English As A Second Language

In mission speak, "dying" means going home.  On April 30 Elder and Sora Howells died.  So it's time to memorialize them.  Of the 11 senior couples in the Romania/Moldova Mission 8 are from the United States, 2 from Canada and the Howells were from Sheffield, England.  While they were on their mission, their children sold their home and moved all their belongings to Aberdeen, Scotland.  Hopefully, they left a forwarding address. 

The Howells just days before leaving. 

During the last five months of their mission, we often traveled with them throughout the two countries visiting several of the 20 branches giving support and instruction.  Both of them were teachers before coming on their mission and we learned so much from them.

I think we made a terrific team.  This is the temple wheel we used as a visual aid when teaching about preparing to receive a temple recommend.  Because we did all our traveling in a little blue Skoda sometimes the wheel, along with the rest of us, traveled for hours in very cramped quarters.

We occasionally spent a P-day with the Howells.  Here we are in Brasov at the shop of a famous ceramics artisan.  Elder and Sora Marcov joined us for this fun outing.

They lived in a neighboring city about an hour away from Bucuresti but when they came to town we often went with Elder and Sora Patton to the Hard Rock Cafe for dinner.  We always liked to say "oh, this reminds us of home" so that the Howells could remind us that the HRC is a British restaurant chain. 

And they knew how to party!

No one can visit Herestrau Park without getting their picture taken with a head.

Elder Howells was famous for his P-day "beans on toast" feast for the missionaries in his district.  In case you are not familiar with this breakfast dish, it starts with toast, then two fried eggs and finishes with a few spoonfuls of pork and beans. 

We learned from the Howells that we didn't speak proper English.  We tried to tell him that because we won that war we can speak how we want.  Evidently in England they actually have a different version of who the winners and losers were. 

We get packages, they get parcels.

We almost get run over by trucks, they watch out for lorrys.

We try things out, they give it a go.

We get ticked off, they get cheesed off.

We arrange things, they mess about.

We buy gas, they purchase petrol.

Our neighborhoods are scary, theirs are a little dodgy.

We call people on the phone, they give them a ring.

When they want to get going, they say "shall we go straight away, then?"

My mom takes a bus to Tacoma, their mum takes the coach to Aberdeen.

When we started our trips, they always asked if we were settled and sorted.

I always loved it when they thought one of my ideas was absolutely brilliant.

When Elder Howells and Elder Wahlquist discussed football, it was evident they weren't talking about the same game.

I wish I knew how to photo shop!







 We will miss the Howells terribly and wish them well in their new life in Scotland.