The End

Elder and Sister Hackworth - 3rd time's the charm!

This is our 3rd part-time service mission in St. George...two were at the family history center; the first one we volunteered for, the second one we were specifically called to be the assistant directors.

A drawer full of missionary tags....

Then we went to China for one year through the church's China Teachers' Program;

Arrival in China - Aug 2010

and, finally, this mission.

I will be forever grateful for the opportunities and blessings of this marvelous experience.

I love how the church cares for everyone; not just members of our faith, but everyone.  I love how so many good good people are willing to give up their time and serve.  It is inspiring to me.

I wish that I could put into words the many times I have seen the missionaries go above and beyond and truly HELP the people who come in seeking help, a listening ear, a kind word, money loaned, money secretly given, rides given, furniture moved, cars fixed, resumes dropped off, etc.

So, for now, I'll just write about RAH -

he studied all the church's materials dealing with jobs, etc.  He watched the training videos on the church's website; Providentliving.org  so that he could better understand our role in helping people find employment.

He encouraged people to return to church or go to church.

He took homeless people to lunch.

He gave people money.

He took people home, across town, to job interviews.

He called about issues when people didn't know what to do.

He called employers, he called apartment owners, he called government offices in an effort to help job seekers with a variety of their problems.

He sat and helped people that others in the office avoided.

He gave advice.

He cared.

He encouraged.

And, most of all, he LISTENED.

Oh, he was a good, good missionary.

(Unlike younger missionaries serving, we kept our same companionship for the entire year and it was good!  (Tee Hee)  

And nearly every Tuesday, we stopped on our way home to visit Sylvia - a former neighbor - at the nursing home.  She was always so appreciative and told us she loved us. Oh, how we love that dear, dear sweetheart!)  

There are many things I will miss; the other missionaries, the happy gatherings to celebrate birthdays, shopping at DI when things were slow in the office, the morning prayer meetings, the camaraderie, the atmosphere of service, the stories, the jokes, the ringing of the bell when someone got a job, the home-made goodies, the good spirit in the room.

It's all good.

And, it's all over.

Wearing the badges for one last time

Thank you dear Heavenly Father for this great opportunity.

Now, it's road trip time!