Saying Goodbye - Wednesday, November 17, 2010

We are still enjoying nice spring days with beautiful flowering trees and warm, not hot, weather. It is wonderful!

Today was an exciting day all around. Not only did we go to the mission home to send off the missionaries going home, but we were included in that group. The meal, the President's message, testimonies, group photo . . . all of it was meant for us too. This was our last time to do one of our most favorite things.

The missionaries started arriving around 10:30 and the President started his interviews while the rest came. Since Elder Coria and Elder Frias had to leave at 1:00 to go to the airport, their interviews were first. The others started writing their spiritual experience to be handed in and included in the mission history that is turned in at the end of the year.

After all arrived, we took the traditional group photo, and had Nancy, the housekeeper, come outside to take the pictures, which involved about nine cameras. Usually, Elder Kroff takes the pictures, but not today. Included in this picture are Kroffs, Gulbrandsens, Sisters Hernandez and Tejada, Elders Beagley, Coria, Ludlow, Juarez, Frias, Razgo, and Jimenez.

Then we congregated in the living room for instruction from the President and had a testimony meeting where each took three or four minutes. Yes, mine was in Spanish again, similar to the one on Sunday evening.

Lunch was served which was chicken in a sauce served over rice, tossed salad, brownies and ice cream. It was all very tasty. This time, the President sat with us and continued some instruction while we ate.

The remise came to pick up Elder Coria who was going to Bahia Blanca, Argentina which is only an hour's flight away. This is one elder we are going to miss as we became so fond of him while he was working in the office. He had a tear in his eye as he walked away to get in the remise, not to mention the lump in my throat. Will we ever see him again??

Earlier in the morning, we received a call from Elder Peterson who said that Elder Frias' flight to another part of Argentina, was canceled. We hate news like that. So Elder Frias had to change gears and get used to the idea that he would spend the night with the office elders and then go home tomorrow.

The President resumed his five remaining interviews while the rest of us sat in the living room wondering what to do in the three remaining hours until the 4:00 departure time. It was so strange that everything progressed along so quickly today. But, one elder said he had a DVD of the movie, Charly, that someone had given him which he had never seen, and asked Sister Gulbrandsen if we could watch it. It was in English with Spanish subtitles.

In the living room, the President had his huge portable screen set up and has different short videos about Christ or other church related topics that he has available to view when there is any down time. So we all sat and watched the DVD of Charly, which is based on the book written by an LDS author. We have heard of this story, but had never seen it or read the book. My, oh my, it is tear jerker!! By the end of the story, we were ALL taking a tissue as they were passed around the room. As the President would come out to get his next interview, he wondered what all the crying was about.

Pretty soon 4:00 rolled around and the remises started coming to pick up the sisters and take them to the airport, plus the families of two of our elders pulled up also.

Elder Beagley's parents and 16 year old brother from Ogden, Utah came in a remise, and as they pulled up, Elder Beagley lost it. The tears came freely as he wept in the arms of his mother and father, and brother. He was soooo excited! It was heartwarming to see the reunion.

Elder Ludlow was pacing around waiting for his parents to arrive and to him it seemed like forever. Those brave people rented a car, but were told not to drive up in the Capital area. If they stayed in the outlying areas they should be fine. We were impressed that they found a small hotel in San Fernando, not far from the office. It is over by McDonalds. Gosh, we had no idea there were any hotels close by us. Rich wrote down the name and address to put in the computer in case anyone ever wants accommodations in our area. The Ludlows are from Beaverton, Oregon.

After these fond farewells, four Latin elders were returning to San Fernando to stay over night as the flights to Mexico and Colombia were leaving the next day. We sent the elders in a remise and Elder Peterson came with the van to take their luggage.

The office elders had six extra people to bed down tonight, so Elder Peterson brought four of them up to the apartment next to us to camp out for the night. They brought two mattresses and some blankets to make beds on the floor. We are glad they are resilient.