Goodbye's are so hard

Today we had to say goodbye to many of our Chuukese family.

We have grown to love the people very much and we will carry our memories of them in our hearts forever.  Elder Tiffany worked on learning the Chuukese language from our Elders, Johnson, Meldrum, Butler, Allred and the many, many others who we love. They taught us both the rudiments of the Chuukese language. We learned together to put our feet on the proper path toward missionary service and we turned our heart toward God and his children. Our reward is wonderful relationships with many great people.

~ Us and our friend Clark ~
He's a mountain of a man in a small package
It is very hard to leave good and true friends.

 ~ Us with our ZL Elder Jones ~
He'll be returning back to the states in May and
we will be looking forward to seeing him.

Some of our favorite ladies whom we have come to love very much
Emylynn Walter, Oriko Ewar, Tasisana Walter - daughter Retoni, Us, Marsine Joseph

Us with great friends Riaton and Malinta Newyear and grand-daughter Tawnya

~ Our AWESOME Elders made us a goodbye card - which we cherish ~
We will miss and await their return to the states.

~ The group sang "God Be With You Till We Meet Again" as we went through the gate ~

As we press on and exercise our faith, we receive some of the most extraordinary spiritual sensations: a flow of confidence, courage and power to overcome, and a knowledge that God is with us and who can fail with God on your side - regardless of the nature of the problem or even the results.
This was by far the hardest day we have had. We thought one of our elders returning to the states was hard. The interpersonal relationships between missionaries are among the choicest blessings we receive as the result of missionary service. The friendships and the positive influence of one missionary upon the other are eternal. We love the Chuukese people very much and are grateful the Lord gave us the opportunity to serve them.

~ Us with Elder Sofele ~
he will return to the states at the end of this year. 

 ~ Chuuk Zone ~ Goodbye for now Elders!  Aua Tong Ngenikemi

As the wheels lift off of the pavement, the realization that your life is forever changed by these people and the time you spent with them and the special bonds you were able to forge. We're happy that maybe a small difference was made in their lives because of the momentous significance they made in our lives exceeds the hearts we carry them in.

We know God lives. We know that Jesus is the Christ, God’s Son, the leader of all humanity, and the measure of mankind. He is the King, our Counselor, and our Friend. He is worthy of our most pure and profound adoration and deserving of our very best efforts. As missionaries, we have served with all our heart, might, mind, and strength.