Let's Talk Getting Ready.

Keely received her mission call to Florida Orlando mission. I had hoped for somewhere exotic, foreign, English speaking, cool and safe. So here she goes to a part of the continental US that is about as far away from Olympia WA as she can get. She will be English speaking but there is Portugese, Spanish and Haitian within her mission area. It is not cool as far as the temperature, average high is 92 in the summer and as low as 71 in January. She will have rain year round, with the largest rainfall typically in June at 8.5 inches. Exotic?Perhaps as it is one of the few states to offer alligators,wild boars and chameleons. She will experience hurricane watches and perhaps have the opportunity to see the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. Her opportunity to meet people from other lands will be huge due to the high volume of tourists and immigrants residing in the region. And as far as safety, it depends where she is. Orlando's crime index is ranked as 2 (with 100 being the safest) while some areas in her mission are as high as 63-67. All in all, I think she has a great opportunity to witness multiple walks of life and cultural diversity while serving in central Florida. It should be a wild adventure.
So preparing for a mission takes work. There is physical,emotional and spiritual work that must be done. I am able to help with some of that but the rest is up to Keely. We have bought clothes and shoes but we are still actively looking for more. We need to buy her a bike and have it there at least 2 weeks before her arrival. We want to get a camera, luggage set, messenger bag and bike accessories within the next month.
She received her temple recommend on Sunday so now we are trying to schedule the day when she will attend the temple for her first time. We would love friends and family there but we must pick a time that fits around our work schedules and hope that we do not exclude loved ones.
Keely is currently being challenged by Bell's Palsy.The left side of her face is paralyzed.She has ear pain,extreme sensitivity to sounds and tingling on that side. Her eye stays open at rest so she needs constant moisture to that eye. It is frustrating, uncomfortable and embarrassing. Please keep her in your prayers.
We have been blessed by people's generosity and support. We are so grateful for the love of our ward family and I am humbly awed by the members' willingness to help. She is not even gone yet but I feel the love and faith of our brothers and sisters in the gospel. We are and will be supported by those we cherish. And for that I give thanks.
She reports to the Provo MTC (Missionary Training Center) on Sept.10. My plan is to drive her there so we can see family in Utah, visit a few temples and then drop her off a the doors of the MTC.

Keely's Mission Call

Keely received her mission call on Friday, June 20, 2014. She had been waiting for the last few days for it to arrive. Actually she has been waiting for it to arrive since she was about 6 years old but after submitting the paperwork and being interviewed by our Bishop and Stake President, she knew it was due anytime now. She checked the mail box diligently on Wednesday and Thursday but agonizingly,the packet wasn't there. Friday morning she urged herself out of bed to go check the mailbox.Imagine her surprise when the mail box itself was gone. She found our mail box in a ditch in front of our house, the apparent victim of a random baseball bat attack. Keely was heartbroken.She tried to fix the mail box but to no avail.What if the mail lady had already driven by and seeing no box available, had simply continued on her route? What if when she did arrive she would see no way to deliver the letter and ignore our place? Keely then called me at work. I did my best to calm her fears and offer a few suggestions. In the midst of our conversation, a little miracle happened. The mail lady drove up at that moment. Keely was able to greet her at the roadside. I could hear Keely through the phone, "I've been waiting all week for this and now we don't have a mailbox." At that moment I knew my daughter was holding "the call". I could hear the change in her voice, not to calm but to enthusiasm. There was a lilt in her tone. After all these years of wanting and waiting for this moment, it was finally here. So there stood Keely, amidst a broken mailbox and strewn garbage from the night before pranksters, clutching the most precious piece of mail she has ever received. In my mind's eye, I see her there looking radiant among the worldly garbage tossed carelessly around her as she holds the white envelope that she has longed to have. And in my heart, I feel proud, scared, excited, hopeful and overwhelming love for my daughter.And in my head, I realize a new chapter has begun.