Missionaries Go and Missionaries Come----so does a MOM!?!

After attending a stake conference on Sunday morning (at which we were asked to share a few words), I went home to get ready for our next group going home. It is getting harder and harder to see a group leave as I get to know them so much better and become more and more attached to them. Here is our group that left....Elders Colton, Mueller, Cato, Hobbs, Canova, Nelson, Maurer, Hardy

We had dinner together, had a testimony meeting and then started getting things ready for the following day when the new ones come. They all slept in the basement---well slept isn't quite the word. Three of them stayed up all night. Of course it was almost midnight when we went to bed. They were quite anxious about going home. So at 2:30 in the morning I hear the shower going-they were just taking a little break and figured they would get ready for the day. At 4:30 they left in the suburban to go to the airport. It is hard to get too emotional that early in the morning, but I felt my heart pounding as they drove off. I feel joy, concern, anxiety for their return and adjustment, gratitude for having them in our lives, and love for their individuality.

I pick up the house get some preparation done and some things organized and at 8:30 we head to the airport to get our new group. I am always rather nervous at the airport....Mark often sits and gets his shoes shined by Tami, a lovely lady who works there....but not me. I am sure they will come down that ramp while he is sitting there and I couldn't sit still anyway. I study their packet, read their letter to us and try memorizing their names long before they come. I imagine how they are feeling......then they turn the corner (of course you cant miss them) and they enthusiastically come and greet us. Nine Elders and one sister. I always love giving the sister a big hug (sometimes the Elders go to give me one too and I hate sticking out my hand to shake theirs!) This time as I was talking with our lovely sister, an older woman came up behind her and set bags by her feet. She disappeared, came back and again sat bags by the sister's feet. I was confused and wondering who this was. I looked at the sister with the look of "what on earth is this lady doing?" This wonderful sister said .."oh, that's my MOM." I looked at her......I had know clue what to think. "Your MOM?????" "Yes, she came to bring my bags."...........I still didn't know what to think. "You do know your mom cant stay?!?" "I told her not to come but she can do standby for free and wanted to bring my bags." My mind was so confused--a MOM! Here with her missionary! Her mom is from Tonga but they have lived in SLC for many years. Somehow that made it all seem OK and normal. Cultures are so different. We chatted with her, mentioned that she really shouldn't be there and then she said she was going so we sort of said good bye. (Although she did show up again as we were getting in the van with more bags for her daughter.) The bags??? Food. Here is this caring, loving mom so worried about her daughter. How often I have given my kids food to satisfy my need to mother them. The missionary gave me all the bags later to give away to other people. "There is no way I can eat all this food!" she said. I do love these missionaries--each one is so different and from a unique background.

We went downtown and the missionaries met up with some of our older missionaries to go out knocking on doors or just talking with people in the street. They had some wonderful experiences. One of them later wrote.....My first day in the field I was off the airplane for an hour and a half. I knocked on this guy's door and he was super interested. He's a recovering alcoholic who just found Christ in his life and had amazing faith in Him. He let us in and "he ate up" the first lesson. We had a great conversation. As we were leaving he asked how long we'd been in Spokane. I told him I flew in at 9:30 and he said, "Wow, you've been here only two hours and already you're at my door. I think God sent you as a blessing to me". It was an amazing experience for my first day!

Then we fed them lunch, took photos, did an orientation, Mark interviewed them, then had dinner and a testimony meeting at our home. Then they were divided up and slept at various homes of our ward members. This is a great group of missionaries. Here they are.....Elders Brady, Randall, Farnsworth, Sigler, Carter, Layton, Eardley, Close, Gomm, and Sister Wolfgramm.

You will also notice a senior couple--the Kelloggs. They have just arrived and will be working in our office. They recently finished another mission in Florida and loved it so much they put their papers in as soon as possible to come out again. We are lucky to have them.