Mission Farewell -

We had wonderful experiences today as we spoke in Sacrament meeting! The spirit was very strong and the members were so kind! We simply can't thank them enough for their love and expressions of kindness and we love and appreciate each of them. We are still overwhelmed by our feelings of gratitude towards the wonderful saints of Ramona!!

Sister Warner spoke of miracles and that we should expect them to occur in our lives. She promised that if we stayed close to the Lord, that miracles would indeed become a part of our lives. She also spoke of missionary work and the commandment from the Lord to; "Feed My Sheep!" She told those in the congregation to have faith and to teach others the gospel of Jesus Christ in such a way, as they would understand that faith is the key to the mysteries of heaven. I think Sister Warner will touch hundreds of lives as we serve the Lord.

I spoke of President Monson's encouragement to "rescue" our brothers and sisters. To me, when a Prophet encourages us to do something, he really means, "let's get to work!!" The only way to rescue those in need is to Reach Out, Reach Deep and Reach Often. I testified that this approach works! Although training and missionary programs are necessary and add to the effort, the only way I know to get the job done is to go amongst the people and invite them to come back and feast at the table of the Lord. It takes real effort, but it is so worth it!!

Well, we will be set apart by President Sabin this Friday night (3/1/13). It will be his last official duty before he is released as a Stake President, on Sunday. We are so grateful that he is taking time out of a very busy Stake Conference weekend to set us apart. He is such a great man!!

We will then depart for the MTC on March 10, and report on Monday, March 18. We will be in the MTC for one week for training, most of which will come from the Preach My Gospel manual. On Friday, March 22, we will begin our travels to Des Moines, Iowa and should arrive their on Sunday. We will spend Sunday and Monday at the Mission Home with President and Sister Jergensen and then depart for our first assignment in the Manchester, Iowa Branch. 

It is with heavy hearts that we leave our friends and family in Ramona (and Anchorage), but we are very excited to begin this new chapter in our lives.

Elder and Sister Warner