Good bye, Sam.

Sam arrived in Chile on on Wednesday after a 20+ hour flight which started in Long Beach California on Tuesday morning.  On Wednesday morning we got this funny email from him announcing his arrival:

Family and friends,

so, i am here in chile! i made it safely. i met up with other elders and sisters along the way.  in total, there were about 8 of us... i will send pictures later.

in the last two days i have had about 3 hours of sleep and still haven't had a real meal. they gave us a fake dinner on the plane which wasn’t that good but, it helped. after we landed, we had to go through security which basically meant people were yelling at us in spanish and they were getting really frustrated because we wouldn’t obey. i guess it’s going to be like this for the next 6 months. then we met some church worker that drove us to a mission housing place.  things are a lot different down here. the drivers are terrible! no one knows how to drive. i almost saw 6 accidents on the way over here. things look ok...i should survive. i have to go and i love you all!

This morning I saw this clip from a reality TV show called, Two Brothers Two.  The show is a documentary that follows the lives of two brothers, Luke and Sam,  over a span of 20 years.    I initially saw this series about 2 years ago.  As I watched the clip about the older brother's experiences in Chile this morning, it took on a whole different meaning knowing that Sam will be experiencing some of the same things as the brother in the video. (except the part about the earthquake)

   

You can see the video of Two Brothers Two  by clicking here. 

Hello, Kristine! Goodbye Sam!

This board has been hanging in my kitchen across from my kitchen table for the past 3 years.  The first year and a half was when Lisa was serving her mission in Salta, Argentina.  The last year and a half  was when Kristine was serving her mission in Portland, Oregon.   Kristine returned home from Oregon at the end of last month.   The other day I added the bottom picture of Sam, and his mission map and flag.  He'll be leaving soon to serve his mission to Rancagua, Chile.  

This Sunday in our church, Kristine will be speaking about how the Gospel of Jesus Christ is changing lives in Portland, Oregon.  Sam will be also be speaking about the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  You are welcome to come join us.  Our services start at 10:00 and are at 1452 Royal Oaks Drive, Duarte.

I am happy that my children have chosen to serve a mission. Mormon.org explains my feelings on the subject of missionary service:

The Savior taught His disciples, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations” (Matthew 28:19). As followers of Jesus Christ, members of His Church are enthusiastic about proclaiming the good news of His restored gospel to all who are willing to listen.

You may have seen missionaries riding on bicycles or walking door to door, sharing their message. They are doing everything they can to seek out people who may be interested in learning more about Jesus Christ and God’s plan for their happiness. They serve in pairs, for “in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established” (Matthew 18:16). Missionaries volunteer full-time service for a period of eighteen months to two years.

When I tell my friends about my children's  missionary service, they are curious about how their mission assignments are made.  You can read about how their assignments are made in another magpad blog post found by clicking here.