Mark Reports Feb. 18, 2015

 "I Hope They Call Me On A Mission".  

I hope they call me on a mission

When I have grown a foot or two.

I hope by then I will be ready

To teach and preach and work

as missionaries do.

I hope that I can share the gospel

With those who want to know the truth.

I want to be a missionary

And serve and help the Lord while 

I am in my youth.

It is interesting, in the LDS culture, children grow up singing that song and looking forward to the day they get called on a mission.  When they are babies it seems such a long time away.  As they grow it seems time passes quicker and quicker.  When Mark was called back in October is still seemed we had plenty of time.  The time passed quickly and we said goodbye to our oldest son last week.  

Mark choose to go out a day early.  Elaine was able to pick him up and he visited with the family one more time before reporting.

School was out the day he left, so the whole clan went to the airport to give him one last farewell.

Grant is already taller than Mark.  We joked around about how tall he will be when Mark comes home.

My mom was able to drop Mark off at the M.T.C. (missionary training center).  I begged her to get one last picture of him before he went in.  He looks so happy.  

The first night Mark was in the M.T.C. I got a phone call on my cell phone.  It came up as Provo, UT.  I wish I could say I was excited to answer.  The last couple months have been really tough for our family so I was thinking something was wrong, really quite terrified actually.  Turns out it was an old friend from Salem, calling to tell us to check Facebook.  He sat in on a lesson Mark taught on his first day.  He recognized Mark, said he looked just like his Dad.

One of Mark's best friends and college roommate reported to the M.T.C. a month before.  Simeon made a point to find Mark on his first day.  It is so fun to see these two together one more time before they leave for the next 2 years.