43 years of Marriage

On September 19^th it was our 43^rd Anniversary and Elder Ottley surprised me with a trip to London.  He had it all planned out and permission from President.  I thought we were going to spend the day in Woolwich as we headed out to the train station that morning.  I can’t ever remember what side of the track goes where so he got me on the right train and it was a while before I realized we were not going to Woolwich.  When we got to London we were walking to some destination that was pre-planned, I just wasn't aware of where that was.  We ended up at Planet Hollywood for lunch and they let it slip out that we were going to a play because it was a package deal.  I still didn't know what play we were going to however.  After lunch we walked to the theater and watched The Lion King.  It was very fun and we had a brilliant day (so they would say in England).  We tried finding Buckingham Palace but couldn't seem to get our bearings. 

 I have the greatest husband!  He loves to try to surprise me but I think I usually find out by accident.  I almost did this time because we had to go to the bank and ask a question and the charges showed up.  I thought he had bought me a sewing machine and I was so convinced that was what it was that he totally surprised me this time.

Roads in London are filled with buses
and notice the red phone booth

Piccadilly Circus

For Carter a giant transformer

Our lunch

Between us and behind is the sign for the Lion King

Elder Ottley standing where his Grandfather
stood 120 years ago on his mission and preached

Dinner after Lion King and walking around souvenir shops

The place we ate dinner 9/19/12

September 21^st we met up with Rod & Linda Larson

 for a trip to Gilwell, also with Presidents permission.

  This was Dave’s big treat!  

We are standing in front of the old oak tree

The Baden Powell wanta be

A fence at Gilwell's fire bowl that they encourage
you to leave a message on

9-21-12 posted on fence "Elder David Ottley
Wood Badge SM & CD Blue Mtn BSA 2010, here 2012",
"Charlene Ottley mother of 5 Eagle Scouts Scott, Brett, Kirk, Chadd Adam"

9/21/12 One of the gates at Gilwell

Gilwell England where the first Adult Scout training took place

The last update ended with me saying that the next time we would hopefully have good news.  Well the good news is our first investigator got baptized.  The bad news is she went inactive the next week.    This girl has had a rough life as she was taken from her mother and placed in foster care twice, as well as her sister and brother.  She is 18 now and on her own so she has been trying to have a relationship with her mother the past year or so and part of that was attending church with her mother.  Her mother and her mother’s friends have been telling her that they really miss her and our Ward isn't overly friendly so she just wants to be wanted and decided to go back with her mom.

Don’t we all want to be wanted?  We have another young gal that has been trying to get back active and her husband has been taking the discussions.  She has told the Elders that she might stop coming because no one talks to her.  We went and visited her and she really appreciated it and has still been coming the last two weeks.  Today I noticed she was sitting alone and the meeting was just getting started.  I was about to get up and move by her when a sweet German Sister, Trixie, sitting behind me looked over to her and told her to come sit by her so Jennifer did move over and seemed very pleased. 

9/22/12 Hazel Pacey, Elder Curran and us at Hazel's baptism

The YSA turned out for Hazel & Esters Baptism

This is the two eyes of the fox that seems to be waiting for
 us on the nights we get home after dark.

 Students waiting for the bus after school

10/12/12 Students trying to cram on the bus after school.
  A lot of the stops have police every night at them
 because the kids are so unruly and cut in-front of other people

10/12/12  Horses on a lawn in Abby Wood that belong to Gypsies who moved in
 behind the apartments.  The council are afraid of them so
they don't do anything about it. Look just to the right of the pole
(I will try to update with a better picture later)

Elder Ottley helped serve at the
 Stake Woman's Conference Broadcast & luncheon

Stake Woman's Conference Broadcast & luncheon
I am in yellow at the back in front of the servers and
the only person from our Ward in attendance

Stake Relief Society Presidency at the
Stake Woman's Conference Broadcast & luncheon

10/10/12 Our Great Adventure to Costco

10/10/12 Our Great Adventure to Costco

Elder Ottley's Anniversary, Christmas & Birthday present

YSA, Seminary & Funeral = A lot of baking

September 18, 2012

 It has been a few weeks so I had better update this blog or people will stop looking at it.  But then again maybe no one is looking at it.  No matter it is the diary of my mission and I will look at it and remember fondly.

On Aug. 27^th we served American pancakes for the Young Single Adults (YSA) for Family Home Evening (FHE).  They really enjoyed them.  After they played games and put on importune skits.  The next day we had district meeting which I took brownies too for Elder Lusks birthday.

I mentioned in my last blog that we had a new calling and it did come about.  Brother Corbett passed away like the next day so Elder Ottley and I took over the early morning seminary the day it started and continued for two weeks.  We had an average of five in attendance each day.  That is just half of those signed up.  I guess that isn't horrible considering one couldn't come because his ride there is Sister Corbett and Lucy's family was on holiday the first week and they bring one of the other boys.  Not to mention that 6:15 a.m. is really early when it takes some a half hour or so to ride a bus there.

We taught Monday – Wednesday morning then Thursday night just before mutual and then again Friday morning.  Our best attendance was on Thursday nights.  I can’t believe I never even took one picture in the two weeks.  We had one girl come in her PJ’s (Rebecca Park) and wrapped in a blanket, her mother and Lucy Middleton’s mother served them toast and juice during class.  Rebecca’s brother, Ryan was the most involved.  This is his first year of seminary.  He has usually worn a hoodie all through sacrament, even while passing the sacrament.  Last week he didn’t have it on, he had a white shirt and looked very nice.  After sacrament I mentioned to him that he looked very nice and it wasn’t 5 seconds later that someone else commented to him how nice he looked and then a third person all of which I heard commented.  I don’t think it was my imagination, he was very active in participation that next week in seminary, started reading his scriptures and passed off 3 or 4 master scriptorian scriptures.  I think praise can go a long way!

The last day of seminary I made American pancakes for them.  They really enjoyed them and ate everyone so we ate when we got home.  The first day I had taken cinnamon rolls and they really enjoyed them also.  They claim they have never had one.  I cut the leftovers in half and took them to zone meeting the next day.  It worked out that I had enough for everyone to have one.  The president’s wife really liked them (She is originally from England).

Our Ward High Priests Group from home sent us a package which we got at zone meeting.  It was a fun surprise and had brownies in it.  I really enjoyed them warmed up with ice cream and topping on them. J  We had noticed from Facebook that they were having a party and told them they could deliver our portion to us in person.  Well they did the next best thing.  Thank You for thinking of us!!!

It’s very interesting trying to find ingredients to bake with.  We went shopping on Friday to buy ingredients to make cookies for our fireside on Sunday night.  I wanted to make applesauce or pumpkin cookies with my burnt butter frosting.  Elder Ottley would keep going to store people asking where something was.  He found out from a produce guy that people in England to not bake.  They are to use to the corner bakery doing the baking.  They carried pumpkin once but no one bought it so they don’t sell it anymore.  We found some applesauce in small jars so I bought them and made applesauce cookies.  Their applesauce is very different from ours, it is very tart so I was very disappointed in my cookies.  I guess I will have to stick to good old chocolate chips and chocolate cookies.

A week ago today we went to Hyde Park in down town London, for FHE with the YSA.   Elder Causse from the Presiding Bishopric was the speaker.  They were not expecting as many YSA that came so it was very crowded, no microphone and we were in the back on a couch so we couldn’t hear or see him.  They had it down in a recreation area and we can’t figure out why they didn’t move it to the chapel so everyone could sit and hear.

We enjoyed the ride on the train with some of the YSA from our Ward.  We didn’t get there any too early because we had to wait for Jocy to get back from shopping for shoes so that she could ware flats to walk in and then when we got there her and her sister changed from the flats to the spiked heels.  I guess those impress the guys or something?

Well that is it for the past 3 weeks and hope to have great news for you next week so stay tuned, until then ta da or “it’s been lovely”

Elder & Sister Ottley

The kitchen at the church.
This picture is the night we had pancakes.
Then  I spent hours washing dishes after a funeral Thursday.
 The other lady helping doesn't rinse the dishes.  She just dries the soap off.
  So I took over that part and she went out and kept the food replenished.
I also ended up cleaning and reorganizing things so there was counter space.

The YSA on American pancake night

Elder Lusk giving me thumbs up on his birthday brownies          

Elder Ottley in a garden we happened to see on way to visit someone

Sister Ottley making cinnamon rolls for seminary

The end results

Elder Ottley found a wild berry patch in a park/golf course across from the bus stop

Sister Ottley enjoying a brownie sent from Cascade Ward High Priests.
  What a nice surprise and a delicious one too.

Jocy and Hazel on way to Hyde Park for Fireside

Armindo  on way to Hyde Park for Fireside

London from the train on way to Hyde Park

London from the train on way to Hyde Park

Museum of Natural History at night in London

James our YSA leader, his fiancee
 and his brother & two sisters (triplets) that his parents
adopted while he was on his mission

Transfer time again so we have to have pictures at our last
 Zone Meeting before the transfer

The Work Rolls on Even in the Rain

The past two weeks we have spent most of our day either on the computer figuring out where people live or out walking the streets trying to find the people we have checked out.  We are really getting it down now.  I have taken charge of the YSA list and Dave the New Convert list.  We have checked out the post codes, entered them in to Sally (GPS2) and again in Sally (GPS3) and will yet be able to enter them again in Sally (GPS4) when it arrives.  Sally 2 died and would only blink at us so we have buried her in a box.  Sally 3 is very unreliable and takes about 30 minutes to acquire satellites.  What would you expect from a Pawn Shop purchase?  We found a sales receipt in the box of the person before us that took it back to the pawn shop a few days before we bought it.  It is getting us through until we get the one we ordered from online.  We have 20 days to take it back and get a refund so we will be doing that on Wed. when we go to District meeting in Orpington where we bought it.

We now have people grouped in neighborhoods and it is very nice to be able to go from one house to another in just a few blocks rather than a few miles and it is saving my feet.  I haven’t had a blister this week!

Day time visits were not working as no one was ever home, so we started going out around 3:00 to 7:00 and then by the time we get home, it is 8:30 before we get to eat.  This did not prove to be any more effective than the day time, so we went out on Saturday and walaaaa!  We had someone answer at every door we went to.  Of course we were the only people out on the street as it was pouring rain and they were all smart and cozy in their little flats!  We did stay at one families home for a longer period because there was so much thunder, lightning and rain that just didn’t want to let up.  The first inkling that it was slowing found us going two doors down and making a very fast visit with some inactive that didn’t like us interrupting their smoke filled poker game.  We then took off for the train station just a few blocks away.  I had to hold my skirt tight so it didn’t blow up in the wind and get all wet from the rain.

When we got off of the train we had to walk a block to catch the bus to take us within a couple blocks of our flat.  As we were walking to the bus stop the bus was stopped at a light so we took off running to beat it to the stop.  Well we ran across a street and on the other side of the street was this huge puddle and we just ran right through it making a big splash.  We made it home and I am happy to announce my shoes (sandals) dried out after putting them under the radiator.

We went to church today and was called into the Bishops Office and given another calling.  We have been called as Sub. Seminary Teachers, (Dave will be doing the teaching but I have to go too so it is our calling).  The Seminary Teachers husband has cancer and is not doing well at all so she might have to take some time off if he comes home from the hospital.  We will have to be up by 4:00am to leave at 5:00am to get to the church by 6:00am.  We may not have much notice so I guess I better start getting to bed a little earlier than I am accustom too.

You will find pictures following this informative information.   The camera makes the bad things look good and the good things look bad so I guess you just have to use your imagination.  But know that we are doing well and feel that with yours and our prayers we can make a difference. 

A view of London from a new route on a different bus

I just love the Architecture in London.  I have no idea what this is just saw it from the bus.

These next two are the equestrian grounds from the Olympics

More Architecture and one of many churches

This is one of the areas people could go to watch the Olympics.
  This one was just outside the train station

I could blow this up enough to read that it is St. Johns Church in Sidcup

Dave standing between two complexes that are more of the same.
They are in Plumstead, the ghetto of London.
  This picture just doesn't show
how it really is. 

Linda and Rod Larson came to visit us and took us out to dinner.
We had a lovely time and appreciated them coming and their kindness.

On Sunday August 19th the Middelton family had all 8 of the missionaries from
our ward over for dinner.  It was delicious!  We had Lamb steak, ribs, chicken, hotdogs
and hamburgers along with potato, coleslaw, & lettuce salad.

This was just odd to me so I took a picture.  It is the first one I have seen
and was just random on a corner.  I didn't check it out to see how it works.

Dave loved this and had to have a picture of it.  The sign says:
This Market has been serving the citizens of Woolwich
 since it was created by a charter granted by James I in 1619

London from the10th floor of Sister Jacksons apartment building in our ward.
I should have zoomed in.  Notice the black clouds!  It wasn't much more than
 15 minutes before they were dumping on us.

We pass this every day on the bus and think of you Katie.
It is a baby furniture etc. store