Grandpa's Ice Cream, Departing Testimonies, Final FHE, Final Institute, The end has come...

Our Mission Leaders have a tradition.  President Merritt is known for his "Grandpa's Ice Cream".  All the departing missionaries are invited to the mission home for Grandpa's Ice Cream.  We were invited with one other departing Senior Couple, the Anderson's (we were in the MTC with them).  President Merritt  gets pretty creative with his flavors.  We chose from Grilled Peach Ice Cream, Rocky Road, Almond Roca, and Cookies & Cream Ice Cream.  I think Stan is going to start a new tradition!  I'm all for it!

We had a fun scavenger hunt with our YSA for the last Family Home Evening activity.  We had a small group, but we all had fun answering clues and taking pictures throughout the Church building.  We sure have grown to love this rising generation of great young people.

On the last day of every transfer (ever 6 weeks) we attend a Senior Missionary breakfast.  If there are any Seniors going home, after breakfast is over they are given the opportunity to bear their "departing testimony".  We, along with two other couples, shared our thoughts, memories, and testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  It was an emotional experience to share memories of tender moments, of opportunities for our growth and learning, and to bear testimony of the love we have for our Savior, Jesus Christ.  We were glad when that was over!  

After this meeting, we all moved to the Chapel to join the young missionaries for the Departing Testimony meeting as a whole group.  We were given another opportunity to share our departing testimonies along with 16 young missionaries who had completed their missions.  

When we finished, we all sang the mission song together - it is very touching and powerful!

That same day, we had our final Institute class.  Brother Mackay was working on another assignment, so we were in charge of Institute for our last day.  We served Chicken Legs, Funeral Potatoes (appropriate for our "death" in the mission), and ice cream bars.  Our Elders Quorum president brought a beautiful Carrot Cake for dessert to celebrate our leaving.  We  decided to have a more casual "lesson", so we took turns singing our favorite Hymns and looking up the scriptures that go along with the Hymn and having a discussion.  We had a wonderful class.  Lots of hugs and goodbyes.  We are going to miss this wonderful group of young people that we've grown to love.  (We forgot to take pictures).  

We spent Thursday and Friday packing, cleaning.  We played pickleball with our friends at Mackenzie Creek park one last time.  We brought Banana Nut Muffins so they would be sure and not forget us! We hope and really feel that we've left a positive impression with them.  Stan, especially, has developed some friendships that will hopefully continue.  Some of them are looking forward to the San Diego 
Temple Open House next year.  We hope to go back for that and take some of them with us to the temple.

 We had a wonderful group of Elders that came over and helped us pack our trailer Friday morning.  We've been blessed to work with and love so many young missionaries.

We took a departing photo as we left our apartment, sad to leave San Diego and all that it has meant to us, and happy to return home to be with family, who we miss so much! We drove across California (with temps getting up to 121 degrees at a couple of places) and Nevada, and arrived in St. George just as the sun was setting Friday evening.  

We met with our Stake President Sunday morning to be released from our full-time missionary service.  We both felt a void as he released us from this life changing experience.

We want to close this Blog with our Testimony.  There is nothing like serving a Senior Mission.  We've been tremendously blessed to get to know some amazing young people.  They give us hope for the future.  The young missionaries are the most dedicated, faithful, obedient young people you'll find anywhere.  They begin each day with prayer, study and preparation to go out and  work long hours, finding those who are ready to hear the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ; the message that will bring salvation to them and their families.  

I don't think there is a better way to strengthen a marriage than to service a mission together.  Our love for each other has increased as we serve each other, practice charity, patience, and help each other to be the best person we can be.  We still have a lot to learn, but we fill like a mission is a great place to learn and grow together.  

We love reading the Book of Mormon together.  It is the foundation of our marriage.  A Book of Mormon class at BYU is what brought us together.  

We love Jesus Christ and are eternally grateful for his atoning sacrifice for each one of us.  And that is why we left our home and family for a year; we want all that will listen to know of the Plan of Redemption that comes through Jesus Christ.

We bear this testimony in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.