To Meet and to Part...

 It's an old Danish saying that SK is fond of quoting.  I have quoted it also.  "To meet and to part is the way of life."  It is a bittersweet expression of something we never quite master.  Those few words contain a lifetime of emotions.  

This evening we had a special family home evening for the senior couples in the mission.  There are only about 12 couples now including Dave and Deb.  The purpose of the evening was to say goodbye to two very incredible couples.  We each shared a favorite memory of these missionaries.  Another couple went home just a month ago.  

The couple who went home last month and one of the couples who is leaving tomorrow morning have been mainstays of this mission.  When so many of us went home to the states nearly a year ago (March 14), the Hartvigsens and the Heningers stayed.  The mission simply could not have functioned without them.  They were given special permission to stay.

They all worked in the office, and kept things running in unbelievable ways - too innumerable to be listed here.  They were joined by another couple who helped relieve some of the load.  They ran the computers with all of the incoming and outgoing communications with missionaries, parents, Church headquarters and the stake leaders in our mission.  

They also took care of housing - at least 100 apartments, paying rent and utilities.  They saw to it that every apartment had furniture and all necessary accoutrements to be comfortable - everything from an iron and ironing board to eating utensils and cooking utensils.  Curtains at the windows, toilet brushes, shower curtains.

Thinking about it could give you a headache.  Whenever anything broke down, they were the ones to call.  They would either fix it themselves, send in a repairman, or call the leasing/management agent, or in dire cases - buy and deliver a new one.  In itself, that is a full-time job.  Since the lockdown, there have been no senior missionaries to go out on inspections - a truly valuable service.  

Remember - these young people are just six years out of Primary!  Many have only rudimentary skills at keeping an apartment clean, the laundry done up and cooking (and cleaning up after) a meal.  Helping them learn all these skills is another duty that fell on these great senior missionaries.  They actually made up quite a checklist for missionaries to send pictures in to them on a regular basis - inside the ovens, the refrigerators and freezers, the toilets and showers.

Elder Hartvigsen regularly drove to the airport to pick up incoming missionaries or deliver outgoing missionaries whose missions were done.  He did it with grace.  A year and a half ago, he guided us through the huge Heathrow Airport, helped us get our luggage, helped us load it into the van and then drove through crazy busy traffic into London and to the Mission Home.  He is a charming man - a gracious man.  He is a retired Professor of English. He was the department head at BYU Idaho, whose area of expertise is Shakespeare. A tall slim man with white hair, he has a youthful face and voice, as well as step.

His wife is perfect for him.  She is petite, possibly five feet tall and slim with long hair and bangs.  She also taught English at BYU-I.  Before the lockdown, she (along with her other duties) was responsible for feeding all the missionaries who came into London regularly for meetings.  It wasn't uncommon for her to fix and serve a meal to 60 people, three to four days a week.  And they were delicious meals.  Wherever she was, there seemed to be a calm - the peaceful eye of the storm. 

Since the lockdown she has been equally busy with so many things.  

They will board a plane tomorrow morning and return to their home.  They have been here almost two years.  They were originally here for eighteen months.

The other couple are no less remarkable.  They opened up a "Friendship Center" for people seeking political asylum here in England.  I can't even tell you what that involved, but they have been so very dedicated and have made friends all over the world.  Even during the time that they were in their home in the U.S. they continued with conference calls and doing everything possible to keep the center running.  They are leaving a very strong program.

Next week, our young Elder Bricknell will be returning to his home in South Africa.  He has been a tremendous missionary.  And I think sometime soon, one of our zone leaders will be going to his home in America.  

It is hard to see them all go.  

One young sister who left the same day as we to return home last March - 3 weeks short of her eighteen months, is now married and expecting a baby!

Time marches on.

Our mission force hit an all-time low last month at one hundred thirty missionaries.  At one time Dave and Deb presided over 250 or more young men and women.  The good news is that within a few weeks we will be back up to around 200.  Twenty four came in the last two weeks, and we are expecting another forty to fifty.  A group of sixteen will be coming from another European country, where they are currently serving.  They may be here temporarily or permanently, depending on the visa situation.  

They will need housing and companions.  The new office couple - newly arrived, will have their hands full.

Visiting with everyone on Zoom, I was struck with their faith, optimism, eagerness to serve and love for the work.  It is a blessing to get to know all these missionaries we serve with, no matter how brief the time that our lives overlap.