The Farewell Tour and the Handing over the Mission President's Phone!

Artwork by Sister Savana Moore--a gift

As we entered the weekend before leaving the California Riverside Mission, we decided that we must see our missionaries. We have seen them via video conferencing for several months now. We did have interviews face to face—mask to mask—in May, with a few of the zones, but we have not seen them all, face to face, just via video conferencing. So, we scheduled a drop by with each zone to take pictures, say goodbye, and then leave.

Ontario Zone

Jurupa Zone

Lake Elsinore Zone

Dropping by is one thing. Taking pictures is another thing. Saying goodbye was the most challenging part of the whole trip, perhaps one of the most challenging things we have done in the mission. We do not like to say goodbye, so it was a mere farewell "until we meet again."

Menifee zone

Murrieta Zone

On Saturday, June 27, 2020, we began with the Ontario Zone,  then drove to Riverside, Jurupa, Corona, Lake Elsinore, Murrieta, Temecula, Hemet, and Menifee, stopping along the way, saying goodbye and taking photos of all the zones.

Riverside Zone

Temecula Zone

Many of the zones quoted in unison our mission scripture—2 Nephi 25:26: “ And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins.” Then, they sang “Armies of Helaman.”

Hemet Zone Sisters

Hemet Zone Elders

Tears came readily and naturally as they always do at the beginning of the scripture and streamed through the hymn! Sadness and rejoicing, two diametrically opposed feelings, coalesced into one sweet, immense feeling of love for these young men and women, now “bone of our bone, flesh of our flesh,” (see Genesis 2:23).

Corona Zone

Other zones sang “God be with you.” Again, tears streamed to its somber beat. We wondered where the tears kept coming from. The tears should have been done, water gone, drained from every tear duct after every single zone goodbye. We knew it would be that way, so why did we even think differently?

A few extra in Hemet

Good bye from Menifee!

On Sunday in the evening after all of your meetings, we drove over the Old Lake Building, the Moreno Valley Stake Center. After pictures and tender and joyous goodbyes, President and Sister Norman, our first counselor in the Mission Presidency came to say goodbye. He brought with him a Sister Malmberg print that we love that depicts California in the winter—orange groves, palm trees, and snow on the yonder mountains. How special that was to see them!

President and Sister Norman and President and Sister Hammon

Gift from President and Sister Norman and President and Sister Hansen:
a print of her painting of Bradley Road that depicts both the growing of
oranges palm trees and the snow on the mountains

Then we were done. We drove off in our car; the missionaries drove off in theirs. The drive to the hotel was a bit solemn, laced with some gladness, some joy, lots of tears, knowing that these missionaries will always be our missionaries, our friends throughout eternity.

Last transfer board, June 23, 2020

The final goodbye happened on Monday when we greeted President and Sister Watson and their beautiful family. After spending some time at the Mission Home, discussing ministrative things, we gathered in the Relief Society Room of the Grand Building, the home to the Mission Office. There the senior office couples, the assistants, and the office elders introduced themselves. It was a nice round-robin dialog. We then completed the most important task of the day: the handing over the phone.

I stood; President Watson stood, and I handed him the mission president's phone, lasting a mere four seconds. 

"Here is the phone..."

"Good luck with everything!"

Our tags had already come off the moment President and Sister Watson drove up the driveway of the Mission Home. Now, the phone, the last vestige of being mission president and spouse, was handed over. And it was done. We took lots of pictures.

The handing over of the phone: from President Hammon (r) to President Watson (l)

We have had some of most incredible young men on the planet to be our assistants. These two--Elder Peterson and Elder Larsen--are among these incredible young men. They have served and will continue to diligently under the keys held by President Watson. 

Elder Peterson, President and Sister Hammon, and Elder Larsen

President and Sister Hammon and Elder and Sister Glaus

President and Sister Hammon and Elder and Sister Aird

We do not know what we were expecting, if anything. We had prayed about it and knew that was what needed to be happening. We took a few more pictures with the assistants, and then we were off! We headed to the car, got in, and drove off as if that was the most natural thing to do. Actually, it was more than a bit surreal. 

President and Sister Watson with Elder Peterson and Elder Larsen, Assistants

We loved our mission! We love our missionaries! May the Lord continue to bless them and their families. May they understand whose they are "at all times and in all things, and in all place that ye may be in..." (see Alma 18:9).

Gift from Sister Arnold 

*Note: For some reason, all of the pictures from the Moreno Valley Zone visit were missing when I download all of the pictures--and for that I apologize profusely. We know the missionaries took some individual pictures with us, and we hope they have them and will send them to us, so we can have remembrances of those blessed times.