You're Going Where?

September 27th, after 2 weeks of my mom and dad trying to beat each other to the mail box, my brother Gregory received a big white envelope in the mail. Otherwise known as his mission call. It was an overwhelming and amazing experience to be able to be a part of. We were at my parents house hoping that it would be the day “it” finally came. Gregory met the mail man at the mail box and took the stack of mail from him. Looking at his back we could not tell if it came or not. When he turned around, he just started walking down the driveway. Mind you we are all standing at the window staring at him. Finally he holds up that big white envelope. Screaming ensued.

We had to wait 15 minutes for Ken and one of my sisters to get there. So we all go out on the deck, better cell phone signals. Dad called my sister in Atlanta. I called our good friend Susan and on my cell. Susan’s husband Jay, who is in the Navy and was in port in Cyprus, called Ken’s cell phone. (Ken calls Gregory a friend stealer because Jay and Ken are best friends and 16 years older than Gregory but yet Gregory is good friends with Jay and Susan as well. Of course they have known him since he was 7 years old.) So Gregory opens his letter, flips it over and covers it with the envelope. He begins reading it and with each word you could feel the spirit more and more. Along with his voice getting louder and more excited until he finally reads Albania Tirana Mission.

He is going to Albania. So we are all wondering where in the heck is Albania? Thank goodness they enclose a map with the mission calls nowadays. Plus Susan has a world map on her dining room wall and she and her kids had run over to it to try and find it. So she was trying to tell me where it was. So for those of you who have no idea where it is, it is across the Adriatic Sea from Italy’s boot, above Greece and next to Yugoslavia. He of course will be learning Albanian. Gregory will report to the MTC January 21, 2009.

I am very proud of my brother. He is an amazing young man. It has been such an inspiration to see him and his testimony grow this last year. He is a wonderful example to those around him. He is going to make an AWESOME missionary. I am thrilled that my son wants to be just like him. I look forward to hearing all about his mission and the trying and rewarding experiences he is going to have. He will be so blessed for making this decision. We are going to miss him something awful. Especially Ken. I am not sure what he is going to do while Gregory is gone. They are close friends and brothers. Sometimes I have to remind Gregory I am the blood relative!

Talk about a small world in the church though. Susan’s sister-n-laws Grandparents served a humanitarian mission in Albania in the 90’s and opened the mission. A friend of ours in our ward served her mission there and was one of the first sister missionaries. They did not even have Albanian Books of Mormon then. My Bishops parents served the last half of their second mission in Albania about 4 years ago. Another Sister in our ward was over there when it was still communist helping with adoptions. So Gregory has several people he is going to be talking to, to hear all about the country he will call home for the next 2 years. The stories he will have to share when he comes home to us.