Departure dinners

Every 6 weeks, we have the greatest family home evenings. All of the missionaries that have completed their 2 years of service come to our house for a farewell dinner. They share great stories, play with the kids, sign baseballs and journals, take pictures, and 'feast'. We end the evening with a testimony meeting. It's a highlight of our experience here. I can't get enough of it. Look at this group! Aren't they incredible?

Let's start with the food-it's always fantastic. Sister Willis (one of our church service missionaries that lives in Mesa) always makes rolls and potatoes. Delicious! This incredible woman loves to cook and loves to share her talents with everyone. Her food is legendary around here. Those missionaries are so lucky-do they even know it? I've brainstormed a few recipes from Jen and Emily for the side dishes and have finally settled on one version or another of my mom's trifle for dessert. (My favorite is peaches and raspberries, but in honor of Elder Mackie, this month's trifle had chocolate pudding and Brownies in place of angel food cake and vanilla pudding. And, Elder Hamilton, our assistant that eats NO sugar had bananas a la strawberries courtesy of Taylor.) But the main attraction of the meal is the tri-tip that Mark prepares. (A recipe from our great friend Tommy Wilhelm-we miss you Tom & Marge!) This is something that Mark loves to do for the missionaries, something they love to eat, and if by chance there are left-overs, something the assistants appreciate.

The whole family helps to make this evening a success-from setting up to cleaning up. Everyone has a part to play-and they're doing a great job. I'm so proud of the way they are trying to help and work together. It is amazing to me how quickly Jessica can organize and rally the kids to wash, dry and put away all the dishes then slip in quietly to listen to her dad teaching the missionaries one final time. Mark opens up the scriptures in the Book of Mormon and New Testament that describe the relationship between our Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. As often as I hear him tell it, I always find myself captivated and moved by the power of his testimony. The feeling in this setting is beyond my words to describe, but it creates the perfect setting for the missionaries to then share their testimonies about our Savior, Jesus Christ. We've been with these missionaries now for over a year, and I am amazed by the growth and development of their character as they've laid aside their own interests to bless and help others. We love these young people so much, it is hard to see them go, but we know there is so much more in store for them...and we know they have families at home that love them and are counting the seconds until they return.

It's usually late before the missionaries leave the house for some apartments we have a few doors down the street. As much as they love their families, they are anxious about returning home. Many of them are torn with desires to stay and continue this work they have come to love so much and the love and longing they have for their families. As a result, some of them hardly get to bed before it's time to come back to our house one last time for breakfast. Mark and I are up around 4:30 to dress and be ready when the missionaries show up between 5 and 5:30. Mark does all the cooking, carrying on a family tradition of waffles on the heavy duty, industrial double grid waffle iron. The missionaries are in and out in no time and off to the airport. This particular transfer was difficult since we were not only saying goodbye to so many missionaries we love, but also to 3 of our assistants: Elder Mackie, Elder Soane, and Elder Hamilton. Because these missionaries serve in our ward and work so closely with Mark, our family becomes particularly attached to them. We will miss these young men that have been a part of our family.

Thank you to all of the families that have supported these great missionaries for the past several months and shared them with us and with Arizona!Take care everyone, and make sure to keep in touch!!!