The Call

It was a super happy day when our son Seth was able to open a nice large envelope from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints.  It was a mission call for him to serve in the Quezaltenango, Guatamala mission, leaving in only 2 months.  Seth has been attending Utah State University, in Logan, Utah.  It has been a wonderful experience for him to live with roommates, be independant, meet many new friends, and serve as an ambassador for USU.  What a wonderful experience for him. 

As mission time came closer, he realized that he had much preparation to do before he could submit his papers to serve a mission for his Lord.  The requirements were to read the Book of Mormon, The Holy Temple, and Miracle of Forgiveness.  This was quite an assignment for one attending college, and trying to just keep up with school work.  It was an interesting time for Seth to have to put up with the nagging from his mother as she saw wasted minutes that could be used for reading.  Seth was determined to read every word, and set a goal to get everything read before his birthday.  He came real close to accomplishing this, and within a few weeks, had his call.

Once he had his call, it was a race for him to sneak away for a few hours or days each weekend to prepare and accomplish the many requirements for leaving on a mission. As his mother and tyrant,  I would go over and over the lists trying to make sure we hadn't forgotten anything.  It just seemed like we were accomplishing much, but the lists just wouldn't get any smaller.  Each day we would get a little closer, until the final result of dropping him at the MTC.

We were excited for Dave and Seth to be able to travel to Missouri to visit Dan and Maegan before his departure for 2 years.  They had an amazing time, and commented on how Dan and Maegan were such good hosts, preparing wonderful meals, even for travel.  They were able to visit several church history spots; Carthage Jail, Nauvoo and attend a temple session, Adamondiamon, Farr West, Liberty Jail, Independance Visitors Center, the RLDS Temple, the new monument of the 8 witnesses, and attend a session at the new Kansas City Temple.

Once Seth was able to take out his endowments, he spent much of his extra time attending different LDS Temples throughout Utah (Salt Lake, Manti, Logan, Draper, South Jordan, Bountiful, Oquirr Mountain).  His most prized visits were with his grandparents.  This was so special for him.  An experience he will never forget.  His comments after attending with his grandparents was, "Mom, the most amazing thing is...that I have the most amazing grandparents in the whole world."  He loves his grandparents dearly.

I should not fail to mention a sweet miracle in regards to Seth's mission.  We have a dear friend from my son Dan's mission in New Jersey.  His name is Aaron.  Aaron is the only member of our church in his family.  His family is originally from Guatemala, but migrated to the US when he was 14.  All his relatives still live in Guatemala.  We have become very close to Aaron and his mother.  Aaron came out to Utah to live amongst the Mormons.  He found himself in a bad choice and ended up in prison.  We have supported him like a son. We have seen God's hand many times the events of Aaron's life.  He is a wonderful young man, with an incredible spirit.  Once again, we see God's hand in calling Seth to Guatemala, the home of Aaron and his family.  We pray that Seth might be an instrument in bring the truth and joy to Aaron's people.

We had a wonderful experience helping Seth prepare.  It was an overwhelming experience to see the support for Seth as he shared his talk or farewell.  How grateful we are to all those who have played an important role in Seth's life.

We enjoyed a special experience, as he was set apart.  Dave invited each to share things that they remembered that were said in the prayer, so that Seth could write down this inspiration.  It was fun to see and hear from each of the brothers, and sisters their own advice from serving their own missions.  What a special experience.

The day of Seth's arrival into the MTC was one of mixed emotions.  This whole experience has been such a happy, joyously sad time at mixed together.  How excited we are to have him finally be able to take this wonderful step in his life, but on the other hand, so sad to think that he is old enough to have this experience, and sad to not be with him for 2 years.  We are so excited to see his growth, and feel so blessed for him to have this experience.