Another "HARD" Farewell FHE

JULY 17, 2017--I knew when we had our Quarterly planning meeting with Pres and Sister Bench a few weeks ago--that this evening was coming and that it was " gonna be a hard one".  Not that saying Good-Bye to any of our Missionaries is ever very easy--we grow very close to each of them as we work and serve so closely almost daily. But we have special "ties" with the Grimleys --especially with Melba Grimley. She is a former "Jordan High School Beetdigger" found in my Yearbooks as Melba Akagi and friend!! We were in several classes together and in the Pep Club known as the Charlonians.  AND we have a mutual friend, Brenda Vawdrey Crowther, also from High School.  It was fun to receive a phone call in early October 2015 and the voice on the other end asking "Is this Carol Goff Mumford" when I answered that call. She had heard from our mutual friend, Brenda V Crowther, that we had received a Mission Call to the New York Manhattan Temple and she was "reaching out" to me as a Missionary now serving in that VERY MISSION! Oh wow--that was a sweet connection and she answered so many of my/our questions. Then we heard from Edna and Gaylen Fuller, friends who live in the neighboring community of Dayton and brother to our wonderful neighbors and my BFF, Deonna and Neil Fuller. Between the Grimleys and the Fullers, we got a wealth of information to help us prepare to go to New York City!! And I was so excited to see Melba again!! We had not seen each other for a long time.
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 want to thank ALL of you for such a lovely dinner and all the memories we have as each of you have come into our lives.  We are so grateful that the Lord sent you forth to serve here at this time.  You are so needed.  It has been such an honor and pleasure to serve here with you in the Manhattan Temple.  THANK YOU to all those that provided us the delicious food and for our generous hosts, the Benches.  Thank you to the piano players, Sister Young and Sister DeBry.  The music was beautiful. 

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!!