Roots In Sweden

Called to Serve..

It's the Baltic Mission - Estonia!

     When we woke up in the morning we didn't know that Thursday, January 14th would be such an important, life-changing day. 

But it was.

We are members of the

 Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 

As such, our worthy young men, each of whom bear the priesthood of God and have made sacred covenants both at baptism (age 8) and later when they are ordained to the Aaronic Priesthood (age 12) and Melchizedek Priesthood (age 18), are expected to keep themselves morally and physically clean, to be completely honest and upright in all their dealings, to study and ponder the scriptures daily, and when they are nineteen years old, to "put in their papers",  signaling their desire and willingness to serve a two-year mission for the Church at their own expense.  
After years of working and saving his money in a special account,  cheerfully fulfilling his responsibilities at home and at church, and trying his best to live a good life and be a good example,  Manny's papers went in in early November, right after his nineteenth birthday. He had already been ordained to the higher or Melchizedek Priesthood.
We have been haunting the mails for weeks, expecting the white envelope that would tell us where he will be assigned and when he will report and...

At last it came!

We called Papa right away to set up a time when we could all be there to open it together.  We had to wait until after 5:00 P.M. for Gustav to get home from school,  then we  went into the office and called Papa. By coincidence, our daughter Kezia called from the U. S. at exactly the same time, so Manny had a phone on each ear.

And he opened it with a cheese knife.  How appropriate.....

He has been requested to report to the Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah in March 2010.

He will spend approximately eight weeks there receiving training in the Estonian culture and language, and other facets of daily life as a missionary. 

We are so proud of him!

Here are some pictures of the things he will be leaving behind for the next two years:

Daredevil sport stunts, summer and winter,  both on the farm and off.

Construction and firing off of ear-splitting potato guns (the neighbors won't miss that).

  Warm moments of love in the barn,  warm moments of food made with love in the house,

  

and fun Church activities with friends in far-away places.

Today, while reading aloud the booklet that came with his call, giving him all the guidelines and instructions for preparing to report for his mission, it dawned on us in an even more poignant way  how important this moment in Manny's life is.  He will be "forsaking all worldly concerns" and "locking his heart" for the next two years where girls are concerned, to focus all his spirit, intellect, and energies on the Lord's work.  He has been "Called to Serve" in the truest sense of the word, and he has accepted that call.

"Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.

Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you:  and lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.  Amen"

(Matthew 28:19-20)

We love you Manny!