I Will Remember: People

This is my last post from my mission assignment here in Timaru, NZ.  Though I still have "heaps" in my head to write down, that will have to come at some later date.  For now, I just want to record my feelings for what is most important of this whole experience, the people.

Last night was our "going away" party and today we spoke in our little branch for the last time.  I have been crying at the drop of a hat most of the week.  It has only accelerated the last couple of days. Yesterday we went around and said "good bye" to lots of the places and we have said good bye now to almost all of the people.  It has been very difficult for me and I think for Ken as well.

We said good bye to the little Dutch/Russian couple we have visited every couple of weeks for a year now.  We left with so much more to learn from them.  We said good bye to the couple we have been teaching regularly since July.  Their lives are so interesting and they are determined to come to SLC to be baptized.  We'll be there.  We said good bye to what I feel was my first real friend here in Timaru along with her husband and son.  I hit it off with her immediately and grew to love all of them.  None of the fore mentioned are members but we love them just the same.

At the party we were sung to by our lovely Maori Branch President.  Ken has come to look on him as a brother.  He has a wonderful heart created from a long road of heart break!  We will miss him and his sweet wife and daughter so very much.  We were sung to by some beautiful woman, a lovely mum, daughter and granddaughter and two other wonderful sisters who stay strong and stalwart even though there is no male support in their homes.  They have lovely voices and beautiful hearts.  I had a wonderfully talented young man to play my favorite piece from Forest Gump on the piano.  I hope his gift serves him well.  It was extremely touching.

The little Maori "sister" who connected with us early on when we found pictures of her ancestor with our ancestor, serving the church here at the turn of the century was there.  The Elders stood and sang some songs for us.  The lovely man who has been coming to FHE since the first cried as he stood to say the closing prayer.  Our friend who held parties and invited non-members as part of her missionary effort led us in "I Am A Child of God".  We had 8 non-members present at the party.

At other times we saw our little mom and 4 kids.  She is now in the RS presidency.  Her nana was there too.  We will miss them much!  We will also miss the mom and three kids that were the first baptized.  She texted to say good bye as she lives in another town.  The boy who's dad baptized him after dad was baptized by Ken rang us up and said good bye.  The quote, "People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care comes to mind."  We cared!

I know I have missed many and I could go on and on but there are so many who have a part of our hearts with them.  We will never forget any of them.  How could we, they have become our family.  Good bye Timaru town and our friends here and in other parts of New Zealand.  We have loved you much and it was all worth it!