Our Mission! California Oakland/SanFrancisco: 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