YSA Halloween Party

For Family Home Evening on Nov 5th we were going to have a bonfire and cook scout dinners, in honor of Guy Fawkes Day which is every 5th of Nov.  Guy Fawkes tried to blowup Parliament a long time ago so England celebrates that he was not successful and that he was burned at the stake by having bonfires and fireworks every year.  Well it didn't work out that we could have the bonfire where we had planned so Elder Ottley and I decided that we would celebrate Halloween just a few days late.

We planned to have a pumpkin carving contest, a costume in a sack contest and eating donuts from a string contest.  England does not celebrate Halloween as we do in USA and they don't like pumpkin so it  turned out that no stores had any pumpkins.  We settled for Honey Dew.  No problem, we move on to finding things to put in the costume sack.  Our town has two or three charity shops on each of its two streets.  We go to all the shops and can't find anything that is really ugly enough to put in the sack.  The shops are small and they don't really have anything that is bad.  Then I found one dress that I thought would work and bought it.  We then went to the 99 pence store because that was the only place I had noticed any Halloween decorations.  Surely they would have things they wanted to close out.  Nope all their shelves were changed to Christmas and nothing left from Halloween.  I bought two little princes tutu's, and a set of little girls necklace & earrings and a couple Christmas decorations I thought would help.  We ended up going home and  putting our clothes in the bags.

By the time they got there (YSA standard time 7:30) we started off with Claudia giving us a short lesson that was very good and then we went into our activities.  It was very interesting that we had only one person that had ever carved a pumpkin and only one that had done a costume in a bag.  They all seem to have fun doing these and then when we moved onto the donuts on a string they were all having a great time.  They all finished and then they wanted Elder Ottley and I to do it.  So we did.  The first thing I did wrong was choose a cake donut and the first thing Elder Ottley did right was choose a jelly filled donut that didn't have a hole in the middle so his fit snug on the string.  After I took one bite and mine fell, I realized that his didn't have the hole so I went over and acted like I was going to take a bite out of his and he pushed it into my face with his face. I ended up with a mouth full and jelly all over my face.  The YSA got a hoot out of it.

By the time we finished cleaning up the church and got home on the bus it was all over facebook and one said it was the best FHE he had ever had.

2012 11-5 002 Team 2 Costume in a Bag Contest Jade Stevens,
 Kete Masekoameng, Caludia Rodriguez, Shannen Smikle,
& dog Amelia Lawrence

2012 11-5 004 Team 1 Costume in a Bag Contest Kerrin Gorie, Romina Silvetti,
David Sheppard, James Farnell, Armindo Pessoa

2012 11-5 007 Winners Pumpkin (Honey Dew) Carving  Contest Team 2
Caludia Rodriguez, Jade Stevens, Shannen Smikle, Kete Masekoameng,
Amelia Lawrence

2012 11-5 009 Pumpkin (Honey Dew) Carving  Contest Team 1
David Sheppard, Kerrin Gorie, Romina Silvetti, Armindo Pessoa, , James Farnell

2012 11-5 013 Donut on a string contest
 Kete Masekoameng & Romina Silvetti

2012 11-5 013 Donut on a string contest Kete Masekoameng

2012 11-5 014 Donut on a string contest
David Sheppard & Amelia Lawrence

2012 11-5 017 Donut on a string contest David Sheppard
the first one to eat it all!

2012 11-5 019 Donut on a string contest Jade Stevens & Armindo Pessoa

2012 11-5 027 Donut on a string contest Jade Stevens & Armindo Pessoa

2012 11-5 031 Donut on a string contest Kerrin Gorie & Shannen Smikle

2012 11-5 035 Donut on a string contest Claudia Rodriguez & James Farnell

2012 11-5 036 Donut on a string contest Elder & Sister Ottley

Changing of the Guard & Temple Trip

We went to London one day to do all our Christmas shopping in a day.  We found out when they would be having the changing of the guard and had it all planned to go there first and then shopping.  It worked out pretty much as we read on line and we got a pretty good spot, but next time I want to be standing right in front of the light pole on the left so I could see the palace in the back ground.

We got all but a couple presents that day and was able to have everything mailed within a couple of days.  We mailed them surface and was told that it would take 52 days for them to get to the families but we started hearing that they had arrived 7 days later.  I guess the slow boat wasn't so slow :) 

2012 10-4 28 The changing of the guard
 before going Christmas Shopping

We enjoyed a day in Greenwich with our friends from the MTC, the Bradfords.  The day was chilly but we only had a little rain while we were in the museum so it really turned out to be a wonderful time.

Greenwich is pretty close to the boarder of our ward and in the ward where the Bradfords are serving.

2012 10-15 02 Charlene & Dave straddling the
 Prime Meridian Alt azimuth Marker
where all time zones are measured from

2012 10-15 05  View from the Prime Meridian Alt azimuth Marker
They are tearing down this stadium that was used for the Olympics
because they voted that they wanted their park back

2012 10-15 22 Elder & Sister Ottley in front of the
Cutty Sark a famous ship on display

We are back in London with Holly Baker.  We had the Bakers over for dinner a few weeks back and they wanted to pay us back by showing us London on a dime.  Brother Baker had to much homework to grade so he didn't make.

2012 10-20 08  The London Wall

2012 10-20 17 Holly said everyone has their picture taken here
 with the phone booth and Big Ben all in one

2012 10-20 19 Westminster Abbey

2012 10-20 20 Big Ben from Westminster Abbey

2012 10-20 25 Dave has wanted a picture with a policeman since we got here so he got his wish

2012 10-20 27 This is a picture of very wealthy peoples
 housing on our way to Kensington Palace

2012 10-20 29 Gardens at Kensington Palace

2012 10-20 30 Sister Ottley & Holly by the statue of Queen Elisabeth
 that her daughter sculpted and placed at Kensington Palace.
This is also where William and Kate live.

2012 10-20 33 This is Tower Bridge from London Bridge

2012 10-27 04 Elders Mafebelu, Mansilla, Von Allmen, Ottley, Curran & Fawson
 Transfer Breakfast and all in their jumpers (sweaters USA)

2012 10-27 03 Elders Ottley, Fawson, Curran,
 Mafebelu, Mansilla, & von Allmen Transfer Breakfast

Notice Elder Curran back left and in front of him is a jug.  Well he being an Englander is not use to having American pancakes and so he doesn't know what syrup is.  I have to make home made syrup and this is the only container I could find to put it in.  Well he thought it was apple juice and so he poured himself a big glass and took a drink.  All of a sudden he is coughing and gasping as he says "What is that?"  Everyone had a good laugh and went on to enjoy eating. 

2012 10-27 06 Sister Ottley with her step children
Elders Mafebelu, Mansilla, Von Allmen,
Curran & Fawson Transfer Breakfast

2012 11-1 Elder Mafubelu, Marion Brown holding Naomi, Joshua Wessey (investigators) & Elder Aragones

2012 11-1 Mary Conteh and her children Alima &  Akeem (new members)

Add 2012 11-1 Segun Alakiu & Elder Curran (investigator)

2012 11-3 01 Christmas in a box  service project 

2012 11-3 03 Elder Fawson, Isabel Bangura, Elder Curran & Isabels daughter Gabbie

2012 11-3 04 Mary Conteh cousin to Isabel and new convert,  Elder Fawson, Isabel Bangura, Elder Curran & Mary's daughter Aleema Conteh, also a new member.

2012 11-3 05 Elder Fawson, & Isabels daughter Gabbie

2012 11-3 06 Christian (just baptized) & Citi Gnadenberger, Elders von Allmen & Benedetti

2012 11-4 The floor in our closet we are trying to get dried out. (1)

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