We arrived back in Calgary on Wednesday night after having been gone 10 days doing interviews. It was good to get back home, sleep in our own bed, get some laundry done and regroup a bit. And then we got this picture sent to us from Elders Corning and Ellison of Sina's baptism--she looks so beautiful and happy. The man standing next to her is her brother who is now taking the missionary lessons. This is what missionary work is all about! Someone coming into the gospel, and feeling so much joy and happiness.
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Sina's baptism
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We have now been here one whole month, and in that month we have toured the mission twice doing our 'meet the new president' meetings, and then going back to do interviews. It has been a whirlwind to say the least--but we have loved it. I was surprised that I hadn't felt homesick...and I decided that the spirit really 'carries' you and also you are running on adrenaline as well. But Wednesday when we got home I felt this wave of homesickness come over me. I debated whether to share it in this blog, but decided it is definitely a part of missionary life, so I guess I have to. I just really began missing my kids and our little grandsons. I wanted so much to hug each one of them! So, of course the tears came, and the sadness...so I kept praying that it wouldn't last long, and that it wouldn't affect my ability to work and serve. I also decided that maybe I was given this experience so I could better understand our missionaries that are homesick, and know how to love them and help them. It was easy to walk away from our house, and sell the vehicles, turn the bill paying over to our kids, and things like that. But walking away from the ones you love most is extremely hard! But, we are so grateful for our wonderful children who love and support us and we are grateful for their strength and testimonies and and for their fun personalities. We love face timing with them each week and love getting their texts. They give us a chuckle during the day...
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| Drewbie, Finn, Miles and Sam on the afternoon we were set apart. |
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| Miles and Sam trying to be reverent! |
When you look at all these pictures you can see why leaving them was so hard for me! They are my little guys!!!!! We love them so much, and hope that they will always remember that Gram and Grandpa served a mission.
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| Our youngest--little Beck! |
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| Wyatt is getting ready to crawl |
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| Finn with his worms to go fishing! |
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Drewbie, the nut!
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You can see why we miss these little nuggets! They are our pride and joy.
The only reason we can walk away from these sweet little boys is because we have a testimony of our Savior, Jesus Christ. We know that His atonement is real, and that He suffered and died for each one of us, so that we may be resurrected and live again together as eternal families. We are so grateful to know this, and so grateful for the joy the gospel brings into our lives. It is our greatest treasure.
What a beautiful ( yes handsome is a better word for all of them) family. They are all so cute. I know the blessing will be on all of them like they are with you. You are lucky an blessed people all the way around. I was telling someone today about how we use to go to Golden Spoon and never paid attention to how much of a mess the kids were making. They were good memories and you're making really great ones now. I think it is soooo wonderful you guys can do this and what a beautiful place to do it.love you much !!
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