Missionary #2

On Friday night March 8, 2013 Stephen opened his mission call.  

He was so nervous all week as he knew that he would be receiving his call this week and could think about nothing else!  He paced the floor all day friday after he received it in the mail.  He had been getting little sleep and has been so anxious just to know where in the world he was going.

We all really thought for sure that he would be called to a foreign mission.  I guess because Michael went out of the country we naturally thought Stephen would also.  Plus Stephen knows a bit of spanish and uses it here and there.  Plus he looks very latin.  He is such a go getter and is very much a people person with a whole lot of passion.  So, I really thought that he would go to some far away country to make it more of a challenge for him.  But only the Lord knows how he will challenge his children.

Anyway, I was almost as anxious as Stephen was the 2 days leading up to him receiving his call.  The day of I became sick with a flu bug.  So, I wasnt feeling much of anything by that time except sick.  Stephen, however, was still pretty anxious.  Michael had to work late so we had to wait until 10:00 pm to open it.  We had the Mark Nelson family here and Grandma and Grandpa Nelson.  My family felt it was too late to come all the way out so we had them on the phone.  And Stephen invited his 4 closest friends to come with their parents.  Hummer, Payton,  Karson an Caleb. Once his friends got here the 4 of them gathered in the office for a group prayer and hug.   Stephen was the first of them to receive his call but he is the youngest in age.  So, they were all here waiting when Michael finally showed up at about 10:15 pm.  Stephen talked to us a bit while we were waiting about his decision to go on a mission and some of the things that are important to him. 

 When the moment finally arrived for Stephen to open his much awaited call. Stephen said he suddenly felt a great calm come over him. ( I also no longer felt any anxiousness).  We decided later that this must have been the spirit preparing Stephen for a non-foreign mission. Stephen proceeded to read a very calm call for him to serve in the Tampa Florida Mission.  I think we were all shocked and a bit let down at first since we all kinda expected some foreign country.  However, we knew that this was a call from our Father in Heaven.  Stephen will be a great asset to his mission! He will enter the MTC on June 26th.  

We have since learned that he will be coming in at the same time as a new mission president is assigned to his mission.  And my best friend is the most excited of all.  Denisa is from Tampa Florida!  She has shared many interesting things about the area.  The climate will be a lot like Micahel's mission in Australia was.  And there are a lot of ethnic groups there.  Cuban and Dominican to name a couple.  Not to mention that there is a very strong Baptist following there with very well versed Bible followers.  "They know their Bible"!  So, Stephen is really looking forward to going and serving the people of his  mission.  The Tampa Florida Mission!

And we are so excited and pleased with this fine young man who has been sent to our family.  

This is why I am a Mother!!