Hosh Kosh Bigosh

            The past few days have been kind of low key, so we got to do some things we’ve been wanting to do on our own. On Friday, we went to Abbey road to get a picture walking across the street! I didn’t realize that that road is still used, so we had to wait a while before it was clear enough for a picture. There were a lot of other people there trying to get a picture, and we all probably looked really funny walking back and forth across the road so many times. We wrote our names on the wall outside Abbey Road Studios, which, to be honest, I didn’t know existed before this! We sang Beatles’ songs while we were there, so it was fun!

            Saturday morning we went on a tour of the Houses of Parliament. I mostly liked hearing about the history behind Parliament, but when the tour guide starting explaining the voting process I was lost. We weren’t allowed to take pictures inside, which is understandable, but I wish I could have! The rooms inside were way cool! After the tour, we went to take pictures in a red telephone booth with Big Ben in the background. It’s a pretty big touristy thing, so there was already a line to get in the booth when we got there. Once it was my turn, I stood next to the booth for a picture, when all of a sudden these two guys dressed up as silver cowboys came and stood next to me! They didn’t say a word, just came and stood next to me giving a thumbs up! Well this family walking by thought the silver cowboys were funny too, so they all jumped in my picture with me! I had waited in line to get my turn with the phone booth, and I wanted my picture! I just stayed right there and smiled for this random family’s photo! I think that picture should probably go on the awkward family photos website haha. We went to Portobello Market next, which was so fun! I bought some good stuff for me and people back home :) They also have really good crepes there!

        Last night, Jared, Trent, Cree, Katie and I went to see a play called Woman in Black. They just made a movie called Woman in Black, and we had heard that the play was super scary, but we were all wondering how a play could be scary. We went to the theater about an hour before it started and bought tickets, then went and got dinner at an Indian place called Sagar. It was delicious! Curry is now one of my favorite foods I think. So, we get to the theater and all our seats are random, so none of us are sitting by each other. My seat was on the floor, in the back row and the very end seat. I thought for sure they’d have people walking through the audience to try and scare us, and because of where I was sitting I thought they’d come for me first. I was so freaked out before the play even started! The play was really well done I thought. It was just two guys the whole time (plus the woman in black), so it took some imagination, but that’s what plays are all about right? It was SO scary! The story line goes something like this: A ghost of a woman in black haunts a small town, and every time there’s a sighting of her, a child in the town dies! They used loud sound effects that made me jump so bad, and doors that opened by themselves, and rocking chairs that rocked by themselves. I jumped so bad at this one part at the end that the guy sitting next to me starting cracking up and didn’t stop till it was over! It really was pretty funny. There was a crazy twist at the end of the play that made it even better! I now know how plays can be scary!

        I realized I haven’t explained about my ward here very much. I’m really loving being back in Young Women! I can still remember the Young Women theme, so that’s good :) The teacher is an older lady named Daphne, and she’s really good at being there every week. We had two young women in class today, and one of them is an investigator. It’s kind of intimidating to have an investigator in class, because Daphne will sometimes ask us to share our feelings or an experience we’ve had that goes along with the lesson. Most of the people in the ward are converts, so they like to hear the experiences we’ve had growing up in the church. Today we learned about the Priesthood, and Daphne asked us to share about blessings we’ve received from the Priesthood. I’ve always had the Priesthood in my home growing up, so it wasn’t hard to think of how it’s blessed my life. It’s cool to have an investigator though, because I feel like a missionary! One of the missionaries in the ward came to class with her today, and he had an American accent, so we got to talking about where he was from. He said he was from Utah, so I asked him what city. He said Kaysville, and that he had gone to Davis high! Isn’t that crazy? What a small world! He graduated a year later than me, but his older brother, Seku Holder, graduated my same year from Davis. I told him I knew his brother, then we played the “Do you know so and so?” game. He listed off a bunch of guys I went to school with, including Matt Whittle, who’s in my home ward! It’s so crazy that I ran into someone from Kaysville, Utah in London. That just goes to show how tiny the Mormon world is!

        It’s crazy to think that we’re already halfway done with the program here. I’ve loved my time here so far, and I plan to make the most of my last month! Being in this ward has taught me so much, and I’m so grateful I’ve grown up in the church. I hope all’s going well back home. I miss all you guys! Tomorrow we’re going to Scotland for a week, and I’m so excited! We’re stopping in Preston on the way there, which is where the first members of the church in England were baptized. We’re also going to the Lake District, which is supposed to be absolutely beautiful. I can’t wait!