2063: In The MTC !
Today, my eldest son Wayne, and his wife Julie entered the MTC in Provo! They are going on a mission to the Historic Sites in New York, and Pennsylvania! They are so thrillled ! They sent a picture of them in the MTC with a big map, and they're pointing to the place! I'll try to figure how to put their picture they sent on this blog!
Their farewell was in their ward in West Bountiful yesterday! They had a breakfast in their family room, complete with all kinds of finger foods, fruits, salomi, etc., and they had invited friends and family to come from 8.00 a.m. to 10 a.m. and they and the rest went to the Church for the meetings which began at 10.30 a.m. They were set apart at 3.00 p.m. and became official missionaries!
They both spoke and it was an enjoyable meeting, with chairs that had to be set up in almost half of the cultural hall behind the main chapel room. Julie spoke first, and she told that when they were called, they were given 7 books of Church History. The Lord works with "broken families", beginning with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Joseph Smith Sr. and his wife Lucy had to move 6 times in 10 years. They had lived in Vermont until the year without a summer! Due to an earthquake in Indonesia in 1815 which sent clouds all over the world with enough volcanic ash to stop the sunshine from helping the farms even in the United States, the Smith's decided to leave Vermont and moved to Manchester, near Palmyra, New York, where they hoped to be able to farm more successfully. In 1820 the Prophet Joseph (not yet the prophet) had his First Vision, and Joseph ended up at that time working for Emma Hale's father, who didn't give his permission for their marriage, so they eloped! There is a lot of history at that time Julie didn't have time to talk about, but she emphasized that the entire Smith family suffered persecusion from shortly after his vision of God the Father, and Jesus Christ. Julie said to the congregation to be glad we didn't live then! Life was hard!
Wayne talked a lot about how he and Julie had met on their own missions in Ecuador in 1976, 50 years ago. After they got home they knew each other as Elder Eckman and Sister Cox! During the few months he went down to St. George to college, they kept in touch, and at Christmas time when he came home to Sandy, where his parents lived, they went to visit a couple who had been on a senior mission in Ecuador, and became more seriously interested! Before he went back to college at Dixie, they were engaged, and married in June! He majored in Spanish at BYU, and taught Seminary for 6 years. After that time he took over his father in law's business at State Farm Insurance and worked there until the end of 2024, when he officially retired.
At that time he heard of teachers being needed to volunteer teaching at BYU Pathways, and he signed up for 1 year for that. He told several touching stories about students with those classes. And said we will have moments where we will be standing before our own Red Sea and wonder what to do! We need to be patient as the Restoration unfolds!
During the last about 7 years Wayne was ordained a Stake Patriarch, in the West Bountiful Stake, and he has quite a rapport with young people. He gave his last blessing in that calling a week ago yesterday, Sunday. He isn't using that calling on his mission, as we know at this point! More information as the day's go by!
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