The sisters, by far, have more stuff than the elders. When 3 sisters dropped off Sister Marin who is going home tomorrow the elders were needed to carry the other sisters bag to the taxi. What's in there?
Elder Priest, Elder Eskelsen, Elder Jensen, Elder Willmore, Elder Cook, and Elder Lindao.
Elder Langley, Elder Killian, Elder Russo, and Elder Hendricks.
The missionary department asked that every mission who was receiving a new mission president and had their transfer date as July 2, move their transfer date one week earlier and on a Tuesday and send the outgoing missionaries home sometime during that week. They didn't want to have a new president deal with the transfers 3 days after they arrived. So we did our temple session on Saturday instead of on the night before they go home and then sent them back out to their areas, unless they were serving too far away, until Sunday night. They arrived, we had a special dinner together and they started filling out the informations sheets that we've had every missionary fill out as they leave the mission. We've compiled a scrapbook of each one so that we have a record of every face and some information about each and also their words of what they've gained in the mission.
It was also a time to relax and remember...
and weigh bags. Each could have about 50 lbs of checked luggage. Sometimes it has been an interesting thing to watch what they are willing to leave behind when their bags weigh too much.
Their last meal in the mission home. I must admit that I prepared this dish too many times in 3 years. One missionary names it Lasagna Chicken Madness. But they loved it.
You can see President Udall, temple president, down there serving water. He and his wife came to help with this meal because we are in such a mess getting ready to go ourselves. We love the Udall's.
Getting ready for the testimony meeting we always have the night before they leave.
The mission home has been such a haven and the missionaries have loved any time they could be there.
Then it was time to fill out the forms that will be presented at the airports they fly to tomorrow. What a process. IN this entire generation there is only one that is from Mexico. The others are from the U.S. or South America so all but Sister Marin had to fill out the forms.
Then for the first time in our time in Mexico, we took the missionaries to a hotel to sleep the night before they left. The area presidency made a rule that missionaries are not to sleep in the mission homes anymore and we got that regulations just a few days ago. So this is the best plan. The Hampton Inn in just across the street from the airport and they have a shuttle that will get them there in time very early in the morning. We no longer have the huge passenger van to transport so many of them. This is Elder Lindao. We are so going to miss this young man.
Dad trying to organize them to make sure they have everything and that they realize the time they need to get the shuttle to make to the airport on time.
They loved staying in the Hampton. Who wouldn't after the housing they've had for 2 years. The beds are so comfortable. I wonder what the Jordan's will do on their first transfer.
And here they are at the airport the following morning. Bright-eyed and anxious for what will come at home. Elder Lindao and Elder Burgos and Elder Apaza won't arrive in South America until tomorrow morning. They have very long layovers during the night.
One last picture with Elder Lindao. Dad set him up on SKYPE after his exit interview to make sure we stay connected.
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