Ready to Go

We have been so busy in preparation for leaving home and heading to Nauvoo.  Life has come at us and I have spent quite a few sleepless nights.  This night being one of them.  That is a sure sign that I am over stressed.  We received our call April 8th to go to Nauvoo.  Even that came with drama.  Mission calls were lost either in the MTC or the mail system and we had to call up and go down to church headquarters and pick it up.  We entered the MTC on the 4th of May and spent that week going over Preach My Gospel.  I really appreciated that--it is a powerful tool that allows the missionary to work with the Spirit to teach and reach other people.  I really loved that feeling of teaching with the Spirit and made what we have gone through worth it, if we can have experiences that allows us to be instruments like that.  Pretty validating to feel the Lord working through you.  I look forward to having those types of experiences often.  Our setting apart was a great experience as well.  It was sure special to have our children and grandchildren there with us and share in that--fast forward from sending Casey, Holly, and Sean out on missions to where the parents are going out.  We really are blessed to have so many gospel/church related experiences that let you know God is real, is working in our lives and bears witness to you that He has a plan for each of us and wants and needs our help.  Through all the stressed out times of preparation which included a farewell and talk preparation, packing up and assessing what and what not to take with us, sewing up some period clothing, buying the clothes we needed, get our home ready to turn over to kids to take care of, medical issues to be helped (knee shots for me)--always a dozen things to think about it seems--I was ready for a break.  Mac and Maria Griffiths offered to give us a going away dinner and pool party, then they extended it to our whole family.  Makes me cry now to think about that Monday night (the 4th)--all of our kids and grandkids (Sean and Kim excluded) got to go over to the Griffiths and enjoy the heated pool and a wonderful Mexican meal (Maria is the best cook ever).  After a full day in the MTC and then coming and seeing my family happy and enjoying themselves, I just started crying--it made me so happy to see that and know that life was so good in spite of us leaving for a time.  Our family would be fine, Doug and I would be fine.  I can't thank Mac and Maria enough for that time off--it was what I needed to reboot. 

Our Pool Party at the Griffith's pool--so much fun--grateful for my family

 

Country Park 5th Ward Bishopric--taken at a RS social in February--Doug, Brent Pugh, Bryce Fox

 

Doug was released from the Bishopric May the 3rd. It was the end of another phase in our lives.  He has enjoyed serving with those good men, Bishop Larsen, Bishop Pugh and Bro Fox, and Bro Hodgson.  Bro Hodgson was put in in his place.  We were grateful for this mission we get to step in to  and give us purpose and then see where God takes us from here.  And because life is not ever static, Kay and Derek found out that they are moving sooner than expected--right behind us.  I know that is hard on Kay to pull off this move across country.  I wish we could be here to help that happen--and the mother in me wants to try and make sure she is all settled and happy in her new location--but I'm not going to be able to.  She will have to do that on her own, which of course she is capable.  That seems to be part of the sacrifice--leave our family. Maybe the kids are glad for that, but just maybe they may miss us as much as we will miss them.  Life is always changing, and my kids lives are always changing.  I either have to embrace that or fight it--seems like I do too much fighting it at times, but I think I am getting better at just rolling with it all.  At least I am getting lots of practice these last 4 mos.
 

Elder and Sister Sullivan at the MTC World Map

One of our trainers, a very special young lady, Sister Moore--we learned so much from her

               Our District at the MTC--the Fillmore's (going to Honduras), the McRae's (going to Martin's Cove, Wyoming Trails missions), the Floyd's (going to Ventura, Calif--mission office) and The Sullivan's--enjoyed getting to know these very fine people and wish we could meet up again someday.