FIRST CONTACT

We received our call letter Wednesday, 9 February and immediately wanted to speak with our mission president to share our joy and excitement to serve with him and our fellow missionaries... but we had no contact information. That led us to the Internet and the discovery of the mission blog. But alas, no email or phone contact information there. A few days later we called the Missionary Department and they gave us the mission home phone number and we called. No answer. We called again... no answer, and again and again. We thought that the mission president and others were either very busy or taking a long lunch break, but knew from the Missionary Department that the mission president would contact us about 2 weeks after we received our call. OK, we'll be a little more patient.

Tuesday, 22 February, we received an email from our mission president, President Jensen, with a warm greeting and an interest in a video call later that evening (our time). We returned an email to him with our greetings and indicated we would be available that evening for a Skype video call. The evening came and Cam, a close family member and returned missionary from the Philippines came for dinner and a Tagalog lesson. We finished dinner and got started in the lesson with numbers and simple greetings and then the time came for the call. I remembered we didn't confirm the time, so I checked email and saw a brief email from President Jensen... 8:00 pm was the time and he needed my Skype name! Only 15 more minutes 'til the call! I returned to the lesson. A few minutes later I felt prompted to check the computer again. President Jensen had called just moments before and needed me to accept his call and add him to my caller list. I did that and called him back and there he was. Our first contact! 

I called Marlene into the office and we joined President and Sister Jensen in a warm and informative conversation that lasted almost 2 hours. We got to know each other and shared family information. Moved into the mission basics and spoke of the imminent move of the mission home from the cool mountain resort community of Baguio to the hot, humid lowlands of Urdaneta. The new location will make them more accessible to more missionaries and district members. It will significantly cut their travel time to get to the missionaries and district events they need to attend. There is a large stake center there, now a mission home and soon a temple.

We then spoke about our work, strengthening the saints and supporting the priesthood leadership and working with the missionaries. It sounds like a wonderful opportunity to love and serve the saints and also do some proselyting there. We will have a clean, air conditioned apartment, and a car for transportation. It reminds us that we will return to our familiar third-world living mode and enjoy the simple life, albeit hotter this time! We should have an Internet connection (likely a slow connection, but a connection) in our apartment, so we can continue the blog and emails.

We felt a bond of love and a great desire to work hard and build the Kingdom together with the president and the missionaries there. We are ready to get over there and get into the work, but we will be patient and put everything in order here so we can give our full attention to the work there. We are so grateful for the love and support of our family. We love the grandkid's letters that express their love and expression "they will miss us on our mission, but they will pray for us." We have done it before and we can do it again! It is truly a mighty sacrifice we offer to the Lord each time we leave the comforts of home and the loving, close associations with family, but it is such a sacred blessing to those we serve, to our family at home, and to us.  

We are sharing this sacred experience with two other couples in our home ward. One couple will serve in the Boston, MA Mission and the other just got their call yesterday to serve in Tacoma, WA Mission. Both of those couples will be leaving next month. We have added them to our list of missionaries we pray for throughout the world.  It is an exciting time, but also a perilous time. We trust in the Lord to deliver us and make us instruments in His hands.  

We especially appreciate these words of President Hinckley:

One Bright Shining Hope

We know not what lies ahead of us. We know not what the coming days will bring. We live in a world of uncertainty. For some, there will be great accomplishment. For others, disappointment. For some, much of rejoicing and gladness, good health and gracious living. For others, perhaps sickness and a measure of sorrow. We do not know. But one thing we do know. Like the polar star in the heavens, regardless of what the future hold, there stands the Redeemer of the world, the Son of God, certain and sure as the anchor of our immortal lives. He is the rock of our salvation, our strength, our comfort, the very focus of our faith.