Originally Megan's flight plans had her coming home around 6 p.m. and our stake president was going to release her that night. Then plans changed and she didn't arrive back in Cedar til almost 1 a.m. So Friday morning, Rick, Bridget, Megan and I went to the stake center around noon and met with President Greg Powell, who had also set Megan apart 18 months before. He first interviewed Megan and then invited Rick and I into the room. She later told us that he spoke to her as if he had been with her on her mission. He knew many of the circumstances she had experienced and brought back some very tender feelings. He visited with all three of us for a few minutes and then told Megan that the hard part was coming. He officially and honorably released her as a missionary of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Then the tears started to flow. You can see by the pictures how hard she took it. Those were not the last of the tears either; she's had many moments where she has yearned to be back in the Philippines, caring for those she came to know and love. She does not want to move into the next phase of her life where she worries about herself. She has loved focusing all her energy and faith for others. It will be a hard transition, but BYU-I will be the best place for her. Hopefully there will be some missionaries there from her mission and surely many that served in the Philippines and hundreds of return missionaries who will be able to empathize with her struggle to leave the work that she has come to love.
No comments:
Post a Comment