Friday, September 02, 2016 – Farewell Breakfast, Chores, Farewell Lunch, FM,

We started the day early in Nauvoo with the other Seniors and YSSM’s for a farewell breakfast for everyone that is leaving for home in the month of September. There are a lot of missionaries leaving, about one third of all the Seniors leave and half of the YSSM’s go home too. 

These farewells would be fine if they were only a breakfast. But after a huge meal there is always a farewell program. All of the departing missionaries sing, perform skits, vignettes or in other ways say goodbye to all of us. And that is always a problem. Emotions are running high and they can’t get through their parts without breaking down in tear. And, we in the audience can’t watch them and say goodbye without shedding a lot of tears too. These farewell breakfasts are always emotion packed events but they are wonderful and we love them.

One of the songs sung during the farewell was an “Inside Joke” about one of the vignettes in our “Rendezvous in Old Nauvoo” show. Earlier this year word came down from Salt Lake that the “Rendezvous” show was a little long and one of the vignettes needed to be shortened or cut out entirely.  Well, the couple over the program, Elder & Sis. Camp, decided that the part of “Jed & Annie” had to go. So this morning all of the departing Elders & Sisters put on a vignette of a mock funeral for our beloved Jed! They even displayed a “Wanted Dead or Alive” poster for Elder Camp for the Murder of Jed! They did a great job, it was hilarious.

When we got back to Carthage, Sis. Johnson and did our regular chores on the grounds. While Sis. Johnson cleaned, I mowed at the Bushnell House, then I did all of the edging and weed eating as well as blowing all the sidewalks.  The grounds at Bushnell look great.

Next Sis. Johnson and I went with Nathan & Valerie and Samantha to Nauvoo. We had a busy afternoon. We started with another “Farewell Feed.” At FM (Facilities Maintenance) they put on a luncheon for all of the Senior Missionaries that that work at FM and will be going home soon. Two big meals in one day is just about more than I can bear, but the food has been great.

We also went to the visitor’s center, the “Women’s Garden” and toured our new home we will move into in 2 weeks.  Then we went to the “Family Living Center” and leaned how pioneers made rope, how they made candles and how they baked bread in a pioneer’s brick oven.

We finished our day at the “Cultural Hall” where Nathan, Valerie and Samantha got to watch Sis. Johnson and I performed in tonight’s “Rendezvous in Old Nauvoo.” It was a good show and a good crowd in attendance as several seniors performing in their last show before they go home.