December 8, 2013

This has been a week of training, goodbyes and tears.  Elder and Sister Markham are also covering the bases for employment in this area, so they came half days most of the week and all day on Friday.

Tuesday at lunchtime we were invited to a restaurant with the church employees for a goodbye luncheon.  It was very nice.  Mike and I had our favorite salmon meal that we had enjoyed at Alentejo several times previously.

Mike was busy doing interviews and making as many contacts as possible before we leave.  I sent a goodbye message to most of our participants.  Their response was very gratifying,  as many of them  responded to our message and thanked us for our service and our love. 

Wednesday morning we drove out to the mission office to take care of some last-minute questions and arrangements.  We were able to visit with Elder and Sister Rose, who were working at the office that day.  We will really miss the senior missionary couples that we have served with and grown to love.

On Thursday the gas service was being changed at our apartment building and it was requested that we be here from 9:00AM to 6:00PM.  We were fortunate to have two young Sister missionaries that have foot problems and are serving at the office who were willing to spend most of the day here as we still had so much to do at the office and also Paco was coming from Spain to meet with the Markhams and us and to take us to lunch.  Paco has been so kind to us when we have visited Spain and when he has come to Portugal for meetings and training.  He not only took us to lunch, but he brought us a replica of the Madrid Spain Temple. 

On Friday we worked for a few hours and then had the annual Christmas party at the office.  They actually moved it up a week so that we would be there for it.  We had a spiritual program, which was very nice; ate a nice lunch, visited, played a game where we acted out scriptures, and then we sang “God Be With You Til We Meet Again” .  Many people bore testimony or had kind words to say to us.  A few tears were shed.

Saturday was our day to pack up our suitcases and weigh them to see what we need to leave behind and what we are able to take home.  Then, of course, we have to use some of the clothing in the meantime and  the suitcases will have to be weighed again.  We thought there was a baptism in Caparica and drove there about 5:00PM to find that it wasn’t going to happen yet.

Mike and I both spoke in Sacrament Meeting today and afterward it was an emotional time saying goodbye to our dear friends there.  We also took a group picture, along with a few others.  We have grown to love the people in this small ward and will really miss them.  When you say goodbye to friends in a foreign country you never know if you will have a chance to see them again.

We will return to our home in two days.  We have had such a wonderful experience serving in Portugal for the past 18 months.  What a joy it is to serve the Lord in any capacity, but I would have to say that missions rank right up at the top.  How we loved serving here in Portugal.  Our testimonies and our love for the Lord have grown and we have made many wonderful new friends that we will never forget.   

With Paco Serrano and the Madrid Temple he gave us as a going-away gift.

Simon Dias, Elder Henry, Sister Henry, Francisco Costa, and Bishop Jose Ribeiro.

Elder & Sister Henry with members of the Costa de Caparica Ward.

Lunch with our Church office co-workers at Alentejo.