We parked our motorhome in the Cowboy RV Park on Wednesday evening and spent the day on Thursday running some needed errands. Friday we went up to the Idaho Falls Temple in the morning and then over to Soda Springs in the afternoon to visit with Mother. The temple endowment session was very nice and Nina was able to see a number of her temple friends. The visit with Mother was also very nice. We haven’t seen her for almost four months.

She is doing OK, however she is much more frail. She’s quite a trooper and hanging in there. She was bound and determined to live long enough to see us off on a mission!

Saturday morning we woke up to SNOW! Not only was this our first snow in almost four months, it was the first snow here in Pocatello is almost two months! It was cold, the wind was blowing, and we decided to hunker down in the motor home. I did go out for some errands in the afternoon and then we were invited to dinner at our Bishop’s home Saturday evening. We had a nice dinner and a great visit with the Ravsten’s. They are really wonderful people.

We really don’t do “farewells” in the Church anymore. Departing missionaries may be invited to speak in a regular Sacrament Meeting. We were invited to speak in today’s meeting. Nina gave a ten-minute talk on “tender mercies” and I talked for ten minutes on “keeping even the hard commandments”. I think they both went over very well.

My favorite brother Perry and his wife Chris drove over from Green River, Wyoming, picked up my mother, and came to the Sacrament Meeting. Both my sisters came over (with their spouses) came up. My sister Terry lives near Preston, Idaho and my sister Eileen lives in Sandy, Utah. We don’t get together very often, so pictures were definitely in order.

Of course, a picture with my mother is also a necessity. She’s very happy that we’re going on a mission. Mother and dad served three missions, the first was a proselytizing mission to Maui, Hawaii, followed by a Temple mission to the London Temple in England, and finally a temple mission to the Manila Temple in the Philippines. She’s very happy to have that legacy carried on into another generation.

In addition to my siblings and their spouses, several other relatives came as well. My niece Erin, my cousin Kathy and her husband Jeff, my cousin Cheryl along with her spouse Sean and children, my aunt Nelma and her son Kenny, and, of course, our grandchildren from North Salt Lake (Danielle, Christopher, Stephanie and husband Randy). Several others, including friends Sandi, Joni, and Glen, came over as well. I was delighted to see them all and didn’t have enough time to visit as much as I’d like.

We’re one more step along the way to leaving for our LDS Mission at the Laie Temple Visitor’s Center. Life is great!