We had a couple missionaries come and stay in Quincy, FL for two years. When it was time for their farewell, I was in charge of it. They are very special people to me, The Zabriskie's, and I didn't know what to do for them that would mean so much. We were having a nice meal after church but from there, I had no idea what to give that would have meaning. Finally it came to my mind to get message board and use my creative memories paper with lines. On these sheets, members of the congregation were to write them a message. Something that they would remember us in the ward. How they impacted members lives or a story they remembered in their personal handwriting. When it started, I was not sure how it would go. After everyone had put their messages on the board it was overwhelming how much this worked. We love "the Z's" as we called them.
Another event that we did was, I asked a few people to get up and say a few words about how they impacted their life. WOW!! Oh my goodness... There were some wet faces and happy souls after members got up. This was a bit nerve racking for me because what if people didn't get up. However they got up! I had asked for two people a few weeks ago so they could prepare. It was spiritually strong throughout this ten minutes that turned into twenty-five minutes. Since we have turned into a Branch, we have translators. Words are hard to express how to know what these speechless members have to say because they were never speechless but they never had a voice to express their words because of the language barrier. To hear them explain the impact they had on their lives was so touching to my heart! People didn't leave the room.
They made an impact on our ward! I will be forever grateful for what they did for me. Sister Zabriskie was single mom for 13 years before she found her sweetie. So, I told them that I didn't meet that special guy for me in the eighteen months they were here, but I know it will happen in the next eighteen years. I have faith and knowledge that there is someone out there for me because of Sister Zabriskie!
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