October 5-13, 2019: London Temple Goodbye

The London Temple reopened on Tuesday, September 17, 2019 and we spent the first two weeks training our replacements as trainers and assistant shift coordinators, Clive and Carol Sharland (Wellington, New Zealand).  Our last Sunday was the monthly "Hi and Bye" and we were the only "Byes".  Here are a few pictures and our talks are included at the end.

Elder and Sister Burkinshaw during farewell talk at the London Temple Hi and Bye.

London Temple Presidency:  President Christopher and Susan Freeman (2nd Counselor, Farnborough, Hampshire), President Michael and Catherine Otterson (President, Farmington, UT), President Michael and Valerie Peel (1st Counselor, TBD) with Elder and Sister Burkinshaw.

Our final Saturday morning, October 5, we took our usual 4 mile walk around the temple grounds and here are a few pictures.

Elder and Sister Burkinshaw with our headphones.  While we walked every morning, we would listen to the New Testament Chapters for Come Follow Me and then the Meridian Magazine Come Follow Me podcast on Mondays.  Then we listened to a variety of Temple related audiobooks including "The Contrite Spirit: How the Temple Helps Us Apply Christ's Atonement" and "Faith is Not Blind" by Bruce and Marie Hafen, "The Holy Invitation" by Anthony Sweat, "Temples Rising" by Richard E Bennett, "House of Glory: Finding Personal Meaning in the Temple" by Michael Wilcox, "What's On the Other Side: What the Gospel Teaches Us About the Spirit World" by Brad Wilcox, "A Case for the Book of Mormon" by Tad Callister, "Sacred Symbols" by Alonzo Gaskill, "Life's Lessons Learned" by Dallin H. Oaks, etc.  The Deseret Book Plus subscription was extremely helpful!

The path around the Temple grounds which borders West Park Road.

Out walking path along the east side of the Temple grounds bordering A22 which leads to East Grinstead.

This is the view from the south end of the Temple grounds looking towards the Temple (the Angel Moroni is "whited out" in the picture).  The tree in front of the bench is the "grandson" of the David O McKay oak tree (which was a 450 year old oak tree which President McKay requested to be preserved when the temple was built - unfortunately it died of natural causes so some of its acorns were sent to Salt Lake and grown and one of those acorns - thus the grandson - was sent back to London and planted and grown).

Elder Burkinshaw tossing his tennis shoes after our final walk.  We have walked about 1800 miles around the London Temple grounds over the past 18 months so the shoes were in pretty sorry shape - their squeaking was particularly irritating to Sister Burkinshaw.

Sister Burkinshaw tossing her London Temple tennis shoes in the dumpster.

Following our last day working in the London Temple (it was a short day from 8:00am to 2:00pm because General Conference started at 5:00pm GMT+1), we went out to the reflecting pond and took a few last pictures.

Our final day working at the beautiful London Temple, Saturday, October 5, 2019.  These pictures were taken by our kind fellow ordinance worker John Webb.

Elder and Sister Burkinshaw with the reflecting pond at the London Temple.

Elder and Sister Burkinshaw are different people after our 18 months serving in the London Temple with the last 9 months as the ordinance worker trainers and assistant shift coordinators.  We are different people after this very special experience.

Elder Burkinshaw's London Temple Farewell Talk

Serving in England has been a blessing to us in many ways and one of those has been to see firsthand sites of great historic significance we had previously only read about.  I thus frame three quick observations in the words of historic English figures we about learned in our travels:

·

1.  President David O McKay made this phrase common among Latter-day Saints, but it was the bard of Avon, William Shakespeare, who borrowed a Scottish proverb, and wrote: “What e’er thou art, act we’ll thy part.” (Gaelic: “Deannadh gach neach a dhicheal”)  In other words, whatever your assignment, make sure you do the very best you can at it.  Don’t worry about your next assignment but focus on the “part” you are playing right now.
President Dallin H Oaks reminds us that: “… In the Church, we do not ‘step down’ when we are released, and we do not ‘step up’ when we are called. There is no ‘up or down’ in the service of the Lord. There is only ‘forward or backward’, and that difference depends on how we accept and act upon our releases and our callings.” (Dallin H Oaks, “The Keys and Authority of the Priesthood”, GC April 2014) Elder Jeffrey R Holland expressed a similar sentiment when he said “…you will one day be released as the glamorous gospel doctrine teacher and be called to that much vacated post of gospel doctrine believer and obeyer. That will test your commitment!” (“The Bitter Cup and the Bloody Baptism,” BYU Devotional 13 Jan 1987).  Remember "What e’er thou art, act we’ll thy part.”

2.     Adding solemnity and gravitas to what was an otherwise exuberant Diamond Jubilee celebration for Queen Victoria in 1897, Rudyard Kipling penned the poem “Recessional” the first 3 stanzas of which are our hymn #80:

    The tumult and the shouting dies;
    The captains and the kings depart.
    Still stands thine ancient sacrifice,
    An humble and a contrite heart.
    Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet,
    Lest we forget, lest we forget.

As we humble ourselves, the Lord teaches us.  He is the source of these blessings.  As President Kimball said, "Perhaps the most important word in the dictionary is remember.  Remember is the program." ("Circles of Exaltation," Seminary and Institute Teachers Devotional at BYU, 28 June 1968)

Elder Boyd K Packer taught that “I have learned that strong, impressive spiritual experiences do not come to us very frequently. And when they do, they are generally for our own edification, instruction, or correction. Unless we are called by proper authority to do so, they do not position us to counsel or correct others.” (Boyd K Packer, “The Candle of the Lord,” Ensign, Jan. 1983)
Thus we should be humble and teachable to receive the spiritual experience we personally need and be grateful for the light the Lord gives us but not take it upon ourselves to correct other ordinance workers in the Temple unless we have a specific calling to do so.

3.  The story of Lord Admiral Horatio Nelson is inspiring and instructive.  Perhaps the greatest naval tactician of history was a small man, who had lost one arm and one eye in battle and was constantly seasick.  His strategic brilliance allowed his force of 26 ships to defeat 32 French and Spanish ships in the Battle of Trafalgar and prevented Napoleon from invading the British Isles.  His final command before he died in battle was "England expects that every man will do his duty"  Duty helps us remember that our lives are more important than simply seeking pleasure.  It gives meaning to what we do each day.  In the late 1960's, then-Elder Spencer W Kimball invited the leaders of the Church in São Paulo Brazil to a dinner and leadership dinner.  One of the leaders who were there told me that all the leaders felt very special to be part of this dinner and came dressed in their very best and waited at their tables to be served.  Imagine their surprise when President Kimball came out with with a cart of plates serving each of these leaders their meal.  It was a lesson they always remembered. "But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant." (Matt 23:11) President Kimball once remarked, “My life is like my shoes – to be worn out in His service.”

 

Sister Burkinshaw's London Temple Farewell Talk

Gratitude - My prayers have been prayers of gratitude for this opportunity.
.  The temple grounds -  We have enjoyed these sacred grounds. We are grateful to the Creator. He is here on these grounds figuratively with the “Christis” statue and literally inside the temple through the ordinances and covenants.
.  Our flat has been wonderful and We have had the best neighbors: they are quiet, they are fun and they are wonderful cooks. They are also our co-workers and I’m pretty sure you could not find a more loving group of people who are dedicated to their jobs.
.  We are so grateful for you, for the strength of your testimonies and for your example of love and devotion to the Lord AND for what we have learned from your remarkable lives.
. Sister Day thank you for being a mentor this past year. All of our training in the temple centers on the principle of LOVE and you are a wonderful example of LOVE.
.  We are grateful for the presidency and matrons.  As I have watched them pause on the steps to read the words, “Holiness to the Lord, the House of the Lord” I have been reminded of their goodness and desire to serve.  Thank you Otterson’s, Peel’s and Freeman’s for your wonderful example of ministering! After a long week in the temple many of your Saturday evening’s and most of your Sunday’s are spent on the road. We know that there has been a great deal of personal sacrifice involved in this ministering, but what a blessing to the patrons to have a familiar face to greet them with a hug or a handshake when they come and what an example your ministering has been to us.
.  I am so grateful to have walked in the places where so many of my ancestors lived for generations and to do their work in this temple.
.  Gratitude to my companion, he is the best!! The blessing of an 18 year old “Labor together in the kingdom united in so doing, and you will have a joy that nothing can take away nor replace.”

Words of Ammon - Alma 26:3-8, 15-16


Across the Pond

Sister and Elder Burkinshaw arrived from England about 6:00pm on Monday, October 7, 2019 at the Tulsa airport and were greeted by grandchildren (l to r) Annie, Noah, Owen, Leo, Isaac, Will, Rosie and Spencer!

Sister and Elder Burkinshaw were released as missionaries by President Matthew Bell on Tuesday evening, October 8, 2019 in the new Skiatook meetinghouse.  In the closing prayer following our interview, he blessed us that the limited 5 months we have before departing for our next mission will seem like years in the quality of visits and experience with our children and grandchildren.

 
Mission Report
We reported on our mission to the Bartlesville 1st Ward on Sunday, October 13, 2018.  Here are our talks.

Elder Burkinshaw London Temple Mission Report

At a recent stake conference, Pres. Paul Hearn, a counselor in the Staines England stake presidency told the following story.  The stake presidency was meeting, wrestling with a difficult problem and Stake President Russell Ball, leaned back in his chair and said rhetorically, “Seriously, I don’t know what to do.”  Siri on his iPhone activated and said “Don’t worry about it Russell!”  Hopefully we won’t be distracted today by any electronics!

Sister Burkinshaw and I loved our 18 months at the London Temple and we walked the beautiful 32 acre grounds early every morning as well as working there 5-6 days per week.  The London Temple however is not technically in London but is 25 miles south.  It was dedicated by President David O McKay in 1958 and in 1992 a major renovation changed it from a single 250 seat endowment room auditorium to four 70 seat endowment rooms with 7 sealing rooms.  An Angel Moroni was added to the steeple in 2008. The temple serves patrons of many nationalities and at least 30 different languages with the most frequent being our beloved Portuguese! 

In addition to working daily in the Temple, during Mondays and cleaning periods, we were able to travel to many of our personal family history sites and/or temples in the England, Scotland, Wales, Switzerland, Denmark, the Netherlands, France and Italy.  All of our children, their spouses and our 3 oldest grandchildren were able to visit us.  So many independent elements of history we had learned over a lifetime came together as we visited these notable sites we had previously only read about.  We now appreciate the Danish author Soren Kierkegaard’s comment that “Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.”

I have attended the temple for over 45 years and have worked part-time as an ordinance worker for several years before our mission.  But working 5-6 days per week in the London Temple has changed my gospel study.  Perhaps the most important understanding that has come was shared by Elder Bruce D Hafen who said, “A friend once asked me, ‘If Christ is at the center of the gospel and the temple, why doesn’t the temple endowment teach the story of Christ’s life? What’s all this about Adam and Eve?’  I have come to feel that the life of Christ is the story of giving the Atonement. The story of Adam and Eve is the story of receiving the Atonement.” (“The Temple and the Natural Order of Marriage,” Ensign, September 2015) And the atonement is also known as the Grace of Christ.

We teach the gospel, which President Nelson calls the Covenant Path.  Receiving the atonement is at the heart of the Gospel which we often call the Gospel of repentance and repentance is another name for change and improvement.  That’s the Lord’s plan “…to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.” (Moses 1:39).  President Nelson often calls this the Covenant Path.  But change and the Covenant Path is not easy.

The Savior told those who criticized his disciples for doing things differently, “And no man putteth new wine into old bottles; else the new wine will burst the bottles, and be spilled, and the bottles shall perish. … No man also having drunk old wine straightway desireth new: for he saith, The old is better. (Luke 5:37, 39)  In other words, the critics will always say “The old way we did things is better.”

The Prophet Joseph Smith said, “I have tried for a number of years to get the minds of the Saints prepared to receive the things of God; but we frequently see some of them, after suffering all they have for the work of God, will fly to pieces like glass as soon as anything comes that is contrary to their traditions: they cannot stand the fire at all. How many will be able to abide a celestial law, and go through and receive their exaltation, I am unable to say, as many are called, but few are chosen [see D&C 121:40].” (Teachings of the Presidents: Joseph Smith, 45, p 520)

And now consider the message and mode of communication from our Prophet today.  President Russell M Nelson has tweeted, “We are witnesses to the process of restoration. If you think the Church is fully restored, you’re just seeing the beginning. There’s much more to come. Wait until next year, and then the next year. Eat your vitamins, get your rest. It’s going to be exciting!” (Twitter, @NelsonRussellM, 1 Nov 2018, 3:01pm)  And the theme that emerges from the changes taking place in the Church is to simplify and narrow our focus on the things that are most important to prepare for the Lord’s return.

President Nelson emphasized this in his Closing Remarks at October 2019 Conference.  “…the crowning jewel of the Restoration is the holy temple. Its sacred ordinances and covenants are pivotal to preparing a people who are ready to welcome the Savior at His Second Coming.”  The mission of the Church, whether to Perfect the Saints, Proclaim the Gospel or Redeem the Dead all center on the Holy Temple.  As the laws, rites and ordinances of the Lord’s House are internalized, we become sanctified or holy.  Perhaps we, his children, are to be the “Holiness to the Lord” carved into every Temple.

Our assignment for the last half of our mission in the London Temple was to train the ordinance workers.  We found an experience shared by President Oaks helpful for us all whether new or experienced temple workers.

“Shortly after my calling as an Apostle, I had a … landmark lesson about the deficiency of service that is conscious of self.  I spoke to Elder Boyd K. Packer about how inadequate I felt for the calling I had received. He responded with this mild reproof and challenging insight:

“I suppose your feelings are understandable.  But you should work for a condition where you will not be preoccupied with yourself and your own feelings of inadequacy and can give your entire concern to others and to the work of the Lord …” (Dallin H Oaks, Life’s Lessons Learned, Deseret Book, 2011)

President Oaks also taught the Principle of Non-Distraction:  “All who officiate … should be well groomed and modestly dressed, with nothing about their personal appearance that calls special attention to themselves. In appearance as well as actions, they should avoid distracting anyone present from full attention to their worship and covenant making…” (Dallin H Oaks, “The Aaronic Priesthood and the Sacrament,” GC Oct 1998)

Gustavo and Zaide Ribeiro Family

Sister Burkinshaw and I were assigned to the Addlestone Ward for Sunday meetings where she helped by playing the organ and piano and I taught the youth Sunday school class.  The Gustavo and Zaide Ribeiro family with their 7-year-old son Heitor were from Brazil and since they were still learning English, they loved to speak Portuguese with us.  Gustavo and Zaide had not been to the Temple so about once a month we had Sunday dinner with them and we talked about the Temple.  We shared special church videos in Portuguese about the Temple with them including the Manaus Caravan and the Rome Temple Tour with Elder Bednar and Elder Rasband.  They received limited use recommends to do proxy baptisms at the temple and when we left, they were preparing to receive their own endowments in November.  What a coincidence that the Lord sent Portuguese speaking missionaries to London to teach a Brazilian family about the temple!  The grace of Christ provided the Ribeiro's the help they needed.

Peter and Sandra Chivers

During our first year, Peter Chivers had served for many years as a sealer in the London Temple and his wife was the sealing office assistant.  She had severe arthritis and moved from shuffling to using a cane and finally a large walker.  They received a merciful release as ordinance workers but they continued to come one week each month to do proxy work for their own family.  We could see it was a great struggle for Sister Chivers but she always trudged on without complaint.  During our last week there, Brother Chivers was in the baptistry and Sister Chivers had come to the sealing room to do proxy work.  The sealer invited  her to sit on a chair rather than kneel at the altar.  She smiled and said she would rather kneel.  While the sealer tried to persuade her to use a chair, with great effort she stood, took a step to the altar cushion and dropped to her knees as everyone gasped.  The sealer gently chided her but you could see a stoic yet mischievous smile on her face.  We could hear a familiar phrase in the London Temple on her lips. “Sealing is a kneeling ordinance” and demonstrated her consecration to the Lord.  The Lord's grace made her whole in her sacrifice.

Ian Macfarlane

Ian Macfalane and his wife Judith were periodic workers who worked two weeks every other month.  I had been training him to serve as an endowment officiator for 7 months but it had been difficult for him.  He was a very dedicated but from humble circumstances and learning all the queues for officiating proved very challenging but he never gave up.  Starting in September, he began working full-time as an ordinance worker.  This proved to be just what he needed as now he would not lose what he learned in two weeks over the six weeks he would be gone.  The last week he was there, he was observed and approved as and endowment officiator by the Temple Presidency.  The first thing he did was search me out and we very definitely rejoiced together.  He had benefited from the grace of Jesus Christ.

   I testify that the Lord's grace comes through His atonement and that the Temple provides the most effective understanding of how we receive His atonement.

   In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Sister Burkinshaw London Temple Mission Report

The day before we entered the MTC in Provo for our fist mission to Brazil we attended the April 2015 GC in the Conference center. After the Sunday morning session we were set apart by President Bell in a room in the North Visitors center on temple square as he was also there for conference. We had just listened to Pres. Uchtdorf give an amazing talk on grace in which he said:

“The Savior’s atonement cannot become commonplace in our….hearts. I marvel to think that the Son of God would condescend to save us, as imperfect, impure, mistake-prone, and ungrateful as we often are. I have tried to understand the Savior’s Atonement with my finite mind, and the only explanation I can come up with is this: God loves us deeply, perfectly, and everlastingly. I cannot even begin to estimate “the breadth, and length, and depth, and height … [of] the love of Christ….A powerful expression of that love is what the scriptures often call the grace of God—the divine assistance and endowment of strength by which we grow from the flawed and limited beings we are now into exalted beings of “truth and light, until [we are] glorified in truth and [know] all things. It is a most wondrous thing, this grace of God….Today and forevermore God’s grace is available to all whose hearts are broken and whose spirts are contrite.”

And so for a few minutes I would like to share some thoughts with you on this scripture from D&C 59:8 “Thou shalt offer a sacrifice unto the Lord thy God in righteousness, even that of a broken heart and a contrite spirit.”

Brother Todd D. Parker, BYU speeches True Doctrine, Understood, Changes Attitudes. “When I taught seminary years ago, I wanted to show the youth the power of the word that Alma described. I wanted to show them that if they would make the word of God (as found in the scriptures) a part of their lives, it would change them. I didn’t know exactly how to do that, but I tried this way.

On the first day of class I gave them a blank sheet of paper and said to them, “Be honest in your writing here. I’m not going to look at this. This is for you only. Write down your honest feelings about religion—about God, Christ, Joseph Smith, the First Vision, the Church, or anything you want. Fold it over, staple it, and put your name and date on the outside. I will file it away and save it for you, but I will give it back to you at the end of the year.”

For the next nine months we studied the scriptures every day. We marked them. We noted them. The students were challenged to pray every day, morning and night, on their knees, out loud, and read a chapter of scripture each day on their own for nine months.

On the last day of class I gave them a sheet of paper (I don’t even know if they remembered doing this at the beginning of the year), and I said, “Now don’t try to impress anybody here. Just be honest. Write your feelings about God, the Church, Christ, the gospel, or anything you’d like.”

When they got done, I handed them back their previous papers from nine months earlier. They opened them up and made a comparison.

I hadn’t intended to read any of them, but a girl named Julie came to me with tears in her eyes and said, “I want you to see this.”

Here was her first response:

“I guess I sometimes wonder if Christ really does live. I don’t know for sure, and I have always wondered since I was old enough to even think about it. . . . I also wonder if this is the true church or not. Everything we are told to do seems right, but I still have doubts.”

After nine months of studying the scriptures in seminary, she wrote, in part:

“I know God lives and His Son, Jesus Christ, is my Brother and He knows me and He cares about me. Through prayer I know He will guide us and show us the right way through His prophets, who I know are called of God. I know He loves each of us in a very special way.”

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the only true church, and I know it without a doubt. It was restored by Joseph Smith, who I know was a true prophet.

I counted nine times that she said, “I know.” 

Julie experienced God’s Grace as she accepted an invitation to change her daily routine and obediently follow a pattern that changed her relationship with her Father in Heaven. Remember President Uchtdorf said:
   “Today and forevermore God’s grace is available to all whose hearts are broken and whose spirits are contrite.” Or as Elder Christofferson taught “you can offer the Lord the gift of your broken, or repentant, heart and your contrite, or obedient, spirit. In reality, it is the gift of yourself—what you are and what you are becoming.” (April 2004 GC When Thou Art Converted”

Repentance -

“When we choose to repent, we choose to change! We allow the Savior to transform us into the best version of ourselves. We choose to grow spiritually and receive joy—the joy of redemption in Him. When we choose to repent, we choose to become more like Jesus Christ!” (President Nelson, GC April 2019)

  

Obedience -

 “Salvation cannot be bought with the currency of obedience; it is purchased by the blood of the Son of God….So why be obedient? “Brothers and sisters, we obey the commandments of God—out of love for Him!”…. our obedience to God’s commandments comes as a natural outgrowth of our endless love and gratitude for the goodness of God. This form of genuine love and gratitude will miraculously merge our works with God’s grace.”  Pres. Uchtdorf.

Just as the Savior grew from Grace to Grace so we do, except that we are dependent on His Atonement to do so. There are many experiences that I could share from my own life or the lives of those I have know and loved, but  I would like to share Ann Whitehouse's story one of our temple ordinance and office workers. As we have included her story already in our blog I will just include her walk from grace to grace, it truly is a miraculous story.

The Story of Ann Whitehouse's Miracle: 

In the Autumn of 2003, Ann had collapsed and was admitted to the hospital....the doctors were hardly forthcoming, telling us that they were doing tests, but had no idea what was wrong.

Three days later, the situation had not changed.  The test results had either not come back yet, or were inconclusive.  Five days later....a doctor told me that my wife had terminal cancer of some sort and two or three days to live.  

Treatment continued and Ann remained conscious for longer and longer periods and after a while she could shower, dress and walk around the ward.  She remained in the Terminal Ward ....we administered to Ann in her hospital bed....John sealed the anointing and pronounced a blessing....John told Ann she would recover, but the road would be long and hard.  That is it, then.  No problems now.  We know what is going to happen, just endure in good works to the end!

We worked to that principle and Ann showed gradual improvement until after some weeks she was fit enough to be discharged.  Overjoyed, we drove the 120 miles home.  The hospital had arranged a follow-up appointment at our local hospital that also had the reputation as a top neurological hospital.  All was going well.

Then, all reversed itself!  Two days before her appointment, Ann collapsed and was rushed to the hospital again.  All the same tests.  All the same conclusions.  All the same predictions.  Insulin injections four times a day.  Steroid tablets twice a day, tablets to counter the effects of the steroid four times a day.

In all twenty-nine tablets twice a day, four injections a day.  Little sleep, bedridden, nightmares when she did sleep, anxiety and boredom when she didn’t.

Eight years this continued, bedridden for many of them then wheelchair bound.  Regular visits to the specialist to hear the same old news. “You will never improve.  You will take steroids for the rest of your life.  Your life expectancy has been dramatically reduced by your illness,” and so on.

One bright, sunny late spring morning, Ann was in very low spirits.  Bored to tears she was, in her word, “Fed up!”

Inspiration struck! “Let’s drive to the Temple.  We can’t go in but it will be a pleasure just sitting in the grounds.”

Off we went.  It was beautiful.  Flowers bloomed, the fragrance of freshly cut grass and bright sunlight restored our spirits.  We stood at the foot of the entrance steps and a worker, no!, an angel, standing inside saw us.

“Are you members?”

“Yes”

“Do you have current recommends?”

“Yes”

“Well come on in”

“Well…”

In we went.  The questions were few but direct.  “Are you going to go on an Endowment Session?”

Ann can’t – she cannot manage on her own.”

“Oh, don’t worry about that – we will help.  Come on, let’s get started!”

I don’t remember any of what transpired, but we did it.

At home that evening we agreed it had been a wonderful day.  There was a noticeable change in Ann.  We made a firm commitment to go on a monthly basis.  We never missed a month.  We went twice the next month.  We found friends to go with us.  Always on a Friday evening, always the 9:00pm session.

Ann graduated from wheelchair to walking frame, walking frame to two walking sticks, two walking sticks to one and then to none!

Her medicine followed suit.  From injections to tablets, from steroids to steroid substitutes – each change of medicine followed with the cautionary “This is the last change of prescriptions, you cannot endure any lower dose!”  But Ann did.  Lower and lower until there was nothing to take.  Patient discharge loomed larger on the horizon.  Loomed.  Came and went.

All of the time we kept up our monthly Temple visits each time becoming more sensitive to the Spirit, anxious to gain further light and knowledge – and we did.

Eager to repay the Lord for the blessings He showered upon us, we became periodic Temple workers.  In 2014, beginning in January, we worked one month on, one month at home.  By August, Ann wanted to work full-time and this we did in January 2015.  We have done so ever since. 
  Ann's journey was with "a broken heart and a contrite spirit" and through the Grace of Christ she received many miracles. Ann is not the same as she was before and there are still some things that are difficult for her, but she is amazing! “Today and forevermore God’s grace is available to all whose hearts are broken and whose spirits are contrite.” (Pres. Uchtdorf).


Epilogue What a wonderful 18 months our service in the London Temple has been. It has been our Millenial Bubble (living on the Temple grounds, working in the London Temple every day so it was as we anticipate life during the Millenium) and we have loved every minute of it. We are grateful for the Sealing ordinances of the temple and the opportunity to do work for around 200 of our own family during the time that we served--what a wonderful blessing!

During the next five months, we will visit our 7 children and 31 grandchildren before we begin our next assignment!

We begin our next mission as we enter the MTC on March 16, 2020 before going to serve in the Utah Salt Lake City Temple Square Mission.

“The Standard of Truth has been erected; no unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing; persecutions may rage, mobs may combine, armies may assemble, calumny may defame, but the truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly, and independent, till it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every country, and sounded in every ear, till the purposes of God shall be accomplished, and the Great Jehovah shall say the work is done.”  (Joseph Smith, Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith, Chapter 38, Page 435)

Elder and Sister Burkinshaw

September 30, 2019: Westminster Abbey

As the Hymn says, "The Time is Far Spent" and our time serving in the London Temple is almost at a close. 

Westminster Abbey

On our final Monday P-Day, we took the train into London to visit Westminster Abbey.  

Westminster Abbey is formally known as the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster just to the west of the Palace of Westminster which is where the two houses of Parliament meet.  The Abbey is the traditional place of coronation and burial for English and, later, British monarchs. The building, completed in 1245 AD, was originally a Benedictine monastic church until the monastery was dissolved in 1539 by Henry VIII. Today rather than being an abbey or a cathedral, it is, in vernacular of the Church of England, a "Royal Peculiar"—a church responsible directly to the king or queen.

Since the coronation of William the Conqueror in 1066, all coronations of English and British monarchs have been in Westminster Abbey.  There have been 16 royal weddings at the abbey since 1100 including Prince William and Duchess Kate. It is the burial site of more than 3,300 persons, usually of prominence in British history (including at least sixteen monarchs, eight Prime Ministers, poets laureate, actors, scientists, and military leaders, and the Unknown Warrior).

Sister Burkinshaw on our last Southern Train ride into London Victoria Station from Lingfield.

Elder and Sister Burkinshaw in front of Westminster Abbey.

Sister Burkinshaw in front of the "rose" window of the north transept at Westminster Abbey.

Sister Burkinshaw on a cool but mostly sunny day in London at Westminster Abbey.

A diagram of Westminster Abbey.

The rose window of the north transept of Westminster Abbey which depicts Jesus and the Twelve Apostles.  It was created in 1722 by Sir James Thornhill.

The rose window of the south transept of Westminster Abbey which depicts Christ surrounded by 16 symbolic figures of the virtues and orders of angels.

The nave at Westminster Abbey.  This is where we have attended many Sunday evening organ concerts with family members who have visited us.  Note the screen in the center where, on the left, is a memorial to Sir Isaac Newton.

A closeup of the screen bearing the memorial to Sir Isaac Newton.   The monument is of white and grey marble. Its base bears a Latin inscription (see below) and supports a sarcophagus with large scroll feet and a relief panel. The latter depicts boys using instruments related to Newton's mathematical and optical work (including the telescope and prism) and his activity as Master of the Mint. Above the sarcophagus is a reclining figure of Newton, in classical costume, his right elbow resting on several books representing his great works. They are labelled (on the fore-edges) 'Divinity', 'Chronology', 'Opticks' [1704] and 'Philo. Prin. Math' [Philosophia Naturalis Principia Mathematica, 1686-7)]. With his left hand he points to a scroll with a mathematical design shown on it (the 'converging series'), held by two standing winged boys. 

A close-up of the plaque on Newton's memorial.  It is translated as follows:
"Here is buried Isaac Newton, Knight, who by a strength of mind almost divine, and mathematical principles peculiarly his own, explored the course and figures of the planets, the paths of comets, the tides of the sea, the dissimilarities in rays of light, and, what no other scholar has previously imagined, the properties of the colours thus produced. Diligent, sagacious and faithful, in his expositions of nature, antiquity and the holy Scriptures, he vindicated by his philosophy the majesty of God mighty and good, and expressed the simplicity of the Gospel in his manners. Mortals rejoice that there has existed such and so great an ornament of the human race! He was born on 25th December 1642, and died on 20th March 1726."  The original epitaph written by the poet Alexander Pope was "Nature and Nature's laws lay hid in night: God said, Let Newton be! and all was light" but this was not allowed.

Charles Robert Darwin, naturalist, is buried in the north aisle of the nave of Westminster Abbey, not far from Sir Isaac Newton.  He studied at Edinburgh University but disliked the idea of following in his father's footsteps as a doctor. At Cambridge University he became very much interested in natural history and sailed on the ship HMS Beagle in 1831 to South America and the Galapagos islands. In 1839 he to live at Downe, a small village in Kent. His famous work "The Origin of Species by natural selection" was published in 1859 and he continued working although his health was often poor. He died 19th April 1882.

Stephen Hawking, physicist, mathematician and author was cremated and his ashes are interred between the graves of Sir Isaac Newton and Charles Darwin in the nave.  His epitaph is an English translation of a Latin phrase which appears on Newton's gravestone.  The stone depicts a series of rings, surrounding a darker central ellipse. The ten characters of Hawking's equation express his idea that black holes in the universe are not entirely black but emit a glow, that would become known as Hawking radiation. In this equation the T stands for temperature; the h for Planck's constant which is used to understand parts of quantum mechanics; c stands for the speed of light; 8Pi helps us to grasp its spherical nature; G is Newton's constant to understand gravity; M stands for the mass of the black hole and k stand for Boltzmann's constant, which is the energy of gas particles.  Apparently there are no atheists in foxholes nor in Westminster Abbey. ;-)

This is the quire of Westminster Abbey where music has resounded every day for more than a thousand years. The choir sings daily from their stalls continuing a tradition dating back to the plainsong chanted by the monks of the 10th-century monastic foundation.

A photograph of the wedding of Prince William and Duchess Kate which took place in the Quire of Westminster Abbey.

The "High Altar" and the beautiful gothic ceiling at the front of the quire in Westminster Abbey.  It is here that every king and queen has been crowned since William the Conqueror in 1066 AD.

This is the Coronation Chair, which is kept in St George's chapel but which is moved to the High Altar for coronations of new royalty.  The "Stone of Destiny" (an oblong block of red sandstone) which we saw with the Scottish Crown Jewels at Ediburgh Castle is also used for coronations.

A close-up of the Cosmati Pavement which makes up the floor of the High Altar at Westminster Abbey.  It was laid down by workmen from Rome in 1268 by order of Henry III who had started re-building Edward the Confessor's Abbey in the new Gothic style in 1245.  The pavement belongs to a type of inlaid stone decoration known as Cosmati work, after one of the families of craftsmen who specialized in it and the technique is called opus sectile, 'cut work'. This differs from ancient Roman and earlier medieval mosaic work which consists of square stones of equal size. It is also abstract in design. 

Henry VII lavished huge sums on a new Lady Chapel, which was begun in 1503 but not completed until 1516, nearly six years after his death. Since 1725, it has been used for installations of Knights of the Order of the Bath, and their colourful heraldic banners hang here. The Sovereign and the Great Master of the Order (currently Prince Charles) continues to install new knights in the chapel, usually every four years. A Lady Chapel is dedicated to the Virgin Mary and is common to most cathedrals and large churches. 

Henry VII’s imposing tomb at the east end of the chapel has magnificent gilt bronze effigies of the king and his wife, Elizabeth of York made by the brilliant Florentine Renaissance sculptor, Pietro Torrigiano. 

The floor (from the ceiling) in the Poet's Corner at Westminster Abbey.  Poets’ Corner is a place of pilgrimage for literature lovers. Here, over 100 poets and writers are buried or have memorials.

Wall memorial to writers such as William Shakespeare (center sculpture) and Jane Austen (lower left plaque) at Westminster Abbey.  

Jane Austen is buried in Winchester Cathedral in Hampshire but a small tablet was unveiled to her memory in Poets' Corner, Westminster Abbey, on 17th December 1967 by The Jane Austen Society.

William Shakespeare is buried in Trinity Church, Stratford upon Avon, but there is a larger than life-size sculpture of him in the Poet's Corner at Westminster Abbey.

World famous authors Charles Dickens and Rudyard Kipling have memorial stones in the Poet's Corner at Westminster Abbey.

Clive Staples Lewis was born in Belfast on 29th November 1898 a son of Albert and Florence. He was educated in England with his brother Warren. During the Great War he was wounded at the battle of Arras. He was a Fellow and Tutor of English Literature at Oxford university and later Chair of Medieval and Renaissance literature at Cambridge. Today he is perhaps best known for his seven Chronicles of Narnia. He also wrote science fiction and was a friend of J.R.R. Tolkien. During the Second World War he gave many radio broadcasts, later published as "Mere Christianity," together with other books based on his talks. In 1956 he married Mrs Joy Gresham, who died a few years later. The drama 'Shadowlands' portrayed this part of his life.

Sister Burkinshaw inside the beautiful gothic cloisters surrounding the courtyard of Westminster Abbey.

The courtyard of of Westminster Abbey from the east cloister.

Westminster Abbey and courtyard from the south cloister.

Sister Burkinshaw at Green Park near Buckingham Palace enjoying a lemon tart from Paul, a wonderful French pastry shop in London.

We close with Sister Burkinshaw's thought from a recent Temple Preparation Meeting.

In his talk "Preparing for the Lord's Return" (GC April 2019) Elder Christofferson says:

“President Nelson has repeatedly emphasized that the “gathering [of Israel] is the most important thing taking place on earth today. Nothing else compares in magnitude, nothing else compares in importance, nothing else compares in majesty. And if you choose to, … you can be a big part of it.” (Russell M. Nelson, “Hope of Israel”, Worldwide youth devotional, June 3, 2018) 

About six years ago President Eyring reminded us that accepting and magnifying every calling offered in the Church was “one of the great keys to family happiness.” (Eyring, Oct. 2013 “To My Grandchildren”)

That is because our choice to “be a part” of “Preparing for the Lord’s Return” allows us to have experiences where we and others are led to the Savior. The Patron Experience from the Prayer Circle training yesterday was a touching example of such an experience. A Brother accepted the assignment to offer the prayer in the prayer circle, but after doing it a few times he felt very inadequate and was ready to ask for another assignment. Another ordinance worker who had been on a session in which he had offered the prayer shared how the words he had spoken had touched him. He was reminded that despite his limitations another had been reminded that the power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ was real and would bless their family.

Elder Christofferson said, “While we strive to be diligent in building up Zion, including our part in the gathering of the Lord’s elect and the redemption of the dead, we should pause to remember that it is the Lord’s work and He is doing it. He is the Lord of the vineyard, and we are His servants. He bids us labor in the vineyard with our might this “last time,” and He labors with us. It would probably be more accurate to say He permits us to labor with Him. As Paul said, 'I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.' It is He who is hastening His work in its time. Employing our admittedly imperfect efforts—our 'small means'—the Lord brings about great things."


I pray we will look for, remember and record those experiences in which the Lord allows us to see what He does with our “small means”. 

Elder and Sister Burkinshaw