Our Missionary Family is Changing!

The day that we thought would be a long time in coming has come. The Gibbons and Kitleys leave on Friday, the 25th. They will work in the Temple on Tuesday and Wednesday and be done with their missions here. They have been busy trying to organize and pack and figure out how to get their treasures home without anything breaking. The dinners and parties in their behalf began last week and will continue tonight, tomorrow and Thursday. Everyone wants to be able to say good bye and every time they go to dinner with a group, they get a new treasure to take home. It is wonderful to see the love that our friends here have for these missionaries. Elder Thompson, the party animal that his, NOT!, has decided that we will tell everyone a date that we are leaving and then leave a week earlier. It won't work but if it will give him some peace I guess he can dream. Sister Petersen has made sure that everyone knew when the others are leaving and she will make sure that everyone knows when we leave too. We are going to miss these family members. We have come to love and appreciate them so much. We still have no replacements that we know of, so as for now, the Wall's and Thompson's are all on the PM Shift. That is the only bright spot. We expect to be on the PM shift for at least 6 weeks so no more 4:00 AM's. We are hoping for replacements in March.

This week was a fun one. We didn't have big crowds until Friday and Saturday but we had a steady flow of people in the temple so it was good. Yesterday, I was able to help a sweet little lady in the temple. It was her first time in the temple and she was 96 years old. We put her in a wheel chair so the day wouldn't be so tiring for her. She had her daughter with her, only her 2nd time in the temple, 72 years old, and a granddaughter and a great granddaughter. Four generations of beautiful daughters of our Heavenly Father. It was a sweet experience for me and I hope to be in the temple when they come back to be sealed as a family one day. It is experiences like these that make all the tired feet and exhaustion worth while.

      We were walking one afternoon when we spied our "bag lady", Sister Diaz. She carries those big bags with her where ever she goes. On Sunday at church, to the temple, to parties at the church, those bags are always with her. The women at the temple tell me that she has lived in almost every ward from time to time but never have they been able to get an address. She just seems to exist. They are sure she lives on the streets. She comes to the temple on Wed, Thurs, and Fridays at 8:00 in the morning and stays till 4:00. The sisters on these shifts have started bringing her a lunch each day so she can eat. They say that the temple is such a blessing in her life as she has a place to go all day to get out of the sun, wind, or rain (they added cold!!) You would love to hear her bare her testimony. It is fire and brimstone!! She has a sweet spirit and we enjoy being her friends. She sits with us at church now.

     It was great to hear from so many of you this week. Thank you for your emails. We enjoy hearing how you are doing and what you are doing. Thank you for your prayers in our behalf. We are feeling good and enjoying our work here. We just wish that time would slow down a bit. Have a great week We send our love to all Lon and Nancy, Grandpa and Grandma, Dad and Mom.