Parting is Such Sweet Sorrow

Look, 3 angels walked into the office today, where might they be going? HOME!!! The first thing on the agenda for the 6 departing missionaries is an exit interview with the Presidente. Since Presidente Clegg was interviewing the Elders, the sisters went......

SHOPPING! Actually we just went for a little walk to pick up some pictures and we couldn't pass by the pastry shop without looking in. Time to get back to the office.

One fun activity while the missionaries are waiting for their interview is looking at the blog. Our missionaries don't see the blog so this is a fun thing to do. Are we on there yet?

Elder Olds is getting a bite to eat in the kitchen. Missionaries need to be feed!

A little fanta anyone? Do you think Elder Bartholomew is excited to go home?

Done with interviews and off to the Vista! 3 great missionaries who have served valiantly. All have been Zone Leaders and Elder Bartholomew an ayudante, but if you were to ask any of them the best part of there mission was probably just being a missionary. They are all great teachers and they will be missed.

A little bit of advice from the Presidente for Elder Bartholomew. Maybe Elder Bartholomew is sharing with the Presidente a bit of his wisdom.

A picture in front of the big thumb print. Hna Johnson felt like a thumb print was a very vivid analogy of our mission. We have to put our thumb prints on all the residency work, we use our thumbs on the timbres (door-bells for entrances into the tall pisos), and most definitely they are leaving their thumbprint on the face of Spain in bringing the world the Truth!

What a great group. L. to R. Elders Rodriquez, Bartholomew,Olds, Presidente & Hna Clegg, Hnas Johnson, Fraga, and Garcia.

The Hermanas truly give all they have. What beautiful angels among us.

Back to the mission home and what a beautiful day. We sat outside and did all our little mementos. We are putting together a mission quilt that they are all going to be a part of. It allows us to let them display their creativity and this group was a very creative bunch.

Family Picture Time. It is hard to let go of our children. We are sending them now on their life mission, and it fills our hearts with deep emotions. A very special testimony meeting was experienced.

Early Thursday morning at the airport. 5 of the group won't be home until after this is posted. Hna Garcia is already home, only a 1 hour flight to Madrid. Hola Hna Garcia, how is the temple? We miss being able to attend the temple. That was what she had planned for today.

The Elders are such a band of brothers. They develop so much love for each other. Saying good-bye becomes hard, but the love for each other will remain in their hearts forever.

Hna Garcia seems to be saying, "I don't know what to do, I am so nervous." What an incredible Hna. If I could choose, Hna Garcia would have been an ayudanta for me? (I guess we can't do that) She was an incredible example for all the missionaries as well as was Hna Fraga and Johnson. What a strong group that left us today. Their shoes will need to be filled by the new ones that just came. The standard has been set, the bar is high in the Spain Bilbao Mission.