Comings and Goings...miracle week!

“Some people come into our lives and quickly go.

Some stay for awhile and leave footprints on our hearts.

And we are never, ever the same.”

The missionaries come into our lives as they gather their new suitcases and exit the airport with shiny new name tags, new suits, and high hopes. 

We are there to greet them and welcome them to the best mission in the world. 

They are full of optimism, faith, and a lot of questions.

After two days of interviews, greetings, training, and eating, they go off with their first  companion, to their first area to preach the gospel, live with a companion, meet the members, etc....this is when the real learning begins.

Welcome Elders

Pezantez, Borg, Amado, Murillo, Heredia, Hidalgo, Matos, Duque y Mendez

Welcome Elder Chugg

 

Visa problems make our comings and goings even more interesting! 

Elder Chugg arrived 2 days after our group this week as he waited in the Provo MTC for his Visa to arrive.  We were grateful to have him arrive safely Thursday morning. 

As the new missionaries are coming to our mission, there is a lot going on in the background.  We have missionaries coming and going from one extreme of the mission to the other.  The assistants and office elders are up at 2:30 am to wake up other missionaries and get them to the terminal on the correct buses.  We have missionaries accepting new areas, new companions, and new leadership responsibilities.  They are coming to learn that they are going to have to rely on the spirit to lead them.

It is a Miracle when each of 12 zones checks in that all have arrived at the appropriate destination and everyone that was supposed to come came and was supposed to go went...

Miracle week...all done on very little sleep...with a lot of incredible missionaries!

The missionaries go out of our lives as they go through the security gates at the airport with worn shoes, tattered suits, and two years of experience that makes them stand a little taller.

Their footprints are all over our hearts.  They may leave the mission, but will never go far from our thoughts...

Goodbye Elders and Sister
Tumbaco, Rosales, Martinez, Florez, Gallo, Fuentes, Farr, Aragon, Ayola, Contreras, Valderrama, Velasquez, y Hermana León

This week we said goodbye to our first assistants, Elders Farr and Gallo,...they will always hold a special place in our hearts...without them we would not have survived the first few weeks here in Colombia. 

We watched these missionaries go....we have come to love each one of them...the mission will go on and they will go on with their lives...but ours will never, ever be the same!

Hasta ver!