"Farewell" Sunday

With one week to go before we enter the Missionary Training Center, George and I gave our "farewell" talks in Sacrament Meeting (Jan. 29) and after the three-hour meeting block, hosted a small luncheon for family and a few friends. This picture includes the three of my six children who live in Utah.  From left, Jennifer (daughter) and Nate England at left with their four little ones Jordyn, Hunter, McKay and Jackson; Joanne Hudgins (daughter) with her best friend Jeremy Dailami; Jim (son) & Wendy Hudgins with their son Tyler (another son, Kyle, is currently serving in the Neuquen Argentina Mission.)

 

This is George's son, Chris Smith with his wife, Becky, and two of their three children, Jaden & Clarissa, along with Becky's parents, Patricia & Dan Knudsen.  George's other five children live from coast to coast.

Last year, our ward boundaries were changed.  These are friends from our current ward (Rick & Cheryl Duerden) and our former ward (Shanna Bryant & good friend, Bob)

It made us so happy to look out at the congregation & see the number of people who had made a special effort to come to our ward "farewell" (we later figured out that the number was 55) .  Many of them had responsibilities in their home wards and had to leave after Sacrament Meeting, but it meant so much to us to have them there.  Later, at our home, I was so glad that Jim suggested this picture with my wonderful friends, Michelle Blake (who worked with me at Middlebury Interactive Languages) and Trudy Dowling, (who became a life-long friend when we met as young Army officer's wives at Ft. Benning, GA in 1970).