Farewell

Telling our friends and family goodbye for two years is one of the hardest things we've ever had to do. Being 10,000 miles away makes it even harder, knowing that it takes over 20 hours to get home by plane. We spoke in Sacrament meeting in the Kenwood First Ward on October 27, 2019 at 9:00 a.m. Family members even came to support us from  Colorado, Texas, and Montana.

 Siblings

I think this picture tells it ALL. We drove to Oregon to place our little 11 year old Dieter in the best of hands, our daughter and her family. They will love him as much or more than we do. They will exercise him, cuddle him, snuggle him, and spoil him. Nat says that he is a magical dog. He brings calmness in their life and they love him! Oh how I miss him. He waits for us … laying under the bed that I last slept in. It will be a long wait until we return … two years … but I hope he's still living so I can hold him again. I sure love my little boy. He's been the best and sweetest companion.

 I presented a quilt to some good friends who went to Africa with me last year. I purchased the fabric in our little village of Abomosu and quilted it for them and gave it to them just before we left for South Africa.

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 Teaching my little granddaughters how to make granny's homemade rolls before church.

Friday night, the 25th, we hosted an Open House at the Ward and invited all to have supper with us and come tell us fare thee well. It was well attended with about 150 people in attendance. Supper included Café Rio style burritos, chips, rice, beans, granny's homemade bread, butter, and jam, various desserts and bottled water. A huge thank you to my great friend, Joyce, who had been collecting and freezing foods for the event for months and helping me put the event together. And a huge thankyou to great friends and family who came to set up tables and chairs, decorated, cooked, cleaned, washed dishes, and cleaned up after … I love you more!

 Ellen and Elayne, our good neighbors who are twins, made me promise that I would take their picture and make a copy to take to our office in South Africa and place it on my desk so I could look at it every day and remember them. I have their picture tacked up on my wall of our flat so I can see them every day!

 My best friend, Carol, and angel minister who has watched over and taken care of me for over 20 years!

Bishop Reynolds and wife Carolyn