Once upon a time we sold our favorite and lovely family home
in Alpine Utah.
A home where we raised our family of four children for 16 years. Our oldest was in Junior High School when we moved to Alpine from Sandy Utah. Our youngest was 4 years old. But as our children grew and matured each of them had wonderful opportunities that took them away from home. Marriage, jobs, schooling . . . and not just away from home, but three out of our four children moved across the country. And of course, taking our two precious grand babies with them!
One day we asked ourselves why we were maintaining this large place with just the two of us there most of the time. Not only was it time consuming but it was becoming nearly impossible as we found ourselves traveling to visit family in far off places. We loved our comfortable home but decided to make a 180 degree turn in our lives and begin to simplify our way of life.
The bottom line is we did sell our home, as has been blogged about recently. And we did simplify and purchase a lovely and comfortable townhouse with cash from the sale of our home. We had our own reasons for making this huge change of direction in our lives. Little did we know . . .
that our Heavenly Father (who we believe knows all things) had a different opportunity in mind for us and he was just putting us on the path . . . to missionary service in Honduras.
Let me back up just a bit -
In the middle of November, last year, unexpectedly we received a phone call from the office of Elder Quentin L. Cook. For our friends not acquainted with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Elder Cook is a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, a governing body of the Church, and called to be prophets, seers, and revelators, and special witnesses of Jesus Christ.
It is most unusual to receive such a phone call . . . and we wondered at the purpose. Upon meeting with Elder Cook, we discovered we were in an exploratory interview for possible Mission Presidents. (A Mission President presides over a mission and the missionaries serving therein. He may also be the presiding priesthood leadership within the boundaries of the mission). Elder Cook emphasized to us that we had been prayerfully selected by the First Presidency and all Twelve of the Quorum of the Twelve after careful consideration. It was an amazing, reverent and spirit filled opportunity to be able to meet with Elder Cook and we felt very honored and humbled to be in his presence. He was a most gracious apostle and representative of our Savior, Jesus Christ.
On December 12, 2012 - we once again received an unexpected phone call and request for meeting, this time from the office of President Henry B. Eyring, First Counselor in the First Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Once again, a very humbling experience to be in the presence of such a tender man and true representative of Jesus Christ. He spent much time with us providing counsel after extending a calling to preside over a Spanish Speaking mission of the church with the location to be determined, beginning in July of 2013.
To provide more clarity on what kind of service was being asked . . .(1) according to current policy a mission president must be married. Typically, his wife and any minor children accompany him on the mission. Mission presidents are either retired or leave their vocation for three years to preside over their mission. Mission presidents supervise a group of 60-200 missionaries and direct their missionary labors. After his three-year term ends, a mission president generally returns to his vocation and service in his own home ward and stake.
Typically one-third of the (now) 405 mission presidents of the church (this includes the newly announced 58 new missions created just this year in response to the surge in missionary applications related to the announcement lowering the missionary age for service last Fall) are changed out annually, and once these callings have been extended and accepted, the information is published in the "Church News" with their assigned destinations.
in Alpine Utah.
A home where we raised our family of four children for 16 years. Our oldest was in Junior High School when we moved to Alpine from Sandy Utah. Our youngest was 4 years old. But as our children grew and matured each of them had wonderful opportunities that took them away from home. Marriage, jobs, schooling . . . and not just away from home, but three out of our four children moved across the country. And of course, taking our two precious grand babies with them!
One day we asked ourselves why we were maintaining this large place with just the two of us there most of the time. Not only was it time consuming but it was becoming nearly impossible as we found ourselves traveling to visit family in far off places. We loved our comfortable home but decided to make a 180 degree turn in our lives and begin to simplify our way of life.
The bottom line is we did sell our home, as has been blogged about recently. And we did simplify and purchase a lovely and comfortable townhouse with cash from the sale of our home. We had our own reasons for making this huge change of direction in our lives. Little did we know . . .
Little did we know . . .
that our Heavenly Father (who we believe knows all things) had a different opportunity in mind for us and he was just putting us on the path . . . to missionary service in Honduras.
Let me back up just a bit -
It is most unusual to receive such a phone call . . . and we wondered at the purpose. Upon meeting with Elder Cook, we discovered we were in an exploratory interview for possible Mission Presidents. (A Mission President presides over a mission and the missionaries serving therein. He may also be the presiding priesthood leadership within the boundaries of the mission). Elder Cook emphasized to us that we had been prayerfully selected by the First Presidency and all Twelve of the Quorum of the Twelve after careful consideration. It was an amazing, reverent and spirit filled opportunity to be able to meet with Elder Cook and we felt very honored and humbled to be in his presence. He was a most gracious apostle and representative of our Savior, Jesus Christ.
To provide more clarity on what kind of service was being asked . . .(1) according to current policy a mission president must be married. Typically, his wife and any minor children accompany him on the mission. Mission presidents are either retired or leave their vocation for three years to preside over their mission. Mission presidents supervise a group of 60-200 missionaries and direct their missionary labors. After his three-year term ends, a mission president generally returns to his vocation and service in his own home ward and stake.
Typically one-third of the (now) 405 mission presidents of the church (this includes the newly announced 58 new missions created just this year in response to the surge in missionary applications related to the announcement lowering the missionary age for service last Fall) are changed out annually, and once these callings have been extended and accepted, the information is published in the "Church News" with their assigned destinations.
I'm sure we're in for an amazing experience . . . you can read what I posted
earlier about Honduras here.
And now . . .
You know some more of the story.
And it is certain to be continued . . .
