Bittersweet Week

 Hello family and loved ones, 

Well, we have just finished serving the Lord as full time missionaries in the California Oakland/San Francisco Mission.  

We enjoyed feeding missionaries all weekend so we could serve them, and have a chance to take pictures and say our goodbyes.  Then we did our final training with the new couple who are now serving at the Employment  Center and handed over keys to the center and to the apartment.  

We took the opportunity to travel to Monterrey, Pacific Grove and Carmel by the Sea for a couple days to walk the beach, go whale watching, ride bikes along the coast, drive Pacific Coast Highway 1, eat at beachside cafes and sleep in a 150 year old hotel.  Such a wonderful time to enjoy the beauties of the area.  Then our friend took us out on his sailboat for a day of Fleet Week.  We watched a parade of all kinds of ships sail under the Golden Gate Bridge, then we watched an airshow of different planes perform overhead, including The Blue Angels.  What an amazing day.

We loaded boxes in every inch of our car with the guitar next to me as we drove off to Lake Tahoe.  We enjoyed a day there with all the beauty of its lake and forest.  Then we traveled up to Boise to spend a day with our son Jason and Taya and their 3 little kids.  Finally, we drove to Tremonton to visit my 90/91 year old parents, then drove on to our home where Zac and Brett jumped out of the bushes to greet us with "Welcome Home" signs.  The following day, we unloaded all those boxes, went to see the new "Tree of Life" sculpture display at Thanksgiving Point, then met with President Hafen to be released from our full time service.  We celebrated time with our family over a good dinner then planned how we will try to fill our days going forward. 

We will both miss wearing our missionary name tags.  It has been such an honor to be a missionary and serve.  Even during our two hours at Thanksgiving Point we had several people stop us and ask where we were serving.  It has always been such a thrill to share with people what we are doing as missionaries, or to ask if they know our church, or if they have seen missionaries where they live.  It made for an easy way to start a conversation with anyone.  We also loved to share postcards of the Oakland Temple as many folks were familiar with that beautiful landmark.  It has been so awesome to just have the message of Jesus Christ at the forefront of our lives and to always be looking for ways to share a message.  We hope we can continue to share as we carry on.  

We will have the opportunity to speak in church at a Sacrament Meeting this Sunday, October 20th at 9:00 a.m. at the white church by AFHS at 673 E. 300 N. American Fork.  We invite you to come listen to our messages about serving Jesus Christ.  We would also invite you to stop in to visit after that meeting or later that day or anytime you are nearby.  We would love to see you!

This is our final mission email.  We have LOVED our mission and have enjoyed sharing our experiences with you.  May God bless us all.

Love, Elder and Sister Jerman/ Roger and Kaleen

 Last day at the Employment Center 

Pacific Grove

Fleet Week - Parade of Ships

and Air Show

Lake Tahoe

Jason and Tayas’s family in Boise 

We’re home!

But for the Grace of God Go I

 Imagine you are from the Philippines and now living in California, were recently taught the gospel and baptized, you and your spouse are 70+ and you have a disabled older child living with you. Then you lose your job. You have no income, no insurance, no benefits, no pension. This is what happened to the Nicomedez family about 5 months ago. We were asked to help them find jobs. But then, what luck, they lost their phone and their car broke down and they couldn't even go buy groceries! So Sister Jerman and I drove down to Pleasanton and met them to give them some job coaching and create resumes for these two wonderful people.

They applied and interviewed for several months, with no luck, but they kept on trying. On Sunday night we received a very satisfying phone call that just thrilled us and confirmed that God is Good! They had interviews with different companies and found jobs. Both Brother and Sister Nicomedez got jobs at Lam Research and Walmart. What a confirmation of the fact that the Lord is looking out for each of us, we just need to persevere and have faith. It was also a great story to end our mission on. A side note, the EQ president, RS president, Ward Employment Specialist, and their ministering Brothers and Sisters were all helping this incredible miracle to come to pass. That's how it should be in every case of unemployment of a ward member. What great examples they are to us.

This past week we trained the senior missionary couple who will replace us at the Employment Center.  We attended Zone Conference and served at the Visitor Center for our last time.  We also had a great time watching General Conference and feeding missionaries on Saturday and Sunday night.  We finished saying some fond goodbyes with our job seekers, our co-volunteers at both the Employment Center and Visitor Center, our beloved missionaries we work with, our senior couples that have become our dear friends, but especially with a couple of people we have come to know and love. 

Bill and Lacey have been a big part of our lives here in the mission, we have known them for almost as long as we've served here. Bill is older and is like a brother to me because he is so kind and innocent, even though it's very difficult for him to work. He fell off a ladder a few weeks ago and broke some ribs, (sound familiar?) but he still comes in to apply for jobs and does his best to be self-sufficient by doing odd jobs for friends and neighbors. Lacey is the hardest working homeless person we have ever met. She applied for 5 or 6 jobs a day, day after day for weeks, interviewed and even had work recently, but despite living and sleeping out in the open each night, she attends college classes and wants to date her boyfriend and carry on a "normal" life. The Lord loves these precious people just as much as He loves each one of us. Wow! "But for the Grace of God go I."

All of us can serve God and His children in some way, thus blessing our lives and the lives of those we serve. Let's keep going forward in faith.  Even though we may come to an end for a season, God our strength will be, press forward ever, Called to serve our King!

Love, 

Elder and Sister Jerman

Our last Zone Conference

Farewell to our job seekers, our friends - Bill

And Lacey

Our last time to serve at the Visitor Center

Feeding the sister missionaries at the Visitor Center after General Conference

Feeding the missionaries in our zone

Our last night with the Zone 

Last evening on Temple Hill

Farewell to this beautiful temple we love

It’s so hard to say good bye. We decided to enjoy some sights on our way home and expect to arrive in a week. 

We will talk in church on October 20th at 9:00. We invite you to come hear our thoughts and testimony. 

See you soon!