Beautiful day of peace and rest, bright be thy dawn from east to west..... Well, that’s how p-day is supposed to be at least.
Sounds like I missed quite a memorable weekend [with Preston’s wedding]. Must have been really nice. I’m so glad everything went so well. Seems like you spared no efforts in making all of Hilary's, her mothers, and mom’s dreams come true with all the fancy decorations and attire. I can just see the whole family dancing and laughing and having a grand ole time. Saturday was a funny day for me. Elder Rallison got up around 11:30. We went in to the town center to do some finding but instead of people we found a nice breakfast shop. Then it started snowing and we went by to visit people that were not home. So we went to a charity shop, bought some boxing gloves and beat the crap out of each other. It continued to snow all day long and by the end we had eight inches of snow which is a lot for England. Went to a Christmas party in the evening and on the way there, made snow angels and had a wrestling match in the snow where we lost one of the set of keys for our flat. The Christmas party was poorly attended because all the roads shut down, but we still had a great time. Then Sunday we missed sacrament because we were late leaving the flat... awesome. [do you sense the sarcasm?].
So let me tell you about my amazing p-day that I just had which I had been looking forward to for a month. President Patch had three different zones come into Hyde Park for a zone meeting so that we could spend the rest of our p-day enjoying London. I planned and looked forward to going to the museums and doing some Christmas shopping for some people here. So in the morning the trains were a mess and we were an hour late to the meeting. They had to scrape the ice off of the trains coming from the north so that they could work properly. The ride was freezing and by the time we got into London my feet were frozen and the St. Pancras station was in emergency status because of all the cancelled trains. They were no longer selling tickets and were forcing people to leave the station and find somewhere else to stay. So we went to the second half of the meeting and I didn’t pay attention at all. But I did get some of my Christmas packages. One from Julie in Deal, one from Sister Ola in Lea Valley, then one from work and one from mom! And a Christmas card from Nana with pictures totally made my day. I decided not to open any of the packages until Christmas so I would have something to open. Then afterwards as I was getting ready to go sight seeing one of the A.P.’s needed someone who could drive and I volunteered. We went to Heathrow airport to pick up another car. We had two missionaries that were trying to get home from our mission and several others who were trying to get home from Africa and Italy and one Sister going to Spain that were stranded there, so we spent the day walking around the crowded airport looking for these missionaries without phones. Two rescheduled flights for tomorrow. We got the sister to Spain checked in to a plane. And couldn’t find the other missionaries anywhere. We assumed they were able to jump on a flight. The whole time I had people stopping me asking me if I could direct them or answer a question for them. I felt so bad the whole airport looked like a refugee camp. All these people trying to get somewhere for the holidays and were stranded because the British government does not plan for weather. So we spent 4:30 hours there getting it sorted then I had to drive back to London. I left at noon got back after six. My companion was gone and I had no where to go so I sat there till seven when they came back and then we left to go home. Best p-day of my life. I love chances to serve. And I got to spend time with the A.P. and get some juicy mission gossip. I ALMOST got him to slip and tell me where I was going next transfer.
Anyhow, life is going really good and I’m learning some good lessons in humility.... That’s always the FUNNEST lesson to learn.
Congrats to Kallen Craeger for his mission call! I’m excited for you buddy. My studies have been going well. I’m reading life of Christ so clear and easy to understand why He did and said what He did. But one of the best ways I have found to have a good study is to write down what I know and am learning. I might just be really weird but my thoughts are always clearest when I put them on paper. I’m learning that with journal writing it is not what you did in the day that is always most important. Travel logs are boring testimonies of the tender mercies are much better.
My mind cant help but be turned to the sober memories of five years ago today [when London died]. My heart is still torn apart. It’s hard to be away from home at this time of the year. I love the plan of salvation. God be thanked for the birth of Christ and His resurrection which conquered death. I love the Restoration and that with the priesthood we can be together forever.
I have a family here on earth, they are so good to me. I want to share my life with them through all eternity. Families can be together forever though Heavenly Father’s plan. I always want to be with my own family. And the Lord has shown me how I can. The Lord has shown me how I can.
I love and miss you all dearly,
Elder Solomon
