~Called to Bengaluru India~

Pre~Mission Prep

With much excitement and anticipation, we received our mission call to the Stake Young Adult Program in Bengaluru India for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints on July 19th, 2022 after submitting our papers on June 23rd. We really only made the decision to serve a mission on the Memorial Day weekend, so we truly kicked it into high gear to get the passport photos, the doctor and dental visits, the

pokes and prods, mammograms, colonoscopies, pap smears, etc (the very un-fun part) of the preparation done speedy quick. When we finally received the call, we were so thoroughly thrilled as this was the VERY mission we desired and requested! For so many reasons, this mission was just right for us. We love all things India; the people, the food, the culture, not to mention the price was right! 

We decided it was pretty important for us to see all our family and friends one last time before we took off for 2 years so we made a gigantic 10-day loop in the month of August through Utah, Idaho, and Washington to say our goodbyes to friends and loved ones and hug as many people as we could. We had such memorable and loving visits, thanks to the hospitality of so many. All the visits, scenery, singing, music, and conversation made it one of our best vacations ever. Lets hear it for our little 2006 148,000 mile Subaru getting us there and back like a champ!

Midway, Utah

Idaho Falls. Idaho

                          Hayden Lake, Idaho 

                    Vancouver, Washington

                                   Boise, Idaho

                                 Burley, Idaho

Sandy, Utah

Another preparation we thought was vital for our service was to get ourselves physically in better condition. So in July, we began following a Keto diet coupled with Intermittent Fasting. As of this date, Rob has lost 35 pounds and Alley 20. We feel younger and more confident, not that we didn't love our old chunky selves, but the discipline of eating only 1-2 meals a day is something we plan to continue in the mission field. It has had a spiritual component too as we have mastered some cravings and food addictions that helps our spirits be in control of our flesh. We wonder if the Book of Mormon missionaries who accomplished all they did by way of "much prayer and fasting" utilized these same principles of daily fasting with only opening a food window for a few hours each day? Who knows? Anyway, we have noticed our lives no longer center around food; both the eating and the prepping of it. We now see indulgences as a rare fun treat and not a daily occurrence! 

Forgive the tangent, I also started thinking that dying my hair red each month was just not going to be possible in a country where the color of hair is predominantly black!  It was time to embrace the gray. So I began that process by having a color that wouldn't leave a drastic line of demarcation and allow it to gradually grow out. I have completely loved being off the bottle!  Then when I went to get my last pre-mission trim, they gave me a drastic cut I didn't ask for. Distress! But I am slowly getting used to seeing my Parker ears and actually now see it as a blessing of having less hair to contend with for the next two years.

 We received a phone call in the middle of October from the Missionary Department asking if we could delay entering the MTC to Mid-January 2023 because of Visa issues to India. Had they called sooner, we may have complied but as it was, we had both quit our jobs and had secured a lease with new renters for our home so it really wasn't a viable option at that point. So instead they told us they will figure out an interim assignment for us for those few months, which we may not know until our arrival at the MTC. Stay tuned! More exciting news to be revealed.

 It's been a looong wait but now that November 7th is fast approaching, we are scrambling to get our yard and home ready for our darling renters. Gah! The time is quickly here! As of this writing we have only 9 days left before we depart for Stage 1 of the experience. Rob has been feverishly digging, digging, digging, leveling out the back yard playing field so to speak, putting in sod and repairing and reconfiguring sprinklers, putting in stairs to the attic so we can store our belongings, and generally burning the candle at both ends. That boy is a worker bee!

I am definitely a drone bee by comparison, (not a queen bee mind you), but just fanning the home fires to keep things buzzing. Rob's definitely our logistics man and I'm the one that makes sure we get in our scripture study, prayer, temple trips, and that our spiritual preparation is on par with all our other prepping. We gave our farewell talks October 23rd, and are very glad to have that milestone behind us. We chose as our theme "Choosing to be Chosen". Yes, why are many called but only a few chosen? We were taught by Elder Bednar that there is no "favorites list" the Lord has that we can only hope to be on, it is by OUR choice, OUR faith, and OUR obedience that we can choose to be an instrument in the hands of the Lord. We are hoping that by our choosing to serve the Lord full-time in missionary service, coupled with His power and might, we can go forth and proclaim His gospel. We pray He can utilize us to do some good in the world and bring others to Him in this final gathering of Israel before His return. 

   We chose this scripture for our mission plaque:

Doctrine and Covenants 42:6

  "And ye shall go forth in the power of my Spirit, preaching my gospel, two by two, in my name, lifting up your voices as with the sound of a trump, declaring my word like unto angels of God."