Rotas (schedules) to spend an hour or two in the Cafeteria helping out. I love that duty. I get to change clothes and wear special shoes. The end of the duty involves a free bowl of ice cream.  Most of my time is spent washing and drying dishes as the temple dishwasher is broken.  I also help making the cheesy potatoes. Now, these are a staple served everyday. Along with these calorie laden, heart- attack- making little gems, regular jacket potatoes (baked potatoes) are served. A patron can count on pork and beans, chili, or tuna to plop on their jacket potato (well, for a price). Personally, these are not very good. But, the English people do love them. Along with potatoes, the Canteen can surprise us all  occasionally with Fish and Chips or pastry pies (filled with steak or chicken or cheese and onions.) Rolls and a small salad bar can be counted on each day also. Lest I forget, the Delivery lorry (truck) brings in cakes and mousses that are displayed right by the Salad Bar. And of course, this is my favorite spot to study each day as I pull out our Lunchbox from the Workers Refrigerators.
    Each Temple worker is assigned a thirty minute break for lunch or dinner, depending on what shift is working at the time. On our lunchbreak this past week, we were sitting by one of our patron friends, Lynn Baker. We were eating our favorite lunch of all time - bean burros that My Mikie makes in bulk here in the flat (apartment) and then, freezes. It is common each time we pull them out for an English person to quietly ask what we are eating. Their voices always portray a note of sadness as they must think we are too broke to afford much else. Just like clockwork, Lynn asked what it was that we were eating. We gave our standard answer. She says, "That's not a burro. It's an old pancake!"  We had to show her the beans and cheese. These poor English people just don't know what they are missing with their jacket potatoes topped with pork and beans.  Other people have commented on our pancakes that we eat also, but Lynn was horrified.
    Well Folks, can you picture any of this. I so wish I could just send you a picture of our English Canteen and our Worker Friends who run the place. It's a happy place. They are always happy to see us and we are always happy to eat our old pancakes.....aka bean burros.

MY LOVE,
Sister Seaman....Mom and Grams

PROPER ENGLISH:
*Making a rod for your own back - creating a big mess for yourself to clean up
*Where your face fits - where a person fits in the social circles
*Jumble Sale - rummage sale because it all gets jumbles up
*Boot Sale - to sell your junk out of the back of your car at a flea market

I said it once and I'll say it again, I love how the English people all end their statements with a question. Example:
*We want to serve all the patrons, don't we?
*The Book of Mormon is full of stories, isn't it?
*It seems to be a dreary day, doesn't it?
*After all, the motorways were backed up, weren't they?

Frank William Seaman

    One day this week, I was sitting behind the veil waiting for the session to come through.  The workers that are assigned gather there and wait in this spot.  As they were coming in,  I looked up and saw a man coming in and in my mind I said, "Hello Grandpa Frank." I could not believe my eyes.  There, walking towards me, was my Grandpa Frank Seaman.  For those of you who remember that far back, he is the one that use to say, "All the more for Willie."
     Of course it wasn't him but a close facsimile, and it had a profound effect on me.  I have thought about him a lot this week.  I didn't know him well.  He died when I was about 11 or 12. His mind had been gone for a lot longer than that, so he had never really known who I was.
     Seeing him in the temple brought about the thought process that ends with families being together forever.  I am so grateful for that experience and being reminded of how important the work is we are doing here in England.  Not just for my family and but for thousands of families.
     Last Monday, one of the single sisters, Dee Long (from Colorado, she is 80) ask Kim and I if we could help her with a service project for her friend Sister Dockerty.  We home-teach Sister Dockerty. Here in England the towns and villages are governed by councils.  One of the things the councils do is set-aside and over-see land for gardens for their citizens.  They are called allotments.  You make application and if selected, you get a garden spot, about 20' x 50', for $50 a year.  Sister Dockerty has one of these allotments and so we helped her weed it out and turn it over for her.  It is still, to this day, a surprise and it was a partly sunny day (another surprise.)  For those of you in the high desert southwest USA,  doesn't January seem a little early for this kind of activity.
     Anyway, maybe we can go back and help her some more this year.  It felt good to be out working in the sunlight.

Sincerely,
Elder Seaman