Recounting Blessings

 I am unsure why this is happening, but we are both going to be limping across the finish line. We are both weary, both feeling our age, and both feeling like we just don't have enough time. We drag ourselves out of bed in the morning and drop gratefully into the pillows at night.

This morning it was difficult to get up. We needed to get up and get moving because it was our last District Council today, and we needed to get lunch ready. The young missionaries would arrive at 10:30, and I wanted to be all ready so that I could sit and be a part of the meeting. I was glad that it worked out.

Last night I made cookie dough and scooped it into large balls and then froze them. This morning I put them in the oven so that the young missionaries would be greeted by the smell of homemade chocolate chip cookies as they entered. SK walked to the local post office to pick up some labels for a box we sent home today. Then he drove to the large grocery store on the edge of town (10 minutes) and purchased everything we need for lunch, including precooked chicken - a beautiful thing, and on a day like today, worth every pence. He called from the store and said he was getting broken up because it will probably be his last time in that store.

By the time he got home it took me about an hour to chop chicken, onions, cilantro and lettuce to fill tortilla wraps, topping it with Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ Sauce. I wrapped about 16 in foil and refrigerated them. We washed some grapes and put out individual servings of chips. After the meeting, we had cookies and popsicles. Everyone seemed to love it and everything got eaten. Some of the elders had three of the wraps.

But first was the meeting, which went along as it normally does. We sang Jerusalem - which broke us both up. We recited our purpose, which was tender. We sang a hymn together. We did all the things we normally do, but at the end, Elder Bowen said that since three of us, Elder Fergusen (a zone leader), Elder Madsen and I would be leaving before we can have another meeting, he wanted to go around the room and have everyone say something they loved about Elder Ferguson, then once around the room again to say what they loved about me, and then one more time to talk about what they loved about SK.

We were deeply touched by the kind things they said. I once again marveled at these young people who are 18 to 20 years old. They each spoke and laid their hearts open up to us. One elder said that he was so happy to be here in this flat with us and felt that this is what family feels like. He wants to have a family like us someday. Another said that being able to come here and feel as though we are surrogate parents has helped him not to be so homesick. Several mentioned SK's jokes, his stories and his life's lessons. One young woman said, (she took a minute to compose herself because she began to cry) that she will be forever changed and grateful for the lesson Elder Madsen taught her: "You can choose to be pleasant no matter what is happening in your life."

One thanked us for making them feel loved and accepted and for making the nonmembers who have come with them to FHE feel welcome and accepted. They said some breathtaking things about us, and what they loved and we just sat soaking it up. It was beautiful.

Afterward we took pictures, they cleaned up and left.

I met Shelley, a friend from the ward and we took a walk as a final farewell. She is a marvelous person, and so intelligent. I love that she can converse so comfortably on so many things. I spent nearly two hours with her and enjoyed every minute. She took me to a bookstore and had me select a book about Oxford...she showed me her favorite, and I loved it, so we got that one. She told me to take it to church Sunday so that people can write in it. She said that we had done so much for the ward while here, and that we were much appreciated. 

We parted and then SK and I went out to do a little shopping. While out, we went to a little restaurant tucked down a side alley. It was first established in 1381, and is a thriving little pub. We had Fish n'Chips - one of our favorites. We weren't disappointed. 

When we got there, the sky was blue and mostly clear, the temperature about 70.

Just as we left, the rain came pouring down for about 20 minutes. We waited in a narrow little entryway into the pub. Perfect ending to a perfect day.

Except the perfect ending was really our prayer at the end of the day, as we recounted our many many blessings associated with this mission. Perhaps the best thing of all is that we have both grown closer to Jesus Christ, and recognize what a magnificent gift His atoning sacrifice is to each of us personally.