We were blessed with the opportunity to share our testimonies of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in our Sacrament meeting this past Sunday. Thank you to all of you who joined with us in person or from afar - we deeply appreciate your love and support!
We had a wonderful last weekend with all of our children and grandchildren, and are so grateful they were all able to join with us. We had a wonderful time together - eating, playing, laughing, just enjoying being with each other - until it came time to start saying goodbye! Watching everyone, especially our grandies, with tears rolling down their faces, sniffing and sobbing - well, at times I had to just step away and catch my breath. Lots of tears, and puffy eyes and headaches - but in a good way! :) We are blessed that everyone feels that way about each other, a sure sign of love and bonds. It was a time we will remember and cherish all of our lives.
It would be easier to say goodbye if this group were not such incredible people! But they are, every one of them! They are kind, loving and so supportive of our decision to serve a mission. We will miss them terribly. I am reminded of a talk Elder Jeffrey Holland once gave: "Those little darlings will be just fine, and I promise you will do things for them in the service of the Lord that, worlds without end, you could never do if you stayed home to hover over them. What greater gift could grandparents give their posterity than to say by deed as well as word, 'In this family we serve missions!'"
We will miss all of our grandchildren, of course - but these two - Carter and Grayson - are our oldest, just a few months apart in age. They will both be gone on their own missions before we return likely making it 3 1/2 - 4 years before we will see them again :( What awesome young men they are and examples to all of us.
We have now been set apart as missionaries - thank you President Philliips for the beautiful blessings. We feel strengthened and more prepared to depart. We are down to five days to figure out how to pack our lives into two suitcases and make sure our home won't be overrun by the squirrels (thank you kids for being there regularly to check on things)! As the day gets closer and gets more real, everything feels a little harder - but I know we can do hard things.
We were blessed back in October to spend some time with my sister and her husband in Nauvoo, Illinois. There we heard stories about the many hardships early members of our church faced back in the 1800s as they endured unjust persecution, ridicule, and threats. They finally succumbed to this pressure and with faith, determination and conviction, one cold day in February, they turned their backs on their newly constructed homes and almost all of their food and possessions, loaded up what little they could into wagons, crossed the frozen Mississippi River, and left to find a place where they could live in peace and worship as they believed.
Their example inspires me and makes what we are being asked to do look simple by comparison. We can do hard things.
We are anxious to leave and excited to be among the wonderful people of DR Congo.
Thank you all for your loving support and for following along on this exciting time in our lives.
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