Off to Mexico

We said goodbye to Wesley this morning! We love you Elder Wride!!

We went to bed at like 9 last night, which was good cause Wes was up at 3:30 a.m. to pack. He didn't pack last night, cause he said he didn't know what he would want to use in the morning, so he preferred to wake up early and pack. He woke me up when he came into ANK's room looking for tweezers (I was in there with K) and then around 4:30 he asked me if I could help him finish packing. So I got up and we got to work, finishing his laundry and fitting everything int his suitcases. They seem to still have room for any books that he'll get at the MTC. We woke up everyone at 5:30, and headed to the cars right around 6, good job team!

Corey and I drove, I had Wes in my car with NODPK. We listened to my Gospel - Get Pumped! playlist, which only has two songs, so first it was the Tabernacle Choir singing How Firm a Foundation, love it, and then it was Everfound "God of the Impossible". I came across the God of the Impossible song back in 2022 when I taught about David and Goliath during our Old Testament Adult Sunday School class. I found this David and Goliath youtube video (from a Brazil tv series called Rei Davi) and I loved the David in it! And his confident walk down to confront Goliath. I still like the video and I really like the song. :) As we listened to it, Wesley said "I just got chills..." I thought a lot of the lyrics were appropriate for the moment we were entering - "Just a boy... I'm ready to go! I'm ready to go!!!" and in a blessing Wesley received he was counseled, on his mission, to leave all personal affairs behind "I won't look back..."

Just a boy with a sling and a stone,
But the heart of a lion dared him to go.
To hear the sound of the cynical,
Die out with the sound of the giant's fall.

Ohhh, oh ohh!
I dare to believe in incredible things.
Ohhh, oh ohh!
I'm ready to go, I'm ready to gooo-oh!

Here I am! Lord send me!
I won't look back, cause I was made
To be a part, of the, imposs-ible!
You're God, of the, imposs-ible!

Here I am! Lord send me!
I won't back down, cause I believe
You are the God, of the, imposs-ible!
Here, I, am, send me!

Empty bones and a thirsty soul,
Dreamin' for more than the life I have known.
'Til I tasted a burning coal,
And my guilt was erased, and my sin was atoned!

Ohhh, oh ohh!
I dare to believe in incredible things.
Ohhh, oh ohh!
I'm ready to go, I'm ready to gooo-oh!

Here I am! Lord send me!
I won't look back, cause I was made
To be a part, of the, imposs-ible!
You're God, of the, imposs-ible!

Here I am! Lord send me!
I won't back down, cause I believe
You are the God, of the, imposs-ible!
Here, I, am, send me!

Ohhh, oh ohh!
I dare to believe in incredible things.
Ohhh, oh ohh!
Cause you're the God of the impossible.

Ohhh, oh ohh!
I dare to believe in incredible things.
Ohhh, oh ohh!
I'm ready to go, I'm ready to gooo-oh!

Here I am! Lord send me!
I won't look back, cause I was made
To be a part, of the, imposs-ible!
You're God, of the, imposs-ible!

Here I am! Lord send me!
I won't back down, cause I believe
You are the God, of the, imposs-ible!
Here, I, am, send me!

Send me!
(Send me!)
Send me!

Here he is! At the airport! We're sending him off, with trust in God that we will meet again at the end of his mission. Peter hurt his pinky toe the night before, and it hurt to walk, so Wes gave him a luggage ride. 

Getting closer. Wes is our first missionary that has had all his siblings come to the airport (not by choice of our previous missionaries, it was our choice and cause of covid)

Checking luggage.

Ok! Well, that's the last thing... he needs to go through security now, so this is where we all say goodbye. A nice airport person took the group photo for us, then Wes gave hugs all around. Corey got a video that I shall try to remember to upload to his youtube channel. 

I was ok until I saw Corey crying, and Corey started crying as Wes gave Peter a hug and squatted down to explain to him again what was going to happen. "I'm going to go on my mission now, but I'll be back in two years when you are 7! It will feel like a long time, but I need to go teach people about Jesus and I'll come back and I'm going to be so excited to see you!" As Wesley talked, Peter stood very straight, nodding his head with his eyes very open and not blinking, like he was trying to take in and remember the instructions. Then we waved and he backed up and walked away.

We stood around for a few minutes, trying to see if there was anywhere that we could see people after they passed through security, but it was all blocked off. And then I decided I'd take Peter and we'd walk toward the security line to see if we could see him. He was just coming up to the turn, so Peter was able to sneak in one last hug!

We continued to stand there, but we couldn't see him anymore. Sweet Peter looked a little sad as we walked out, but he's always had those tear drop Precious Moment child eyes. 

And then we headed home. It's been a bittersweet day. We're excited for Wes. This was our last day being with Wesley the teen. He's going to come back a 20 year old and with a life's worth of experience in a short 2 years. He's going to do great things for the Lord. 

Wesley's Call to Serve!

Wes called me today at 1:50 to let me know that his mission call was in his email inbox! Yahoo!!! He asked if he should wait until Thanksgiving at Park City (next week) to open it so everyone could be there? (aka Hyrum). I quickly shot that down, and Wes agreed - said he didn't think he could wait that long! So we decided for him to open it tonight at 7! Here he is opening it - keep reading to find out where he will be going!

We sent out texts to let family know - he texted the college kids and Wrides, I texted Hibberts and Abi Lily and Sophi at school. He put it on his Instagram. He came home early from working with Corey (I let him take the car this morning after he took the jr high carpool for me), he said he couldn't concentrate to get school stuff done, but that is ok since he got such an early start. (He has 7 more classes to do... English Part 2, American gov, physics part 1, physics part 2, financial literacy, math part 1, math part 2 - we're about to find out the real deadline he's got to finish it by!) So he helped me do stuff around the house. I was outside raking when he got here. We didn't need to do the backyard, but that was where I had been working - to load up the garbage cans with leaves and pine needles before the trash comes tomorrow. Katharine and Peter played on the trampoline as we worked. Peter wanted a blanket, and it made Katharine's hair very static-y!

Wes taught Katharine to go down the slide on Sunday when they were all at the park. She went down the slide a few times and Peter would catch her, even though she doesn't need to be caught. Then Corey and I left for a quick bike ride. The kids all chipped in cleaning while we were gone. Wes took this photo of Peter vacuuming the front room - aww!

(Abi said she had to re-vacuum it after, but they were glad that he wanted to help!) After we got back, Corey went to the temple and I took a quick cold shower and then I officially voted against Costco cookies and instead I made some Brazilian Rice and Curried Potatoes to feed any guests. Cousin Isaac arrived first, then Wayne, and my parents...

Wes had a world map on the kitchen table for people to write their guesses on. Joseph Mel and Ethan all drove up from BYU. More family and neighbors and friends flooded the kitchen. 

We had a slight delay as we waited for Uncle Mark and Aunt Chalane... soon they were here, and it was time! Reading the mission letter pic is at the top of this post, and for the exciting news of where Wesley will be spending the next two years of his life... He is assigned to labor in the Texas Lubbock Mission and will preach the gospel in the Spanish language!! Que bien!! Ethan made this story for fb/post for instagram - aww! I love it! 

Look at all those missionaries! We've got a pretty good testimony legacy going on so far, yay. So, that's pretty cool Wes! Lubbock Texas! Wes already says "Howdy" - now he had a reason to! He just needs to start saying y'all now. 

Welcome to the work Wes!! He starts his missionary training on January 22. He'll do like a week of Home MTC and then will go to the Mexico City Training Center to learn Spanish! Pretty exciting!