Keely Hits Orlando

This morning I got the first of 5 possible calls that a family get from their missionary. Keely had left the MTC and was waiting at the SLC airport to depart to Orlando FL. Full time missionaries are only allowed to make calls home on Christmas and Mother's Day. And they are allowed to call home as they leave for their mission area. This was a good day.

Keely sounded great. There was fear and apprehension in her voice. But more than that, there was contentment, excitement, resolve, power and joy. Her fear was one I had not expected. She had such a great companion at the MTC in Sister Lewis that she was worried that she will never have one that she bonds with as well. She said that people asked them if they had been friends before because they were so close. I pray she will have other companions that will feel as comfortable and as familiar.

Her apprehension was of the unknown and if she's ready, She has prepared most of her life for this opportunity. I have no doubt in her faith or her ability. She and her message will be rejected. Doors will be slammed, dogs let loose, slurs made. There will be days that she will wonder what she got herself into or if it's worth it. And I know there will be evenings that she will be on her knees praying for strength and comfort. And because of those moments, her testimony will grow and she will be given all she needs to do it again tomorrow.

Her excitement is about all that lies in front of her. She looks forward to new companions, new places and teaching opportunities. She wants to share with others the thing that has made our lives feel happier and richer, the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Her power comes from her faith, her intelligence and her willingness to serve. She has always been blessed for her unwavering obedience to the Lord's commandments. She has knowledge of the scriptures and an understanding of the Great Plan of Happiness. She has the Holy Ghost as her constant companion through it all to provide strength and comfort.

We talked about life here at home. I wanted the time to tick slowly before it was time for her to go. But all too soon came the goodbyes and the good lucks and I love yous. I look forward to Christmas.

Keely enters the MTC!

Tonight I am sitting alone in my motel room in Baker City, OR approximately halfway between home and where I dropped off my daughter this afternoon. Keely entered the MTC (Missionary Training Center) for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints to serve her 18 month mission in Orlando, FL. I thought my heart would feel broken. I had been warned about the anguish that affects many parents as they drop their child off and drive away. I heard that ice cream in some form eases the pain. My experience seems somewhat easy in comparison.
I cried when we hugged good-by. I know I will miss her. I know when holidays and birthdays roll around, her absence will be palpable in my home and in my heart. But overall I feel grateful, contented, proud and tired. I am grateful for Keely's choice to serve this mission. I am grateful for loving friends and family that have supported her and our family to get to this point. I am thankful for the gospel on the earth that brings peace in a often hostile and cruel world.
My contentment stems from my joy in seeing my daughter embarking on a journey she has desired to take since she was 6 years old. She has planned for this day most of her life. Now that it has come, there is a sincere satisfaction in knowing she is where she wants to be and where she should be. This is one of those parental paydays.
I am so proud of Keely. She has done a lot of preparation to get here. She has saved money to help fund her mission. She has prepared spiritually by reading scriptures, magnifying her callings and attending the temple. She has endured the physical embarrassment and discomfort of Bell's palsy which has challenged her confidence but not her will. She has stayed strong with her eye on her goal.
.As for being tired, I mean both physically and emotionally. The last few weeks have been crammed with shopping. A missionary needs clothes, luggage, a bike, essentials. Trust me it's a lot of stuff. The emotional roller coaster has been in full swing as well.There are mixed emotions of joy, sadness, doubt, faith all mixed with an extra generous portion of stress. It is exhausting.
But in the end, it is overwhelmingly amazing. The last 6 hours in the car, I had plenty of time to think. For me it would be selfish to be sad. My daughter is doing what 2 other young women did for me 13 years ago. They left their homes, found me and shared the gospel with me. Now Keely has that same opportunity to change the lives of some people in central Florida. I'm so excited for her. It's not like she is going off to war. She will be safe, She will have awesome experiences that she will talk about for the rest of her life. She will grow and learn in ways I cannot yet imagine. And she will learn to serve and love in deeper ways then she ever has before.
I feel blessed.

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.