Caught a cold Friday - slowed me down a little as far as outside contacting is concerned.  Did get essential shopping in on Saturday and so gave a PAC to a sweet Asian sister at Sainsbury's.  Also decided to get a hair cut.  My Iranian barber was full of talk about movies I should see.  Hard to get a word in edgewise!  Gave a PAC at the cash end of the encounter inviting him to see a really good free movie available.  He accepted, looking quite confused at how his conversation re the latest two-a-night action movies had led to a religious topic.

However, tucked up in a blanket with laptop, I managed to interview by telephone a delightful newly baptised brother and the member sister who made the first contact with him by 'chance' in a park one Sunday afternoon and invited him to come and find out for himself.  The rest was history and he now is an assistant Ward Mission Leader!  The interview is for an article in a soon to come out member missionary newsletter for all Maidstone Stake members.  It is called 'Starfish' - at the moment.  Still deliberating on the title.  There is a non-random reason - so maybe it will stick.  When it is published I will provide a link here.  Your feedback will be really interesting to help it be fit for purpose to inspire, encourage and teach members to be comfortable with regularly and effectively inviting others to come and find out about the Lord's restored gospel.


I keep a list of all those who I hand a BoM to.  One is a sister who left my workplace but am in email contact.  Emailed her yesterday to see if she had 'turned the pages' yet - the phrase I used!  She replied to day to say she hadn't got around to it but would do soon.  I haven't decided how cheeky to be back to her yet in telling her to get on with it!

Also on Saturday I invited by email my gardener friend who I gave a BoM to a few weeks ago (who lives in Hastings) to come to Church in Hastings Ward this Sunday, as I am speaking there with Alex Smith RM.  Had a nice email reply today.  He has a commitment ironically (my hometown) in Bromley that same day.  He committed voluntarily to read the sections I had outlined for him, however, so we have a continuing dialogue going here.  I am hopeful of he being the one I might get baptised to make my goal of one baptism this year.


Have spent this evening reviewing Jean Hearne of Bracknell, Reading Stake DVD produced by President Lyle Shamo, Mission President of the England South London Mission.  Jean has what we all want  - a love of opening her mouth and inviting all she virtually contacts on a daily basis.  When we all want to be like this and get as good as her he good news will spread like wildfire in the South of England.  Can't wait!!  Come on you Englanders!!

My son-in-law James came over from Salt Lake City for a flying visit last weekend, so on Saturday we went out for a meal and then on to a classical music concert in Bromley.

We went to an Italian restaurant first and enjoyed a great pizza and salad each. We were rushing to get to the concert and asked for the bill,  paid and left.  We had spoken in a friendly manner to the waitress who had served us during the meal and it was she who had brought the bill and gave some change. As we were leaving I realised I had not offered a PAC to her.  I went back and offered her a card and told her about how special the Church was and that if she was interested she could find out about it at the www.mormon.org url.  She took the card and said thank you, and I left her studying the card with some interest.  It felt good to have gone back and given the PAC to her.

Yesterday evening was very pleasant.  With my son-in-law Dan we walked to the United Reform Church in Oxted, Surrey, and Baroness Shirley Williams gave a 45 minute talk to an audience of 200 on the history of wars since Greek times, through Medieval war methodology, to the mercenary armies of the 17th and 18th century European wars including the Napoleonic wars.  She made much of the Victorian/Edwardian obsession with King Arthur and the Knights of the Round table which was part of the embedded ideology of the middle and upper classes of that era preceding the 1st World War.  That war changed completely the public's view of war - reversing any attempts to glorify it because of the horrors on such a scale that all members of the public had experienced directly.  She went on to discuss the 2nd WW, the Falklands war, Kosova, Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Syria, Zimbabwe and other situations underpinned by philosophic and pragmatic principles that may be used to help consider if a war is just or not.  Interesting questions followed which she dealt with eloquently and wisely reflecting the wisdom and knowledge of her age of 81 and a lifetime of service in local, national and international politics.

Having bought her autobiography during the interval, I had the opportunity at the book-signing session following to meet and offer to her The Book of Mormon.  I briefly introduced it in the form of the question that as a scholar she may not have had the opportunity to study the perspective of just and unjust war using this source of historical and spiritual account of a 1000 year span Jewish society set in the Americas circa 600BC-400AD. Baroness Williams accepted the book and graciously expressed interested in that it offered to her a new source for study in her field.  Her Christian faith had come out as a part of her identity in the lecture.  I am anticipative of how this special book form a loving Father to His children will impact upon this highly intelligent, compassionate, service-oriented faithful sister.  Baroness Williams said that she would not be able to get to it until Christmas due to a heavy reading load already .  Our prayers to help her prioritise this wold not go amiss.  Were she to study the contents and follow Alma's 'experiment with the words of the Lord as if they were true' method, and also apply Moroni's promise to pray that the Holy Ghost might witness the truthflness of all things comnnected with Christ and God then the Lord's Church in Britain and the world would have a significant influence and friend in the highest courts of power across the globe.

A day of internal decoration today - where will today's gospel inviting and sharing opportunities come? :-)

Just prepared a Book of Mormon to hopefully present to Baroness Shirley Williams this evening at an 11.11.11 lecture on "Can there be a just war?"
Have written:

"The Book of Mormon is another testament of Jesus Christ, alongside the Old and New Testaments of the Holy Bible.  It is a 1000 year record of the House of Joseph people and prophets following a migration to the American continent circa 600 BC.  It includes a significant account of the appearance and ministry of Christ also to this people.  It contains a secular history, but its purpose is to point to who and what Christ is to the human race - His mission and the eternal outcome of hope and progression wrought by His selfless, saving act of sacrifice, a Proxy for each one of us.
It is not a fiction.  It is a spiritual, historical work revealed in modernity to conserve and protect our true identity and origin, our true purpose here during our mortal experience and to endorse and expand upon our potential. It provides clarity of principles for living that will yield blessed fruits of peace and happiness to individuals, families, communities and nation states.  Where the Holy Bible was abridged, corrupted and mistranslated The Book of Mormon expands, corrects and is translated once from original records into English by a modern day prophet seer and translator.  I earnestly invite you to invest time and study to verify this book's authenticity and so bless you and your loved ones."


Shirley Williams has for me been a voice of reason and moderation in British politics.  For that reason she has perhaps been denied a central role, having been an academic political adviser for many decades following her stint as education minister in Callahan's government in the late 1970's.  Interesting to see if I get a real opportunity to introduce myself and present her with The Book of Mormon.  I left my name and telephone number at the end of the introduction.

Am waiting for next Book of Mormon delivery - this my last one from the previous order of 10 hardbacks.  Have ordered 10 hardbacks and 10 soft backs following chat with my son Richard who indicated that on his mission they gave away the soft backs more freely, they being cheaper.  Having placed this order and thinking further I am not sure the price difference is significant enough in future to buy my personal stock in this way.  The softback is £1.55 compared to £1.85 for the hardback.  The hardback book has a more substantive feel in my opinion.

On Tuesday I went to the London Road petrol station till in Maidstone to pay for petrol.  A dark skinned Asian man served me.  I thought that I would offer him a PAC but that he was probably Muslim and would not wish to receive one. I showed him the image of Christ and offered, saying, "Would you like one of these?", adding there is a great church just back along the road you might like to think about going to."  He replied: ( well maybe you might like to anticipate his reply.  OK well I will tell you, but the point is you never know what their response is going to be - your really just cannot predict): "Well thank you but I have a church to go to, I'm a Catholic."  I said that was great and left with a smile

This good brother's response reminds me that a favourite approach of mine to a stranger or a colleague, to get a meaningful spiritual conversation going is "Do you have a church to go to?"  This almost always results in a conversation about each others church in a useful and interesting exchange.  Well worth trying as an opener in many settings.

Yesterday, Wednesday  morning after my swim and standing at the hairdryer, another brother was standing there. He was just turned 60 it transpired, and retired.   He spoke first and said he had seen me at the pool for a while but didn't know me, but had come to know everyone else!  I had that morning prayed to be able to slow down (President Uchtdorf April GC 2011) so that I could pay more attention to people!  I shook his hand and introduced myself.  His name is Richard - same as my son, I told him.  We got into a great conversation about our mutual backgrounds in eduction and got on well, a real friendship starting up.  Nothing said about the restored gospel of Christ, but this is a great opportunity as well as having created a new potential friendship!  All good.

On Friday I handed over the keys to a Christian mother and father who are tenants in a flat I own. I also handed a prepared Book of Mormon.  This was not difficult.  We had already discussed the Church soon after I first met them when looking over the property.  I was needing to find out a little about who they were, and interestingly, with their own Christian activity they were as interested in the values and belief in their prospective Landlord. So there was gratitude on their part in learning that I believed in Jesus Christ and was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Blessing , the young mother's name, also had something to give to me from her church - 'Rhapsody of Realities' - so it was all timely and interesting.  I will invite them to Welling Church when they have settled in, and also to receive the missionaries. Blessing has already met the Full Time Missionaries, but to date has never received the Book of Mormon. We shall see.

Gave a PAC to the Bromley Marks and Spencer's young male assistant.  A reaction of interest but no time to discuss.
Another week ahead - who knows who will present themselves.

Am going to design for myself a 'My Prospects Progress Tracker' form.  Some of these contacts can be revisited and tried to progress to receiving the missionaries/visit the Church.

President Turner taught us well at Stake Conference session yesterday evening in that it is quite OK to be invited to attend a church by someone of a particular faith.  Saying no isn't difficult and certainly no one is offended when invited, but elects to say no thanks.  Saying yes is also particularly easy in the natural circumstances of an invitation to come and take a look.  Those interested will feel appreciative of being invited at a time in their life when they genuinely would like to learn more about this Church that maybe has something special to offer.

We can but invite.  I guess there is something in the way of doing it that does improve with practice, but again, not inviting when there is a chance to is not being Christ-like enough.

Prayed this morning for a missionary experience. At Homebase, Orpington, gave the PAC with the Lord exiting the tomb to the mature lady till assistant pointing out the free dvd.
"What Church is this from?"
"The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints - it is near Orpington Station"
"Oh I go to StMary's, the CofE at St Mary's Cray. I got married there - I am celebrating my 40th wedding anniversary this month."
"Congratulations." says I.
"This is a lovely picture which I will put up on my mantelpiece."

I left at that point It was a nice outcome because we had a friendly conversation and she felt validated for her great achievement. Hopefully she will remember the Church with a pleasant association.

President Baldock said at a missionary leadership meeting on Tuesday that we are getting good at sowing seeds, but that we really need to start harvesting.
President Shamo, England London South Mission President is a fine example of this. He spoke of an experience of turning back to tell a friendly petrol station manager of the gospel after an initial friendly exchange but no direct telling of who he was and the message he had to tell. As a result of going back he gave a Book of Mormon and invited the man and his family to receive the missionaries. He got his name, address and telephone number to be able to arrange the appointment.

I feel that this outcome - striking up the conversation, explaining briefly about the Church, getting the contact details after getting their consent to receive the missionaries - is moving towards a harvesting attitude and behaviour, rather than merely sowing seeds. So to my readers - are there any - you can see that whilst I am not bad at regularly sowing seeds, I need to increase my skill at inviting others to receive the FTMs to learn about the restored gospel of Christ.

But seed sowing is better than silence! To be silent is really not being Christlike. We have His Gospel. There are many who are not against us and therfore for us, but do not have the fullness of the Gospel. Only we have it. It is only we, individually and as a Church, who can bring it to the attention of others.