How is this happening? How is my oldest almost 18? Where has all the time gone?
I love this kid but being a mom to teenagers isn't always easy. I have tried my best at letting him spread his wings, cheering him on with the amzing things he is doing and being there when he learns those hard lessons sometimes life throws at us. He's an amazing kid who is a go getter!
Hunter is one of the youngest kids in his school class with an April birthday. We only have one other young man in our ward who is in his grade, everyone else is a year behind. Since the majority of Hunter's friends are Juniors this year, choosing to serve a mission now wasn't an easy decision for him to make. He has gone back and forth from serving now or waiting a year and leaving when all of his friends are leaving. We are also still in the midst of Covid-19. He has cousins and see's older siblings of friends who are currently serving. Their missions are not the norm. They are all being confined to their apartments with no procelyting, no going to church in person, and reaching out soley throught social media specifically Facebook, something Hunter doens't have nor has a desire to create. Even our own ward is still having Sunday services through Zoom. I don't blame him at all for considering waiting a year. I honestly don't know if I would submit my own papers knowing the world is still shut down. For several weeks now Hunter said he was going to wait a year before submitting his papers. We were 100% supportive. Then one day he came to me and said he changed his mind. He felt he needed to go now. And so he made an appt with our Bishop, Bishop Fawcett.
It took a few weeks getting all his doctors/dentist appts and all the paperwork together but at the same time it felt very fast. Then one Sunday after meeting with the Stake President, President Broadbent, the papers were sent to Salt Lake.
Two and a half weeks later on a Tuesday morning Hunter got the email...... he had his mission call. Tuesdays are CRAZY around our house anyways but this Tuesday was even more intense. All 4 kids including Kory had mutual at different times that night starting at 4pm. Kory's group was doing some night skeet shooting and so wasn't starting till 8 but the girls wouldn't be back until 8:30. Hunter wanted a "few" close friends to be present and so chose to open it the next day, Wednesday March 31st at 7 pm.
Oh my goodness! My emotions were all over the place. I kept busy at finishing the final touches for his world map for people to guess. We cleaned house and I made about 8 dozen cookies after Maddie posted the big news on Instragram and more and more people said they would be coming for the big reveal.
- The amount of kids that came to our house blew my mind! We had kids in the kitchen, in the family room, upstairs, down the hallway and in the entryway. I only snagged a few pictures......I was little busy and trying to keep my emotions from getting the best of me witnessing the amazing support we were being given. Jodi Rich an amazing school counselor/ Mission Prep Leader, Darren Bradshaw his YM leader and Colby Iverson a friends Dad came to support. We also had family friends, the Werretts, Goodfellows, Wheelers and Fagergren's came too. I tried counting several times and each time got over 80 people. My house was bursting at the seems.
Can't forget about the family! Matt and Miranda, Hanna and Chris, Sheri and her kids, both Grandparents and even Grandpa Hunter came to the big event.
I recorded Hunter opening his call while his Dad did a live recording over Facebook.
He has been called to the Cape Verde, Praia mission.
Where the heck is that?
It's 9 little islands west of Africa.
He will report to the Provo MTC on July 13th for 6 weeks.
He will be speaking Portugese.
When Hunter read Cape Verde, Praia it got pretty silent for a minute. Where was that? In the video you could hear people comment. "I think that is in Canada", " I think that is by Brazil", "Isn't that down by Florida?".
My son is going to Africa. I guessed he would be called to serve his mission in Montana, close to home and somewhere safe. My emotions could no longer be contained. I cried tears of joy, tears of uncertainess, tears for this young man whom will now be leaving the nest, and tears for the up coming change in our family dynamics.
