Last Wednesday, a large white envelope from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints arrived in my brother John's mailbox. It was addressed to his son, Thatcher, who was vacationing in California. The envelope sat unopened until tonight. Tons of family and friends gathered at John and Missy's home to watch their oldest son open his mission call.
Many of you who read my blog are of my same faith and know all about these things. Those of you who are not familiar may find this a little strange. At the age of 19 (or 21 for a female) a single person may desire to serve as a full-time missionary to represent our church. The individual fills out paperwork, has interviews with religious leaders to determine if it is the right choice for him/her, discusses finances (missionaries pay their own way), has physicals and dental checks performed, and turns all of this in to the church as a request to be called to serve. The missionary committee then issues a call, which is signed by our prophet (Thomas S. Monson). Physical limitations and special talents may be taken into consideration but for the most part, when a prospective missionary "turns in" his papers, s/he is awaiting a call to spend the next 2 years (18 months for females) of his life virtually anywhere in the world. There are currently 350 missions in 162 nations. You could be called to anywhere and be asked to learn any language. As you can imagine, receiving the envelope which contains this information is a very exciting (and often nerve-racking) event.
Here is a clip of Thatcher reading his mission call in front of all of us for the first time tonight.
The guy he gives 5 to in the video is my brother, Chris. He was called and served in the same mission, Phoenix, AZ, about 20 years ago. The guy Thatcher is hugging afterwards is his dad, my awesome brother John.
This clip is a little of his reaction after just reading the call:
Of course this brought back many memories for me. My life was forever changed the night I innocently sat on my bed on December 30, 1994. Out of the blue a thought, not an audible voice, but nearly as loud and clear said, "You will be 21 in 8 months. If you want to know about a mission, now is your time to ask." My response was, "Um...that's weird. I in fact do not want to know about a mission. I have never desired to go on a mission. I have never left home for more than a week at a time. I already have my plans for the next decade of my life all set out. So, thanks for that curious thought."
But, it was too late. The seed was planted. Little by little I began to nurture it. Quietly. To myself. And lo and behold, to my shock and almost dismay, it began to grow. I didn't really know many girls who had served missions. All 6 of my older brothers went on missions (2 called to Japan, 3 called to Germany, and 1 called to Phoenix, AZ), but my older sisters did not. I have an older cousin and a sister-in-law who did. None of my girlfriends planned to go. I truly never had any desire to go. It's not that I didn't believe it was a great thing to do nor was it that I didn't have a testimony of the truthfulness of the message I would carry, I just never had any inkling of desire to leave my family and friends for 18 months to go who knows where and live 24 hours/day with somebody by my side that I may or may not like at all and spend every ounce of time and energy serving the Lord (through other people)--whether sharing the gospel, doing community service, or whatever else the case may be.
Anyway, by March I finally did ask (aka pray) about serving a mission and received one of the strongest answers of my life. Now instead of fear when I thought of a mission, I was filled with joy. Truly, every time I thought about it, my heart would burn. And for some reason, I did not feel like sharing this with anybody. Out of necessity I told my father and eventually my mother. First of all, my Dad was my bishop (church leader of my congregation) at the time and it was required that I have an interview with him as part of the "application" process. Also, I did not have much money saved and knew that I could only serve with monetary support from my parents. I knew that they would be happy to do that for me because of how much they love and value the opportunities surrounding a mission but I did not want to just spring that on them. But, other than my parents, none of my family had any clue. And although my parents knew that I was going, I kept any conversation to a minimum. I honestly can't say why that is. I am not a secretive type person. But this was my happy secret that I held in my heart.
Little did my sister, Amy, know when she took this photo of me over 14 years ago that I was using it to send with my papers to our church headquarters.
May 17, 1995 I arrived home from my university classes and ran to the mailbox. It was a Wednesday and my papers had been turned in for a week. Calls usually arrived on Wednesdays, I had been told. I knew it might be another week or two until I received my call, but of course I was excited to check. I tried not to get my hopes up when I opened the creaky, little, black metal door. The mail was there. And there was a big white envelope. And it was addressed to me! And the return address was in Salt Lake City, UT. I started to shake but took a deep breath and walked inside. I was the only one home--mom and dad at work, younger sisters at school. Oh, no, wait, Chris was home. My older brother must have just come home from work for some lunch.
I walked into my bedroom, shut and locked the door. I knelt down by the side of my bed with the intention of saying a long, heartfelt prayer before opening the call. Instead, in the fastest words I could muster I scrambled out, "Heavenly Father, help me to know this call is right, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen." And then I was tearing the envelope open and searching the first paragraph for the words...and there they were:
TEXAS SAN ANTONIO MISSION
Then my mind shouted, "I thought I was going to be learning Spanish, where is the Spanish?" And then I read the next paragraph which said, "You shall prepare to teach the gospel in the Spanish language."
I was still shaking like a leaf but felt a wonderful peace come over me as if I already knew 100s of years before that I would one day receive this call. I read the whole thing again, making sure I got it right. Okay. Texas. San Antonio. Leave on August 9, 1995. Learn Spanish. I got up from my knees and headed out to the kitchen. Chris was fumbling around with something. Hardly able to control my voice, I said, "Hey, look what I got today."
He took the paper. Crinkled up his eyebrows. Looked at me. Looked at the paper.
"What is this?" he asked.
I smiled, still very shaken.
"What is this?" he repeated.
"It's my mission call," I said.
Pausing and still unable to process, he asked again, "What is this? Is this a joke?"
I shook my head and laughed nervously. "No, I'm going on a mission. I just barely opened my call."
Still not quite processing that his little sister had somehow decided to go on a mission and then not told anybody until now he looked at me puzzled. "For real?"
"Yeah." I was grinning ear to ear.
Then a huge smile came across his face, "That is awesome!" He went over to my parents old World Book Encyclopedias and pulled out the T. We looked at the map and read about the place I would be spending the next 18 months.
I don't remember who I told next. Did I call my parents or wait for them to come home and read it? I remember that my little sisters read the call and shouted and cried and hugged me. I remember them coming with me over to have Kathy read it. She got really angry at first because she doesn't like her loved ones to leave her side and she especially didn't like it being sprung on her like that. But then she was supportive and happy. I remember my friends being shocked. I remember Kelly just saying my name over and over with emphasis. Patti cried but told me I was going to be a great missionary. Lance, one of my very closest friends at the time, was quite subdued and almost seemed hurt. He is not my same religion and I think he almost took it personally that I had chosen to leave. Culley was laughing and joyful and we talked and talked about his mission, missions in general, and we laughed at the outline of motherly clothes they suggested I wear in the packet of info I received.
I am glad to have recorded that memorable day. The next months were very dark and I felt constantly as if there was a heavy force trying to hold me down and keep me from what I was supposed to do. I honestly don't know how to explain it other than that. I now know that I was going through some major physical problems that caused severe depression. That was part of it. The day I arrived at the MTC was a very joyful day. We pulled into the parking spot we were led to in Provo, UT and I immediately jumped out of the Toyota van and, with my arms raised shouted, "Yes! I made it!" I felt a huge weight lifted from me--as if the tentacles of enemies that had been trying to hold me back had at last been defeated.
Of course, that was all just the very beginning. I won't go into my actual mission experience right now. Maybe some day. But I will say that serving my mission was the best choice I ever made up to that point in my life. It was the most difficult and also the most amazing time of my life. It forever altered the course of my life and, I believe, formed the base of the person I am today and the woman I am trying to become. I am so eternally grateful to a loving Heavenly Father who not only answered my prayers but told me for what to pray.
P.S. If any of you actually made it to the end of this post, be nice to the missionaries you see. Maybe you aren't interested in what they have to say. But these guys that you see in the white shirts and ties with the black nametages, always 2 by 2, usually walking or riding their bikes--they are somebody's son, brother, nephew...just 19 year old kids, volunteering their time, paying their own way, and working hard to do something that they believe in. So, please be kind.
Sunday, August 23, 2009
A Mission Call
Friday, August 21, 2009
The Cool Kid
Loumy was born cool. I don't know what it is, but once you meet him, you just know that he is cool, even when he is just a goofy little kid pretending every pointed object is a light saber.
Today at lunch Deedle was bothering him about a new transformer he just received from his grandmother (Deb just returned from nearly 3 weeks on a cruise up the Danube. She found beautiful nesting dolls for the girls in Hungary but there wasn't much by way of boy stuff so she bought him the transformer and he is as happy as can be).
Anyway, Deedle is bothering him and he just says, as gently and kindly as can be, "Can you please not be getting all up in my face?"
Nancy laughed the other day when she noticed another funny but cool thing he does. If he is impatient or upset, he speaks with out moving his mouth. It is very hard to understand when he does this, but it makes me laugh. I literally have to say, "I need you to move your mouth when you say that so I can understand you." But, as with most mothers, I can usually understand what he's saying anyway.
And what's with the baby photos? Yesterday I was searching through old photos to find some that I want to use for a project. Seeing pics of my babies made my heart ache. I miss those babies somuch sometimes and I am always filled with regret that I didn't appreciate them as much or love them as hard as I should have. I don't know if that makes sense. Especially there is missing and regret regarding Loumy. I have often heard people say, "I have no regrets." And I think, "Well, that's nice. But I do. And hopefully those regrets motivate me to live better and more fully each day." Anywho...I missed most of the first 10 months of his life. Then just a few weeks after he came home the hepA virus kicked into full gear and I was sick for the next 6 months. Because of dehydration, pain, and other problems, many memories from Loumy's first 6 months to year home are simply gone. Its sad. Here are a few photos. Luckily some of them remind me of little things. He was just such an amazingly gorgeous baby. So, let me post these and dwell on my regret for just a moment and then I will move forward, hug him harder, and try not to let more days pass with out appreciating and loving my kids at each stage.
He loved the bath...
When he was learning to walk, he hated to walk on any surface that wasn't smooth. Wood chips and grass were his nemesis.
Just cute. He is being held by Aunt Amy.
He loves peek-a-boo. Here he is with Aunt Kathy posing for the camera.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
More Catch Up
I love these two photos of my sleeping boys, even if I only have a crummy camera!
At the beginning of the summer we went to the Zoo with Nancy and Zhateal. I bought a season pass. Haha. Good one. Like we're ever going again. But it was a lot of fun...for the kids...and in that I felt better about myself as a mother for making such a trek.
Somehow I caught a lot of large bottoms in my photos of women who are completely unrelated. I hope no stranger has a very unflattering photo of my backside on their blog.
For a good chuckle, make sure to check out Deedle's expressions in nearly every photo.
Catching Up
This post is just one big catch up on a lot of stuff that I thought I wanted to blog about but never had the time to do. And all of this is being underlined like it is a nice link and its not supposed to be. Oh well
String Cheese participated in a British Soccer Camp this year. She was the only girl in a group with 9 boys. I was very proud of her for how brave she was. She is getting to be a very good little player. They had "Wacky Wednesday" and the kids were supposed to dress up. This pic is cool because it sums up SC pretty well.
Remember this post? Here is an update:
Against her wishes, my mother was chosen as Mother of the Year for the city in which I was born and raised. The organization wanted her to be in a parade on the 24th of July. She said she'd only do it if she could have some of her grandkids with her to draw the attention away from her. So, they got a nice little truck and some of the grandkids were able to be in the parade with her. I love you, Mom. And think you are the best mother in the world!
She let the grandkids dress up, if they so desired. My kids chose outfits that best fit their personalities and I let them wear them. It was over 100 degrees and Loumy had on that Superman outfit. Unbeknownst to me, he was also wearing jeans and a long-sleeved shirt underneath. Glad he didn't get heatstroke!
Speaking of my Mama, she celebrated her 73rd birthday on July 27th. I called her to see what was going on and found out that she didn't have any birthday dinner plans. She told me they were going to have leftovers and that she had purchased a pie to bake for herself. So, I talked her into coming over for some fish tacos and some time with us. Its funny, when I get my parents alone on special occasions I almost feel like I'm being sneaky or something to the rest of my siblings. It is always just a really special treat for us all!
Finn is now 5 months old and is continuing to thrive and be just the best, happiest baby I've ever met. We love him madly. He is enjoying his bath time and beginning to figure out how to swallow semi-solid foods.
The girls got school haircuts a week or two ago. Here SC is looking more like 17 than 7 to me!
Monday, August 17, 2009
A Crazy Thought Train About Scary Things
Tia just shared a spooky spooky SPOOKY story about spiders that now has me feeling like I need to go take a shower because I'm itchy and SPOOKED! I do not allow the use of the word "hate" in our home. Its an ugly word and an ugly thing. How beautiful this world would be with out it. But guess what, I HATE spiders.
Anyway, reading about spiders I realized that I might be more scared of spiders than anything else in the world. Small spaces and spiders. Yes, I know what the official phobias are called and I have them. But then I started to think that I am not so scared of everything. I mean, my sisters tell me weird things all the time that they are terrified of and I just think, "Hm...yes, that would be scary if you drove into a lake with all of your children in the car (Nancy)...and yes, that would be scary if you got attacked by some kind of wild animal in the cat family (Amy)...and yes, that would be not too cool to have a mouse run across your foot (Kelly) but I can't say that I am really scared of that happening or that it is something I think about."
That made me think of my dear friend, Isson. He is one of the founders of Haitian Roots and is just the best guy. But he is very scared of snakes. He told me that once but I didn't really know how scared until he was at our house one time and I told Loumy to sneak up behind him with this little wooden snake that we had. It is made out of wooden chips and is on a ribbon and moves like a real snake. Maybe some of you have seen those toys. Anywho...that is one of those moments that I would have given anything to have on video. Isson jumped sky high and the look of terror in his eyes was something fierce, even once he knew it was a toy. But that's not nice of me to laugh about.
And that made me think about the time that we were out in the backyard and String Cheese and Deedle were playing on the swingset while Chancho and I did some yard work. SC and D were talking about snakes and their distaste for them. This was a few years ago so the girls were very tiny and this is what happened.
SC: I don't like snakes. Are there snakes around where we live, Mom?
Me: Well, yes, some snakes do live in our state.
SC: But not around here, right?
Deedle: Yes! There are snakes around here!
SC: But not right in our house. Are there mom? There aren't snakes out here in our yard, are there?
At that exact moment, I jumped and stifled a yelp as a long, black snake slithered slightly under the weeds I had just pulled. I stood for a moment holding my heart and trying not to scream.
Me: Chancho (I said it amazingly calmly). Chancho could you come over here for a minute with your shovel?
SC: Mom! Mom! I asked if there are ever snakes in our yard? There are no snakes in our yard, right?
Me: Chancho, hurry quickly please.
I smiled at SC and Deedle and pointed to the snake for Chancho to see. Then I stepped in front of him as he attacked the snake with the shovel.
SC: Mom!!! I said there are no snakes in our yard, right???!!!
Me: No, honey. No worries. (Chancho and I are now laughing as he surreptitiously scoops up pieces of the snake with the shovel to throw in the trash bag). No snakes around here!
And that story reminds me of the cool kid I met while running on Saturday. We have a lovely trail by my house and I've been getting back into shape little by little. I was nearing the end of my run Saturday afternoon when I slowed and then stopped because of the strange sight in front of me. About 20 yards in front of me on the path I saw what appeared to be a little boy walking his bike and holding...could it be...a snake. As I got a little closer, my initial sighting was confirmed. The boy was maybe 7 or 8 and the snake was big for around here. It was literally at least 5 feet long from head to tail and a good 2 inches in diameter at its thickest middle.
I approached cautiously as the snakes moved about. The boy held it out at arms length and smiled at me.
Me: So, I see you've got a snake there.
Boy: Yep. You know what kind it is?
Me: Nope. Its got a strange block pattern I don't recognize. Maybe you should put it down.
Boy: I think its a rattler. Do you think it is?
Me: Well, no, it doesn't have a rattle on the end, but it might not be really nice.
Boy: Yeah, it already bit me once. I like snakes, though. But I don't like them when they bite me really hard and it hurts and makes me cry. See, this one bit me right here on the leg but it didn't really hurt. Do you think its a rattler?
Me: No, its not a rattler. But since we don't know what kind it is, it might be a good idea to put it back down.
Boy: No, I caught it. I caught 16 of 'em. I like snakes. I'm gonna take it home.
Me: Hm...well...um...
Boy: Are you scared a' snakes?
Me: Actually, yes. I'm kind of scared of snakes.
Boy: I'm not. I love snakes. Do you think this is a rattler?
Me: No.
Boy: What kind do you think it is?
Me: Garter snake?
Boy: No. Its not a garden snake. But I don't know what kind it is. I'm gonna take it home.
Me: Well, I think it would be a better idea for you to not pick up snakes if you don't know what kind they are because it might be poisonous and could hurt you.
Boy: It didn't really hurt that much when it bit me. What kind do you think it is?
Me: I don't know. I guess if you take it home you could ask your mom to look up the pattern on the internet or something.
Boy: Yeah. Its not a rattler.
Me: Okay, well, be careful, all right? I'm going to go now.
And since coming home, I've decided to do a little research on snakes in my area. There are 31 indigenous snakes in this area and 7 of them are poisonous. Here's an interesting tidbit of info: When you see a snake (or if a little boy is holding up a big huge one) look at the eyes. Check the pupil and shape of the eye itself. Relax if the both the eye itself and the pupil are rounded in shape. However, use extreme caution or call the appropriate authorities if the eye and the pupil are elliptical like a cat's. These are hallmarks of a poisonous snake.
I also am quite sure that the snake this boy found was a Painted Desert glossy snake. It was definitely not a garter or water snake that we commonly see. Anyway, that's enough of my thoughts of scary things. 
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Take My Poll!
Just out of curiosity, I posted a poll to the right. Please take the time to vote. It's anonymous and just for my own benefit.
The question is: Why don't you give $22/month to send a Haitian child to school?
Possible answers:
I do! So quit bugging me. | |
We are struggling to make our ends meet and can't give at this time. | |
I don't think Haitian Roots is a worthy cause. | |
I only give charitable donations through my church. | |
I think Haitian Roots is great but I give to other charities. | |
I probably will one day but mostly I just don't take the time to do it. | |
I question the integrity of Haitian Roots | |
I don't believe education is the answer to eradicating poverty. | |
Other. |
 | |
Haitian Roots Newsletter July 2009
and catastrophe." ~ H.G. Wells
Dear Supporters and Friends of Haitian Roots,
This is the time of year that most of us are turning our minds towards school. Whether we are going back ourselves, whether we are sending our kids back, or whether it is simply the unmistakable racks of backpacks and binders lining the store shelves in place of the summer merchandise, it is evident that it is “back to school” time! As a mother, I talk to my friends about our feelings about our kids returning to school—will their teachers be good? When is back-to-school night? Did you hear about that sale on notebooks? Is your son on the bus route? How will my daughter do going to school all-day? These are the questions that we discuss. One question that we never ask is, “Will my child be able to go to school this year?” Regrettably in
What Is New?
- We are excited to provide an education for an additional 20 children this year (bringing our total up to 133). These children live mainly in the
- These new children will be overseen by a new in-country coordinator, Harry Mardy! We are so happy to have him join our team! Harry is well-known to the Haitian Roots team. He has been a close friend of
- We have a new blog! It is integrated right into our website. You can view the most recent post on our home page www.haitianroots.com. Click on the blog link to read more. We hope this will fill the need for us to have better communication with our supporters. We will be featuring information about the children in Haitian Roots, any experiences we have had with them in Haiti, experiences our supporters have had on their trips to visit Haitian Roots children, and general Haiti information. We also will be featuring information about fundraisers to help give inspiration and ideas. If you have held a fundraiser for Haitian Roots and would be willing to share on our blog, please e-mail us at: info@haitianroots.com
Our Accomplishments and Goals
We are so grateful for the generous support that you have given to us over the past four years. We started with only 23 children in 2005. We now have 135 children in the program. We are so proud of them for working so hard even while in very difficult circumstances outside of the classroom. Our current goals are to find sponsors for all of the children currently in the program as well as raise funds for our first school. We are seeing the need to have a home-base office in
Reflections on
Board Member Chareyl Moyes traveled to
Kathy shared the following:
“I had the wonderful privilege of traveling to
While I knew in theory that education was surely important, it was not until I saw the desperate circumstances Haitians everywhere are facing that I came to realize that educating the children of
During my visit to 
Another exciting moment was when I was able to meet all but one of the 20 new children that Haitian Roots is going to be adding to their school program. My heart almost broke to see each child and parent dressed in surely what was their only "nice clothes". I could tell they very much wanted Harry, Chareyl Moyes and I to know that they were serious about their commitment to have their children attend school. They all had to travel some distance by "tap tap" to bring the children to the hotel for their photos and to complete the contracts with Haitian Roots. Each child received a school bag and a soccer ball or doll. You cannot even imagine the look on their faces as they peeked inside their school bag to see colored pencils, clean white notepaper and other school supplies. Each child clutched their school bag to them closely and solemnly nodded as the translator told them these were for school and to take care of them. I just cannot tell you enough about what an amazing experience this was. I actually saw hope in the eyes of parents and children compared to the abject despair I saw in the people living out on the streets.
I am so excited to be a tiny part of Haitian Roots through sponsorship and hope many more sponsors will come forward for this worthy cause.”
To read about Chareyl’s experiences and to learn more about our new coordinator, Harry, please visit our blog at www.haitianroots.com
How You Can Help!
- If you are sponsoring a child, are considering sponsoring a child or making a general donation, please do so TODAY! We still need to raise another $9,000 for our first payment by the end of the August. Mail us a check (609 W. 3850 S.,
- Encourage your school to hold a fundraiser.
- Check out the blog on our website for fundraising ideas.
- Invite a member of Haitian Roots to speak to your school, youth group, church group, etc.
- Write about us on your blog and include a link to our website: www.haitianroots.com
- Talk to your place of business about making a charitable donation.
- Can’t make a large donation all at once? That is fine. Contact as at info@haitianroots.com about having a monthly sum of ANY amount deducted directly from your bank account.
You Are Appreciated
In quoting H.G. Wells again, he said, “Human history becomes more and more a race between education and catastrophe.” It often feels that we truly are in a race. When I feel discouraged, I like to remember these words of Abraham Lincoln: “I am not bound to win, but I am bound to be true. I am not bound to succeed, but I am bound to live up to what light I have.”
We may not save every child in
Sincerely,
The Haitian Roots Team
Friday, August 7, 2009
Soccer Clinic
I have absolutely no time to blog. Okay, I guess its not "absolute" because I am actually trying to blog. I am completely consumed (okay, again, not "completely" but almost) with trying to get things organized and funds raised to be able to send 135 children to school in Haiti this fall. But I do want to record a couple of things.
First, the kids had a super fun time this past week at a free soccer clinic put on by our local Major League Soccer team. We all love soccer and I especially love a free activity. They gave the kids shirts and free water bottles. The coaches were great and there were two players from the team who came. String Cheese was star struck and made me think of my good friend Tia Juana who loves her some celebrity. SC told me that it was one of the best days of her life because these guys, Rafael Cox and Rachid El-Khalifi signed her shirt. But can you blame her?
Oh, and the girls got haircuts that day as well. They wanted to go very very short. I loved their long locks but did not want to make a fuss about keeping beautiful hair because, well, who knows when you might lose it so I like to keep a prety nonchalant attitude about hair-importance. And I think they look cute.
A big windstorm started up and there was a bit of rain so we thought it might get canceled, but they pressed on.
And there was a lovely rainbow.
I don't know that the kids really learned anything about soccer, but they had a lot of fun. And they had some drill that I have no idea what the point was but they got to run around and scream with Rafael Cox and they thought it was splendid.
