The Lady in London 

An experience during a layover in the London airport while en route to Ghana. 

               I went upstairs to get a hamburger before my next 6 hour flight. It was awkward how the waitresses were seating people---at the same table but leaving empty chairs between them. An older lady got placed at my table, I wanted to talk to her, but the chair in between us felt awkward. Finally, I asked her what time it was. I needed to know and I thought it was a good ice breaker. She answered and then I failed and just said thank you. We sat in silence for another few minutes, but she looked so cute, and I really wanted to talk to her. In the end I managed to ask her where she was going. She was going back home to South Africa after visiting her children in Canada. She was so incredibly friendly we ended up talking really easily for the next half hour until I had to leave. She has traveled all over and has even been to Madagascar and Reunion :D She was really impressed that I was going on a mission for 18 months.

                As I left we exchanged names and best wishes and I felt a little sad to leave her. I went to the counter to pay and looked back and saw her watching me. I remembered the Book of Mormon my mom had given me to read and then give to someone in London. It wasn’t going to do me any good in Africa as it was in English. I thought of giving it to her, but it felt so random- “if only I had at least mentioned religion before” I said to myself.

                Well the feeling persisted, so after I paid I went back over and said hi again. I asked if she would take the book as a gift and asked her if she knew any LDS people. She did, but had never been given a Book of Mormon before. She took it right away smiling—saying that she would love to have it and that I was a wonderful girl. J  I felt sooooo happy! I asked for her name one more time—Catalina I believe she said and that it was from the Bible, in Mark, if she remembered correctly. I told her I liked that book very much. As I walked away I looked back and saw that she had opened the Book and was reading something J