Mom, Dad, and Connor Come to England!

(Written by mom)

3-11-15

After spending a week in Germany and France, Eric and I arrived in London and picked up Connor from the airport on the 10th. We drove up to Birmingham and checked into our room at the Standbridge Hotel. We did some laundry at a laundromat and tried not to get too distracted by our excitement to see Seth. When we pulled into the parking lot of the mission home first thing in the morning Elder Poulsen came running out. Somehow Connor beat me out of the door and hugged Seth first. I must have forgotten to mention to him that that was not allowed.

President Rasmussen and his wife had such wonderful things to say about Elder Poulsen and his service. They said they could always count on him to handle any assignment. He was placed in some very hard situations and handled them all well. He told us that he knew he could have called Elder Poulsen to be an A.P. at any point in time but he needed him more in other areas.

Next we took a quick drive up to Preston to see the temple and meet with Leah and Andy Loynes. She is the daughter in a family Eric taught the gospel to on his mission in Ireland.

Then we drove back down to Rugby to have a typical British dinner with the McSweeney family. They were such lovely people!

Next we visited the pole that Elder Poulsen and his companion use to lock their bikes when they went to visit the next person we visited.....

This is Julie, a wonderful woman that Elder Poulsen contacted and taught, that was baptized.

We stayed the night at the Grosvenor Hotel in Rugby. It was a fabulous place up on the top floor of a rambling old house. The windows looked out over the rooftops and you could see rows and rows of brick chimneys.

3-12-15

Elder Poulsen said when he woke up in the morning and realized he was sleeping in the same room with his family, for a minute he was scared he was dreaming. After a walk downtown and some breakfast we drove to Redditch and Studley to meet with members of the Dobbins Family. I had connected with them through Brenda Summers, a faithful church member who was doing genealogy work for her son-in-law, Keith Dobbins. His father, Jack was there at 93. He was so healthy and vibrant. Apparently his mother had gotten pregnant out of wedlock and her family, the Greenhills, had disowned her; so sad. I guess we are distant cousins.

Next we drove to Swindon and checked into the Great Western Hotel. Connor and Elder Poulsen visited a skatepark and then we were off to meet Carly and Maddisyn. What beautiful people! It is so wonderful to experience a new convert that has such an amazing grasp of the gospel. She really gets it. It was a treat to hear her tell her conversion story to us personally and to understand the spiritual experiences she had that led her there.

We were also able to take a few minutes and make a short visit to a few struggling investigators/members that Seth felt it was important to visit and let them know he was still thinking of them and praying for them. We had a wonderful visit with Chris,

as well as with Martin.

3-13-15

Off to Wales! On the way to lunch with Harold and Val Peters we stopped for a quick look at Caldicot Castle

Our meal with the Peters was the most perfect Welsh experience. All the missionaries in the area call them Grandma and Grandpa. I seriously felt like I was in a Lord of the Rings movie standing next to them.

And then we had dinner with the Chavarrias. They were originally from El Salvador, so Elder Poulsen had to learn some more Spanish. They made one of Elder Poulsen's favorite meals, Pupusas.

On our way to Llanelli we stopped to visit with Jenny and her sister. Elder Poulsen had actually taught her while living in Gloucester, but she had moved back home to Wales and he was excited to help her make sure to connect with her new ward there.

We checked into out room at Llwyn Hall and slept well!

3-14-15

After a beautiful Welsh breakfast we hurried off to meet Alex Watkins. He was anxiously awaiting our visit. We spent the day with him enjoying the Welsh countryside as well as a walk on the dramatic coastal cliffs of Rhossili and Worm's Head.

We even made a stop at the house Alex lived in when he met Elder Poulsen and checked out the fateful street corner where they actually had their first conversation.

Alex's baptism was an important experience for both him and Elder Poulsen.

Before leaving we spent some time with Elder Poulsen's Welsh Mammy, Alex's mother. It was a tearful goodbye when we finally left.

Our last visit of the night was with 'The Captain', Alan Phillips. He was the ward mission leader in the ward there and made a wonderful impression on Elder Poulsen while he was serving there.

3-15-15

Next morning on our way to London we couldn't resist stopping at Stonehenge.

Then we turned in the rental car and found our way to our room at the Avonmore Hotel

There was lots to see on the streets of London!

3-16-15

Next morning we visited the National Musem, the Tower of London, the most famous London skatepark (Southbank), Westminster Abbey and all the sites along the way.