Going Home

December 9, 2011

President Keyes asked if we would be able to help with missionaries returning home.  We were excited to be able to do this.  So glad we have a Van!  We had to be to the mission home early, President said it would take all day.  We thought we would be running back and forth to the airport.  Not so!  We got to the mission home around 8:00, then waited around . . . no one seemed to be in a big hurry, I’m worrying about flight times, hoping we can get everyone to the airport on time.  Instead we loaded 14 missionaries into our cars.  Tradition . . . tour the church sites before their return home.  We had 5 sisters with us.  We went to the temple site first.  Just like the arrivals, we took pictures of everyone lined up in front of the temple.  Then to the Eight Witnesses Monument.  It had rained a few days before, it was cold and wet and muddy!  From there to Far West, stopped at a little LDS bookstore, then on to Adam-ondi-Ahman.  We went to the main part, but the missionaries wanted to go to “preacher's rock” site and take some pictures of President Keyes on the rock.  We had to drive to the location, then walk for a ways down a rocky trail.  Well worth the time!  After that we went to the missionary home set up for meetings.  Sister Keyes always makes a nice sack lunch for everyone.  Then President Keyes spoke, bore his testimony then turned the time over to the missionaries to bear theirs if they wanted to.  It was really a sweet spiritual experience.

Then Sister Keyes presented the Elders with a Missouri Independence missionary tie tack, the sisters with a necklace, everyone with a hug.  

I am watching the clock, thinking we will never make it back to the airport on time!  Feeling nervous, and I am not even catching a flight!  Everyone loaded back into the cars.  We made it to the airport.  They had one hour to take off!  Everyone caught their flight and made it home!

President Keyes on "Preacher's Rock"