"I'll Go Where You Want Me To Go, Dear Lord"

Getting the Call

The thought to go on a mission was always in the back my mind, but it wasn't until last November, when Ann started to consider the idea, that we openly discussed it.

The thought of serving in a temple somewhere was what opened the door.  That seemed possible.  We targeted June 1st as an "available" time, and started working toward that.  We had understood, mistakenly, that we would have to wait until Feb. 1st to submit our application.  It turns out that couples can begin the process much earlier than the young elders and sisters.

It was interesting to fill out the online application--it became obvious how different Ann and I are.  We finally opted to make no preference as to where or how we'd like to serve, leaving it entirely up to the Lord and the needs of His Kingdom.

Between getting everything cleared up in my life, and Ann wrapping up her career as an accountant, things were "on again, off again" with the whole process.  Finally we received word that the Missionary Committee had cleared our call, and the "Big White Envelope" came April 24th.

"You are hereby called to serve as a missionary of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  You are assigned to labor in the Indianapolis Indiana Mission.  Your primary assignment is to labor with North America Northeast Area Family History Records Preservation as a records preservation specialist."

Luckily, Ann's said the same thing.  They really did find something that would match both of us.

That triggered a lot of questions about the nature of our assignment.  Our best answers came from Family Search, our future bosses.  A Records Preservation Mission proved to be a very prophetic video.  It shows folks doing exactly what we've ended up doing.

Our call was to report to the MTC in Provo on June 30 for a week of general missionary preparation using Preach My Gospel, and then continue specific training in Salt Lake City the next week.  With that kind of deadline, life became a whirlwind of decisions--what to do with the house, the cars, packing, business matters, etc.  But it all miraculously came together, as did the call itself.

We can look back and see the hand of the Lord in every step of the way.  He guided our thoughts, He answered our pleas for support, peace, forgiveness, and He prompted others as they supported and guided us.

And the miracles continue, as we'll share with you, our friends and family.