July 20, 2012
Hola!!  Mi esposa va a ensenar mi Espanol todo la semana.  Yo voy a trabajar mucho!! We have also been filling out more papers, applying for our visas, shopping for luggage, shoes, shirts etc.  Every time someone asks where we are going, I get a new set of butterflies in my tummy. Today we received our flight plans. (Tenative)  We leave Boise on the 15th of Oct.  We fly to SLC and stay at the MTC  until the 22nd, when we fly to Chicago at 11:10 a.m. From there we go to Miami at 4:25 p.m. We leave Miami at 11:10 p.m. and land in Montevideo at 10:15 a.m. the 23rd. This is kind of a big birthday trip for me this year!  We were surprised that they were having us fly out of Boise.  We may change that.  We just planned on driving to the MTC like all the other times.  Guess we need to discuss that:)

WE GOT IT!!!

July 13, 2012 (Friday the 13th--though it's been a very amazing day!)
This morning at 7:50 a.m., Kathi Peck called from Picabo saying that she thought our mission call had come there.  We have never gotten any mail there in all the years we have lived in Carey, but today seemed like a great day to start getting it there.  We drove over and sure enough, it was there!  We came home where Teann, Jaron and Blaine, (visiting from Utah), Clayton and Brooke ( here for the summer), and Chelsea, Chelise, Ashlyn, Jayden, Bethany and Jonathan (visiting for a few days) were waiting.  Ashlyn ran to our car and I showed her the envelope.  She read it, than ran into the house to tell everyone.  Bart drove up the hill right then.  We called all of the children/grandchildren who were not at home and Skyped and speaker phoned them.  Teann took pictures and a video which we will add here.  We are going to URUGUAY MONTEVIDEO WEST.  We'll be entering the MTC on Oct. 15, 2012.  :)  :)  :)

So the winners are:

Beau

Bart

Logan

Misty

Janessa

Aunt Kathy

Way to go!  Your big surprise will be forthcoming!

Welcome to our blog!

Welcome to our mission blog.  In the first place, I can't believe we are at that stage where we can be sending in a mission application, but ready, set, HERE WE GO!!

Yesterday, June 3, 2012, we met with President Jensen of the Carey Idaho Stake.  He had our papers sitting on his desk, which had been sent to him after our interview with Bishop Neilson last week. We discussed our plans to serve a mission while Shane is serving his in Australia.  I have to admit I felt a few butterflies in my stomach when he said he would send them in today, Monday the 4th of June.  Tonight he called to say they were in Salt Lake.  Someone from the Council of the Twelve will review them and soon.....we will know where we will be going for 18 months! Yikes!!

Brooke sent out a letter to the family members so they can guess where we are going.  So far these are the results...

Justin - Bolivia, Santa Cruz

Malinda - Chili, Santigo

Leesa - Mexico, Mexico City

Ty - Columbia, Bogota

Kathryn - Mexico, Chihuahua

Marissa - Mexico, Leon

Beau - Uruguay

Michelle - Mexico Temple

Brett - Switzerland

Kaitlyn - England

Kyleigh - Brazil

Ashlyn - Hawaii

Kamrie - Chili

Bart - Uruguay

Bailey - Guatemala or Southern Mexico

Payson-Germany

Jennaveve-New York City Harbor

Skyla-Colorado

Meisha-Africa

Logan - Uruguay, Montivideo West

Tayna - Armenia, Yerevan

Janessa - Uruguay, Montivideo

Breklyn - Paraguay, Asuncion

Kambria - Arizona, Mesa (Spanish)

Cayson - Texas, Houston (Spanish)

Matt - Argentina, Salta

Misty - Uruguay, Montivideo

Mason - Australia

Christopher - Michigan, Detriot

Brooke - Hawaii

Kyle - Arizona

Lorin - Mexico, Mexico City

Chelsea - Peru, Andes

Chelise - Zimbabwe

Ashlyn - Peru, Andes South

Jayden - Australia

Bethany - Brazil

Jantsen - Spain

Jonathan - South Dakota, Rapid City

Kade - Afganistan

Teann - Okalahoma

Jaron - California

Blaine - Australia

Chad - Mexico, Mexico City

Ginger - Guatamala

Derrick - Wyoming

Dillion - Iceland

Dallas - Brazil

Jordan - Dominican Republic

Cheyanne - Equador

Hali - Dominican Republic of Congo (French)

Thayn - Ogden Utah (Spanish)

Reif - Brazil (Spanish)

Colt - Spain

Serene - Florida (Spanish)

Lainey - Honduras

Clayton - Bahamas

Brooke - Puerto Rico

Shane - Indonesia

Thanks to everyone for your exciting guesses.  It is making us so eager to get our call!! We called Salt Lake last Thursday when it didn't come.  I tried to find out how to track our call, but the nice man who answered insisted it was no bother and tracked it for us.  He said it was "in the mill".  So, we will continue to be nervous for another week and hope it comes this next Thursday.  We will be sure to let you all know as soon as we get that "big white envelope". 

June 30, 2012

Thursday morning Hal and I drove in to the post office.  We weren't very optimistic because the post off lady, Kathy, (who said she would call us if our call had come) hadn't called. The post office opens at 8:00 and it was 8:30 and we still hadn't heard from her.  When we got there we opened our box and her smiling face was shining from inside the other end of our box.  She apologized and said it hadn't come:(   The nice man in the senior mission office had told us to call back if we had questions, so we did.  At first he told us our application would go before the brethren the next day (29th) and we would hear the next week.  Then he called us back and said there was another Bingham couple who had their papers in also, and he had mixed us up with them.  He said to not count on hearing until mid July because of the 4th of July holiday.  So we are just trying to do other projects to keep busy and not think about it.  We got Fonzie brushed and trimmed, we went to the temple for ward temple night last night (we were asked to be the witness couple for the first time in lots of years--was great), today we trimmed and pruned lots of shrubs and trees and grass in the back yard.  It looks much better.  We are working on our lesson for Sunday School tomorrow right now.  (It has been such a blessing for Hal and I to work together to teach this Gospel Doctrine class--preparation for our mission together!) We are teaching about Alma and Amulek.  It is amazing how these lessons can be applied to our lives.  Sometimes we feel a little picked upon, but our trials are nothing compared to those who were burned in the fire for believing.  Amulek lost his home, possessions, friends and family in order to teach the gospel and stand behind his testimony.  The Lord has blessed us with lots of answers to our worries about how to take care of things while we go teach people of the gospel.  We are grateful for his tender mercies!