Gillian and I hopped into her car in Evesham, for
another short drive, back to Coventry, where we got to bed around 2am. I had especially been wanting to see Gillian in her element, as she is
the Relief Society president of her Coventry Ward, so was especially happy she
had agreed to let me stay another night. (Originally I was going to stay over
an extra night in Wales and return home with Natasha, the sister in my ward
whose sons were with Martin at the campout, after attending church the next morning, but
as things began to wrap up, I felt, at that point, more and more that I just
wanted to get as close to home as I could.)
Gillian’s ward was every bit as diverse as my own
Harborne Ward. Two adult men were confirmed and given the gift of the Holy
Ghost. One was very old and decrepit, the other in a wheelchair. It is so
awe-inspiring to see, wherever I go, the enduring manifestation that the
message of the gospel continues to usher forth – heedless of age, gender or
nationality.
A cute little older woman, Betty I later learned,
came up to welcome me and shake my hand as I waited for sacrament meeting to
begin. As she did, she said, “Oh, you’re no good to me – cold hands.” (Didn’t
realize at that time that she had a fun sense of humour. I figured she was
serious and didn’t know quite what to make of our interchange.) Later, when I
passed her in the hallway and was aware that my hands were now warm, I took her
hand again in mine to redeem myself. Discovering immediately that her own hand
was very chilled, I expressed this to her. “Yes,” she said, “I do have cold
hands. Good for getting lots of boyfriends.”
Having observed her sitting with her husband in church, I said, but,
you’re married. “That’s alright, she exclaimed, helps the ego!” An unexpected
confession from an octogenarian. Brilliant! Never let it be said that one is too
old for matters of the heart. (Remembering well Grandma Beck and her shockingly
flirtatious exchanges directed towards Pastor Jim, on a very somber occasion.)
The first speaker in Sacrament meeting (This is
probably the first ward I’ve been in here where the format of Sunday meetings
mirrors our own.) as a young man from Mexico (with a British accent) who has
received his mission call to Boston to report in December. (I had two things to
share with him: one about how much he would love Boston and find it very much
like home, and the second regarding my experience of having a child leave to
serve the Lord in December. At the time I complained in my heart how unfair it
seemed {to me only, as it turned out} and how the return – before Christmas –
made it all worth it on the other side of the equation.) The second speaker, a
recently returned missionary, centered his remarks around how we can bring
about all righteousness – through prayer and repentance, by being wholly consecrated
and making our way through individual trials, we will arrive at the point where
we will do good works of our own free will. The third speaker, in his fifties,
who also happened to be the organist, (spoke to him later out of interest,
because Gillian said he was in a band, and also because I noticed he, and his
wife, were a lot of fun) spoke on the theme of “and nothing shall offend them,”
a major issue in this country and subject brought up often in church settings.
[A side note: I observed a child in front of me
writing in his journal as a means of helping him “get through” church. I
thought that wasn’t a half bad alternative – if you had to have something.]
Sunday School thought – our growth is at its
greatest when we are suffering. (Is that REALLY true? I’ll have to think on
that one.)
Relief Society – here I experienced some good-natured
bantering that followed on the tails of more of the same in Sunday School. The brother who had
spoken of taking – or not taking – offense had kind of set the stage with his
subject matter, and animated nature. The light-hearted references – all
entirely appropriate – continued on in this lesson. It is really the first I
have experienced it while visiting here in England, and have rarely seen much
of it in the states, for that matter. Hard to describe, but it brought a good
chuckle, and was very witty and fun. (Wish you could have experienced it with
me. It was so much fun to see it go round and round, and never interfered with
what was being taught or detracted from the spirit.) I am of the opinion that good
humour helps us enjoy life and raises the content of the message to where we
are more willing to place it in our hearts.
All of which contributes to the fact that when
church is over, both in Harborne, and now here in Coventry, nobody goes
home! People are very slow getting into
their cars and driving away. They visit, chat, get caught up on each other’s
lives, or in other words – thoroughly enjoy one another’ company.
My abiding testimony: the church is true – wherever you go, however
you serve.
After church, Gillian dropped me off at the
station and I rode the train back home to Selly Oak, my Birmingham
neighborhood. Arrived around 3-ish. After doing a little unpacking and organizing
I headed over to Leah and Martin’s. Hadn’t interacted with them for what seemed
like an age (though the last time in actuality was but Thursday last). It’s
amazing to me how even a few days seems like a monumental period of time. I
must be in a time warp or something! (Last night brushing my teeth in Gillian’s
bathroom, I called out, Was it really only a week ago I was staying here with
you?! The answer was yes, but man, it seemed like weeks had gone by since then.
Unreal!)
Found the Wardy family at home and doing well. The
men had survived the campout, the women refreshed. They were being visited by
Michael (post-secondary, in missionary prep mode) and younger brother, Timmy
(age 14), sons of their good friends who are off on holiday to France,
celebrating one of those pivotal anniversaries. We shared the last few “days of
our lives” and then played a rousing game of Phase Ten, before zoning out on
the couch for the long-awaited, third season opener of Downton Abbey, a British
favorite. (Found in America, as well! Check your KBYU schedule – to premier
January 2013) Well, you know, I AM in Britain -- so when in Britannia, do as
the Brits do, right?!
Photos_
1- St. Michael’s - the old and the new – renovated
ruins of Coventry Cathedral following WWII bombing alongside the rebuilt modern
cathedral (really, does it qualify?)
3- fancy metalwork in downtown Coventry, in honor
of the Olympics
2- waiting for the train
