When we initially arrived in England nearly two years ago, we were given the keys to our new home. A skeleton key – a type I wasn’t familiar with. To me, it looked like the kind of key you would use to wind a clock or open the door to a old dark mansion in the movies. It’s also important to know that there isn’t a push lock or a dead bolt on the door, so for security purposes we lock ourselves in our flat each time the door is opened.

It’s a bit embarrassing, but every time I would use the key over the first few months, it was a CHALLENGE! You have to put the key in the keyhole just right, line it up perfectly with the mechanisms inside and while turning the key, apply pressure so that the key will engage and turn the lock. I would try and try without success, and then hand the key over to Butch who could always lock and unlock the door without a problem.

One Sunday, Butch was “resting,” so I thought I would go out and take an afternoon stroll in a nearby park and enjoy the nice weather. For what seemed to be the longest 15 long minutes ever, I tried and tried and tried to unlock the door from the inside to let myself out. Finally, I gave up and feeling like a prisoner in my own home (a bit dramatic I know) sat down on the couch and cried.

While things are definitely not as bad with the current lockdown in England, it still feels a bit restrictive. We can go out to get groceries, pick up take-away food and walk in the park as many times a day as we want, especially now that I am proficient at opening the door, lol! We can even go into the office if needed, as long as no one else is there.

Lockdown seems to just be part of 2020 – for everyone. For us, we experienced two weeks of self-isolation when returning home in March. Then a few days later a ‘stay at home’ order went into effect for more than six weeks. Two more weeks of self-isolation when returning to the UK and now England is back in lockdown for the next four weeks. That is 98 days, 14 weeks or 3+ months of being home.

No wonder getting the news of another lockdown is a bit unsettling. It is hard to once again re-structure work and be physically isolated from others. Butch, on the other hand, is almost cheery about being at home 24/7. He worked from home most of his career, so it seems second nature to him.

Setting goals

For me, being engaged in mission work during the day is great, yet winter is setting in with shorter and longer nights. Today it was dark by 4:30 pm. I’ll need some things to do to keep my mind busy and lift my spirits. So, on day three of the lockdown, I took the advice of a friend and spent some time thinking about what I could do, not what I couldn’t do. Mostly simple things with a good balance of spiritual, physical, social and mental activities.

Just writing it all down made a world of difference. Any time I am feeling a bit anxious, I just look at my list and pick something to do.

With the help of a few goals, daily walks, sorting through family photos, online Christmas shopping, a ukulele and other activities, who knows, maybe lockdown won’t be so bad?

• 

• 

Butch and birds

We try and get out every day and walk somewhere. Most of the time we go to Saint Nicholas Park, a beautiful setting where the River Avon flows. Butch’s new hobby is to take our stale bread and feed it to the swans, geese and ducks. They know him so well now, that they will eat out of his hand. Now isn’t that a lovely way to manage lockdown.

• 

• 

• 

• 

Radio or television interviews often look easy, but in reality they can be quite challenging. The difference between an average interview and a great interview is always preparation: knowing who the host is, considering questions that might be asked, identifying key messages and practice, practice, practice.

To some, the day to day living of our faith is interesting and draws media attention. There is a natural curiosity about temples; young missionaries who leave their homes to preach the gospel and serve others; and our health code which includes refraining from tea, coffee, cigarettes and alcohol. So, while it doesn’t happen every day, it isn’t unusual for a missionary, or a member of the church, to get a call from the BBC or other media outlets asking them to share their personal experiences on air.

Part of our assignment includes helping missionaries and others prepare for media interviews. These requests usually come through our director and originate from mission presidents or other Church leaders. The truth is that this is one of our favourite things to do! It is fun to research the hosts and very rewarding to help someone identify what they really want to say and say it in a way that others will understand. For the most part, hosts are kind, but you never know what may come up in conversation that could be perceived controversial.

Throughout our mission we have received assignments to help prepare missionaries, church leaders and members speak with the media. We’d like to share a few of those recent experiences. We think that those that were interviewed did a great job, but then again, we’re a bit biased.

The first two of the following media prep requests came in while we were still in Arizona, but totally doable with videoconferencing and figuring out time zones. It was amazing to connect with people over in England and help them prepare to speak to the press and podcast hosts.

BBC Radio 4, ‘The Patch’ with Polly Weston

Polly Weston’s show, ‘The Patch’ uses a random postcode generated to find the next area in Great Britain to find interesting people and stories to feature. This past summer, a postcode on Anglesey Island in north Wales came up and she started her search for interesting stories on Google Maps. While searching for a café in Gaerwen made famous from a song, she found a chapel for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a faith she knew very little about.

She soon got in touch with the local bishop, Bishop Simon Wall and two missionaries, Elder Forrest Crawford from the US and Elder Matthew Mann from England. Polly interviewed them all along with a local politician, Nathan Gill. Polly was interested in learning about what it was like to be a missionary during lockdown and how members prepared for emergencies.

The missionaries were amazing! It was also wonderful hearing perspectives from a faithful Latter-day Saint bishop and another member of the church. Click here to listen to the broadcast.

Journeys of Faith

While going through their teaching reports, missionaries in Oldham, Elder Grell from the US and Elder Hawkins from England, came across a person named David who had interacted with missionaries previously. David turned out to be a co-host of a new podcast called ‘Journeys of Faith’ and he invited the elders to come on the show and share their Latter-day Saint beliefs.

The interview was about 30 minutes long, which isn’t easy to do. The elders did a wonderful job; sharing information, answering questions and dispelling myths. They were personable and shared heartfelt messages. The content was friendly and conversational in nature, exploring beliefs of the Church and commonalities with other faiths.

The hosts also mentioned that they would like the elders to return for another episode and share more about the Church. Isn’t that a great way to share a message of hope in Jesus Christ with others. Click here to listen to the podcast. Click here to watch it on YouTube.

BBC Radio Cambridgeshire with Dotty McLeod

On the Friday evening before October General Conference, we were copied on a message from a mission president here in England. He was looking for some help to brief two missionaries serving in Peterbrough; Elder Beale from England and Elder Kidd from the US. They had posted a message on a community Facebook page volunteering to give service to others, like gardening and rubbish disposal. The post caught the attention of BBC Dotty McLeod, a BBC Radio Cambridgeshire morning show host. They were to be interviewed live, first thing Monday morning.

It wasn’t long before we were asked to connect with the missionaries. We set up two training meetings on Sunday between conference sessions. In the first meeting, we covered basic interview tips, jargon specific to Latter-day Saints that can confuse people, discussed the messages that they wanted to share, and talked about how to do that. At the second meeting we practiced. During the “mock” interviews we asked questions we thought the host would ask and then threw in a few tough ones to see how they would do. By the time we were done, they were ready.

As always, we tuned in to the show to listen to the interview. The missionaries were articulate, relatable and did a great job. We later heard from them that at first, they thought the media training was a bit over the top. They went on to say, that they were really glad for it though, because in the moment of the interview they were ready for the questions and prepared to share their messages.

Click here to listen to the interview. It begins at 01:43:08 and is live through 2 November, 2020. To read an article written by Sister Neiswender about the interview for the UK Newsroom click here.

Given that the news cycle is 24/7 we hope that will have another opportunity, in the time we have left, to help others think about what they would like to say when the media calls.

When we left on our mission in January 2019, Lucas and Trellany rented out their home and moved into ours. It helped them reduce expenses while he was in school and helped us knowing that our home was being cared for. So, when we were sent home unexpectedly and after spending our first three weeks with Micah ( first two self-isolating), it was time to move back into our home with them and their two-year-old daughter Myla, who we hadn’t seen since she was six months old.

You never know what living together is going to be like. I was a bit nervous; not wanting to adversely impact our relationship with Luke and Trell. You know, two women in the kitchen; who does the lawns; what about fridge space; garage space; grocery shopping; TV sharing; there is a lot to take into consideration and balance. Plus, I learned from living with Butch’s mother years ago, there is also a delicate balance ensuring that other family members not living with you, feel just as important too.

We called it our special time together. To help maintain sense of autonomy, which is very important to all Bodines, we picked up a phrase while at Micah’s that was, “I’ll do what I want.” It didn’t get used very much but was a great go to if you needed it. Generally, we tried to be flexible, give each other personal space and not weigh in (too much) on what the other was doing.

• 

Luke and Trell were the best housemates ever! Before we even got there, they cleared out of the master suite and moved into the guest room. They moved Myla to a quiet room in the house and packed away non-essentials to make space for us. I would venture to say that Lucas is a matrix master with regard to garage storage. He had boxes sorted by family with small pathways to get to what we needed. It wasn’t long before we broke into those boxes to find appropriate clothes to wear in summer in Arizona.

• 

• 

• 

Trellany was amazing too! She was so kind and patient with us and our idiosyncrasies, like my compulsion for an empty kitchen sink and empty dishwasher. It was wonderful to share the cooking and clean-up with her, Lucas and Butch. It was a bonus that we both liked to focus our cooking efforts on healthy options. I learned too that she is a great friend to others, a thoughtful planner and a master cookie baker. We also had fun sewing masks and matching Easter outfits.

Plus, she made us look really good when our family all agreed to have a social-distancing themed online video talent show. Certainly appropriate during Covid! You’ve heard of the quarantine fifteen. That’s what happens when I bake and Butch eats. Take a look at our baking and dancing talents.

The best part of living in the same house together was being live-in grandparents to a two-year-old. That doesn’t happen every day and I wish that we could have the same experience with each one of our grandchildren. The joke was that Butch and Myla were on the same schedule. They would go down at the same time for afternoon naps and bedtime nearly every day. Needless to say, Butch was always the first one to volunteer to babysit at those times.

As most young children, Myla mimicked everything we did. Right off she heard me call Butch Honey, and from then on that was his name. He tried many times to teach her to call him Grandpa, but she wouldn’t have it, he was Honey to her. He would say “Grandpa” and she would say “Honey,” over and over again. It became a game, or perhaps she just enjoyed teasing him! She would also sit at my desk and click the keys of the keyboard to do her “work”. I just had to make sure to close out all my programmes on the computer so she wouldn’t send a cryptic email to a colleague, haha! She even became a macrophotography expert, right along with Butch. One time she was checking out his camera while he was in the other room. When he discovered where she was, he ran faster than we had seen him run in a very long time!

• 

• 

• 

• 

We thoroughly loved seeing life through Myla’s eyes. Everything was new and exciting. She would show off her yoga moves and race around the house. At the beginning of the summer we watched her cautiously swim in the pool. Before the summer was over, she had no fear and thought she was swimming. Every afternoon if time allowed, we would watch Elmo or Cocomelon on my iPad on my bed. It was especially fun to see her discover her shadow on a walk around the neighbourhood.

• 

• 

• 

Our hearts would melt when she would invite us to play dollhouse with her. We named the people in the house after her family and they did the same things Myla and her family did. The dollhouse people would bake cookies, eat dinner, go to the zoo and the park and even go potty and wash hands. Grandpa and Grandma and Nana and Papa would also come visit.

• 

We already miss the joy that Myla gave to us each day. Butch is not nearly as exciting and neither am I, lol! We just hope that when we return, she will remember us and the tender bond that we share.

• 

• 

Before we left England for home, we both experienced bouts of homesickness. It’s hard to be gone from those you love for long periods of time, so in many ways we were grateful to be home. At first, we thought we would be home on leave from the UK just a few months and return in June. Then it started looking like July, then August and September. After a while, we just decided to embrace the uncertainty and enjoy our time together.

After two weeks of self-containment, we had many opportunities to be with our children and grandchildren in small group settings during our time at home. Butch often said that we were enjoying the best of both worlds; spending time with our family and serving a mission remotely.

• 

• 

As pandemic restrictions began lifting, Butch joined our sons and grandsons, ages five to 11, in a “backpacking adventure”. They hiked five miles to Marshall Gulch on Mount Lemmon near Tucson, Arizona. The boys learned how to set up camp, tie knots and had a great time with their dads, uncle and grandpa.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

I was able to help our daughters (our daughters-in-law are our daughters too) host a “girls camp” in a cabin in Flagstaff for 10 of our granddaughters ages three to 16. I have literally been to decades of girls camp, and this one by far was the most rewarding. Probably because of the love and unity that was felt among us.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

We made up skits, hiked alongside a stream, had a water fight, competed in silly relay races, learned how to watercolour, made necklaces, sang karaoke and shared personal feelings and testimonies. My favourite parts were devotionals led by Sage, Faith and Jane, and having a “secret sister” – watching the excitement of the girls sharing thoughtful acts of kindness for each other, secretly of course.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

We were able to attend Audrey’s baptism, where Butch spoke, and I was a witness for the first time. After years and years of school, we gathered with Trellany’s family to celebrate Dr Lucas Bodine’s graduation from AT Still’s Physical Therapy programme. Even though his in-person commencement was cancelled, his celebration was very personal with family members affectionately “roasting” him and sharing heartfelt tributes. We were also home when they announced that they would be adding a new baby to their family and that baby would be a boy.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

We also celebrated Easter, Micah’s birthday in his new backyard, Tyler’s birthday at a British Cheese Roll (Hosted by his wife Stephanie because they should have been in the UK), The 4^th of July, Kelli’s 40th birthday on the lake in the new boat Bert gave her, and quick trip to Central to deliver a box full of birthday wishes to my mother for her 90th birthday. We were also there for Stephanie’s birthday on the Salt River on paddleboards, Jonathan’s 6th birthday, Myla’s 2nd (Golden) birthday, Faith’s 15th, Wills 12th and Jacob and Allison’s 10th birthdays.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Swimming with the grandkids was a great reprieve from the heat! Sleepovers, game nights, skits with grandkids and Elmo time with Myla was after her nap were all wonderful. In addition, being able to attend church with our children and grandchildren in their homes was a highlight. It was tender to hear talks from our grandchildren, see them conduct and lead the music and watch our sons (sons-in-law included) and 11-year-old grandsons bless and pass the sacrament. This was a time of unity and love that we will always cherish.

• 

• 

Tender mercies

Reconnecting with each of our children and our aging mothers was a quite a blessing for us. We also spent a weekend away with Butch’s siblings which was lovely and may not be possible in the future. In addition, while we were home both of us experienced some health issues when we were home. It was a blessing to be where we could see the doctors we knew and have the support of our family.

• 

• 

Butch was so happy to experience a bit of what it was like to be retired and not have the pressure of going to “work” every day and knowing that his family was counting him to provide. He even took up a new hobby of macro-photography specialising in hummingbirds.

• 

• 

I think the biggest blessing for me was learning what it is like to slow down. Those who know me best know that I have a hard time sitting still. While it was wonderful to be engaged in mission work, it was also great to have time to focus on what is most important to me and my relationship with others. I hope I remember the lessons that I learned while home.

For the past five+ months we served remotely from home. It is remarkable how much work could progress even across an ocean and a country.

Butch shared a home office with Lucas and Trellany. They got on well and would often defer to the person who was on deadline or needed quiet to concentrate. I set up my computer in the bay window of our master bedroom. A home office is the perfect spot to wear t-shirts, shorts and flip flops to work – sometimes even pajamas, haha! It was also a bonus being able to get snack from the kitchen throughout the day, catch a nap on occasion, and take breaks in the swimming pool with the grandkids.

In order to compensate for the eight-hour time difference, we typically got up early, about 4:30-5:00 am, to check email to move projects forward to meet publishing deadlines. Each week we would put our name tags on (most of the time) and met via videoconference with Malcolm, our director, and the Neiswenders, the other couple from our office who were working from home in Murray, Utah. It was great to connect and receive direction and assignments. We also met weekly with the Europe Communication Department director and team to receive updates and correlate assignments.

Butch spent time working on budgets and special projects. He also did research for a parliamentary report that the Church files annually. I kept busy writing articles for the UK and Europe Area Newsrooms. On occasion articles even made it to the Global Newsroom. I was grateful to be engaged in this way. Many of the stories were a report of Latter-day Saints and their response to circumstances surrounding Covid-19 such as; online devotionals, humanitarian efforts, and how members are managing during the pandemic. It was inspiring to meet with people from the UK and across Europe, learn of their experiences and share them in articles. This was a humbling experience for me and truly strengthened my faith.

Here are a few links to articles written while at home in Arizona:

Elder Jeffrey R Holland honours and strengthens British Latter-day Saints

Christianity on the frontline of Covid-19

Serving the poor and needy during Covid-19

England London Mission’s online devotional strengthens Christian faith globally

Welsh Latter-day Saints partner with local organisations to provide essential supplies for thousands during Covid-19 crisis

England Manchester Mission choir reaches a global audience

Mothers finding joy, even in challenging times

While we were home, we even had the chance to reconnect with those that we served with in England. It was such a joy to celebrate the marriage of Elder Warner and his new bride at a reception in Saint George, Utah. He served in the Warwick congregation where we attended church.

While in Saint George, we also reconnected with Jim and Joann Coleman, previous missionaries from the Warwick Office, and Mark and Susan Dransfield who oversaw ambassador relations in the London Office. We also met up with Steve and Linda Neiswender, the couple we currently serve with as they were travelling through Saint George.

• 

• 

Uncertainty seems to be synonymous with the circumstances surrounding COVID 19. The world is anything but normal and over the past five+ months there wasn’t a day that went by that we didn’t wonder when we would return to England. Like most everyone around the world, we were in a holding pattern. While we didn’t face serious challenges like some, we were very grateful to those behind the scenes advocating for our return.

On 27 August, we received word that we would be returning to the United Kingdom to finish out our mission there. While speaking to President Sean Glenn, our Church leader who oversees seven congregations where we live in Mesa, we were able to choose our return date. Two weeks lead time seemed about right to tie up loose ends, sort out the things we took out of storage while home, eat lots of Mexican food, get our luggage together and spend time with family. Honestly, it didn’t really sink in that we were going back until we received our flight schedule which had us departing Phoenix 9 September.

Leaving was much easier emotionally this time around. Looking at just over five months away from home didn’t seem quite as daunting. These last two weeks we were able to slip in some great family gatherings: Kelli and Bert took all the adults to the lake, Sunday dinners with the kids and Butch’s mother and on Monday Butch and the kids surprised me with a pre-birthday celebration at Gecko Grill with Piefection afterward. I was so happy to see all the grandkids too! I had some pre-birthday gifts for them too.

• 

• 

• 

• 

We promised ourselves that we wouldn’t take as much as we did the first time. Good thing because our bags were full! While we didn’t take as much clothing, we did pack a few “food essentials” like ElPato, tortillas, green chilies, Miracle Whip and Jell-O. The hardest decision was deciding which mask to wear on the long flight. Butch got one that had vents and I went for basic black.

• 

• 

We got to the airport and said our tearful goodbyes to Lucas, Trellany and Myla. It was time to mask up and get going. We met up with Steve and Linda Neiswender (the other couple in our office) in LA and travelled with them through to Amsterdam and on to Birmingham. Upon arrival, it became clear that our bags didn’t come with us. Luckily, we found someone who could help and filled out a claim form; hoping we would see our luggage soon*. The England Birmingham Mission office elders met us all at the airport with keys to our flat and loaded Neiswenders bags into the mission van. Butch quickly refreshed his British driving skills, and we followed the elders in the car we share with Neiswenders.

• 

• 

• 

It was great to be back in our flat and in familiar surroundings! We are now on day 10 of a two-week self-quarantine period required because of travel restrictions put in place by the UK to reduce the spread of Coronavirus. Thank goodness for grocery delivery service! A food order came right to our door the same evening we arrived. That night we also got take away delivered to our door from a local restaurant. Add in the internet, which allows us to keep busy working from home and take in a few movies and TV; we may never go out again, haha!

Seriously, we are going a bit stir crazy. Our windows are open, the weather is beautiful, leaves are turning colour and there is nothing more than we would like to do than take a walk in Saint Nicholas Park. I guess it is an exercise in patience and obedience. Come Thursday though, we are out the door!

• 

*After three days of scarce communication from the airport, our luggage finally arrived safe and sound. Good thing we had some “essentials” in our carry-on bags 😊.

Thursday morning, March 12, 2020 we were in our flat in Warwick getting ready to pick up Kasey and Tyler Klein (our daughter and son-in-law) at the local train station when our mission president called to tell us that all senior missionaries and young at-risk missionaries were being called home immediately from the UK due to travel and health concerns surrounding COVID-19. He said that this direction came from our prophet President Nelson and told us to drop everything we were working on and prepare to leave within 24 to 48 hours. Needless to say, we were in a state of shock, mostly because we were very healthy and didn’t comprehend the vast restrictions that would ultimately be put in place in the UK and around the world.

It was difficult sharing this news with Kasey and Tyler. They were on holiday for 10 days, spending time with us in Warwick, going to the Six Nations Wales vs Scotland rugby match, seeing Phantom in London’s West End and then they were to go on to Normandy and Paris, where they would leave for home. In flight, they received news of the immediate travel ban from Europe to the US and that their out of Paris was cancelled. Knowing what they were dealing with, it was even harder to hang on to our emotions as we broke our news to them that we were leaving – right away.

Looking back, it was a blessing to us to have them with us – emotionally and physically – as we came to grips with leaving nine+ months before our mission was to conclude and having a sense of urgency to pack and be ready to go. We called a family council that afternoon to share the news with the rest of our children back in the US. What a comfort it was to see them on the video call and watch them immediately make plans to take care of us when we arrived with a place to stay, phones, a car and a ride home from the airport.

Not knowing what our travel plans would be, we began packing straight away and found ourselves dumping things into suitcases – not having nearly enough room for what we had acquired and without the mental or emotional capacity to sort it all out. So, Butch picked up another big bag and the Garcia/Perez family from our branch (congregation) gave us one of their suitcases. Kasey and Tyler took an Uber to Stratford-Upon-Avon while we went to the office at the church to tie up some loose ends and close down our office. We left a few notes and items for the members of our church family in Warwick. It all felt so unfinished . . . .

On Saturday morning at 4:15 we left left the Kleins asleep in our flat, slid our keys under the door and left for the mission home in Birmingham to meet up with about 35+ other missionaries (mostly senior missionaries) who were also leaving. Our car was packed to the brim with out an inch to spare. I literally had a carry-on suitcase on my lap for the 30 minute ride. The mission rented a coach to take us to Manchester where we would also see missionaries from the Manchester and Leeds missions and all catch flights to the US, then flights to our respective home towns.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

We had our first experience with COVID screening when we landed in the US. While going through customs, an airport official asked us to step aside and come with him. He took our passports, gave us two masks to put on and led us to a sectioned off area where we were asked to wait. From what we could see, we were the only missionaries pulled aside. When it was finally our turn they asked us questions about our health, who we had contact with, and if we had recently travelled outside of the UK to China or Italy. It was a bit unsettling. We were then handed a card that was in English on one side and in Chinese on the other which gave us a number to call if we were to experience any “symptoms.”

We were so grateful to see our son Lucas at the Phoenix airport when we landed. He helped us get our bags, loaded them in his truck and even picked up takeout from Don Jose’s, our favourite Mexican food restaurant. He took us to our son Micah’s where we would spend the next three weeks.

It was a quiet welcome home. We were not to see anyone for 14-days, but non-the-less felt very loved. Our children and grandchildren posted banners, cleaned the house from top to bottom, put together a beautiful bedroom, filled the fridge with food, sent treats via Uber and even did drive-by curbside visits. What we didn’t know was that as soon as our two weeks were up that the Arizona governor would issue a state-wide stay at home order and we wouldn’t be all together as a family until mid-June.

• 

• 

• 

The hardest part of this time was inconsistent and incomplete information. Were we released? Were we not released? Would we be returning to England? Would we be staying home? To be fair, information about COVID was changing constantly around the world as governments, health agencies and organisations worked around the clock to protect people from the virus. The Church had never pulled so many missionaries home at one time and what was accomplished was miraculous.

Micah was the perfect host. Even when practising in-house social distancing we cooked good food, kept our minds and hands busy by painting the inside of his house, prepped his back yard for sod and most importantly watched nightly episodes of Monk together. Not exactly what we thought we would have been doing at this time during our mission, but learned patience and appreciation for our good health and relationships with our family and friends.

BTW – the Kleins’ second scheduled return flight the following Friday out of England was also cancelled! Fortunately they we able to get two seats on one of the last flights out of London before the travel ban from the US to the UK began and caught a flight to Phoenix after being in the country only four days. Sad that their vacation was turned upside down, but glad they had a way to come home and start their two-week containment too!

In our next blog post, we’ll share more about serving a mission remotely, reconnecting with family here and friends across the pond, and living with our son, daughter-in-law and our two-year-old granddaughter.

Most of our work takes place in the background, and it was no different supporting RootsTech’s first-ever conference outside of the United States in London last October. RootsTech is the largest family discovery conference in the world and helps people connect their family across generations. It is hosted by FamilySearch, an entity of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

While RootsTech is led by a seasoned team out of Salt Lake City (SLC), Utah, our director Malcolm Adcock and our office assisted with “on-the-ground” UK communication efforts and special events for opinion leaders. It was exciting to be assigned to RootsTech London (RTL) as one of our major assignments and see aspects of our project through, from concept to implementation. What we would soon learn was that there are many stakeholders in this massive undertaking, with many people to collaborate with.

It was also fun to hear that Donny Osmond would keynote the event. I mean really, what girl who grew up in the ‘70s wouldn’t want to see Donny Osmond?

Across the Pond Planning

We also were able sit in on planning meetings with the SLC team as plans unfolded for this inaugural event. Because of the time zone difference, the SLC team would start their day with us really early, sometimes on the drive in to work, and our office would end our day with them.

• 

Research

Malcolm had us begin our assignment by researching the family history market in the United Kingdom and become familiar with cultural considerations. We combed through British family history magazines and websites to learn about family history and experts in the UK. It was quite fun to see how British headlines can be edgy and really grab your attention. A few ideas we came up with were, “Are you related to the queen”, “Who’s your daddy? or “You could be French!” Needless to say, we didn’t get to use any of these headlines, lol!

Special Events

As goes with any large event, we were involved with logistics, guest lists, invitations, menus, programmes, flowers, photography, music, tchotchke (give aways) and a myriad of other details. It seemed as if all our previous work experience really kicked in and helped us as the planning moved forward. This included a site visit to check out the convention centre, nearby hotels, and even a tasting session to select items for the menu (this is where Butch excelled and found out that he is a fan of chicken liver pate, yum!)

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Two events were held to strengthen relationships with industry partners, faith, and government opinion leaders. The first event was a RootsTech experience for diplomats from countries around the world who reside in London. Mark and Susan Dransfield are missionaries from our office who live in London and are responsible for ambassador outreach for the Church. We were able to help them as they and the RTL organisers put together a programme and tour for diplomats which included a small reception and personal discussion with Elder David A. Bednar, member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, his wife Sister Susan Bednar and Donny Osmond.

• 

• 

• 

It was humbling to be in the presence of Elder and Sister Bednar and have an opportunity to hear them talk in this intimate setting about the importance of family discovery. After the event ended, we got to speak to them both. I was so touched by Sister Bednar’s personal interest in us as missionaries. She radiated kindness and love and even gave me a hug.

Donny Osmond was also engaging. His ability to connect with others is a gift. The ambassadors loved hearing about his passion for family history and his sense of humour kept everyone smiling.

Many times you don’t know the outcomes of such meetings/events, so it was rewarding for all involved to read about Elder Bednar meeting Nicaragua’s ambassador at RootsTech London and his subsequent visits with Nicaraguan leaders in this article in the Church News.

The other event was a reception and dinner for high-profile friends of the Church and industry partners. The evening was hosted by Steve Rockwood, the CEO of Family Search International. He was joined by two members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, Elder Bednar and Elder Quentin L. Cook ,their wives and Donny Osmond.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

We were responsible for the guest list which was a collaboration of our director, the Great Britain National Public Affairs and Communication Council and RootsTech/Family Search directors. You would think that sending out invitations to a reception and dinner would be fairly straight forward. Not so. We had to determine an appropriate email account to send them from, get it set up then design an invite that was e-user friendly. Who knew that invitations could be designed in PowerPoint and Word?

• 

• 

• 

• 

The event was well attended with nearly 150 guests which included a Member of Parliament, a Baroness, a Lord and Lady, media executives and reporters, leading family history experts and influencers.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Videos

Creating short videos together is one of our favourite assignments. As part of the evening’s programme, our office produced three videos to be shown between speakers with filmmaker Haydn Rushworth.

Six months before the event, we reached out to Church leaders across the country to find people to talk to about their family discovery experiences. In the end we spoke to more than a dozen people and settled on the heartfelt stories of Daniel, Helen and Lorraine which were inspiring, compelling and universally relatable. You can see their stories/videos here.

Daniel is from Ghana where written family records are not commonplace. He told the remarkable story of how he received two unique records, which helped him and his family learn about where they came from.

• 

Helen is from China and attends university in London. She was grieving the passing of her grandfather back in China and told of how meeting someone with whom she shares an ancestral surname brought comfort to her.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Lorraine’s mother was orphaned as a baby and didn’t know who her parents were. Years later, through much research and the opening of locked records, Lorraine was able to help her mum find out who she really was.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Each video begins with a narrative by historian, TV presenter and author Dr Nick Barratt who shares his expertise and provides context. It was exciting to work such a professional. When he took us into the library where we would be filming that day, we knew that we were in for a treat. All three of his bits were done in one take with emotion and heart. He was amazing!

The process of creating videos like this binds you to those who trust you to condense their stories to about a minute, (which isn’t easy to do) and bring out the most important parts of their experience. You become connected to them as they share their personal thoughts and feelings with you. It is really hard to express the appreciation that you feel for these wonderful people.

Writing, writing and more writing

There is so much that goes into getting the word out before, during and after an event. From press releases to content for videos, to articles for the Newsroom and the Ensign; it makes it so much easier to work with a team of people to gather information, organise it, write the article, edit the copy and post it.

Sister Dewey from the Area Communication Office in Frankfurt sought out British sources and wrote monthly articles for UK Ensign pages in the lead up to RootsTech London. Abby, a BYU intern, also from the Frankfurt Office, wrote bios and found people to comment at the event. She also worked with the photographer to secure photo releases. She also taught us about an amazing app call Otter which captures and transcribes interviews. Malcolm is the master writer who writes and puts final edits on copy to be posted.

• 

• 

• 

For me, the best part of the week was working together with Butch and meeting individuals and families who were excited to be there; interviewing them, writing articles (sometimes long into the night) and taking photos to be posted the UK Newsroom during the conference.

Here are a few articles from Newsroom:

Family Discovery Tips Found at RootsTech London

Family Discovery Day at RootsTech London

RootsTech Hosts International Conference in London

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

When it was all over, it was very rewarding to think of what had transpired at the first RootsTech in London due to the efforts of the organisers, volunteers and so many others. Nearly 10,000 people attended from 42 countries and 1,300 accessed the event online. In fact, it was so well received that it will be coming back to London 5-7 November and we’ll get the chance to do it all over again!

We’d love to see you there! Click here to learn more about how to register.

While in London with Bert and Kelli, we took the opportunity to go to Saint Paul’s Cathedral. The church became famous when Prince Charles and Diana were married there in 1981, the first royal wedding to be broadcast worldwide. Just like at York Minster, one of the benefits of being a missionary is that they didn’t charge admission for us or our guests.

The first version of St Paul’s was a wooden structure built in 675. In 962 it was built in stone and later destroyed by Vikings. The church was built again in 1087 by the Normans and completed in 1240. The architecture inside was amazing with rich history on display all around us.

We all climbed the 550 steps to the top of the dome to see the best view of London and the Thames river.

At the back of the cathedral, we were directed to the American Chapel which was dedicated in 1958 and honours the 28,000 American service members who gave their lives in World War II. It is framed by stained glass windows with flags from all 50 states. In the chapel a 500-page leather-bound book encased in glass list the names of all the dead. Each day, a staff member turns the page with a gloved hand to reveal the next page of names.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

My mother lost two uncles in WWII. Three brothers (Hunt, Gyle and Jack) all enlisted, and all three brothers served. Two were pilots and sent to England; assigned to the same squadron by their request. They flew about 15 missions together as co-pilot and bombardier in a B-17 before they were shot down over the North Sea. They were declared missing in action and their bodies were never found. Following their death, they were both awarded Presidential Citations and the Purple Heart.

I shared this story with a guide at the cathedral and she asked me if I would like to look for their names in a copy of the book. Words can’t describe the sacred and reverent feeling I felt as I found their names.

As a child I had heard stories about these uncles from my mother. I saw their pictures in my grandmother’s home each time I went to visit. She would share memories of of how they were always singing as music was a big part of their lives and how they paid special attention to each one of their nieces and nephews and made them feel important. Memories that are similar to how I see our sons and sons-in-law interact and treat our grandchildren today.

I couldn’t help but think of their sacrifice and love for each other. My heart also broke for their father, my Great-grandfather Standifird, who couldn’t accept that they were gone and believed that they were captive prisoners of war in Russia and for my Uncle Speed (Jack) who was lost his two brothers in the war. As you can imagine, it was a tearful phone call when I told my mother about my experience at Saint Paul’s that day.

Like most Jane Austen fans, I always look forward the dance scenes in her novels (films) to get a glimpse of time-period social interaction between men and women, their artful conversations and of course the fancy dress that they wore for these special occasions. Who could forget the abrupt conversation Mr Darcy and Elisabeth Bennett had on their first meeting in Pride and Prejudice.

• 

• 

So, when we were able to get tickets to the Warwick Christmas Regency Ball there wasn’t a question of did we want to go. It got even more exciting when we heard that our daughter Kelli and her husband Bert would be joining us for the experience.

Being the costume enthusiast that I am, I immediately began researching patterns online and planning what to wear. I found a sewing machine in the Relief Society closet at the church and ordered in a few parts to get it working. I even picked up a serger to trim/finish bulky seams. It involved yards and yards of corduroy, velveteen, taffeta and months of sewing and in the end, I made two coats, a dress, a vest and cravat. I probably made a half-a-dozen trips to Royal Fabrics in Leamington Spa, a nearby town. The ladies there were so supportive and encouraged me each time I saw them.

• 

• 

• 

While it took me about four months and a continual mess in the living room, this project was really good for me because it gave me something productive to do in the evening. Needless to say, Butch wasn’t as engaged as I was, but I do think he liked sporting a posh top hat and pocket watch.

The next step was learning how to dance “Regency” style. At the ball there would be live music and a caller who would give instructions in the moment so we combed over lists of terminology to familiarise ourselves the calls. In addition, we attended a dance instruction the Monday evening before the dance. It was there that we began to understand how much we didn’t know. To us it seemed like a version of fancy square dancing, but were soon corrected. The best advice we received that night from the instructor was, “if you make a mistake, just keep going and smile sweetly.” So that is what we did.

For extra measure, when Bert and Kelli arrived, we spent a whole evening searching “how to” videos on YouTube and practising a few moves. Check out the dance names in the programme below.

• 

• 

On the day of the event, Kelli and I took our favourite up-do pictures to Nash White Hair Salon where Emily transformed us for our period costume.

• 

• 

As we arrived that night at the historic Jury Street Court House, it was like stepping back into time. As we walked up the stairs, we could hear the music playing and were made to feel welcome by the hosts and other attendees. In fact, many of the people in attendance were well versed on the steps and dances and frequented weekly dance groups and other balls around the country and kindly helped us throughout the night. Kelli and Bert were naturals and caught on quickly. For Butch and I, a healthy sense of humor and “smiling sweetly” carried us through along with the good will of others. I think he was ready to go at intermission but got caught up in a dance and we stayed until it was over. Take a look at our fancy footwork, lol!

What a lovely way to preserve the history and culture of Britain. We’d like to thank the organisers and musicians for a memorable musical evening filled with Jane Austen flair and British hospitality. I hope that we have the occasion to step back in time again soon, mostly because Butch looks quite dapper in his top hat.

As a side note, it was quite the delight to see that our photos and a quote from Kelli were included in an article in the Leamington Spa Courier.

I