What an Adventure!

Last fall, some big changes took place in our family. And these 2 are the cause of all the excitement. These are my parents. My dad....an Idaho farmer. The kind that has dirt permanently ingrained into his hands. The kind that feels right at home on a tractor or out moving pipe. The kind that can't wait to get back to his farm after leaving on vacation for a few days! My mom....the wife of an Idaho farmer. Which means that she works hard. She's been known to spend more than a little time out in the fields, or in the potato cellar! But she's also my friend. She is a mother, a grandmother, a teacher, a counselor, a listening ear, a doctor....and she's my mom! Many years ago, these crazy kids decided that they had been on the receiving end of so very many blessings. They decided that when the time was right, they would be prepared to give back. So, after raising 8 kids, the time was right! We all knew it wasn't going to be easy, but we also knew that they were right...it was time for them to serve the mission that they had waited for and anticipated for so many years!

So after the long process of paper work, doctors appointments, and a thousand other preparations, the call finally came! I'm not sure who was more excited, them....or us!

And the chosen place.......Marshall Islands! Cool! Sounds warm. Sounds tropical. Coconut. Pineapple. Bananas. Beaches. Sunshine. It's all good, right? It wasn't quite what we thought at first, but it was the place that they were meant to go.
After a few weeks (before they even left), however, the call was changed just a bit. My dad was called to be a counselor to the mission president and serve on Christmas Island (Kiritimati). It was a couple thousand miles away from the mission home, and he would serve over Kiritimati and Fanning Islands. Where there aren't any pineapples or bananas. Where there isn't any mail service. And there isn't any fresh water. No fertile fields (not the farming kind, at least....just the spiritual kind!). No mountains. No cell phones. No stores. Only sporadic electricity. But what an ADVENTURE!!!
After spending the entire summer spending every ounce of time we could together, the time had finally come. We had watched mom 'write her list, and check it twice', and three times, and four times. They needed to decide what to pack in their limited luggage space. There is not really any good way to ship things to them, and they don't have easy access to groceries (or anything else), so there was a lot of prioritizing done. The MTC was short and sweet. It was only a week, but I think we were all ready to get this adventure started! So they left on a happy/sad note. It was so hard to say good-bye. But seriously...could we be more proud of them? And off they went!

The airport wasn't quite what we're used to. But it looks like they had a welcoming committee!

And their new home.....I guess there wouldn't be much time wasted on keeping up on the place!

The chapel next to their house is more like what we're used to, but this is the chapel on Fanning Island, I think. Because of poor healthcare (or lack of healthcare), death seems to be pretty common place. And the simplicity of the burial process is just so different that what we're accustomed to. This is the cemetery.And the fashions are so different. But really, who wouldn't want to wear flip flops on their mission (guys included)?So while they left 8 kids behind, they seem to have adopted another 4 to keep them busy! There are only 1 set of elders and 1 set of sisters on the island, so they're pretty close.

Not to mention all of the beautiful and kind people that they get to spend the next year and a half with!

Sometimes it's funny what we take for granted. For instance....

The bathrooms on Fanning island.......Wow...can you imagine? I'd sure hate to have to go in the middle of the night!But really, isn't this what it's all about??? And so, yes, we're proud. And yes, we miss them so much. And yes, we wish we could go there and visit, but it's very expensive! But....yesterday, we got to call and talk to them. It was so AWESOME! It took me 2 days to finally get a phone card to work, but it was totally worth the wait!

So to my sweet parents....I love you both. You'll never fully know how much we have felt the special blessings on our little family that have come as a result of your service! Thank you so much for your example! And we're more than happy to share you with the sweet people that you're serving!

*In a future post, I'll tell you all about Derrick's parents who are serving a mission at the bishop's store house in Logan (first I need to gather some pictures, because a blog post just isn't the same without them). I LOVE the blessing of food storage, and I LOVE the people who donate their time to help us to follow our prophet!