And when we FINALLY arrived in New York City, on the Friday evening of March 18, 2016, the very next morning, who came "knocking and ringing our apartment door bell"?? Yes, the Grimleys, with handshakes and open arms to say "WELCOME and WE'RE SO GLAD YOU ARE HERE"!! And now, their 23 months are coming to a close and on or about August 15th--they will be returning to their home in Lehi, Utah and we are really going to miss them--both personally and the entire Chinese community where there are 3 Wards and Branches, who have loved a Mandarin-Chinese speaking Missionary and Patriarch. (Elder Grimley was called after they arrived here in Manhattan and served for a few months--as a Patriarch for the Mandarin-speaking Chinese members, who were THRILLED that they could now receive their Patriarchial Blessings in their native tongue--without an interpreter!! This was the reason for their "5-month extension" in this Great Work!!!
So we had their Farewell Dinner and FHE. We heard from both of them--Sister Melba going first. She shared her thoughts and then also some of the many things that she learned and tried to do to make her service and time on this Mission more meaningful--such as really trying to have the Spirit to guide and bless her as she helped those who came to the Temple as Patrons. Another was realizing the sacred authority she had been set apart and given to administer in the ordinances Sisters can perform in the Temple. She also made each of us Sister Missionaries an origami crane from paper which had our "coordinator's assignments for us on our shift for any given day. That was so sweet!! The idea is sort of based on the book Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes by Eleanor Coerr which is based on the life of a real little girl who lived in Japan from 1943 to 1955. She was in Hiroshima when the U. S. Air Force dropped an atom bomb on that city in an attempt to end World War II. Ten years later she died as a result of radiation from the bomb. Her courage made Sadako a heroine to children in Japan and makes a universal statement or plea for peace in this world and this is the story of Sadako.
Melba did not intend for the "origami cranes" to be connected to that story at all--but just a little "piece" of her to leave with us.
Then after Elder Terry Grimley shared his thoughts we sang our "three signature songs that we sing at Parting which are "Go Now in Peace", a new song by Micheal Moody called, "Come To The Temple" and then " God Be With You ( 'Til We Meet Again). I cannot make it through any of those songs without tears roll on freely down my cheeks!! Such tender and lovely music!!
Sister Melba Akagi Grimley and Elder Terry Grimley
The "Sisters" and their " origami cranes" from Sister Melba
Back L -R: Holly Young, Carol Mumford, Kathy Nabors, Jeanine Brown, Fusako Miyashiro, Barb Heideman , Hazel Tan
Front row L -R: Deanna DeBry, Shellie Harris, Sister Dorothy Bench, Melba Grimley and Pat Nixon
The paper origami crane Sister Melba made for each of the Sister Missionaries
Our Temple Missionary group
From L to R: Back row--John and Shellie Harris, Ralph and Holly Young, Ron and Carol Mumford, Kathy Nabors, Fusako Miyashiro, Barbara and Kent Heideman, Hazel and SK Tan, Deanna and Lynn DeBry and Jeanine and Spencer Brown;
Front row--Pres Kem and Sister Pat Nixon, Terry and Melba Grimley ( Terry is holding a small box of one of his most favorite cookies--Oreos!!), and Sister Dorothy and Pres Mark Bench
It was such a wonderful evening!! I'll just end with Sister Grimley's parting emails regarding the night --and so very typical of her kind and grateful ways:
We will always have such fond memories of all of you.
And Elder and Sister Grimley--we will always have the best memories of your Examples of service, kindness and dedication to this Latter-day work!!
