Monday, October 2, 2017
September Has Passed and Gone
October 1, 2017
Fall is creeping onto the London Temple grounds. I love to walk the perimeter with my Mikie. We tromp through the trees on wet leaf covered paths that are often mudtraps. There is a quiet under all the trees as if we are in our own little world. I love to stop and check out red or blue berries on bushes. Are they edible? poison? Or just pretty?
With the passing of this month, our family has celebrated three birthdays. Our ray of sunshine, Mikael, is seven. Her brother, Elijah, is five. How did that even happen? It has been such an amazing five years for our Jace and Lindsay as they have revamped their whole lifestyle to keep that little guy safe. And he is safe. And happy. And full of love. My Mikie turned 65 on Elijah's birthday also. Isn't that just wonderful??? We celebrated his day with an outing to our first castle and a lunch of fish and chips. Our friends, the Wallace's took us along with them as we have no "transport". It was a wonderful time.
We were on the "lates" here in the temple this week. There are two shifts and each week is a rotation, "earlies" and "lates". I am not sure which shift I prefer. I still feel as if I am in the Deer in the Headlights mode. I may be told to go to a specific assignment and I roll my shoulders, take a breath, and get ready for a little adventure. My trainer has been a proper English sister who would like me to speak quietly and move smoothly. When I lead a company of patrons up the stairs for a session to begin, I must move slowly, look ahead, and gently smile. Now, this can be tricky for me. I like to wave at any friend I have made over the stair rails; stop and study pictures; or even do a few exercises on every other step. None of this is allowed.
As I was getting trained for my first session that I would do alone, I felt like we were playing the game, Hot or Cold. You know - where one player guesses which direction to go, or even, what to do when you get there. I would hear Sister Perry "tsking" behind me. Nope. Not there......oh, getting warmer, warmer....no, Sister Seaman.......aw, closer.......no, almost.....Man, by the time I got situated where I was supposed to land, I felt like I needed to find my Mikie and shed a tear or two. He is my Home. My Rock. My One who knows my heart. As I reviewed the day's happening with him later that night, we both had a good laugh. That's because he is in the same boat. And sometimes neither one of us know if it's the correct boat.
We have found that all temples are Home as the ordinances are the same anywhere we may go. The trick in is the procedures. Each temple has their own procedures, due to the layout of that temple, the number of workers on a shift, or even the presidency of the temple. Procedures are what we have been trained on for two weeks now. Where to be, how to get there, how to sit, who to get cues from, etc. We continually pray that we both can be an asset to our shift and the patrons. We pray we can love our fellow workers, our presidency, and not squander our time here in the London Temple. I continually think of President William's blessing when we were set apart. I know I can feel a sense of familiarity in this sacred place. I also believe our family will be protected with angels surrounding them. We are here for them. But, oh, can I say, I miss them?!
We were fortunate enough to hook up with Mark and Laraine Eddington here today! They have been touring with their friends, Keith and Carol Brook. The Brook's were kind enough to invite us to their home for dinner - our first English homecooked meal. For dessert, they sang Happy Birthday to my Mikie, with their grandson helping him blow out candles. Such a dear, kind gesture! After the meal, we drove to Essex to walk to Christopher Robbins' bridge. Grandkids, get your old Winnie the Pooh books out. That was such a sweet spot with the tree where children leave their letters and honey for Winnie. Who knew???
Your Proper English lesson for the Week:
*Chinwag - Get together with your friends and have a jab session. (#1 word this week)
Oddbod - oddball
guillotine - paper cutter - Ouch!
"Over the Swanee" - I may as well throw money down the drain (or over the Swanee) when I spend it on clothes or shoes I will never wear. Get it?
All My Love to my Darlings at Home,
Sister Seaman
With Courage
For some reason one of my assignments was the "door" this week and I spent a lot of time on the door this week. (This means the reception desk or recommend desk at the front door of the temple.) I spent hours at a time there, with absolutely no one coming or going. It was very quiet and very lonely. I would get the scriptures out and read until I was about asleep and then put them away and pick up lint. Then I would study the guide for the person assigned to the front door for my upcoming exam.
On one occasion, when I was assigned at the door, there were two men actually waiting there for their group to leave and I had a real conversation with them. As I talked to the older man, an Englishman, he introduced me to the other younger man, who spoke very little English. He said that the other man was his Bishop. I was very surprised, because of his very limited English. I could tell that he had a Spanish accent, so I asked him where he was from, in my very broken Spanish. He said that he was from Ecuador. I asked him how long he had been the Bishop, but he thought I meant how long he had been in England. He said two years and that he had been in Spain prior to that. "How long have you been the Obispo?," I asked. He said five months. You talk about courage.
How would you feel if you were asked to be the spiritual leader of maybe 300 people in a foreign country, whose members did not speak your language, where you barely knew the customs, traditions and acceptable behaviors of the people. And especially could not communicate very effectively one-on-one. It literally brought tears to my eyes as I looked him in the eye and felt a great spiritual strength in him. I then understood why.
He could communicate, but not in the usual way. I believe that he will be a great leader to his people. I would love to see him and the ward members in about 5 years, when he will be released.
He had brought them to the temple, as many as would come. He has courage and he also knows what's important.
Dear family, step up when your called to do something hard. Do your best and the Lord will fill in the gaps. Give all you have and change the lives of the people around you. There is nothing better for you to do.
By the way, I did get passed off on all my assignments. So on to new ones this week.
Sincerely,
Elder Seaman
PS: I haven't seen one stop sign here. There are stop lights, but no stop signs. They use round-abouts exclusively. Except they circle clock-wise. Very Dangerous.
We were fortunate enough to hook up with Mark and Laraine Eddington here today! They have been touring with their friends, Keith and Carol Brook. The Brook's were kind enough to invite us to their home for dinner - our first English homecooked meal. For dessert, they sang Happy Birthday to my Mikie, with their grandson helping him blow out candles. Such a dear, kind gesture! After the meal, we drove to Essex to walk to Christopher Robbins' bridge. Grandkids, get your old Winnie the Pooh books out. That was such a sweet spot with the tree where children leave their letters and honey for Winnie. Who knew???
Your Proper English lesson for the Week:
*Chinwag - Get together with your friends and have a jab session. (#1 word this week)
Oddbod - oddball
guillotine - paper cutter - Ouch!
"Over the Swanee" - I may as well throw money down the drain (or over the Swanee) when I spend it on clothes or shoes I will never wear. Get it?
All My Love to my Darlings at Home,
Sister Seaman
With Courage
For some reason one of my assignments was the "door" this week and I spent a lot of time on the door this week. (This means the reception desk or recommend desk at the front door of the temple.) I spent hours at a time there, with absolutely no one coming or going. It was very quiet and very lonely. I would get the scriptures out and read until I was about asleep and then put them away and pick up lint. Then I would study the guide for the person assigned to the front door for my upcoming exam.
On one occasion, when I was assigned at the door, there were two men actually waiting there for their group to leave and I had a real conversation with them. As I talked to the older man, an Englishman, he introduced me to the other younger man, who spoke very little English. He said that the other man was his Bishop. I was very surprised, because of his very limited English. I could tell that he had a Spanish accent, so I asked him where he was from, in my very broken Spanish. He said that he was from Ecuador. I asked him how long he had been the Bishop, but he thought I meant how long he had been in England. He said two years and that he had been in Spain prior to that. "How long have you been the Obispo?," I asked. He said five months. You talk about courage.
How would you feel if you were asked to be the spiritual leader of maybe 300 people in a foreign country, whose members did not speak your language, where you barely knew the customs, traditions and acceptable behaviors of the people. And especially could not communicate very effectively one-on-one. It literally brought tears to my eyes as I looked him in the eye and felt a great spiritual strength in him. I then understood why.
He could communicate, but not in the usual way. I believe that he will be a great leader to his people. I would love to see him and the ward members in about 5 years, when he will be released.
He had brought them to the temple, as many as would come. He has courage and he also knows what's important.
Dear family, step up when your called to do something hard. Do your best and the Lord will fill in the gaps. Give all you have and change the lives of the people around you. There is nothing better for you to do.
By the way, I did get passed off on all my assignments. So on to new ones this week.
Sincerely,
Elder Seaman
PS: I haven't seen one stop sign here. There are stop lights, but no stop signs. They use round-abouts exclusively. Except they circle clock-wise. Very Dangerous.
Monday, September 25, 2017
Canterbury Cathedral
We took a trip on our P-day today to Canterbury Cathedral. This is the very center of the Anglican Church, the State Church of England. The Queen is the highest level in this church. What she says goes. Consequently, the royals must always be members of the Anglican Church and cannot be a Catholic or Mormon for instance. It is a huge building. It was started in the year 597AD. Most of the main structure is original and the stained glass and carved granite are unbelievable. You can not believe how many old folks are buried in the walls, the floors and in the crypt.
A Busy Saturday
Lots of people came to the Temple on Saturday. Buses (Coaches) brought Wards from long distances. The latest sealing was held at 8:00pm. The couple traveled from Portugal with their Ward.
The FIRST Week
September 24, 2017
I would like to report we have officially lived through our first week here in the London Temple. This may not sound miraculous to you, our family, but I feel so blessed that I am still not in there wandering around looking for an exit from our work yesterday. It is a miracle.
This beautiful London Temple is very big! Don't ask me yet any details on size, the year built, etc. Just take my word on it that it feels oh so big to this gal who has been totally at home in our dear, darling temple in Snowflake, AZ. I can hardly think of that beautiful little sacred spot on the hill in Snowflake without tearing up.
On our first day this week, we were given the grand tour. I will always remember walking into that beautiful celestial room and catching my breath. Such a room! Little did I know how much time I would spend in it this week. And that is because in all my frantic efforts to report to my assigned station, I rip open a door and boom!- that beautiful room appears before my eyes. I have been late to preparation meeting all week after dressing in the women's area. I just wish they could move that meeting to the celestial room because that is where I seem to end up.
This temple has two main staircases (I Think....). One goes to preparation meeting; one to the celestial room. On my travels, I have opened closet doors and almost got a black eye when I try to rush into them. I have been in the laundry, tiptoed through the kitchen and then out the cafeteria door, spent time in the children's nursery; walked past the front desk and tried to act very busy on my way to an important spot. Well, do you get the picture? I believe my most embarrassing moment came when I pranced into the men's toilet. Thanks to a kind sister who yelled at me, the door did not shut completely. Oh my.....
And the men's toilet reminds me of another subject. Notice I called it a toilet, not a bathroom. That's because these people use toilet rooms. Or loos. (sp?) Sister George is an English sister who is serving here. She announced to me this week that if she hears the word "cute" from one more American's mouth she will proceed to......(she didn't finish the sentence). So, my girls, do you see what I am up against?? I think most things in the world are so very cute. Not any more.... for 18 months I have to up my game. She prefers "lovely" or "quite lovely". I'm on it. So for the first while in my blog posts I shall proceed to teach you all proper English words I have acquired. The lesson this week is as follows:
jolly good - Way to go!
pop socks - knee highs that sisters rent in the temple
jacket potatoes - baked potatoes served daily in the temple cafeteria
tick - a checkmark
rota - a schedule that I faithfully try to follow
May the Lord attend you this week,
Sister Seaman - aka Grandma and Mom
Taking Offense
Over the years I have preached about not getting offended or being critical of church leaders or anyone else for that matter. Believe it or not I had two occasions this week to become offended.
As you know from Sister Seaman's report above, the London Temple is a large temple and has many hall ways and stairs and doors in odd places which can cause a new person some interesting dilemmas. So yesterday (Saturday), was a very busy day. Lots of stuff happening all through the temple. I had just finished one assignment and was trying to find my way to the next assignment. I became lost and found myself in a strange room with a few people in it, just standing around. A small baldheaded Englishman (temple worker) stopped me and ask what I was doing. I said I was lost. He proceeded to tell me, in front of everyone, that I was not to come into that room when the door was shut (most of the doors are shut) and that I should leave immediately, which I did. With my tail between my legs. Ouch!
The second incident happened a few minutes later. I had completed my assignment and had returned to the place I was assigned to. There was not a soul in the room. I went in and sat down on a bench to wait for somebody to show up and tell me what to do. After a few seconds, a small baldheaded Welshman, and in an English language I had a hard time understanding, told me that I was not suppose to be in the room and to remove myself immediately. Which I did. Only to see two other men enter and sit down on the bench, talking to the man that had expelled me.
At this point, I am ready to go home. I don't. But as you may guess, I am still smarting over it. In the 24 hours that have passed since, I have cooled off. I have decided that it may be that I am considered a "know-it-all" American and should put in my place. I think they consider us uncouth and "bulls-in-the-china-closet." I am now determined to show them differently.
I will eventually learn my way around the temple and I will eventually begin to read people's minds (ha ha). Eb Lewis, my father-in-law, used to tell us not to be critical of church leaders, especially around the dinner table, as it would give your children the excuse they needed to become inactive. He said that it was the first step to apostasy. I believe him. I will not be critical of the men that offended me. (We choose to be offended anyway.) I will take correction and try to be as humble as I can.
I have not told you these incidents to show how good I am, for I am not, but only to show that anything, anywhere, can get us if we are not careful. Back to work tomorrow and it will be a great day in England.
Sincerely,
Elder Seaman
jolly good - Way to go!
pop socks - knee highs that sisters rent in the temple
jacket potatoes - baked potatoes served daily in the temple cafeteria
tick - a checkmark
rota - a schedule that I faithfully try to follow
May the Lord attend you this week,
Sister Seaman - aka Grandma and Mom
Taking Offense
Over the years I have preached about not getting offended or being critical of church leaders or anyone else for that matter. Believe it or not I had two occasions this week to become offended.
As you know from Sister Seaman's report above, the London Temple is a large temple and has many hall ways and stairs and doors in odd places which can cause a new person some interesting dilemmas. So yesterday (Saturday), was a very busy day. Lots of stuff happening all through the temple. I had just finished one assignment and was trying to find my way to the next assignment. I became lost and found myself in a strange room with a few people in it, just standing around. A small baldheaded Englishman (temple worker) stopped me and ask what I was doing. I said I was lost. He proceeded to tell me, in front of everyone, that I was not to come into that room when the door was shut (most of the doors are shut) and that I should leave immediately, which I did. With my tail between my legs. Ouch!
The second incident happened a few minutes later. I had completed my assignment and had returned to the place I was assigned to. There was not a soul in the room. I went in and sat down on a bench to wait for somebody to show up and tell me what to do. After a few seconds, a small baldheaded Welshman, and in an English language I had a hard time understanding, told me that I was not suppose to be in the room and to remove myself immediately. Which I did. Only to see two other men enter and sit down on the bench, talking to the man that had expelled me.
At this point, I am ready to go home. I don't. But as you may guess, I am still smarting over it. In the 24 hours that have passed since, I have cooled off. I have decided that it may be that I am considered a "know-it-all" American and should put in my place. I think they consider us uncouth and "bulls-in-the-china-closet." I am now determined to show them differently.
I will eventually learn my way around the temple and I will eventually begin to read people's minds (ha ha). Eb Lewis, my father-in-law, used to tell us not to be critical of church leaders, especially around the dinner table, as it would give your children the excuse they needed to become inactive. He said that it was the first step to apostasy. I believe him. I will not be critical of the men that offended me. (We choose to be offended anyway.) I will take correction and try to be as humble as I can.
I have not told you these incidents to show how good I am, for I am not, but only to show that anything, anywhere, can get us if we are not careful. Back to work tomorrow and it will be a great day in England.
Sincerely,
Elder Seaman
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