A young man doesn't just decide that he wants to serve a mission one day and report the next. It takes years of preparation for a commitment like this. First, and foremost, he has to want to serve for himself and for the Lord. This decision comes at different ages for different people. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints sends missionaries out to serve for 2 years when they are anywhere between 19 and 26 years old. Next, he has to make sure his life is in order so he is worthy to serve. This includes church attendance, lots of prayer, eclesiatical interviews, church service, paying tithes, and more. The final steps include filing out applications, receiving the Melkezedic Priesthood, temple worthiness, more interviews, and medical exams. When all of the details have been taken care of, the prospective missionary waits a period of time for the big white envelope to come in the mail.
Todd was out in Utah when he received his white envelope! So, we put the computer and internet to use and had a huge conference call with as many friends and family members as we could gather. What a great blessing to have today's technology!! In one conference call, we had people from all over the country tuning in to include relatives and friends in Utah, Virginia, and Tennessee. In all, we had about 10 families participating. We quickly learned that Todd would be serving the Spanish speaking people in the Nevada Las Vegas Mission!! It certainly didn't matter where he was called to serve, but this mission sure did fit Todd!! He was to report to the Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah on August 25th!! That seemed like a long time to wait.
So, we all finished up our school year, packed up our house and apartment, and moved to Suwanee, Georgia. That was enough to keep us busy!! Add to that two talks in church, 2 trips back to Mississippi, at trip to see Grandpa Hey, shopping for mission supplies, and our family was busy!! At last, Jeff and I were able to take Todd out to Utah to finish up preparations for his mission and see him off at the MTC as Elder Cronin! Here are a few pictures along the way!
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We all joined Todd when he was ordained to the Melkezidek Priesthood by his dad. Bishop Galt and President Wood were there, too.
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Out in Utah, we finished up Todd's to-do list for his mission, which included compiling a 4-generation pedigree chart. Wasn't he glad his mother had done her family history work!! He only had to make a few clicks on the computer, and presto!, out came his family history. Boy, technology sure is great!
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| Our short trip to Salt Lake City was packed with activities and events. One of which was taking Todd to the Salt Lake Temple. What a great experience!! Words cannot describe our morning, but it was just perfect. Todd's best friend from school, Austin Hatch, was able to be there, too. Rachel was a great support for us all as we accomplished our to-do list. It was a memorable time!! |
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| We finished the morning off with great food from a cafe in the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. |
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| Well, it wasn't all about Todd! We did have a couple of hours to enjoy Alta!! |
Back to business!! We met at the Stake President's home so Todd could be set apart as a missionary. Simple and sweet. Rachel and her family joined us.
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Of course, for Elder Cronin, this meant a hand shake for Rachel, a companion at all times (Dad until he reaches the MTC), and an arm's length from any young woman!! He's ready for the MTC now!!
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| Are we there yet?!?!?! |
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It seems that we missed the traditional missionary drop off by about a year. Now it's just unload and go. It was very sweet to see the hundreds of missionaries there to greet the incoming Elders. They were waving, I was crying!! We stopped at marker 23 to unload and say a quick goodbye.
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