Sunday, May 14, 2017
Mother’s Day phone call
We left church about 20 minutes early because we were expecting Mitchell to call home around 4 pm. When I got home, Garrett had the computer all hooked up to the family room tv and both Connor and Spencer were connected on Google Hangout. Lauren and Dennis and the kids were there. We grabbed a few snacks to put out to hold us over until the call was done and we were ready to eat. Grandma Linda, Clarke, Shelly, Mike and Curtis came in. We sat ourselves down on the couch and the waiting game began. We talked with Connor and Spencer for quite a while and then everyone started to get a little impatient. I reread the text he had sent that he would call between 4 and 5. As it got closer to 5 even I was getting anxious. And then the call came in and there was my boy. He was calling from the church computer. He was sitting in a little closet and his companion kept coming in and out of the room. We got to meet Elder Mendez and he seems like a nice young man. He organized a closet a lot of the time that Mitchell talked. He called his mom on Wednesday which was Mexican Mother’s Day. Mitchell looked great. His blonde hair that he had as a young boy was back. He has lost a lot of weight and he looked so handsome. He was very pink from being out in the sun so much. And then he got silly and giggly. It was so good to see him. My heart was so full at that time.
The internet connection wasn’t perfect. He kept breaking in and out especially as people were talking and asking questions. He went to go answer the first question (I can’t remember what we had asked him first and he started to speak in English but we weren’t sure if he was speaking English or if he was speaking his own made up language of English and Spanish. He had admitted that he had
He loves where he is. He lives about 15 min taxi drive or 30-45 min walk to the church. He had fish for dinner at a member’s house before he called us. It was fun to have him explain to us about the fish dinner. They eat fish quite often and he really likes it.He loves his area and loves his companion. They get along well and they work well together. They are working with a family and they will be having a baptism on the 27th with a bunch of investigators. It’s a big event that day because there are so many that are getting baptized that day. He walks a lot and his shoes are getting worn. He needs new shoelaces and some more garments. I told him I would put a package together but I will wait until next week after he finds out if he gets transferred or not. If he gets transferred he thinks he will go back to the city. But then he said that he doesn’t think he will be transferred. He is getting a new Mission President the first of July and he doesn’t think Pres will make any changes before he leaves. He had Zone Conference with Pres on Sat and he said it was really good. I’ll try and remember the conference talk he referenced to. He doesn’t get to really see any other missionaries except the ones in his district. He lives 12 hours away from the mission home and he doesn’t ever go there. The Mission Pres and his wife comes to visit them. He doesn’t really know very many missionaries so far because he was only in his first area for one transfer and he’s been where he is now for 6 months. He will be out now for 8 months on the 20th and if he doesn’t get transferred he will be in Puerto Escondido for 7 ½ months. It’s a touch area and it’s hard to find people to teach. They knock on doors and it’s hard to get the members to give referrals. He also talked about how there are 4 different kind of areas in his mission, The City, The Coast, The Mountains and the South.
He likes the food and he eats a lot of soup and chicken. He wants simple skillet recipes. He only has a single burner in the kitchen and doesn’t have an oven. He likes to make pizza with members and he’s getting the dough recipe better. He has only eaten about 3 meals his whole mission that hasn’t had tortillas. They eat tortillas with everything. The sushi he had a couple of weeks ago he really enjoyed. His brother Spencer said it looked really sketchy but Mitchell said it was pretty good. He doesn’t have measuring spoons or cups and it seems like no one there does. I told him that that’s probably the reason his dough is so sticky. He blamed it on the altitude but I don’t know. We talked a lot about recipes he could make. He eats a lot of ham and chicken. He’s tired of grilled cheese sandwiches. It was hard to talk to him because the internet kept kicking in and out.
We talked about his piano and he tries to practice a couple times a week. He has learned a few songs with his right hand but its difficult with his left hand. He wants to make sure he practices. He said he asked for it so he needs to learn. Garrett told him that he was going to the Imagine Dragons concert and he was a little jealous and the big brothers teased him about seeing Guardians of the Galaxy. Of course we talked about golf and that dad was golfing about once a week. Mitchell said there is a golf course in the city and when he returns to the city he wants to go play on his pday. We talked about the summer plans and the trips we will be taking. We talked about his dad working in the temple and what a blessing that is in our family. We also shared how well his dad is doing as the Young Men’s President and how much he loves doing that. Mitchell is in a very small ward and there are only 3 or 4 young men. It was fun to hear the brothers talk to him in Spanish and compared their missions to his. Connor gave him some advice on how to find people to teach and that was nice to hear. The boys take care of each other and they love each other. Garrett told him he doesn’t want him come home anytime soon because that means that Garrett will be leaving on his mission. Taymar sang to him and told him a couple of stories and that was fun. We show him how Aaron crawls like a monkey and we told him that his sister was having a baby girl. When he gets home she will be almost 1 years old. That is crazy to think. We talked a little bit about Uncle Mike and his accident and how he was feeling. We talked about what he wanted to do about school and when he comes home. He wants to finish out his whole mission. If he came home in time for school to start, he will have to come home a transfer early. He doesn’t want to do that. He wants to come home on his release date and hang out at home, maybe work at Harkins for the holidays and go to school in January. Connor told him he has an extra room right now. He could be his roommate if he came home now. We teased Connor about getting married and we said that Garrett would be married before Connor or Mitchell.
He is happy where he is. He loves sharing the gospel and he loves being a missionary. He wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. He wrote to Andrew and Devin his two buddies and he wanted us to get him in contact with Zach his buddy in the Ward that he got to help teach the first missionary discussion to.
Well, this is about all I can remember with my old memory. We had him bare his testimony in Spanish and he’s getting pretty good at it. His brothers of course had to tease him about his Mexican Spanish. Overall he is happy, he loves being a missionary, and He’s excited about his baptism next week. We are so proud of him and the decision he made to go on a mission. He’s a good missionary who is obedient. He wants me to send him a package and he wants chocolate covered almonds. I told his I would do the best I could do to make that happen. His companion came in and held up 2 fingers which meant Mitchell had two more minutes. I held up 4 fingers because we still needed to take a family picture. He giggled and said ok but we needed to hurry. I knew the time was getting short even before his companion gave us the 2 min warning. We gathered around and took the picture. We said good bye for about 2 min and I wasn’t going to hit the end button. He told me not to cry, and of course the tears started to flow. I did my best to keep them in. We said good bye and he was gone. And then the tears came and they came hard and fast.
I am so proud of my son. He has the spirit inside of him and he glows. He is happy, he is healthy and he loves what he is doing. I wouldn’t want him to be anywhere else or doing anything differently at this time. Time is going fast and he will be home before we know it, but I’m not worried about that or even think about it. I want him to find people to teach and to share the gospel.
We love all of our children and have been blessed with some amazing kids that love the Lord and are good examples to those around them. I know that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is true. I know that if we keep the commandments and do what is right, we will be blessed in so many ways. I know that the power of the priesthood is real and I am so thankful that I have a worth husband and sons to hold that priesthood. I am thankful for the Book of Mormon and I know that as I read it and listen to it on the way to work, that I can find answers to questions and can show me the way to return back to our Heavenly Father. I know that the Atonement of Jesus Christ is real and if we truly apply the atonement in our lives, we can come closer to Jesus Christ and He will be there during our trials. I know that our family is blessed when we attend the Temple. There are angles among us that watch over us and keep us safe. I know that I have an eternal family and that I will be able to live with them again. I am thankful to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and I am thankful for my husband and my children and my family. Families are Forever. If you have any questions about what our son is doing in Oaxaca as a missionary or about the Church we belong to, please ask. We love the Lord and we want to help those that are searching for the truth to Come Unto Christ.
