Those of you on Facebook have already seen all of this unfold, but it's nice to recap anyway. Dexter's mission call arrived Wednesday and a flurry of phone calls and text messages commenced. Our dear friend, Linda, was so excited that she offered to go retrieve Dexter from Arizona as long as Dwayne would help with the driving. They left Wednesday evening and arrived in Ft. Defiance after 1:00 am. A few hours later, they were on their way again, stopping in Shiprock so Linda could visit with a friend. Dexter walked into our house around 3:25 pm and the crowds started gathering for the big announcement.
I've realized how blessed they were on this little road trip. Just minutes after they left Provo and got past Spanish Fork, there was a big accident that shut down the entire south-bound side of the freeway. They would have been stuck there for a long time if they had left later. I really didn't think they would turn around so quickly to come back to Provo, but it turned out to be a very good thing that they did. About two hours after they got home, a serious semi collision involving a fuel truck closed down US6 from Spanish Fork to Price. If they had left Ft. Defiance two hours later, they wouldn't have been able to get back to Provo tonight (the road is still closed).
We had cell phones calling a variety of friends and family members so they could listen in as Dexter read his mission call. What I learned from this experience is that unless you hold the phone really close to the person speaking, it doesn't pick up much sound. Several of us had to repeat the information before ending the phone calls. I've seen videos of people jumping up and down and getting all excited when they find out where they are going and I honestly expected that from Dexter. He was awfully low-key while reading the letter and I started to wonder if he was disappointed when he read "McAllen, Texas" for his mission. He was probably just in shock overall. His face lit up when he got to the part where he read that he would be preaching the gospel in Spanish. I had my heart set on him learning a new language and I think he felt the same way. There was a lot more cheering for that announcement.
Dexter will be reporting to the MTC on May 9th. For those of you who don't know, rules for the MTC have changed dramatically recently. All family/friend goodbyes need to be done before bringing the missionary to the MTC. The movie and talks they used to do for the missionaries and their families is a thing of the past. Now you just drive them up, let them out with their luggage, and drive away. You only have five minutes to unload them and they don't want you lingering to take photos. It makes for an easier transition for the missionaries, but I'll admit that I miss the bigger event. I'm so glad that I got to experience it with Bill, Rick, and Sharon.
There is an impressive booklet of information that Dexter and I are going through. It gives the details of what to bring and what not to bring as well as all the things he needs to take care of in the next 7 weeks. I plan on getting a blog up that will be dedicated to Dexter's mission. It will have the details on what he needs to get as far as clothing, equipment, etc. as well as his progress and addresses for him on his mission and at the MTC. Our goal is to post his letters to us on that blog so everyone can share in the experience. I've enjoyed following other missionaries who have set it up that way.
Thank you all for everything you've done for Dexter and for us during this process. We have benefited from your prayers along the way. Dexter is really excited about the conversations he has had with family members and close friends and is very grateful for the offers of support. Even though we live in Mormon country, we often feel like fish out of water since much of this is very foreign to us. Emerson and I have never been there to see someone open their mission call before. The process of getting the paperwork in and preparing for the mission itself is all new - partly because the process itself has changed over the years and partly because I never saw my brothers or sister go through it. We have felt a lot of opposition so far and I believe strong efforts have been made to try to prevent Dexter from serving this mission. The support we received is almost overwhelming with the Bishop assuring us things would work out and my best friend advising me to tell Dexter not to let my job loss interfere with his preparation. Many, many friends have told us that we will receive blessings while Dexter is out serving his mission and I definitely look forward to it. Jobs, vehicles, illnesses, and other obstacles have pushed us to the edge. We are ready for it to settle down.
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