Interviews and our last MLC!

This last week we began our final round of interviews with our missionaries and also held our last Mission Leadership Council.  It really is an unusual feeling to be doing things for the last time.  We will be very busy up until the day we leave, but knowing that each time we interview a zone of missionaries it is our last time to do it is bittersweet.  We never anticipated the love we would feel for our missionaries, and how deeply we would care for them--so it is a tender time to know we will be leaving them.  But, we also know that the Keung's are called of the Lord and will bless this mission immensely!  From the first time we skyped with them, the spirit confirmed to me that they are the ones to take this mission to new heights.  It took all of 30 seconds to love them!  So, we know our missionaries will be in good hands, and we are excited to see what happens.
We left Calgary on Tuesday evening and met with President and Sister Lybbert of the Cardston Stake on Tuesday evening.  We have so loved the friendships we have formed here on our mission-what a blessing!  Then on Wednesday we had a great MLC with our zone leaders and sister trainer leaders.  I just love this meeting!  I love the faith and excitement and dedication and hard work of these great missionaries.  They are inspiring!  Following our MLC we drove to Glenwood so Steve could do an interview of a baptismal candidate, and I was able to sit in on the baptismal interview of her 9 year old daughter, Alyssa.  It was the sweetest experience to hear this cute little girl talk about Jesus, and repentance, and be so excited to get baptized!  After her interview, she demonstrated 'the flosser' for me!  Which is a new dance I didn't know much about, except that my 8 year old grandson has been doing it!  It gave me a real laugh!
On Thursday through Saturday we did interviews with our Lethbridge, Lethbridge East and Cardston zones, and after interviews on Saturday we drove to Magrath to participate in the Stake Conference there with Elder Eduardo Gavarret of the Seventy.  He is such a humble, kind person.  We have been with him in another conference in Calgary and enjoyed that one so much.  He is quite spontaneous though--and we thought we weren't participating in any of the meetings except Sunday morning.  But he asked us to speak in the Saturday afternoon leadership session, and then again on Saturday evening.  So, we spoke in all three sessions, only one of which we were prepared for.  But, it was a wonderful conference in Magrath, and we were grateful to be there with President Maxwell.  We have really come to love all of these stake presidents, and we will miss them!  But, they all come to Utah occasionally, and we will be able to go back to see them, so our friendships will be able to continue, for which we are grateful!
After the Magrath conference we drove to Medicine Hat and were invited for dinner by President and Sister Salmon, who we have also grown to love.  We had a wonderful visit with them before heading back to our hotel room.  Tomorrow we will do interviews in Medicine Hat and be there for their district meeting and will arrive back in Calgary tomorrow night.  So, it's been a six day road trip!  We laugh because we basically go from hotel to hotel to our 'home hotel' in Calgary!
This week we will do 4 days of interviews and on Saturday will drive to Taber to participate in their Stake Conference, and then to Raymond for the visit from the prophet!  Yes, the prophet is coming to Alberta!  We can't wait!  He and Sister Nelson and Elder and Sister Rasband will be in Calgary on Saturday evening, and then on Raymond on Sunday evening.  We are just so excited for him to come!
What a thrill it will be.  I am so grateful for a living prophet here on the earth.  Our lives have been so blessed by following the counsel of the prophets.  I am so grateful for the direction they give us, which I know is from the Lord, to assist us as we meet life's challenges and just navigate through this mortal existence.  Having a prophet to lead and guide us is a manifestation of the Lord's love for us--that He doesn't leave us alone, but gives us someone to lead us!

Our Mission Leadership Council!

Sisters Fonda, Bodily & Perez with Alyssa who got baptized!