Change

Our dear sweet missionaries had transfers today.  We knew this was coming.  We knew they would receive a call Saturday evening from the mission president telling them who was leaving and where they'd be going.  So it's not like we weren't prepared.  But, honestly, we (the entire ward) had been sort of mentally and emotionally preparing to lose Elder Christensen, not Elder Saenger.   Elder Christensen has been in the Allen 1st Ward since August, so each time a transfer date comes up, we expect it to be him.  But once again, he gets to stay…and we are all secretly breathing a sigh of relief about that because he's awesome.

We have had a lot of missionaries come through our home.  Some of them make a huge impression and others just pass through.  These two have left a lasting impression for sure.  They are great young men individually, but they also made a great companionship.  It's so amazing to see two 20ish boys come together not knowing a single thing about each other, and potentially not having a single thing in common, but still be able to form an effective and spiritual partnership.  Elder Saenger and Elder Christensen made a really good team.  I would have loved it if they had both gotten to stay.  Their spiritual thoughts and their object lessons were a great opportunity for our kids to learn about the gospel and to feel the spirit in our home.  They have also gotten so excited about sharing their faith with friends at school and people that they meet.  Elder Christensen and Elder Saenger have been great examples of how amazing missionary work can be.

But…as I have to keep reminding myself and the teenagers around me…change is good.  Change helps us learn and grow.  This change will bring new opportunities for both of these missionaries and for the wards in which they serve.  We're excited to meet Elder Christensen's new companion this week and we hope he likes us as much as his companion does.  

I'm so grateful that these missionaries feel so comfortable here, that we live in an area where we can interact with them regularly and often, and that my kids have been able to see the influence great missionaries can be.  We will miss Elder Saenger so much, but we know that he'll be a great missionary in the Little Elm area for the last four months of his mission.  And we look forward to hearing from him after he gets back home.