Auf Wiedersehen! (Transfers: Part 2)

The sisters slept here that night and the elders slept over at the apartment next to the office and in the morning we had breakfast at the office.  Then they had a training and then left to go to their areas.  Then the departing missionaries started showing up.  they did interviews at the office while we set up dinner at the church.  There were 24 or 25 missionaries leaving so there was no way we could do it at our house.  Sister Gildner helped with the dinner and it was amazing.  She is so awesome!  I walked in when she was peeling the cucumbers for the salad and she had a put a peel on her head and told us that it was a good way to stay cool so she put one on my mom too and they looked really funny.

 The food smelled delicious all day and I couldn't wait to eat it.

 My job, as you could probably guess, was to set the giant table.

 Then they all started showing up and we began to eat.

 The food was AMAZING!

 That night we had a testimony meeting and it was so amazing.  The spirit was so strong and it was so amazing to see what these people have blossomed into after serving the Lord for two years or eighteen months.  It was fun to compare it to the testimony meeting from the night before and to see the potential these new missionaries have.  They slept over that night here and at the office. The next morning we had to get to the airport early so I woke up at 4:15!!!  We ate breakfast and drove to the airport and the sun was just starting to rise.  It was so beautiful as it reflected off of all the glass buildings. It was hard to get a picture, but this is the best I could do.

 Four missionaries we see often were leaving this transfer.  Sister Erdensogt (right) from our ward was getting transferred, and so was Elder Thomas, one of the Zone Leaders.  And Elder Carlson from the office and Elder Jones (AP) were leaving.  But wonderful missionaries have taken all of their places.  Sister Erdensogt was replaced by Sister Motto, Elder Thomas by Elder Vitel, Elder Carlson by Elder Baurfind, and Elder Jones by Elder Nielson. They are all great.

 Here is the departing group.

 We took them all to their gates and hugged them goodbye and it was really hard.  Afterwards we met the families of the missionaries who were being picked up and saw the reunions they had with their families and it was so heart warming.  It may have been hard to say goodbye, but then we were walking through the airport and this is what I see.  These amazing missionaries who have already impacted my life so much.  I don't know what I would do without them.  I can't think of a place I would rather be and a work I would rather be helping pursue.  This is a chance of a lifetime.