They say there's no rest for the wicked. I'm beginning to think there's no rest for the righteous either. The new missionaries are usually all gone by about noon and then it's time to start preparing for the departure of those who have successfully completed their missions. The returning missionaries come to Rome and spend the night with us in the villa on their final night. We had five missionaries this time--2 sorelle and 3 anzioni. It's a bitter sweet time for them. They are anxious to return to their families and yet most of them are so sad to leave the mission field. It's a little scary to face the future and leave the security of their missions behind them. They have been serving the Lord and dedicating every minute of their lives to him. Now they have to chart a new course that includes deciding how to spend every day without the structure of a mission. They call this the Super Transfer.
We have a testimony meeting with the missionaries and then have a farewell dinner. Afterwards they have their final interview with the mission president. One of our wonderful missionaries has been helping a younger missionary who has really been struggling. We are concerned about this missionary because he loves his companion and is now facing the prospect of losing his anchor and finding his way with a new companion. We pray night and day that he will be okay, but believe the choice of his new companion was divinely inspired just as the last companion was. The returning missionary bore his testimony with tears in his eyes and said he really didn't want to go home. He wanted to be with his companion because he loved him so much. It was a tender, touching experience. When you serve someone, you truly do learn to love them.
We are grateful for the love our missionaries have for each other. Occasionally we have missionaries who don't get along and we wonder why they need to be together, but have learned there is always a reason and we nor they will understand it for a long time, but Heavenly Father knows and sees the future. We trust him.
Arrivederci, valiant servants!
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