Sunday, March 15,
2015--The Final Entry
We reported to the High Council at 8:00 a.m. and
felt a warm welcome. We shared experiences
and feelings about our mission and then were asked to bear our testimonies in
Spanish. I was grateful to be prepared
for that! In the past I have heard many
missionaries report to the Stake Council and it was so different to be on the
“reporting” side rather than the “listening” side. My nerves were all crazy.
Garfield 2nd Ward Sacrament
Meeting was at 11:00 at the Rigby South Stake Center and we each gave a
15-minute talk, ending with our testimonies in Spanish again. Hugs and greetings from friends and family,
ward and former ward members felt so good and we loved seeing so many familiar
faces. However,
we knew very few families in our re-aligned ward. There were a few people who used to be part
of our ward who were included again in the new boundaries so that gave us a few
more recognizable faces.
My sweet friend Clara, who helped take care
of my kitties, came to church; and I so appreciated her support. Loretta felt well enough to come with Alan,
too, and it was wonderful to see her.
Becky and Elaine were also part of my email support and Marjory. I love these friends for the time and effort
they put in to keep in touch despite their very busy schedules and personal
challenges. Each one was a
life-line!!
Lunch at our house was awesome chaos! It was exciting to have all of our children
come home although we missed the rest of the Texas and Nevada families.
We loved seeing other friends and family
members including Grant, Mary, and Mandee; Sheryl came to Sacrament Meeting but
couldn’t come to the house; Dean and Karen; Jordan and his wife and baby; sisters
and nieces Stephanie, April, and Valerie;
Max and Darla Lapioli—they brought us a Great Harvest cranberry orange bread
loaf, stayed for lunch and visited, and she helped with the food clean-up;
Faylene and four of her grandchildren; Shirleen—Meghan came to Sacrament
Meeting with Ella, but couldn’t come to the house—Bryan and Bonnie who brought a favorite salad; and JoAnn and
Camille who came from Salt Lake; so it was a lively houseful.
Christi June washed dishes and cleaned and
wiped counters and did the lion’s share of the clean up after lunch and I so
appreciated her help. We took a few
family photos and the kids all played outside in the spring-like weather again
and expended their energy. Then, one by
one, guests and family began leaving.
Kevin and Barek had to make the nine-hour drive to Reno all in one stretch so
Kevin could get home for work Monday morning.
Tracen and Melissa gathered children, packed up their necessities, made
a space for Marc, and headed to Kaysville.
Mike and Christi headed to Boise with Damien and Dylan, and their three
local kids went back to their apartments.
Last to leave on Sunday were Jeff and Emi and kids who piled into their
van with all their “trip stuff” and headed back to Salem, Utah.
Emily and Scott had to trade time going back
and forth to their house on Sunday because poor Amelia had a tummy bug and
couldn’t be with us.
Kristie stayed until Monday early morning and
Justin left early Tuesday. Scott picked
them up early and took each of them to the airport on his way to work. Alexis stayed until Wednesday so she could go
out to dinner with us and Scott and Emily’s family for Glade’s birthday on
Tuesday. She and Emma left about noon. Then the house was quiet and we could unwind
and begin to decide what to do with the rest of our lives!!
This missionary experience was a great
opportunity for personal growth and development as well as an opportunity to
serve. Our hearts and spirits have been
changed by the things we learned, the sacrifices we made, the inspirational
people we met in the temple, and those faithful saints who serve in the House
of the Lord every day. They are humble
and their means are meager, but they are building mansions in Heaven as they
follow the teachings of the Savior and keep His commandments. They are filled with love and share it so
easily. It is not so easy for those with
affluence to be humble and sometimes happiness is easier to find without all
the “stuff” we acquire and then have to worry about and care for. To simplify will bring blessings.
It was a blessing for me to be able to serve
with music. There were no language
barriers—at least none that weren’t overcome with focus and discernment—and the
opportunity to play gave me a chance to share and offer something that was important to
them. I played for numberless choirs,
individuals doing solos, Sacrament Meeting, Relief Society, duets, and special
programs. It was hard work to prepare to
play in the recital with Gina, but well worth the effort. It kept my skills honed and was a blessing to
share the gift of music that Heavenly Father gave to each of us. We loved playing together. The greater the challenge, the greater the
reward if one puts in the time and work to overcome.
Our marriage is stronger than ever as we
shared the same space, the same routine, and many of the same friends and
experiences. We learned that we really
were good at sharing a small apartment, house-keeping chores, and animated
conversation about the events of our days.
When you leave behind your “former life” to serve a mission, the things
that matter most come clearly to the forefront.
We bear testimony that Jesus Christ is our Savior and Redeemer and has
made exaltation and eternal life available to each of us if we choose to seek
it. Our Father in Heaven loves us
deeply, provides for our growth and learning, and showers us and our families
with blessings and tender mercies. Our
faith has grown as we learned to lean on Him so that we could fulfill His work. Now we will rest and prepare to serve again
where we are needed.
The Missionaries--Released
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| Our awesome kids! Back left: Mike, Kevin, Justin, Tracen Front left: Kristie, Alexis, Jeff, Scott |
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| Kids with Mom and Dad |
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| From left: Bonnie, Shirleen, Bev, and Max and little David in the background. |
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| Far left: Mary, Glade, Karen, Dean, and Grant |
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| Clockwise from the back left: Bryan, JoAnn, Camille, Daynah, Tony, Shirleen Bonnie, and Emily |
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| Bev and Corey's mom Faylene |
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| Alexis and Justin! |
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| JoAnn, Shirleen, Beverly |
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| The good-bye. Christi is going home to Boise and son Drake is going back to Rexburg to BYU-I |
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| Christi June and Kristie Ranae |
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| Christi, Mike, and Kristie--more goodbyes |
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| And All is Well. |
