Happy Trails To You, Until We Meet Again...

Final Ceremony at the Mission Home-Sister Moffat cuts off the bottom of your tie (for a quilt)

Saying Good-bye to the Sisters at Transfers: Sister Kim, Bush, Williams, Gibbons, Hoskins



Our Home Teachers:The Hoopes-Brent & Sandra, Me, Larry, saying our good-byes

Triple XXX Burger Challenge: Jordan Kester, Elder Adams, Mosqueda, Rojas, Mina Kester, Sister Wilson, Elder Wilson

Our Last Free-Lunch Friday at Tu Casa: Elder Wilson, Lindsay, Elder Flickinger [fish-flinger], Barton, Ball

We dragged our feet as long as we could, but our time ran out, and it was time to say good-bye to the missionaries and the mission.

You want me to what??

So in last week's sac mtg bulletin, there was an announcement for an over 30 Singles dance. Kuong jumped right on this and said "Elder and Sista Wilson, you take me to dance, okay?"
What could we say, right? So Friday night rolls around, and we pick her up at 8:30. She is so excited for this adventure. We were early, so we played some ping-pong while we waited for other over 30's to show up. Anybody that knows me, knows I enjoy loud music and dancing, while Elder Wilson does not. Anyway, about an hour later, people start dancing, some with partners, some just out on the floor dancing in the LDS Singles version of a 'mosh pit'. I keep telling Kuong to get out there and dance, but she just giggles and says "I too nervous!" Then she says, "Sista Wilson, you come out there and dance with me, okay?" What else could I do? Feeling very uncomfortable, I decide to forget my own insecurities, and help her out to the mosh pit and channeling Will Smith in "Hitch", I show her how to move her feet to the beat. I just kept telling her, "Move your feet to the beat" I'm not sure what looked funnier--me showing her, or Kuong trying to move her feet in time to the music. I noticed several grins, and some outright giggling, but what the hay, she was having fun, and when it was all over, she said "Sista Wilson,you good dance-a" (not true, she was being kind) Luckily, she didn't ask me to show her how to slow dance-- I would have had to draw the line on that one--and most importantly, she had a good time, got to meet some new people, and enjoy a 'mormon' social activity. Sometimes we have to get out of our comfort zones. Was I uncomfortable, yes, indeedy. Did Elder Wilson have a good laugh at my expense? yes, indeedy. I regret I have no pictures to post. (actually, I am relieved)

Winding up or winding down? Depends....

Our last full week in the office, and I'm not sure if we're winding things up, or winding things down... there is still a lot to do, details to go over, instructions to give, work to be done, supplies to be organized, files to download, papers to copy, reports to be mailed, cars to be sold, people to visit, mileage to record, cars to be cleaned, referrals to be sent, mail to be forwarded, packages to be delivered, talks to be written.
You can't put a dollar value on the rewards of serving a Mission. It is a life-changing experience enjoyed with your best friend and eternal companion. We are going to miss the friends we have made here, especially the missionaries who have touched our lives with their kindness and good example. We are really going to miss Elder and Sister Elder. We have loved their sense of humor, their love for each other and the church, and their example of service that never ends.
We just love them, and I am going to miss hearing their laughter every day.
We just couldn't have asked for a better experience than the one we have had.

Baptism in Bellevue

Wednesday morning we were able to participate in the baptism of Kuong. She is from Cambodia and very sweet. She speaks Cambodian, Chinese, and English. She is learning how to sing hymns from the hymnbook. I never thought about learning how to sing a hymn, it's something we learn as children and take for granted. It is fun to show her how the notes match a word, and how to read the verse from beginning to end. It's all new stuff to her, but she jumped right in and started singing. Today she took my hand in church and said, "I love you Sister Wilson, and I'm going to miss you!" It was very sweet and sincere. Now if I could get her to smile for the camera...

I'm going to miss her, and many others here in the Bellevue 3rd Ward.

She asked Elder Wilson to perform the baptism, as she is deathly afraid of water, and knew he would not let her drown. Her first words to me afterwards were "Sister Wilson, I so happy!"

(in her cute Cambodian accent) She loves the ward and is already making friends. I am happy for her. The church gives us so much stablility in an unstable world. We are truly blessed.

Betcha didn't know....

Seattle sells more sunglasses per capita than any other major city in the nation.
Seattle was the first city in the US to play a Beatles song on the radio
The Evergreen Point Bridge (SR-520) is the longest floating bridge in the world
Seattle has the highest percentage of college graduates in the nation
Annually, there is more rain in New York City than in Seattle

So while we've been here we've a)bought sunglasses b)heard the Beatles on the radio c)Driven on the Evergreen bridge e)met many unemployed college grads f)worn a hoodie in the rain

All in all, it's been a fun place to serve a Mission. We highly recommend it.
(serving a mission, and visiting Seattle)