Out with the old....

Elder Forson, Elder Wahlquist, Elder Rasmussen, Elder Simmons, Sister Blackwelder, Sister Hernandez, Elder Konyn, Elder Menke, Elder Mathews, Elder Hines, Elder Flores, Elder Campbell, Elder Hancock. Elder Leviner and Elder Peer. Sweet Sister Campbell, who works in the mission office. It's that time again. We had to let some more of our missionaries go home. It gets harder and harder each time, because each time we've known them a little longer. Tuesday, November 2nd, we spent some time together in the Salt Lake Temple. It's a heartwarming opportunity to be able to worship with these fine young people one more time before they leave the mission and head for home. Next it was lunch together at PF Changs, where a good time was had by all! They had one more day to say good-bye to the many good friends they've made, then, on Wednesday evening, there was a testimony meeting. Staying overnight in the mission home meant catching a ride there with Sister Winn.....which meant that I went flying down Highland Drive late in the evening on a very LONG day, and suddenly thought, "Hmmmm, I'm pretty sure that I just passed the street that I usually turn on to get to my house." As long as I had gone past my house anyway, I decided to take the elders in my car out for an ice cream cone before we went home. So I started to drive to Baskin Robbins, only I wasn't exactly positive which road it was on. So while I was on the wrong road to the Baskin Robbins, I passed a pizza place, which reminded me that we should probably order pizza for the missionaries to have at my house. Whipping out my cell phone to call the pizza place to order some pizza to pick up after we ate our ice cream, I missed the turn in for the Baskin Robbins and had to make a U-turn in the Zion's Bank drive thro lane to get to the ice cream store. Finally, I pulled into the Baskin Robbins parking lot and we all got out. To our surprise and amazement, another car full of elders pulled in right behind us. "Wow!" I exclaimed! "You all are going out for ice cream too?!?!" Evidently, they had been following us from the church. I cannot believe that I didn't notice them behind me. After all, I'm such an observant driver! Anyway, we ate our ice cream. And we went and picked up our pizza. And I found my way home. Where we ate pizza and played games far into the night. And the next morning, they all got on airplanes and went back home. Which is sort of like sending your kids off to college, and very hard to do. Tomorrow we'll get some brand new missionaries who will worm their way into our hearts just like the last ones did. We'll love them, too.