Military PCS moves and Missionary Transfers

Summer has traditionally been PCS time for military families in conjunction with the school year ending and facilitating moves during the summer to get military families at new duty stations before school starts in the fall.  Interestingly enough our six- week rotation for missionaries transfer occurred at the same time.   It has been a crazy few weeks supporting all the movement. Lots of miles on our little Toyota Yaris both early in the morning and late at night getting everyone situated. I ended up taking a tray of cannoli from my favorite bakery to the Voelkel family as the movers were loading the final pack out to provide a treat for a” job well done” as the truck loaded and pulled away with all of their earthly possessions. 

 

Voelkels on their way to Fallon, Nevada.

 I made an autographed branch photo with a mat that could be signed by everyone as a keepsake for the four PCS families left our Sigonella Branch. 

Sigonella Branch already to be packed for parts unknown!

Dinner in to the Funicane family so Chrissy can recover from a back injury, fruit delivery to the Folks family and the Renfeldts as they prepare for their final pack-out.

Folks are off to Germany

Fonsecas returning to North Carolina

Funicanes ending the baseball season on high note!

Hawkes family finishing off an amazing dance performance at the Teatro Metropolitan in Catania

It has been hard to keep a smile and cheery word as my heart breaks to see these good friends leave for new duty stations all over the world; some to other bases in Europe and some back to the U.S.

In addition to that we have had our Catania Zone of six missionaries together for 12 week (two transfers) and now three of the six are going to serve in different areas in the Rome Italy Mission They have been a great group of missionaries, we have worked hard together to support them in a very difficult area with summer in full swing.  They are a great blessing to us and to Catania.  Now they are moving on to other challenges.

Missionaries always love going out to dinner!

Our Chinese selfie stick has come in pretty handy more than once.  Catania Zone June 2018

So we will begin building again, we have not received any new families in our Sigonella Branch, but we have received three new missionaries to round out our missionary companionships.