The Long Farewell

We spoke in our ward Sacrament Meeting this morning. Since this is our third mission, we figured all our friends and extended family have heard enough from us already, so we just invited our kids and grandkids (who have also heard enough from us already, but they're stuck with us). I wasn't prepared for the overwhelming feelings of love I would have for them, and for our ward members, as I sat on the stand waiting for my turn to speak. It was harder than I thought it would be. To say that we will miss our daughters, their husbands, our grandchildren, and our friends and neighbors is an understatement. Six months really isn't such a long time these days, but it will be a sacrifice to leave them all again. We are cherishing every moment with them right now.

There really is no such thing as a "farewell" anymore, but we were asked to speak about senior missions, in general, and all the opportunities that are available for couples who wish to serve - either at home or away - for 6 months, a year, 18 months, or 2 years. A lot has changed in the past few years for senior missionaries. There is more flexibility. You can request a specific length of time for your service, share how much you are able to contribute financially, and even request what type of service you'd like to do and where you would like to do it. There is such a need for senior missionaries throughout the world that every effort is made to honor requests. Of course, if you are needed more badly somewhere other than where you requested, you may be assigned somewhere that is a total surprise. (See our last blog, Faith, Trust, and Pixie Dust.)

We talked about our motivation for leaving on a mission again: gratitude. Pure and simple gratitude. We are so grateful for the way the gospel of Jesus Christ has blessed us and our family that we want to share it with others. It's a small sacrifice on our part for all that we have received. To have been so blessed to come to know and love our Savior, Jesus Christ through the covenants we've made, the scriptures that we have access to, the words of modern prophets and the power of the Priesthood makes us want to help those who are ready to hear it and who need it to help them deal with the burdens, trials and temptations of our day.

Don talked about the brand-new Church website designed specifically to link senior missionaries with part-time and full-time service opportunities. There are at least 30 different types of missions that seniors can serve in locations both near and far. You can take a look at the website by searching lds.org/mss or just google Senior Missionary Opportunities. There are so many ways that senior couples can make a difference in the world!

Preparing to serve a mission is both exciting and unnerving (at least for me). Even when you feel strongly that the time is right, it's hard to push the send button on your application; it's hard to wait for your call to arrive; and it's hard to walk away from your life and into the MTC. It IS a sacrifice, after all, but I can say that we are nearly ready to go - and we are excited to serve!

So now we are in countdown mode. The long farewell has begun. We are saying good-bye to a lot of people and also a lot of last-minute activities this week:  dentist, doctors, haircuts, neighbors, Relief Society and Elders' Quorum presidencies, and most of all, children and grandchildren. The long farewell has begun.

    -Pat-