Friday, May 6, 2016 – Mission-wide breakfast, Tulips pulled, Tender Mercies – Phone & Wallet

This morning we had a Mission-wide farewell breakfast at the Nauvoo Stake Center.  It’s a tradition in the Nauvoo mission to have a breakfast honoring departing missionaries. This morning it was for Elder Vernon & Sis. Jan Saline, of Pima, AZ. going home later this month.  At the conclusion of the breakfast everyone sang “Farewell Nauvoo” in tribute to them. Everyone was weeping, it was a very emotional moment.

The song “Farewell Nauvoo” is sung in the Nauvoo Pageant and the words speak about the pioneers as they are driven out, looking back at their beloved city.  In the song the saints were reminiscing about their homes, their memories, and the holy temple they are leaving behind, knowing they will probably never return to their beautiful Nauvoo. It is a very powerful yet touching and moving song at the conclusion of the pageant. Some of the lines say:

“With numb and aching hearts, one last Adieu. . .

And so we go and hide our aching hearts

No one will see our tears when we depart

This home we leave will shelter memories clear

Of all that we hold dear in Old Nauvoo. . .”

When this song is sung to departing missionaries at their farewell, it has the same power and meaning for the missionaries as it did for the old pioneers. It is so moving and so touching that this morning there wasn’t a dry eye in the building. 

This afternoon the next batch of Senior Couples and Senior Sisters will arrive from Provo MTC. Sis. Johnson and I will no longer be part of the “Green Missionaries” now there will be a batch that are greener than we are.

 

This evening we had two YSSM’s (Young Single Sister Missionaries) Sis. Chapman & Sis. Nelson, over for dinner. They brought a surprise guest.  They invited to dinner a man that came to the visitor’s center 40 minutes after the last tour. They talked to him and found out that he had to leave his wife and family back in Lehi, Utah to start his new job in Columbus Ohio. His wife is packing and the whole family will join him later. There was plenty of food for all and we had a very good visit with him and the YSSM’s. It is always a blessing the feed the missionaries but tonight we had an extra blessing of feeding a road weary traveler driving cross country and far from his family and a home cooked meal.