Strawberry Fields Forever...

 We live in Farm Country. This is much different than Manchester, which was originally a very Industrial City but now quite tech. Large Farm Equipment Vehicles are always on the roads going in and out of Evesham. Large Hedge trimmers to evenly trim the super tall Hedges that line the narrow roads. Grass cutters that cut the grass on the sides of the road. (we often say, they could add another lane to the road and skip the grass cutting)  

I actually love driving here. I love the roundabouts.We keep moving. I do white knuckle a bit on the narrow roads, worried that I might hit a curb (and get a blowout) or hit the oncoming car. But I actually like the challenge of driving. I have mastered driving all around our Village, Evesham.  I do have difficulty parking here. Just the opposite side of the drivers seat and the very narrow parking spaces make for an expert parker. We are getting better. 

British Drivers are very polite. If there is a long line of cars, they are certain to let you in. If you need to change lanes on the motorway, they always wait and let you move. As you take turns moving forward on narrow lanes, they give you a little wave when you let them go first. However if you do something wrong in a Round-A-Bout.....you will get a honk! 

There are a few things which I have forgotten about England.  Everyone calls you darling or gorgeous or lovely. . At church, they don't have to remember your name because they can just call you darling or gorgeous. A typical greeting will be. "Hi darling ...Y'all Right?  I had a Dr appointment to get set up with the NHS here and the Doctor (a man from Hong Kong) kept calling me darling.  "Let's take your blood pressure, darling."  "This might pinch a bit, lovely." I had to keep from laughing.  Also...they have to do a skin test before coloring your hair or doing any skin treatment. You have to go to the salon, they put a little color behind your ear. You can't get it wet for 48 hours and then if it doesn't itch or cause any irritation, they will do the treatment.  They have wonderful fresh produce but it only lasts a couple of days. (probably because we spray ours with poisonous chemicals) The grocery store checkers dress up, sit on stools and move very slowly. I have become friends with a Tesco checker. They don't scan your food until you put all of it up on the belt. They just wait. One day, I politely asked her why. She said...when we all get UPSTAIRS, we will wonder what the rush is... very true. We went to a lovely flower show held in a little village and village church that one of the ward members lives in. They served Scones, clotted cream and jam along with other cakes and pastries. They served it on very lovely china.  To be helpful, I took our used dishes back into the kitchen of the 1600 Century church. There were lovely ladies back there that took my dishes, rinsed them out in a bucket that was on the floor and dried them for the next guest.  In fact, in the LDS chapels, the kitchens have plastic cups and plates that people use, rinse under the tap and put back in the cupboard.  This is standard. 

We fill our days with Missionary Discussions...online and in person. Driving Missionaries... Feeding Missionaries...We often say that MLS  Missionary Lending Support.  We are reaching out to all the missionaries in our Zone, remembering their birthdays, helping them with flat issues and attending their baptisms.  

There is a darling Sister Missionary from South Africa who lost her mother last week. Her name is Sister Kuebheka  She wants to continue her mission but it was decided that she could go home for the funeral and then return to Bristol. We were asked by Pres Mayall to take her down to Heathrow Airport in London, get her checked in and on her way. The two hours we spent with her in the car where she recalled memories of her mother and her life back in South Africa. She is such a strong girl and a blessing to her family. When she returned, we went to Heathrow to pick her up. We drove her to transfer meeting in Bristol. She was strong and faithful and while she was back in South Africa, she spoke in church and went to the temple.  

We have met wonderful members in the Malvern Hills Ward.  The Ward consists of Evesham, Worcester, Malvern Hills, Tenbury Wells, other villages and almost all of the Cotswolds. They have welcomed us and invited us to their homes. We are trying to serve them by inviting them to dinner, taking meals and visiting them. Many live in beautifully remodeled homes on large pieces of property. Many have large gardens, chickens, beehives ... They are do it yourselfers and do major projects and renovations without calling in sub contractors.  We have met some very brilliant, accomplished and lovely people grounded in the gospel of Jesus Christ.  The Cheltenham Stake is the strongest stake in the mission. 

Here Comes the Sun....

 We've had a hot spell then a cool spell, and now a hot spell again. The only place that feels comfortable is in our car with the AC blasted all the way. We have been busy going with the Elder's doing service, (totally out of my comfort zone... carrying buckets to water and burning dead trees.) ..but luckily I found a great friend in Sam Krstic who makes me laugh and loves to swim...they live in a very remote and beautiful place. And they have a swimming pool and because I always have my swim suit with me....I sneak away from the Service Project and do a cannon ball in her pool. It is heated, covered, fully tiled..incredible. And Sam comes and jumps in too. She and her husband Matt are so good and generous with the missionaries. The Missionaries love going there and so do we. I always tell Sam that I wished she lived next door. We also go to a great ward member's home, Nigel Manner.  When Nigel and his wife head to his summer home by the sea we water his plants, pots and trees...It is a huge piece of property. We haul watering cans around and get things watered when it's hot. The Sisters come with us and are a great help. 

  We have also been teaching with the Elders and Sisters and getting to know friends. The cutest Mom named Aoma (prononced Oh-Ma) has a baptismal date coming up. She has two beautiful daughters, drives a Mercedes and loves the things she is learning about the church. We host our missionaries for dinner or just going out and when we have Interviews or district meeting....we provide lunch. They are so excited. We have once again implemented Pancakes with the Pew's and upcoming Pizza with the Pew's with Ward members...we are going to try out several things. Elder Pew was called on to teach Sunday School, last minute yesterday...he's such a great teacher and pulled it off amazingly.  I continue to check in on Sisters that the Relief Society President feels like need a little extra TLC...Being a Missionary is basically ministering....and teaching, and feeding and driving. We also were given "the list" to try to find members that the ward hasn't seen in quite some time. This takes us quite far from Evesham to Chipping Campden, Stowe on the Wold, Broadway....We also slipped over to Bourton on the Water and Daylesford Farm...amazing spots.  

We are on a road trip everyday.  I see beautiful countryside but Reed tries to keep his eyes on the road, and the navigation, and the speedometer, and the dinging and instruction from the Missionary Warning Device...which regularly tells us that we are going too fast, too close to the curb and our favorite..."Agressive Driving"  We feel like we have earned a badge of courage when it tells us that. 

I really love driving here. It's fun and challenging. I love the roundabouts and driving through the little villages. At our senior retreat this last weekend I found out that I am the only Senior Sister who drives...BoooYah!!  

Speaking of Senior Retreat,  all the Senior Couples in the Mission spent the Weekend in Southern Wales this past weekend.  First to Aberystwyth and then to Haversfordwest. Beautiful countryside...more mountains and canyons. We rode up the Funicular and had beautiful views of seaside towns and the Irish Sea. It was fun to be with all these amazing couples who have come to serve...It's like FSY for Seniors. 

• 

Staying the Course...

 June 9, 2026

The last 3 weeks have been a blur.  A number of dinner appointments from the super nice Malvern Hills ward members, a couple service projects, our Wednesday night "gatherings" with more senior ward members from Evesham (our home), ubering the young missionaries to many places - 2,000 miles in 5 weeks, being with missionaries on 6 or 7 lessons and a little golf for Reed.

Julie has made a few small treats for Relief Society sisters and we also took another drive through the Cotswolds; particularly visiting the gem, Bourton on the Water.   It has a beautiful stream that is well maintained running through the center of town and many shops, restaurants, pubs, ice cream shops and small hotels.  

Reed is getting better at driving though the narrow country roads make him nervous.  12 feet wide roads with a speed limit of 60 and cars coming at you.  Usually there is a couple feet of empty space as you pass but some are only the width of one car and one of you has to figure out who is going to pull over and where.   

One of our service projects was at a beautiful home and garden (about 2 acres - lol) where we watered his shrubs, flowers, trees and pots while he and his wife were on holiday on the southern coast and it was 90 degrees up here.  Another service project was helping build a fence for a member that has a spectacular place that we could only find by GPS.  All we know is that it is somewhere in England but near Wales.  The place included a home completely refurbished on the inside but with a structure that was 960 years old.  They have build a spectacular stream with waterfalls and, Julie's favorite - a swimming pool.  

We have been to Bristol twice for transfer and zone meeting.  Bristol is about a 2 hour 20 minute drive.  We are getting to know the missionaries in our zone pretty well but so far know very few outside the zone.  That will change with time.  And we also went on a flat inspection check where we saw 8 flats in 9 hours of driving.  Long day.  We are pleased to report that while a few flats need a number of things repaired, only one was not clean. 

The golf club Reed joined has 9 holes with 2 sets of tee boxes on each hole.  Some tee boxes are 100 yards apart while some are off to the side creating doglegs.  Some holes are par 4's on the front side and par 3 or 5's on the back.  It was originally built in 1894 so the greens are very small. You go around twice playing each tee box.  But only 9 greens.   Oh and a very small range where you hit your own balls and then walk out to pick them up.  SMH

Last Sunday, we went to a baptism of a new member in the Forest of Dean Ward.  There is no city named Forest of Dean; it really is in a forest with about 20 or so small villages.  The cool thing was that a man from Kenya was baptized by a man from France and taught by sister missionaries from Indonesia and the Philippines.  The gathering is truly happening!  

Elder Teumohenga from Tonga got transferred last week and it was tough to see him go.  Super humble young man who loves everyone, teaches a simple gospel of Jesus Christ and oh, strong as an ox.   That last part was helpful pounding those fences posts in.  

Bits and Bobs

 We are entering our 3rd week here in the EBM (or as some call it…England’s Best Mission).  We are quite far from the actual city of Bristol.  We live in Evesham, a small town on the edge of the Cotswolds. We attend church in the Malvern Hills Ward, which is in Worcester.  It is a pretty strong ward with lots of great people. The boundaries are very large and people and missionaries take the train from outlying areas. Evesham had a branch less than a year ago and they dissolved that branch and moved everyone to the Malvern Hills Ward. Many, who live in Evesham find it difficult to get to church and many have been sad about this merger.  This past week we went out to find some members who haven’t been to church for awhile.  We stopped by 5 homes but found no one home so we left cards with our name and number. While out and about, we saw some wonderful areas, had a great breakfast at the Hive in Stowe- on-the-Wold…we also went to Broadway, Chipping Campden and a beautiful Farm/ Gift shop/ restaurant called Daylford. . 

We also spent a 9 hour day doing apartment checks for our Zone. It was a long day and covered a lot of area. A Fun but tiring day.

We joined the young missionaries in our district for lessons….but only 1 of the four showed up. We drive 45 minutes each way to attend the lessons. 

On Sunday I fixed an English Roast Dinner complete with Yorkshire Pudding, Pavlova and Sticky Toffee Pudding for our District Leaders and our Sisters. Sister Compton from Morgan, Sister Arthur from Wisconsin, Elder Martin from Layton and Elder Teumohenga from Tonga…all came.. great missionaries.

Our ward members are so kind and we had dinner with the Davis Family last week and the Wharred family this week.  Because there are members who are feeling isolated, we are starting a little “Gathering” on Wed evenings to bring them to our home to have a short spiritual lesson and “Nibbles”  We will see how it goes. 

Lots of meetings on Zoom with the entire Mission, the Zone, the District, Morning and evening prayer and Senior Zoom calls

Knackered....But We're Alright...

        Our first week back in England....Almost two years ago, a former member of our Stake Presidency in Manchester was called to be the Mission Leader in the England Bristol Mission.  We grew to love Leland and Berny Mayall when we served in Manchester. When they went to the Provo MTC to receive their training, they called and said that they were driving up to Kaysville to see us. Like any good mission leader, they were recruiting Senior Missionaries. They asked us to serve. At first we thought...No..not again, but a year later we started to soften and we accepted the challenge to serve our third Senior Mission. 

       We arrived in Bristol on May 1. We are getting our boots on the ground.  We have arrived in our little town of Evesham and  have unpacked and are settling in to our tiny house. We have been driving on the left side of the road, we have gone around many round-abouts, we have met our Zone, and attended our District Meeting.  We have also eaten at Nandos, at Toby Carvery and at a local Pub. We have visited multiple grocery stores and filled our fridge/freezer with comfort food like Diet Coke and Ice Cream.  

    We were reminded about the narrow, narrow roads as we were driving along and hit the curb on the left...quite hard. We subsequently got a flat "tyre"...actually a total blowout and because there are no spare tires in the "boot", we had to call a company who came out and replaced the tire.  We waited on the side of the road for 3 hours. 

        We drove to Manchester with the lovely Elder and Sister Simmons, attended the wedding of the Mayall's Daughter.  We were reminded of the unique and charming British Weddings and we were able to visit with some of our Manchester Friends. We also made a visit to Chatsworth House. 

We have walked down in to the little town of Evesham and explored the little shops and markets. The River Avon Flows through the town. We've enjoyed some beautiful Blue Sky Days... The ironic thing is that we are selling our home in Fruit Heights partly because of the yardwork...we arrive in Evesham and there is a yard, with grass, and a lawnmower.  

We are getting to know the fabulous Missionaries and we will hopefully know more of our assignments soon....Cheers! 

Good Day Sunshine

     The Sun is still shining, the sand is warm and the views are spectacular. We are still enjoying this San Diego Vibe. Unfortunately time is running out for us and we only have 5 weeks left on this mission....but we aren't thinking about that.
  The San Diego Temple will always have a special place in our hearts. We have enjoyed being ordinance workers there on Saturdays. We have also enjoyed serving in the visitor's info booth, answering questions, taking photos and greeting people. For the last few months we have been in charge of the info booth, assigning and training young missionaries and keeping the supplies and materials stocked.
    We've had some fun visitors...former England Manchester Missionary, Han Chong and his fiancé visited from Singapore, Anna Maiurnikova was with us for a couple of days from Ukraine and BYU-I,  our daughter Ali and husband Clark, our neighbors, the Jones' and our daughter Amby and her girls.
    Reed broke his finger playing basketball with the YSA and we celebrated his 67th birthday.... the YSA spoiled him by creating a treasure hunt and gave him many gifts...including 10 pair of very colorful patterned socks.
   We continue working at the mission office two days a week. President Stubbs asked us to create Mission Maps of the 8 zones with meticulous lines drawn of all the wards in San Diego.
This was a tedious and careful task that took hours. The Mission office thought that we
should sign them, like a work of art. It was quite a project.
    We hosted a Downton Abbey party with pre-theater Biscuits, Scones and Elderflower drinks and then we went to the Downton Abbey Movie. It was a super fun night.
    We enjoy our institute class which is held twice a week for 45 minutes. We are studying The Gospel and the Productive Life and we've had some great discussions on practical and spiritual matters.
   We attended the YSA Halloween Party which was held at the home of two of our YSA's.  We are continually amazed at these YSA. They are smart, resourceful, full of ideas and very independent. We never have to cook or plan anything...we just show up. They do everything.
   We enjoyed going to the Newport Temple with at the Fife's, another Senior Couple in the mission.  We did some family sealings and I was asked to be a witness for the first time.
    We made the drive up to Los Angeles to attend the temple wedding of two of our YSA, Stevey Gabbitas and Amanda Santelo and a bonus was to stay with daughter, Ali and husband Clark. They live about 2 miles from the temple.

Our last day serving as Ordinance Workers in the San Diego Temple. 

Family Home Evening at the Mormon Battallion

Halloween Party at John and Alyssa's House

Madeleine Brown, Ari Crandall and Brittany Louise

Mark Hammond, Monique and John

Travis, Bryan, Alyssa Larsen and Hannah Price

A Dodger Fan, A Padres Fan and Collin Shannon

Jared Accord as Johnny Carson

Mindy Wing ... all dressed up at the Mall on Halloween

THE MAPS....Mission Maps, including Zones, Chapels and Missionary Apartments. These
took many days and nights to complete

Elder Pew works on this tedious task.

Helen Jin and Hon Chong. Han was an infamous missionary in
England...one of the best. He and his fiancé Helen came to
La Jolla to visit. 

Tacos, of course, at Oscars and then a walk on Pacific Beach.

Watching the Women's Session of Conference with the YSA
Relief Society

Downton Abbey "Tea" on the Pew's Patio before
the movie. Madisen Porter helped host this fun
party. She graduated from Oxford University in
England and is now working here in San Diego.

Justin Wahlquist all decked out for Downton Abbey

Yes, that is a broken finger...When you are 67, you can't play
basketball with 20 somethings.

The TEAM!  Mason Pennock, Trey Pietsch, Elder Pew and David Yang

Yes....We fit all these people in our apartment. Come Follow me
on Elder Pew's Birthday was the place to be.

David Yang, (EQ Pres) Monique Mendoza and Elder Pew

A fun group of YSA decorated our patio and surprised
Elder Pew with some wonderful gifts.

Double Birthday Celebration with Monique Mendoza. She always
says that she and Elder Pew are like the same person.

A Fun Group out to dinner. The Sister Missionaries, Emma, Luke
McColm and Mason Pennock. 

Beautiful Day at the Newport Temple

At the temple with the Fife's

Out and about with Sadie and Collin at the Korean BBQ...
Hanna on Convoy Street. 

So happy to have Holland, Tenley and Ashton Murdock here
with their mom for a visit.  Here they are enjoying Black's Beach. 

Watching the Sea Lions

Breakfast at the Cottage

Amby and her girls at Balboa Park.

After 18 missionary apartment inspections, we took
a trip to Julian to MOM's PIES.

Stevey Gabbitas and Amanda Santelo at
the Los Angeles Temple after their sealing.

Beautiful and Enormous

 Los Angeles Temple

New Pathway Group starts ...every Thursday Night

Fun FIESTA Night  for Institute Opening Social.

Institute Council Members, Hans Verkler and Monique Mendoza

Ready for a Party

Brother and Sister Walton, Bishop and Jan Castellano
and the Pew's

President Stubb's Birthday at the office

Our neighbors, the Jones', came to visit. Their car broke down
and they were stranded. What a great place to be stranded.

Great Visit from Anna Maiurnikova from Ukraine and
BYU-Idaho.  She was a Missionary in England with us and we
enjoyed her visit. She was here for a Conference with her University
Professors and top finance Students. A super sharp girl. This is our 7th EMM Missionary
Visitor, not to mention 2 British YSA's who came to San Diego. 

Beautiful La Jolla Sunset