-Brooke's Farewell-

Like her endowment, Brooke's farewell was very well attended. For those who aren't familiar, while an LDS congregation is led by a priesthood leader called a Bishop, it is the members of the congregation who offer "sermons" (we call them "talks") at our Sunday services. It is traditional that a recently-called missionary address the congregation before leaving by giving a 15-20 minute talk in sacrament meeting. We refer to this event as that missionary's "farewell". Similarly, when Brooke returns she will address the congregation again by giving her "homecoming" talk.

For a couple weeks prior to her farewell talk, we handed out the above invitations to family and friends. So many people showed up that the meeting which Brooke spoke in proved to be the best attended service in over five months! Brooke did a great job addressing the congregation and would definitely have earned a standing ovation if such a thing was acceptable.

As part of the meeting, Kristen, Brooke's sister-in-law sang the hymn "I Will Go Where You Want Me to Go" which shares a beautiful message applicable to all of us, but especially to Brooke. Verse three and the chorus were particularly impressive:

"There's surely somewhere a lowly place

In earth's harvest fields so wide

Where I may labor through life's short day

For Jesus, the Crucified.

So trusting my all to they tender care, 

And knowing thou lovest me, 

I'll do thy will with a heart sincere:

I'll be what you want me to be."
 

"I'll go where you want me to go, dear Lord,

Over mountain or plain or sea;

I'll say what you want me to say, dear Lord;

I'll be what you want me to be." 

Below are some picture of as many of those people who made a special effort to come as we could bring together after the meeting:

We want to give a special thanks to everyone who has supported Brooke by coming to her endowment at the temple and her farewell talk!  If you had to miss either or both events, we want to extend to you a very early invitation to attend her homecoming talk in 18 months! Mark your calendars!

Read the rest of the hymn, I'll Go Where You Want Me to Go, here:

I'll Go Where You Want Me to Go

Listen to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir perform the hymn in this video: